It really never occurred to me how intricately intertwined these two aspects are until today. Forgiveness & Healing.
Just came across a story that I have heard of and seen so many times before but today it really hit home.
The story is found in Luke 5:17-26 .Where Jesus was teaching and healing many at a certain house where the Pharisees and teachers of the law happened to present too.
There was a huge crowd as well as certain men tried to bring in a paralyzed man to Jesus but were unable to reach him and found an ingenious way to get to him – Through the roof! They lowered him in the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus!
Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralyzed man “Friend, your sins are forgiven”
This caused quite a stir among the Pharisees who wondered who could forgive sins but God alone? Jesus however knowing their thoughts and hearts said to them “….I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Let’s back up a little bit, to where Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven.”
This is the first instance in the gospel of Luke that Jesus says this when his intention is to heal the individual. The earlier chapters he healed through rebuking the illness, laying hands on the sick and declaring “Be clean”
Then it hit me, could it be that there are some illnesses or conditions that are as a result of something one did that required forgiving in order for healing to occur?
Well I figured one may do things either intentionally or unintentionally and end up defiling themselves. God does not want us defiled in any way. Furthermore one may at times forget what they did, especially if it was unintentional. One thing that Jesus was intentional about was letting the people know that; 1) He had (and still has!) authority on earth to forgive sins and 2) His forgiveness leads to healing
I would urge you to review this scripture one more time Luke 5:17-26 and If you desire healing say this prayer.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your word and thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for me on the cross. Thank you Father for showing me that your forgiveness of my sins brings healing .Father Please forgive me for my sins, those I did knowingly and unknowingly that have defiled me. Forgive me Lord and heal me .In Jesus name I pray ,amen.
Like the paralyzed man who was healed “he took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” Luke 5:25
Last week I had a weird accident, perhaps this has ever happened to you or someone close to you. If this is true in your case and you got out of that safe and sound say “Thank you Jesus!”
So back to the strange mishap, I was cleaning my ears with a cotton bud as I often do and felt a strange sound, like something got sucked into my ear! Sure enough the tip somehow got stuck inside my ear and couldn’t get it out with my fingers, let alone feel it. After several attempts by my well-meaning family who tried ingenious ways to unplug my ear all ended in futility. Considering that it wasn’t life threatening, I had to endure discomfort the entire night before I could make it to hospital the following morning.
Sunrise!!
Finally made it to hospital after sun up and following a quick assessment by the doctor, he informed me of the procedures that he would perform to unplug my ear and why each step was important in the entire process.
Procedure one; removal of foreign object with strange- looking but sterile forceps. I couldn’t help but hear every-little-thing!! The sound was amplified to like 1000%. I squirmed in my seat as the Doc fished out the piece of cotton that had blocked my ear. Procedure two; syringing that involves flushing warm water with a syringe into the ear . It felt and sounded like I was diving into a heated pool fully dressed while seated on a chair! I tilted my head and all manner of stuff were flushed out of my ear. I heard a “pop” sound and knew my ear had finally been unplugged and I could truly hear again!! Lastly, I was given some medication to take orally and some to drop into the ears and was good as new.
It was truly liberating – it even got me thinking about how all this was similar to my own spiritual journey.
What are the seemingly harmless mundane and even religious activities that I do every other day that are negatively affecting my spiritual growth? Grieving the Holy Spirit and blocking my spiritual ears from hearing the word and the Holy Spirit?
Could it be the music or radio channel that I’m listening to? That new Netflix series that’s got me so hooked? That juicy blog and Instagram page that I follow ever so diligently? Or is it the company that I keep or the thoughts that I harbour in my heart and mind? The negative attitudes and prejudices that I closely guard and claim to be part of my culture and heritage?
I then realized that for any of these issues, it’s impossible to deal with them alone, or with those close to you, who mean well but may have no experience on how to effectively overcome and to get you “unplugged”. You’d need a professional. Counselors ,mentors, coaches could be of great help, but why not go further and reach out to the Master Physician, who created us all in the first place? Our Father and Lord Jesus Christ .
It dawned on me, that in order to stay the course and remain yielded to the Holy Spirit I would need to surrender to Christ to unplug the obstacles hindering me from hearing him. He is constantly interceding for us before the Father, he is able to empathize with our weaknesses and deliver us from whatever situation.
