“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say,`Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:6-10 NKJ)

When it comes to fasting, many believers are quite reserved. When a fast is called or when led to fast and pray, people begin to ask questions like; Do I have to fast? Will God not hear me if I don’t fast? I don’t have much time to pray. Is it still necessary to fast?

The scripture shows to us, that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, when we confess our weakness, our need for help, when we put food aside and focus on the will of God, when we are honest enough to confess that we have been bound, that we have been selfish or self-centered, when we are able to confess our inability to help ourselves we will see the power of God manifest in our lives.

I know from personal experience that whenever I take time out to wait upon the Lord in fasting and prayer, the Lord shows me truths in His word that literally break limiting thought and ignorance. I have been encouraged by this verse today to continue to incoparate seasons of fasting and prayers into my life and ministry.

I remember the first time I joined a group of christian brothers and sisters from Evangelical Christian Union in Obafemi Awolowo University in 3 days fasting (water only - 1 cup per day) and prayer. Oh I thought I was going to die, but then I thought I cant just go through this pain without coming out with something powerful. I prayed, I studied scriptures and I can tell you my faith in God increased. I developed a much greater desire to see God move in our days. This passion that was birthed in me back in university has not left me till today. Chains were indeed broken. I have had many more seasons of prayer and fasting since then and they have been quite rewarding.  Dear brother or sister, Fast and Pray. You will be greatly blessed.

My first book has finally been published.  In YOU CAN BE LIKE JESUS, I  present in simple and easily applicable terms, steps required of every Christian to ensure a steady growth in their walk with God. This book is beneficial to those who have recently begun an active relationship with Christ, or those who have gotten into a rut in their walk with God. It is also a very handy tool for those who are mentoring new believers. You can get a hard copy by clicking on the book cover below or get an electronic Kindle version.

It is my desire that everyone that needs this gets a copy of it. So if you cannot afford to buy this book and you really need it, please let me know. We can find a way to get you a copy. You are blessed.

This is a question that I am pondering right now. Grace is God reaching out to us and giving us full access to Himself and ALL His resources. This Grace is made available through the coming, death and resurrection of Jesus. So here we are, natural beings try to do things in our own strength and making a mess of it (yes some make more mess that others); and simply because of what God chose to do through Jesus, we are now free to operate in the power of God on the earth.

My question then is, can we abuse this grace? Or maybe more appropriately can we take this grace for granted? To the second question I say yes. We can forget the cost of grace because we receive it freely. We can also continue to live far below God’s ideal for us because we do not recognise what has been done for us. When you do not know the value of what you have, the tendency to abuse it is greatly increased.

Am I abusing the grace of God? Am I really making use of all that God has given to me in him? These are some of the questions that I believe the Holy Spirit is posing to me these days. I believe there is so much more in God than I am making use of. As the apostle Paul urges in 2 Cor 6:1 - We must endeavor not to receive the grace of God in vain or (ignore it). I think this is another wake up call to me.

I got this call once when I was in university - I was always spending time studying scriptures and praying at the expense of studying my school materials. Needless to say, I did very poorly at school that year. The following year however, I got this wake-up call that I can tap into the grace of God to do well at school and still excel in spiritual things. Specifically I was led to spend an extra one or two hours studying my school materials after my loong meetings and bible studies. In this short period of time, I was able to understand what I was being taught in my engineering classes and I did very well in my exams.

What am I learning today? There is a need for me and for all believers to tap into the grace of God to do what needs to be done rather than thinking that what needs to be done can be neglected because we are “doing the work of God”. So I think I need to take a look at my schedule and my life and see things that I have thought I did not have time for or strength for and see how God will lead me to do them not by my strength but with his Grace.

If you are reading this, maybe you can look at your life and schedule and see if there are things that you have abandoned because you were spending more time doing ministry. Did God ask you to drop those things? Or maybe there are things that God has been asking you to take up (like me) that you think you cannot do because your plate is full. If He is asking you to do it, remember to tap into God’s strength (Grace). You will be amazed at how much God can do through a man or woman who is willing to take an extra hour every now and then to do what God has placed on their heart.

Lets not ignore the grace of God.

I have been a lot more aware of the fact that we are not seeing many people get really “saved” in our ministry. We see a few people get saved but I am aware that there can easily be many more. I believe we could easily experience people getting into loving relationships with God every week. My question is why is this not happening? Obviously the problem is not from God. I know that God delights in the salvation of lost sinners like me. I know how I got saved and began my relationship with God. There was no drama, but Jesus became very real to me even though I was less than 10yrs old. So I am beginning to wonder if something is wrong with the way I am doing ministry.

Could it be that Canada is too hard? - Well it is true that humanism and secularism is quickly attempting to take over Canada, and a lot of people have become disillusioned with “the church”. However, I still believe that the power of God is still available to save the lost. I do not think that Canada is harder in any special way than other areas of the world where people are anti-Christianity, however I think that those of us sent to minister in Canada must understand the perculiarity of Canada and go to God for a strategy that will be effective in bringing in the harvest.

