Blissful Tears of Joy

What can separate us from God's love? Nothing!

Today is the 14^th of September, 2010. I woke up this morning to something that was supposed to be good news but began to tend towards thoughts of worry and anxiety on decision-making as though I am in this world alone. Well, the next thought was “let’s fellowship with the Holy Ghost,” and so I got on my knees to start praying. In the beginning parts of my prayer [while speaking in tongues] I was still entertaining those worry thoughts. Now, all these happened within the space of 45 minutes.

All of a sudden, the Spirit of God reminded me of the song you are about to listen to – How He Loves by Kim Walker. I never heard it fully before; in fact, the first time I heard some part of it, I didn’t really like the rhythm, but I was still able to pick out a few words that I thought were interesting: “if grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” I really liked that being the grace-obsessed person that I am. That’s another day’s topic.

So, I began listening, and within a few minutes, I was in tears, experiencing the awesome billows of God’s tangible love that can only be best described in human words as blissful! In beautiful worship, like the song expresses, I simply forgot about any worries and focused on the fact that “He loves me…oh, how He loves me!” With that, anxiety was turned to joy unspeakable and complete confidence in my future. Glory to God!

My prayer for you right now is that, as you listen [please, listen to all of it even if you heard it before], all your worries and fears will be washed away by His awe-inspiring love. I pray that your heart will be open, even if you never experienced the love of God before. And, I pray that He causes your knees to tremble and that He ultimately sweeps you off your feet as you fall in love with Him like I did 5 years ago and still continue to do every new day [in a new way], in Jesus’ name. Amen!

My Walk With God: A Motive Assessment

“Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” [Luke 10:20]

In walking with God and growing in the things of God, many times it is easy to forget what exactly everything is about and start focusing on the wrong things [actually, the right things but in the wrong manner]. Many believers are acquainted with the verse before the opening scripture where Jesus said to His disciples, “I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” [Luke 10:19]. As important as Jesus’ words in this verse are, the knowledge of the words after “notwithstanding” in the next verse is equally important. He told us where our joy should be; He was giving us words to direct our motives. Praise God!

As we grow in God, we need to remind ourselves of the initial source of our joy in the early stages of our Christian walk, because it is possible for other motives to creep in unnoticed. Some people find that they only study the Word of God more because they want to manifest more of God’s power. There are also some who are leaders in church who have found that their study of the Word is for the members of their church group; the Word of God has ceased to be personal to them. Now, it’s about what they [the group members] need to hear – mostly about their sins and wrongs. When such people hear a message about punctuality, they immediately think about another brother or sister who is always late that needs to hear the message. They find it hard to take it for their own selves.

This reminds me of something interesting Jesus said right after praising the church of Ephesus in Revelations 2:1-7: “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” [verse 4]. Think to yourself, “have I forgotten my first love?” This is very important, because in verse 5, Jesus told them that the consequence of them not repenting and turning to their first works was that He would “remove thy candlestick out of its place”. Now, that’s big! After praising their patience and their laboring for the gospel, the church of Ephesus could have lost it all for forgetting their first love.

When you do what you do, do it out of a love for Jesus. If you forgive someone who did you wrong, let it not just be because you want to be known as a good Christian. If you accept “tough” correction from your leaders [especially in church], don’t think “I’ll accept it, but I know God will punish him/her for speaking to me like that!” Does God have to punish everyone that does you wrong? Must they receive a negative payment or suffering because you chose to do what was right? Can’t you think that they may have spoken that way for your own good and accept it? When Sarah, Abraham’s wife, began unjustly maltreating their servant Hagar and she ran away, the Angel of the Lord appeared to her on the way and told her to return to her mistress and be obedient to her. God told Hagar that, if she did that, she [Hagar] would be blessed. But, interestingly, God did not go after Sarah to punish her as some people may have thought He would since He acknowledged that Sarah was doing something wrong [see Genesis 16]. Understand that God loves those who may seem to be your enemies. Think like God; they [those seeming enemies] don’t have to receive a payment for their wrongs. Didn’t Jesus already receive that payment in death? Let your love for the Master motivate your actions.

