Serving God Passionately

Brethren, we are re-sharing this message which we shared during 2019, as a family, we are still praying and meditating on the love of God for us after He brought our beloved daughter Claudia back from death as we shared in our last article. Thus, by the grace of our Heavenly Father we will work on a new article in the next week, God willing. Thus be blessed as you read in Jesus' name.

Vision to Charis 11 October 2019 (Muslims Are Faithful and some Christians are greedy)

I had a vision about a Christian man who was helping a homeless girl. This Christian father was not kind towards this girl. He was treating her not like his own children with love and respect but harshly. I then saw the girl asking for help from members of the Muslim community who were eager to help her with a place to live and with food. I heard a Muslim man explaining to his wife saying, "As Muslims, we need to help those in need. Because we are obligated by Allah". At first she was not eager to help but after the explanation above she seemed to have understood the bases of their teaching.

After seeing this, I heard the LORD saying, "Christians are very greedy when they do something for other people they show off and when they do things for others they should do it from their hearts and for Me (1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 25:40).  Muslims are worshiping another god and yet they are faithful. When they help people they do it from their hearts and for their god". END!

Are You God Conscious? 

Well, before answering that question it would be wise to first evaluate your relationship with God and the test is simple. Are you born again, having repented of your sins and living a holy life? (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23) Do you read your Bible every day as God commanded? (Joshua 1:8) Do you have a love for the Word of God, above all other reading materials or visual programs (TV, Internet, etc.)? (Psalm 119:20; 119:97). Do you often spend time praying or are you too busy with life? (Daniel 6:10). Are you about our Heavenly Father’s business by witnessing and winning souls or are you indulging in lustful and worldly pleasures? Is your company pleasing to you or to God (Hebrews 10:25; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Luke 2:49; Proverbs 11:30). Answers to these questions are a basic foundation to our relationship with the Lord, and being so involved with Him will lead people to say “…these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NIV).

If we are consistently passionate, doing all of the above daily to please God, our attitude would be less abrasive and people would notice the hope in us (1 Peter 3:15-16). We would not take offense to people’s hurtful opinions; we would instead forgive them (Matthew 6:14-15). Therefore this kind of consciousness can best be described as living in God and God in us (John 17:23; Acts 17:28). Undoubtedly, the reason why so many of us have such bad attitudes is due to excessive self-consciousness.

Causes of Lost Passion

The Lord told us that most ministries fail because they have lost their passion or first love for Him, and as a result many people consider His work to be burdensome (Revelation 2:4). Jesus Himself invites us with a bold declaration: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Furthermore, loss of faith in Christ is also largely due to a lack of passion for the Lord Jesus. When we walk out on our family and fellowship group in Christ, we have lost our passion and our love has grown cold and the danger of cold love yields hatred and grudges.

In the early 90’s, I lost my passion for Christ, with the principal cause being sin. I started spending more time in the night club than in church. Instead of turning to the Bible and the Lord for answers to my pressing problems, I turned to ungodly people, books and magazines. In addition, the company of the unsaved became more accommodating because their "innocence" to my hurting conscience served as a mask. Once our passion for the Lord has faded we adopt a new passion, which is often some kind of an addiction, as a replacement for our lost love to God. As it is, in this backsliding state the latter part of our lives becomes worse than it was before we knew The Lord (Luke 11:26).

Equally dangerous is when people who lose their love for Christ turn to idols, false religions, and worldly living (2 Timothy 4:10). As history has shown us, historically, most of the men who founded sects within Christianity lost their passion for Christ and pinned their hopes on the observance of certain doctrinal positions. The Lord made it abundantly clear when He said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

The word "hate" in this context from the Strong’s Greek concordance simply means ‘miséō, i.e. to love someone or something less than someone (something) else, or to to renounce one choice in favor of another, which denotes a moral choice. It does not refer to a literal hatred as in ‘misos’ (to hate). In other words, we should love The Lord more than anything or anyone else.  Therefore, we cannot love our lives, churches, pastors, parents, wives or anything more than Christ; if we do that, then we have lost our passion for Him (Luke 9:24). Our Lord Jesus Christ is a Real Living Person (and to the unbelieving I have seen Him) and our passion for Him must be above everyone or thing. He should be the reason, purpose and cause why we go to church and engage in various ministry work. Our love for church and the people in the church people should be secondary to our love and passion for Christ. If we are ashamed of Him and afraid to witness, don’t we show a lack of passion?

