Hello people, how are you? Hope you all are doing fine. Today I would like to the so called world’s concept of God.

There are many in this world who claim to believe in God but most people’s belief go only to the extent that they believe there is such a thing as a God. They are rarely led to think and dwell on their concept of God. To them God is someone who is consistently sitting on a throne getting critical over what is right and wrong. This concept of God seems to be almighty only when it comes to dishing out punishment and such people rarely see beyond this. The flaw with this concept is that it puts mans action outside the control of God. The word “Lord” means one who is in control but the world’s concept of God is a concept where the people have more control over their destiny than their god does himself. The world’s concept of Almighty God goes only as far as that He is One. The reason it has not gone beyond that is because, world religions have cashed in on the flaw to control people and it becomes more of politics than a relationship with God. What world religions have done is that they have taken the doubts that people have about God, they have they magnified these doubt and presented it back to the people in the form of religion and the reason mostly people accept it at heart is because a trace of that doubt already exist within them and they are really not accepting something new.

World religions have taken the concept of people controlling their destiny whether it may be heaven or hell, they have then cashed in on this concept, by giving people a list of things to do, to make it to heaven. So religions claiming to be God’s truth actually give in to the doubt people have about God because the people responsible for these religions are in essence no different from the world.

1John 4
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

The world may not understand this but the very act of trying to get God’s attention by praying as many times, sacrificing animals, fasting, going to religious place and performing lengthy rituals, draws a picture of a god who is outside the control of the actions of a man, which indicates this god is not truly sovereign because there is this area concerning him over which he has no control, indicating this god who may be one or many is not truly Almighty and surely not God.

I don’t know what makes people in the world think that a certain work of fasting, praying and charity makes them fully eligible to be citizens of heaven. You see these people have already judged themselves and found themselves to be right. They have found no need to wait till the day of judgment, their religion may talk of judgment day but their religion has already given them the tools as to what act will get what, a big contradictory booboo if you ask me. God’s judgment is best left with God because even the best of good works can have ulterior motives and the Bible says God judges our hidden thoughts.

Ecclesiastes 12
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Luke 1
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

James 2
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

What takes people to heaven is a relationship with God and not a list of dos and don’ts because at the end of it all if God’s invitation to heaven was because of what a person in particular has done then that god seems no different from any carnal man in the world who likes to only invite home the people who have made a good life for themselves. It is important for you to know that God is more responsible for what a man achieves than the man is himself. It is to this extent that God is sovereign and so heaven cannot be given on the basis what a man religiously does because the essence of that line of thinking is a man taking credit for himself and earning his way into the house of God. If such a concept ever had any substance to it then it spells bad news for that god because if he is outside the life of the very person who is in his house then how much control does he really have over those who rebel against him and what can this god then really do to help the situation? Ironically this situation is titled “The helpless god”. It must be understood here that even if the free will of man to do right and wrong was infinite like the grains of sand on the seashore then too that free is automatically kept in check within the vastness of the infinite universe in which that free will seashore seems nothing and just as all the change that happens in the universe is a constant in the same way all of man’s free choices are completely covered under the sovereign will of God. The good thing about this is that no matter how bad the situation of life may be for a particular person, it is never too late for him to turn to God.

The essence of Salvation is in people accepting what God has done for them rather than God accepting what the people have done for Him because the credit for the good the people have done goes to God but for some reason these religiously righteous people unknowingly seem to take that glory from God and wallow in it themselves. They do not understand that the god in their concept is not really God because their religion has striped this god of being sovereign and so he really cannot be called Lord if the Salvation of man is in the hands of man himself.

The job scenes in this world are so unstable, there are strikes, people being made redundant, companies are liquidating, people may be unstable but why do they have to apply this unstable picture to God in the form of world religions, where your relationship with God is all dependent on what you are doing for Him. People are subconsciously saying that their god is no better than them and they may not admit it but when God acts in their lives they will not always take it in the manner that reflects that God is good because they see no distinction the thoughts of God from their own.

Isaiah 55
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Religious leaders are disguised politicians, they have seen the flawed ideology of people wanting to do something for God, as though God was some inanimate object that does nothing Himself, the religious leaders have seen this made the best of it, they have given the world such an extensive list of dos and don’ts as though they were telling the world, go knock yourself out! In doing so they have taken control of people at large and that is exactly what they were looking for; power. It must be understood that God is the source and the very breath of life. Ignorance about who God really is is actually spiritual death. Through out history people have been bullied by leaders who in the name of God have kick started religious movements. Allow me to quote scripture for you.

Matthew 24:24-26, 28
24 For ..false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.25 See, I have told you beforehand.26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it…28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

So you see God warns people through the Bible that there will be power hungry people coming as religious leaders, whom the Bible refers to as vultures that feed on people who are actually dead where their relationship with God is concerned.

The reason I am writing this, is to tell you that your way to heaven depends on the restoration of your relationship with God. Let me tell you that it is not something you can do yourself because you don’t have what it takes but God has already worked that out for you. So my friend if you willing to look beyond what you can do and look at a God who can do much more then you have a proposition of a business relationship with God at hand. God had to work out your wages of sin, He is not a performer of justice but He is Justice Himself, which He (Son) had to bear His (Father) own wrath for the people in whom His Spirit would make His (God) temple. So if you are willing to look at this sacrificial act of God beyond your religiously cultured initiatives to impress God then and only then you will be reconciled to God because you have in essence placed God over yourself and given Him the rightful position as Almighty and Sovereign.

Hello people, I write again today after quite some time. My life is now beginning to see the light of dawn and I thank God for the victory that he has given me in my life through the promise that he has kept me in Christ Jesus. Today I would like to write on something that the world refers to as belief in one’s self.

There are many who say you need to believe in yourself if you want to achieve a certain task that is at hand. The world thinks that its great heroes achieved the heights of their success, purely on self belief and nothing else. Well I’d have to say it is good to have a radically positive attitude but this kind of feeling is sourced from God. Even people, who don’t believe in God, can be people of a radically positive outlook but this goes only as far as their humility, where they don’t know the outcome of the events that challenge them and so they hope for the best before they engage the event i.e. they are leaving it in the hands of God. People many a times can unconsciously fellowship with God in Spirit and not know it. Every moment that you feel encouraged, that is the Spirit of God working in you. The grace and mercy of God has seen world leaders’ rise to glory even when they have not acknowledged God but as a person rises and begins to cut out the very source of his blessing, he is actually cutting out the source of his own life and Salvation.

I would like to quote a passage from my Bible, which may seem like a passage exhibiting self confidence over the will of God.

Matthew 15:21-28
21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”
23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”
24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”
25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.
26 Jesus answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
27 “That’s true, sir,” she answered; “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.

We can see from the above scripture that this was a really strong woman and a woman of great faith but the miracle she was looking for her daughter, only came to pass, when she laid her radical faith at the feet of Jesus. Her radically positive outlook allowed her to lay claim to her blessing that was already kept aside for her. This is a scenario where the woman submitted great faith at the feet of Jesus, trusting in Him to deliver her. Faith is fruitful only when your confidence in put in God whether you do it consciously or unconsciously (God leading you).

Psalms 62:8-11
8 Trust in God at all times, my people.
Tell him all your troubles,
for he is our refuge.

9 Human beings are all like a puff of breath;
great and small alike are worthless.
Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing;
they are lighter than a mere breath.
10 Don’t put your trust in violence;
don’t hope to gain anything by robbery;
even if your riches increase,
don’t depend on them.

