Living the will of God - Part 2

“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.””

Mark 14:36 NKJV

'Will' as we are using it in this context is a noun, defined  according to Cambridge Dictionary as what someone wants to happen. This definition is too simplistic for me, so I came up with my own:

The will of God is the heart of God; what He wants to be done and to be, for His glory.

The will of God is the heart of God and the outcome of His will is the glory of His name. To understand the will of God, we must see it from His view not what we desire but what He desires.

Many times we pray for the will of God in our situation but we are not ready to accept it because of our selfishness; or too impatient to wait so we 'help' God along.

The Holy Book gives us insights into the will of God. I have classified these into two categories; the will of God as it relates to Himself. I call this God-will. And the second is the will of God as it relates to mankind.

1. God-will: What God does by His own will without mankind. Creation was an example. By Himself God did it, according to His will, desire, purpose. Another example is the creation of man. This was by the will of God. He purposed to create man in His own image. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Gen 1:27). And God saw everything He created was good. Gen 1:31

In God’s relationship with mankind we see these wills in action:

2. Free will: God created man in his own image. He also gave us free will, to make decisions and choices in life. God also provides man the  necessary information and options to make the decision. Gen 2:15 - 17 (NKJV); 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  Of course we know that man chose to eat of the fruit they knew not to eat (irrespective of the tempter the ultimate decision was still man's. Our conscience tells us what is right or wrong. We make the choice on what to do; which way to go. He called everyone to make the choice of life in Christ. Many will hear the call, some will even answer the call but only a few will choose to do his will. 

3. Permissive will: This is when mankind asks God for something they desire against the expressed will of the Father and He let them have it. Israel demanded a King and God gave it to them (1 Sam 8). But it was His will for them. And we read the everlasting impact on the nation. How many times have we asked, pleaded, begged, even tried to blackmail God (if you do this, I will serve you forever...)? We quote the scripture - God gives the desires of my heart (Ps 37:4) as justification for badgering Him with what we want instead of asking for His will. What about what He desires for you? 

4. Perfect will: When we know, acknowledge and accept God's will irrespective of our own desire.  We do what He asks. We go where He sends. We say what He tells us and when He tells us. Our perfect example is  Jesus. He came to earth to do the will of God the Father. Whatever He did was the perfect will of God - his birth, ministry, death, resurrection and the ultimate redemption of mankind. We should seek first to know and understand His perfect will. And then walk in it. Many times we might not know the end or know the vision, nor be clear on the details. Sometimes the journey is painful, uncomfortable, hard but He knows the plans He has for us; plans to prosper us and not harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11).

5. Self-will: When you operate in self-will, there is no acknowledgement of God. There is no desire to ask His will. All you want is to do what you desire. You think all you need is your own abilities, intellect and strength. This is different to permissive will because in the latter you still acknowledge God but you ask Him to rubber stamp your desires. Like a loving father to a petulant child, He lets you have your way. The history of Israel gave us many examples of incidences of self-will. They kept rebelling against God and following their own desires. The prophets kept warning them about God’s heart concerning the rebellion. 

For a declared born-again Christian, self-will is rebellion against God. Because you are saying, ‘You are not my God.’ 

“But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.” Psalms ‭81:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬

Brethren, Elohim gave us free will but He expects us to choose Him; to acknowledge Him; to obey Him; to honour and glorify Him.

What is the perfect will of God for your life? Are you walking in it?

Prayer:

Almighty Father, in the name of Jesus help me to operate in Your perfect will for my life. Amen

#will #willofGod #sppiritualmaturity

Living the will of God - Part 1

Many of us christian pray for the will of God to be done in our life. I do as well. To be truthful, then I use to wonder even as I prayed it, to what extent I was willing to do the will of God. I mean we read about the people of faith in the bible and what they had to go through all in the course of doing God's will. Jesus is our perfect example of one who did the perfect will of His Father. And we know what it caused him.

At the beginning of this year 2017, when God gave me this word 'Thy will Oh Lord be done'. It led me to a journey of exploration, discovery, understanding and finally coming to a place of decision to let 'thy will oh Lord be done.'

