GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST

“And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” – Luke 7:23 In the Bible, while John the Baptist was in prison he sent two of his disciples to Jesus, to find out whether Jesus was really the Messiah, the Coming One . Remember John the Baptist was the one who baptized Jesus, and clearly heard the voice of God from heaven saying, ‘ You are my Beloved Son in You I a well pleased.” Now, he’s in doubt not sure really if Jesus was the Coming One. When the disciples of John asked Jesus, “ Are you the Coming One or do we look for another?” Jesus replied, “ Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the leapers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Luke 7:22 Very often, we’ve heard God’s voice in our hearts, the promises He put in us, and the purpose He has commissioned us with. At the beginning we become so excited about accomplishing the dreams that God put in our hearts. Howeve...

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep’ – Luke 7:13 The struggles that we face in life have a way of pushing us down, to the point where we give up in life, the only hope we had gets dimmed, and you just can’t find any reason to be joyful. Sometimes the pain of losing people whom we love can be unbearable. You wonder how you will be able to navigate your journey in life without them. Losing your loved is painful and challenging especially when they were like a pillar of strength, hope, and protection for your life. When we go through seasons of grief in our life, very often you may be tempted to think that you are alone, forgotten and exposed. It is a season where questions of doubt, questions of fear, and uncertainty continue to bombard your mind. As you weep with tears in your eyes, you don’t see clearly the road ahead. You wonder; how will I get through this? How will life be without my life-long partner, someone that I loved and cared fo...

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. ” – Luke 6:37 How many times have we laid eyes on someone and in less than five seconds we’ve already made a decision of whether we like them or not? How many times have we been so quick to judge someone based on their outward looks, their past, their faults, their position in the society or what you heard about them based on someone else’s opinion? In the gospel of John 8:3-11, a group of Pharisees and scribes brought a woman before Jesus whom they had caught in the very act of adultery. According to the Laws of Moses, if a person commits adultery the punishment was death by stoning. The Pharisees and scribes did this to test Jesus in order to find something to accuse Him on. They asked Jesus what they should do to the woman. And Jesus replied, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” The men who accused and condemned the woman; begun to leave one by one until Jes...

“God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1 We live in a world that is dangerous, unsafe and chaotic. Problems and enemies continue to surround us; they have set their traps before us so that we may fall. Going through the pressures of life can sometimes be overwhelming, we feel like we can’t bear the weight on our shoulders any longer. So, we long for a place where we can hide, a place where we can call home, a safe place where we can find rest, and a place where we are fully protected. And that place we can only find in God . “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and horn of my salvation, my stronghold” – Psalm 18:2. In times of trouble, who do you turn to, where do you go, and who do you call for help? Trials of life will always come upon us in one way or another. And when we are faced with such difficult challenges, we get tempted to think that we are fighting the battle al...

“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” – Luke 5:4 To everything there is a season. A season when there is abundance of joy and laughter. But also there is a season when we feel dry, empty or when nothing seems to be going on, we just feel stuck at one place. It is in this season of dryness, that we often lose our joy and hope for the future. Though the season may be difficult to endure, we can draw some encouragement from the gospel of Luke 5:4-7 In Luke’s gospel, we read about Jesus teaching a multitude of people from a boat that belonged to Simon. After He finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” Remember, Simon had been fishing all night and caught nothing. He was already feeling tired and didn’t feel like going back to the sea and fish and yet Jesus was asking him to cast his nets again. He said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the ...

“You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. You don’t have because you don’t ask. – James 4:2 Are you struggling with feelings of jealousy or envy in your heart? You feel like God has passed you over and blessed someone else who seem to you like they aren’t living right but they continue to thrive. Such feelings of jealousy are common in life, but that doesn’t mean we have to yield to such feelings. In the Bible [Luke 5:27-30], we come across a man by the name Levi. As Jesus was walking by, He saw Levi the tax collector sitting at the tax office and asked Levi to follow Him. Later, Levi gave Jesus a great feast in his house to which he also invited other tax collectors who were his friends. However, when the scribes and Pharisees saw this, they complained saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Many times we have witnessed God blessing other people whom we feel ...

“Faith without works is dead” – James 2:26 In Luke 5:17-26, we learn about the healing of a paralyzed man. It all happened when Jesus was teaching a crowd who had come from far regions to listen to Him. A paralyzed man was also brought on a bed who also had heard about Jesus’ power to heal and had come to seek healing. When they got to where Jesus was, they couldn’t bring him in through the door because the place was fully packed with people. So, they found another way to bring him to Jesus. They went up on the housetops and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst of the room right in front of Jesus. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” I try to imagine what was going through the mind of the paralyzed man when he got to the place where Jesus was and couldn’t reach Him because of the crowd. He must have thought something like, ‘ We have covered a great distance to get here, but I am not going back home the same way, as ...