11 More than once I have heard God say
that power belongs to him

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

A human being therefore should not puff himself in pride according to Romans 12:3. You can also clearly see that the measure of faith that each person has, is not something he or she has developed or had by themselves but it is rather God who has given them that faith. So you see that God is your provision also when it comes to pleasing Him because Biblically God delights in Himself and He has every right to do so and that is why He seeks worship from us through the provision of His own Spirit and is glorified in Christ Himself. It is for this reason that the Father, Son and Spirit are each God and together God, who is self sufficient.

Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

Consider the time when Abraham was asked to offer his son Isaac to God. Abraham trusted that God would deliver him (Gen 22:5, 8). The faith Abraham had was what God had given him and the ram that was caught in the bush is also what God provided. So you see the sovereignty of God that He Himself is the provision in what people bring to delight Him

Genesis 22:4-16
4 On the third day Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5 Then he said to the servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice, and he himself carried a knife and live coals for starting the fire. As they walked along together, 7 Isaac said, “Father!”
He answered, “Yes, my son?”
Isaac asked, “I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide one.” And the two of them walked on together.
9 When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then he picked up the knife to kill him. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”
He answered, “Yes, here I am.”
12 “Don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him,” he said. “Now I know that you honour and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.”
13 Abraham looked round and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place “The Lord Provides”.
And even today people say, “On the Lord’s mountain he provides.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time, 16 “I make a vow by my own name — the Lord is speaking — that I will richly bless you. Because you did this and did not keep back your only son from me,

Of all things mentioned in the Bible it is faith and waiting on God that pleases God.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Beating, gashing and bring injury to oneself, is not a measure of faith (Hosea 7:14-16). Even though it is God who sustains people like these, it is and will always remain God and not yourself who will want to take you through a trial and it is HERE where you need to trust Him and this is what will please Him.

Hosea 7:14-16
14 They have not prayed to me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for corn and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! 15 Even though I was the one who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against me. 16 They keep on turning away from me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Because their leaders talk arrogantly, they will die a violent death, and the Egyptians will laugh.”

So you see there is no such Biblical thing as self confidence but rather God given faith, which you need to learn exercise at the feet of Jesus. If you feel you don’t have this then in Jesus’ name I decree that God the Father may add to whatever measure of the faith you already have. Remember it is blessing to confess that you are spiritually depraved (Matthew 5:3).

Hello people, how are you? Hope you are all are doing fine. Today I would like to write on something to encourage you. I haven’t been able to write very often as I am home only rarely. I have seen people faced with condemnation and believe me it is disheartening. Condemnation to joy is like blotting paper to ink, Condemnation sucks you dry of every reason that you may have to smile. So yes today I shall write to build you up against the condemnation that is against you.

Condemn: to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment. This according to dictionary.com is the meaning of condemn. Biblically, condemnation has more to do with the Law that it has to do with anything else. All religions all over the world have their own form of Law and depending from religion to religion, the penalty for disobedience to their Law is severe to their own degree. The Old Testament in the Bible speaks of Law too, God did that because that was his first step to show man that Salvation is not dependent on religious self reliance and what condemnation does is not only to beat you down, it is to beat you down till you are finished.

Exodus 22:20
“Condemn to death anyone who offers sacrifices to any god except to me, the Lord.

Ezekiel 16:38
I will condemn you for adultery and murder, and in my anger and fury I will punish you with death.

You can plainly see that condemnation relates more to death than just a severe punishment. Believe me condemnation is such a thing that it will be sentenced upon you and you have no choice or say in the matter, it will be like you being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and a bolt of lightening strikes you from the sky. It will be an outrageous attack directed towards you at full strength with the intention to annihilate you. But there is good news my friend, well under the law everyone has been found guilty of sin and is therefore condemned (Romans 5:12-13, 18) but there is an escape route. A route where the condemnation fell on Someone else, Someone who came into this world just to be condemned (Mark 10:33) that he may saved those who accept what He has done for them.

Mark 10:33 (He is speaking of His death)
“Listen,” he told them, “we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles,

Do you know who this Son of Man is? Check this out.

Luke 22:47-48
47 Jesus was still speaking when a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He came up to Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?”

If you think that the Son of Man is Jesus who is only a man then read this from the Old Testament about the Son of Man.

Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a Son of Man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.

You can rack you head over the above scripture but only God can receive such glory. So you see the Son of Man who is Jesus, is God. Coming back to Mark 10:33, we see that this condemnation was ironically passed on Jesus by the teachers of the Law themselves because Jesus was the one who came to fulfill the Law.

Mat 5:17-18 (Jesus’ Word)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Luke 18:31 (Jesus speaks about his death on the cross)
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.

We see from Mat 5:17-18 that the Law would remain till all was fulfilled and accomplished in Christ (Luke 18:31). So my friend you see Biblically that you have a God approved escape route in Christ away from condemnation. Check the scripture below for proof.

John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery, and they made her stand before them all. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 In our Law Moses commanded that such a woman must be stoned to death. Now, what do you say?”
6 They said this to trap Jesus, so that they could accuse him. But he bent over and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7 As they stood there asking him questions, he straightened himself up and said to them, “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her.” 8 Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they all left, one by one, the older ones first. Jesus was left alone, with the woman still standing there. 10 He straightened himself up and said to her, “Where are they? Is there no one left to condemn you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she answered.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.

Romans 8:1
There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

It is important for you to also know what “conviction” is because there is fine line between conviction and condemnation. The dictionary says that conviction is: to impress with a sense of guilt. Condemnation comes only after conviction (John 7:51) and as Satan (this world’s ruler) has been judged/condemned for opposing belief in Christ so will unbelief also be judged or condemned.

John 7:51
51 “According to our Law we cannot condemn anyone before hearing him and finding out what he has done.”

John 16:7-11 [Jesus’ word] (judgment ~ condemnation)
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Remember in stark contrast for those who trust in Jesus, you have already been substituted where condemnation is concerned, your sin is already all paid for even if you are convicted time and time again. Stronger the conviction or stronger the reprove that God may place upon that person, will only be indicative of God’s greater love towards them (Rev 3:19) and this covenant of Salvation of God the Father is worked out through God the Son and sealed/guaranteed by God the Spirit (Eph 1:3, 12-14).

Rev 3:19 (specific to the Church)
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Ephesians 1:3,12-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, …12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

To conclude, I would like to tell you that if there is burden of a certain sin that you are carrying then you have readymade one size fits all solution in Jesus. If you already believe in Jesus then ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to repent. Repentance is not feeling sorry but making a U-turn in that area of life and this is not easy, you need God the Spirit to empower you in this because some bondages are strong and freedom is hard to attain on your own strength. Think of this as a Spiritual battle, just as Moses’ hands were supported as he held them up, that the Israelites may win the war against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:10-13. In the same way Almighty Jesus’ allowed His hand to be nailed up, opened & out against cross that you may win your battle against all condemnation even at the cost of His life.

Exodus 17:10-13
10 Joshua did as Moses commanded him and went out to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his arms, the Israelites won, but when he put his arms down, the Amalekites started winning. 12 When Moses’ arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. 13 In this way Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites.

God’s presence is so powerful that wickedness & death can never stand in His presence & so when Christ entered into His death, forget about death not being able to hold Him but eternal death was forever destroyed & Christ rose to His resurrection to declare His victory and a Christian now only lays to rest to be called into eternal life.

1Corinthians 15:51-57
Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed.
53 For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. 54 So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!”
55 “Where, Death, is your victory?
Where, Death, is your power to hurt?”
56 Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. 57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Hello brother and sisters in Jesus. How are you? I haven’t been writing much as I have moved to another city in the area of work. Today I write on something and that is living with the faith that pleases God.

