The Church I See

I have responded to a call of God to minister to the people of God, to lead a generation of faith people. I have responded to a call to take back nations for Jesus, to build faith, inspire hope and spread the love of God to the nations.

We have looked strait into the eyes of failure, we have seen the beastly and notorious eyes of poverty. I have looked into the eyes of purposeless lives, my soul has longed to be the difference in turning sordid lifestyles into galvanized and harnessed lives, strengths, potentials. Myriads of people sit in the valley of hopelessness, and abject morass - spiritually, morally and in resources. Some people now think they are incapable of rising like a sphinx above their daily limitations. I have desired to be the wake up call to their lives. I have desired to be the siren that raises the sleeping giants. I have longed to see a nation awaken. I have desired to see young people caught up and raptured in a positive passion. I have desired to see ambition, passion and desire blazing hot on the eyes of young people of our land.

I have noted my weaknesses, my limitations. Like Paul writes, I have judged myself and accepted what I am and what I am not. Nevertheless, it would be sad in my life, if I lived all my life and did only the things that I can do. I believe I can do far above my abilities… I believe there is a grace to exceed natural confinements, life’s limitations, to go beyond the endowments of life. I have resigned my life to what Paul says, “Woe is me, if I preach not the gospel”. I set out now, not to be the greatest in anything, not to be the biggest in anything, not to be the most renowned whatever, I set out now, like a football player would to the pitch of play, full loaded enthusiasm, excitement and verve. I set out to the field of life, as a tourist to the hitherto unknown destination. I take my life with me, my family with me… I will answer questions when I am done. I will respond to gainsayers not in words but in action. I will create time for academic and theological discourses when I retire, when I have run the race, when I have finished the course, when I have fought the good fight, when I have lifted the crown. Then will we talk, then we have time! Then will we sit down together under the twilight rays of a setting sun of our lives to laugh at the bluffs and blunders of life and marvel at the victories along the way…

So long, let us extend the touch of heaven into the spiritually arid lands. Let us be the smile of heaven on earth. Let us be the soothing breeze of the love of God to the forgotten and dejected. Let us glow the light of heaven and lead many out of extinction, out of frivolous lives and let us help them redeem their time for the days are few and evil. Let us build monuments of faith. Let us build structures and systems to help the forgotten reach out for greatness.

Yeah who said there can’t be champions born in oblivion? Who said champions can’t emanate here, can’t rise from there! Whoever it is, whoever crosses our path, whoever listens to our ministry, let them be soothed with the love of heaven, let them hear the buzz of life, let them encounter heaven on earth, let them see the glimmer of light that so eluded their lives.

Let the rich hear and be thrilled with the drums of life; let them dance to the sound of victory, let the living espouse the opportunity of a much better life. Let the young see a place to grow at, let the old see a place to raise their families. Let the weak see a home of strength, the balm of Gilead, let the afflicted see the burden removing grace on the house. Let the whole see the place of preservation, place of family, place of joy. Let the afflicted see hope for tomorrow.

Faith City Church rises as a home, a hospital, a paradise of love, a hinterland of hope, and an oasis of faith. Faith for the weary revived, faith for the young buttressed, faith for the slow quickened, faith for the poor jogged, faith for life embraced!

I see faith taught in absolute clarity and simplicity. But more so I see it embraced. I see hope spread forth like sunrise beams stroking and caressing the face of the earth. I see young people growing and maturing in hope. I hear the language of the house firm up and change and affect the language of whole communities. Words of life, of hope; words beaming with joy and possibility! The language of opportunity swallowing up hopelessness, wrinkles of years of failure disappear in the smile of faith! I see streams of young people caught up in worship, swelling to rivers of hope, unstoppable oceans of love reversing and defining new cultures in the communities!

In this day church is the only parent some children would ever have. It is the only advanced school some will ever attend. It is the only friend for somebody; it is the only hope for the community. The church in my eyes is the only light coming from the other end of the tunnel that is not a train.Many of the ‘lights’ I have seen have called for someone to flee. While not perfect, it is the only way that has been pre-checked by a heavenly eye, it is the only road whose pot-holes are being mended daily, it is the only meal that has life giving nutrients, it is the only hope for this generation.

