HEARING GOD

            Ever wondered if God speaks at all? Like, is God just in heaven, enjoying with the angels worshipping Him; such that He is so far away for Him to hear you or even speak to you? Does God care enough to have time to listen to all you have to say? My dear you have to understand that the reason you can speak is because God speaks, and you can only listen because God listens; after all, you are made in God’s image. God does love talking and speaking (i.e. communicating) with us – men. So how does God speak and how can we ensure we hear Him speak.

            You see previously, God has spoken with the audible voice. Check out the Israelites, they heard God speak audibly from Mount Sinai. Ask Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah and the other Prophets, they did hear God’s voice. Friends consider this: ‘does God have a preferred way of speaking?’ Remember the discourse between Jesus and the woman at the well in Samaria, Jesus said God does not enjoy being worshipped in physical temples; so our Father does have a preference. One thing that links all the ways God spoke to man after the fall of Adam is this: they heard God from outside. The voice of God had to be audible to them because though they related with God, God was still external to them. God’s presence lived in buildings, arcs and stones in that period. So something physical needed to be involved for them to hear God.

            Jesus enlightens us on how to hear Dad very clearly. Three times in the ministry of Jesus, we see written that God spoke audibly. At His baptism, God’s audible voice came to John the Baptist: (John1:32-33; Matt.3:17; Note: John and Matthew’s Gospel explain and make us understand the accounts of Jesus’ baptism in Mark & Luke. The person that saw the spirit descending on Jesus was not the crowd gathered around but John). It follows then that the voice spoken was not to Jesus, but to John who needed to see and hear to believe in his heart and afterwards proclaim: John1:36. Again at the transfiguration, the voice of God came physically to Peter, James and John, not to Jesus, nor the prophet and the law-giver who were with Him. Finally when Jesus prayed in John 12:28-30, the audible voice from God, came not for Jesus but for the people who were gathered around. So, how did Jesus hear God during His prayer? We know Jesus heard God when He prayed; in fact Jesus was always in prayer and always hearing God. John 12:49 confirms that every word Jesus said was gotten in the place of communion with our Father! Again when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He didn’t start praying, rather he continued in prayer; to understand see John 11:41b. Jesus had already conversed with God within Himself before He spoke those words and God had also responded; hence He said thanks to God for all the men around to hear (vs.42).

            So again, how did Jesus hear God? Jesus answers first by telling the woman at the well in Samaria: ‘God is a Spirit, and He prefers to be worshipped in spirit’. That is the place of communion – hearing and speaking – with God that God prefers most. Know this, that man is a spirit, and has a soul (the mind for thinking & emotional components for expression) and man lives in the body. So the real you is the spirit; you don’t have a spirit, my dear friend, you are a spirit. Hence God said, let us make man in our image; and God is a? ……. So the utmost place of God communing with His sons is within. The best way to hear God is to hear God speak to the spirit that you are; to use ehm ehm ‘unspiritual English’: it is to hear God speak to your spirit. This is the core of the sheep hearing and knowing the voice of the shepherd (John 10:27&4b). How do I know this is the most excellent way of God speaking to us now? Well, Romans 8:16 clarifies that the place where we receive the witness and confirmation that we are actually God’s sons is in our spirits, not in our minds or bodies; the mind and body takes time to catch onto this knowledge. Again, Philip’s experience with the Ethiopian man, the spirit spoke to Philip to minister to the man (Acts 8:29). How did God speak? By the spirit of course and therefore, how do you think that Philip heard? Through his …….. Also, Peter heard God speak via the agency of his spirit communing with God’s spirit (Acts 10:19). So dear friends you want to hear God’s voice frequently? Don’t just yearn to hear a physical audible voice with your ears, rather allow yourself to be trained to recognise when God talks to your spirit, for there ain’t anything physical about this. This is why Peter said faith is involved when we have not seen Jesus yet we believe in Him (1Peter 1:8); same way faith is involved when you have not seen God and you hear him speak to you in the spirit. After all, speaking with God and hearing God speak – prayer, is part of the components of worship; & God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