Secondly , he washes and purifies us with his blood. He cleanses us from all sin, all unrighteousness and in exchange we get HIS righteousness! The term coined to refer to this process is “imputed righteousness”.
Lastly, as an ongoing process, we need to constantly feed on the word of God, immerse ourselves in worship of the Almighty Lord, allow ourselves to be submerged in his love and let Him transform us from the inside.
How else would we know what the Lord requires of us unless we read his word ,the Holy Bible and remain yielded to His Holy Spirit? This also should not be relegated to once a week when we listen to an online preacher or when we attend church on Sunday. It should be a daily thing. I’m sure you all eat your meals every day, infact several times a day and probably you were warned since childhood that if you didn’t eat well, you’d get sick and maybe even die!! May I suggest to you that this also applies to spiritual food – the Word of God and being in His Presence.
Failure to maintain a healthy spiritual diet of studying and meditating upon the word, worship and praise, prayer and right fellowship could quickly lead to spiritual death.
So, do your ears need to be unplugged? Is there any obstacle that’s impaired your hearing and discerning of the Holy Spirit? Call upon the LORD, our Master Physician who will heal and restore you completely.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! So the famous song goes. Christmas has been around for centuries, celebrated globally by Christians and even non Christians and has become a cultural and commercial phenomenon. It’s been marked with various traditions and cultural practices depending on your origin. The most common of course is of Santa Claus ,fancy trees, family feasts ,partying ,snow ,sleigh and reindeer while in my homeland Africa it’s marked with family gatherings, slaughtering of animals, fire, smoke, nyama choma (roasted meat), soup, drinks, traditional brews, stories by the fire.
For most however ,it’s just like any other day, trek to work, hard labor , and if lucky get some coins to buy a meal for the family, that’s prepared over a fire and shared gratefully as they listen to carols sang in the radio followed by the usual news of Political trickery, COVID-19, Corruption cases and embezzlement of state funds, poverty, neglected masses, violence and murders followed by vain commercials telling one on how to boost one’s confidence and appeal by consuming their poison laden drink.
Is this what Christmas was really meant to be? The Christians settled on this date to celebrate the birth of the Christ Jesus, hence the reason why it bears his name. There is no evidence however that Jesus was born on the actual date of Dec 25th, the bible does not say. It just so happened that it marks the first week of the winter solstice in the northern Hemisphere and the sun would be up for longer making the rest of the winter more bearable.
The Reason for Christmas therefore is to celebrate the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world. One cannot appreciate the birth of Christ if the reason for this life and death on the cross mean nothing to them.
Why did the world back then need Christ in the First place?
Let’s go way back to the beginning in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had such a close relationship with God that he often came down from heaven to visit his creation. They met face to face with God every single day! But when the serpent showed up, tempted them into sin they were punished by God, became mortal (no longer allowed to eat from the tree of life) and banished from the garden.
Since then, Man and God lost their close fellowship, the only way we could communicate was through prayer, offering sacrifices and shedding of animal’s blood to get forgiveness. But the intimate, heart to heart interaction was all lost.
Fast forward to centuries later, some of the descendants of Adam and Eve -the Israelites are taken as slaves in Egypt and later fall into a cycle of slavery and freedom as they are attacked by many nations over several centuries. They fell into the hands of the Egyptians, then the Babylonians, Persians and later the Romans.
The Prophecies of the Savior – Jesus Christ the Messiah
But God had a plan to rescue his people. He told his prophets of a coming Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ who would reconcile his beloved creation back to him forever. The Prophecies spoke of the birth of Jesus, his ministry on earth his death and resurrection too.
The birth of Christ is just a part of this wonderous love story. One would need to understand the reason for his birth to fully appreciate Christmas season. Though he is the Son of God, he agreed to be sent on a mission to planet Earth, sent as a baby, born of a virgin, God as his Father. Raised by a Jewish couple – Joseph and Mary, began his ministry after his baptism and completed his mission on earth by agreeing to die on a cross and resurrected on the third day.
Unfortunately, it’s easier for many to believe that Clark was really Kal-el of Krypton and even after he “dies” he is “resurrected” and comes back to life in the Justice League 2017.