I refuse to measure our success with numbers, to be drawn to the numbers game as if we are rearing some kind of stock for sale. I refuse to be drawn to the financial figures either. I am satisfied to receive and to give, to sow and to reap. I am satisfied to see lives changed, communities converted, generations touched. I am satisfied to see young people burgeoning in the glory of the Lord. We will daily oblige the word of the Lord and we will do exactly as we are instructed of our heavenly instructor and commander in chief. 

People with a “Different Spirit”

When the nation of Israel would not obey God, when they would not do his will or proceed to take up the land promised of God, the Lord had to disinherit them. But in that process he immediately prophesied to Moses a new nation:

Numbers 14:12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they

MSG v12… But I will make you into a nation bigger and stronger than they ever were!

Similarly when the 10 spies brought an evil report, God condemned the 10 and said they won’t see the Promised Land. But he gives a special exception to Caleb and Joshua, saying, “But my servant Caleb—this is a different story. He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I’ll bring him into the land that he scouted and his children will inherit it. (Numbers 14:24, MSG)

We thus see two kinds of people who qualify eventually to enter the Promised Land, that is, the children who were below 20 at the time of the rebellion and two gentlemen – Caleb and Joshua, because they dared believe in the midst of all unbelief in the camp.

For the under 20s children, the Lord allowed them into the Promised Land because they said nothing! Isn’t it funny! The older people shouted, yelled, complained and created strife in their hearts. This became totally incompatible with God’s nature. But when the little children said nothing, the word of God could still work in their lives. The promises of God which are yes and amen in Christ, which were already activated by the prophetic could proceed and obtain result for the little children. But not so for the elderly because they actively frustrated the word of God. But we will look more at this on our next blog. Lets look at the other group that entered the Promised Land.

Only two attributes seem to have qualified Caleb and Joshua:

i.                    They had a different spirit

ii.                  They followed God fully or passionately (MSG)

A lot of times success and prosperity are not products of many great things, but a positive and strong spirit… Where your current IQ can't take you, where your certificates can't take you, where your education, connections, physical strength can’t take you, the positive and strong spirit will. In fact the scripture calls it “confidence”! Faith is confidence nothing more or less! If you are confident in the Lord, in the ability of the word of the Lord, then you are in the faith that is of God. It is not confidence in your own self, but in God! The 10 spies wanted to rely on their own abilities and quickly realized the limits thereof and this hurt God. But Caleb and Joshua realized they had to primarily lean on God’s ability and hence it was easy for them to say, “let us go up at once and possess the land for we are well able"!’

Isn’t it amazing that the bible never refers to Joshua and Caleb as extra ordinarily gifted soldiers? It simply states that they believed. Sometimes we have over exaggerated the importance of our own abilities. The ability of God will place you much higher than your own abilities ever will. Let us rely on him. David says in Psalm 34:2 “my soul shall make her boast in the Lord.”

The second element is a passionate pursuit of God. The MSG version said Caleb followed God “Passionately”, while the KJV says “Fully”. I am not sure how many people do get to fulfill the plan of God 100%. I know that our God is a God of just, he judges people’s hearts rather than physical actions.

He approves David for his ‘perfect’ heart though he had faults in the natural. This verse does not demand perfection, it demands an excellent, passionate and surrendered heart! Because we are all not perfect. God is not demanding perfection all he seeks is a perfect heart. He is demanding a total yield to his spirit and his leadership. He has given you his spirit. He is our guide and counselor.

I believe that God is still looking for a generation that would rather be silent than offend God. A generation that would rather be innocent or novices in disbelief and mature in faith! The camp of Israel became so sensitive of their slavery and suffering that even when an opportunity to live life free from bondage in a land flowing with milk and honey, their negative experiences clouded their judgment.

  

My simple encouragement to you today is to stay in faith. Stay in scriptural confession. Guard your heart and endeavor to keep a positive and faithful heart. At all times, seek after the heart and purpose of God! The Bible says in Psalm 8:2, “out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength”. There is power in keeping your heart pure and clean. Don’t allow fears, failures and negative experiences of life to contaminate your heart and ability to trust God. 

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The Power Of The Right Mindset

Last week, Pst Mk began on conditioning for victory and showed how we must see in His light and today we go deeper and explore how we should also change the way we think till it is in line with His word. 