            Joel speaks of the ways God speaks to us today (Joel2:28). God still speaks today in dreams and visions. So my dear, understand that God does speak in diverse ways, but when it comes to the place of 1 Thess. 5:17 where you are to pray as a believer without any interruption, and the place of Luke18:1 where you are to pray always, without stopping then you’ve gotta hear God as frequently as Jesus did as illustrated in john 12:49 (NIV). So God does speak, He is speaking and he will keep on speaking, you simply have to be aware that your spirit can actually hear God and already does hear God. When you become aware of this, your mind will start to get the words of God that your spirit hears. Dear friends, this is but a minute tip of the iceberg in the teaching of hearing God speak, so after reading this if you do have questions or objections, please feel free to bring it up.

Live In The Promises

I told y’all that last year was so challenging for me, and I promised to share about it with y’all from December 25^th. But I changed my mind. I think rehearsing stories of woe is a display of unbelief. I’m sorry if you were disappointed.

About two weeks or so ago, I posted something on my Facebook wall about me being a priceless jewel that only priceless people can possess. In response to that, a very wonderful and dear friend called me and said, “I like your post on Facebook, I just wish I could say the same thing for myself.” Of course, she was going through some things and needed someone to talk to. Later that day, we spoke at length, I counseled her, assured her of God’s love for her, and she felt much better. However, when we were hanging out two days later, she still continued to speak in unbelief. She wouldn’t stop, until I jokingly told her to move far from me so her unbelief doesn’t rub off on me. You know what? I forgive her, I forgive me, and God forgives us all, including you. That was 2014. This is 2015. In 2015, we’re all going to act, everyday, like the Word is true. We don’t have to cajole God into fulfilling His promises. We don’t have to coax Him, nag, and pull the hem of His garment like a little child does when he/she wants something from mommy. We don’t have to do acrobatics praying to God for Him to perform what He said He’ll do. I’ve always said it, there are some prayers believers should not pray – e.g. God, please bless me. It is not a believer’s prayer. It’s a promise (Ephesians 1:3, 2^nd Peter 1:3).

In Nigeria, at the close of service in most of our churches, we share the grace in unison, quoting two powerful Bible scriptures – 2^nd Corinthians 13:14 and Psalm 23:6. One day, while sharing grace, it dawned on me that we all recite these words from memory but many of us do not live it. Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Those were originally the words of King David, and those are definitely not words of a confused person. Believers should never be confused or be in doubt of the Word of God. It is yea and amen. It must surely (certainly, definitely, assuredly, undoubtedly) come to pass – 2^nd Corinthians 1:20. Imagine if everyone who shares grace with those words every time actually believe what they say; I bet being a pastor will be more attractive than it is right now. (Can I hear all the pastors here say “Amen” to that? Lol.)

One day, about eight years ago, I was in a place in my life where I needed to feel the arms of Jesus wrapping me from heaven. As I stood in front of the registrar’s office at the University of Ghana about to hand in my withdrawal letter with no other University admission in view, I heard the words, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” At that time, I knew there was a verse like that in the Bible (Hebrews 13:5), but I didn’t know where it was, and for many years, I didn’t even care to know, because I wanted to always believe that those words were for me alone. I took those words and sailed with them into another world. When I got to the United States a few months later to continue my education, compared to where I was coming from, it seemed as if I’d been thrown into a boot camp of learning with no prior warning. Everyone knows that all work and no play makes Jack an American, not a dull boy. Through it all, though, I held on to those very words I heard that day at the registrar’s office. God didn’t lie. He never left me. He never forsook me. (He still hasn’t). He gave me way more than I expected. From a student who couldn’t make the fairly cheap cut into medical school, I became one who graduated Summa Cum Laude (First Class). His promises are true. Never let go of them.

He also said in Jeremiah 29:11 that He thinks about us; and that His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace and not of evil to give us an expected end. I usually remember and speak out these words when I’m in great confusion – confusion that makes me cry pitifully. Amidst tears, He’ll remind me of those words, and I’ll say them out. I love the New Living Translation version that says, “… to give us a future and a hope.” While meditating on this verse, I realized that in this version, “future” comes before “hope”. To me, this means that when I arrive that future or promise God has for me, it doesn’t end there; there is still hope ahead. I mean, we don’t hope for the present or for we have; we hope for what is ahead. So it means that wherever God is taking me to isn’t the end of His plans towards me. Until I enter into everlasting rest with Him (which is what our greatest hope is), I keep on moving ahead – a future, a hope. Hallelujah!