Prophecies of Christ’s birth
“Therefore the Lord himself will give youa sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the MostHigh. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31–33).
Prophecy of Christ’s ministry
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” Isaiah 61:1- 2a
Prophecy of Christ’s suffering death and resurrection
Prophet Isaiah speaks of the Suffering and the glory of the Servant which is a prophecy of the very suffering, death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ centuries before he was born on earth.
Jesus did not walk to his death blindly, he knew what was coming, he had to complete his mission -complete the work which God the Father had sent him here to do. Despite the ridicule, hate and rejection from humanity, he still chose to die for us on the cross. It is for this reason that he was born.
7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makeshis life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledgemy righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:7-12
The Blood of Christ
Jesus declared to his disciples during the last supper “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:25-27
We shall overcome the evil one by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Revelation 12:11
“ remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13
“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, (Jews and Gentiles), thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. “ Ephesians 2:15
“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 3:6
“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:10
This reveals to us the intent of the death of Christ on the cross and what his shed blood achieves for us. The purpose of Christ was to create in himself one new humanity and to reconcile all peoples to God through his blood and through him we now have access to God the Father by one Spirit.
The Promise of Eternal life
“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:25
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17
“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1John 5:11
Do we still need a Savior today – 2021 and beyond?
The year 2020 has been tough, no doubt. The challenges we face today are enormous, the global economy on the brink of recession that could possibly spill to the coming years. Many have lost their lives due to COVID-19, millions currently infected by this strange virus, others lost jobs and financial stability, there also has been a sharp increase in depression and all kinds of crimes.
I’m not suggesting that we turn a blind eye to what’s happening around us and ignore the facts. His Holy Spirit is with us here on earth. He is not far away that he cannot see or know what we are going through. He gives every one life breath and everything else. He marked out the our times in history. The Lord has compassion on all he has made. He has loved us with an everlasting love. We only need to turn to Him, believe In Him and in His Son Jesus Christ and rely on him for wisdom on how to overcome these challenges and for his saving grace.
In 1863,the month of March ,the then American President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a day of national humiliation and fasting. The proclamation acknowledged the overruling power of God and that the country had been recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven yet – they had forgotten God. It goes on to say “we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. Given the high regard we have of Abraham Lincoln and all that he stood for how much more then are we called as Christians to remember that our prosperity, positions of power and influence doesn’t come from our own strength but from God Himself.
This year , more than any other before it has showed all humanity that we do not control everything. God is in control of everything. We need to realize that we are his creation, and when creation cannot heal itself, nor can it save itself. It needs a Savior, and that is found in Jesus Christ alone. I find it strange that part of his creation would easily believe that one Anthony E. Stark the Iron Man died in order to save others in the Avengers End game by simply snapping his fingers. Yet the Son of God, was arrested tortured, allowed himself to be crucified and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins and gave us his righteousness in return, eternal life and reconciled us back to our Heavenly Father, and yet we fail to believe in him, let alone acknowledge his very existence!
The fact that you are still holding on ,this Christmas, the fact that you are seated there reading this is something to be grateful for. Our God is a God of second chances ,slow to anger rich in mercy, not wanting us to perish but to come to repentance. Though we have been dead in our transgressions, God has made us alive in Christ. The Savior gives us hope for tomorrow and eternal life. In Christ and through faith in Christ we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Wake up, sleeper ,rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you!
My most recent post was defining what exactly faith is and found just how prevalent it is globally. Figured to delve further to find out why that is so; why do humans tend to gravitate toward faith. It seems it gave humans “something” an “intangible something”. Out of the myriad faiths out there they have some commonalities. These, we shall refer to as aspects of faith. They are not to be mistaken for the aspects of religion that define the organizational structure that is common in each religion. The aspects of faith will focus more on the spiritual, the unseen, the intangible .We often seek these aspects even without knowing it, yet they are all found in faith. I cannot speak for other faiths but will share with you what I have found and therefore now believe.
Truth and Holiness
Strength and Protection
Wisdom and Guidance
Grace and Mercy
Love and Peace
Hope and Joy
Forgiveness and Restoration
Deliverance and Redemption
Truth and Holiness
Humanity has always been in search of truth. We seek out the truth about our existence, the truth about the world, heavens, the entire universe, nature .We also desire to also know the truth about our past, the present times and even the truth about our future. In my quest for all this I can say I had my fair share of wondering about and came full circle when I finally realized all that I needed was right there in Christ.
