the watcher

There are times we have to wait. When we have prayed, maybe fasted, cried, wailed but it seems to us that God is not interested in our situation.  We may be tempted to feel that it dosen't bother God. We may even find your counterparts getting it easy. Still we must learn to wait. James 1:3  Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Will it be easy? No. Yet we must wait. Waiting on the Lord works out our patience and proves our obedience. Micah 7:7 "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Lamentations 3:26 "It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD" Revelations 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.  "while we are expecting  blessing or promotion, we keep enjoying and rejoicing in the one we  have already, giving thanks." Remember it is those who w

1Thessalonians 4:1  Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort [you] by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, [so] ye would abound more and more. The whole essence of all we do should boil down to "PLEASING GOD". Yes it is all about Him. We do things most times to please self, family, society, an authority or government. However above all these, the ultimate is pleasing God. This is what Jesus taught! Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. If we do not please God, then what are we living for. The very essence of our being. All we do ought to be centered at pleasing Him. Jesus said: John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. This should be our testimony. Let us reason, who exactly are we trying to please, what does the person have to o

As little children we sang the song that ends thus: (...  Jesus started with and ended with prayer...) 1Thessalonians 5:17  pray without ceasing, One thing is sure about prayer and that is,  in all forms,  as stated in the scriptures,  it must be consistent and never ceasing. Daniel 6:10b   . . . he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Great men of old had the custom of praying consistently, from Abraham to John the Baptist, this was so even till the ressurrection of Jesus and is still continued after the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost. Prayers are of many types and forms but the most important part is when we have discussions with God. A child cannot but communicate with the father! As we go on in this successful week. We cannot forget to always pray. No matter how busy we are, we must make time to talk with the Father. He desires that we communicate with Him if we are His.

Daniel 3:12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Esther 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws [are] diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it [is] not for the king's profit to suffer them. You knew him/her as a good person. You have observed and proved and all is in line. Then suddenly you begin to have a second look you begin to search for faults, to look out for reasons, things others do and are ok, but to you this person is failing, this person is wrong. Watch out! Who has spat in your ear? Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto

1John  4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Not only ourselves we are to love others too. 1Peter 3:8 Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: We are to take others to heart too. It doesn't have to be about us all the time. It is difficult to live the way God wants us to live if we carry the mentality of always being the beneficiary. Do we * always want to win the argument? * always want to be the one to receive but never giving? * always want the other person/people to sacrifice, while we put in nothing? * only think of ourself and never the other person? * pray for ourself alone, interceeding for no one else? * always see the other as wrong and we always right? The list could go on and on. When we want all things to favour us at all times, then, where is sacrifice? Where is the prove of our love for

Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or free. We live in a world were love has been confused with foolishness and everyone seeks to take advantage of the other. Thus the bible talks of the love of many going cold. Trust seems to be an alien word because most times it is said but never practiced, people keep stabbing "their own" at the back. One major cause of this is that man turned attention from God and focused on man. If we remember Cain, he took his attention from God in pleasing Him to envy resulting to hate of his brother and the next step was to eliminate him. See scriptures: 1 John 3:11-12 [11]This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. [12]We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous

Psalm 27:4  One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Every believer should enjoy the presence of the Lord. The one and one communion with God is the benefit of being a son. Thus when believers gather together in the name of the Lord, joy fills that union. The Father releases blessings, each one rubs on the glory of God, edification, refreshing, and empowerment in the spirit. Ephesians 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Thus our gathering together should not be contaminated with selfish, egoistic or money consciousness, the beauty of the Lord should be our consumption. It is about Him. . . .  to behold the beauty of the Lord. .

1Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. From old times kings, prophets and even judges in scriptures received anointing to function from laying on of hands and anointing of the head. It was not really the person laying the hands but an act that signifies that the Lord's Spirit has began an operation on that life. For the fathers like Abraham or Noah or Moses they had to hear the voice of the Lord, obviously no one carried on the anointing that they may lay hands or anoint them. To Christ Jesus it was during his baptism the bible said "... Spirit remained. . ." For the orthodox worshippers during the confirmation when the bishop lays his hands to confirm their baptism, to the Pentecostal who may believe that it was when the received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, one way or the other there is a passing on of the anointing when God marks a fresh birth of a ministry - -

Psalm 32:1 Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered. David was a man who was privileged in the time of the law to see liberty that is  to be given to man through Christ Jesus. Psalm 32:2 Blessed [is] the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile. And again: Psalm 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. See the revelation of this prophesy: 1John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we read through the Psalms and other scriptures in the old testament, we should do so without the veil, that we may see the revelation of Christ Jesus. See Jesus reading the Psalms: Matthew 22:43-45 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?  If David

Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand. I encountered a group of people yesterday who claimed to be on evangelism and when I gave them few minutes of time, the leader began with this verse: Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. I asked on whose premise is this message coming from, he said God. I also asked "what exactly is your message?". He said the message was that all the pain an