Life is full of challenges. And God never promises us a smooth ride. There are bumps, potholes, sharp bends, and dangerous alleys in this journey, and that’s why Jesus said He has overcome the world for us (John 16:33). It’s a journey that will end safely if we hang on to the words of Jesus. In 2015, there will be many challenges. There will be times you’ll want to give up. Like the disciples in Mark 4:36-41, you’ll want to ask God if He doesn’t care that you perish. But, hold on! Hang on to His promises. He doesn’t lie (Numbers 23:19). One of His promises at times like these is found in Isaiah 43:2-3a (NLT) – “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (or, kindle upon you). For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Brothers and sisters, can we just believe His words? They’re powerful, faithful and true, and if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD, they are definitely for you.

In 2015, there is no need to be afraid of death either, because Psalm 91 is for you. When Ebola found its way into Nigeria last year, and precisely, into the very city in which I live, I held on to Psalm 91. I love the last verse – “With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:16 KJV). I cannot die in 2015, and I don’t have to pray about it. It’s a promise. It’s done, and I have received it. Full stop.

This year when you face challenges, speak the word. God said His words will never go back to Him void (Isaiah 55:11); so it means whether or not we hold on to His promises, they will still fulfill purpose. They are for us anyway, so why waste it? They are true and powerful and they work (Hebrews 4:12). And that’s why the devil works sooo hard to keep us away from the Bible. He knows that if all Christians know their rights in Christ, then he is in big trouble. I want to put the devil in big trouble even before his time is up, and I’d like y’all to join me in doing that starting from this year. (You know you can’t do that without studying your Bible regularly, right? *wink*)

Don’t worry about anything. God loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He is with you. He said He’ll calm your fears with His love and rejoice over you with joyful singing (Zephaniah 3:17). Wow, such love! When things are not going your way, trust God. His thoughts and ways are waaay higher than yours, and believe me, He wants your good more than you want your good, so why not chill and relax in His everlasting arms of love and strength. It’s easier said than done, I know – but just do it. Trust Him to help you. He won’t put you to shame.

In 2015, bask in His love, and live in His promises.

Happy New Year!

CHRISTMAS ISN’T ABOUT A TURKEY AND SOME MISTLETOES

I love the Christmas season – the colors, the plenty food, the aura, and of course, the gifts. I’m not a very big fan of Christmas movies – too mushy for me. But I’m a great fan of Christmas songs. When I was in college, I usually gathered my collection from as early as August. These days, so I don’t seem weird, I start by November.  People do different things for Christmas. In my home country, growing up, I watched parents make new clothes and buy new shoes for their children at Christmas. Several people cooked special meals and did special things at Christmas. Although, that was never the kind of Christmas my siblings and I had. As pastors’ kids, while others were at Christmas parties on Christmas day, we were camping out in either a dilapidated school building or some field somewhere in a village. While others cooked and ate special meals, some even killing chickens, turkeys, goats, and rams, our special meal was mass-prepared jollof rice with little piece(s) of chicken or goat meat. Our parents didn’t buy us Christmas clothes, or make us a banquet, or treat Christmas the way others did. We put up a Christmas tree in our home every year, but the wrapped up boxes under the tree were empty, not containing gifts for us. Surprisingly, then and now, I have never felt deprived of Christmas pleasure. We learned in the church my parents serve as pastors in that Christmas is never about us – it is about Jesus. So on Christmas day, all of us (believers in all the different branches of our church body in the country) went out to share the love of Christ to people, to tell non-believers the real meaning of Christmas, and to plant churches – places of worship – for these new believers who accepted our gospel message. Simply put, Christmas for us was purely “missions”.