The most intriguing aspect of the Christian faith is the Triune God; God (Yahweh/Jehovah is The Father), Jesus Christ (The Son) and The Holy Spirit, Three Persons in One. There are various references in the bible that refer to this glorious harmony. Jesus Christ declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me”. John 14:6 Soak that in and let in marinate in your spirit. Holiness is yet another virtue that is admired by many and often sought after, but is unattainable simply because we are all imperfect. Be we can look to the perfect and holy one to help us in our weakness. God the Father said “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” Leviticus 19:2 Even his angels have been seen and heard proclaiming the same; “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
Strength and Protection
No human being is all-powerful, neither can we be able to always protect our selves at all times. Much as me may try, we are limited. Our strength can only go so far before it quickly runs out. True, the medical experts advise us it to eat well, exercise in order to build endurance and strength, this is great and it does have its benefits. But what I’m talking about goes beyond the physical, I’m talking spiritual strength.
We need to realize that when our strength fails , we can rely on Him who gives us strength. Strength to work, strength to go through our struggles and suffering. When in danger one can try and hide ,but its better to hide in the one who is the strongest. “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalms 18:1 -2
Grace and Mercy
Most people believe in merit, this is not wrong at all. The problem is when we believe in it too much that we leave no room for grace. Several other religions encourage their members to uphold these virtues, in fact they are recognized as sign of maturity.
Grace is God’s undeserved, unmerited favour. Grace is favour from to God that we don’t deserve and Mercy is when he withholds punishment that we do deserve. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Titus 2:11- 13
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. “ Exodus 34:6
Love and Peace
The world seems to be running low on love .Instead of spreading love we spreading animosity as echoed in Black Eyed Peas Grammy award song Where is the love?. Truth is one can’t give what they don’t have. And if you don’t have it, you can’t buy it neither can you can’t fake it till you make it Love cannot be manufactured by humans, I t never has and never will. Despite the numerous songs and poems written about making love, its now only a cliché that has watered down the true essence of love. True, pure love is from God and is personified in the person of Jesus Christ. By believing in him we rely on his love for us and draw love from Him to give to others. He is the source of love for he is Love. The Bible says in 1 John 4 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” And reiterates again that “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
And how did He show his love to humanity, you may ask?
The same chapter goes on to expound ;“He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
We too have a part to play ,we need to resolve in our hearts to love, and in the same way decide to remain in peace. Though no matter how hard we may try ,we cannot do it on our own we need to rely on God to love and to be at peace. Christ is the Prince of peace. He brings peace within us, around us and among various peoples.
Hope and Joy
According to google , Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.” Hope often goes hand in hand with faith. In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he wrote “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalms 62:5
“Even the youth grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31 Joy is also from the Lord, there is fullness of joy in his presences and he also makes our joy complete. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11 “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.” 1 Chronicles 16:27
Wisdom and Guidance
The Holy Spirit of God imparts “gifts” to those who believe in Christ, two of those gifts are wisdom and knowledge.
“ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit” 1Corinthians 12:7-8 King Solomon who was once a King in Israel centuries ago actually requested God to give him the gift of wisdom to be able to rule prudently, and indeed God gave him Wisdom along with wealth and prosperity. “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” Psalms 25:9
Forgiveness and Restoration
In his compassion the LORD not only forgives but restores. Again we also have a part to play in this ,we need to seek him ,seek his forgiveness ,he never turns away a broken heart. He knows our inner most thoughts and motives. So don’t even think about faking anything! He is able to forgive our sins even as we forgive others of their offenses done to us. He goes a step further after forgiving us and even purifies us from all unrighteousness and sanctifies us with his word!