During the year, God taught me lessons on His perfect will. I was taken through His will for creation to His relationship with mankind. I will be sharing some of these over the next few blogs as directed by the Holy Spirit. I pray that it will impact your life positively and get you going (still) walking and working out His perfect will for your life.

The will of God can be seen from creation. The creation of earth was from the will of Elohim. His will was to create a dwelling place for humankind.

Please read and reflect on Genesis 1. 

“I have made the earth, And created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded…
For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45:12, 18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Everything He made was good
The will of God is that the earth should bring forth fruits and herbs
The will of God is that the stars, sun, moon in the firmaments are for signs of times and seasons (the wise men were led by the star when Jesus was born) and for days and years (many orthodox Churches refer to the stars and moon for days and years)
It was after God created the habitation that He created living things
It was the will of God for man to be in His image
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” Genesis‬ ‭1:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is the will of God for humankind to be fruitful
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis‬ ‭1:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is His will for man to fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over all that He has created - except man
It is the will of God for man to work. To take care of the earth
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." Gen 2:15
It is the will of God that man should not be alone but in a family
"And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Genesis‬ ‭2:15, 18‬ ‭
It is useful to also realise that it was God's will to delegate authority and responsibility to man.
It is also worth understanding that it was the will of God that there is an intimate connection between a man and woman - when He created woman from man rather than directly from the dust of the earth as He did Adam. That is why there is always a longing or sense of intimacy between a man or woman. Except those that have been given the gift of celibacy (Mat 19:12)
“But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”” Matthew‬ ‭19:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is the will of God that man should rule over sin
“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”” Genesis‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

From creation, we can also see it was not the will of God for woman to have pain and sorrow in conception
It was not the will of God for man to toil to eat and sweat to have bread (man to tend and care for)
It was not the will of God for earth to bring forth thorns and thistles
And it was not the will for God for man to die

These were consequences of disobedience to God’s expressed command. ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:16-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the beginning everything God planned was good and perfect.

Disobedience led to the end of the perfect world of Eden to the cursed earth, to spiritual separation and finite years.

But praise the LORD for His love for us. That despite these, He made provision for our reconciliation and the restoration of all things to the way He intended it by His perfect will. Through His only begotten son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ came to reconcile man back to God through faith.

The pole that holds the bridge of this connection by faith is obedience.

It is the will of God that everyone who believes in the son will have eternal life.

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:40‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus said he knows His Father always hear him. Because he came to earth to do his will (John 11:42)

Let us pause to pray:
Help me to understand your will by growing in the knowledge of you
Help me to have the desire to know and do your will not mine.
Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

Divorce (4)

So I sought the Lord in prayer and studying His word to know and understand His heart concerning marriage, divorce and remarriage. 

The first thing I learnt was that God hates divorce. Any kind of divorce is a sin. I had to genuinely ask for forgiveness concerning this. I thank the Lord for the blood of Jesus that washes away all sins. I believe Elohim does not count this against me. I am righteous in His sight by the finished work on the Calvary. I am not ashamed of my marital situation.

Secondly and for me the most important was asking God for revelation to me of His will and plan for my life. I understood that not everyone is meant to be married. Irrespective of how the church perceives singleness - many a vigil has been held for unmarried sisters and brothers. Decrees and prophetic declaration has been made. If there are so many mighty men and women of God in the bible that were single who says everyone must be married? Jesus was not, neither was John the Baptist, Apostle Paul, the Samaritan woman that became the first evangelist was divorced so many times before she met her Saviour. And many more examples (search the word yourself).

What was God’s plan for my life when He had me in mind even before He formed me? Was I meant to be married or single for Christ?

Thirdly, if my life was to bring glory to God what decisions and actions must I take that will bring glory to Him rather than questions about His word and Him that I serve.

Fourthly, the need to make restitution and put relationships right. It was not about who was wrong or right. It is easy to always blame the other person and not reflect on your own part in the situation. I had to purposefully seek and make restitution for the breakdown of my marriage (ask for forgiveness for my part in what led to the divorce). 

And then hand over my life to Elohim. I had to go through a spiritual journey of maturity to get to the place where I can say through heart belief - 'Whatever you want of me Lord, here I am. Married or not married, it is all about you. Yes I would like to be married but Your will for my life takes precedent.'