How to Keep the Passion Alive

When the Lord commanded my wife to start a women's prayer group, some of the sisters who had started praying with her came up with various excuses and did not show up. There came a time when my wife was just with one person, and her passion turned into discouragement. However, The Lord being faithful encouraged her and said that one person can pray for a thousand (1000) people. It's been more than four years now, and that same passion to see people saved and delivered is still driving them. The question is: which passion is driving you? The one you follow or the things you are most passionate about shows what you treasure! (Matthew 6:21).

Passion for The Lord is fueled by our abiding in His Presence without ceasing (John 15:7). We abide in The Lord’s Presence through worship, praying, fasting, Bible reading, being involved in ministry work, and fellowship in The Lord with those who call on Him (2 Timothy 2:22; Luke 2:37; Psalm 27:4; Deuteronomy 17:18-19). It is not just good to have a Bible; we must read it daily and obey it, so that our love may remain hot for Christ (Matthew 24:12). It serves as firewood, burning away all lusts and worldliness (Jeremiah 23:29), anchoring us in truth, and keeping us free from deception and slavery (John 8:32; John 17:17). As it is, Christ being the author and finisher of our faith commands us to set Him above doctrine, church and family (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:15). Furthermore, some of us go to great lengths to pursue a doctrine of faith or a religious belief like some sects in Christianity; such an attitude shows no passion for Christ, but only passion for the doctrine, denomination or position of faith. Remember to  "keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you" (1 Timothy 4:16 NLT).

Finally, fellow believers in the Lord Jesus, "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want (Galatians 5:16-17).

Vision of a Lukewarm Church

I received a short vision from The Lord this morning (December 8, 2014) just before I woke up. It was a vision within a vision. I saw myself walking into a beautiful building, and while walking I saw another vision behind me. Although I was looking ahead of me, I could still see the scene of the vision. I saw a large group of people whose faces were blurred in a church.

There was someone who was preaching to these people, urging them to worship The Lord. The person was trying to kind of "revive" the people through his urging and encouragement, but they were just standing there cold in their hearts towards the Lord (I was allowed to feel that their hearts were far from The Lord). I saw The Lord dressed in white light in their midst, without them even being aware He was Present. As I was about to climb a stairway, I heard a voice of someone who was standing there saying loudly: "I LOVE THE LORD WITH MY WHOLE HEART!" This was the end of the vision.

Interpretation:

The Lord explained to me that He is faithful to all His promises and that He is present where two or three gather in His name just like it was in this lukewarm church (Matthew 18:20). However, people's hearts are far away from Him since they are focusing on or thinking or of their lustful pleasures. The people in the vision reflect today's situation in the church, with people showing no passion or love for Him in His Presence. People lack enthusiasm and excitement in the church, and that is why the pastor or worship leader was trying his best to "revive" or "wake up" the people with encouragement. Brethren, let us show passion in the Lord's Presence as an expression of our love to Him, like the voice of The Lord's witness said. The Bible indeed encourages us to "...love The Lord your God with all your heart..." (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27), and praise/thank Him likewise with our whole heart (Psalm 9:1).

So, have you forsaken the love you had for Jesus Christ at first? Have you been spending more time with people, teachings, and activities that don’t encourage passion for Christ in your heart? If so, please repent. If you would like to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and start a life full of love for God, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Grace to you in Jesus’ name,
Brother Glenn.

We Thank God For Our Lives

Thanksgiving to God should be our Ultimate Sacrifice

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV)

Brief Testimony:

Last night (16/05/2021) has just been extremely traumatic. Our beloved daughter Claudia who also started receiving messages from the Lord recently died but came back to life in JESUS POWERFUL NAME! We did report in the past that she has not been well healthwise. Now since Wednesday last week (12/05/2021), she has not been feeling well with her heartbeat being abnormal. While my wife and other children were in the room talking, and I being in another room, I just heard them screaming in panic 'Claudia', Claudia, daddy please come help!' 

Knowing her condition, the first thing that came to my mind was my beloved daughter is leaving us. I rushed to the room and there she was convulsing violently turning pale and purple around her mouth and hands with no pulse and life while laying there on the bed lifeless. While Charis and Cailin were screaming in panic, My wife and I wasted no time and we only know JESUS CHRIST, we rebuked death and Satan in JESUS NAME, praying in tongues until she came back, HALLELUJAH! This is NO LIE BUT GOD's TRUTH! As parents and God-fearing people, we encourage you to hold on to the LORD. Had we not known Him and serving Him we would have both lost Cailin (this is a testimony we shared in our book 1 and on this site) and Claudia. 

