Categories
Studying Bible Characters

The language of the prisoner

“And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Happy Monday family. My apologies for missing our Reflection Friday. I hope you’ve had a good weekend. Welcome to a new week!

This week, however, is different. Today John is in prison and he has a question for Jesus. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Last week there was no question in his mind, no doubt in his heart, and no hesitation in his words. Infact, he is the one who pointed out the Messiah to the people. Last week he had confirmation, he was sure, he had confidence in the prophecy but this week his heart is being tossed to and fro. Why?

John finds himself in prison after calling out Herod for marrying the wife of his brother. John is like some people who love God but found themselves in prison although innocent. Many good people have been accused of rape, oh yes, accused of theft, things even God knows they did not do. John spoke the truth and got arrested. I suppose he was agitated. He was hurt , upset. After all he had been doing only for someone to stop his ministry by putting him in prison. Beloved, the prison is not a cute place. It is designed to confine you, to punish, to take away your ability to do what you want . It stops the flow of life. This is a man who has been going all over the country preaching , now he is in one place. The prison.

In the prison you’re alone with your thoughts. You’re not busy acting so you’re busy thinking. John begins to think and overthink. He’s not baptising or preaching, he is thinking deeply instead. When you’re inactive physically, your brain is definitely active. John started doubting the One he pointed out meaning he was also doubting his own calling and prophecies. Last week he was a prophet with a voice, this week he’s a prisoner with a question. Last week you were the believer encouraging others, this week you are the one questioning the existence of the God you just ministered about.

How many times have we switched up on our faith because of the prison? “If He is truly Lord He would’ve provided this and this for me. If He is truly Lord He would’ve saved my mother.” We have so many faith killing thoughts based on our wants. The part of scripture where we carry the cross and follow Him, have we read it? The part of scripture that says the day of adversity will come, have you read it? Are you only focusing on the one that talks about feeding the 5000? As he sat in Herod’s prison, John wondered why Jesus was not living up to his expectations. Are you He who is to come, or shall we look for another? In other words, Are you Jesus or did I point out the wrong person. Are You the Lord or are people right in saying there’s no God at all? The questions of those in prison are filled with doubt and desperation stemming from a current need – freedom from prison. What has your prison made you say? What words have you spoken because of where you have found yourself? Job just worshipped. What about you?

Do you find yourself questioning if God is real? Do you find yourself speaking the language of the prison? “But I have no choice, you don’t know how l feel. The prison is a hard place and I’ve believed God for so long but why am l in prison?” Which part of scripture have you read? Have you read about Joseph? Oh wait have you read about Paul and Silas in the book of Acts? What about Peter? Were they not in prison as well? Did they have the same response or reaction? The truth is John’s frustration got the best of him. He wondered why a righteous and holy man like him would be confined in prison when the Messiah could just take him out. Jesus is not a superhero from all the Netflix series’ you watch. He’s not the Cinderella fairy. He is the Messiah. There are things you’ll go through that will hurt you but He is still Messiah. The prison should not change your speech, keep speaking Kingdom! Keep speaking Jesus! Keep testifying. Keep praising! Keep worshipping! Stand by the truth revealed to you.

Dear John, are you truly the one to doubt Christ? Are you the one saying all these things? John, what about your testimony of yesterday?

Categories
The Overcoming Believer

Chilled Thursday

Hey Yielded Family. How’s your week so far? I have had quite a rough week but I’m still and holding on to the promises of God. I realised this week, that in battle what sustains you is not the press ups you just did 5 mins ago nah. What keeps you standing is the training you’ve done over months and years. You have to build capacity so that when the day adversity comes you are able to not only stand but keep proclaiming the Name of the Lord.

It’s in the books we read. It’s in the sermons we listen to. Our day to day. Our moment to moment. Even in our resting – in our chilled Thursday. On this chilled Thursday I want to say to you, do not go back to Egypt. Whatever that means to you. Refuse to allow the small needs on the journey make you think slavery and abuse is a place to consider going back to. Don’t go back to the place of garlic and onion and spices yet also a place of heartache and pain. Don’t go back to the addiction. Don’t go back to darkness. Don’t go back to Pharaoh. Why? Because the new has already begun.

Think about it. What really will you be going back to? Shame? The mess? Slavery? What’s there to desire? I’m reminded of the children of Israel today. They always had alternatives. They always came up with other plans. How to create a god for ourselves, how to go back to Egypt , how to demand for this and that and if we don’t get it we become rude. I don’t think that’s a way to live. Any back up we create to substitute the plan of God is a pathway to failure and defeat. Why are we always thinking that God will let us down?

Today as you chill and go about your day, l want you to consider these things. Is it Egypt that feels like home or is Egypt all you’ve ever known? And if you need a prayer:

Categories
The Overcoming Believer

Worship Wednesday

Hey family. I know today is worship Wednesday but l want you to find your own playlist and time to spend with God. By all means please build intimacy with God. It’s so important. It’s more important than waiting on tables. Martha was not wrong for making dinner , the problem was not discerning the time to do so. There’s a time to Labour in the vineyard and a time to prioritise intimacy. Imagine a marriage where the woman is always busy in the kitchen, busy with children , busy with cleaning and doesn’t have a few minutes to spend with her husband, you know what will happen to that marriage right? Anytime the relationship is hanging on the peg , check the amount of time spent in intimacy and the intentionality!

“The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭41‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Im swamped with some notes to read but I had to show up to remind you that today is today 😂. I love you. 💓

Categories
Studying Bible Characters

Are you the Messiah?