You may have noticed this and this is very much human nature, that as a particular situation reaches hopelessness we have greater tendency to let ourselves backslide in other things as well. This is a nature of unbelief, an unbelief which Satan delights in, as he robs us of the trust that we ought to invest in God and hold on to His promise to us that is in Christ, that God will use His power to turn things around for us.

John 12: 44-46
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

There is great blessing in knowing God, knowing that He is One in the Father, Jesus and Spirit. In contrast to monotheism and polytheism, Christianity comes through in all its color and splendor. Let’s check John 17:11.

John 17:11 (Jesus’ Word)
11 And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one.

We see from the first part of the above scripture we see that God the Father and God the Son are one (John 10:30) in power (El-Shaddai) and in name (Yahweh). We then see in the later part of the scripture the ultimate relationship that goes way beyond creation and that is the relationship between God the Father and God the Son because they are One. Jesus prayed that this oneness of relationship may be reflected in His people i.e. those who trust in Jesus. So you see Christian fellowship is more about our unity, which is identified in Christ. And from God i.e. Christ, His people get their name i.e. Christians. Religions of the world will unite their people towards a purpose, in contrast people hold on to Christ because only in Christ does God “promise” to save people by His OWN strength (Psalms 69:13; Ephesians 3:6,20-21). It will be misconstrued to say that religions of the world are united in God, because their god teaches them how they have to work towards their own salvation and saving themselves becomes their purpose. Hence, they work towards their god keeping their own interest (salvation) in mind, their work therefore centers more around themselves as they work according to their own perception of who God is. They are inculcated with the need to do more as that is what their god requires of them, they cannot and do not rely on their god for their needs but they feel that god is relying on them to get whatever done. They might say that they believe in one god but their thought process is more about them working themselves than their god working for them. Not only does this imply that their work centers around themselves and that in their own interest they want to glorified before this god but this is indicative that their minds are made dim (John 12:39-40) that they do not realize that this god of theirs is lifeless.

John 10:30
The Father and I are one.”

Psalms 69:13
But as for me, I will pray to you, Lord; answer me, God, at a time you choose. Answer me because of your great love, because you keep your promise to save.

Ephesians 3:6, 20-21
6 The secret is that by means of the gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God’s blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus.
…
20 To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: 21 to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, for ever and ever! Amen.

John 12:39:40 (Jesus Words)
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”

So to conclude, I would like to quote James 4:7:

James 4:7
7 So then, submit to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.

This ought to show us that in a time of trial, God will never allow Satan to test us beyond our capacity and so we need to draw our strength from God in resisting Satan and then Satan will know he is fighting a battle which he already lost 2000 years ago. Resisting Satan can be of various forms, that is either running away from your temptation or taking a apologetic stand but in resisting Satan it is very important that you draw your resources from God. If we however feel we are loosing out then let us not back slide in other things and let use these situations as a chance to show our God, pleasing faith holding on to Him coming to our rescue but even if our actions in other areas of life backslide in faith then too He will come to our rescue, for in Christ, God’s undeserving love was made know to man, that being His grace (Ephesians 2:4-7), which is like a safety net that all creation have come to know and use. This is the promise of God we have only in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Hello people today I write on something very few write on and that is on dating and marriage from a video of Andrew Wommack. I feel that this may bless many people and even bring them closer to Jesus Christ.

Mark 10:2-9
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

From Mark 10:2-9 we see that it is God who brings people together, God did not ordain divorce and fighting but if that is what you feel marriage is about then that is exactly what you are going to get. Genesis 1:27 says that God made human beings, male and female, indicating their unity, He did not say male then female. Genesis 2:18 says that the woman was made as a suitable companion to help man; animals did not supply man the fellowship God was looking for. Adam was made to fall in a deep sleep and God used a piece of Adam’s rib to create a partner for Adam whom Adam called Woman because she was taken out of him.

Many people date out of peer pressure but it is God who brings people their mate and he may even hit them over the head that they may see what is brought under their very nose.

Proverbs 18:22
22 Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the Lord is good to you.

Psalms 34:10
10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food,
but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.

From the above two scriptures we can derive that in obeying God He, brings you a good thing which is a spouse.

Matthew 6:33
33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

Think of it like this you, your mate and the Lord are these three points of an equidistant-triangle, with the God as the top point and you and your mate are the two points at the same level below the top point. In finding your mate you ought to move to the point above (God), God will see your partner do the same and it is in God where you will meet your mate and unlike the world, it is not you and your partner head toward each other and when you meet then you choose whether or not the two of you ought meet up with God. The source of everlasting life then becomes an option in your marriage and you see no blessing as you carry forward this kind of relationship.

There is greater blessing in seeking God and in God finding your partner. Remember as in 3 John verse 2, you will prosper only as your soul prospers and your soul will prosper only as you build on your relationship with God. As your soul prospers, your provision for your body will be met, be it a house, a car, clothing, food or even a mate. The only word of God; the Bible says that Solomon was the richest man that ever lived, it said that gold was as common as silver in his kingdom and silver was as common as stones found on the streets, Solomon seeked God not for power and riches but for wisdom to minister to God’s people and God was pleased and gave him wisdom and also riches and power. People would travel from nations afar to hear Solomon’s wisdom.

We need to understand that we need to find our provision in God and not give into ways of our desire. Even if you are looking to get married again then he may do that as you seek Him, I say may because God’s will is left with God alone. God will however not withhold anything good from His people. We therefore need not go about dating as though we are shopping around for a mate. God has made man and woman, He separated you for your spouse and you ought to be truthful to your future mate even if you have not met them as yet, that is the faith God is looking for people to have in Him.

If you are physically or emotionally involved with anyone then even if your conscience speaks against your relationship, you might find yourself bound to that person just to avoid separation trauma in that persons life but if that was not meant to be then it was not meant to be whatever you do. Falling in love is a nicer name the world has for lust, which is a cheap imitation of God’s kind of love. Love is not a wild feeling or a consuming desire but a discipline which drives a person to take care and do good without any intention of the returns. For some, this kind of love may need to be taught in steadfastness to make this go from a virtue to a habit.

Titus 2:3-4
Older women… They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

This is what love really is, it will not always necessarily involve good people chemistry. This love is not based on our emotion, when we see the way God loves us, that he just chooses to love us no matter what we have done. We have been made in His image and we may have our own reasons to be bitter with certain people but we ought to turn around and say to them I choose to go the better way and say: in Christ I have nothing but love for you. You can be honest with God and tell him that you don’t feel any such love for that brother or sister but tell God that you trust Him more than any feeling of your own, and then throw yourself in that direction and God will see you through. Remember that your emotion is not the cause but the effect. Husbands and wives cultivate this kind of discipline in your love. You don’t fall in and out of love. God is the one who brought Eve for Adam, Adam did not bring for himself an Eve. We see that God made Himself responsible for getting an Eve for Adam and it was not the other way around where man went about things on his own. God is the one who established marriage, we see that in all cultures and even religions marriage is accepted as marriage to all the world i.e. a married couple from one region or culture will be recognized as married to any other region or culture even if they had a disagreement on divine belief.

Even if you are married then do not speculate if you are in the right place doing the right thing thinking: what if this? or what if that? Just speak out as a confession your love for your spouse, this you will only do if God is leading you and if God is leading you then what the world teaches about then feeling of love that brings butterflies in your stomach, this will never become your reason for you to love but rather it will be the effect of it. You will then love people like the way it is spoken of in 1Timothy 5:1-2.

1Timothy 5:1-2
1 Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men as your brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity.