If everyone took some time to really think about it, we would see that that’s indeed the best way to spend our time this season – telling people about what and Who makes Christmas Christmas. It’s so sad that we all – children, adults, believers, and non-believers – have made Christmas about ourselves. We have kids expecting new and cool gifts. There are mothers planning great feasts with family and friends. Some fathers burst their butts trying to make money at any cost, by any means this season, so as to make their families happy at Christmas. There are lovers having unholy premarital/extramarital sex to celebrate a holy, spotless Savior that, of course, they fail to acknowledge. Even non-Christians, that is, people of other religious beliefs, also celebrate Christmas. If this wasn’t so sad, it would have been funny. What are they celebrating anyway? How can one celebrate the birthday of a Savior he/she openly despises?

See, there’s nothing wrong with having Christmas traditions (I have mine too). I believe Jesus would have been happy about all this euphoria going on because of Him. But I don’t think He’s happy that we have made it about our selfish selves. Sharing gifts, eating big meals, showing love, etc., are all great if we just can make it all about the celebrant – JESUS. Let’s share His love with unbelievers. Let’s make them know that Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. And it is so not because of toasted marshmallows or chestnuts roasting on an open fire. The love we feel at Christmas isn’t because of the gifts we receive or the people around us. It’s in Jesus alone that true love can be found. It’s not a turkey and some mistletoes that make this season glow. It’s Jesus, the one and only Savior of mankind, who brings glow to a person’s life. And glow, shine, radiance do not have to be only once a year; it can be every day if one just let’s Jesus in. 

So, fellow believers, let’s take up the challenge. Share Jesus’ love. Make this Christmas ALL about the Almighty Celebrant.

***

PS: My family always moved the celebration to January 1^st – just so you wouldn’t think we were such a sad family :)

How Boring Would It Be...?

A couple of months back, my church invited a Senior Pastor from another State in the country to come minister to us. As we would be responsible for his hospitality (hotel & feeding), I was selected as the chosen one (**wink wink**) to handle that. OK, fine!… it was two of us. Well, on the first day, we served him chicken with sides of rice and plantain (general food). But on the second day, we decided to serve him one of his cultural foods. As I am from the same region as he is (South West- Yoruba), I was indisputably the right person to do that cooking. I decided to make him amala (made with plantain flour) and vegetable soup (Nigerians know what I’m talking about). Amala is native to the Yorubas (at least, some part), but vegetable soup is general to all Nigerians. What I didn’t know however, was that we (the Yorubas) prepared ours a bit differently from others. As I got set to cook the soup, my partner and her sister (who are not Yorubas) said they would like to watch how I cooked mine. As I cooked, I explained what I was doing, as a chef-in-the-making would (wink wink). I hadn’t gone past my second step when my partner’s sister got “disgusted” with how we cooked our soup, and she said, “Oh please, please, is this how you people cook your vegetable soup? It does not make sense. I don’t even want to know how you do it anymore. Oh oh, this is sth sth (can’t remember the words she used exactly).” 
At first, I was surprised she thought it was not good, or that it didn’t make sense. Seconds following my surprise, when she wouldn’t stop, I was disgusted by her disgust. One funny thing is she’s the only one who I know dislikes the way we cook that soup. She didn’t even care to taste it. John C. Maxwell in his book, Winning With People, said, “If Bob has a problem with everybody; Bob is usually the problem.” I guess my partner’s sister was the problem here. Second funny thing is that I have eaten the food she and her sister offered me several times, not because I thought it was delicious, but because they said it was their cultural food, and they were always very happy offering it to me. It didn’t matter to me that my taste buds noticed the unfamiliar taste and didn’t welcome it much, or that my eyes didn’t find the foods particularly appealing. I ate with the love of Christ. And lastly, the way they described how they cooked their own vegetable soup seemed weird to me too, but I never considered it worse than my people’s method. The thought didn’t even cross my mind.

You see, we live in a world where people think you’re “abnormal”, “weird”, “not-fitting-in”, “second-class citizens” if you are not like them? If we’re honest with ourselves and take a moment to consider it, we’ll come to realize that variety [differences] is what makes our world really beautiful. The Bible says that God made ALL THINGS beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11); and that He made ALL these things for His own pleasure (Revelation 4:11). We act sometimes like God was clueless when He put variety in the world. 