Some faiths believe that there is no forgiveness without shedding blood, and have to make provisions to make sacrifices every now and then. The sacrifice must be pure – without any blemish for the sacrifice to be 100% successful. The Son of God, Jesus Christ willingly gave his life and was nailed to a cross ,shed his blood – his pure blood- for he is without sin. The wrath of God was satisfied , no other sacrifice will ever be required .This is what the cross represents, total forgiveness, total redemption, total restoration back to God. “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. Ephesians 1:7-8
The story of the prodigal son gives a wonderful illustration of forgiveness and restoration. I don’t mean the TV series where the “prodigal son” has to literally “work” for “NYPD” to be granted absolution for his sins. The biblical Prodigal son leaves home loaded with cash (inheritance from his Dad) goes to the city and blows it. He squandered his wealth with wild living, ends up working as a servant – feeding pigs and even fantasied about eating their food.
Long story short , he comes to his senses and decides to back home ,apologize and work as a servant in his Dad’s estate as he felt what many of us would in such a situation – unworthy, unwanted and unloved. Yet when his Dad saw him returning ,he felt compassion on him ran to him, embraced and kissed him. He then threw a party to welcome his lost son back home. Catch the true story in the gospel of Luke. Deliverance and Redemption We are all in need for deliverance, more than we’d like to admit. Holly wood has raked in billions from creating entertainment centered around this very subject. Super heroes who show up on earth- some arrive as babies in space crafts, others rich folks kids who do their thing incognito -fight evil forces to save humanity from eternal damnation. Sounds familiar?
Jesus Christ left his Kingdom in heaven came down to earth, born of a virgin, grew up as anormal boy according to Jewish customs. All along he knew his mission, he came to save humanity and bring us back to His Father and in order to do that he had to die. He chose death, shed his precious blood for us. The only way they could get every ounce of his blood was through crucifixion, hence the cross was necessary, and he knew it. He did not escape his destiny but had to face it head on knowing this was the only way his mission could be accomplished.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13 -14 The digital age band were on point with their hit song Overcome – You’re all I need, everything I could want is found in Your love. Everything we need for this life and for eternity is in Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe me feel free to contact Him I’m certain He’d be thrilled to hear from you!!
A quick google search will tell you the following about Faith.
It is complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
It is a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof
All humans since the creation of the world, the Iron age, the middle ages, to the Industrial ages and to Information age we live in today, all have expressed faith in one way or another. Faith in a supreme being, faith in another individual, faith in an object, faith in science, faith in an idea /concept, faith in nature, faith in an institution, faith in humanity, faith in celestial beings, faith in money and wealth, even faith in oneself. This is something that has been around for a long while and isn’t about to disappear into thin air.
It proves ultimately that it’s just the way we are wired. Humans were created to have faith; we simply cannot do without it. What differentiates us is what we choose to have faith in and how we live as a result of that.
Science even proves the fact that we are just wired that way. An article from the American Psychological Association quoted Jordan Grafman, PhD, director of the cognitive neuroscience section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Neuroscience research supports the idea that the brain is primed to believe. This tendency is spread throughout the brain, and probably arose from neural circuits developed for other uses”. Faith today is in some cases used to describe one’s religion or irreligion. It is also seen as the foundation of one’s values and how to make sense of life altogether, hence everyone has some form of faith, only that they vary in what they believe and how much they believe.
Global representation of various faiths
There has been in depth research done that indicate the various faiths(religion and irreligion) that exist in the world. The global map below indicates the main religion in each country in the world.
Prevailing World Religions Source: Wikipedia LilteK21
Another detailed study provides the list of religious populations in the world including those who are agnostic or atheist. Click here to view list of religious populations
So, going by the above data, it shows that 15.2% of the global population of 7.79 Billion are non-religious/atheist, while the rest, 84.8% prescribe to at least one religion. Faith is not going to be extinct any time soon. I bet that even for the non-religious, they most certainly have something they put their trust in only its not a supreme being or deity. This proves the point I alluded to earlier that humans are wired to have faith in one form or another, and will continue to have faith until the end of time. If you got a heartbeat, then you do have faith and when your heart is “tested” then the true essence of your faith is determined.
Fowler identified 7 stages of faith, with stage 0 being the primal stage that mirrors early learning in childhood development and concludes at stage 6 the universalizing stage that is the highest achievable state. In my lay man’s understanding, I can conclude that those in stage 0 have little faith compared to the folks in stage 6 and that faith is dynamic, meaning that it can change and grow. One can thus develop from having little faith to having a stronger faith, and as they do should they find they are not convinced by what the faith represents they can adopt a whole new faith altogether.