It was not easy and it is not easy. It is a daily commitment. But I rest on the promises of God that His plan is to give me a hope and a future. He delights in every details of my life. He gave me beautiful children. He did not ordain children outside of marriage. But my life is about Him. 

Where I am now is living a life that is about Elohim, the expansion of His kingdom and the glory of His name. Do I want to get married and have a home? Of course yes. BUT I am not doing that in my power or by the flesh. I have and still pray that Almighty God will do what He has in plan for me. What He will do that I will testify. What He will do that will bring glory and honour and many souls to give their lives because He is the one that can make dead bones to live again.

Do I worry about the passage of time. NO because I fill my life with Him. I focus on using the gifts He has given me by empowering others; sharing my testimonies, lifting others up like writing this blog. It is when you focus on yourself so much that you give your flesh the opportunity to take control of your thoughts.

All I know is that God will restore my marital life and it will be done in a way that will not be divisive to the body of Christ but will be a jaw-gapping, hands lifted, body rolling on the floor testimony to the Almighty!

Whilst I am waiting for their manifestation of God’s will concerning this, I am living and loving life! I am maximizing this time of singleness to travel and do the work of the kingdom.

Are you a divorced child of God, seek God for your situation, focus less on it, enjoy life and let God be God in your situation. Marriage does not define who you are but complements you. Let God take charge and you enter His rest. Do not worry about what people are saying or will say. Age is just a number. It is better your latter years is greater than your early years. Don't waste each second of your life in worry, self-doubt and unhappiness. Fill your life with Elohim. When you then want to remarry no-one will doubt this is the work of the ALMIGHTY GOD. And it will be in line with His word. 

By the grace of Elohim, I want to encourage the matured singles in the body of Christ - either matured never been married (over 35s), divorced and young widows. 

I will be starting a non-denominational SINGLENESS IN CHRIST FELLOWSHIP in 2018 by the grace and will of Elohim.This will be a weekly one and half hours fellowship through social media forum; studying the word, praying together, sharing and encouraging each other. If you are interested in joining send me an email - adeola@we-can-leadershipinstitute.com, message me through Facebook Adeola Akintoye or send a message through this blog. I am excited as I look forward to what Elohim has in store for us.

I hope you have been blessed and encouraged by these series.
Shalom

Divorce (3)

Almighty God created the institution of marriage. “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" Gen 2:18. He desires godly children from this union (Malachi 2:15). Nevertheless, He is not against singleness or celibacy. The greatest single person ever lived was Jesus Christ. The most impactful apostle - Paul never married. No single person must ever feel ashamed in the Christendom about their marital status.

There are and will always be differences of opinion on divorce and remarriage until YESHUA returns. It is easy to judge those who are divorced in the church and be judgmental about whether they can or should re-marry or not. The word of Elohim and His principles concerning marriage and divorce should be our yardstick not our feelings or fleshy desires. Please refer to previous articles on these.

As someone who became a born again Christian after having been divorced for many years and even in a relationship which I had hoped would lead to a settled home; this was one of the issues I had to contend with in the church.

I had so many different and conflicting opinions and advice in the Church that I decided to seek the Lord directly myself. I heard extreme views like you can never remarry once you are divorced and irrespective of how young you are unless your (ex) husband dies, you will be committing adultery with any remarriage. Okay... should I start praying for his death given I was still very young (in my thirties) I wondered. 

I also heard that given I was divorced before I became born again old things have passed away all things have become new. I can remarry but this time its till death do us part and the person must be a believer. But...?

Then I also heard, well marriage is till death but there are many who divorced and said God told them to remarry and they are happy. Then I also got examples of ministers of God that are divorced before or during ministries, and are still doing ‘wonders’ in the ministry.

As a new believer what do you do? You read the bible, you read what God has said and then you hear what those who have been in this christian journey long before you are saying. And you see even Pastors getting divorced as Christians and remarrying and you wonder? Was there another bible people are following?

So I decided I will seek God myself concerning this issue and my own specific situation. After all I have access to Him as well. He will guide me and lead me according to His plan and purpose for my life.