Finally, here is one that really got me today. When you choose to love the Lord and serve Him with all of you, never think of it in terms of reward first. Of course, there is reward involved, but is that all there is? I thought to myself today; what if after I have finished living my life on earth for the Lord and in His purpose, I don’t seem [in men’s eyes] to be as successful as my contemporaries, should that mean anything to me? And, then, another thought came, “well, you’ll receive your reward in heaven and who knows, maybe those other guys will not receive as much of a reward”. And, I thought again to myself, “there is no sorrow in heaven and regrets will be wiped away”, so it is not as though anybody will wish in heaven that they had made the choices I made on earth. Yes, for a moment they may feel that way, but it’ll be replaced with the joy of heaven for all eternity. So, if you have lived your life making God’s choices for the sake of that one moment of regret for others, it’ll have all not been worth it and the Master may not even accept your works.

Your walk with God is your walk with God. Nobody else needs to regret anything, because they did not do what you did, just as you never have to regret anything because you did not do what another person did. Your love for Jesus is your choice; let it be founded on the realization of the Truth that He paid a heavy ransom for your life. He paid with His own life for you. Learn to love Him for Him. Thank Him for the opportunity to know and love Him the way you do, because it is a grace that not too many can boast of. That is why I have decided that my walk with God is my walk with God and no one else’s! 


Enjoy glorious worship moments with the following video even as you share your thoughts on the subject. God bless you!

What Is Good for the Giver and the Soulwinner

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:3 & 10]

Discovering that the only two actions that result in the same blessings in Matthew 5 are “giving” and “soulwinning” was like finding a treasure. And, it is indeed a treasure to those who would take the time to observe and soak themselves in this truth that many have so comfortably done away with. Few years ago, I remember my Pastor saying to me that “there are two people God cannot do without – a giver and a soulwinner”, and I also remember making up my mind that day to always be both.

To step back a little, many have wondered what it means to be “poor in spirit”, so I think it’ll be a good question to answer first. Poor in spirit does not mean living an impoverished life or being “poor in one’s spirit” as many have erroneously believed. 2 Corinthians 8:9 states with no ambiguity that “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”. Here, Paul was not referring to spiritual riches since Jesus was never spiritually poor, being heir of all things; rather, the Apostle was speaking of material abundance. Also, we see in 2 Peter 1:3 that God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness”, so there is no way we could be termed as “poor in our spirits”. What, then, does it mean to be poor in spirit?

To be poor in spirit is to have all and yet have nothing. It is to possess all things but be willing at any point to lay them aside for Jesus or for someone else. To be poor in spirit is to hold on to nothing and live without holding back in giving. In order to be that man, there should be nothing [absolutely nothing] that is too big for the Christian to give. Every monetary figure that is too big to give to God or to someone else is not worthy to be in a Christian’s possession; in fact, it is dangerous as it is inevitably Lord over such a one. Can God tell you to give that expensive possession [pen, watch, car, or house] you just purchased, after much saving, and you will do it without batting an eyelid?

The true foundation of being poor in spirit is trust in the Lord and His Word; if you believe [truly believe] in His Majesty and eternal provision for you, giving will never be a hassle. You may be a student, but have you ever imagined giving a thousand dollars [or whatever amount some may consider ‘outrageous’]; if it has never crossed your mind, then maybe you are not trusting of God enough or you are not bringing forth enough from within to be called that man in Matthew 5:3. You should, at the very least, have a desire to give that much and even greater.

