Tag Archives: faith

January 24, 2021 · 6:28 pm

OFFENCE – THE MOSES WAY

48 That same day the Lord said to Moses,49 “Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river, and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession.50 Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. 51 For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there. 52 So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32: 48-52

This was the moment that Moses got his death sentence. I can only imagine the emotions that flooded his mind when the message sank in. After everything he had done, he was not going to step into Canaan. This was the land he longed for, worked for and looked forward to. 

The reason was simple! The people of Israel drove him to act in a way that displeased God. Up to this point, he had led them selflessly, interceded for them when God got angry with them and wanted to wipe out all of them. He had gone from an Egyptian royalty to a Midian exile because of them and this was what he got in return.

The people he did everything for cost him one thing he really looked forward to, but he never held it against them as we can see from the spectacular opening of Deuteronomy 33.

This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:

He did not just stop at not holding it against them, he went further to actually bless them before he died. This is definitely counterculture, this is not likely to be our first reaction but Moses was not alone in this. Stephen did something similar when he was being stoned to death.

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Acts 7: 59 – 60.

Now, it’s our turn and we are on the stage, acting life’s drama. Offence and hurt will come and people will make us feel like giving it back to them. People will get under our skin and hurt us where it hurts most. People will lie against us, manipulate and slander us. Sometimes, they will cause irreparable damage to our reputation and self esteem. The classes of offence that will come our way are limitless. These great men that have gone before us have given us a difficult template to follow but Jesus’s death and resurrection have made following the template easier. No matter the degree of offence, the counsel remains the same.

Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21

The words of Romans 12: 14 – 21 are indeed very instructive on this subject. Please take some time to read them. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

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January 1, 2021 · 9:19 pm

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

Some of the best memories that I have and the best friends that I have kept so far were made between 1990 and 1995 in a remote village in Niger State, Nigeria. Those were my secondary school years. Those days bring loads of smiles to my face and I still catch myself singing the anthem of my school often and of course I’m still in touch with most of my classmates and some teachers.

No matter how much I enjoyed those days, I had to move on in June 1995. I had to take my eyes off the rear-view mirror, move on to University and also move on from there when my days for that phase were completed.

Sometimes, what we see in the rear-view mirror may not be as pleasant as my secondary school experience. The road to where we are coming from may be awash with pain and losses, but we have to keep moving, as long as we are still living.

No matter how bitter or how sweet our past experiences may be, we cannot afford to chain ourselves to those experiences. Paul captured it perfectly in Philippians 3:12 – 14

I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfil and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however, I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

My fingers have been burnt multiple times in different aspects of life. I will not wrap my fingers in bandage and refuse to do anything because of fear of being burnt again. Instead, I will heal and learn from the experience and ensure I don’t get burnt in the same way again.

During some of the low ‘valley moments’ that we experience, we may not be able to see beyond the boundaries of where we are. In such times, I believe the best counsel is for us to put our hands in God’s hands and let him lead us, one step at a time. Most times, we may not be aware of the end game, just like Joseph was not aware that he was going to eventually rub shoulders with royalty when he was sold by his brothers. He lived his life glorifying God, one day at a time, bearing no grudges as he moved along. Reaching new heights as a servant and a prisoner before he eventually got to the palace. He never let the bad moments drive him to despair, laziness or mediocrity. He always showed up.

We also have a few examples of people that were too attached to their rear-view mirrors and they didn’t go too far that way. Lot’s wife is one example. Another example is the group of Israelites that left Egypt for the Promised Land. Over 600,000 men with their families left Egypt. Sadly, only 2 of those men made it to the Promised Land. Many times, they got offended at God because they compared their experiences on the trail to the ‘luxury’ they had in Egypt 

We are at the beginning of a new year – 2021. No matter the cards we were dealt by 2020, we have to move on. We will not make any progress if our vision of the future is constrained by the lens of 2020 stuck to our eyes. The year may have been great. The year may have been ‘ungreat’. It is time to take our eyes off the rear-view mirror and steady ourselves on the forward journey. We have to show up every day, pray, have faith and put our best feet forward in whatever our hands find to do. The same way the Lord was with Joseph as well as the 3 Hebrew boys, He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Go through each day with this assurance in mind. God will go with you.

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December 26, 2020 · 5:09 pm

OVERWHELMED

2020 has been a special year by almost every standard. Different people have used different adjectives to describe the year that is coming to an end. Many of the adjectives have not been anything close to positive. OVERWHELMING is one of those adjectives. Many people are genuinely overwhelmed by everything that has happened and the things that are still happening this year. The list of adjectives could go on and on. 

