the watcher

Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. The truth about the Heavenly Father has gone through the whole world and it is only revealed through His Son, Yeshua, Jesus the Christ. However, we know that not all have believed. Some have but are struggling with religions, people's opinion, family or even the secular world. They refuse to submit to the Lord of all things because of earthly sentiment.  Matthew 16:13-14 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” What people call Christ doesn't matter, there are only two things that matter: Who He calls Himself(Who He is) and who you know Him as. 

Matthew 16:13,15 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” It interested Christ to know who people perceived Him to be. He did a lot of things day after day from miracles, to teaching the word to feeding the multitude. Yet in all, the people did not really have a full understanding of who He was.  However there were testimonies about Him all due to His works: Matthew 16:14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” When people testify about us, who do they say we are? Do we have a good testimony?  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. How can you be associated with the Heavenly Father and people know you for evil works? It is not a good testimony.  Yes, people may not like you because of your faith

Matthew 16:12 Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus compared the leavening of yeast to the false teachings of the religious leaders of that time.  What we should understand is that false teachings could be as a result of: * ignorance * callousness  * direct ploy of the enemy  For many without the right foundation, training, study and the power of God's Spirit have handled the message. What is the result. The truth is tampered with.  2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. For we must remember that the scriptures record that: Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I wi

Matthew 16:4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away. The Pharisees and Sadducees came to ask Jesus this question as a test. The question is why? Why did they seek a sign? Christ did not need to prove to anyone He was the Messiah, His works alone was evident. Remember there was a time John the Baptist sent his disciples to also ascertain if He was the Messiah (John 7).  What was the issue? They were all looking out for the wrong thing. They expected an instant overthrow of the Roman government and installation of Israel as world power. However they missed it.  Also Herod when he heard of the mission of the wise men from the east, he thought the same. He thought the kingship of Christ was for this temporary reign. He did not know that Christ came for an everlasting reign! These led him to one of the greatest massacres of innocent children at that time.  No

Matthew 15:30,32 A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” A song comes to mind: "A heart like yours, is my desire A heart like yours, is what I am searching for Full of compassion, nothing wrong within Please hear me Lord, give me a heart like yours" The heart of Christ, full of compassion, filled with love, when He saw the people He was willing to give. He gave them the Word, healed their sick and yet gave them food to eat.  The love of the Father fully expressed.  When He was to leave the scene physically, His one request from Peter was. . . Feed my Sheep...  We that claim to be of Him, what kind of heart do we have: * do we c

Matthew 15:23-24 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” When Christ came He came to save the whole world but first His ministry was to begin with the people of Israel. Yes truly salvation was for the Jews then from there it would get to the whole world.  I remember one of my senior relations a long time ago, who used this verse and one other verse of scriptures to taunt me when we discussed about salvation in Christ Jesus, as a little boy then I did not know much but yet I understood that there was a very good reason for the response the woman received.  So she was a gentile at that time. Was Christ really going to let her go. Well I do not think so, for she was not the only gentile to receive miracle from Christ, I do not know if she was the first.  Two things w

Matthew 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men. There is a difference between tradition and the teaching of scriptures. Most times they do not go together, they actually most times contradict.  Let us look at that verse again: Matthew 15:9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” Yes, for if it is not scriptures we have no business making it a doctrine. So many things infiltrated into the church when the world powers took over the church from the times the Romans were the world powers, and it continues up till today.  An area where the word of God comes as it is pure and spiritual, when the powers of that area infiltrate the church they begin to enforce or legalize traditions and men ideology as scriptures.  Listen: Colossians 2:16-18,20-23 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only s

Isaiah 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they [are] the seed [which] the LORD hath blessed. Some see the end or beginning of another week as a strain, that the hustling begins again.  Some have fears and doubts an aftermath of events of the previous week,  unresolved issues or maybe still searching for an opening.  Whatever the case may be, we need to give God the glory for the grace to be.  If you are His own, one thing is sure,  He takes care of His own, he leads us into each day with a fresh newness. Let your spirit be lifted, let His presence flow. For "the brightness of each day is the evidence of success on your way"  Remember that as a child of God, things don't happen to you, they happen for you.  Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Do you feel the storms

