More Than Meet the Eye

More Than Meet the Eye
I'm being inspired to meditate more and more on the subject of faith these days. Maybe as a fallout from a recently taught bible school class. Where we tried to see the basic process of ministry. And we saw how impossible it is to run a God driven ministry without demanding people's faith to connect to an invisible God. Receiving or giving between man and God are the same to faith. Faith is only a conduit through which communications are executed between man and God. Man must locate God's faithfulness and respond by his faith.
Meanwhile faith can only be a farce. Man has the capacity to believe in the unseen, either real or unreal, the consequence is what separates the two. You can pick up your phone and dial an unexisting phone number, you can even speak, not minding whatever the provider is saying from the other end, but you can't make a report of your conversation. But that hasn't removed the fact that your phone exist and that telephony is real or that people make conversation through that channel every second of the day all over the world. It only that you dialled a non existing number.
Faith is a channel to the unseen meant to create communications between that realm and our perceived realm. It is a conviction of the reality of realms outside of what we perceive by our senses. It is the conviction of thoughts that are ahead and are yet to penetrate the human mind. It is the conviction of the activities of those realms and how they bare on our own perceived realm.
Faith is meant to locate the knowledge of the truth that the senses cannot reach. Some calls it the sixth sense. It is useless with mere imaginations that are only crafted from the residue of the past in our minds. It works with the realities confronted in the realms beyond ours.
Faith is a door to that realm. We can't have access without faith and we can't judge that realm when we haven't been there. You have to have faith in God to have access into Him. Faith built on the truth He had shown us already with whatever He has done here: as the invisible things of His are shown clearly by the visible things He has done here according to apostle Paul.
We can argue all we can but the reality is that man didn't make this world and it is absolute nonsense to say the universe made itself: unbelief can actually make one mad. Unbelief is a deliberate blindfold, a self inflicted delusion out of the misunderstanding of pride that won't let man agree to His ignorance. Yet without a place for faith, you can't even experiment with the unseen realm or research into it. It's a realm ahead and beyond. A realm that gave birth to the seen and yet a future for the seen realm.
The activities of that realm and that of the inhabitants thereof tell on us and that's the more reason why it is pertinent for the inhabitants of our perceived world to be connected and become players in the game of the spirit.
Life is more that meet the eye. Faith is the eye that sees beyond what the eye was made to see. The One who made the eye to see in this realm made faith to be the eye to see Him and to relate with Him.
Ever blessed are those who won't wait for the instrumentality of the senses before believing in the reality of the supernatural. Those who understand the superiority and the value of the spirit realm far and above the realm of vanity and decadence in which we live are men and women of faith who through the experimentation of faith can tell the difference by faith.
Those who have the simple understanding that if one must come to God, such must believe first that He is and that He rewards those who through faith seek Him diligently...it is an impossible case with any who don't believe beyond what is seen...
The whole truth can't be accessed without the inventory of the unseen realms. There's something out there that hides itself from the five senses, from it came the physical and the discovery of that in truth is the opening of a new world to mankind and only the eye of faith can see even a glimpse of it to explore...believe and be enlightened...! Are you in faith? Good morning!