One man that knew how it truly felt to be overwhelmed was King David. He experienced this from his days as King Saul’s therapist to his days as the King of Israel. King Saul attempted to eliminate him multiple times. He ended up being on the run till the King died in battle. In one of those episodes, his men even turned against him when they got back to their base and realized they had lost everything they had. When he eventually became the King, his son Absalom planned a coup and deposed him from the throne after some years. He went on the run again until Absalom’s death.

During one of the episodes when he was overwhelmed by everything that was happening around him, he cried out to God:

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety” Psalms 61: 1-2

We can find comfort and reassurance in the fact that God always strengthened and encouraged him at all those times. There are many more examples in the Bible about people that cried out to the Lord when they were neck-deep in trouble and God always answered them in His own way. In our contemporary times, God has not stopped answering prayers. He is our Father and He truly cares. He has always cared and He will never stop caring.

At the beginning of this year – 2020, nobody could have imagined that we would be where we are today. The year may have thrown many things at us, and indeed some of those things might have felt too heavy for us to carry sometimes. The losses may have come in different scales, just like the gains too. We may have many unanswered questions. But like David and all the other examples in the Bible, we can always go to God when we are under the weight of whatever is thrown at us. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. This is not a promise that all the troubles of 2020 are going to be rolled away by midnight on December 31. It is an assurance from God’s word in Isaiah 43:2 that 

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

The experience of going through the fire or being pushed along by river currents is definitely not a pleasant one. I will borrow the words of John Piper and say “…that the same sovereignty that could stop the coronavirus, yet doesn’t, is the very sovereignty that sustains the soul in it”. Whatever it is that has come your way this year, God is able to sustain you through it. God is able to make you overcome it. God is able to make you better at the end of it all. God will still be God at the other side of those challenges.

As the year draws to a close, my prayer is that we will firmly plant our hope in God because He is the source of our peace. Because…He will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him! Isaiah 26:3

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July 4, 2020 · 11:16 am

THE DEATH OF KING UZZIAH

Growing up, I recall many people in the generation of my grandparents telling stories and using the year of the influenza epidemic as a reference point to indicate the period of certain events. Many of them were not literate enough at that time to keep dates, the best way they could give an indication of when certain events occurred was to use the year of the influenza epidemic as a benchmark. So, it was usual to hear: “2 years before the influenza…” or “4 years after the influenza…”. In more recent history in Nigeria, we still have some people from the older generations who built another benchmark around the Nigerian Civil War.

As a matter of fact, in different cultures, many of such benchmarks exist. Most of the common benchmarks found in the Bible are built around different kings of Israel and Judah. Many stories in the Bible, especially in the books of 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles start with such benchmarks to help Bible historians set dates of different events. One of such key benchmarks was captured in Isaiah 6:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple (NIV)

In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. (NASB)

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. (NLT)

With this benchmark, it was possible for historians to trace the year of this event to 740 B.C.

This verse has often been misinterpreted to imply that King Uzziah had to die for Isaiah to see the Lord and by extension, it means that some people have to die for us to experience the level of blessing that God intends for us. If they don’t die, we remain limited and in bondage. Since we cannot attack these evil people and kill them by ourselves, we resort to praying and asking God to kill everyone that is acting as a ‘King Uzziah’ in our lives.

Uzziah

If indeed anybody has the powers to frustrate and manipulate the life of a Christian against the will and purpose of the ALMIGHTY God, then something is wrong somewhere. Jesus died, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, gave us the power to become children of God – the same ALMIGHTY God that created the world and everything in it. It is this same ALMIGHTY God that parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass on dry ground and gave them awesome victories along the way to the Promised Land. There is no power that is big enough to derail the purpose of this ALMIGHTY God. It is not just possible, it cannot happen.

We have several reassuring verses in the Bible that allude to this:

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe – Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!” Psalms 91: 1-2 (AMP)

“People will make weapons to fight against you, but their weapons will not defeat you. Some people will say things against you, but anyone who speaks against you will be proved wrong.” The Lord says, “That is what my servants get! They get the good things that come from me, their Lord – Isaiah 54:17 (ERV)

Let us be bold, then, and say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” – Hebrews 13:6 (GNB)

The servant of the man of God got up early and went out, and behold, there was an army with horses and chariots encircling the city. Elisha’s servant said to him, “Oh no, my master! What are we to do?”  Elisha answered, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, please, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha – 2 Kings 6: 15-17(AMP)

The word of God is ever true, forever constant and it doesn’t change with circumstances. It is not selective and it is not bound by geography. God does not need permission from anyone to do what He wants to do in our lives and no one is big enough to derail His purpose. He will keep preparing tables before us in spite of the people that may not like us. The only thing we have to do is to make sure we do not break the hedge and find ourselves outside the ‘Shadow of the Almighty’. Armed with this knowledge, you can lie down and sleep, and none will make you afraid. Stay connected to the vine.