There’s not much to be said about the soulwinner, since many are already acquainted with him, but it is important to know him a little more. We refer to the one that is persecuted for righteousness sake as the soulwinner, because you cannot be persecuted unless you are standing up for Christ and proclaiming Him without reserve. And, if you are doing that, then you are already a soulwinner. Soulwinning is a consistent heart’s cry. It is a lifestyle of prayer with tears, love, and the consequent joy. The true soulwinner does not just talk. He mourns in intercession for lost souls, and when he is comforted through the salvation of that soul, it is with joy beyond human comprehension.

In Proverbs 11:30, we see that “he that winneth souls is wise”, but God gives us more light into the reward for the soulwinner when He moves a little further to say “they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmaments and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever”, associating the soulwinner with wisdom. What a blessing! To shine as the firmaments means that such people will glow with special studs on their crowns in heaven. They’ll be the ‘superstars’ in God’s eyes.

It may also be great to know that the soulwinner is a giver and the giver is a soulwinner. Giving, first and foremost, should be primarily towards the things of the kingdom and one’s local church assembly before any other charitable organization or individual. This is because giving in church supports soulwinning through sponsorship of media evangelism, church missions, and other means of reaching the lost. As such, the giver indirectly wins souls that are credited to his account by God. The soulwinner, on the other hand, gives his time, effort, and prayers into the life of the soul he wants to lead to Christ. Do you see now why both have the same reward?

When Matthew 5 says “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, it is saying something important. The kingdom of heaven is God’s government in the earth established through the church and headed by Jesus. Therefore, it should never be a surprise that those who are selected by the HolyGhost to lead in His house are the soulwinners and givers, because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Never think it is a result of favoritism from the Pastor; no, it is a spiritual principle that begets its own results automatically.

If you have not started winning souls unto God through evangelism, now is the time to start. You may think “but how”? The only answer is “just start”. Never consider what you’ll tell people. Open your mouth and just trust the HolySpirit to fill it with words. And, please, don’t be afraid to make mistakes; they are a part of the process of mastering the lifestyle of a soulwinner. If you haven’t started giving big also, now is the time to start. Give out of love and trust; have no attachment to any material thing, and you’ll truly be ready to be master over all things.

Please share your testimonies and comments on the subject of giving and soulwinning with the rest of us. We’re always so glad to hear from you; God bless you!

One Vision, No Division!!!

“the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such” [John 4:23]

After weeks of prayerful preparation, the students of Morgan State University converged at an approximate midpoint of their school’s campus for the sole purpose of giving the Father just what He deserves and requires. Several minutes before the time “True Worship: One Voice, No Division” was slated to start, students could already be seen braving the downpour as they made their ways to the University Chapel. By 6:38PM, tens of students were gathered together to prepare their hearts for the presence and power of God they were expecting from their 7:30PM meeting, through heartfelt prayers and worship. “True Worship”, a program organized by several different fellowships on Morgan State’s campus, was designed to unify the body of Christ on the campus and cause God’s glory to fill the campus [2 Chronicles 5:11-14].

Amidst much excitement and claps of joy, Bisola Karim, an industrial engineering student of Morgan State University, started off the much expected program of events. Through her introductory words, students were stirred up and even more readied for God’s power, glory, and grace as prophesied about the program a night before. In the course of the beginning stages of what would be more than “a night to remember” for many, Rev. Bernard Keels, the Director of the Chapel admonished attendees concerning unity. In explaining to the excited young minds the truth of Jesus’ intention for His people, Rev. Keels mentioned that all Christians should “rise above a senseless sense of just being comfortable with those [you’re] comfortable with”. Those words and many others not only challenged the motive behind the associations that many Christians form with one another, but they also showed all those in attendance how to be the change that Jesus is waiting for in His body.

Towards the middle of the “True Worship” experience, Nonso Amuchie, a Biology Master’s student from Towson University, mounted the podium to, very much like Rev. Keels positively challenge the core of modern believers’ motives. Speaking on the subject “the heart of worship”, Mr. Amuchie explained that worship is beyond the music, dance, and instrumentals that many believers have come to adore above their God. In his very words, “we were created to reflect the glory of God” through a lifestyle of worship. Nonso went on to encourage all those present to worship God every moment of the day by studying His word [learning of Him] and praying [communing with Him]. Ending with words on the importance of having the strength to “produce” for God, Nonso Amuchie said to the hearing and delight of the diversity of students present, “if you seek God with all your heart, you will find Him”.