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals, and its new attitude] so that you may prove [for yourselves], what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]   -Romans 12:2 Amplified

After the children of Israel had been taken out of Egypt (out of slavery), something that did not leave them instantly was the mental conditioning they had received after so much time spent in captivity. The situation they were in was one of limitation and in that limitation they had developed a comfort zone and as such they were content in that horrible situation, so much so that after seeing the 10 signs and wonders God had wrought to get them out of Egypt and were now at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s men behind them and the sea infront of them their response was one based on the old mentality (read Exodus. 14 11-12).

That same mentality is seen in Numbers 13 & 14, when they have had a glimpse of the promised land and seen the opposition they will have to fight against in order to posses the land the same old mentality that sought comfort kicked in (Numbers 14:1-4). The results of this mindset can be seen in Numbers 
14:22-23 and verse 28-30. God’s promise failed to be manifest in the lives of many not because the devil stole it but because these folk had the wrong mindset, they held onto the slave mindset (Numbers 14:4) while God was trying to take them from them slavery and make them a mighty people (Selah).  

However despite the negative mindsets surrounding them 2  young men rose up, with a totally different way of thinking. In the midst of a multitude of people screaming “Lets go back into our comfort zone”, Caleb and Joshua adopted a way of thinking that was in line with God’s way of thinking and this was evidenced in their words Numbers 14:7-9.

 

Likewise, when we received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the promises of God became a reality to us, however the way we think can either help or hinder the manifestation of those promises in our lives that is why Romans 12:2 becomes of utmost importance to us if we are to walk in victory. This is why it is also important to spend time in the word, because the more of it we take in the more we make our minds new (renew your mind) and adopt His way of thinking (thinking that is in line with the word of God).

Did you know that the word says “We have the mind of Christ” (read 1Corinthians 2:16). Isn’t that awesome, let it sink in for a while! Last week we learnt that as He is so are we, and that encompasses the way we think too.

So, what is the right mentality and how do you know you have it.

1.       The right mentality sees differently.

In Numbers 13 & 14 the spies were sent into the same land but 10 saw the opposition while only 2 saw the victory that God was preparing for them. To them the enemies were “bread”, that is, easy walk-overs.

In 1 Samuel 17, David gets to a situation where the generals and the king are afraid of a giant, yet David did not see a giant but someone who when compared to God was insignificant.

In the two examples above it is awesome to see how God overlooks those who appear to be qualified, or those we think have the experience all because of a mindset. He also completely ignores the multitudes because the difference is not in the age, the qualifications or the numbers but it is in the mindset.

Do you see giants or do you see your stepping stones to promotion?

Good news is by getting into the word and meditating upon it, you are equipping yourself with the tools to begin to see differently.

2.       The right mentality hears differently.

The people who heard the report back from the spies focused on the negative things they heard, “the giants are in the land…….we were like grasshoppers in their sight”, while 2 young people focused on the fact that the land was an exceedingly good land. How often do we hear the mob give us a negative report (you know when your friends say “It cannot be done”) and because we think so many people can’t be wrong, go with the flow?? Have you read Romans 3:3-4?

Similarly in 1Samuel 17, David did not hear the many exaltations that the giant was receiving from the armies but instead He heard the reward the man who shall kill the giant  would get.

What do you hear when the giants of unemployment, of poverty or teenage HIV stats are talked about, do you hear the voice of those who say they cannot be overcome or do you hear of the rewards that will come to those who stand and kill these giants (every giant you face you will overcome and get a reward)

Remember “The unbelief of many shall not change the faithfulness of God”, Hear the word of the Lord!!!!!

3.       The right mentality speaks differently

Notice how in all examples where the wrong mindset is present those who posses it always are vocal in negativity, even to the point of violence when they are challenged. (Numbers 14:10).

The mentality you posses will always be evidenced by the words you speak, so we will always know the by your words whether or not you have the right mindset.

What many people seldom know however is that because as He is so are we, then whatever we speak will come to pass. Notice how the words that the children of Israel spoke were brought to pass (Numbers 14:28-29), yet in the same breath see what happened to those who spoke differently (Numbers 14:30).

Wow, see how important the right mentality is? It determines what you see, what you hear and what you speak which ultimately determines what will come to pass in your life. God has already given you the victory but have you changed your mindset to begin to see, hear and speak inline with that?

Developing the right mindset is as easy as spending time in the word.

Take some time and breeze through Last Months Blog Posts to see and get started on renewing your mind.

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