Imagine how boring it would be if all the waters in the world were rivers – just rivers. That is, no seas or oceans, no fountains or waterfalls, no aquifers, no springs, no the-Grand-Canyon (gasp!) – Nothing more, just rivers.

Imagine how boring it would be if all the cars in the world were Mercedes; and that everyone was an Automobile Engineer by profession.

What fun is it if everyone spoke only English? No Mandarin, no Hindi, no Yoruba or Hausa or Igbo. French doesn’t exist, neither does Latin or Spanish or Afrikaans; the Kenyans don’t speak Swahili, and native speakers don’t speak Creole. Imagine if everyone spoke with a British accent. What fun would it be?

I weigh 72kg (most times), wear American Size 12, and I don’t think my weight is a problem at all; but there are a lot of people who think I should feel awful for seeing nothing wrong with my weight. So, what if I weighed 100kg and wore 22W or if I weighed 50kg and wore Size 2 or 4? Who determines the right weight - the weight that makes you a human being or less of a human being? Or who says the beautiful person is the skinny one and the fat person is just “OK” or not even good enough? 

Am I speaking out of place? I don’t think so. People fear to point it out, but we all know that in Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood, and all-other-woods the skinny actor/actress gets the good roles, while the overweight one gets mostly the crappy roles. 

I had a conversation with my friend few weeks ago, and he was telling me about a girl who wasn’t pretty before, but now he thinks she looks good. My reaction: Say what? She was ugly before and got pretty overnight? If you asked me, I’ll say something was wrong with his eyes when he looked at her the first time. By the way, who decides who’s pretty and who’s not? Who created the pretti-o-meter of the world? How do people determine the prettier one from the less pretty one? The Bible says God made ALL THINGS beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). If you’d ask our Manufacturer, I know He’ll say we are all good and beautiful, created in His image and likeness, just the way He planned it (Genesis 1:26-28, 31). 

A little over a month ago, I taught a lesson in my church on Forbearance (Colossians 3:9-17; Ephesians 4:1-3). I focused on the “tolerance” meaning of forbearance. People don’t have to be like us. The mistakes people make, the imperfection, incompleteness, and all the not-like-us things that we see in others are what spice up the world and make it beautiful, giving pleasure to our Creator. 

If everyone was like you – looked like you, talked like you, thought like you, ate the foods you ate, etc like you, I bet you wouldn’t want to stay in this world past your tenth birthday; because boring can be unbearable. I read in my devotional one morning that the only person who has the right to be proud and to think of himself better than others is a person who is entirely self-sufficient; and we all know there’s no such human alive on the earth. For starters, everyone breathes God’s air, so I need not explain to you how highly dependable-on-God we are as humans. Only God has the right to be proud, and even He isn’t (Psalm 8:4-5). He comes down to our lowly state and sees us as His friend, regardless of color, size, age, looks, our imperfection, etc. We, as God-carriers, should do same for others.

Dear Readers: HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Readers,

As my blog name, Temi’s Race, implies, I have kept up with telling y’all about my experiences and inspirations on this Christian journey; many times, ending those experiences with words of exhortation and encouragement to you. This post is no different, except that today, I need counsel from y’all.

Here it goes:

This year has been very tough – really tough – for me. I don’t want to talk about anything in detail now. [I plan a 7-day series on “2014 in Retrospect,” where I’ll share my major experiences and learnings this year. I plan that for the last week of the year, December 25-31. So, please, watch out for that]. Pending that time, however, one of my this-year-has-been-very-tough-for-me experiences has to do with rejection. I “suffered” two major bouts of rejection this year. One was such a hard blow, it threw me into utter confusion for weeks (I’m still confused, but I’m rising above). The other one came slowly, quietly, and craftily. Whether the intention of the sources of these two instances was rejection or not, I don’t know. Bottom line is that it felt like it – I acknowledged it and it hurt – it really really hurt.