It's in the Pain

It's in the Pain
Ordinarily I don't want pain. Nobody wants it. That's why it's called pain. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and in the process took away our pains. Why do I still have these pains? I realize that more than what come against our bodies to cause sickness are the things that come against our hearts to break it. More than the stress of physical weariness are the stress of mental burden. My pastor once told me that the burden the anointing is to remove from off our necks are those things bothering us. Of course, how many have I seen on the streets carrying heavy burdens that only prayer can heal, the burdens are of the heart. The wise king said the heaviness of the heart makes the heart stoop.  Sometimes they stoop like a bending pine until they break. When it breaks they call it mental illness. The sickness of the heart comes out of the unending expectations of the heart. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Long standing thirst, and everlasting hunger waiting for good news from afar to quench and a good word of gladness.
But without the hunger the utility of the food is low. What I have no expectations for may worth nothing to me and become useless. If I don't have to wait I may not appreciate what I got. If there's no hunger for light, the plant won't grow. And the cut down tree will sprout again at the scent of water, the standing tree may remain stagnant swinging to the rhythm of the winds but the search of water keeps the cut tree growing.
I guess the inspiration is in the pain. Some would discard the pain as quickly as it comes. Entertainment, alcohol, sex, drugs, violence and so on paliate the pains and placates the heart to its total destruction. But I have seen great things come out of the times of pain. Great books came out of apartheid, marvelous music from the pains of oppression and slavery...and I have seen futility and vanity replace all that when the pains got healed. I guess it's in the pain.
The heart responds from the depths and character is built as the heart stoops. As the muscles bulge under extreme weight so goodness is birthed through labour pangs of life.
Are you suffering, find out what's in it for you...virtues and nobility maybe waiting to be born. Are you oppressed, maybe you are about to become a savior of others under oppression. The comfort by which you are comforted will also comfort others, you were in the pain to culture the vaccine of comfort to immunize those who shall thereafter be attacked by such pains.
There's something in the pain don't discard the pain with fleshy indulgences or you'll throw out the baby with the bad water.
Hope deferred may make the heart sick, but the sickness attracts the desire and when it comes it's a tree of life, an everlasting tree that keeps producing the once longed for desire.
Are you going through frustration, make a song of it, are you in prison, write a book, are you waiting read a prose, and if life is making jest of you, write a comedy otherwise you may never have the time to ever do that again because it's in the pain, only in the pain.
Pain moves you to the deep where good counsels lies. It takes pain to dig out gold, value is never cheap they are delivered by the bus of pain. A world built around the culture of comfort and vanity don't get anywhere. Soldiers worth relying upon are those trained in the throes of pain, your faith isn't dependable and lacks value if it hasn't gone through heavy and fiery trials. Many who now enjoy divine health had to endure the battle of faith in pain. Testimonies are born out of painful tests. Great relationship are built from smothering fires of overcome pains.
Don't run away from it, it has a message for you and your purpose might be attached...leave the drugs, don't react with violence rather engage your mind and squeeze out the good news in the pain. I'm doing that...do likewise! And be happy! Good morning! Share this and Visit evansademanuel.blogspot.com today!

Thoughts on Loyalty

Thoughts on Loyalty
In the study of leadership, coming across the word 'loyalty' in it's various forms is normal. Leaders can only lead those who submit to their leadership. True leadership can only influence voluntary following in the people. So we assume people who follow do so because they want to. Yet, it can't be assumed that every follower is a loyalist or is loyal depending on what such is loyal to or disloyal to.
What touched the loyalty button inside individuals that made them follow are different and to that each will be loyal. Though leadership may not define acceptable loyalty as such.
In Christianity and its leadership, one of the concepts of leadership is called the 'follower-leadership' whereby the leader is also a follower of Someone else. The Christian leader is a follower of Christ either at home or in church administration. He or she isn't the ultimate leader. He can't call the shots without being led himself by the Spirit and the Word of God in the normal circumstance. This too tells on the demand for loyalty.
Most leadership error come from the inability to obey the 'follower-leader' concept. Apostle Paul said [My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 11
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
When the hierarchy set forth in that simple statement is breached it's no longer Christian leadership. That concept as said earlier must also inform the giving and receiving of loyalty.
The Christian leader receives his authority from Christ and his confidence is borne on that premise. He demands loyalty towards Christ and not to self. He is protected and strengthened  by the authority he received from Christ and those who seek to follow Christ would follow him with confidence.  But that goes as far as he follows Christ. The true Christian desires to follow Christ and to imitate God towards becoming like Him. But the body administrative structure requires that in being organized, a leadership structure be in place for things to be done decently and in order according to Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 14. The leadership structure therefore operates in concert with the ultimate cause of believers conforming to Christ's image. The leadership must follow Christ in all things to remain relevant in its middle position: the believer follow the leader as a necessary bridge to following Christ.
Responsible leadership therefore points Christ to the follower and not to self. The honorable leader seeks loyalty to Christ and not to self. The loyal leader demands loyalty towards Christ, while the disloyal seeks loyalty towards self.
And that's where the weakness of leadership lies. The desire for loyalty weakens leadership. The more crave the leader has for loyalty towards self do not only show how exposed his disloyalty to Christ is but also shows how vulnerable he has become to disloyal people among his ranks or team.
What we crave for become baits in the fishing hooks of the predators who desire to prey on us; you don't try to catch a fish tying ordinary rope to the hook...you put there the desire of the fish.
Loyalty is portrayed by the obedience we receive from our followers. Their desire to always be there for us, to do our will and those things that please us. Their willingness to be ready to fight for us and to even die for us, if need be, shows loyalty. We desire they be ready never to be in variance with our opinions, decisions and actions, good or bad and to even defend them to blood. Whoever won't do that is a rebel and disloyal.
But people who in their heart has disloyalty breeding and brooding also know this. They present that front and with a kiss and fair speeches betray their already vulnerable leaders.
Jesus said it shall not be so among His followers. A true Christian leader would demand such loyalty towards Christ and not self. He will demand obedience to Christ at all cost. He will differentiate between Christ and himself and exalt Christ and His Word. He let's the world know he's only a servant and one of the followers of Christ privileged to lead others to Him and to do His works.
Leaders who don't mind disobedience to Christ in the course of defending self aren't true Christian leaders and the followers who are ready to disobey God's word to defend their leaders in order to show loyalty aren't following Christ. True leaders defend Christ at their own expense and not mess up Christ to protect self.
Leaders who don't mind the destruction of God's work and people in order to look good are not serving Christ and His God. And they open up themselves to the whims and caprice of evil people.
Are you a Christian leader? Know that you are still imperfect and let no one defend your imperfections at the expense of Christ. Let your vision be that followers remain loyal to Christ and His principles, let none of God's word be broken in your defence. Let no one do evil to protect you, let no one commit any sin to make you look good. Let Christ and His Father be the Ones presented to the world.
Those who are ready to offend God to please you are enemies in disguise.  Those who won't seek God by themselves but would do whatever you say either good or bad aren't loyalists. Those who speak evil of the commandments of God yet defend your errors are bringing death and destruction you.
Mark those who will stand for God even when it's not convenient, they'll be loyal to you and to your God. Mark those who like Berean Christians will put your words to the test of God's commandments, they are your true friends. But run from those who lool loyal to you but are disloyal to Christ...they can't love you more than they love God! Good morning! Share and Visit evansademanuel.blogspot.com and let's know you came.