The LORD is FOREVER GOOD and He GRACIOUSLY SAVED US MULTIPLE PAINS! We humbly urge you to continue praying for her (Claudia) and as a precaution, we rushed her to the hospital last night. After Claudia returned, she said she felt so peaceful and the next moment she saw that she was standing before beautiful gates and when she was just about to enter she heard me praying and saying in JESUS NAME LIFE RETURN and she just felt a warmth feeling enter her throat and she got back. GLORY TO GOD ALMIGHTY!!!

Furthermore, the LORD also revealed something through Claudia this past Friday (14/05/2021), before we will announce that as a family we are still praying about this and we will share it with you soon.  Since that Word from the Lord, I have learned to value and appreciate each day and regard it as precious for all purposes. We, therefore, urge you dear faithful children of God to continue praying for us and the work of God Almighty.

Through several messages to Charis, the Lord gave warnings to many brethren. Those who obeyed and changed their attitudes were blessed, while those who disregarded the Lord’s warnings had to face the consequences of their ungrateful attitudes. We, therefore, encourage you not to be greedy and keep yearning for more earthly things; that is being ungrateful. When you have a little, be content and show appreciation; you will always have enough even to share (Hebrews 13:5). God is well pleased with a person who has a thankful heart and such is a humble spirit!

I encourage you never to doubt an urgent, convicting message, especially when it pertains to the will of God. We must discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, act by faith, and be obedient. My wife once had a strong urge to preach a certain message to our home church members, but I discouraged her and instead urged her to "allow the Lord to give us a message," thinking that it may be different. To my surprise, the Lord confirmed through Charis the same message that my wife had in her heart. From this experience, I learned never to doubt and undermined a message coming by faith. If the message is about Christ, it is from the Holy Spirit and should be spoken from the conviction coming from faith (1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 14:22-23).

Why Should We Appreciate God and Give Thanks to Him?

Because giving thanks is an everyday practice, we often overlook the value of thanksgiving to God. Biblically, giving thanks to God is basically an expression of our deepest appreciation for something we never could do for our own good and convenience (Colossians 1:12-14; Matthew 5:45). Sadly though, today's culture has produced a lot of ungrateful people, where many simply don't even appreciate the way they look. The political correctness of our day has produced countless rebels who fight against the will of God and His order in human society (Romans 1:24-27). As it is, people have developed an attitude of entitlement, largely fueled by our legal rules, instead of having a humble heart of appreciation.

The Bible says that God has freely and unconditionally given the human race all things for our continued existence (Genesis 1:26-30), and we are still beneficiaries of this command today (2 Corinthians 9:11; Isaiah 55:10; Romans 8:32). It is an irrefutable fact: we cannot equal the Lord in giving nor can we give anything in exchange for something He did for us (Romans 11:35; Matthew 16:26). Therefore, our giving to the Lord is through thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). That is why it is such a humbling and God-pleasing gesture when people pray before meals and say thank the Lord for the food they have, the good health they enjoy, and the life God has given them. It further blesses the Lord when we show our appreciation to others when they have done or given us something. In this sense, both are giving thanks to God -- the receiver for the gift, and the giver for being able to give as a sacrifice to God (Psalm 50:23; Hebrews 13:16).

I must also emphasize that being ungrateful and demanding is displeasing and sinful to the Lord. Having such an attitude will result in God withholding good from us (Proverbs 11:24-25).

Additionally, it is to our benefit to receive godly correction; it is priceless when we receive a rebuke from God or a brother in the Lord with good intent (Psalm 141:5; Proverbs 3:12). We had a brother in our ministry who could not accept rebuke from the Lord and this greatly displeased the Lord. For his rejection of the Lord’s rebuke, the Lord told the brother that he did not appreciate the Lord’s messages, and He commanded the brother to repent and go on a 3-day fast. He subsequently humbled himself and obeyed the Lord, and soon after the Lord blessed him and answered most of his prayers. There were also some other brethren amongst us who did not appreciate the Lord’s rebukes and provisions, subsequently their ungrateful attitudes drove them from the Lord. As a result, many of these brethren descended into self-inflicted hardships.

Have you been forgetting to thank the Lord and others, thereby manifesting an ungrateful spirit? If so, please repent and return to the presence of the Lord (Psalm 100:4). Give thanks to Him because of His righteousness (Psalm 7:17) and because He is good; His love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV ). Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love, His righteous laws which lead us to live, and for the great things He has done and will do for us (Psalm 107:21; Psalm 119:62; Psalm 119:105). He has answered our prayers and He is our salvation (Psalm 118:21; Romans 5:8).