And what did I hear? Look out for the final part of this Divorce series. 

Shalom.

#WordforToday 4 Nov 2017 The hand of Fury

“Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. 10 For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the Lord. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”’ (Jeremiah 21:8-10)

Wow! What a judgement. An option between the rock and a hard place. What did the beloved people of Elohim do to warrant such fury? “And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’ ”” Jeremiah‬ ‭22:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. Blatant disobedience and idolatory. Despite having a written policy and procedures manual (the Torah) - which they disregarded, they were sent reminders through Prophets time and time and time and time again. They killed some, ridiculed others. 

They mistook God's patience for tolerance until His day of judgement came.

Is there anything different in our days? Our policy and procedures manual - The Holy Scriptures, is being interpreted to suit each interpreter's desire, adjustments and amendment and flexibility. God's silence is mistaken for grace. His patience is taken for acceptance. His mercy for reward.

We have many modern day Pashur and Zepaniah; false prophets and priests who preach what is sweet to the heart of humankind - as long as the seats are filled, the offering and tithe baskets are full. There is no longer the fear of the Lord in the heart of man - after all grace, grace, grace is available.

The word of God burned in his heart like a burning fire and shut up his bones, holding it back he could not (Jer 20:9). We desire pastors, preachers, teachers, apostles like such!

God is a God of Justice. What He says will happen will surely happen. The Israelite became like a spoilt child because of the covenant God made by Himself with their fathers. They taught He would always forgive because He is a loving and merciful God. Until even the household of His beloved David were taken into captivity.

Do not mock God. You are either for Him or against Him. There is no in-between. Give your life to Him completely. You are either in or out. Born again or not, physical Israelite or spiritual Israelite, His Hand of fury will come on His day of judgement.


#journeytospiritualmaturity

#WordforToday 28 Oct 2017 Liar Liar

A sin that will trip many of us christian is the sin of lying.

No one will readily admit to being a liar. But how many times have we told a white lie; grey lie;  small lie; tiny lie; lie for the good of someone else; lie to save someone and the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately for us the word of God is very clear. No distinction between the zillion types of lies that we use to justify not telling the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

"But the cowardly, unbelieving,[a] abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Rev 21:8. All liars, no exception. A lie is a lie.

Isn't it interesting that humankind will always justify why they had to disobey the Almighty God? "If I told the hurt, the person would be hurt." "I had to tell the lie to save him."

What do you do then in cases where someone else would be hurt or be in serious trouble because of the truth. I would first consider both outcome of not telling the truth. At worst, you don't say anything. Plead the fifth Amendment.

Our christian faith is about our relationship with Elohim. We must contend for this faith. We must work it out with fear and trembling. Whenever I find myself in situations where I can't tell the truth, I don't say anything. Or I tell the other person I can't say anything because I would have to tell a lie. Even in the workplace. This is where there is always that battle between telling the whole truth in a diplomatic way. And it doesn't matter who the person is because I fear God more.

Truth hurts sometimes. We have to use wisdom in some circumstances when the truth will hurt another person. Hurting someone else can never be a justification for lying.

When you lie, you become a liar and your place will not make it to eternity. May this never be our portion.

It is a daily challenging path we need to walk. When you find yourself about to tell a lie, just take a pause. Is anything worth missing eternity for?

Stand for the truth and use it as an opportunity to witness for Jesus.

Before you tell a lie next time, think Heaven or Hell.

#journeytospiritualmaturity.

Divorce (2)

"But my husband beats me." "My wife cheated on me. I can't trust her again." "I don't love him any more." Many reasons, in the eyes of man - right reasons to get divorced.  But God hates divorce. As a born again Christian will you do what your Father hates?

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“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:3-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Pharisees were looking for justification for their actions.

Even though divorce in this respect was addressed to man because to God it is a man that marries a woman. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord." (Prov 18:22) Yet divorce could be instigated by the woman as well.

Marriage is God's holy institution and a covenant with God as a witness (Mal 4:11,14). The purpose and standard was set by Elohim. Because of the hardness of the heart of man, divorce was permitted but in the beginning it was not so.