Testing of One’s Faith
The stages of faith made sense to me as I recall going through somewhat similar changes in my life. The “angst and struggle”, as Fowler put is aptly describes Stage 4 “Individuative-Reflective”.
This affirms my belief that every individual at a certain point in their lives would question what they believe and why they believe it. Certain challenges come our way that shake us to the core and leave us reeling and we look for something to hold us down, to anchor us on a solid foundation. That “thing” is faith. The “shaking” is the testing of our faith to see if we will fall or will stand. This process causes one to reflect deeply and at times embark on rigorous research to understand why they believe what they do especially if what they thought was a solid foundation gave way when they least expected it.
Gold has to undergo various tests ascertain its true value. It is refined by fire at a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius, the impurities float to the top and the pure gold, now molten metal, remains at the bottom. Acid test is also used to distinguish gold from other metals.
Just as gold is refined by fire, so must we go through challenges and take the heat – trials, temptations, obstacles and if our faith is true, we too shall remain. My next post will cover the common aspects of faith, do share your feedback on this article, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts.
Are you fighting battles in the flesh? Are you trying to resolve stuff with in your own strength? Put on your armor and take it to the LORD in prayer. Worship him for who HE is and what HE has been doing for you Trust in HIM for the Victory!
There are times that I have found myself in tough situations that seemed to appear from nowhere – well not nowhere, I realized that the signs were evident but ignored them as they seemed harmless to the point of insignificance. When these ignored signs later caused full blown turmoil I was thrown in disarray. Feeling unprepared and disenfranchised I resulted to fighting in the flesh. This quickly led to frustration and it was only after I went down on my knees to seek the LORD when I realized how wrong I was.
Red Flags / Signs
Before we get to the warfare part ,let me point out the signs the red flags to watch out for. These tend to creep in slowly but surely and before you know it, you fall flat on your face!
1. Too busy to pray Does the day find you awake or does the day wake you up? These covid times have been trying for all people ,all nations, and all colours regardless of one’s social status. It should however not be an excuse for one to fail to pray nor to I have found that best way to start one’s day is to start it with the LORD in prayer ,preferably before the day breaks.
2. Too busy to study the word Individual bible study is crucial for the survival of any child of God who wants to spend eternity with the LORD. How can one be in a relationship if there is no communication? The Word of God is Alive and active! No other text in this universe is alive, or Sharper than any double-edged sword,able to penetrate even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
3. Too busy to worship
Worship is what we were created to do. If mankind does not worship God they tend to find something else to worship. This of course leads down the slippery slope of idolatry. We worship out of our delight in Him.
CS. Lewis a famous author and theologian noted in his book Reflection on the Psalms that praise not only expresses our enjoyment but also completes our enjoyment.
4. Too grumpy to be grateful
Have you ever felt that someone was literally stealing your joy? Going about minding your own business and being joyful then suddenly ,you get robbed. Robbed off your Joy! One may be overwhelmed by challenges of life that it seems there is nothing to be grateful for. This is a tactic of the enemy to get you too grumpy to be grateful. The enemy only comes to steal kill and destroy .That includes stealing your joy. We are urged to “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
5. Harboring sin instead of confessing it This is the stealthiest of all. Un-confessed sin lies low in one’s heart when one has past wounds that have never been cleansed and healed by the blood of Jesus. The sin is harbored as the “victim” feels that they were treated unjustly and thus have a right to complain and hold on to the pain.
In other cases the sin could also be a flaw in one’s character – stuff you know you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing but keep on doing anyway coz you think no one knows about it, or that you got a grip on it. Harboring these sins can make one wither while still abiding in the vine and wondering why no spiritual fruit is forthcoming.
6. Misinterpreted warning dream I truly believe that the LORD does speak to us in dreams and visions. There has been evidence of this in the bible even for non- believers. Take Pharaoh in Joseph’s time. He had a warning dream that occurred thrice, the same message in different scenarios. The Lord allowed Joseph to be in prison so that he would be the one to interpret Pharaohs dream at the right time. This way the people of two nations were preserved.