Many months after, I have come to realize that I’m really scared of being rejected again. Knowing this, I cannot but seek help from y’all, my friends. I know that the fear of rejection can lead to several unpleasant things; one of which is compromising your faith just to please people and be accepted by them. OF COURSE, I’m not there yet, and I don’t want to get down to that level ever. So, pleaaassseeee, what practical steps can I take to deal with this? HELP ME!

Please, don’t fail to drop a word or more in the comment session below. I promise to consider all the counsels and put into action the godly advice that you offer.

GOD BLESS YOU!

THANK YOU...

“Please…” “Thank you…” “I am Sorry…” Growing up, I was taught that these are the most important words anyone can say – some call it “magical words”. Personally, I have never found it difficult to say any of these words whenever I need to. I’m not sure why. I’m guessing probably because my siblings and I had very good upbringing – I mean “veeerrrryyy gooood”, if you know what I mean. My parents took discipline very seriously. When we deserved to be disciplined, we were disciplined. When we didn’t deserve discipline, we were disciplined. While dad chose words as his preferred weapon, mom used sticks. Apparently, she took the words of the Teacher in Proverbs 22:15; 23:13 literarily and very very seriously. I could choose to be bitter about those times, but now in 2014, looking at how we all turned out, I think every lash – whether with words or with sticks – was totally worth it. 

Anyway, because of how easy it has been for me to use these “magical words” when appropriate, I deem it highly uncourteous when people aren’t humble in making requests, appreciative, and/or apologetic. I expect a “please” to come before any request, a “thank you” or “great job, Temi” after a good deed, and an “I’m sorry” if I am wronged. A couple months back, however, I realized that I didn’t just expect people to say those words; I kinda expected a little more – more than I deserved. 

So one day, when I was beginning to feel like I deserved a “thank you, Temi” or “great job, Temi” for everything I did, I said a little prayer. I said, “LORD, please, help me to be able to do a good deed without expecting any appreciation.” Not like appreciating a good deed is wrong. No, it isn’t. I will teach any child to always say “thank you” when they need to. But I saw a need for me to do selfless service and ascribe ALL the glory to God for everything He does through me (Philippians 2:13). Anyway, just to point this out, the LORD answered almost immediately – the next Bible Study I taught, only the Holy Spirit said “great job, Temi.” At first, I was disappointed, but I quickly remembered the prayer I’d prayed, and that made me smile instead. I also was a bit worried that the people were not blessed, but when I heard “great job, Temi” from the inside, I was satisfied. That was the first “noticeable” time. Subsequent times weren’t as easy. Making that request to God made me conscious of just how much I needed to be appreciated or “recognized” for any good thing I did. Strangely though, I do feel uncomfortable when people are “highly” appreciative for a little act of kindness done by me; nonetheless, I realized that I still wanted them to be grateful - really grateful. Maybe I felt a thrill in the discomfort or maybe it made me happy that I was a blessing to someone, or maybe… just maybe anything... I’m not sure. All I know is that I liked it much, and I wanted to stop liking it. That was why I prayed. I sincerely desired to get to the level where I could truly, honestly, and wholly attribute all glory to God for whatsoever that He does through me.

Some weeks ago, while I pondered on this situation (yes, it had become a “situation”…lol), I heard the words of 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.” Boom!!!… The glory wasn’t for me anyway. It’s my light shining, and it’s my good works being done, but it’s NOT my glory. Making that request to stop expecting “thank you” was totally in line with the word of God. So, any “thank yous” I receive are just bonuses and not my right. Only God has the right to be told “thank you” and to receive “thank you”; for it is Him who works in us to do anything at all that deserves “thank you”. Choosing to be used by Him is something we should be grateful for. As far as God is concerned, He will bless and reach out to His people regardless of who He uses. Being a vessel in His hands is all the “thank you” we need.

Again, don’t get me wrong. It is good to be appreciative. It is a courteous act that everyone should imbibe. However, we must be careful not to want it so much to the extent that it changes our minds towards doing something nice for people the next time. Some of us withhold good from people because the last time we did something for them, we didn’t receive the level of appreciation we expected. This should not be so! Only God deserves to be praised. We are just vessels in His hands, and it is a privilege to be used of Him. At least, that is what I think… :)