August 2014 – theearlymorningdew

Have you got The Light – Part 3

August 30, 2014 Pastor Charles AbrahamLeave a comment

Morning Dew

Key Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Key Text: 2 Corinthians 4:4 “whose minds the god of this age has blinded”

I just don’t get it! This popular statement often expressed sarcastically to point out another person’s somewhat silly acts, should be applied with a bit more caution and candour. There are things we just don’t get. Let’s take the Trinity. Most of us have no clue how the trinity functions. We have simply acquiesced to superior knowledge and left it at that. I think it is wise sometimes not to try to unravel the ‘unravelable.’

Having studied deeply and read a lot of theologians espouse the doctrine of the Trinity, I cannot claim to be any wiser, except I believe in the doctrine and truly accept the deity of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and the Father. I also believe there is One God, with three expressions, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But how the trinity works, well, I don’t just get that. I am certain that on this side of eternity, we will have to live with the limited light we have on this subject.

But of the way of salvation, The reason for the cross of Jesus, His death and resurrection, The need for a Saviour, the sinfulness of man, the righteousness and holiness of God, Heaven and Hell etc, there are no grey areas, because I have been blessed to have the light shine into my heart. I have been graced with God’s overwhelming love that opened the eyes of my heart so I could apprehend the message of Salvation.

Ephesians 4:17-18 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
People who don’t believe in Jesus Christ and accept God’s plan of salvation have blindness. They are blind in their hearts and until the blindness is removed, they will not see. I do not mean to be offensive, but just state it as the bible states it. They all need the miraculous touch of the Master to have their eyes opened, as much a blind Bartimaeus in the bible needed his sight.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
These are profound words, clearly showing that unbelievers in Christ Jesus have their minds veiled or covered by a shroud and they are unable to see the glory of Jesus Christ. It shows that there is a malevolent person behind this condition; The bible refers to him as the god of this world or age. This is Satan. So it takes a degree of humility on our part and grace from God to be set free from this blindness.

……. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”
This is the marvellous grace and love of God. He is Light and when He chooses to shine into a person’s heart, the darkness must leave immediately.

Every hungry heart, that sincerely wants to be filled with His light, will receive this glorious grace and God will allow the awesome glory of Jesus to shine into their hearts and they will understand and accept God’s plan of salvation.

Back to blind Bartimaeus. When he heard Jesus was passing by, he shouted at the top of his voice to Jesus The Son of David to have mercy on Him. Jesus stopped and healed him of his blindness. Take a leaf from him to today and cry out for sight. Ask Him to open your eyes that you want to see. Do not be proud or arrogant. Do not think you know. It takes the intervention of God in a life, for the message of the gospel to be comprehended and apprehended.

Let there be light! Receive the Light of Life. Receive Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray: Father God today I want you to open my eyes and let me understand the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Father I need your intervention. I need help. Have mercy on me and shine your light into my heart. Amen.

Have you got The Light – Part 2

August 28, 2014 Pastor Charles Abraham1 Comment

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Matthew 13:10-13-6

Key Text: Matthew 13:13 “because seeing they do not see.”

Continuing on from yesterday’s blog, I want to tackle some forms of blindness. The first one is Physical blindness. This has to do with some defect to the eyes, which invariably affects the transmission of light as God intended. Many people with this challenge can cope with aids and live perfectly normal lives. But Jesus healed the blind and still heals the blind today and I encourage everyone to seek His touch in this area. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still doing miracles.

The second type of blindness is my main concern today. This is sort of physical but really not so physical. This condition is best described by you looking at something and not seeing it. Jesus said “seeing they do not see”. So in effect you can see, but you don’t see. There is a disconnection between what your eyes see and what your brain registers.

You may recognise this in your situation sometimes. You are looking for the car keys and your spouse tells you it is on the mantle piece. You go there, look as best as you can and can’t find the keys on the mantle piece. So you tell your spouse ‘its not there’ almost with some irritation. Then they come and point out to you the keys right on the mantelpiece and you never saw it. Of course they look at you and wander what’s wrong with your sight.

Many people are starring at opportunities, breakthroughs, releases and blessings, but cannot apprehend them because they cannot see them. I mean really see them. They are staring right at something and can’t somehow connect the dots. This is a type of blindness and a most insidious one, because most people who have this affliction are completely oblivious of it. They would mostly never think they are blind and would mostly violently oppose anyone who tries to tell them they are blind. To be delivered of this, one needs a degree of humility and grace.

In 2 kings 4, the bible recounts the story of a widow who was in trouble with the creditors. She was going to lose her two sons into slavery for the debt her husband left behind. On crying to Elisha the prophet of God, the prophet asked her a simple question, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” The woman’s answer was so quite revealing and symptomatic. She said I have nothing, except a jar of oil. In effect she was telling Elisha, that the jar of oil was useless and could not help her predicament.
How many of us are guilty of looking at things and despising them. Thinking nothing good can be done with them but to discard them. In this story, Elisha told the woman her miracle was in the little jar of oil she had. She was to go and borrow as many jars as she could find and fill them all from that one jar and then sell off the excess and pay her debt.