I have heard people use Matthew 19:9 as justification that Jesus allowed some divorce i.e. Where the woman committed sexual immorality. In my own childlike understanding of the things of God. If God hates divorce and did not plan this why would Jesus be okay with any kind of divorce?

If you divorce your wife because she committed adultery, why would that divorce be okay with God? Its not justifying the sin of adultery but should it be reason to do what God hates? 

Are you a Christian who is thinking about getting divorced? Seek the LORD in prayer. He will never tell you it is okay to do what He hates. But because of the hardness of  your heart...

Are you married to a wife or husband beater? Wisdom says take yourself out of the line of fire. Do not stay till he or she beats you to death. Should you then divorce because of that? This must be between you and the God you serve. He has stated His mind. He has also given each one of us free will to decide and make a choice. Before you do, ask yourself; 'Is there anything too difficult for God to do?' Take your particular situation to Elohim, wait on Him for direction. He will lead you aright.

Did you divorce before you knew the truth? Look out for Divorce (3) as I share with you my experience based on the word of God ONLY not the wisdom of humankind.

#WordforToday 26 Oct 2017 Waiting.

Waiting is difficult for many people. Waiting without knowing the end is even more challenging. You hope that you are not waiting in vain.

A Christian must learn the art of waiting. You cannot force God's hand concerning your situation. An unmarried sister who thinks her biological clock is ticking and resorts to artificial insemination IVF has not waited. Rushing into marriage with the first person that asks you because you are approaching 40 years is not waiting.

photo credit http://www.afrikanmbiu.com/waiting/

I have had my share of the waiting period. In fact I am still waiting on the Lord for a particular situation in my life. Is it easy? Of course not. Are there times of temptations to take the easy way? Definitely yes. Although the waiting has gotten easier and the temptation does not move me anymore. Because..

Because I am clear about the mind of Elohim concerning the situation. I have learnt that only God must be glorified at the end of the day. And I am determined that no matter how long it takes I will wait for His perfect time.

I always remember that Yeshua did not find it easier doing the perfect will of God. Before his crucifixion, he prayed three times in the garden of Gethsemane; "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew‬ ‭26:39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). It is that nevertheless that encourages me and keeps me going. It is about the perfect will of Elohim. At the end Jesus was glorified with the name above all names.

You have to make a decision, your way or Elohim way; to satisfy your desire or to glorify God. Don't make yourself feel better by justifying your action with incorrect application of the word of God.  His principles are clear and His standards are set from eternity.

Wait and encourage yourself with His promises;

• But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
• I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14
• The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentation 3:25
• Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 24:14
• I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Psalm 52:9

Don't help God. Just wait.

#prayerfortoday
Almighty Father, in the name of Yeshua Jesus, let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Give me strength and courage to wait on You. Help me not to be moved by what I see, feel or hear. Help me not to give in to temptation and alternatives - that looks good, feels good, taste good but the end thereof is death. Let my decisions be without reproach and bring glory to You alone. I will yet testify of Your mercies. Amen

#Bibleversefortoday
But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Divorce (1)

The issue of divorce in Christendom is one of the most divisive. Many have search the Holy Scripture line by line to find explanation, justification, affirmation - you name it. We want to find a reason to do it or explain why it is okay. For one who claims to be a christian, there is no explanation except to understand the mind of God concerning divorce. Any other reason would be like those who 'because of the hardness of their heart' was granted their wish.

One of the most simple clarification on the mind of God concerning this - especially for those of the household of God: "The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made  them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:3-6 NKJV

Divorce was never in the plan of God from the beginning. Let us see again the mind of Elohim on divorce:

“For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts.”

Malachi 2:16 NKJV

There is no-one on earth that can convince me that divorce for a child of God is acceptable. Unless we are saying God made a mistake when He said he hates (not hated, nor will hate but present continuous 'hates'). The God that hated divorce yesterday, still hates it today and  will continue to hate it forever.

What God hates is sin. Period.

No matter  your justification or reasoning, if you were married as a christian; you call on Elohim's name as a witness, my friend what God has joined together let NO MAN PUT ASUNDER.