Remember marriage is a spiritual relationship in God, a relationship in which God leads you to your partner and then gives you the desire for that person but your relationship is not based on that desire but based on the Spirit of God that make the two of you one spirit. The girl may be Miss World and the guy may be a handsome actor or model but if their marriage is based purely on desire and attraction then they need to ready themselves for roller-coaster ride relationship till death or if God forbid, one falls off. A relationship laid on the foundation of fellowship in Christ is what will stand the test of time.

Psalms 66:10
You have put us to the test, God; as silver is purified by fire so you have tested us.

John 17:21 (Jesus’ word)
I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

Like it or not, God is the binding substance in a relationship and in God a man and woman are united in spirit trusting that this is God’s will for them. This and nothing more is all that is required, with this you will never hurt your spouse for that will be like a sin because your spouse will be just as much a part of you as is God’s will for you and once this is established, your marriage or relationship will not have any bother. Take some time out reflect on this it will surely be redemptive and your marriage or relationship will stand the test of time. Hell will freeze over before your marriage or relationship breaks up. There are very few people who can say this because very few people have gone about marriage God’s way. If you do not base your marriage on God then it will be relationship built on sand which Satan will come to and destroy. Don’t think of yourself as any exception, God however has a plan even for you and in God you will find all good provision, including your partner. If you are married you need to go back to the basics, seek God together, you need to become one in Christ spiritually that you may remain in agreement. When the two of you agree in God then that will be the best deal.

If you are in a marriage or relationship that is not the way it ought to be then you will profit nothing by feeling condemned over it, there is no condemnation for those who live in Christ (Romans 8:1). Cast your stomach churning behind you and ask Jesus for forgiveness saying you dint know any better back then but do not stay in that resentment. Jesus will not hold this against you if you come with your case before Him.

Remember a spiritual relationship is what God is looking to cultivate in your marriage or relationship. Even if your partner does not want to be one with you spiritually, scripture says you can convert your spouse and you will be one even if your partner is not a believer.

1 Corinthians 7:14
14 For the unbelieving husband is made acceptable to God by being united to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made acceptable to God by being united to her Christian husband. If this were not so, their children would be like pagan children; but as it is, they are acceptable to God.

Remember you have more affect on your spouse that anyone else in the world if you were to exercise your relationship that way. If you believe in Jesus then get your faith working and your faith will have your partner put right in the sight of God.

Genesis 5:1-2
This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Adam when they were created.

We see from the above scripture that God made man and woman but He called them both as Adam, they were one in God’s sight, it was Adam to called woman Eve but to God they were both one being. This is probably the reason why in many cultures women take the name of their husband after marriage. In marriage when you pray for your spouse you are actually praying for yourself. Scripture says that you get what you ask for and so when we call our spouses belittling things then that is exactly what we get. In marriage or a relationship you need to bless your spouse and confess it, you need to stop agitating your spouse. If you are asked to take out the garbage then you need to make your self see your marriage worth these small task there is no good is sowing a seed of strife every time you are asked for something.

There is a true husband and wife story told of a relationship where the wife treated her husband like he were a god and this husband would many a time dominate this woman physically and spiritually, he even went to the extent of trying to take her life a couple of times. The wife in time had a spiritual conversion experience and she began to put her trust in Jesus. The last time the husband came putting a knife to her throat, she laughed at the fury in her husbands face and said that she was the property of the Lord Jesus Christ, she confessed her love to her husband and spoke aloud that she believed her husband would come around and straighten out, she began to preach Jesus to her husband. The husband dropped the knife and said in calmer tone “if you love me then fix me something to eat”. He has never even hit her since then, he did try to talk her into his ruling but she resist till now thanks be to Christ Jesus. This has made him leave home while he wants to return only if things get back to as they were but she has made it clear that when their marriage is put together it will be put together the way God intended it to be. The man is now much a changed person and in his seeking counsel in the Lord, husband and wife now have the hope of being joined together in God.

So if you too have a similar situation you need to realize that we are not just fighting flesh and blood but wicked principalities and powers. If Satan who is in the world can make your spouse speak destructively and rob you of your peace then how much more can Jesus use you to speak words that will break the bondage the world and Satan have on your spouse. When your spouse comes home after a tiring day, your word will comfort and soothe them, so why don’t you make your belief in Jesus Christ stronger than the unbelief of your spouse and the effect you will see for yourself. Get into the word of God in the Bible and throw yourself and confess your love for your husband or wife and your body will follow. If you’re in this situation then release the power of faith in Jesus into your marriage or relationship. God said it is not good for Adam to be alone and so God did something good and got Eve for Adam. So if your relationship is not good then God is not the source of it but you can make it good by fully involving God in your relationship. There are people who say: why did God give me such a horrible partner? but if we study and follow God’s plan for our marriage and relationship then there is no doubt that God WILL make things work out.

The world goes about marriage carnally but it is God’s grace and mercy that keeps people still together. You can still surpass this and make your marriage surpass all the carnal junk we see on TV. We need to renew our minds from all that we learn from the world’s soap operas and stop listening to the voices that make you feel sick about your spouse.

Remember God’s kind of love is not an emotion but a decision from the heart and you can actually be taught from the Bible to love somebody. This may be the first time you have heard something like this and I surely hope this will not be the last time you hear this but this is the power of belief and only the living God who is one in the Father Son and Spirit can make this work. May be after you finish reading this, Satan will rob you of this learning as it is mentioned in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:15), Satan will try to remind you of old habits and the lies you accepted as true right from the time you were two years old. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says be not deceived, evil communication corrupts good manners. If you are going to take this and file it away in one corner then Satan who come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) will make sure you don’t find this connection when you come back. If you get back saying well I don’t feel love for my husband or wife, then you are going to have to take this teaching and forcefully cram it inside you and uproot the unbelief the contrary junk that is now plaguing society. This kind of life as you understand will be a unique one, pretty much separated for the kind the world see as normal but if you do not want to have a Christ centered relationship with your spouse then a marriage filled with strife or divorce are your only options. It may be the case that you will go through the first, second and third divorce and still not feel you are with the right person. If you were to ask me, what about polygamy then I’d then I’d say this is a spouse we are talking about here and not some collector’s items for display. Biblically marriage is where two people unite in God as one, three or more is crowd and polygamy speaks more of lustful desire than anything else.

You need to have the junk of the world out of you and this will come when you renew your mind to follow God’s perfect plan for marriage. God never leave things to chance but actually finds us the right partner, we just need to be cooperative but even when we act in stubbornness and do things our way, God still has things under his control. See it something like this just as you will never notion that you are confined to planet earth, you will never notion that you have no free will just because you are confined to the will of God. In math when something infinite is taken away from some thing infinite then what you are left with is still infinite. You may find this funny but this is how it is, so even if your free will were to be infinite which will never happen even then you will be within the sovereign will of God.

So to conclude God has the right partner for you and since it is God who institutes marriage, we got to go about marriage and relationships according to God’s plan & if you want to get about doing something for your relationship or marriage then you may start by listening to Jesus.

Hello people, today am moved to write on the Goodness of God. Let us check a very popular scripture i.e. John 3:16

John 3:16
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

We see from the above scripture that it is Jesus, God’s only Son who is the key to eternal life. As you cannot live somewhere and not build a relationship with that householder, in the same way when you come to the point (accepting Christ) of spending eternity with God it is the start of building a relationship with God which is to come to be called His people.

Satan shows this world all the bad stuff and asks His people; where is your God? Yes it’s true that God is Sovereign (in control) in all things, whatever happens; God either wills it or allows it. Like the parable in Matthew 13:24-30 where God planted wheat (Gospel) and the enemy planted a different gospel (weed) and God let it remain until the wheat would harvest the sown fruit of Salvation and the weed would harvest their own fruit; destruction. With the wicked, God is still patient that they may come to repentance so that He may sow in them Jesus, the seed of Salvation.

2Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

It is also important to note that the suffering we see in the world today is either a person paying the wages of his deeds or a person who is under trial for doing the right thing (1Peter 2:20); in such a case God will surely reward that person under trail. Through all suffering God is looking for people coming to Him that He may save them (Zechariah 13:9).

1Peter 2:20
For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it.

Zechariah 13:9
9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God.”

We therefore see that see that even in suffering God shows He is Good, Let us look at some wonderful scripture, to take off the wool the world may have pulled over your eyes & so may you see that God is indeed Good!

Jeremiah 29:11
I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

Psalms 139:13-15
13 You created every part of me;
you put me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because you are to be feared;
all you do is strange and wonderful.
I know it with all my heart.
15 When my bones were being formed,
carefully put together in my mother’s womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
you knew that I was there —

Isaiah 49:15
So the Lord answers, “Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you.

Romans 8:28
28 We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

Ezekiel 18:23
23 Do you think I enjoy seeing an evil person die?” asks the Sovereign Lord. “No, I would rather see him repent and live.

Matthew 5:44-45
44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

If you are moved today or any other day about how Good God is then you may want to accept the Salvation He has been offering you, in Jesus. Just as you would not thank the wrong person for what the right person did, in the same way it is important for you know that God is One in the Father Son and Holy Spirit that you may know who to thank when you are saved.

1Peter 1:2
You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.

Biblically it was never said that “there is only one God” but it is written that “God is one” indicating the unity of the tri-union Godhead as One God.

Romans 3
30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

James 2
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Galatians 3
19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham’s descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between. 20 But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.

Allow me pick up from Galatians 3, you can see verse 20 ends with God is One, you can see that the Law was handed to the Israelites with Moses (a prophet) and the angels acting as a go-between between God and His people but in the case of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is spoken of as the earthly descendant of Abraham (Gal 3:16), in the New Testament it was either Jesus delivering the Gospel directly to His people or His disciples who witnessed directly under the possession of the Holy Spirit (Act 1:8), in Christ there is no go-between between God and His people because the Father Son and Spirit is One God.

Galatians 3:16
16 Now, God made his promises to Abraham and to his descendant. The scripture does not use the plural “descendants”, meaning many people, but the singular “descendant”, meaning one person only, namely, Christ.

Acts 1:8
8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Thus 1Peter1:2 (above) is a declaration made unto the people who come to Jesus, a declaration which makes ordinary people His chosen people and God calls these His children. This is something which makes these chosen people KNOW that God cares for them to such an extent, that it is rooted in their hearts to call out to God, like He were their Father. Such a relationship is what God wants to develop with all people.

Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

This is our Good God, One in the Father Son and Spirit, NEVER let anyone tell you different, as His children you are an heir through Christ & not a slave. 2Peter 2:10-14 would apply to anyone who would try to convince you differently.

2Peter 2:10-14
These false teachers are bold and arrogant, and show no respect for the glorious beings above; instead, they insult them. 11 Even the angels, who are so much stronger and mightier than these false teachers, do not accuse them with insults in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these people act by instinct, like wild animals born to be captured and killed; they attack with insults anything they do not understand. They will be destroyed like wild animals, 13 and they will be paid with suffering for the suffering they have caused. Pleasure for them is to do anything in broad daylight that will satisfy their bodily appetites; they are a shame and a disgrace as they join you in your meals, all the while enjoying their deceitful ways! 14 They want to look at nothing but immoral women; their appetite for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into a trap. Their hearts are trained to be greedy. They are under God’s curse!

Hello people, I write after quite a break again but with a message, an extract from last Sunday’s word. Let’s take a look at Mark 8:27-30.

Mark 8:27-30
27 Then Jesus and his disciples went away to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Tell me, who do people say I am?”
28 “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered; “others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.”
29 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Then Jesus ordered them, “Do not tell anyone about me.”

From the above passage we see that even during Jesus’ time people were not clear on who Jesus really is, we see here that words that identify Jesus merely as a prophet no matter how great or small, leave Jesus unfazed because they are coming from people who don’t know Him. Let us first dwell on the word “Messiah” and what it means in it entirety. Messiah means: anointed, anointed one. You will notice it is anointed one and not anointed ones, there is no plural. The reason Jesus asks His disciples not to tell anyone at that time, is because he did not want to jeopardize until completion of His Father mission of Salvation by Jesus sacrifice for the Jewish people and the world. Messiah also has Biblical reference to the following below.

a) of the Messiah, Messianic prince
b) of the king of Israel
c) of the high priest of Israel

Coming back, let us see what acknowledgement of Jesus, comes from The Father, which is pleasing to God.

Matthew 16:13-20
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

The Son of Man reference to Jesus above shows the humility of the Son God and this is declared in the book of Philippians in the New Testament.

Philippians 2:5-7
..Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Hebrew 2:9-10
9 But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God’s grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honour because of the death he suffered. 10 It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

You can see in Mat 16:16-17 that knowing Jesus personally as one who has been consecrated to save you (Jesus mean Jehovah saves and Christ means Messiah i.e. anointed one) and who has the power of God is divine knowledge and this comes only from God to God’s people, even the desire to know Jesus comes from the Father, I’d rather say the Father draws His people to His Son to be saved (John 6:44).

John 6:44
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me; and I will raise him to life on the last day.

From Mat 16:18 I’d like to tell you that from this knowledge the Apostle Simon gets the name Peter which means rock, meaning not a stone which is small enough to throw but a rock big enough to be the foundation of something. Now we must understand that just as a book is not worth it without its content, in the same way Simon was called Peter because of the revelation he had of Jesus and it was this revelation that made salvation as secure and unshakeable as a rock, a rock which would be a revelation of Jesus in the life of every Christian that would ensure the believers salvation even if he stood at the mouth/gates of hell/hades. A revelation which would be the believers key to heaven, where the lives a believer would transform would be saved and those who a believer may loose heaven may loose. You therefore see that knowing Messiah Jesus in the likeness of God (Son is like His Father) is the key to Salvation not only for you but to also those who interact with you.

Let us see Matthew 16:21-23
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

We see from the above that accepting Jesus for who He is, is also to accept His death on the cross for you and this is also part of the divine revelation of Jesus, which stands against many theories out there in the world that deny His death on the cross. The divine revelation however has advanced so much that they already at the gates (false theories) of Satan’s house and in Jesus the revelation says to these gates/false theories, get behind me, you are a hindrance .

Just as taking pictures does not make you a photographer, in the same way, having a spiritual following does not make you a prophet. Biblically, prophets were under the influence of the Holy Spirit through which they saw the plight of the people and so also the destruction coming and warned the people of the same, when disaster would strike and even after things had reduced to rubble, the prophets would see Israel build her self up. A prophet’s job was looking out and never ownership over God’s people, I say this because a prophet would purely translate what God’s intentions for His people were and he’d never have his own set of recommendations or rules for people because no one can add to God for He does not leave anything out. Biblically prophets were known as watchmen for God’s people (Micah 7:4).

Micah 7:4
Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds. The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion.

Jesus is different here, He is doing more that just looking out, He has a mission, a mission to rescue God’s people from sin, and just as the Old Testament prophets put pen to material to keep record of the works of an unrevealed God (Psalms 77:14,15,20) , in the same way the followers of Jesus in the New Testament, put pen to material to keep record of God’s works revealed in the Father Son and Spirit (Colossians 1:20).

Psalms 77:14, 15, 20 (Old Testament)
14 You are the God who works miracles;
you showed your might among the nations.
15 By your power you saved your people,
the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph.
..
20 You led your people like a shepherd,
with Moses and Aaron in charge.