Is the harvest really ready? Yes of course! Jesus declared many years ago that the harvest is ready. This is the first work that the Lord did in my heart and ministry. I am convinced beyond all doubt that there is a big harvest in Canada. It does not matter what province, city or town, there is a harvest in Canada. The problem is not that the harvest is not ripe. The problem is the labourers!

So what is the problem with the labourers? - The most obvious problem is that there are not many labourers. Very few people are reaching out to the millions of people out there who are lost to the love of God. I am not talking about people not standing at the corner of the street giving out gospel tracts. There are a few of those; although they are still not enough. What about gospel campaigns? There are many of those but I believe that these impersonal methods of reaching out to people can only be as effective as the Christians are reaching out to their neighbours and colleagues in the love of Christ.

I believe the problem with us labourers is that we have focused on impersonal approaches of evangelism or witnessing and ignored the more personal methods of reaching out. We have wrongly assumed that if we stay on the street corner handing out tracts, or set up a tent or rent a hall and just preach the “undiluted word of God”, the non-Christians will rush in and get saved. Well maybe this approach has worked in the past for great evangelists like Charles Finney, DL Moody, Spurgeon, Billy Graham and more, but the more I think about our situation as a church, the more I realise that even this evangelists started out as personal workers before being launched into the ministry of mass evangelism.

What can we do now? Well the first thing is that I am so much more aware that if we are going to enjoy weekly salvations in our ministry, all of us (members of our local assembly) and all of the church nationwide must actively engage in the work of loving our neighbours and sharing the gospel message. If we all love the non-Christians around us and clearly share the gospel message with them when the opportunity arises, although this people may not get saved right away, they will eventually meet with other Christians or attend a less personal evangelistic events where they would accept Jesus as their Lord.

As a pastor, I choose to make personal evangelism my focus - By this I mean that as a church we will invest in resources geared to helping our members learn about personal/relationship evangelism, and to participate in it. I will set a personal goal to meet someone new every week and to share the love of God with them. I am not suggesting that we put an end to all other methods of evangelism, but that we add this very powerful method of reaching out to people to our strategy.

It is more expensive - Yes it is true that making friends and sharing the love of Christ with them does not cost lots of money, however it cost more time and more personal resources. I am discovering however, that although is costs more, it is also more rewarding. I am making some great friendships, praying for more people by name, learning more about my weaknesses and going to God for help. To do this work well, we must become more and more authentic as Christians. What do you know? Relationship evangelism will help you grow as a Christian than any thing that you may have done before. I am already enjoying some of its benefits and I look forward to seeing those weekly salvations in our ministry. I also look forward to seeing the joy in the eyes of some of our members who will start to see people come to faith in Christ Jesus.

Lately I have been thinking about the apparent difference that exist between what we profess as Christians and what many of us experience. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that our apparent lack of power, victory or joy is caused by our blatant ignorance of the character, ways, and will of God.

As a young Christian, I discovered that although the scriptures does not promise an easy ride all the time, it does not assure us of an escape from the results of sin in our world, it promises a victorious, joyful life. I am a strong believer in the fact that regardless of persecution, lack, trouble and challenges, a child of God can live in absolute peace and unexplainable joy.

Dear brother or sister, you do not need to live a defeated or dejected life. Provision has been made for us to live joyfully. Personally, the one thing that has given me peace is that God is infinitely wiser than I am or can ever be. This same God has committed himself to being my father and my God as long as I am committed and submissive to his love. How can one be troubled when in the hands of the most powerful, most wise and most loving being? Surely there is no room for worry or fear if only we could believe that our God is all these and that we are really in His hands.

Do you believe that God is all powerful? Do you believe that He loves you? Do you believes that He lives in you and speaks to you? Do you believe that He speaks and is speaking to you all the time? You may say yes to all these questions and find that you are still worried and afraid and feeling down? Mentally assenting to these questions does not make a difference, what matters is really being sure of these truth.

So how can I be sure of God’s Faithfulness and Love? -We are encouraged in scriptures to draw near to God and He will draw near to us. We also read that, faith comes by hearing… And so on. I find that the more time I spend meditating on and applying the word of God, the more I am able to believe in God’s Love. Here are a few pointers. You will need to figure out a way for you to spend time with your heavenly father. The first list of things will help you begin to spend some time with God and the latter list will help with personal times with God. I must remind you that it is the personal times with God that is most beneficial. However the group or corporate experiences are also indespensible.

1) Attend Fellowship meeting with other believers in a worship service so that you can learn how to worship. Watching others and sharing in coporate worship helps you to experience God’s love without really knowing a whole lot about God. This should create a desire in you: 1) For more of God’s experience  and 2) for the ability to get this fellowship with God on your own.

