EYES ON YOU(LUKE 13:9)

EYES ON YOU

“If it bears fruit next year, fine, if not then cut it down”

The son of man will come one day to reward everyone according to their deeds. This implies that He is watching every action performed by each person.

The devil has come to steal, kill and destroy, no expert can achieve one or all of these three without watching, monitoring and mainly discovering the vulnerability in the victim. So the devil is also watching.

Humans are also watching, some watch to ensure it is well with you, some carefully watch for your downfall.

Eyes on you, God has his eyes fixed on you, the devil is not removing his and humans won’t stop staring.

God is watching because of the resources He had given you, to ensure you don’t waste them but use them and devil watches to ensure the fig tree is cut down without remedy, you can’t be too sure of why humans watch, they can be uncertain a times.

It depends on whom you give your attention to, but remember you will only account to one.(God).

Don’t take from the poor Amos 5:11,12

 The poor literarily is a person of lesser privilege, the rich in the other hand has some things the poor lack.

One thing Jesus will not do is to look down on the poor, he would rather sit and enjoy their company and not just talk and talk with them, he will provide for that which they will eat. He gives to the poor, the real sense of giving not the pity-type of it.(with love)

You and I have some things others lack and are seriously searching for, most of the times we don’t even need most or all of these things, but to let go of them becomes a difficulty. The rich wants more but they give less.

The bad side and most devious part is you taking away from the poor the little they have, I guess you can remember the most wicked of all kings in the bible, he had all but still wanted the less Naboth had. King Ahab got married to Jezebel and believe me this combination made matters worse. He asked Naboth for his vineyard and he refused because that was his only inheritance. Jezebel planned for Naboth to be stoned. God was angry for this, he could not behold such a wicked act. Ahab escaped God’s punishment because he humbled himself but his household didn’t.

There are times you use the poor and refuse to pay for their service(s), they work for you and you see it has your right because you believe they are not important, don’t forget you are taking from them the little they have.

God detest it when you can’t give to others, he hates it more when you even take from them. Open your eyes to the need of people around you so that you won’t unintentionally take from them.

Amos 5:4,6 Seek God Nothing But God

I have heard this statement multiple times, the statement is: our God is a jealous God. This was glaring from the beginning, he said let us create man in our image, he made man and woman and put them in charge of the earth and everything that lives in it just to his glory, the bible said he loved everything he created because they were all beautiful, that means from creation, all things were created for his pleasure and to his satisfaction alone.

Then man sinned by going outside the will of their jealous owner, I’ve given you everything and I never said I was going to stop there, then one person came and told you some things and you believed him over me?, it must be a joke, I can’t take you yielding to another master, because of this, God sent man out of the beautiful garden.

God won’t share you or your attention with another master, little wonder the bible said you can’t serve God and serve momma, you would rather choose one.

For thus says the lord to the house of Israel, seek me and you shall live, the amplified version put the “seek” this way: inquire for and of me and require me as you require food. I can’t have a dog as a pet and the dog will keep going to the man next door, no, it’s mine, it should report to me not another. Same with God he loves it when the people he called by his name will always and in all situations seek him.

WHEN THE LORD LEAVES (Amos 1:2, 8:11)

“..the lord roars out of Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; then the pastures of the shepherds mourn and the top of Carmel dries up”

When the lord leaves, when the one who understand how things work leaves, when the one who knows the end from the beginning leaves, when the ever present and ever faithful God decides to take a break, when the one who speaks life and who gives life leaves.

King Saul was a cool headed guy, the Israelites wanted a king badly, God gave Saul and as Saul left Samuel, he was given a new heart and he began his duty as a king, he went for a battle from which God commanded nothing must be brought back, destroy everything that exist there, well he saw some beautiful things that he believed would be good for him and his people, he spared them and in the process disobeyed the lord. Same Saul the bible recorded the spirit of God departed from him, how interesting, the Lord excused Saul and we all know what happened.

Someone may wonder if God can really leave since the earth and his fullness belongs to him, yah, more reason he can choose to make his absence or present felt in a location. The physical man of Saul was still living after that but his spirit man was dead because the part of him that brings about the awareness of God’s presence was formatted(completely deleted).