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Why do we need to be reminded of this? It is because we live here on earth and the earth has its desires. Yes we have to: * eat, cloth and shelter * work, save and invest * pursue our career * marry, build a home and raise children * deal with other people * cater for dependants * relate with society * work with the government * and so on All these are good activities, but they could take our mind from where we came and where we are to return. Making the word of no effect in us. If we are not careful. Let us remember that we are here only for a while but eternity is for a very long time. Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Before we came to Christ, sin caused our seperation. When we are in Christ, sin could stop

1John 3:1a Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. The people of Israel held on to the testimony(ies) of their fathers, starting from Abraham to Moses (parting of the red sea, even to David and the exploits at his times, down to Elijah and Elisha. Yes very well indeed God commanded that the people of Israel teach their children about this great deeds of God, that it will pass down from generation to generation. Deuteronomy  4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Same thing today we still hear believers talk of exploits in the past, children of "soldiers of faith", beneficiaries of this grace and others who t

1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Two things are important when we consider the enjoyment of God's care. First: HUMILITY 1Peter 5:5-6 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time HUMILITY (According to CS Lewis: humility is not thinking less of youself. It is thinking of yourself less) That is, you are wise enough to think more of God. Not only when there is a problem or challenge, but as a life style. Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. So Peter by the Holy Spirit writes: we cannot enjoy casting our cares on God until we have learnt to humble ourself to Him. 1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore

2Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: How long have we walked with God, did we just get converted, or have we been believers for years or decades? One thing we must learn to do is to TRUST It is not just something we recite or talk about, it is something we learn to do. I remember entering the examination hall and I knew I had been so overburdened with work and various responsibilities that I wasn't sure what to do or how it would go, the option of cheating kept flashing in my mind. I got my papers and then I began to write, slowly then faster and then faster. Then His Word came to me "Can't you trust me?". I felt so childish, I said "Lord I will trust you?" Yes, if I should be a child for anyone, let it be first of the Father first, He knows, He cares, He is patient, He is kind. And ofcourse, He LOVES. Every child must learn to trust their father. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the w

Luke 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience. Most unproductive people are those who we can describe as "given in to fate". Those who believe that they have no say in things. They, most times, play the "Blame Game" , accounting for nothing, not taking responsibility for anything and most times are good complainers. The parable of the sower talks of different type of hearers and some may feel, that is the way they were created, thus they can do nothing about it. This is not true. Every man has the choice to be what he wants to be. The issue is always about choice! Listen to Proverbs: Proverbs 3:13 Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding. Listen to Jesus: Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth an

Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. The parable of the sower teaches us about our nature, what type of believer we are. One common factor about the "anyone" was that "THEY HEARD THE WORD" Thus the explanation of the parable meant that Jesus was talking to those who have heard the word of God. The question is what happens after we heard? 1. Do we allow the enemy steal it from us because we do not understand it? Matthew 13:19, Hosea 4:6, John 12:40. 2. Do we have enough soil for the root of the word to be grown deep down inside us? The bible said, they received the word with joy, yet no soil for the word to grow, they quickly spring up then die because of tribulation or persecution arising because of the word. What happened to faith, what happened to patience, what happened to careful study and meditation, what happened to prayers. Matthew 13: 20 - 21, 1 Peter2:2, John 8:31. 3. Do we attempt to let the good seed of the word grow with t

Matthew 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The seed is good, the issue was the soil! The battle was in the heart. They all heard the word, but only one set of people could bear fruit. (the remnant) Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Luke gave a thorough explanation of the process: Luke 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience. * a honest and good heart; * keep it; * bring forth fruit with patience. The process has not changed, no matter how digitalised the world has become, they are yet things we cannot rush over. The word must bear fruit in us

Matthew 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. We have some who received the message of salvation "the good news" with enticements, that everything will be smooth and easy. When we preach we do not entice people, we appeal, encourage and teach the truth, then the Holy spirit convinces, the person submits to the word. Certainly the enemy would raise doubts in the hearts of the to be convert/believer but we continue to intercede, minister and encourage that soul. Some have heard the word but were not prepared to face the persecution or initial temptations. Even Jesus when He began His journey faced temptation Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. Jesus explained to us that there would be some who the thorns would choke! Mathew 1

Matthew 13:5 & 6 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. These Jesus interprets, are those who receive the word with joy yet they are not rooted thus after a while tribulation or persecution makes them backslide. Matthew 13:20-21 [20]The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. [21]But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. These category of people need to be tilled, constant teaching, grooming and mentorship that their stony heart be broken, then the seed of the word can bear fruit. The noise, excitement and outburst of joy is not enough. For their rocky hearts must be broken by the word and Spirit that they may have deep roots

Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. Many have heard the word of God one way or the other, yet have not received the power thereof, thus they have heard yet they are still lost. Jesus called them the people of the "way side". These category of people are like bus-stops and Nigerian newspaper vendor stands. Discussions can happen there, people come and go, various new things could be discussed, yet nothing really dwells there. Jesus said because they are of the way side, the enemy steals the word of God dropped in them, because really it never goes inside. . . to die. Selah! Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them u