Romans 8:7-11 (New Testament)
7 And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God’s law, and in fact they cannot obey it. 8 Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.
9 But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to — if, in fact, God’s Spirit lives in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ lives in you, the Spirit is life for you because you have been put right with God, even though your bodies are going to die because of sin. 11 If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.

I’d like to also stress on the goodness and uniqueness of God. To stress on this, I’d like to quote.

Matthew 20:25-28
25 So Jesus called them all together and said, “You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. 26 This, however, is not the way it shall be among you. If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest; 27 and if one of you wants to be first, he must be your slave — 28 like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.”

Jesus here is actually declaring His humility in verse 27 and 28, He says if one of you wants to be first, “He” must be your slave, here Jesus is making reference to Himself, the Bible says Jesus even being the Son of God is not ashamed to call Christians His brothers (Heb 2:11) so you see here that even though He is our God, He considers Himself as one among us – Son of Man. This should not be misunderstood as Jesus wanting to be a slave because He wants to be first but the understanding is that Jesus was slave because He was already first from time immemorial. For this reason he washed His disciple’s feet (John 13:3-9) and it is in this He made reference that the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than the greatest man of God or prophet John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11) that ever lived. As per the above Scripture Jesus referring to Himself as the least in the kingdom of God implied His greatness was like that of His Father in heaven (John 5:19-23).

Heb 2:11
11 He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family.

John 13:3-9
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God. 4 So he rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel round his waist. 5 Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel round his waist. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Are you going to wash my feet, Lord?”
7 Jesus answered him, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later.”
8 Peter declared, “Never at any time will you wash my feet!”
“If I do not wash your feet,” Jesus answered, “you will no longer be my disciple.”
9 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, do not wash only my feet, then! Wash my hands and head, too!”

Matthew 11:11
11 I assure you that John the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived. But the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

John 5:21-23
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Note: Judgment given by God to His Son in John 5:21, is in reference that God’s judgment for all people’s sin was all upon Jesus on the cross and this is the way Jesus came to serve (not be served) and give His life as a ransom for many (Mat 20:28 above) and this revelation makes man honour God the Son as much as he honours the God the Father.

Cheers!

Hello people, here is the last part of the series by Arthur Manchez: Grace Encounters for a new beginning.

Let us go through the benefits of this learning: it is for people, people crushed with unmet expectations, those who are struggling with emotional failure, regret, depression, condemnation, shame, those who are deeply hurt by rejection from the religious establishment, those who feel who have done their best and have come short, those who feel they are beyond help. Grace Encounters will change your life forever, change your expectations, deliver you from bondages, addictions, change your relationships, and change your dreams and visions for the future. There are a lot of people that struggle with their expectations for the future because of a certain belief system they have. You know, we today have access to so much good teaching but very few people can translate that into their lives and bring it to a place when it works for them in everyday life, this is the heartache for so many of us today. The belief people hold in their hearts is expressed through what they say and still many people in the world today are still looking for a secret that will unlock their lives, a secret something like a key, which may go looking from one seminar in one place to another in a different place. This search for this key or missing link becomes more of an experience rather than the learning of what is taught. You see, we all look for a place where what we hear is made worth while and works in our lives, even in areas of attraction but this secret what we are looking for; Jesus gave it to us as a free gift and so many of us struggle to get this operating because what Jesus gave us miraculously for free, we as people try to pay for it. What God gives us free of charge you can’t pay for it because if your try to pay for it then you can’t have it. If you try to earn it, you can’t have it because what God gives for free will always be something that is beyond your grasp.

Here is what we need to understand because you are not attracted to that which you desire in your life, you are attracted to only which you’re your believe your are . In the Church we have tremendous teachings of faith to live by and God has designed us to live by faith. Much of the teaching of faith is that God has promised us all these wonderful realities of life that make life worth while and our understanding of faith is if I can have faith for it then I can have it but the problem is the faith that attracts to you to that which your desire in life, is not a faith of attracting the desires of your life, it is you will only attract to you that which your believe your are, powerful! So you see unless you believe who you are and who God has promised to make you to be only at that point you can attract that which he promised for you. You see we have never really convinced ourselves in our hearts of our true identity in Christ and because of that we try to acquire something which our hearts tell us we are not qualified for. So as we grasp for it, it moves farther away. Do you know what am talking about, you see the truth and promises but every time we grasp for it, it moves further away because if that is the state your belief system is in then anytime you try to focus on that which is promised to them who are the righteous, you don’t attract but you push away. It is not a question of attracting the promises you just have to believe that you are worthy to have them; Amen.

Matthew 3:1
1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John the Baptist was the fore runner for Jesus, the kingdom of heaven i.e. the kingdom of God is something, we Christian believers are all connected to, to some degree or the other.

Colossians 1:13
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

In the time of Jesus and John the Baptist the popular belief about the kingdom of heaven / God was that the Messiah would come and He would set up the kingdom to God as a physical kingdom. So the people expected that they would reign as kings over the world in the kingdom of God. In the midst of this John the Baptist however comes and preaches to the people “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, making the way straight for Jesus.

Matthew 4:12-17
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles–
16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The Gospel – means Good News of the kingdom of God. As you may understand Good News is not bad news so every time somebody preaches if it is not Good News then it is not Gospel. Now I needn’t tell you this but when Good News is delivered to you, you feel good. Understand that up until Jesus came nobody that ever heard anyone preach Good News, they had heard a lot of preaching but it was the Law, never Good News, it never made them feel good because all the Law could do was condemn. From Romans 3:19, for when the Law speaketh, it makes every man guilty. So any preaching that makes you feel guilty makes what you have heard: Law, you surely have not heard the Gospel, no matter how well it’s disguised, the preacher may claim to preach the Word but He is not preaching the Gospel (Good News).

Coming back when Jesus came preaching the Gospel, the reaction sometimes to the Good News of grace, mercy and covenant of peace was rejected as people were not accustomed to such preaching and may said that it could not true because they never heard any thing that good. Too Good to be true that is Gospel, As the Grace Encounter Series Arthur Manchez says if it is too Good to be true then it must be Gospel. Therefore Jesus was preaching and saying that the time is fulfilled and kingdom of God is at hand, so repent and believe the Gospel. Let me now introduce you to the meaning of the words as per the place where they are spoken in. Now if the word “judgment” was spoken in religious institution, people there then would associate it with hells fire and burning brimstone but the same word “judgment” spoken in a court room would refer to, that the jury or judge has now come to decision. In the same way the word repent is not about seeing yourself as a wretch and feel sorry for your sins, the word “repent” is about having a change of mind, change what you think and refocus your belief of life.

So what Jesus was saying was this, change the way you think and refocus your pursuit of life. So like the people of those days we need to change our belief system of thinking. Over all the years religion has always tried to make the kingdom of God a physical kingdom here on earth, there are some great teachings out there in the world but some of them are just not right.

Let us turn to Matthew 11:12
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

We see right from the days of old, violent men are trying to forcefully establish the kingdom of God on earth, doing whatever it takes. Jesus here is not saying that this is what the kingdom of God is about but He says that is what people are making the kingdom of God to be about. We have had the dark ages, and times when people went out in the name of God and killed many people in trying to establish the kingdom of God as a physical kingdom.

Some often talk about an over night prayer time where we would bombard the gates of heaven as though they were closed to us and God was trying to keep us out. Our mentality still tries to violently seize what Jesus has given us for free. We become God chasers as though God was running from us. From the time Jesus died on the cross, the heavens have been opened and not closed ever since; Amen.