1 Corinthians 7: 10.Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

Again we see the heart of God for His children. A wife is not to depart and if she does she remains unmarried (no divorce). A man is not to divorce his wife. A clear commandment, not from Paul but from Jesus. When we start giving reasons for disobeying this commandment, is that being led by the flesh or the Spirit of God? Would the Holy Spirit lead you to disobey the Almighty God?

Any Pastor or otherwise that encourages you to divorce as a christian is leading you into direct conflict with God who hates divorce.

Are you thinking of doing it? Are you wrestling with your conscience? Wait and seek the face of Elohim. Is there anything too difficult for Him to do?

Have you done it like me before you knew the truth that sets you free. Do not despair..

Part 2 to come.

#WordforToday 22 Oct 2017 Peace like a river.

What would life be like without any worries in the world? Nations are seeking peace. Individuals desires peace of mind.
Leaders makes pacts and resolutions with each other for world peace - with threats of sanctions for those who break them.
Fundamental human right becomes the lever of individual peace. 'As long as my rights are not imposed on there is peace.'
Yet, there is no peace in the world.
Humankind has ignored its creator in its definition of peace. Peace is not in man or any man-made ideas or process.
Peace is in the Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth; and everything in it, including you and I.
The way of peace is putting Elohim first and making His ways our process of peace.
You want peace #turnbacktoGod.

#Prayerfortoday
Almighty Father, in the name of Jesus help me to heed ALL your commands. And let my peace be like a river. Turn the heart of nations and its leaders to you. And let peace reign in the world. For the glory of Your name. Amen.

Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:18 NKJV

Adeola Akintoye

#WordforToday In or Out

Isn't it wonderful to have a Father who promises that no evil shall befall us, Nor shall any plague come near our dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over us. To keep us in all our ways. In their hands they shall bear us up, Lest we dash our foot against a stone.

Is this promise free? Well you don't pay for it. But there are conditions to be met. 'He who dwells in the secret place of the  Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty ( ref Ps 91:1). It is only if He is our refuge and dwelling place that His promises are ye and amen.

Many unfortunately are living a life of compromise. We want to enjoy God's promises but we keep going in and out of His dwelling place. Isn't it time you make a choice. In or out.

Sometimes things happen to us and we start doubting God.

If you are not experiencing
 the promises of Elohim in your life, it is time to check your dwelling place. Are you in or out?

(Insights
Psalms 91:10‭-‬12‭, ‬14 NKJV)
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My Name

#journeytospiritualmaturity

Adeola Akintoye​

#theloveseries 2: Perfect Love

Love that last is patient and kind. It does not envy neither is it puffed up. A love that is selfless, it does not seek its own. It is not easily provoked, bears all things, believes all things, hopes in all things and endures all things. It is a love that never fails.

The Holy Scriptures gives us a perfect picture of this type of love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 from verses 4 to 8.

What ties a family together apart from sharing a bloodline is love. Perfect love is more than a feeling of constant affection for someone or something. This love goes beyond mere affection.

The world is used to love that comes with conditions. A love that is dependent on what you do. As long as what you do is acceptable to me then I love you.

The example of perfect love is Jesus Christ. His love for us is before 'we do'. It is not dependent on what we do. In fact our relationship with God was restored by His death whilst we were still sinners, because He loved us (Romans‬ ‭5:8‬). This is unconditional love.

We too have the ability to love like this. We are created in God's image. We have the capacity to love like He does. But it has to be beyond the flesh - feeling. If we want to love with our flesh we will fail. Flesh is self-centred. Self knows and cares only for itself. It is easily hurt. It seeks to take revenge.

This type of real love comes from your spirit. Your spirit is what is God like. It is what can go beyond the flesh. It is the seat of Christ in you because God is Spirit. This love can only be in Christ and through Him.

This love is patient. A love that easily forgives. A love that is there even when you are angry, upset or hurt. A love from which long lasting relationships are built. It is like the foundation of a house. No matter how beautiful or ugly that house is the foundation remains and keep the house standing.

A love that is intentional, lived out from the decision to love. To be able to love like this, you must start with yourself, then your immediate family, extend to the body of Christ, loving all people then becomes easier.

Try it.

#theloveseries (1)

Love is a wonderful emotion. It brings joy to the heart, smile to the face, a spring in your step. 