Matthew 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them]. When Jesus the Christ returned from the fasting in the wilderness and also from Satan's temptation He revealed why He came as recorded in Luke Chapter 4: Luke 4:18 & 21 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. In Matthew 13:17 Jesus said that the prophets and righteous men of old sought to see and hear these things but they could not. Halleluyah, we who are mostly ordinary men have been called into it. We have been born again! Matthew 13:16  But b

2Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. 2Corinthians 8:2  that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. It is eazy to reach out when all is well with you. In multitude of wealth  to give little.(although some still find it hard to give).  However the true test of giving is when you give out of little. I remember the event in scriptures when many gave, yet Jesus recognised only the widow who gave so little but it was all she had. Mark 12:42-44  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Him and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; "for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all tha

Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; One of the signs of not being in the spirit is when our prayers begin to cease. It is an evidence of not having the continual consciousness of God. When the bible mentions prayer it always ask us to do something along side: Matthew 26:41  "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Ephesians 6:18  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- Colossians 4:2  Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 1Peter 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. The bible said we should be watchful! A prayerful christian is also a watcher. We must watch to see what God is showing us, to know what time and season it is and to know when temptation

2Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not [need] to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye [still], and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD [will be] with you. There are times when the things under our care or that matters to us become so overwelming. When issues seem to spring up from here and there and we wonder how we would take care of them. * Some may have come because it is its season. * Others may be due to our mistakes or wrong decisions. * Another may be part of our promotion or growing process. * Yet another could be of no fault of us. * And ofcourse those that affect or concern us because of those we love, care for, or are accountable for. It could flood in sometimes and the answer we may have is worry or maybe anger or just pain. We need to remember that worrying and carrying of such kind of burdens is what Yeshua, Jesus the Christ came to help us with. There

1John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Who we are as Christians is defined in Christ Jesus. The world we should know, is swayed by the wicked one. From politics, government, the economy and all that makes the world a society. If a God fearing leader tries to enforce morality, most times he meets with resistance. The degree differing from one country to another and also from one generation to the other. Yet in all these unbalanced situations, we are to shine as lights, bright enough to penetrate the darkness around us. We are not trying to save the world, NO!. However we are to save the soul of man, because we know that the world and its system will be destroyed. The soul of man however will live on, either with God in eternal rest or in torment. Luke 9:25  "For what advantage is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 2Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thie

Hebrews 12:15  looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; The origin of most conflicts could very well have been avoided. To get annoyed, to get hurt and to seek revenge, does not really take much effort to act on. It flows easily with its emotion. If we let our id free, we could even surprise ourself on how far we could go. We feel the exhaustion and regret after we have taken the action. Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention. We may not be able to control what we encounter day after day. We cannot control what people would want to do. What we can control is our responses and the atmosphere around us. Our great examples in scriptures, were people who took care of themselves and their atmosphere, they did not allow what people around them did or what the world was saying, distract them from being who they were

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? God is awesome, yes He is wonderful, when man was separated from God's presence, man could not experience God's goodness thus man could not display his character which ought to be as a result of his association with this Awesome God, man could not be good thus man walked in wickedness. Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. One of the first display of God's awesomeness to man was the display of His power when He parted the red sea for the people of Israel to pass through, they sang: Exodus 15:11 “Who is like you among the gods, O  lord glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? The old testament gave us a glimpse of people who experienced God's presence and thus were able to shine as light

It is a great privilege for a believer to be called into ministry. Paul cautioned Timothy to keep that good thing (doctrine) : 2Timothy 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. However many, because they seek commendation from man and self fulfillment (if not ego) have become actors on stage. Ah! "Politicians, comedians and entertainers are not part of church worship! " They have allowed false doctrines and fables into the church all in the bid that they may have increased crowds, become popular and fill their pockets with money. Titus 1:9-11(NLT) [9]He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. [10]For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. [11]They must

Thunderbolts, high velocity waves followed by rains, a large downpour. Every calmness shattered, the noise followed by the wetting, then the COLD! Job 37:9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. We as believers do face the same situation, sometimes when the storms of life which is inevitable comes our way, if we give in, we become COLD and thus cannot be used to prepare any delicacy or even warm others The cold in this context is: Unfriendly, emotionally distant or unfeeling.Dispassionate, not prejudiced or partisan, impartial, completely unprepared; without introduction, unconscious or deeply asleep; deprived of the metaphorical heat associated with life or consciousness. The heat in this context is that which is life, that which keeps the believer active in spirit and in mission. How do we keep warm: Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. We must continue in the doctrine of the word, pra

Everyone needs a leader, one who he or she accounts to, one he looks up to for direction, correction and even mentorship. Be it in business, career, job, spiritual  inclination or family. That is why we have pastors, mentors and advisers. 1Thessalonians 5:12  And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. It is quite easy for you to think then that because they stand in for you and account for you that you will not account for yourself. Romans 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. No matter the pastors, priests, leaders or teachers you heap on yourself. Never think that you have an advocte in a human or spirit that will stand as your advocate on the day of judgement.