Matthew 11:7-11
7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?8 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

John the Baptist was even greater that any prophet that ever lived, but you see here that you as a believer in Jesus may be the least in the kingdom of God but even then you are greater that John the Baptist and so even greater than any prophet that ever lived.

Jesus asks us to repent: change the way we think, for the kingdom of God is not an outward kingdom for you to observe it. It is an inward kingdom within you, each and every one of us. So where ever you are there the kingdom she is. Well you may say that the place you minister is harsh but the Bible says to you as a believer in Jesus wherever you go, the Kingdom of God there it is.

As Paul says the kingdom of God is not eat and drink but is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Paul says that the kingdom of God is not about eat and drink referring to the Law because it is not about what your do or do not do but it is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit. Jesus says that the kingdom of God in within you. Putting these two together we see that the kingdom of God is not about what you do or eat, it is a state of being.

Now as said earlier you are not going to attract what you want in life but you will only be attracted to that which you believe you are. See the Kingdom of God is realm which is far superior and in this anything is possible but it is not an outward kingdom but an inward kingdom. Jesus says repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Now the term at hand may to you mean among you but it rightfully means it is approaching you. You are being approached by the kingdom, so change your thinking of trying to acquire the kingdom for the kingdom has come to acquire you. The kingdom of God is come not for you pursue but it has come to acquire you and all you have to do is: accept. Talk about turning dead ends into a new beginning!

If you are seeking the Lord then stand still and accept the Good News. You are not a God chaser, God is a man chaser! The story of the Gospel is while man wanted to have nothing to do with God, God came chasing after man and brought the kingdom which is righteousness, a state of being made righteousness which produces peace. You can’t pray for peace but peace comes when you believe you are the righteousness of God. So the kingdom of God is where a man/woman is made aware of being made right with God in mind, heart, consciously and subconsciously. Let me give you Arthur’s definition of righteousness: Is where everything that is true of the man Jesus, who is seated at His Father’s right hand, is also true about you and that is what it means to be righteous.

1John 4:17
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Is God angry with Jesus? No! so He is not angry with you. Will God ever be angry or disappointed with Jesus? No! So too he will not be angry or disappointed you. As said earlier this is the Gospel, too Good to be true.

Romans 5:15-17
15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

We see from the above that God’s free gift is not to be compared to the trespass because His grace is out of proportion to the fall of man. We at times make the fall of man to be so big that God’s grace is just enough for us to have peace and be made right with Him. But truly speaking if you were to liken the fall of man to a 6 inch diameter faucet with water gushing out with force then the grace of God will liken to not a faucet but to something like the Niagara falls, something totally out of proportion. If many died through one mans falling / lapse then much more profusely did God’s grace through Jesus abound and overflow for everyone.

Note:
Verse 16: The free gift cannot to be compared to the effect of Adams sin
Verse 17: This is for those who “receive” this gift.

I Fergus would like to add saying, religions in the world uphold what is unholy in their sight to be higher than what is holy in their sight, let me give you an example, consider a sacrifice made to a god (one or many) then if say pig’s blood is splashed over the animal which is sacrificed, then will those religious people who have offered that sacrifice still consider the sacrifice as holy? I certainly doubt so because their god can be driven away even from what is offered to him by something as harmless as pig’s blood. To any religious person what is unholy will always far out weigh what is holy but this case is completely opposite in the case concerning the Gospel and that is why Jesus says repent: Change the way you think.

Back to Arthur and he to say repent: change your mind, for it is not up to you to pursue the kingdom, the kingdom is come to pursue you. What is required is that you receive and “reign as kings in life”, remember you do not attract to you and you are not attracted to what you want in life but you will attract to you what you believe you are i.e. kings, as believers in Jesus in the kingdom of God. Even you who may be the least in the kingdom of God, you are greater than the greatest (John the Baptist) who pursued the kingdom of God because you have become a receiver of a free gift/proposition, so the question is will you accept? God bless you’ all, Jesus loves you.

Sending you love from Arthur Manchez,
Fergus

Hello people today I write on Grace Encounters 3, another one from the amazing Arthur Manchez series; Grace Encounters for a new beginning, turning dead ends into a new beginning. May we as Saul encounter the grace of God and be set free never to recover from such an encounter.

If we go through our Christian walk feeling that God is withholding from us then really have not been set free from judgment, if you feel that God has been withholding from you because you have not been good or have not prayed for sometime then you are not really living in the freedom of God’s grace because your feeling of God withholding from you comes from the fear of His judgment.

Romans 5:6-11
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

We see from verse 6 above that it is mentions that while were still helpless, some translations like the J B Philips mention it as while we were still sinners, Christ died for us at His Fathers appointed time. So if Jesus did that when we were still sinners then now that we have been justified by Him then what reason have we to fear the wrath of God or to feel as subjects of His judgment? Well the answer is we as believers in Jesus have no reason to fear the wrath of God. If you were to ask, as to what if you’d willfully sin, then too scripture would say have no reason to fear the wrath of God but this does not mean you are free to sin and this has been clearly discussed in Grace Encounters 2, Let us remember how the Apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Church of Corinth.

2 Corinthians 5:14 (KJV)
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

Constraineth us means to lay siege, like surrounding a city manning the entrances, exits and determining what goes in and come out. In the same way God has lay siege on our hearts as and He determines what goes in and come out, when we put our trust in Him, so the sense of being free to sin is made redundant in Christ.

You may as a person like the Grace Encounter Series by Arthur Manchez but you may be afraid thinking, that if you’d let go then there would be no telling what you would get up to but you must know that fear of punishment never changes your heart but just modifies your behavior. What happens when you don’t have the will power to enforce the restrictions? In such cases then you are going to do what is in your heart. The scary thing about the message of grace and freedom from judgment is that it will expose what is in your heart. You may not like it but when it is exposed you shall realize what is deeply rooted in you, you will then call to God to help you and He will help. God needs you a believer in Jesus not to be afraid of judgment in order to help you with what you have in your heart and this is where grace comes in.

As believers we should never feel that God will withhold from us, judge us or punish us to teach us something. We sometimes feel that God allows harsh situations to enter our lives that we may turn around but this is more like when; picturize this, you are driving down a road and see an accident, you see a lot of police, fire brigades probably and ambulances rushing to the scene. You see this and turn to your co-passenger and say I know who is responsible for all this and you point your finger at the police, fire men and paramedics saying; they are! You may find it totally wacko to analyze the situation in such way but you may say that every time you’ve watch scenes of major accidents, you’ve always found these policemen, fire men and paramedics and so you point fingers at them as the cause of the accident. Similarly when tragedy strikes peoples lives, God shows up and turns things around, our mentally reasoning then associates God as the person to blame for the tragedy. The truth is we bring tragedy upon ourselves from which God latter rescues us, He certainly had no hand in the tragedy that befell.

Let us now read from the book of Isaiah, which speaks so directly on the finished work of Jesus Christ. We as Christians must remember that we cannot teach about judgment without going to the finished work on the cross and we can never teach about the cross without going to the judgment of God.

Isaiah 54:7-10
7 “For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
8 “In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”
Says the LORD your Redeemer.
9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the LORD who has compassion on you.

Verse 7 in the above scripture is a reflection of Jesus on the cross; on whom God poured His wrath because on the cross sinless as He is, he became the sin of the world & through Christ God gathers His body the Church; with great compassion. In verse 9, Jesus declares here that this cross was like the judgment that was on the world during the days of Noah, Jesus swore then that just as He would never again lets the waters destroy the whole earth, in the same way He swore to us that He would not be wrath with us or rebuke us in anger. Sometimes we find scripture that is contrary to the teaching of grace in the Bible but it does not seem very sensible to reject loads of scriptural evidence pointing to grace and accept a tea cup full of harsh judgment that we think is up on us. God however says to us unless you accept the overwhelming evidence of the grace that is in Christ then only will the tea cup be added to your understanding.