His Will Be Done

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 13
20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I pray God makes me perfect in every good work to do His will, working in me that which is well pleasing in His sight.

I have realised that many Christians only follow God at their convenience. Many do their own will and make it look like God's will only because both fall on same state pwr time. Otherwise, they use God as excuse to perpetrate their own evil cause. He wants to oppress his wife, he has enough scriptures twisted to paliate his conscience, he wants to oppress a subordinate he has enough religious reasoning to make it look good. He wants to disobey leadership he knows enough religious jargons to have his way: there isn't anything evil that evil hearts won't justify.
But good and sincere Christian hearts will seek God's will and do it. Self seeking and always expecting our own desires to come to pass weaken the strength of our walk with God no matter how religious we make it sound. In a world of deadly competitions among the holy, we must stop and quietly ask why we do what we do, we must ask if it's God's will we seek, we must stop and ask if our expectations of others are towards pleasing God or pleasing self. We must ask who is truly glorified, we or God, we must ask who truly gets paid, we or God?
That's the essence of the prayer above, it's time to leave all into God's hand and come to trust God enough to permit Him work out His will in our lives...that alone glorifies Him.
Don't justify evil because it pays you, don't assume you are in God's will when it's obvious you are hurting people around you. Don't think whatever pleases you must please God, don't bring yourself into unnecessary competition with God...find out His will and do it.
I pray that His will be done in our lives, homes, jobs and ministries today in Jesus name! Good morning!

The Saga of Forgiving and Forgetting

The Saga of Forgiving and Forgeting!
Many times we demand of people to forget wrong suffered and to forgive. The reality is that inability to forget as demanded makes nonsense of their willingness to forgive which is actually easier as a matter of the will. Their conscience still blame them for remembering but how could a raped woman or the wife of a murdered man forget? The scars remains and if remembering is equal to not forgiving then as long as those scars remain such has no capacity to forgive.
Meanwhile forgiving is possible with the scars and that's what we are called to do. The scars tells the story and become the trophy we have to show the winning power of forgiveness. The scars tell the story of the battle we fought and won and everytime we remember it is of the joy of triumph and not of the sorrows of the pains we once suffered. 
If whenever we see the scars we still feel the pains then our forgiveness isn't complete or perfect yet. It is forgiving we have to do and not forgetting.
We may forget without forgiving meaning whenever we remember we recall the pains too and bitterness and vengeance fill the heart. We may experience joy momentarily when we forget but as soon as we remember the pains and the sorrows resuscitate and the scab falls of the wound and the wound comes out fresh again with all its pains. Such sores smell. And the pains unending, they only get healed when we forgive.
So we strive to forgive even with the freshness of the negative event and so heal our heart and remembering would be nothing but pouring the balm on a scar, soothing but not hurting!
We get hurt. One of human weaknesses, and that we remember clearly and we always need great efforts to be able to forgive. Not so when we hurt others. We need lots of efforts to remember yet very desperate for forgiveness when accosted. We find it hard to forgive yet we would do anything to be forgiven. And until our errors are shown us we hardly remember, we take offending others in our strides yet never goes out of our way to forgive. We hold tightly to hurt suffered we must know we hurt others too.
So if you have no sin be the first to throw the stone of judgment. Ignoble people will still throw the stones anyway. Remove first the log in your eyes before trying to remove the specks in others' eyes but the logs are weightless in our eyes while we feel the burden of the speck in other's eyes. This is a weakness of man.
So that's how impossible it is to forget the hurts we suffer and how easy it is to lose consciousness of ever being hurtful to people. Let's not demand forgetting now but let's ask for forgiveness. Don't bother to forget, just forgive. But can I also ask that we sharpen our consciousness of the errors we commit? Because it won't be demanded of those we hurt to forget. Feel the toes you step on. Our actions may leave blood and tears behind even when sincere and true what's wrong is the lack our consciousness of the negative exhausts.
Do I need apologies to forgive? O yes! Some can't forgive truly without apologies and in profuse quantities too! Apologies sometimes aren't better than vengeance! They become payments demanded and paid for hurts suffered. Though looks legitimate, yet could be malicious when demanded, Healing when freely given and received.
Apologies are necessary but don't wait for them before you forgive, what if it doesn't come? Let not your healing be dependent on what others may not do. Forgive as at when hurt and as soon! Forgiveness has no substitute except war and no one comes out a war unhurt even the victorious! Put your energy in seeking to forgive and be forgiven until then don't forget!

