the watcher

Matthew 9:28-29 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” The criteria for salvation is belief, yes, those who received miracles from Christ were generally those who believed, no matter who they were, young, old, rich, poor, foreigner or native. The key factor was believe. Even the leaders who received miracles had to belief, for if they did not believe, they would not have sought His help. Yet some refused to believe, instead they stayed in envy and preferred to criticise and seek to destroy Him. Matthew 9:32-33 When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed. This was the response of the Pharisees: Matthew 9:34

Matthew 9:24-25 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! There are times we need to clear the room of all the negative that faith may thrive. It is not that the occupants are really evil but due to ignorance or carnality they just can't see from the perspective of the Spirit. They thus become a hindrance to the manifestation of the divine. So can be the human mind, at this times - WE CLEAR THE ROOM! The atmosphere at Jairus' house was already that of a funeral, the songs were being played thus everyone's heart was set on the fact that the girl was dead. If you were in that place most likely you would have had the same mindset. However the giver of life was around. We live in times when it seems that God is silent. Is He? No. The issue has always been that we do not listen. We are too conscious of the world a

Matthew 9:19-22 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. One of the greatest breakthrough people have gotten or missed is in taking advantage of opportunities. Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter of a ruler named Jairus, on the way this woman who had suffered for eighteen(18) years saw an opportunity and took it: Luke 8:43-44 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. The question is, was she the only one that needed help in that crowd, or in that locality? I do no

Matthew 9:16-17 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” When anyone comes to Christ they become a new creation, an epitome of God's recreation, a new birth takes place, the old is done with: 2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! We are no longer trapped in the bondage of the law, NO, that is we do not show off that people will see us and say, yes that is a holy man. No, we seek the glory of Christ, we exalt the Heavenly Father: Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. The hea

Matthew 9:11-12 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” When people who say they serve the Lord become egoistic, proud and self-seeking, you know that they are not recognized by Christ. For He said ". . . by their fruit, you will know them . . ." We came to Christ with no effort of ours, He did the work, He finished it, prepared the feast them invited us to eat. THEN WHAT GIVES US THE AUDACITY TO LOOK DOWN ON OTHERS! 1 Corinthians 4:7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? How can one who claim that they are born of God and have His Spirit be so self centred with no love for others. Their salvation itself is questionable. What is the use of the authority you claim to have in the

Matthew 9:2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” All man's troubles are as a result of sin, sin the bible says, is a reproach to any people: Proverbs 14:34b but sin [is] a reproach to any people. This is why when they people of His own city murmuring with one another about His authority to forgive sins, He replied: Matthew 9:5 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? For the true liberty is the forgiveness of sins from which restoration follows. Colossians 1:12-14 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Glory to God. For sin is what separates man from God. Isaiah 59:2 It’s your

Matthew 8:29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” The powers of darkness knew who Christ was and what He represented, however they did not know or understand the master plan. Christ met two possessed men in the in the country of Gergesenes, they were so fierce that no one passed where they were, this showed that they had a lot of demons in them. Yes many for they requested to go into a herd of swines(a herd could be as many as 2,000 and above) Notice that they recognized who He was "Son of God", not just that, they knew He had the power of judgment. Yes every demonic power knows that they have limited time, their judgment/sentence has been passed, we just await the appointed time. So they asked ". . .  to torture us before God’s appointed time. . ." We who are believers are the ones that sometimes forget the power of Christ. I love this hymn written

Matthew 8:26-27 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Jesus had so much crowd around him, He had ministered for long, He needed rest, so He instructed the disciples to get a boat for them to cross to the other side. As expected He had to rest, He was asleep. Then rose the storms and the waves threatening, it had covered the boat, naturally all were afraid. However, one person was asleep untroubled. Why? If only they knew who was in the boat, at that time they had no idea. Yes they had seen miraculous healings, they had experienced some miracles. However this is a storm and heavy waves, a high tide. If you have been in water(through the sea or ocean) for a long while, you will understand what these people felt. Where do you run to? If you jump out of the boat it is death, fo

Matthew 8:21-22 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” I have written much about the message of salvation preached by many in the context of financial prosperity and other types of affluence. Just yesterday I listened briefly to a preacher preaching in a market place: "...you have been selling and your business has not been moving, customers seems not to be coming to your shop, come to Jesus amd He will. . ." etc. Now, there is a spiritual favour that causes one to prosper, that is in no doubt, there is a favour from the Lord that puts you above others, that is also not in question. When we read the record of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon and Daniel among others we see the power of God's favour in the life of a man. Now when Christ was revealed, prosperity takes a different perspective, we hear the Lord say things like "... s