So do this, the next time you see a rainbow thank God for His promise that just as He swore to Noah that He would not destroy the earth with water, the same way, He will never rebuke you in anger or be wrath with you even if you mess up but He will correct you through Biblical scripture.

Let us now move to verse 10, have any of you seen a mountain being removed? Do we remember Mt. St. Helens that departed about 25 years ago? May I stand corrected but the volcano in this mountain was so powerful that it was 4 times more immense that the Hiroshima bomb. Can you even imagine that? However try now and imagine this God says that though you may see destruction and tragedy, His kindness will never depart from you, neither shall His covenant of peace be removed. Do you know what covenant of peace is being spoken of here?

Luke 2:13-14 (birth of Jesus)
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 ” Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

The covenant of peace was Jesus Himself, you ought to remember as that God has made His peace you through Christ but you need to make your peace with Him but continuing to hold on to Jesus.

Isaiah 30:18 (Amplified)
18And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

The above scripture should be like an anchor you your soul, as I said earlier the book of Isaiah speaks so much on the finished work of Jesus. If you would like to see some feeling of expecting, looking and longing then go to any maternity ward, in the waiting room, you will find people waiting, looking, longing and also restless. The above scripture says that God is waiting, expecting and longing to have as grace encounter with you; he therefore lifts Himself up to look over to you to show you mercy. Mercy is defined as God’s willingness, power and passion to treat us better that we deserve. Remember God is looking and longing to show you love and unmerited favour, you may also see in the above verse that God is a God of justice but this does not means that God cannot show you favour because of your disobedience or actions.

Let us try and understand what this kind of justice means. Before the cross, God’s justice demanded wrath, anger and punishment as penalty but when Jesus came and died on the cross, he became the recipient of God’s wrath, anger and punishment. Over here now in the New Testament, God still remains a God of justice but now His justice demands of Him that He be good to you. God has not changed but His justice now demands that He be good to you in every circumstance because in Jesus your penalty is already all paid for.

Now for the later part we see mentioned in the above scripture that blessed are those who wait on God for His victory/favour/joy/unmatched companionship. We can thus come to conclude that God is looking and longing to be good towards you but His justice entails that you are going to have to expect and long for it. We thus must have an expectation not of judgment but we must have an expectation of good things from Him where we shall with out intention, turn happy, fortunate and envied. What am trying to say is that when our expectations change, we will not need an overnight prayer meeting even to see a break through in our lives.

To conclude, no matter how big or small our needs may be, God is looking expecting and longing to provide for you but you are going to have to expect and long from Him to provide. Hallelujah!!!

Hello people today I write about the amazing revelation given in a vision to the prophet Zechariah in the Old Testament.

Zechariah 3:1-9
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.
6 And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.
8 Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you–indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.9 For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.10 ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.'”

To give you some ground for the above story, Joshua is High Priest of God’s Temple around 520BC & he is assigned with restoring the Temple, the people return from exile in Babylon. I’d like to tell you first that “Satan” means one who accuses you before God. From verse 2 we learn Biblical etiquettes even in dealing with Satan, you can see here that Joshua or the angel of God did not stone or throw footwear at Satan, God has no intention to let His people stoop to the level of Satan, Satan’s punishment is not stoning or throwing footwear but eternal fire. We see here that God denounced Satan by speaking rebuke towards him and declaring possession over His people right in front of this accuser. The word rebuke means to express stern disapproval and we see something along the same lines in Matthew 4:1-11, which brings me to ponder that Zech 3:2 was spoken by Jesus Himself.

Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'”
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'”
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'”11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

The word ‘Brand’ in Zechariah 3:2, is a burning stick and in reference to Joshua refers to him being saved from hell’s fire. Zech3 verse 3 synchronizes with Isaiah 64:6 also from the Old Testament, we see here that when we stand before God clothed in the righteousness of our own good deeds or lawful religion, our garments seem like rags compared to the righteousness God is clothed in.

Isaiah 64:6
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Zech 3 verses 3-5 are very similar to the reconciliation in the story of the prodigal son has after he comes back to his father, having squandered his share of inheritance in Luke 15:20-24.

Luke 15:20-24
20 So he got up and started back to his father.
“He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms round his son, and kissed him. 21 ‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’ 22 But the father called his servants. ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. 23 Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast! 24 For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began.

You will notice great similarity in Zech 3:4 & Luke 15:22-23. The inequity that was taken away from Joshua was similar to shame taken away from the prodigal son in Luke 15. This friend is what grace about; grace being the undeserved favour you receive from God, as a sinner. Your life here in this world is about religious performance but about what God has done for you as a sinner.

You may however ask as how come Joshua was saved, when the price of sin was not as yet paid on the cross, incase you are wondering if there were more cases like these in the Old Testament, the answer is yes, consider the case of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 6:7
He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, “This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven.”

In case you don’t know how such a thing can happen then let me introduce you to something called radical faith. Something which will make you thank God for something before you even ask for it or before it is given to you. Let me give you an example, I have been struggling with my new job and going to work was like walking to the gallows. One day I just looked up on my way to work and I thanked Jesus, in my pain but knowing that he would deliver me from this trial. A strange peace came upon me then, which you will know only if His Spirit stirs you. I have now been transferred to e-mails, this peace made me so sure of my rescue like a person who is sure of a better life when he walks out of prison. So you see prophets and patriarchs such as Isaiah and Abraham, lived in faith with God (Romans 4:3) & this is what counted them among the righteous that is ‘saved them’. The price of their sin was paid later but their slate was wiped clean as soon as they put their trust in God, they too have Jesus to thank for their salvation. Hebrews 9:25-28 will provide some scripture to show you that the work of Salvation on the cross was all ages before and after.

Romans 4:3
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Hebrews 9:25-28 (New Testament)
25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The House of God in Zech 3:7, refers to God’s people,

2Corinthians 6:16 (Apostle Paul to the Church)
For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said: “I will make my home with my people and live among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

“The Branch” referred to in Zech 3 verse 8 refers to the body of believers in Jesus as a whole, known as the Church.

John 15:5 (Jesus’ word)
5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.

This is confirmed in Zech 3 verse 9, as the stone with seven eyes refers to Jesus (Rev 5:6), but Biblically the body of Christ is the whole Church (Eph 5:23), for whom Christ died to take away the inequity of that land in one day. Rev 3:11-12 gives you an idea for what the Lord of Host, will inscribe on His Church. Incase you ask why Jesus refers to His father as His God when He (Jesus) Himself is God, then I would like to tell you that in the Bible even the Father referred to His Son as God (Heb 1:8). This should not be interpreted as God has a God but that they all are the same God (John 10:22), obey Jesus is obeying the Father (1Jn2:23 & 2Jn1:9).

Revelation 5:6
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Ephesians 5:23
…as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Revelation 3:11-12 (Jesus’ word to His Church)
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Hebrews 1:1-8
1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
…
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

John 10:22
I and the Father Are One

1John2:23
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

2John 1:9
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Zech 3 verse 10 speaks of days, when every one who believes in Jesus (the Church), will openly invite his neighbor out of love (Mat 22:39) to sit under the goodness of his vine, which is Biblically Jesus as per John 15:5 (above) and under the fig tree is figuratively speaking from John 1:43-50 to have a revelation of Jesus and come to love Him (Mat 22:37) for who He really is, which is the only way to Salvation

Matthew 22:37-39
37…“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

John 1:43-50
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”