I HAVE A BEST FRIEND

As a baby, you got almost all the attentions needed, you are five, they no longer carry you everywhere, they drop you in school and pick you later, you are now ten, they call a cab, help us drop our daughter in school, at fifteen, you call the cab yourself, you go different places just on your own, yah, you’ve got friends from school, they can’t miss school because you are sick but you have to stay in the hospital, mum and dad will check after work, friends will visit once in a while. You walk down the street - just you, you think- just you, you feeling weird -just you. Everyone around behaves annoying -just you.

You have many people around you but not every one of them can go everywhere, anytime and every time with you.

No greater love than this, that a friend will give his life for his friend, they all love you but the moment you are dying they still stay by you, the moment you die, it’s just you, it’s rare to get one who can volunteer to die with you or even die for you.

Who in each sorrow bears apart, he feels what you feel, he sees each tear that falls, he ears you when you call. What a friend, be in the lion’s den he is there with you, go to the land of the dead, he is there, in the dark when no other friend can see you, he watches over you. When you can’t express what you feeling, he has a word for it. He keeps telling you, you are not in this alone.

THE DWARF AND THE GIANT

I can say a dwarf is someone who is close to the ground, someone with less significant, someone that is prone to been ridiculed, oppressed, tormented and some other things. While a giant is that person who appears bigger than everyone, whose stature torments people around, regardless of whether he has power or not, his size is enough to make people believe he has some energy.

This is going to be my testimony of encounter.

My imagination of the devil was of a giant, I use to see him as that giant I dare not say a word against or to. He was like a big mountain that can never be moved; in fact, I don’t mention his name anyhow because of the fear of him appearing at any angle. That period of time was bad.

But the transformation came when I had this dream one very night. I was in the chapel, as a chorister, I came late and I wanted to find my way to my sit and seat, in the picture there was this rough giant, dirty and with rags, he has been disturbing the whole chapel, then he came to my side and started dragging me, I could not talk but I was stretching my hand and I was communicating with people there for help, unfortunately no one could tell him to stop. He took me to the alter then a Reverend said stop, he stopped and then the whole picture changed, we were standing there on the alter but my eyes were opened and there was a cloud above us, I saw the man who came to rescue, myself and a dwarf, both the man who came to rescue and myself were giants and the ex-giant is now a dwarf, and the man was holding a Cane telling me this is how you do it, he has no power over you, flog him with the “WORD” and he kept doing that repeatedly.

SLAVE TO SIN- SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

For once you were God’s enemy, you hated him because you loved sin, sin was your master and you were the servant. But thanks to God who through His son reconcile you back to Him, now that makes you righteous and makes you a servant of righteousness.

Many are still servants to sin, not because they still sin but they can’t get over the (big) sin they committed in the part. I can’t count the number of people I’ve hurt in my life, in the 90s, when I was still a prostitute, I slept with diverse of men and I had series of abortions, ho! I was too razz, have destroyed many people’s life, my sin is not something small…. Like that like that.

Excuse me, what exactly do you mean? That your sin is too thick that the blood of Jesus can’t cleanse? Did you forget this: even though your sin is as red as scarlet, I will cleanse you and you will be as white as snow. Is that too simple to be true? Does God for once joke with his words? He said, he honors his words more than his name.

The moment you believe him as your Lord and savior, he takes every sin away, so why are you still creating the illusion that the sin is still there. Why do you want to belittle what the blood of the lamb can do, how is it your business to think of “how big” or “how much”, he said it doesn’t matter the size, he knew all that before he decided to accept you.

Okay, maybe that was too big for you, what about this- there I therefore NO condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Isn’t this simple enough? No condemnation for you once you believe, he sees your sin no more, and he sees you, so stop staring at what’s not there.

A teacher had intention of beating 5 students for whatever reason(s), after beating the 4, he told the 5^th one; go I pardon you and then he student starts with this: sir, I can’t go just like that, if only you know all that have done you won’t ask me to go, please beat me I deserve it, my offence is too big to be pardoned.