John

said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One thing about John? He will call you out! I was having a chat with my friend about how this generation wouldn’t have survived the days of John and Apostle Paul. We are the generation that is excited for any other message BUT being rebuked and corrected? Oh no. We call it judgement. We say ,”God knows my heart.” We say ,”Let people do what they want.” I truly believe that’s one of the reasons why we seem to have stunted growth. Now imagine John was calling out crowds, was he not afraid? What if they stoned him to death? Radical ministers of the word who tell the truth with no fear! He was not timid nor the type to hold back from speaking truth.

John was not only preaching, he was baptising. The bible notes that this raised questions among people. “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [The following notes are extracted from my book A Ticket to Tarshish]

l love how John the Baptist knew his purpose and did not find himself preaching that he is the Messiah. The bible states that everyone was expecting the Messiah and they were eager to know whether John was the Messiah but he made his mission clear to them. You do not become a prophet because of people’s expectations or compliments but by ordination. If you allow people to pressurise you into titles, you will have to tell a lot of lies to be relevant in that label hence the rise of fake prophets who are not led by the Spirit. Being called the Messiah doesn’t make you Him, what is important is for us to always find out what God has called us to do. People who do not follow instructions cannot be trusted with great tasks, in actual fact, they cannot be trusted with anything. It does not start in the house of God, it starts at home. Those who do not know their purpose are found claiming the wrong titles and speaking the wrong things.

To discover your purpose is to discover life itself. In this generation people can ordain you on social media and then you carry a title whose anointing you don’t possess. John took every opportunity he had to point people to the Messiah. There’s a spirit of pride that may give you a hunger for spotlight, to be seen, to receive applause from people, refuse it. Every chance you get, point the people to the Messiah even if God uses you to raise the dead that’s not the time to call yourself “The only prophet alive,” or “The great seer of God,” I meaaannnnn! Relax. When they ask ,”Who are you?” Just say , “I am God’s servant.”

With everything John has been taught in the wilderness, being the one to identify the Messiah, surely he should’ve been proud right? Imagine if it happened in our generation, that person would have 178 bodyguards and a bio that says ,”I am John. The major prophet. Spent such and such years in the wilderness. Don’t joke with my anointing.” Yho! 😂😂 I actually believe that many people who operate in pride have neglected the secret place. It’s in the secret place that you’ll learn humility because how can you see such greatness , such glory and think you are greater?

Are you the Messiah? He said no. No I am not the Apostle General 1 , I am an intercessor. Do you know who you are? Or do you carry every title people give you and now you have identity crisis because the title you claim has responsibilities. The Messiah was to die. Every crown you wear has responsibilities. I’m not saying run away from ordination, provided it happens the biblical way, why not but any other street ordination? Nah.

Keep your eyes focused on being a servant . Serve. Play your part in the field and above all

POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS NOT YOURSELF.

Categories
Studying Bible Characters

John’s message

“He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Happy new week my beloved family. We are still studying the life of John the Baptist. After sometime in the wilderness getting the training he needed, being hidden from the world , finally it was time to make an appearance. It was time to finally serve his generation. John began to fulfill his ultimate calling: to be a forerunner of the Messiah. It was time. There is a time for training. There is a time for process. Then comes a time for taking action.

John’s message was a call to repentance. Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word. John told his listeners to make a change of the mind, not merely to feel sorry for what they had done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not a sorrow in the heart. What l love about John’s ministry is that he did not go out to talk about himself and all the honey and locusts he ate. It was never about him. He went into all the country to talk about the Messiah. Maybe that’s why you haven’t been sent anywhere else because all you do is talk about yourself.

Many of us have fallen into sin. Actually, the bible says anyone who says they have not sinned is a liar. We know how bad and terrible it was to find ourselves in that moment of sin. We cried. I would cry. Whether it was a chemical response to soothe my conscience or l was really sorry only God knows. Sometimes I’d find myself back in the sin. I thought repentance meant saying “I’m sorry” but it actually means to turn away from. John was saying to them, “This path you have taken is wrong, turn and take this one instead.”

Preparation for the Messiah is not bathing and ironing clothes, l mean that’s wonderful. It is not carrying a bible and posting a bio on Instagram, that is also great! The way to prepare for the Messiah is to repent. We do not choose how we prepare, the template is already there. John truly was a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He preached about the kingdom of God. He says “Make straight the paths for the Lord.” This gets me wondering, are our paths straight? Or do we zigzag in and out of sin , in and out of purpose, into the light then back into the darkness. Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. More than a desire to change, it is a decision to change. Selah.

We can not truly preach about the Messiah without emphasis on repentance. The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.” This is why evangelism is of primary importance. There are so many people who need to hear the gospel. So so many. I totally love how bold John was. We will get into more of his message tomorrow but he was a bold man. You sure need to be bold to go into places preaching the gospel.

Have we turned away from our sins or will we keep falling and crying to soothe our conscience? Have we been baptised? Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? Not because we are afraid of going to hell but because we recognise that we have truly been living unrighteously and we want to change. Wishing for change and actually changing are two different things. I know because there was a time l wished to change and a time l actually changed. Even right now, any part of me that is still canal and not ready to meet with God, may l change today. Can’t we see? The more we delay, the more damage caused. I don’t want to continue in reckless living, l want to be home with my Jesus. I want to check out of the pigsty. I want to prepare to meet the Messiah.

Aren’t we tired? Of losing so much for so little. Why don’t we repent today. Be finally tired of living like that. A friend of mine said to me,”I got tired of living in sin.” Another said, “ I got tired of saying I’m sorry everyday.” I say “ I got tired of being the one responsible for breaking my relationship with Jesus. I got tired of a divided heart.” Even now, l don’t claim perfection, l choose to repent today. What are you choosing to do?

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