Of course, not much can be said about a program called “True Worship” without mentioning the intensity of worship that took place there. As though sinking into an ever-increasing depth of the ocean, Christians and unbelievers alike began to experience God personally as the group called “Heart of Worship” ministered in the fullness of God. Heart of Worship [the group] definitely did not bring in members from as far as Pennsylvania to perform a show. No, they came for sincere worship! And, as worship arose from the mouths of God’s people, the tangible presence of God was manifested for all to know [experience intimately]. Some people sang and danced in the spirit while others could not help pouring tears before their Savior and One True Love – Jesus Christ. Indeed, it was a marvelous sight to behold.

Many at the event also had the opportunity to worship through rap and spoken word led by Bdo and Aisha Woods respectively. Certainly, no life was left the same after the program. Let it be written in the chronicles of life that the children of God at Morgan State University came together with one voice and no division to offer a worthy sacrifice of “True Worship” to their Heavenly Father.

Please, share your experience at "True Worship" with the whole world so that the blessing can reach others as well. But, if you were not at the program, you can also share comments on the subject of worship. God bless you as you enjoy the following video.

Within Zion's Walls

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed…he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” [Hebrews 11:9-10]

Here I am, with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand, nothing short of grateful to the precious HolySpirit who is my light and my love. You know what is exceptionally exciting about Him is the fact that I can always depend on Him as my strength [physically, mentally, or spiritually]. On one thought, I really should do a post soon on the person of the HolySpirit; I am sure you’ll be blessed by it. But, until then, let’s talk about Zion – you can call me obsessed, but it’s just that I have seen the TRUTH!!!

In the opening scripture, we see that Canaan was not the Promised Land that God told Abraham about. In Hebrews Chapter 4, we see Paul arguing that, if Joshua had taken the people of Israel into the true Promised Land, there would have been no need for Jesus to come. Though God’s people entered the land God promised them [physically], they had not truly entered His rest. Zion is God’s rest. Hebrews 12:22 lets us know that the new creation [in Christ Jesus] is already in Zion. We are literally born there; we live in it and it is in us. WOW! How do we live in Zion? We live in Zion by doing God’s Word. And, how does Zion live in us? Zion takes its abode in us through our meditation on the truth of God’s Word. That same Hebrews 12 gives us a picture of Zion to be God’s dwelling place; the angels live in Zion together with God’s people. Double WOW!!

Do you realize that Jesus functioned in two worlds at the same time? He realized He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. That consciousness made it possible for Him to live a consistently supernatural life. In case you have not understood me so far, the idea I desire to pass across is that God is calling us to live a life of dominion over the circumstances of this world – economic downturns, failure, sickness, poverty, and all such things. In Isaiah 33:24 the Bible, speaking of Zion, says “the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity”.


Two benefits of life in Zion to note in the reading from Isaiah are:

i.)         Divine health: It is the right of every citizen of Zion to live above any infirmity of the body. Now, if you currently fall sick every now and again, the first step to living in that scripture is accepting it. Believe it and begin to confess it as the present tense of your life. It may take a while to manifest in the physical realm, but because it is already a present-hour spiritual reality, it’ll prevail over your physical circumstance [in little to no time].

ii.)        Access to forgiveness: You never need to beat yourself up over any mistakes. I hope that you get this. You have access to forgiveness by prophecy. It was written way back in Isaiah’s time. God cannot decide that your sin is too big to be forgiven anymore; His word has gone forth, and He does not go back on it. Accept forgiveness and move on, confessing God’s word that says “sin shall not have dominion over you.” [Romans 6:14]

If you haven’t understood much of what I’ve written so far, then you probably need to give your heart to Christ first because understanding of these things is contingent on a life in Christ. For those who do understand, you need to lose taste for this world. Set your eyes on Zion; live in it! I just found something striking in Hebrews 11:14-15; it says “truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had the opportunity to have returned. But now, they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly”.