NOT TOO LONG MATTHEW 6:20

Time is important to keep us conscious of how day and night go by. But now time has been so ignored that we live like there is no break between the day and the night.

Many have lost consciousness of the fact that world is temporal and there has to be a crossover to the other side (heaven). In a little while, he that is to come will come, He will not tarry, in a little while means in no time, within a twinkle of an eye, when you least expect, not too long.

He never slack with His promises, no longer will that common phrase be repeated in this world that “we’ve been hearing of His coming all these while, He has never come”

You may be thinking of relaxing outside God, I can just beg you to keep resting in His arms because in no time, not too long, he will appear. There were 10 virgins (good people, strong believers) but it was so unfortunate for the 5 the Bible referred to as fools, why? Because their spiritual maturity and mental maturity weren’t working hand in hand, if not they should have known that “time” takes away some things, with time a charged lamp can go down, in no time it can go off. No matter how charged you were last year as a believer, it’s not enough to carry you through this year, the strength needed for each day differs, and there is need for renewal of strength. These virgins were good too but they lack this understanding.

BEFORE THE DEVIL DOES IT

What am I to do before the devil does it? I know the devil would have tagged human “stupid” because he knows we can be stupid knowingly or unknowingly. Below are the things you have to do before the devil do it:

1.       Confess your sin

2.       Know your weaknesses

3.       Chase your dreams

4.       No your stand in God

5.       Torment the devil

Well you may wonder why all these, because you believe devil is on his own and you are on your own not at all, he lives in your house, he goes to class with you, he stands by you when you are angry with your friend, he speaks to you, he knows your taught, he knows your stand, your secrets aren’t hidden from him, he has a database for your sins and many more, so you shouldn’t think you have no business with him, even if you don’t think so , he thinks he has business with you.

YOU IN you

Deep down within you, there is a you that is more than the you people see outside.

Something always makes you feel you are more than this.

The “you” in many only manifest in their imagination. Wow, I imagine a lot, too much, in 5min have visited places, have rendered speeches, have helped people, have corrected wrongs, rebuked people, released an album, what should be done In years’ time, have completed all in my thought, but all these are just in my thought.

It got worse a time that I have to say this- the best things have done in my life, I did them in my thought. A voice within you always tell you you can even when everyone say you can’t, but most of the time we follow the multitude to decide who we are and what we really want. Everyone around already told me I can’t do it, so I believe I can’t because these are the people who know me and know what I can do, you go for the multitude’s idea and reject the opinion of the magnitude in you.

You alone are responsible for whatever you do, you fail, oops to you; you succeed, kudos to you, because if you check and listen well, the you within you never stop speaking to you on the best way to go about every situation.

ROMANISM

Romanism is an act of placing oneself above others, claiming authority over them.

When you put yourself in a position to be worshipped by others, when you think other’s life should be reported to you. You may wonder what this has to do with you, same here. It is a very big sin to use whatsoever position you hold to play a GOD role on others.

As a reverend, pastor or whatsoever you’ve been called to do, people have to greet you in a certain way, there has to be a special treatment for you, if others have 1 portion, yours should be 2. You first, then the church members can follow. Have you forgotten Jesus held the same position you are holding today, he won more souls than you, he has more followers, moved from one town to another, he was definitely popular, he was rich but never for once see himself as the boss that the followers had to worship at his feet, they weren’t carrying his bag, he carried theirs or have you forgotten he washed their foots, he did this and told them to do so.

The “them” Jesus told to do same are his followers, you are part of the “them”, have you left the “servant” role and start playing the “master” role? He was a master but played the role of the servant. he was rich but became poor for his church to be fed. His heart moved with pity when thousands of his people under his teaching haven’t eaten, he made provision for them.

How many times do you read the faces of people in your church, do you know who is hungry, do you know who was sent out of school because of money, and do you know who among them is dying|??????

