Question and Answer Series (Part 4)

In February 2006, we commenced a Question and Answer Series via this medium.  And in April as well as in June 2006, we considered parts two (2) and three (3) of it respectively.  Today, I am delighted to present the forth part to you believing God that you will find it helpful in Jesus name.  The Questions and Answers in this series are as follows:

1.  Is God really committed to meeting our needs?

Yes he is! This assertion can be supported with many biblical passages but we shall consider a few here.  In Philippians 4:19, Apostle Paul confirmed the commitment of God towards meeting our needs when he said: “And my God shall supply all our needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus’’.  Apostle John too, portrayed the mind of God in 3 John 1:2 when he said: “I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in good health even as thy soul prospers.’’ 

In Isaiah 43:19 God promised to do new (spectacular) things in our lives which ostensibly include meeting our needs.  Psalm 84:11 points to the fact that God is not interested in denying us access to any good thing.  Our needs are of course very good hence, they are extremely important to him.  And because he is a covenant keeping God (Psalm 89:34), he will do everything possible to ensure that they are fully met but in his own appointed time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Please take note of this very important point!

2.  What then should we be doing before our needs are met?

First, we must be patient (Psalm 27:14) and we must believe that our needs will be met by God at some point (Mathew 21:22).  We must not abandon the ship mid-way and we must remember that as far as God is concerned, delay is not denial.  We should also cultivate the habit of rejoicing in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) and refrain from grumbling whilst waiting for answers to our prayers. These conditions are mandatory, non-optional, non-negotiable and immutable.  Whatever challenges we may be facing today has in it elements of blessings and gifts from God therefore, we should not insult Him with our complaints.  Furthermore, we should make it a routine to thank God incessantly (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and to praise Him unreservedly.  Let me emphasize here that our blessings cannot be far away from us if we praise Him in a way that will make Him happy (Psalm 22:3). 

Finally, let us remember to encourage one another with the bible passage below:

‘’he who calls you is faithful, who will do it’’ (1 Thessalonians 5: 24).

Jesus is Lord!

Question and Answer Series (Part 3)

In February 2006 we commenced a Question and Answer Series through this medium and in April 2006 we considered part two (2) of it.  Today, I am delighted to present the third part to you believing that you will find it helpful in Jesus name.  The Questions and Answers are as follows:

 1.  Is God the maker of the world?

Yes he is!  This we can defend by looking at issues from the basics.  To begin with, it is a known fact nothing extraordinary occurs by accident and that everything in existence has a maker and a beginning.  Therefore, our world cannot be an exception.  It is an extraordinary entity and its intricate nature alone is enough to convince all skeptics that it did not come into existence by accident.  It was carefully thought out and conscientiously put together by an ingenious creator.  Great thinkers of old like Plato and Aristotle as well as credible scholars, outstanding leaders (Socio-Political, Economic, Spiritual et. al) and all serious minded people globally are united in their belief that this creator is God.   They cannot all be wrong or stupid!  Therefore nobody can blame us if we uphold their conviction.  Lastly, the final authority on all issues is the Holy Bible and it confirms that God is the maker of the world (Genesis 1:1).

2.  Is He powerful?

Yes He is and there are many cases in point that we can cite to prove it.  For example, He used His breathtaking power to create the Heaven and Earth (Genesis 1:1), to destroy the Earth (Genesis Chapter 7), to divide the red sea into two through Moses (Exodus 14:21-22), to save Daniel from the den of Lions (Daniel 6:10-19), to deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego from the burning fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-25), to set Paul and Silas free from the prison (Acts 16:16-26) etc.  He has the exclusive power to kill and to make alive (Deuteronomy 32:39) and the final say concerning all issues belongs to him (Lamentations 3:37).  It is only a uniquely powerful person that can boast of this type of extraordinary credentials.

Let me quickly interject at this point that God has many power instruments that makes Him astonishingly powerful and one of them is His word (Hebrews 4:12).  He wants us to be powerful too hence He gave us the bible which contains His word.  Great Apostles like Paul, Peter and John as well as highly revered men and women of God of this era like Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Haggins, Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, T.D Jakes, Paul Yonggi Cho, Benson Idahosa, Rebecca Brown, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, etc used and are still using the word of God in the name of Jesus to raise the dead, to heal the sick, to set the captives free, to restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb etc.  Also, a huge number of individuals across the globe have severally attested to the efficacy of the word of God in their lives.

Friend, from all above and more outside the scope of this write up, it is evident that God is the maker of the world and that He is absolutely powerful.  Finally, we know that one of His most effective power instruments is His word.  If you want to obtain freedom from satanic oppression, depression, regression, repression, suppression, retrogression etc then, you must make the bible your inseparable companion.  You must study it voraciously (a good daily devotional and other instructional materials such as Christian books, magazines, tapes, CDs, DVDs etc will be very useful here), ruminate over it, act it and declare it unambiguously against any nagging situation that is making it difficult for your life to flourish.  The good news is that power will change hands in your favor and outstanding success will come your way (Joshua 1:8).  So shall it be in Jesus name Amen. 

Jesus is Lord!

Question and Answer Series (Part 2)

In February 2006, we started a Question and Answer Series using this forum and today, three questions will be considered in its part two (2).  It is my prayer that you’ll find the exercise helpful in Jesus name.  Amen.  The questions are as follows:

1.  Who is God?

God is the supernatural being who created all things (Revelation 4:11).  He is very powerful (Psalms 62:11) and very knowledgeable (Proverbs 2:6).  He sees all things (2 Chronicles 16:9a) and He can do all things (Luke 1:37).  He predates all things and He will definitely outlast them.  For this reason, He is called the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). 

2.  Is he real?

Yes He is! The more you learn about Him, the more real He becomes to you and the more you will love and feel close to Him.