In order to live in Zion and enjoy the benefits of living within its walls, we need to cease to be mindful of the world. Life in the walls of our glorious city is literally dependent on soaking ourselves in God’s word. There are two groups of people in the earth today – those who live in the world [controlled by its system of failure, sickness, and confusion] and those who live in the Word of God [controlling the system of the world around them with Zion’s principles]. Don’t give yourself an opportunity to return to where you came from, which is the world [connoted with Egypt in the scriptures]. Desire, more than ever before, to live ONLY within the walls of Zion – our heavenly Jerusalem. Be determined to, through God’s word, remove sickness, poverty, failure, and sin from your life.

Enjoy consistent access to God; it is one of the benefits of living in Zion. Relish the ability to improve the economy and security of your earthly nation through prayers of intercession; this is yet another ability exclusive to those who live in Zion. And, finally, learn to worship God with all your heart and watch Him lift you higher and higher in Him; it is the reason for which you were born into Zion!

I’ll be expecting your questions and comments. Until then, enjoy this powerful excerpt from the message - The Beautiful People of the Beloved Country - by Rev. Chris Oyakhilome. God bless YOU!!!

Peace Within Our Borders: Unity In the Body of Christ

“Praise the Lord…O Zion. For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates…He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.” [Psalm 147: 12 - 14]

It is of utmost exigency that believers begin to conduct a reassessment of what exactly we are about. The Spirit of God is doing something amongst us, but we need to let Him; we have to allow Him to “gather together the exiles of Israel”, that is those who are Christians but do not live as such.

Before I go further, I need to establish certain premises of why I refer to us as Israel today. First, we know from Hebrews 12:22-23 that “ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God” so that we know that the church [as well as the physical Israel] was being referred to in Psalm 147. Also, we were rightly informed by the Apostle Paul that “they are not all Israel which are of Israel” in Romans 9:6-8 where he explains to us that the true spiritual Israel are the children of the promise. To further bolster his point, he mentioned in Galatians 3:29 that everyone who is in Christ is Abraham’s seed and an heir according to the promise.

The initial premise being established, we now know that Israel in Psalm 147 spoke concerning us as well. But, before I advance to the main point which is unity in the body of Christ, I’d like to dispel any assumptions that everyone reading this blog knows what the body of Christ is. According to Colossians 1:18, “he is the head of the body, the church: who is the first born from the dead; that in all things he may have the preeminence” letting us know that Jesus Christ is the head of the church which the bible refers to as His body.

Knowing this, why do we work against one another? Is there a good enough reason why slandering, malice, hatred, discontentment and other such things should be found in our midst? In my experience as a Christian, I have heard more Christians speak against and condemn ministers of God than unbelievers themselves. How can we function cohesively against the massive attacks from the enemy in these last days, if we are divided over our pre-conceived ideas of what Christianity and moderation should be? Is there a reason why we cannot share stories of challenges and victories in our soul winning exploits with one another?

Consider the Apostle Paul’s confrontation with Peter concerning the issue of eating and communing with Gentiles in Galatians 2:11-14 where Paul says concerning Peter, “I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed”. There was a simple disparity in revelations whereby Paul had a higher revelation that, Jew or Gentile, we are all one new creation in Christ Jesus, but Peter was yet to manifest a complete agreement with the idea mostly because of concern about criticism from Jewish Christians. In spite of that occurrence, the Bible does not record a fight or continued disagreement between them. In fact, the Bible records Peter giving Paul a form of admiration in 2 Peter 3:15 where he says “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you”.