Acknowledge your Iniquity!

Acknowledge your Iniquity!
[My Offline Bible] Jeremiah 3
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Knowing God is important in having a successful walk with Him. He is so loving and patient. We almost take that attribute to mean carelessness. People therefore abuse His love and patience. Solomon had said because judgment against an evil isnt instant men's heart are set in them to do evil. Many today question if Jesus Christ would ever return all because God would rather want men to repent than to perish.
Yet even reading and speaking about God's judgment send shivers down the spine. And it does come after the exhaustion of God's long-suffering. It is useless waiting for it before a change is made.
God waits for repentance. While he waits, it will seem He has forgotten His word. That's not the time for us to walk on presumptuously thinking all's well. And men do forget and live on, oblivious of a hanging judgment above their heads, with God's time of long-suffering ticking away...
Why must we wait, when God is waiting for us? Why must we wait till judgment falls? I see that we wait, justifying our errors. We wait not acknowledging our faults. We argue the obvious with all sorts of lopsided scriptural arguments. Sometimes too we use the experiences of others who also are on the que for their own judgment. Since God isn't blind and hasn't killed anyone who's doing the same, that means its ok to continue.
And so men go on travelling in error. They are quick to say judge not to anyone who might want to help. They become enemies to those who might show Israel their sins, and those who tell the truth become preys.
What we don't know is that continuing in error while God awaits repentance stops God's greater blessings. The plan of God is stalled and we go on in cycle without any real progress, because God waits...and that isn't judgment yet. He is just waiting.
Others may point Israel's sin to him but repentance means he acknowledging his sin by himself. I must recognize sin as sin, I must agree that I'm walking contrary to divine pleasure and expectations before I can change.
I can ask for forgiveness but that isn't repentance, repentance means I recognize my filth, change my mind, my mentality, my ideology and philosophy about that act to that of God and then stop walking that way and go on do the right thing.
It all starts with recognition and acknowledging errors. If we continue to argue the obvious and justify iniquity, we defy divine warnings and move on carelessly towards certain judgment.
God has greater plans beyond this wrestling. Let go. Repent and move on with God. Why must we court judgment! If it is sin, God won't make it right just because of you so assuming such is another error. We can do it and we must do it and go on with God!
Acknowledge every sin without a plea and come to God who shed His blood to obtain mercy for pardon for sin and find grace to continue in holiness. It is possible if we so desire! Good morning!

Know the Word, But know God better!

[My Offline Bible] Jeremiah  2
8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

'They that handle the law knew me not...'
The greatest virtue of the knowledgeable is his ability to defy the lure of pride that comes with knowledge.
The ability to accommodate all including the ignorant separates the knowledgeable from the wise.
If God were to deal with us the way we deal with those who don't know as much as we do none of us will be able to look up to His face.
If we are privileged to handle His word we must also be able to show enough responsibility to know Him and His ways.
The essence of knowing His word is to know His ways and not just to give a fair show. God isn't marking our script of knowledge, He expects the result of knowledge to be seen in what we do. Being Christians is more than knowing scriptures, knowing God is more than being able to quote them... , godliness is more than merely getting your doctrines rightly, it is being able to let it show in our conducts, and how we act and react to the happenings around us...  ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them...
Ability to do what we know is the burden of knowledge! Good morning!