I wrote a piece a while ago about the source of our unwavering boldness and confidence as Christians… INFORM YOUR FEARS

 

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May 4, 2020 · 7:20 am

I DON’T KNOW

Have you experienced that awkward moment when a question was thrown at you and you threw back an answer that you were convinced made zero meaning? In order not to appear ignorant, you just crafted a combination of words while exuding sterling confidence built on a foundation of thin air, knowing quite well that you were not making any sense. In most cases, the people asking the questions are nice enough and play along pretending to understand you so that you will not be embarrassed.

One of my friends was not that lucky in an encounter that he had with a senior executive at work. As part of the processes to get a required approval, he had to explain some details to the senior executive. When asked a question, he had no clue what the right answer was, but decided to ride his luck and just say something. He did not expect what he heard next. The boss told him: “If you don’t know, just say you don’t know”. You can only imagine the rush of blood to his face when those words hit his ears.

I dont know

At the root of this behaviour in most cases is the feeling of: “I should know this but I’m ashamed that I don’t know and I don’t want to be seen as someone who doesn’t know”. In Zechariah Chapter 4, Zerubbabel could have pretended that he understood what he was seeing. He was a reputable prophet and he should have known what the vision meant based on his long years of prophetic experience. The angel’s questions in verses 5 and 13 tend to suggest that he expected Zerubbabel to know and understand what he was seeing. Zerubbabel, however, did not know and he was not ashamed to say that he did not know. This admission gave him the opportunity to receive an accurate interpretation of the vision from the angel in those two instances. He chose the higher path of stooping low to learn and it paid off like it always does.

When we don’t have the answer and we pretend to know, we leave the person asking the question with an impression of us that might be difficult to change in the future. The shame we were trying to avoid may now come to us in multiples. No matter how long you’ve been in church, it’s okay not to know answers to some questions. You may even be a pastor. It is still okay. And then as a teacher, it is okay to tell your students that you don’t know but make a commitment to get back to them with the answer.

The chance to say “I don’t know” may not always be an opportunity to learn anything, it may just be an opportunity to simply say “I don’t know” and move on without shame. Humility. We are not omniscient and it’s okay not to know somethings. But this does not mean that we should bask in blissful ignorance and not seek to acquire the requisite knowledge and indeed more. It is also instructive not to plan to answer “I don’t know” to the same question more than once. The first one is enough cue for us to go and research the topic.

Keep learning!

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December 24, 2019 · 9:01 am

THROUGH THE STORM

Some of my closest friendships bonds till date are those formed in my secondary school days. We were few and tight, everybody knew everybody. Many years after, we still relieve the experiences and fond memories that we shared in those days. A lot of the character traits that have helped us stay above board many years down the line were instilled into us in those days by our wonderful teachers and a Principal like no other. In its first year of establishment, students in three different grades were introduced at the same time. My set was the lowest of the three. We experienced a lot of hardship in those early days because of non-existent basic infrastructure. Hurricane lanterns were essential commodities because we needed them for illumination in the night. The term ‘midnight candle’ was very real to us. To get potable water, we all had to take turns at the only hand pump in the school…that was really an experience because sometimes you could exert a lot of energy in pumping the water and you will be blessed with only a few drops of water. Even though we faced all these hardships and more, we always looked forward to returning to school at the end of each school holiday period. During those days, the experience was unmatched by any other and the people we were with made everything all the more worth the while.

When there’s a greater cause, the temporary pain and struggles are greatly diminished and become insignificant in the scheme of things – we only need to keep our eyes on that ‘greater cause’. The road to where we are headed may be filled with bumps, potholes and dark patches, but we can always count on the grace of God to abound in our weakest moments. His promises are sure and steadfast. He said:

  “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Remembering these unfailing promises as well as past victories will help us keep our heads above the storms when they come. We brave the storms with joy just like Habakkuk testified.

“Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant but I will still celebrate because the LORD God is my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17-18 (CEV)

                      Image result for ship in the storm"

When we are in the middle of those stormy days, it’s difficult to steady our ship, the gust often obscures our vision and makes it hard for us to see far enough and we can’t perceive what God is doing. In those times, these lines of the song – Way Maker by Sinach – are very instructive:

“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working                                                                                 Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working                                                                                      You never stop, You never stop working”

We will work hard, we will do everything that we need to do, we will pray hard and we will wait with joy. This ties in nicely with a piece I wrote in the past: WHILE WAITING…

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March 3, 2019 · 11:10 pm

INFORM YOUR FEARS

During a thrilling team building trip with my colleagues, one of the activities I had to complete was a zip wire ride, set up between two trees. I eagerly donned the gear for the ride, with my steel toe boots, helmet, hand gloves, body harness and a safety line all in place. My confidence was overflowing. I had seen people do it on TV and imagined that it would be easy. Also, some of my colleagues had also gone ahead of me on the activity and appeared to enjoy the ride.

When I got to the launch pad on top one of the trees, my confidence level dropped below zero. Palpable fear had a firm grip on me. I couldn’t take the ‘step of faith’ to leave the pad. I practically had to be coerced to continue the ride as I seriously considered aborting the launch.

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So, what was I afraid of? The fact is that I had NOTHING to be afraid of. My brain just chose to be temporarily ignorant of the fact that I had several lines of defence with my safety gear and ultimately, the body harness and safety line would keep me safely suspended in the air if anything went wrong. My fear was completely unfounded. If only I had stepped back to reason around the circumstances, I would have realized that there was indeed no need to fear and calmed myself down. Well, I eventually managed to get off the launch pad and completed the ride safely as expected.

Fear resulting from ignorance is what Elisha’s servant experienced in 2 Kings 6:15 until his eyes were opened and he saw the hordes of horses and chariots of fire that were at their service. With this realization, he ‘informed’ his fears and went about his business with the courage and boldness of a lion. No evil could befall them, despite the number of enemies that surrounded them. We know how the story ends.

Fear resulting from ignorance made 10 out of 12 spies see themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants in the promised land. They ultimately did not set foot in the promised land. Joshua and Caleb experienced the same giants, acknowledged that there were giants in the land but they ‘informed’ the fear of giants with the knowledge of God’s ability and obtained their inheritance in the land flowing with milk and honey.

On the flip side, Daniel and the three Hebrew boys had some level of knowledge that completely annihilated ignorance. They had no modicum of fear no matter the fire that they faced or the danger of the lions’ den, because they knew God. They knew what God could do. They knew that God would never leave them nor forsake them. They knew that God had good thoughts and plans for them, to give them an expected end. They knew that God would deliver them from the many afflictions that they had to face. They knew the God in whom they believed and were persuaded that he could keep whatever was committed to Him. They knew more than what they had been told about God. They knew God for themselves. They way John knew Jesus and boldly declared:

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 1 John 1:1 [NLT]

With this type of knowledge, there is no way fear can result from ignorance, because we will always have superior knowledge with which we can inform our fears. Situations will always arise that will test this resolve, but we can rest assured that God has not changed and He will not change. We will be in desperate situations if our knowledge bank is empty and there is nothing with which we can inform our fears.

Daniel and his friends didn’t just stumble upon the knowledge of God and we will not stumble upon this knowledge either. It takes diligent, consistent study and our aim should be to ‘Study to show ourselves approved unto God…rightly dividing the Word of truth’ 2 Tim 2:15. The way a house is built from its foundation one brick at a time, that’s the way we will develop the knowledge of God (precept upon precept, line upon line) with which we can inform all fears and stand our ground victoriously. Unfortunately, if we cannot inform our fears, our fears will inform us and rule our lives. It should not be so, because “ the Word is near us, it is in our mouths and in our hearts…” Romans 10:8

Photo credit nutreaunnino.com

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December 15, 2018 · 5:59 pm

FAITH AND CONFIDENCE

Growing up, I had so much faith in my father. I believed he was a superman and that he could actually slay a lion with his bare hands just like Samson. I never had any reason to doubt whatever he told me. I just took his word for it. If he ever told me he could fly, I’m sure I would have believed him. I’m almost certain that most people had the same kind of blind faith in their parents – that’s just the way kids are – ‘doubt’ is not part of their lexicon and they don’t rationalize things the way adults do.

I recently read two Bible passages that reminded me of the pedestal on which I placed my dad as a child.

So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me Acts 27:25

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:18 – 21

Paul was sure that he got a message from God and he was confident that it would happen just as he had been told. Based on his experience with God, there could not have been any other outcome. The weather and the waves were indicating something else but that didn’t matter to Paul. He was sure of the source of the message. If God said it, it was done.