 Psalms 125:3(NLT) The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. Never a better time than now to intensify prayer for our land. No matter where you desire to run to, it is always well to return to find peace and prosperity in your home country. Proverbs 29:2  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. Yes, if there is crying, hunger, evil and bad reports then surely the evil ones have a say in the high places of the kingdom. Thus we must keep at praying. That the wicked will not have their way in authority. People would say: "why must evil men get to the place of authority?". We must remember that it is a secular world and every sect has its say. However where are those of us who ought to keep watch, to stay awake while the process was going on? Where are our intercessors and leaders, have they been carried away by the fanfare or swallowed up in the secularism

Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. *Please read Matthew 14:22-36* We learn at least three(3) things.  1. Never play with prayer, pray ceaselessly. For prayer must never be underated. Imagine that the Son, yes, the very Word of God started and ended with prayer, you cannot play with prayer. PRAY (Prayer is not mere reciting something, it is not an incantation, it is your discussion, meeting, appeal, time out with your Heavenly Father)  John 4:23-24 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Listen, He prayed in the solemn times and solemn places they resulted in open explosive move of the power of God. He was never out of tune. He was a man of prayer. What is our excuse.  2. Never lose focu

Matthew 14:14-16 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” Why did Jesus come to the earth?  LOVE -  COMPASSION. John 3:16 The driving force of every leader ought to be love, as I said in one of my earlier write ups, you should never lead a people you don't love. You have no business leading people that you do not have their interest at heart, unless you say they are your slaves or captives.  Yes, Jesus came to set the captives free. Luke 4:18. This is why it is evil for anyone who says they are of God to lead others in captivity. No, Christ has set us free, why put us in any form of bondage again?  Look at the passage of today Mathew 14:13-21. When Jesus came down from the boat, t

Matthew 14:4,6,9-11 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. So John was beheaded in the prison,and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. When we read Matthew 14:1-12, we hear a bitter account of how John the Baptist died.  Two things come to mind, firstly, was he sent to speak to Herod about his adulterous act of marrying his brother's wife? I DO NOT KNOW. For prophets of old do not just act on their own, they follow the Lord's instructions. Herod was pagan, I believe and had no obligation of keeping Jewish laws.  Lesson: Lord may I never go where you do not send me.  However, unlike what some people think today, when they want the privileges of the prophets of old, they

Matthew 13:55-58 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. We cannot expect to have effective prayers without faith, for faith is the driving force that releases power behind what we speak forth. However the hindrance to faith comes in many dimensions, one is when we look down or get offended by the one who is the medium for that flow of God's power.  Christ could not do much in His physical hometown, why, the people were offended with Him. They looked down on Him. They said they knew his father, mother and siblings. What they did not know was that they were not actually, He was actu

Matthew 13:40-42 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the part of scriptures that is rarely talked about in these times. For we are in a generation of positive talk but no positive thoughts or action. It cannot correlate!  There will be a separation. Listen to Christ giving three parables in a roll: Matthew 13:40,45-49 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. Wh

Matthew 13:31-32 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” When Jesus ascended He left a handful of men and women, who had been with Him, they had specific instructions. Firstly they were to wait till His Spirit had come on them, then they were to -  Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So a little metamorphosed into great and filled the whole earth. Just as Daniel saw in the king's vision: Daniel 2:34-35 As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to

Matthew 13:24-25 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. Many have asked, why does the Lord allow all these evils? Many use His name in vain, a lot of false doctrines here and there, infiltrated into the church, this not just in recent times but even from the time of the apostles: 1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. From the very moment the apostles were persecuted and killed a lot of strange teachings, practices, denominations and powers have infiltrated the church system. Even after eyes of many were opened by the true meaning of salvation from bold men of old, many sects have yet infiltrated the church just as Christ told in the parable.  So why has t

Matthew 13:23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” We recall this parable about the sower.  Let us get this right, there was nothing wrong with the seed. The problem was with the soil and its environment. The type of soil were:-  1. Footpath; 2. Shallow soil on underlying rock; 3. Among thorns; 4. Fertile soil.  Just as Jesus explained this is the condition of the human heart. The word of God is the seed, and from His explanation what happens to the seed is as a result of the condition of the heart.  Now who prepares the heart, is it the Heavenly Father or the man. Let us look at scriptures: Romans 10:9-10 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that y