3.  How can we be sure that he is real?

 Let us start with this simple illustration.  To many people, the American President is the most powerful person on earth and they believe that he is real even though a good number of them have never seen him nor have anything to do with him before.  Their belief is based on his influence which is felt everywhere in the world. Meanwhile, he is nothing compared to God. It is even on record that he acknowledges the supremacy and the reality of God freely whenever he has the opportunity to do so.  If he who is believed to be the most powerful person on earth can openly declare many times that God is both real and supreme, then people cannot be blamed for believing him.  Granted we may not have seen God before; that does not reduce from the fact that He is real and of course, His works are all over the place for everybody to decipher. 

Furthermore, billions of people from all over the world are united in their conviction that God is real.  Can all of them be wrong, senseless, brainwashed or demented at the same time? I don’t think so! I believe God must be real to them otherwise they would not have found it so attractive to revere him.  Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) was one of such people.  He was the renowned scientist who discovered Penicillin in 1928.  The antibiotic was at that time the most efficacious life saving medicine in the world and it was used to save millions of lives including that of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) – the Second World War period Prime Minister of Britain.  When asked what his (Sir Alexander Fleming’s) greatest achievement was, he said it was his discovery of the power of God through Jesus Christ.  Other great men who truly believed that God is real includes James Young Simpson (he discovered Anesthesia), Louis Pasteur (he first demonstrated that infections emanates from the activities of germs and viruses.  He also introduced sterilization methods) and Louis Braille (he invented the Braille machine so that the blind could read) amongst so many others.  Can we honestly say such declaration emanated from depraved minds?

Besides, several parts of the bible confirm that God is real.  Remember that the bible is not an ordinary book and many erudite scholars all over the world attested to the fact that it is the most authoritative book ever written.  And at present, billions of copies, in more than 2300 languages are in circulation to over 90% of the world’s population (i.e. to Christians and non-Christians alike) and it serves as a source of illumination to a huge number of them.  If it is an unreliable book, it would not have been so embraced. This great book highlighted many things about Jesus Christ; the greatest man who ever lived.  For example, it points out in John 3:16 that His father is God.  Meanwhile, Apostle Paul mentioned in Colossians 1:15 that Jesus is the image of God and Jesus himself confirms this to be true in John 14:7, 9.  Can a real person resemble an unreal father? No! Therefore, if Jesus Christ is real, then His father (God) must also be real.

Based on all above and on loads of other facts found worldwide, we can safely conclude that God is real.

Finally, let me state here that this God is very good (Psalms 86:5).  If you seek Him you will find Him (2 Chronicles 15:2a) and He does compensate those who seek Him diligently (Hebrews 11:6).  Now, if you are yet to know Him or you know Him but not intimately then do the right thing today; seek Him diligently and you will be adequately compensated.  A trial will convince you!

Jesus is Lord!

Question and Answer Series (Part 1)

Of late, I have been studying some questions often asked by people (including Christians) about God and the Christian faith.  And today, we shall commence a staggered Question and Answer series where some of them will be considered.  Let me therefore welcome you to part one (1) of the series.  May you be blessed as you read it in Jesus name.  Amen.

1.  Is God still relevant in today’s world?

Yes He is!  Now, let us look at it from this angle.  Jesus is the custodian of all authority in heaven and on earth (Mathew 28:18).  In John 15:5, He made it clear that we can do nothing without Him and this is true.  Hence, we can conclude that Jesus is relevant to us.  Meanwhile, this same Jesus made it abundantly clear in John 5:19 that He cannot do anything outside what He sees God doing.  That means God is relevant to Him.  Therefore, if Jesus is relevant to us, and God is relevant to Him, then God must be relevant to us in today’s world.

2.  Why can’t He banish hardship?

Since Satan is residing in this world, hardship cannot be banished.  As a matter of fact, it will surely come from time to time.  Though hardship is capable of making our lives very complicated, it also has the advantage of preparing us for victory over life’s numerous battles.  However, we have nothing to worry about since Jesus Christ is in full control (John 16:33).

Now let us consider the modus operandi of earthly Soldiers.  They regularly undergo intense training which may bring about a measure of hardship.  This is not to punish them, but to ensure that they are combat ready and safe.  As children of God we are also Soldiers but this time around, we are Soldiers of Christ and if we want to live long and in safety, then we must be prepared to undergo rigorous training; the resultant hardship not withstanding.  This is very important because our situation is more precarious than that of our earthly counterparts.  Whilst their enemies are visible, ours are not.  Ours are also very fierce and ruinous in nature (Ephesians 6:12).  However, we are not without adequate protection.  God has placed a huge cache of weapons at our disposal which we can utilize to protect ourselves and to destroy our enemies.  These weapons are utterly spiritual, extraordinarily precise and exceptionally potent (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) but we must be properly trained to use them effectively.  We can only attain the required level of effectiveness by undergoing a continuous and painstaking training program which may involve a variable degree of hardship.  The program involves sessions of fasting and prayers (Matthew 17:21).  It also involves studying the words of God and applying them appropriately.  Please note that the words of God constitutes a very important part of our spiritual arsenal (Hebrews 4:12) therefore, you must be conversant with them (Joshua 1:8).    And whenever you encounter any hardship, find an appropriate word of God and unleash it against the situation and you can be sure of victory.  In the end, you will emerge stronger, wiser, more reformed and better informed and in life hereafter, you will receive a crown of life (Revelation 2:10). 

Friend, you can now see that God is still very relevant in today’s world.  It is also clear that it is not in our best interest for him to banish hardship on earth.  Let us therefore face it with vigour and with God being on our side, we will triumph in Jesus name.  Amen.

Jesus is Lord!