In picture, love is represented as a heart. This is because it is an emotion in and from the heart.

It is not just an emotion to do with feeling. It is an emotion that demands much more. The holy scriptures in the book of first Corinthians chapter thirteen from verses four to seven gives a brilliant description of what love is.

Love is patient. 

I have reflected and pondered and come to the conclusion that impatience is birth when we want things our own way, in our own time, according to our own standard. We get impatient when someone does not meet OUR expectation. We get impatient with God when we do not get answers to  our prayers at the time we want it. Impatience is all about I, ME, and MINE.

One of the lessons I learnt early on in leading people is that each one of us has unique abilities that is personal to us. Expecting other people to do things exactly how I would have done it will not necessary lead to the standard I would have achieved. On the  other hand it demotivates, brings conflict and enable a working environment that is riddled with stress. 

God has wired us all with unique gifts for the purpose He created us. When we say we love, let us first get to understand a person's gifting and empower them to discover, activate, use and hone these gifts. Do not judge them impatiently by your gift but with  patience by their own gift. It might not meet your standard but it meets the standard of their Creator.

Each of my three daughters are so uniquely different. I have learnt to appreciate their uniqueness and relate with them according to their gifting. It has and is still teaching me patience from a  place of love.

Be a little patient with those you love because love is patient.

The power of the spoken word

"Let there be Light" and there was light. Yes, those words might have been spoken by the Almighty Himself, nevertheless there is power in the spoken word. 

There are so many promises of Yahweh to His children.

"As you have said in my ears so shall I do"; "Whatever you ask in my name, my father will do"; "Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven." And so many more. Read the bible and discover them for yourself.

Of course there are conditions or your words would just be empty without the creative life to bring it to pass. For the people that abide by these conditions, we read great and mighty things that they accomplished just by speaking the word - Moses with signs and wonders. Joshua commanded the sun and moon by his words and they stood still. Elijah caused a climatic famine for two years by his words and many more including Jesus and the Apostles. And in our lifetime men and women of faith performing healing miracles by the spoken word.

I know many of us desire to speak the word and see miracle, signs and wonders. The challenge is meeting the conditions - faith in Yeshua, abiding in the word, prayer and so forth. The most important condition is having the deep, intimate relationship with Yeshua Jesus. A relationship that is so close, whatever you ask for is done because you ask according to the knowledge of His will. 

A relationship that is built on love and obedience. This is not just about going to Church, serving in departments, praying and fasting 24/7. But giving up your life as a living sacrifice - seeking and finding Him, seeking and knowing Him, seeking and obeying Him, seeking and spending quality time with Him in the word and in prayer. Your life is centered on Him. He becomes your lifestyle. His will becomes your life manuscript.

Many desires to have the power of the spoken word become reality in their lives but unfortunately they are not willing or able to pay the price. Only a few people do pay the price. Many of us settle for the little we try. We prefer to go to the pastor to pray for us when we need it and hope that Elohim will answer the prayer. This is living below our capability in Christ Jesus.

Let us seek Jesus to know Him, obey Him and be a living sacrifice, seeking first the Kingdom and its righteousness. Every other thing shall be added and whatever we ask in the name of Jesus shall be done.

Licence to kill

We love to quote this scripture, ''There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" In other words, whatever we do is okay.

No it is not! The grace of Yeshua is not a licence to continue in sin. 

Yes we are under grace not law. Our faith is not based on works but grace - a gift of God. Because of that grace we should no longer live in the pattern of our old life.

A woman was caught in the act of adultery and she was brought to Jesus for judgement. She was not sentenced to death as per the law, she received the grace of Christ. She was not condemned for her sin, but was shown mercy. Nevertheless she was told to go and sin no more.

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John‬ ‭8:11‬ ‭NKJV

Jesus expected her just as he does us, once forgiven and saved, sin no more.

A man who was in bondage to an infirmity for 36 years was shown mercy and healed by Jesus. He told him " “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:14 NKJV

‭‭‬‬The grace of Yahweh is not an excuse to continue in sin, believing that asking for forgiveness every time makes it okay. It is not for if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement (Hebrews 10:26).

Grace is the licence to kill sin in your life.