God does still speak to us this way, but most often than not we are too busy to take note or quickly run to horoscopes, false teachings and other worldly ways to try and interpret dreams hence running into the issue of misinterpreting the dream altogether. A misdiagnosed condition would not get the right medical attention and treatment it deserves.
Weapons of our warfare
This topic has been exhaustively covered by experts in the field, hence this is just a summary of my findings.The word also tells us that “though we live in the world ,we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight with are not of this world.On the contrary,they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ Jesus.”2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Prayer & The Armor of God As described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6: 10- 18 .The children of God need to put on this armor, the Belt of Truth ,Breastplate of righteousness ,Shoes of Peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation ,Sword of the Spirit and to Pray in the Spirit.
The Blood of Jesus The bible tells us that We shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our Testimony .The Lamb here refers to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world, Jesus Christ .His precious blood paid the price for our ransom.
The Name of Jesus
Jesus before his crucifixion prayed for his disciples and all believers.” I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me” This name is Jesus Christ. John 17:11
Worship and Praise
Most may think that praise and worship is done only when everything is hunky-dory. On the contrary, when the going gets rough get your praise on! Switch to a channel that’s got some serious praise going and sing along ,or simply sing hymns that you sang as a child in school or those you heard old folk singing(yeah especially those that you didn’t fancy coz it was Old English).Bottom line is sing with your whole heart and dance.
Psalms 8:2 “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, Because of Thane adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. (NAS)”
Let me explain this further by quoting a renowned Bible teacher ,Pastor and Author Derek Prince in his book Spiritual Warfare.
“We see here that God has provided strength for His people against their enemies. Two words are used for the enemy. First, “adversaries,” in the plural. I believe this means Satan’s kingdom, in general. These are the principalities and powers, the rulers and authorities that are spoken of in Ephesians 6:12. The second word is “enemy,” in the singular. I believe that refers to Satan himself.”
Weapon of Preaching I was astounded to discover this from Derek Prince’s book on Spiritual warfare as I had never heard anyone explain it like he did. He puts it this way ;
“It is solely and exclusively the preaching of God’s Word. It in no way applies to the preaching of other things, such as human philosophy, political ideologies, or even elaborate theology.”
To expound on this he highlighted various scriptures but that which stood out for me was Acts 19:8 -10
“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (NIV)”
He then described this kind of preaching from Paul as intense ,continuous and extensive and the end result was that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul” Acts 19:11
6.Weapon of Testimony According to Google Testimony refers to a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience ,evidence or proof of something, a demonstration, a witness.
By sharing our own personal testimonies of what the LORD has done for us is another way of triumphing over the enemy.
Revelation 12:1 “They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.”
7.Fasting The very same verse above ,the second part “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” This verse is often interpreted as fasting. A dying of self, crucifying one’s flesh, denying oneself in order to grow the spirit man and focus on prayer.Jesus also taught his disciples the same. They had been unable to drive out an impure spirit that had possessed a boy .Jesus told them – “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting” Mark:9:29
It is my sincere hope that next time you are tempted to battle in the flesh, you will be wiser and apply what you have learnt here and all that the LORD reveals to you in His infinite wisdom.
Shalom.
It’s high time I wrote about this subject. Now more than ever especially due to the current times we are living in,facing one of the worst pandemics ever in the 21st century.
The Covid 19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in the lives of many across the globe , not to mention the ripple effects it has caused on all economies of the world, the markets, our communities and even families. There has been so much uncertainty, anxiety ,anger ,despair and fear gripping the hearts of all humanity.
Fear according to google is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. I had always believed that fear is synonymous with anxiety until I came across these guys who put it plainly that there is indeed a difference between the two.
“Fear relates to a known or understood threat, whereas anxiety follows from an unknown, expected or poorly defined threat.
“What about worry ?”You may ask – This I found is to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.
Experts in psychology have given various antidotes or ways to overcome fear and anxiety ranging from positive thinking ,making affirmations, forms of meditation and even humour.
What I cannot comprehend is how can a fearful mind create positive thoughts on its own? How can a sorrowful soul affirm itself and laugh off its sorrows let alone meditate on new thoughts that its unable to create.
I have found that these methods can only be successful if one roots himself/herself on something higher ,more powerful than our weak souls, on a supreme power that exists beyond time, that is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient all at the same time -the eternal love of Christ.
