Getting a driver’s license is pretty exciting. The promise of freedom on the freeways gives any learner the impetus to sharpen their driving skills and master all the road signs in preparation for the driver’s test.
I had this same excitement in my late teens when I was preparing for my driving test. Back then, the learners handbook was an actual book, loaded with instructions and a ton of road signs (most of which were not on any road in the country) hence making it difficult and almost impossible to recall during the test. This however did not dampen my spirits; I did my best to commit to memory all the road signs in the handbook and ace the test. Looking back now, I realize that most of those road signs were warning signs, all geared to alert the driver of the dangers that lay ahead. Hardly any of them give the assurance of hope or the anticipation of Victory Ahead.
The story of Deborah is an interesting tale of trials to triumph that can be applied even in the 21st century and give assurance of victory ahead.
Deborah was a prophetess and judge of Israel at a time when the nation was under oppression by their enemies for twenty long years. Sisera – the face of the adversary was army commander who lead this cruel campaign for decades without facing any opposition. It seems as though the people of Israel had no motivation to fight. In short they were;
Oppressed Overwhelmed Overpowered by the enemy.
Enter Deborah. As a judge she often held court under the Palm of Deborah in a hilly countryside and as she was doing so she received a word from the Lord, specifically to certain man named Barak who was to lead the armies of Israel to victory.
She summoned him and gave him the following message as recorded in Judges 4:6-9
“The Lord, the God of Israel commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.”
Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me I won’t go” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.”
Deborah had specific details on how to overcome their oppressors of 20 years. She gave the message as instructed and got the ball rolling, in essence she was telling him “Don’t’ you see the sign? There is Victory Ahead!
The nitty-gritty of the message;
The Who: Barak, son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali The Where: To go & position his army at Mount Tabor TheWhat army? 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun The Where again? The enemy would be subdued at Kishon River The How: Sisera would be delivered into the hands of a woman
How did Deborah achieve this feat?
She saw herself as a mother in Israel.
“Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel”. Judges 5:7 Unlike some leaders today, she was not hung up on power, positions and self-promotion. Deborah was completely given to serving the people, and serving them with strength and wisdom drawn from God.
She positioned herself right
Deborah held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.
Ramah: Means height .It’s literally on a hilly region. It signifies a high spiritual ground like an altar where one would go to encounter God.
Psalms 24:4-5 “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive vindication from God their Savior.”
Bethel: Means House of God, named so eons ago by one Jacob, who had a dream seeing a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Above it stood the LORD who spoke to him. Jacob later raised an altar at that spot, naming it Bethel.
Palm Tree: Sign of triumph – In the Gospel, Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem was celebrated by waving palm branches and laying them on the ground for him.
So learning from Deborah, there is victory ahead, let’s go to higher ground. A higher spiritual plane where we can sit at the feet of our LORD Jesus to pour out our hearts to Him and listen to Him. He is more than ready to pick us up in His arms and engulf us in his love.
Prayer
Our Father, thank you for this day that you have given us. Thank you that you have been the one sustaining us all, our families, our world. Forgive us our sins and wash us clean with your blood and enable us to ascend to your holy mountain where we can worship you in holiness and truth and where we may be in your presence and listen to your guidance. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayer, we glorify your name and put our hope and trust in you. In Jesus’ name we pray AMEN
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.
Before the storm, the sky was beautifully clear. Clear blue skies, thin clouds way up there, sun shining bright. Its warmth making even the flowers smile, a gentle breeze could be felt every now and then, the trees swaying as in a slow dance. Planes flying overhead, preparing to land as they approached the airport. They flew low enough that one could easily identify the airline from the brightly painted tail fins.
Life was normal. Well at least this was the norm; exciting weekends, fun and laughter with family and friends planning for the next get together with absolute certainty and parting ways with hugs, kisses and high fives. Work, school, church, seminars, conferences, fellowships, eating out, movies, theatres, rush hour traffic, shopping, errands, impromptu trips. Meticulously laying out plans for the rest of the year, for family, work, hobbies interests ensuring that none of them clash.
It all seemed normal, and was not perturbed even when I saw some ominous clouds gathering in the distance. The looming storm seemed so far away, too far that it would never reach me and my loved ones. The storm’s epicenter was in the middle of a far, far away continent, in a town we had never heard of, the city of Wuhan.
Barely four months since the pandemic broke out in China, the ravaging storm has traversed all continents wreaking havoc, leaving thousands upon thousands dead, and over a million others infected, spreading like wildfire .The pandemic is now in my very own city, Nairobi. Major cities in the world are now on lockdown. Normal life is not normal anymore as we had known it.
This storm is not only taking the lives of many has also gripped the world with fear.
Most companies are laying off staff; others closing shop unable to bear the financial strain, those with jobs are urged to work from home.
The majority in my country live from hand to mouth and work in informal settings, bills still accruing, even having running water and soap to keep the vicious virus at bay is a challenge let alone setting a meal on the table.
Everything seems to have come to a standstill all around the world, the storm rages on striking the nations with fear .This virus does not discriminate; it affects people of all social status, all races and all religions. We are all in the same boat facing the same storm.
I recently came across a different kind of storm in the New Testament, a monstrous storm that threatened the lives of the disciples.
They were on a boat when this storm hit. The waves of the lake plummeted against the boat and swamped it, threatening to drown all the passengers. They however weren’t alone in the storm; Jesus was with them, his head on a pillow asleep. They woke him up.
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith? He asked the disciples.” The disciples were amazed and asked one another “Who is this?” He commands even the winds and the water and they obey him. Luke 9: 22-25
At this point in time, the disciples had seen Jesus in action before .They knew that he had done the miraculous before their very eyes .They had seen him heal the sick, even from diseases that were known to be incurable! He drove out evil spirits from people and had even raised a young boy from death to life! They knew that he wielded great power and authority.
It then suddenly hit me ,the storm that we all face today – the storm of the covid 19 pandemic that is trying to crush the entire boat and drown all occupants i.e. the entire world; it dawned on me We are not alone in this storm ,the Lord is with us.
Just as he was with his disciples on the boat, he is still present. Only that most of us do not acknowledge him, let alone believe in him. Some may also think that he is too far removed from our realities, or too busy to make time for us or perhaps that we are too far gone from him and wouldn’t know where to start the conversation.
He said that he would never leave us nor forsake us.
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13: 5
He said that he would forgive us and cleanse us from our sins.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”1 John 1:9
He also said that everyone who calls upon his name would be saved.
“…whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” Joel 2:32
Anyone who comes to him must first of all believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
He is with us even in this storm, we need only call out to him, he rebuked winds and waves in the past, he can surely rebuke this invisible wind and the Covid 19 storm will surely come to a sudden end.
Before the storm, the sky was beautifully clear. Clear blue skies, thin clouds way up there, sun shining bright. Its warmth making even the flowers smile, a gentle breeze could be felt every now and then, the trees swaying as in a slow dance. Planes flying overhead, preparing to land as they approached the airport. They flew low enough that one could easily identify the airline from the brightly painted tail fins.
ComeFullCircle 
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