Matthew 8:17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Will there be a need for healing if people do not get sick? No. Thus it is not that ailments will not rise, what the bible teaches is that His healing is available. It is when Christ returns that He rid the earth of all ailments. Someone would say, those Christ healed were not saved. Hmm, hello the disciples even Paul talked of some of believers who were ill. 2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Philippians 2:26-28 I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried abou

Matthew 8:8-10 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! Many claim faith, but with no substance, instead some would need elements to hold on to. Great faith comes from wisdom, a knowledge that makes one understand how things work. For faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. Many who experienced healing for themselves had never met him. The heard and believed.  The officer in our reading understood how authority works and he applied it to his faith, Christ commended him for it. Jesus wen

Matthew 8:2-3 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. What He can do, the greatness of His power and His might is NOT contestable. There is nothing the Lord cannot do. However, will He do it? This is one thing believers or even unbelievers fail to understand. It is one thing to have the power to do something, it is another to do it. Do we understand the reasons why? No. We only know in part. Recall Christ on the cross, was it that He could not decide to save Himself? NO, He knew what He was doing, yet at that time no one even His own understood. Luke 23:35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” They mocked Him, because they did not understand. This man i

Matthew 7:24-25 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. It is wisdom to live a life of obedience to the Heavenly Father. It was a very lengthy teaching Christ gave on the mount. It took three long chapters Matthew 5, 6 & 7. The Lord opened our eyes to behold wondrous things out of the word, yes the instructions of the Heavenly Father now revealed by the Word Himself, that we can behold without the veil. Hear what they people said: Matthew 7:28-29 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law. Yes for He was not telling them about someone or something else, He was revealing Himself, for He was the very Word: John 1:1-4,14 In the beginning th

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ These should be the most scary verses I have read in scriptures. Let us look at: 1. They are believers: Yes, for you cannot say Christ was talking to the Jews, they did not call Him Lord. Neither unbelieving Gentiles or religious folks, they also did not call Him Lord. 2. They had the Spirit: yes they displayed the gifts - prophesied, cast out demons etc (You may display the gifts yet rebel/resist His fruit/nature) 3. They did all these things in the name of Christ,. . . working of miracles etc Yet. . . "... But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who

Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? How do we know those that are from the Lord, is it by the miracles they perform, the tongues they speak or maybe how much they dissect scriptures? Well what does Christ teach about signs and wonders? Mark 16:17-18 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” So these signs are to be displayed by you and me who believed. Hey, it did not say we run after them, we actually display them. Check! Thus is it thus the identifying factor for prophets or "men of God"? We

Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. From the beginning it has always been about the few (a remnant). When the flood cleared the earth only a handful were left behind. Of the multitude that left Egypt only two of that generation entered the promise land. When Elijah cried to God that all had turned to the way of Baal the Lord informed him that He had 7,000 who had not yet bowed. When Jesus walked the earth as man, many followed Him, however when He revealed the criteria for His true followers many stopped following only a very few were left: John 6:66-69 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words

Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. This teaching of Christ, summarizes the law and the prophets. It is the basis of love. Putting yourself in the place of others. In all He taught, Christ lived the example, thus after teaching long hours he was not considering taking in food or water himself, but he had compassion on the same crowd he taught. He was not only caring about their soul being fed, he cared about their body being taken care of too. (Does this look like anything our spiritual leaders practice today? -  just asking . . . ) Philippians 2:4-5 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. If we really are of Christ we should have the same mind set. Yes the world is evil, but ARE YOU? John 8:23 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world;

Matthew 7:7-8 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. If everyone who lives on earth at this very moment asks of the Lord, it cannot overwhelm Him, it will not jolt Him in anyway. He is able to take care of it, nothing is too hard for Him: Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I [am] the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? I have heard some teach that our asking is too much, that we should stop seeking, that we have knock too much for that thing. NO. He said ask! Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: Yes, we cannot overburden the Lord with our requests, no, He said we should ask. See He prefers you to bring it in prayer than worry. The problem comes when we r

Matthew 7:3-5 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. In safety, health and other caregiving practices you are taught to protect yourself first before helping others. For instance in case of flight emergency you wear your oxygen first before you try to help anyone else even your child. Same applies if you are giving care to someone with a disease, you protect yourself first. The truth is that it is only when you are okay or alive that you can be of help to someone else. Christ implies that many jump out to correct even to judge another while they are guilty of a greater offence. Imagine a governor who is caught stealing and is not prosecuted, signing a dea

Matthew 6:27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? The answer of course is NO! We are humans and there are certain things that are part of our human nature, they include worry and fear. Sometimes humans can take it too far and it becomes an ailment. Worry comes when we look at the situations around us, the things we need to do or achieve. It could come from our responsibilities, people we have to take of, as little as what to eat or wear, or as much as how to pay our rent, bills or even business challenges. The truth is there could be legitimate reasons to worry and also feeble reasons. Jesus teaches that our worry cannot change the situation. This is actually wisdom. All the worries, what do they solve? When the worry stirs, what should be our response: Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we ca