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6 What are you worried about? Who taught you how to worry? Worrying about something has become so natural to us that we sometimes do it without even realizing it. Many times we worry about the finances, our health, the future, we worry about our children and what will become of them, or we worry about the things that we lack. We have made worrying become a lifestyle. So, we perceive anyone who does not worry about anything as not being normal. The term worry from oxford dictionary means to distress or afflict with mental anxiety . A lot of times I have caught myself worrying about many things. Some of the things I worry about are based on false reality I have developed in my mind. They are false, baseless and mostly driven by fear. Fear is the source of our worry. The things that we fear the most are the things that we worry about the...

“Be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6 Have you ever faced any form of opposition in your life? You have this burning desire in your heart to begin and accomplish the dreams that God put in you. You know with certainty you have the anointing to do something greater, something that would bring a positive impact in other people’s lives. As soon as you begin your dream’s journey, you are faced with various oppositions. Oppositions that are meant to stop you from becoming who God created you to be. If this is you, then the story of Jesus in the gospel of Luke will be able to bring some encouragement to you. In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus goes back to Nazareth his hometown where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood to read the scriptures. He was handed the book of Isaiah to which he read, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He...

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:22 [Amplified] Many times we have made mistakes in life. Whether small or big mistakes, we can admit that we have gone against what is expected of us. In the realization of the mistakes that we’ve done, sometimes we find it hard to forgive ourselves. We see ourselves not worthy of forgiveness or not deserving any second chance in life. However, the Bible talks about the unending love of God; which forgives our sins and gives us a second chance in life. The story of Peter, the disciple of Jesus is one the examples that show the forgiving love of God and how He gives second chances to His people. We know Simon Peter as one of the closest disciple of Jesus. When Jesus was arrested, Peter openly denied that he ever knew Jesus. When he was confronted publicly about him being in the company of Jesus, he said; “ Man, I do not know what you are saying!” He li...

Hey, God loves you! His love for you is way much greater than you can imagine. There is no day that passes by without Him thinking well about you. Each morning as He breathes life into you, He also renews His Grace in your life. His desires are for you to dwell in His love. He wants the very best for you. God is love. Countless times He has proven His love for you. You don’t have to work any harder to earn His love. You already have His love; God’s love is a special gift to each one of us. You are loved and treasured by God. God’s love for us is a gift. Whatever that God gives; He doesn’t take away. The enemy may lie to you that God doesn’t love you because of your past, the mistakes you did, or because you come from poor background or because of what family name you bear. No, you don’t have to believe the lies. God’s love doesn’t look at what family you come from, how much money you have in the bank, your achievements or failures. When it comes to God’s love it is not about who we...

“Make Joyful shouts to the Lord all you lands” – Psalm 100:1 What has God promised you? What obstacles are you currently facing in your journey towards God’s promises for you? Be encouraged, for the biblical story of Joshua will encourage you to face and overcome any form of obstacles that are standing between you and the promises of God in your life. Canaan was the Promised Land to the Israelites by God. However, to possess the land they first had to overtake the city of Jericho which was extremely formidable. Even with their military prowess they couldn’t overtake the city on their own they needed God. So, God instructed Joshua with a very strange plan. He told him to march the army around the walls of Jericho once each day for six days. The priests were also instructed to carry the ark of God, blowing trumpets but the armed men were to keep silent during the entire marching process. On the seventh day, the assembly marched around the walls of Jericho seven times. And when the ...

“But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.”- John 11:22 Are you currently in a situation where you feel you can never turn things around on your own? The problems that you are bearing on your shoulders are so heavy on you that make you feel like you are all alone. Then, the story of Lazarus in the Bible can give you the hope that you need.  In John 11, Jesus received news that His friend Lazarus was unwell. However, He got delayed in the process. And by the time He arrived, Lazarus was dead four days long. He had already been buried. Martha came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.’ Martha was still heartbroken, grieving the death of her brother she thought her situation was all done. There was no way of turning things around. But her second statement is what expressed her faith in God. “ But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God ...

But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods, or worship the gold statue you have set up. Daniel 3:18 In the Bible, Job was a wealthy man blessed by God in all his ways as he was blameless and upright man. One day Satan appeared before God asking for permission to torment job as a way of testing his faithfulness to God. Satan thought that Job’s faithfulness in God was based on his wealth and God’s blessings. Therefore, God allowed Satan to torment Job. In the same day, Job received heartbreaking news that his livestock, servants and ten children have all died. Job goes into mourning, but he continues to bless God. His circumstance became worse when Satan afflicted him with skin sores; even his wife encouraged him to curse God but he refused. Friends came to comfort him but it didn’t do him any good. He stayed loyal to God and continued to praise Him. Afterwards, God blessed him double of what he had lost. In life, we wi...

