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When Facebook notified me of my approaching birthday and suggested the idea of fundraising for any charity organization, I was reluctant. I checked the ideas with my husband, and since he was ok with it, I decided to create fundraising post for the Ambassadors of Faith Foundation (AFF). Facebook made the application easy. However, I started to feel nervous about it. I have always steer clear of this sort of thing especially that many innocent people had been exploited and taken advantage of in the past. In addition, the past couple of years have drained many wallets. So, I decided to hide the Fundraising post from my profile, although I had shared the requests with some Facebook friends. Today I regained my confidence to share my feelings here about why I yielded to the Fundraising idea and why I chose AFF.

My Experience:
Many years ago on an early morning, not too far away from the building elevator, a young man fastened his eyes on me with such intensity that I began to wonder why. I could perceive he was passing a message across to me but couldn’t immediately decode the speechless message. My spirit was troubled, and I could not take my mind off that look. What was he trying to pass across? Why was he looking at me like that though surrounded by people? Ok, I would have to look for time to reach out to him, I said to myself.

Before this time, I had been in contact with this man (let’s call him Andrew for anonymity). He became free around me and started to share some of his challenges with me. Due to some policy and ethical restrictions, I could not do much to help him immediately. At a point, I started thinking on inviting him for a dinner with my family. I believed my husband would be of a greater help to him than me. Somehow, he got fenced up by some people who also wanted to help him in their way. It became a bit challenging to reach out to him. But that day, he ignored the company and took his time to stare at me until the elevator door opened.

I must find a way to see Andrew, I made up my mind. I felt very strongly that he was saying something. I knew he was struggling with depression for a while and getting help but that type of look must not be ignored. But that hope of seeing him was dashed since Andrew killed himself days after. I was battered and tormented for a long time, especially when I remembered my last encounter with him. How could I have helped him better? What could I have done differently?… many questions flooded my heart. His burial was too torturing for me.

Many people need help and do not know where and who to turn to. Many times, we are too quick to pass the blame to others. If only we could spend a couple of minutes in their shoes. I have heard someone under influence of drug and alcohol say to me: “do what ever you want to do with me, after all nobody cares if I am alive or dead, I don’t have friends or relative, my life has always been this and that… and on and on and on.” What he did not know was that his words were like arrows piercing my heart. I wanted to scream; you are loved, you are appreciated, “…there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease.” His words still echo in my heart till date.

Ambassadors of Faith Foundation, which is my passion outside my regular job is reaching out to women and youths who seem invisible, inferior, worthless, and hopeless. Most of the time, what they need is a sincere smile, a gentle push, assurance of God’s love, trust, prayers, listening ears, etc. For this month of January, the attention of AFF is on the youths. Some plans have been set in motion and we hope for changes in the lives of many youths. This is the reason I chose to raise Fund for Ambassadors of Faith Foundation, for my birthday. You may which to visit the website: theaffglobal.org, and explore for motivation to support this noble cause.

Thanks and God bless

As the dramatic scene of the year 2021 continue to fold up and its door gradually closes, some mind racking questions were thrust upon us in the early hours of this week that ends the year, that is worth meditating over:

What do we value so much in life? Where is our treasure? Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Does our lives line up with what we value and treasure?

Is our choice of treasure worth our time and devotions? Will it stand the test of time and eternity?

How do we react when our prayers seem to have gone unanswered?

How has culture and the expectation of the world around us influenced the realization of those treasures?

How has the culture and the tradition of men influenced the teaching of the words of God?

As we prepare for a fresh chapter of this upcoming year, it is essential that we review the purpose of the Church. In the recent time, the church universal has suffered all kind of ailments, from persecution and confusion to deception and distraction. Yet the world needs the true God of the true Church. Sometimes, when we get used to a system, we begin to lose value for it.

The Church is a place where we bring our burdens and brokenness before God. In return, we receive strength, comfort, and hope as we reference God in the spirit of brokenness. It is not about us being in the Church, but about God working in us to do His will and yield to His way. When we approach God with a sense of I have it all, we will always come back empty-handed. The repetition of that cycle can be very detrimental to our faith. Someone once said “I dont need God for anything. I have never being to church nor asked Him for anything and I have everything I needed”. Only if she could hear the counsel of Christ that: “…a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses” Luke 12:15b. There are more to life.

Obviously, not all churches are God’s churches. So, it’s ok to change church if the church has lost the purpose a church serves. However, it should not be the case that we are looking for a church that accommodates our sins and make us comfortable in the path of destruction.

The Church is not a club for entertainment. It is a place where both sinners and saints come to seek God in the spirit of humility. When we silence the church of God with our influence and traditions, we may be doing ourselves a lot of harm.

In the new year, we can’t afford to put the cart before the horse. We must allow God to take His rightful place in our life and in our various place of worship. We must endeavor to sincerely “seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually” 1Chronicles 16:11.

Things will always happen every year. But those that put their trust in God will not be put to shame. Here is the word of the Lord to His people which we should take with us into the new year: “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. ~ Psalm 18:30

Happy New Year in Advance!

It was not only so beautiful this morning but so peaceful and full of hope! If God could embellish the sky with beauty and canvas of elegant artistry, how much more us, the living creatures of His. Christ love never fails. You can trust Him anytime. He certainly cares!

Continue reading “The Canvas of God’s Love”

How comfortable will you be if your pastor asks people to stand up during a sermon as he calls out different sins alphabetically and you identify your own?