Another point to consider in evaluating our somewhat childish disagreements is that there are different families in Zion just as Israel had twelve different children all with different traits. Even though we are all children of the same heavenly Father, depending on the family (local church assembly) to which we belong, our characteristics and strengths may differ. Using Israel’s children as a case in point, they all developed into strong nations with different trades and responsibilities, some as kings [Judah], others as priests [Levi] and so on according to the gifting of God [Genesis 49]. Understanding this, we should not be offended or taken aback when other believers don’t meet our outward expectations, as long as they hold to the important foundational principle of Christ. Like Joseph said to his brothers “be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life”, we should walk in love, respecting one another, and giving ourselves a long rope.

Also, it has been my desire to write concerning an issue that has been of great concern to me. One would think that Christians would understand “touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm” [1 Chronicles 16:22] more than anyone else, but sadly, the reverse is the case. We find Christians condemning some and otherwise accepting some men of God. It is not in our place to do such a thing; in fact, it is a manifestation of spiritual childishness to demonstrate such audacity as to speak negatively about a man or woman of God, whether or not you think he or she has gone astray. In Romans 14:4, the Apostle Paul wrote “who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand”. Do you want to condemn a man of God that fell, only for God to restore him afterward? What then becomes of you who has touched the Lord’s anointed? Well, you may say that the anointing left him when he fell. But, think again!

After David had been anointed king and Saul had made attempts to kill David, Saul eventually died having already been rejected by God. After he died, a certain man brought news to David about the death of Saul and even lied that he killed Saul himself. Many of us, if in David’s shoes, would have burst out rejoicing considering that we have already been anointed and this ‘nuisance’ has been taken out of the way. But, David said something striking to the man that brought the news; he said “how wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed”? [2 Samuel 1:11-15, 19-20] Notice that David still referred to Saul as the Lord’s anointed. David ended up mourning for Saul and killing the young man that brought the supposed ‘good news’.

Afterward he forbade his men from letting the Gentiles know about it. Why must unbelievers hear about the fall of a minister of God from the mouth of believers? Why do we talk the most about ourselves in a negative light? This must change for us to be efficient as a body. For a while now, I have developed the mentality that my only business with another Christian’s spiritual life is to pray for them and give thanks to God for their successes. I believe fellow believers should adopt the same mentality, knowing that God deals with His children on an individual basis based on His expectations and no one else’s.

Jesus made it clear how we’ll know our brothers and sisters – by their fruits. He did not leave us in doubt or make it a confusing issue. John expounded on that by letting us know that “every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” according to 1 John 4:2. Can we believe the word of God and relate with one another as siblings regardless of any other differences in understanding of the word of God?

Finally, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, which I strongly encourage you to read, Paul explains in-depth the importance of this subject of unity. There needs to be peace within the borders of Zion, and God can only establish it through us. We cannot keep cutting each other down instead of helping to heal each other’s wounds. Refuse to be the stumbling block in the way of the Masters’ work. When you are outside of your Christian family [local church assembly], function from the standpoint of members of one body. Let us love one another, work with one another, pray for one another, and strengthen one another till the day that the Master arrives, so that He will indeed find a “church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish” [Ephesians 5:27].

The church the Apostle refers to in Ephesians 5:27 is not your local assembly, but the body of Christ.

Be concerned about the body!

Peace At Last!!!

Here's a poem I was prompted to write by the HolySpirit. It's dedicated from my heart to all those who have been impacted by natural disasters especially Haitians:


When destruction passes

And the thundering settles

Will there be…peace at last?

Hope restored and faith assured

Peace, peace at last.

Or, will I look in the face of another for…

Peace at last?

Shall I cry out to posterity and humanity for...

Peace, peace at last?

When rationality returns

And still hope is dull

Without father, mother, friend, or foe

Where, the sorrow, shall I lay?

To find…

Peace, peace at last.

Oh! Do I hear a voice?

Does it say “look to Jesus now and live”?

The Only True…

Peace, peace everlasting.