Don’t Be Confused…

“Don’t Be Confused …”

 

Key Scripture: Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship…”

 

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Have you ever been in this awkward situation? You are standing in a room with some interesting and highly ‘intellectual’ people. You are all staring at a painting on the wall. An abstract piece and everybody is raving about the work. WOW! What a masterpiece. Genius. Incredible. Powerful and other such superlatives are expressed by the audience to describe this work. You simply look and wonder, ‘what are they seeing?’ This does not look or make any sense to me? I can’t see what the noise is all about. It looks like a mess to me. Colours just splashed across the canvas and there seems to be no coherent form of rhyme to this so-called ‘masterpiece’. I wonder what are they seeing? What am I missing? You restrain yourself from confessing your bewilderment and simply nod your head in agreement, but quite honestly you are simply befuddled.

Then the celebrated artist walks in and he is introduced. He then proceeds to deconstruct the painting and explain his deep thoughts and what the picture really means. He shows you the forms embedded in the hues. He gives you his unique perspective on life and voila! You see it too! Ah! Then you truly believe and exclaim “Masterpiece!”

Life sometimes can be befuddling. People and circumstances sometimes puzzle you. You even are sometimes quite confused about your life. Who am I? What is this all about? What’s the reason for this and that? These questions come, but it is how they get answered that determines whether you are fulfilled of further confused. In the illustration above, it took the artist to reveal the meaning of the painting.

Can I also tell you that there is a Master Artist at work in your life? He created you and planned your life. He designed you perfectly and endowed you uniquely to perform the role He has assigned to you. He so created you that there will never be a duplicate of you. He finished you in such a way that you are irreplaceable.

The bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The word workmanship simply means ‘Masterpiece’ or like someone once said a ‘Piece of the Master’!

So you see it’s literarily pointless to try to understand your life or your situation or your circumstances from looking and listening to what people tell you. You need to hear from the Lord who created you. Only He can accurately supply the information and connect the dots or strokes for you.

Currently the UK is in a confused state. People are confused and flummoxed by the ‘Brexit’ phenomenon. The world also is following and everybody has a point of view and so many prognosticators are trumpeting their views of what will be. May I add just one point here, there is a God who rules in the affairs of men, who decides the destinies of nations, who raises kingdoms and brings them down. The world seems to be hurtling towards some major catastrophic situation. It appears that things are out of control and the world is just in a big mess. Really? Honestly, God is not confused about the state of the world right now and neither should His children on the earth. We must be careful we do not let the noise of the people around us drown the still small voice of the one who really knows and can help you make sense of the situation. Just read the following scriptures and listen to His eternal word.

Psalm 2 – “Why are the nations so violently moved, and why are the thoughts of the people so foolish? The kings of the earth have taken their place, and the rulers are fixed in their purpose, against the Lord, and against the king of his selection, saying, Let their chains be broken, and their cords taken from off us. Then he whose seat is in the heavens will be laughing: the Lord will make sport of them. Then will his angry words come to their ears, and by his wrath they will be troubled: But I have put my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will make clear the Lord’s decision: he has said to me, You are my son, this day have I given you being. Make your request to me, and I will give you the nations for your heritage, and the farthest limits of the earth will be under your hand. They will be ruled by you with a rod of iron; they will be broken like a potter’s vessel. So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth. Give worship to the Lord with fear, kissing his feet and giving him honour, For fear that he may be angry, causing destruction to come on you, because he is quickly moved to wrath. Happy are all those who put their faith in him.

Daniel 4:7 – ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.”

34-35 – And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done”.

Matthew 24: 6-7 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Psalm 139: 14-16 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You.When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”

I know today’s post is long, but I just want you to know that there is a God who knows and who has you in the palm of His hands and who is in charge in the world even if we really cannot understand what He is doing!

 

Let’s Pray: Father God, thank you for this beautiful day that you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I thank you also that you have not lost control of my life nor have you lost control of the world. I pray for your understanding to come to me, so I can discern this stage of my life accurately and discern the times and seasons precisely. Lord I refuse to be confused or panic, I simply rest in the assurance that you love me and are working everything out for my good. Thank you Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

 

 

 

Ignorance is not bliss – You belong to a Kingdom

Key Passage: Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”

 

 

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There is a fallacy out there ‘that what you do not know cannot hurt you.’ Or that ‘ignorance is bliss.’ I once subscribed to this mindset when I was a lot younger. Time and experience has since taught me that what you do not know can seriously damage your life.

Two young men arrived from Accra, Ghana to London in search of the Golden Fleece. They both came on the same British Airways flight and they both had similar aspirations. Kwesi was quite astute and had an inquisitive mind, whilst Kofi was a happy go lucky type of guy. He always believed things will work out some how. By the way they both were born in the UK and their parents took them back to Ghana when they were quite young.

They were returning to the UK with British passports because they qualify for the citizenship because they were born in the UK. Kwesi spent the months leading up to his travelling to London researching everything he could find as a citizen of the UK. He looked at the educational system, the legal system and most importantly he read up on his rights and privileges as a citizen. He made serious notes and kept a notebook with all the important addresses and telephone numbers. Kofi arrives with the telephone number of his uncle who lived in one of the poorest parts of the city. On arrival he meets his uncle who was half pleased to see him. He began squatting in the tiny bedsit and the following day he was introduced to the early morning work sweeping offices and then he bought a second-hand beat up car and started driving a minicab just like his uncle.

Kwesi on the other hand went straight to the Government office, declared himself homeless and got housed and in the ensuing weeks, got a job in one of the local government offices and started part-time education. Fast forward ten years, Kwesi now lives in an affluent suburb in his beautiful country home, married with kids and works as senior financial analyst in the City of London. Kofi now married too, lives in a small flat in the same area his uncle lived and still drives his cab.

What is the difference between these two men? Knowledge! Pure and simple.

You know that many believers are exactly like my friend Kofi. We have come into the Kingdom of God, since becoming born-again, but many do not know what their rights and privileges are as citizens of the Kingdom of God. They do not know how the system works. They live in spiritual ghettos, denying themselves of all the benefits of being a child of God, simply because they refuse to learn about the Kingdom of God. Jesus first message was “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Matthew 4:17. Jesus came to bring a Kingdom, but most of the Church have imbibed a religion.

In Hosea 4:7 God says ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge..’ One can only wonder how much we do not know, not because God has withheld knowledge from us, but we simply refuse to receive the knowledge.

Child of God, let me encourage you today, to seek the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Kingdom and His ways. Seek the knowledge of your rights as a citizen of God’s Kingdom and live in the fullness of Christ has purchased for you on the cross of Calvary and have a change of mind and heart and start enjoying the many privileges of being a member of the greatest and most amazing Kingdom ever.

Proverbs 4:7 says “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. ‘And in all your getting, get understanding’.

Proverbs 23:23 says “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

Let’s Pray: Father God, please grant us the grace to learn about your Kingdom and start to fully apprehend our full rights as your children and as citizen’s of the Kingdom of heaven. Father let us not wallow in ignorance. Help us to become fully engaged in the Kingdom in Jesus name. Amen