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 Recently, I was in a hurry to leave my workplace but I needed to first download some documents online. For some reason, my phone abruptly shut down. I didn’t know why it happened; I had enough charge on my battery. So, I switched it on once again and resumed the download process. Moments later, even before the download was complete my phone shut down again. Now this became very frustrating because I was in a hurry to leave. About that time, a customer walked in and made a transaction of significant value. I thought to myself, if I had closed the shop few minutes earlier I would have missed that customer. But because God caused the delay through my phone shutting down I was able to serve the customer. Ever been in a situation like this? You are in a rush to get somewhere or to do something but somehow you get delayed. May be you are delayed in traffic, or you are stuc...

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. – 2 Chronicle 15:7 Our Heavenly Father is very strategic in His planning. Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to Him. God knew us by name even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. Our lives are perfectly planned from the beginning to the end. Even the things we would need in years to come, these God knows. God’s plans for our lives are to prosper us and not to harm us. In the Bible, we learn of a woman by the name Rahab. She was a prostitute from Jericho who happened to save the lives of Israelite spies from being caught by the authorities of Jericho. Because of her faith and courage, she allowed the two spies to safely escape the authorities through her window.  I wonder, who would have thought that Rahab who was once a prostitute would be listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ?  Like Rahab, most of the time we disqualify ourselves based on the present circumstances. We see how ...

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of Him who prospers in his way because of a man who brings wicked schemes to pass - Psalm 37:7 What do you do when God seems too late? What do you do when everyone else seems to be making progress but you keep falling behind? You know in your heart there are big dreams that God put in you, but nothing of it seems to be happening. You’ve prayed, and fasted but heaven seem silent on you. According to your calendar, you are running out of time, and you feel like your chance to become and do what God put in your heart is slowly slipping away from you. In the Bible, God promised Abraham that He will bless him with a son. The promise seemed too big for Abraham to manifest due to his age. So, he waited and waited until he couldn’t wait any longer. He went ahead and had a son with his handmaid. However, this was not the promised son. Like Abraham, we give up on God’s promises because we think He’s taking too long to act. ...

Surely, I will remember your wonders of the old. - Psalm 77:11 What do you do when the storm hits your boat? Just like the disciples of Jesus who panicked and got struck by fear when the storm hit their boat; we also act the same way when we face trials of life. Trials come in different forms, and when we are faced with such challenges our first reaction is to fear and worry. When troubles come where should we get the strength to persevere, strength to hope and stay in faith? We are encouraged in Psalm 77, to always remember the great wonders of the LORD which He did for us in the past. David writing this psalm was also in distress, but he found it necessary to remember the goodness of God, the great wonders that God did for him and his forefathers. He continues to say, “ This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I like the attitude David had. Our attitude should be: I may be suffering right now, but God I remember how you helped me b...

So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good to all people. Galatians 6:10 Ever heard the story of the Good Samaritan? The story is told in the gospel of Luke 10:29-37. In the story, a certain man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho fell into the hands of robbers who beat him, robbed him of his possessions and left him there to die. Lying down on the ground while in desperate need of help; a priest came down the road, saw him and passed by him. A Levite came down the same road and did the same thing as the priest; he didn’t care to help. But when a Samaritan saw the man, he felt compassion on the man. He attended to his wounds and took him to the nearest inn. So, who was the neighbor to the man? In today’s time, people are hurting, suffering and in need of help. The parable of a Good Samaritan encourages us to be good to people. How sensitive are you to the needs of another? We have become so ingrown to the point where we only think of my problems, my needs...

“All things work together for good to those who love God” – Romans 8:28 I love to cook. Cooking is one of my favorite things that I do each day. When I am in the kitchen making my favorite meal, there are ingredients that are very essential in the process for without them the food would be tasteless. A master chef would tell you, to cook the best meal, one must know what ingredients to add and when to add them. All the ingredients must come together to make the food taste good. In the same way, God is the Master Chef. He knows the end from the beginning, He knows all the ingredients that we may need, and when to add them and how to add them. When all the ingredients are mixed together, it brings good taste in the end. Very often we get sour, sad and sometimes angry because of the missing ingredient in our lives. We are no longer patient to wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to come together. There are times when we go through the difficult moments in life when things seem t...