Fear is a very common emotion in us human beings, but it doesn’t mean that we should tolerate it in our lives. Neither should one accept it as the norm to the extent that it is given a seat in your mind’s living room, propped up ok nice and cosy so that it doesn’t intrude in any other area of your life! Once it gets a foothold through your door it will invade the entire house!
Fear shouldn’t be ignored either, or simply wished away. It’s not just pure emotion but has an evil spirit that exploits the fear emotion. What we need to do is to identify it and deal with it head on!
The following passages gave me much insight-
“For GOD did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power ,of love and sound mind” 2Tim .1:7
A very self explanatory verse.
“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” Galatians 4:7
Our old self was crucified with him so that the body that ruled by sin might be done away with ,that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
We also know that fear is sin in the eyes of the LORD, hence we should no longer be slaves to any form of sin ,that includes fear as well.
Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” John 8:34
For people are slaves to whatever has mastered them “ 2Peter:2: 19
“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves as slaves to someone as obedient slaves,you are slaves of the one you obey-whether you are slaves to sin,which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness.” Romans 6:16
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17
The summary of all these verses is to look at what the scriptures says about fear, slaves, children and heirs.
Many often think that its pointless quoting several verses of scripture. Let me point it out to you that scripture is a compilation of various letters. To understand what your beloved is writing to you ,you need to read the entire letter! So here goes the summary;
God did not not give us a spirit of fear
God gave us a spirit of power, love and sound mind
We are no longer slaves
We are God’s children
Since you are His children he has made you an heir
You are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ – means we share in his sufferings and in his glory
Everyone who sins = slave to sin
Fear is one of the many sins
If one is fearful = one is a slave to sin
Believe in Christ & surrender to him and you will no longer be a slave
More verses that talk about how to overcome fear
Psalm 34:4–5
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”
Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
1 John 4:18
‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…’
Hebrews 13:5-6
God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”[a]
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]
The Lord is in control of nature, If he could calm this storm ,what about the storms in your own life?
Jesus Calms the Storm Luke 8:22-25 New International Version (NIV)
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
The fact that Jesus asked them ,”where is your faith is very telling.I believed that he was showing them that with faith they too can face the storm and make it still
Psalm 46:1–3
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
These scriptures are just the tip of the iceberg on how to deal with fear, I would encourage you to read more of the bible and the LORD will give you more revelation and understanding. For starters you could chew on these.
The most important thing to remember is that we are to meditate on the scripture, what the word of the LORD says. No need to strike a pose while you meditate, you could do it when seated alone, while you are stretching, while standing in queue at the grocery shop or while waiting to get your covid test, as you take a walk or walking the dog, as you flip through the TV channels, as you work out, in a bus ,as you drive ,as you are doing the dishes, doing your house chores, as you are logging on to your virtual meeting, as you tuck the kids in at night and even as you lay on your bed. Meditate on the word, study it, ponder upon it ,let it sink in and marinate in your spirit and soul and the word will transform you into who you are meant to be and will sanctify you for his word is truth.
Last but not least, is worship. Worshiping God could be done in various forms song, dance, art, poems, spoken word .This beautiful song I rediscovered ,so simple many may over look it as an old boring hymn, but it is powerful. Worship is a weapon one could use when feeling overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. True worship goes up to the LORD as a sacrifice, surrendering your all to the LORD and praising him for his goodness and his power. I say true worship as there as some songs that are wrongly labeled as worship yet they are just feel good songs we sing and they do not glorify God in anyway. If anything they only temporarily lift the singers mood and as soon as you are done you come tumbling down.
Worship changes the spiritual atmosphere around you and the LORD will respond.
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Summary
Only God can deliver us from all fear
He is always with us, even when we do not see him or hear him
He sees and knows what we are going through, he wants us to trust him always.
He is our refuge and ever present help in time of need
Are you fighting battles in the flesh? Are you trying to resolve stuff with in your own strength? Put on your armor and take it to the LORD in prayer. Worship him for who HE is and what HE has been doing for you Trust in HIM for the Victory!
It’s high time I wrote about this subject. Now more than ever especially due to the current times we are living in,facing one of the worst pandemics ever in the 21st century.
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