As a Sunday school teacher, I realize just now that I am guilty of this, I’ll go to class, pour out what I have, ask questions about the message but never took time to relate one on one with any of my students, the message was indeed passed but the receivers were ignored.

Under your leadership as a “leader” there are sick people, the weak, the poor, the “about to die”, the hopeless, the weary and several classes of people. Are your heels too high that you can’t even bend and see what’s going on with them? You schedule meeting with people in high positions, do you do same with the “least” member of your church.

Romanism hinders you from seeing other’s and worst of all, you wouldn’t notice when you are decaying or smelling because you can’t smell yourself and no one dares to tell you-  you are the boss you know, perfect boss?

If you are in a position to lead some group of people to Christ, believe it or not, God is not seeing you better than them, he doesn’t prefer you to them, your works and your deeds does not make you different from them, they are God’s own children just as you are.

You can’t get the best out of a church if you raise yourself higher than the members. You are a vessel called for the sake of orderliness, you are not their God and watch it that you don’t start taking God’s glory, remember he won’t share it with any.

Create an atmosphere Jesus created to get the result Jesus got and even more.

This seems to be more on Pastors, reverends and the likes, but even you are included, that same post you head in your family, class, that your small achievement, how do you handle or manage people that relates with you in those areas, are they your napkins?

Don’t take glory that doesn’t belong to you, all creatures including you were made for His pleasure. If you can mount the pulpit and blow the WORD, heal and deliver people but you can’t be humble enough to “eat on the same table with poor” it is as good as not mounting that pulpit. Jesus always knows and meets the needs of his people.

They pay you for every service you render but Jesus wasn’t paid , he paid, john, Paul, Peter, Silas, Moses and others weren’t paid, they paid. Haven’t you been paid more than you pay? What do you see the church as, a fast growing business where you can invest some chicken feed and earn some cool cash?

Whatever this means to you, take it and God help you it won’t stand against you.

Finally, you are not meant to be worshipped, you are meant to worship.

AGREE WITH GOD DISAGREE WITH THE DEVIL

Agreeing with god is taking God for His words, trusting the fact that when He say a thing, He will do it, remembering that He is the God of all flesh and nothing is too hard for Him to do.

When you agree with Him, you won’t forget Jeremiah 29:11, you won’t border so much on why things aren’t working out well, because you know there is still an expected end, also you are strong even when everything and everyone else rises against you because you know, if God is for you none can be against.

Your agreement with God brings hope and joy, it brings peace, you live longer because you have less to border on. You are not afraid of the next step He is asking you to take because you know He is the beginning and the end.

Agreeing with God simply denotes FAITH in God and agreeing with the devil denotes FEAR.

It’s so funny how there exist just a tiny difference, between the words and how it is possible for one to lift you up that high and the other to bring you down that low. When you start doubting God’s word for your life, it’s the beginning of agreeing with the devil.

Devil has his words too, you know Jesus said the words I speak to you are life, permit me to say the devil’s version of that: “the words I speak to you are death”. Devil speaks, but speaks poison.

Fear brings you to a mutual ground with the author of fear as faith brings you to a mutual ground with the author of faith. Funny thing is that, you can’t be in between, is either you agree with the devil or with GOD. One is the opposite of the other, once you are doing one, the other is deactivated and once you deactivate one, the other is activated.

What is the author of faith saying about your situation, what has He said in the past, what is He saying about your future, do you trust Him that He wouldn’t fail or you most of the times choose the next available option(fear).

My redeemer lives, are you aware of that fact? Are you aware that if indeed He lives, you can live, do you know He doesn’t even sleep because He is keeping watch on you day and night, have you forgotten He is not man, he doesn’t fail and He doesn’t lie.

He said heaven and earth may pass away but not even a bit of His word for you would go unfulfilled, He doesn’t slack with His promises. Make what He want to do for you fast and smooth by trusting Him and relaxing knowing that this battle is not yours, it’s the Lord’s. Stand still and know He is God.

Devil has no power over you, he seeks your permission before he speaks to you, he seeks your permission before hurting you. The number one weapon he uses is fear, he knows once you are afraid, you are vulnerable to anything, why do you think the Bible says, I have not given you the spirit of fear but of sound mind and power and love.