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” – (Hebrew 4:13 NIV) Do you feel like you are overwhelmed by the weight of life upon your shoulders? You make a lot of sacrifices and yet no one seems to take notice of what you are doing? You go through difficult moments in life but still manage to hide the pain and the hurt behind your smiles. You go through all these thinking no one will ever understand, or get the real picture of your life. Well friend, do not be dismayed. God knows what you are going through. The difficult path that you walk right now, this too God knows and understands it perfectly. He knows and understands your worries and thoughts from a far, even the ones that dread you the most. The sacrifices that you make and the times you cry alone in the bedroom; this too God is aware of. Be encouraged. You are not alone, neither are you forgotten. You got a friend up in Heaven who knows you by name, and who had already met you even before you were formed in your m...

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 Seeds come in different sizes and shapes; each designed with their distinct properties and the kind of fruits they were meant to produce. Some are designed to grow in harsh conditions, low altitude while others in high altitude. If they stay up in shelves they will never become what they were designed to be. The only way is through planting. Each seed is designed with qualities to enable it handle the challenges it will face. In the same way, each one of us is designed uniquely with God’s DNA in our system. When God designed us, He made sure that we had His strength, the spirit of a conqueror, an over-comer, courage and full of ‘I CAN DO ’ power in our system. God put into consideration the kind of obstacles and challenges we are going to face in life; thus, He designed us with excellent qualities that would help us over-come such challenges. Obstacles will always come our way. Things that we didn’t foresee wi...

“ Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27 With everything that is going on in the world right now it seems hard not to be afraid or worried. Fear and anxiety seems to embrace us so easily with little or no resistance. So, we worry about the finances, the future, the things we will need tomorrow, we worry about the things we don’t have, even what we have we still worry that we might lose them. What worrying does is to stop you from being hopeful, and from enjoying the joy and peace that our Lord Jesus gave us. Today, Jesus is encouraging you and me to receive His peace, and not to be anxious. “ Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.”[John 14:27] When we have the peace of God in our hearts, it is possible to stay hopeful, joyful and peaceful despite whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. The peace of God is our strength and shield against though...

“ No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62 [Amplified] In farming, a plow is a tool that is used to break and turnover hardened soil. Usually, it is connected to a horse or an ox which pulls it forward while the farmer ensures straight furrows are created as he directs the plow with his hands. The newly turned over soil would then be suitable for planting seeds. The entire process of plowing requires complete dedication and attention. A little distraction results to poor work. Jesus teaches us not to look back to whatever that is in the past. These could be our past mistakes, the things we continually regret about, our failures, the guilt, or the previous marriages or relationships that came to an end but you still think of various ways you could have done better. All these things are long gone; we still have the present and the future. Dwelling our mind in the past affects our present and future. Jesus knew that in order to ...

“For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” – Hebrews 3:4 A Master builder is known to oversee a construction of a building. A master builder knows how best to construct a building, how high it should rise, the best materials to use, or how deep the foundation should go. He also puts into calculations other factors such as wind pressure, the environment suitable for the building, and the direction the building should face. And when he’s renovating, he knows which areas are the weakest, where to demolish and ways to develop an old house to become new and valuable. In the same way, God is the Master Builder, and “ you are God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9). Everything that concerns our lives, God knows. He knows our weakest areas, our thoughts, our future, our fears, our strengths, and areas that we struggle a lot when we face certain challenges. Nothing about our life is hidden from Him. As a Master Builder, God is working something good in both you and me. As ...

“ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 Human beings are not perfect. Due to our imperfection, we make mistakes from time to time. Through our mistakes we get the opportunity to learn, improve and grow. However, this also becomes an opportunity for the devil to come in and steal your joy and peace from you while blinding you with self-judgment. The enemy does this by planting recurring thoughts of guilt and self-judging thoughts in your mind. Guilt has a funny way of sneaking up on you, slowly draining your energy and without you realizing what is consuming you. When mistakes are done, the devil likes it when we feel guilty about our shortcomings. He loves it when you feel sorry for yourself, or when you beat yourself down for the mistakes you’ve done. In the process, you feel like you are not enough, that you can never accomplish anything, that you should do something more, or you feel you can...

“ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 Human beings are not perfect. Due to our imperfection, we make mistakes from time to time. Through our mistakes we get the opportunity to learn, improve and grow. However, this also becomes an opportunity for the devil to come in and steal your joy and peace from you while blinding you with self-judgment. The enemy does this by planting recurring thoughts of guilt and self-judging thoughts in your mind. Guilt has a funny way of sneaking up on you, slowly draining your energy and without you realizing what is consuming you. When mistakes are done, the devil likes it when we feel guilty about our shortcomings. He loves it when you feel sorry for yourself, or when you beat yourself down for the mistakes you’ve done. In the process, you feel like you are not enough, that you can never accomplish anything, that you should do something more, or you feel you can...