Matthew 13:9-11 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. There are things that are given to the children of God to understand, they are not literal but divine. The pertain to the kingdom of God here and after here. It is food to the believer, those who will inherit the kingdom of God.  When Jesus talked to Nicodemus that night when he came to pay Him a visit, He said: John 3:10,12 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? Thus the spiritual things are for spiritual people to understand. Thus, it is strange that people who say they are from Christ teach as if they have never met Christ. They say they a

Matthew 12:46-50 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.” Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” Who really are of the family of Christ? What qualifies anyone to be?  They are born again: John 1:12-13 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. They are obedient, they do the will of the Heavenly Father: Matthew 12:49  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same

Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. The major cause of strive amongst brethren is selfishness, a desire to be above others. Thus they take advantage of others. Is this godly, should any believer be guilty of this?  1Thessalonians 4:6  That no [man] go beyond and defraud his brother in [any] matter: because that the Lord [is] the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. "Unity is what keeps a nation, society, the church, families and organizations strong. However when there is hate, envy, oppression, tribalism and all agents of division, that house is heading for a fall.  Woe unto the architects of these divisions.  Proverbs 6:16,19 There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 4:16 For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evi

1 Timothy 2:2-3 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, Romans 13:1-2 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. Thus it matters who rules us.  Now does this imply that all that rule on earth are chosen by God? No, because man do have a say in who leads them. Can anyone rule if God does not permit it? No, cause no one can bring to pass if the Lord had not permitted it. However God expects us to respect authorities. We definitely have a role to play in the type of leadership we have. So we pray and speak into the leadership process, be it for our country, state, local government and wards, business organizations, churches and other leadership h

Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and] his praise in the congregation of saints. The summary of our existence is to give God praise. It does not mean making all the noise, disturbing the peace of others, or clubbing. No, it is praise that comes from the Spirit that provokes others to give God glory. So I do not just praise because I sing a song, yes I sing with my heart and mouth, I sing with musical instruments however it goes beyond that. My very life style should provoke someone to give God praise. My life should be an instrument of praise. See what Jesus said: 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. Look at the same verse as translated in NLT: 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. So I cannot raise loud praise (noise!) in the presence of the brethren, then go out into the world

Matthew 12:35-37 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” A crucial question at that, "Does what I say matter?"  Importantly, Christ says it does, so it must.  Words are of course powerful. A simple analogy is how it hurts when someone insults you or says something negative about you. For the pain is not on the surface as it feels when you are hit, but it goes down to the heart. Thus Jesus taught: Matthew 5:22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. Yes the reason for wrong use of words is anger, thus anger must be checked.  Ephesians 4:26 And

Matthew 12:14  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. Most who have studied psychology in its diverse segments always come to the question of the source of evil in the hearts of man. What make a person or group of people chose evil over good. For they do want to agree that humans are naturally wired to love, care and have empathy.  From scriptures we learn that the origin of evil in the heart of man came from the fall, the fall was as a result of man's disobedience in eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus man was exposed to that which destroys and had to contend with this evil as he fades away from natural earth.  Now the malfunction of man, his interaction with diverse things including fallen beings affected his wiring and we got to the situation were the Heavenly Father said that the very thinking of the heart of man was evil. David said: Psalm 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother c

Matthew 10:37-39 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. I recently listened to a clip from Pastor Keion Henderson where he talked about honour and the fact that this generation has lost its ability to honour. Truly so, however there is a part to it. Those we have honoured, have they not disappointed us? Take Nigeria as an example, our culture teaches us to honour elders and those in authority - the scriptures teaches us this too. What have our leaders done? They have ripped the country of its good name, destroyed the education, security and health system, stolen the common wealth, refused to build infrastructures, and are still extorting the little the masses have. Just

Esther 4:14b  and who is to say that you have not come to the kingdom even for such a time as this? Every human is relevant, no one was born by mistake. Where we occupy now is for a purpose, we have relevance there, there is something to accomplish. There is a function. We could loose sight of these if dwell on the difficulties or focus our mind on those aspects that do not look favourable to us. If we make complain a habit we will wear ourself out. But God who sees all things and knows all things, is able to make all things abound towards us. 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work: God allows us go from stage to stage, every previous stage preparing us for a new one. Higher and higher He takes us. Most who get sudden elevation may have difficulties because they are neither experienced or prepared for it. There is a training and preparation period, DON&#