Devil knows if you are afraid you can’t have a sound mind, you can’t love or receive love the way it should be, and the worst of all, you will be powerless, then he can toy with you. The authority Christ gave is to disagree with the kingdom of darkness.

Devil can roar like a lion but don’t you dare forget your father is the lion of the tribe of Judah.

Build a wall of faith around you that rejects whatever the devil has to say. A wall of fear around you will hinder what God has to do.

THINGS HE DID FOR LOVE ISAIAH 53

The very first thing he did was this: there exist a very great and worldwide king, he had sheep and they've never been doing fine, is either one gets missing today or it’s another problem tomorrow. Even though they are sheep, their behavior is like that of goats. On this faithful day, the king called all his people together, “all the sheep that are lost must be found and we have to stop any further missing of sheep” says the king, he then asked, who will go for this, none answered, the people were giving several excuses , most, of the fact that they do not know the exact towns or cities or villages the sheep were.

Okay, since no one wants to go, I guess this will be a king’s duty, says the king. Then he called the meeting again and made his attention of going after the sheep known to them, he left his crown there on his throne, took up a servant’s cloth and embark on the journey to find his lost sheep and ensure none gets missing again.

Funny, he could have bought new set of sheep and destroy those ones that are always misbehaving, but he didn’t, he took the pain of looking and redeeming them back to himself. Same thing your king did, he could have destroyed the world and create another, but he decided to save the people in it. Things he did for love.

He came down to the world with nothing, he entered into a nowhere, he looked like a nobody, and physically there were no traits of royalty. What a quick transformation, a great king became a lowly servant, we looked down on him, we punished him, killed him, no honor whatsoever were given to him, that was bad of us because it was our pains he carried.

He didn’t fail but received the punishment of failures, he didn’t sin but received the reward of a sinner, he hates none, but all hated him, he’ll help all but none helped him.

He was not been punished by the father for what he did wrong, no, it was our sin that did that to him, our sin tore his cloth, our sins spat on him, our sins flogged him, our sins gave him that sour wine, our sin finally killed him. Your sin, my sin. Things he did for love.

By his stripes you are made whole; through his bruises we get healed. He wasn’t stupid, he was in love, he wasn’t enjoying the pain, he endured for the sake of love, he forgot his kingship, not that he was tired of royalty. Things he did for love.

He never for once thought of himself, his thought was basically for your well being, he paid the price of you been a black sheep, just to turn you white as snow.

All these and still you see nothing and still you feel nothing, and still he means nothing to you, even still you prefer to be like a pig whom no matter how cleansed it is now, check back tomorrow and you see dirt all over, or like a dog who keeps going back to it vomit.

If you think all that were joke, then I’ll plead with you to wait till that time when the son of man shall come to take his beloved and the remaining black sheep will have to redeem themselves with their blood, for those who will  be able to bear the pain.

All these and more he did for love…your king…it wasn’t easy..but it was worth it.

HE IS THAT WAS AND THAT IS TO COME

God is, God was, God is to come. Did God ever leave? No

In the beginning God (was) created the heaven and earth. In the same beginning was the word, the word was with God and God was this word- in the beginning was God, God was with God, God was the God- nothing were made without the word.

The same word now came as flesh and now dwelt among us, there were times when this word that came will lift up His eyes and say “father I thank you”. When the word in flesh finished His mission, He told His followers, “I am going to the father, if I don’t go, the comforter (Spirit) will not come”

Who then created heaven and earth? Who was with God when He did that? Who was hovering upon the earth before any creation work could begin? Who came in form of flesh? Who came in an invisible but receivable form? Who was Jesus praying to?

To some, they only have Jesus but they don’t have the Holy spirit, to some, they only know God they don’t know Jesus.

Another question, where was God when Jesus was on the earth? Heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. God is one, his presence is one but multidirectional, He can function differently in many places just at a time, shouldn’t you wonder why there are no collisions in heaven due to the prayer request of souls every day and are to be answered by one God?. He knows the edges of heaven and earth; he can choose to appear anywhere, anyhow and anytime.