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When Abraham and Sarah were told that they were going to have a child, there was no reason for them to believe that it was possible apart from the fact that the message was from God. Naturally, all hope was lost. In those days, if there were professors of ‘Conception technology’, they would have told Abraham to wake up from dreamland. But because God said, it, Abraham believed it and it happened just as he was told.

confidence

For Paul and Abraham to have unwavering faith in God, they were sure that the words of assurance and promises were from God and they knew God’s character of not being capable of failure. Because of deep relationship, they could tell the difference between God’s word and their subtle imaginations or wishes. They were God’s sheep and there’s no way they would have followed the voice of strangers.

Consistent, unbroken fellowship with God is key in knowing what God is saying at every point. The ‘saying’ could come while reading through scriptures, listening to messages, worshipping God in music or in many other ways. In whatever form it comes, the constant factor is RELATIONSHIP.

Whatever the cost, we must keep the fire of this RELATIONSHIP on, for therein lies our SALVATION and the foundation of our FAITH.

 

Photocredit: www.childrens-ministry-deals.com, www.psychologytoday.com

 

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March 15, 2018 · 3:12 pm

I WANT THAT…

SALAD! Now that’s something I really really longed for when I was much younger. Unfortunately, the closest I ever got to it then was hearing about it from my primary school classmates. It was never part of our meal plan because it was a luxury back then and it just wasn’t one of the things my parents could be bothered about.

The fact is that I actually never knew what it looked or tasted like, but I seriously wanted it, simply because I knew some of my classmates were enjoying it regularly. Another fact is that though I never had salad, I never lacked food to eat and my parents did the very best they could within their means.

Fast forward to the day I finally had the opportunity to fall on vegetable salad, I could not understand why I actually thought I was missing something. There was no light bulb moment and there were no drum rolls in my ears. At the heart of the craving was the fact that someone else had it and I felt I should have it too.

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The feeling or craving that I had in those early days is similar to the feeling we have as adults when we want something we feel we should have, especially when our contemporaries are enjoying the very same things. It could be anything ranging from position, car, real estate, job, network, children and spouse to clothes and holidays.  When we don’t have it, we feel as if we are missing something great. When we eventually get it, buyer’s remorse sets in.

This feeling is a very good breeding ground for ingratitude and envy. We unconsciously become blind-sided by those things that we don’t have. We fail to enjoy the moment and thank God for where we are and for the things that we have. The promises of God fade from our vision and begin to appear unreal. Promises such as:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. Jer 29:11 (NLT)

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Matt 6: 31-32 (NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Jesus knew that the days of such feelings will come, so we already have this warning in Luke 12:15

Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” (MSG)

Paul also lent his voice in his letter to Timothy

 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.  After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 1Tim 6: 6 -7 (NLT)

What is it that I don’t have right now that I desire to have? Instead of dwelling on those things, I can choose to take a step back and instead think of the things that I have and give God praise for them. If we Meditate on the love and sovereign power of the ALL SUFFICIENT GOD, this will help us magnify God instead of the challenges and the peace of God that passes all understanding will flood our hearts.

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January 14, 2018 · 8:21 pm

ADAM’S APPLE

For some reason, I grew up believing that Adam was not at home when Eve ate the forbidden fruit; he was probably at work or just taking a routine walk around the garden. The version of the story that was in my mind was that Eve was alone when she was conned and convinced by the serpent to take that bite that changed everything. She took the fruit, enjoyed the first bite and then kept the remaining portion to be shared with Adam on his return. When Adam came home, he took a bite and behold, their eyes were suddenly opened…and we know how the story develops from there.

You can imagine how shocked I was when I realized that I was wrong:

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:6 (NLT)

So, Adam was standing there, practically watching his beloved wife going off on the wrong trail and he could not intervene and correct her. Remember that he had earlier on described her as “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” (Gen 2: 23), yet that extravagant display of affection did not translate to any modicum of correction.

Why is it that Adam could not correct Eve? I don’t know the answer, but I know that the answer will be similar to the reason why Sapphira could not challenge Ananias when he suggested that they should keep some of the money from the sale of their property to themselves and tell the apostles that they brought 100%:

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.  He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Acts 5: 1-2 (NLT)

One of the best things that can happen to us is to have friends or associates that can tell us every shade of truth that we need to hear at every point in time, especially when we are going off track. We need such people, not willing accomplices that always want to make us look good and feel good. If we don’t have such associates, one of the probable reasons is that we may not have handled past corrections or criticisms well and they are now scared of offending us. It’s also possible that we have created a shield of defence around ourselves that sends a message to people that we are irreproachable and beyond correction.

We need to make every effort to surround ourselves with people that will bluntly refuse to be willing accomplices; people that will not be clapping for us as we’re going off track at full throttle. We need people that can look us in the face and tell us the plain truth, no matter how we feel. We can consciously create the environment that will make that happen. It’s all in our hands.

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