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. We are in the seasons where the consciousness of God is far from the heart of people, even so those who ought to be called believers. It seems we live as if the Heavenly Father has abandoned His creation. As if it is a different, materialistic God we serve. I recently came in from a somewhat remote Island, looking around I could see that there where churches all around almost all denominations were well represented and most of the people especially women went for programmes day in day out. Notwithstanding this, the people are generally labelled as WICKED! We see one community not in good terms with the other, one is quick to defraud the other, marriage is a mirage for many, cause neither the man nor the woman is willing to stay with a person. The males are by default lazy, they do not have a definite jobs or business neither do they farm or fish. All, most specifically the men seems to look out

Matthew 6:16-18 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. This was Jesus teaching on fasting. Let us compare it with what the Lord revealed to Isaiah about fasting in "Isaiah 58" This is includes an extract from our earlier review on the book of Isaiah Isaiah 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, [say they], and thou seest not? [wherefore] have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. We loose it when we think that fasting is a physical exercise, it is not. Fasting is a spiritual exercise. It is deny

Matthew 6:7-8 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Prayer is a communication with the Heavenly Father, there you reverence Him, you make your report, give accounts, make requests, speak for others, and receive instructions. Thus, it is not a show off, it is a serious meeting, it is spiritual. Personal prayer is not something we toil with, it is our time with God and one thing we should know is that it is not restricted, it should be ceaseless. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying. For in prayer we remain in tune with the Heavenly Father and pleasing Him will not be difficult. That said, we should be reminded that there are things that hinder prayers: * not forgiving/wrath; * vain repetitions; * praying against His will; * sin; * doubt/unbelieve; * contradi

Matthew 6:1-4 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Simply said by our Lord, the show off, gives the glory to you and not the Heavenly Father, then why should you expect any rewards? We must know what is ours and what is for the Heavenly Father, there is one thing the Lord says He will share with no one, that is: Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. What is the motive of show-off? It is pri

Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! How easy is it, to love those who hate you? What makes this person and that person your enemy in the first place? * Some were once known as your friend(s); * Some came to hate you because of what they heard about you; * Some just hate you for no just cause; Psalms 35:19 Don't let these liars, my enemies, have a party at my expense, Those who hate me for no reason, winking and rolling their eyes. For the believer we have those who hate us because of our faith in Christ Jesus. 1 John 3:13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Well, the gener

Matthew 5:42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. Giving is two sided, the giver and the one who receives. One thing the one asking must first understand is that one can only give what one owns or has. Does the one asking have any reason to think that they have an entitlement to the one who is giving? Firstly, we have only one El-shaddai, and that is the Lord Almighty Himself. We actually learn giving from Him: Matthew 5:45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. We must understand that He is the source of all things, and we cannot prosper without Him. 1 Corinthians 4:7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? It is easy to say it, when one is out of wealth,

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ There is a difference between self seeking revenge and the role of constituted authority. This is where a one time American president erred, when talking about the role of the sermon on the mount in American government. There is a difference between representing oneself and representing a system, organisation or a government.. . For a person the decision lies on that individual, for you account for your own actions and do not put another in jeopardy for your own beliefs or sentiment. Of course there is a place for favours, for the Lord will yet use you to bless. However for an organization or nation there are laws that govern the land, they may be biblical or otherwise, however a country that says it puts it's trust on God should have its laws sourced from God's word and that is where the founding fathers based their formulation of the laws.

Matthew 5:37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. Do we have people we call "a man/woman of his/her word"? Why promise when you know or are not sure of fulfilling it? The truth is that things we take for granted in the physical may not be taken lightly in the spirit realm. That is why I do not encourage pastors who compel people to pledge, it is a dangerous spiritual game, let the giving come from the heart, let that sacrifice be done sincerely, don't play with spiritual things: Read - Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 ... [2]Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few. [4]When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. [5]It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. ... Don’t rush off

Matthew 5:30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Every sin has a source, it doesn't just occur it has its underlying force. For instance, Cain killed Abel because of bitterness. Joseph's brothers planned to kill him and eventually sold him out as a slave because of envy. So many other things come as underlying factors: *love of money, *illicit desires, *pride, also selfishness. The underlying factors or sources must be dealt with if we really want to live a life of liberty else they raise their ugly heads to cause problems in the future. Christ says we should "cut that source up and cast it away" even if it is as essential as a part of our body, for it makes no sense to loose all because of one erring part. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of fait