God is Jesus, Jesus is God, Jesus is the Spirit, God is the Spirit, and these are just three personalities of one God. He did that miracle yesterday, what makes you think He’s not here to do it for you today, He was the one you were so attached to last year and things were just going on well, what made you conclude he’d left? Why are you making God appear like He’s is restricted to some locations and to some situations. He was with me back there in Nigeria, but now in Korea, He left already- who does that, definitely not God.

He is everywhere you are, the psalmist said, where could I go from your spirit? Or where could I go from your presence? Run to heaven, you will meet Him, run to the land of the dead, same God is there, in the sea, during the day and in the dark, still same God. I was talking with God this morning and I said, “God, you are with my sisters in the examination hall and you are here with me”, you can’t explain that, he is God, He’s big, heaven and earth can’t even contain Him

Your challenges are too minute/little compared to what he can do. But in as much as God is always present everywhere at any time, you might still boldly say that he is not present, and that will simply be because you aren’t aware of His presence or your conscious mind is not conscious enough to see that there is a God who owns the earth and it fullness where you are.

Are you in the darkness or deepest point in your journey and you want to give up because it seems God is not there with you? Please do remember God’s absence is “NOWHERE” and His presence is “EVERYWHERE”.

LIFE AND DEATH JEREMIAH 3:2,15

For once I was and you were God’s enemy. What made us His enemies then was sin. Sin can be terrible and note, no little of it and no big version of it, sin is sin and sin is death.

Death takes away everything from you, just like death will drain you of all goodies you carry. The prayer of a sinner is abomination to God, sin hinders your prayer, because it’s as good as dead, dead men don’t speak, don’t pray.

But then we are no longer in the time of law but of grace, law will do no good than to increase the rate and speed of sin. Those that live by the law are judged by the law.

However, life is faith in Christ Jesus, for our righteousness is not that of law but of faith in the only son of God, burying the old self of sin and raising the new self of faith. That 3-day’s journey to hell was in order to pay the price of you not going there. He swallowed death, death where is thy sting and grave where is thy victory, the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is law, but finally all thanks to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

He conquered all for your sake and that’s why Jesus will boldly assure you of life to the fullness because the choking aspect of it has been removed.

Hello!!!, you are not the one starting the redemption journey all over, stop living/acting like you can redeem yourself by your works/blood. Someone did that years ago, remember? God has no interest in seen your blood (sacrifice) or that of animal, He saw one of Himself and that settles it all. Don’t take glory that doesn’t belong to you by forcing on yourself an inconvenient life of law. That era has passed, don’t live in the old, please get the new life.

The question now is, am I permitted to sin or do anything anyhow because I’ve been saved by grace? That will lead me to what a friend will always say, “you wouldn’t want to stoop so low to do that because you had tasted something bigger and better and greater”.

Let me gist you of a very poor man, his poverty is unquantifiable, anyways, he managed to have a rag he wears about every day. One very good morning, a rich man across the street that is always seen him called him, took him home, took away the old rag and gave him a new wear, that wasn’t all, he gave him a house, car and some cool cash and then gave him hints on how to maintain his new identity has a rich man. No longer is he the poor man, now the rich man, here is the real gist, how does it sound when you hear that the man left that beautiful comfort of his and went in search of his old rag, put it on and start working up and down the street.

Exact way you look when you have been saved, cleansed, washed with such an expensive blood and still you decide to bend and pick up some shit. Live and laugh, because this “God is not in the business of condemnation but in the transformation business.”

I have placed before you life and death, you choose. He came out of the grave, stop visiting the grave on a daily basis. He locked the gate of Hell, stop knocking on Hell’s door like it’s your house with the way you live your life.

Enjoy your new life for He doesn’t count your sin no more, if you haven’t gotten that life, I bet you are missing something big, get it now and live.

Do yourself the good of accepting the gift He had bought (life-faith) and throw away that which He had destroyed (death-sin).

Abraham was righteous but, not by deeds but by faith.