2) Join others to study scripture - This will help to build a foundation to build your relationship on. This will also help you to learn and be inspired to do more personal studies

3)Spend time alone talking to God, listening to God, singing to God, just staying in God’s presence. This is the key to really knowing God. Simply believe that God is with you, around you and in you and relate to him like that. Speak word to him that signify your surrender and submission and trust and ask Him to guide you. God guides us in many ways. However even before you get a leading from God, you can make up your mind that whatever God tells you to do you will do it.

4) Obey every thought that comes to your mind, that aligns with the Bible, that comes out of Love, that moves the world forward or towards God. If in doubt, share with other believers.

5) Maintain an attitude of gratitude and speak words of gratitude to God at all times. I have learnt to always say thank you Jesus. Thank your God. Thank you Holy Spirit many times in a day as the Lord reminds me of His love and goodness in my life.

The more we do these things, the more of God that we know and experience. Try these things and let me know your experience. You are blessed.

Here is another forward that I found interesting…

Ten Commandments for Parents

1. My hands are small; please do not expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; slow down so that I can keep up with you.
2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; let me explore it safely; do not restrict me unnecessarily.

3. Housework will always be there; I am little only for a short time. Take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.

4. My feelings are tender; do not nag me all day long (you would not want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness). Treat me as you would like to be treated.

5. I am a special gift from God; treasure me as God intended you to do — holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and discipline me in a loving manner.

6. I need your encouragement (but not your empty praise) to grow. Go easy on the criticism; remember you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.

7. Give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I will be prepared to make the decisions life will require of me.

8. Do not do things for me; that makes me feel that my efforts did not measure up to your expectations. I know its hard, but don’t compare me with my brother or sister.

9. Do not be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, and parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it’s a great way to show us kids that your marriage is something special.

10. Take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

In John 4:35, Jesus is quoted as saying that the field is ready for harvest. I believe that this year we (my family and church family) are going to experience harvest. I mean, lots of people will be blessed by our ministry, lots of people will bless us, lots of goals and visions will be achieved. I am so sure of it and I am ready to work hard to bring in the kind of harvest that I am expecting.

You know what? I think I am going to need lots of help too to bring in the harvest and God is already helping us to make some divine connections with some hardworking, harvest-hungry people. Wow.. this is already a great year. Stay tuned.

I got this from a friend! Enjoy!—————–

John is the kind of guy you love to hate.   He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say.  When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, ‘If I were any better, I would be twins!’

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, ‘I don’t get it!’

‘You can’t be a positive person all of the time.
How do you do it?’

He replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today.  You can choose to be in a good mood or…you can choose to be in a bad mood

I choose to be in a good mood.’

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it.  I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or…I can point out the positive side of life.  I choose the positive side of life.

‘Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,’ I protested.

‘Yes, it is,’ he said.  ‘Life is all about choices.  When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.  You choose how you react to situations.  You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.  The bottom line:  It’s your choice how you live your life.’

I reflected on what he said.  Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business.  We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, ‘If I were any better, I’d be twins…Wanna see my scars?’

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

‘The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,’ he replied.  ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices:  I could choose to live or…I could choose to die.  I chose to live.’

‘Weren’t you scared?  Did you lose consciousness?’  I asked.

He continued, ‘…the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine.  But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.  In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’.  I knew I needed to take action.’

‘What did you do?’ I asked.

‘Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,’ said John.  ‘She asked if I was allergic to anything ‘Yes, I replied.’  The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.  I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity”

Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live.  Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude….I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. 

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.’  Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

(Luke 21:25-26 NET)

When you read the headlines these days, one gets the sense that lots of people are beginning to be so afraid. They are wondering what is happening to the planet earth. If one takes these things to heart, indeed there is a reason to fear. However, these disasters should not come as a surprise. The text that is quoted above was written thousands of years ago. Although the earth quakes and Tsunamis are scary and terrible, they do not come as a surprise. We have been warned about them.

So what do we do? Well we continue to walk in the love of God, be attentive to the direction of God, be rest assured that God knows us and knows where we are, be ready to help those affected by the disasters and share the good news with as many people as possible.

What is the good news? That although there is disaster on the earth, life does not end on earth. There is a new life that can be initiated on earth but continues even after physical death. The good news is that we can have peace in the face of all these disasters because we are sure that we have been reconciled with God.

Let us keep praying for more opportunities and avenues to share the love of God with the people arounds. And the grace to take these opportunities and use them. 

I got to Kingston at about 4:30pm today. As I came into the city, I was declaring that by the grace of God we will see God do great things in this city. I have meet my landlord and his family. We had a good meeting and I am glad that I am staying in their basement. I had been looking at other places when my friend suggested this place. I think it is going to be good. Well I have meet 2 new people in Kingston and their 2 children. They already attend a church here and they are very involved. It’s good to be living with Christians but also I need to meet those who are yet to believe.

There are a few things I need to do to get properly settled in - I will go about them tomorrow and hopefully I will meet some people that I can invite to church or for a discussion about the gospel. My goal for this week is to settle down, get a rhythm and meet a few people - Generally - it’s to get the vibe of the city.

So far so good. God is good.