There might be something around you, in your house, in your family, in your children, at your work place, in your business, with your friends etc that just does not appear like much, but The Light of the world, Jesus of Nazareth can open your eyes to see the potential and value in that thing and touch that thing and give you the wisdom to maximise this potential for your good. He can shine His light on that thing and you will see it!

Lord open our eyes to see. Really see!

Let’s Pray: Father I confess that I may be surrounded by great opportunities and not be seeing them. I ask you Lord Jesus, the Light of the world to please open my eyes to see. Help me to see what you see and take advantage of every opportunity you bring my way. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Have you got The Light?

August 27, 2014 Pastor Charles Abraham1 Comment

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Luke 4;18-19

Key Text: Luke 4:18 – and recovering of sight to the blind

Living in Lagos Nigeria gives you some unusual perspectives on life. Sometimes the lessons are so vivid you really can’t feign ignorance. It is a known fact that we have some energy challenges and power outages are common and quite frequent. At some point it would be a sheer miracle if you had 2 hrs of uninterrupted power in our city. Things have improved I must quickly add, and I know the best is yet to come. But in the very dark days of NEPA acronym for National Electric Power Authority, it was not unusual to be sitting around the television watching a favourite programme and suddenly everything goes pitch black. I mean pitch black. You can’t see your fingers. Then someone scrambles around for the box of matches or the battery operated light devices we all stock for such occasions. Once the match is struck and some light comes in, first there is this inexplicable sense of relief that fills the air and secondly we all reappraise our positions and set things in order.

Sight and light are very important. I am not saying they are the same thing, but light leads to sight. Without light there is no sight. Or more accurately without light sight is impaired. So when Jesus said He has come to give recovery of sight to the blind. He was implicitly stating that He would give light to the eyes of the blind.

it is important to note that God’s first act in creation, was to declare let there be light! (More on this in the next few days).

Blindness can occur on many levels. Physical blindness; seeing and yet not seeing; blindness of the mind/soul and blindness of the spirit. Over the next few days I will attempt to shed some light on all these types of blindness’ in the light of the face of Jesus.

Today, we all need light to live. Jesus said He is the Light of the world. Without Jesus in your life, you are basically in darkness. Without His light, you really have no life. The bible tells us that Jesus is life and that life is the light of men.

John 1:6-9 – There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Do you have the LIGHT? Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Do you want the LIGHT? Do you want the Life? His name is Jesus. Put your faith in Him today and He will give you the true light and life. Once you have this light, then only then can you truly start living.

Let’s pray: Jesus today I want your light in me. I believe you came and died on the cross for my sins. I believe you rose from the dead. I ask you to forgive my sins and make me a child of God. Come and make your home in me and save me eternally. Flood my being with your light and life. Thank you. Amen.

Words are Powerful

August 25, 2014 Pastor Charles Abraham1 Comment

Morning Dew

Key Passage: James 3: 1-12

Key Text: James 3:5 – “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things”

Words are powerful. I know you have heard this many times. It almost sounds like a cliché. Something to be ignored. But this is a most profound statement. Words have the power to release life and words can cause death. With the right words a person can be motivated to exceed their personal ambitions and capacity and with carefully weighted insidious words a person could be driven to the point of despair and hopelessness that they may even take their lives. Don’t tell me words are not powerful.
Words are powerful. God created the heavens and the earth by His words. He upholds all things in His creation by His powerful word. If God withdrew His word, the whole of creation will cease to exist. It is interesting that science discovered that we are made up of words or letters known as the DNA. A cryptic combination of words that makes up humans. Words are powerful. God so believes in His word, that when He chose to redeem mankind, He sent His Word. He even exalts above His name His Word.
Words are powerful. The bible teaches that the organ of words, which is the tongue, is a little member and boasts great things. Consider this passage for a moment:
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Words are like magnets. They are the magnets of the spirit. They pull the invisible towards us. Words can attract and pull what is in the spiritual real to us. So what you say invariably comes to you.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
If words are so powerful, should we then really not be more careful what we say? Words are spiritual. They carry latent and potent power. They can shape your day, your week, month, year and your life. Words can change your direction, open doors for you and make your life a delight. Words can make your spouse better, your children great, you employees excellent. But not just any words. If you want God’s best in your life, then you must learn to speak God’s word. You must declare His truth regardless of what your senses tells you. His word is omnipotent. His word is life. His word will not return to Him unaccomplished. His word will change what seems unchangeable to men. His word is.
So start saying the right things today and watch your life change for the better.

Let’s pray: Father God, please help me to control what I say and please inspire me to speak the right things in accordance with your word, in Jesus name. Amen.