Some responsibilities take a lot of courage to do. Pastor Dennis was concerned that many Pastors shy away from addressing the issue of sins in their sermons. People are careful not to offend anybody or make people feel uncomfortable. So, one Sunday, during his sermon, he used the alphabets ABC to Z to illustrate the sins that people commit. The congregation must spot their sins as the preacher dig them out from A to Z. It must have been a long list in a long day.

The message was not a popular one. Some days after the teaching, a member who attended the service invited the pastor out for a coffee. As they relaxed over the drinks the man started to talk. He told the pastor I hated you for your sermon on Sunday. As you started from alphabet A (Adultery), I was convicted of my adultery. Right there, he confessed everything to the pastor and the Lord used that man of God to resolve issues in the man’s home. This repentant man got his life back and got his home restored. So, mercy prevailed.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The topic of sin is a bitter one as it tampers with our fleshly lust. It infringes on our comfort zone of sinful pleasure. As indicated in the Bible, flesh conflicts with the spirit. The stress and challenges of life do not make things easy either. Regardless, God frown at sins. The Bible says God cannot behold iniquity. But then, He made provision for the forgiveness of sins by giving His only begotten Son for the redemption of man. To enjoy this benefit, we must accept that offer of salvation by repenting from our sins, turn away from them unto God. That is what the church is all about. Upon this foundation rest ‘every other thing’.

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
[19]Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20]Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

As Jesus ascended, he gave the commission to his faithful and loyal disciples to run with. That is why the preacher must bring that bitter truth of repentance from sins on the table along with the other meals. Sin is a battle of the mind, and in battle, you either lose or win. Issue of sins is the main reason Jesus gave His life. Christ delivers not only from afflictions and sicknesses but also from sin. He knew that we cannot help ourselves. He knew the prince of this world would do anything to bring his victims into the snares and keep them there. Christ knew that there are consequences for living in sins and dying in sin. So, Christ died to redeem us from the hand of the taskmaster. Jesus created a path and access to the fountain of life, who He is. To be a faithful preacher or minister is to obey the great commission by telling your congregation the truth “whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,” People deserve to know the truth because it is the truth that sets free.

Proverbs says: The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso put his trust in the Lord shall be safe Proverbs 29:25.

The preacher can pray for boldness to declare the truth and to declare it in love, hope, and wisdom. Nothing else saves but the truth. This is the solid foundation of Christianity. The role of pastors and preachers is to preach the whole truth of the words of God. The persistent motivational preaching may appeal to the flesh but endangers the spirit.

May the Lord grant our pastors the needed grace, boldness, and wisdom in Jesus’ Name.

 

Gordon Hostter survived intensive Care Unit (ICU). He was there for some time—but not without God and the ministering angels—while a group of friends kept sending prayers to heaven on his behalf. The wave of prayers was channeled towards him and emptied themselves upon him. Gordon testified that he could feel that some intercessors were interceding for him. God answered the prayers, Gordon came out of it, out of sickness and fear of death.

 As Gordon held on to his walker amid the group to share his testimony, he began with handing out a book written on prayers by Elizabeth George titled: “A Woman After God’s Own Heart”. He quickly went into his tiny sheets of paper to share a brief exhortation on Prayers. Gordon has been a pastor for several years. In his old age and with the health challenges, his language of faith did not change. His faith in God remains strong.

Gordon’s face shone in a special way that morning as he glowed with joy. For twenty years, people have been praying for the salvation of a loved one, Roger, and all seemed to have given up on him. Gordon would not. Two weeks ago, as said by Gordon, he received a unique call from Roger, who was beaming over the phone as he shared his testimony of salvation. The Lord had done it in His time. The drops of prayers here and there had formed a mighty ocean in which Roger was submerged. The fountain of life had found him at the crossroad, and he had said YES to the Lord Jesus Christ.

With God, all things are possible. We are reminded not to ever give up on any of our loved ones. The weariness would come at a point, but we must keep believing. Christ died for all, and He is still “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”. Our loved ones are part of people Christ died for too.

A prayer is a powerful tool. It is an act the Holy Spirit leads and teaches. When we release ourselves to God, His Spirit will move us to pray according to His will. As we pray, we must also believe God for the impossible. Even when the answers seem to be delayed, we must never give up but patiently wait for them. A mother had spent all her lifetime praying for the salvation of her dear son to no avail. She eventually died not seeing the promise fulfilled. Two weeks after her death, her son came to the Lord. God is ever faithful. Things will add up eventually.

We need God and His Holy Spirit in our day-to-day life and our houses. When we create an atmosphere in our home where the Holy Spirit feels comfortable to stay, connecting with God in prayers will be an easy thing. God answers prayers.

I had to drive several hours yesterday running an errand. At different points, I needed helping hands to complete some tasks. Those tasks were definitely greater than what I could handle. The way some random strangers came in to help at different locations was so alarming that my son kept saying: ‘people are really good, and I am still amazed at what people could do”. One of the guys had to let go of what was very useful to him when he realized that mine that I just purchased was not working well. I was so speechless. He simply told me: “Just pretend you saw it on the road and picked it up”.

God has made each one of us good. In us lies the attributes of God. Regardless of any situation, we must not let those influential attributes die. We must let love and kindness prevail. When our children see us expressing such virtues, it will naturally become part of their lives too. We can rule our world with sacrificial love, patience with one another, and relentless kindness. Someone said: Kindness is free, let’s pass it on”.