Brothers and sisters, remember to always “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT).

To receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please start by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessedness to the Lord in thankfulness to you our dear brethren,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Holding On To Your Faith

Leaning On God's Grace

While we patiently await that most BLESSED DAY, let us continue in obedience and faithful service to the Lord. We as a ministry would like to express our greatest love to all our brethren who faithfully support us in prayer and in everything else that helps to keep this work stay afloat. In humble gratitude, if you did not return your love for us by praying, supporting, and reading the work we publish here, we would have no joy in our work. The Lord gives us great comfort and joy, and He has blessed us with you and your fellowship, even if it is through this platform. 

The Word of God exhorts us to trust in God and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). There is also another very powerful and familiar portion of Scripture, which is often quoted on the same topic:

“This is what the Lord says: The man who trusts in mankind, who makes human flesh his strength and turns his heart from the Lord is cursed. He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives. The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 HCSB).

Encouragement to Depend on God

As Christians and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should be depending on God. We will be sharing some real experiences from the Lord on this subject for your encouragement. It is worth mentioning that the Lord Jesus Christ is aware of our every suffering and the challenges we face (Hebrews 4:15). Evidently, some of our sufferings stem from panic and fear, forcing us to become dependent on man instead of depending on the Lord (Genesis 3:10). If we will literally denounce our dependence on the arm of flesh and choose to trust in the Lord, the Lord in His power, love, and might will move the heart of whomever else He pleases to use or supernaturally meet our need. He is true to His promises to "… never leave you or forsake (abandon) you" (Hebrews 13:5). Furthermore, if we have a solid faith in God and are not being shaken by fear and panic, we are guaranteed deliverance, provisions, and protection (Psalm 125:1). The Bible also assures us: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children (descendants) begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). Furthermore, as we know, our Christian journey is based on faith and the ‘evidence’ or proof of our faith in God’s response in the natural to our prayer requests (Mark 11:24; 2 Corinthians 5:7).

Godly Counsel in Needy Times

With the Scriptures being our guide to truth and encouragement, below we examine some Scriptural references about real people who literally trusted in God for protection and provision.

• When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gave an urgent order to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel did not panic in fear; instead, he and his companions trusted God and sought Him to provide a way out of the situation (Daniel 2:14-19).
• Similarly, when Sennacherib King of Assyria threatened King Hezekiah, he did not go and make a treaty with some foreign army like King Asa did (2 Chronicles 16:7-9). Instead, he went to the Lord, the Shield of Abraham, in prayer and the Lord was faithful and help him (2 Kings 19:1-7).
• When the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab, we read in the Bible that, "They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers because they trusted in him" (1 Chronicle 5:18-21).
• King David, when he was fleeing from Saul, did not take matters into his own hand to fight Saul; he sought Godly counsel in prayer and followed God’s plan and fled (1 Samuel 23:12; Proverbs 15:22).
• Likewise, when our Lord Jesus was arrested by the Roman soldiers, He did not depend on the swords of His disciples for protection but trusted in the LORD God Almighty (Matthew 26:50-53).

Dependence on Men and Ourselves Yields Cursing

We often hear these popular statements: "Believe in yourself!" or “Trust in yourself!” While these statements may sound quite encouraging and uplifting, as Christians we know in whose strength our faith must truly rest (1 Corinthians 2:5). God has not called us to believe in our own abilities, (2 Corinthians 10:17), but to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him we have given up our rights and surrender to Him in full (John 6:29). Thus, we can do all things through Christ (not through ourselves) who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). If it is by our own strength, then we glory in the flesh (Judges 7:2).

As it is, there were some people in the Bible who trusted in themselves and even followed ungodly ideas of men and in return, they received curses rather than blessings:

• When King Rehoboam chose to take the bad advice of his young friends, Israel rebelled against Him (2 Chronicles 10:10-19).
• When Nabal chose to return evil for good by not acting in kindness to King David, the Lord struck Him down and he died (1 Samuel 25:5-38).
• When King Ahab chose to listen to his wife Jezebel’s wicked advice to kill Naboth and steal his vineyard, the Lord promised punishment and disaster for Ahab's family (1 Kings 21: 17-24; 22:37-38).
• Likewise, when King David relied on his own power and authority to get rid of Uriah the Hittite and took his wife Bathsheba, the Lord promised to raise evil against him from his own household (2 Samuel 12:7-12).

Therefore, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8).

We should not be Giving Orders to God

After my conversion in 1990 and being born again, like most new Christians, I was quick to blame the Lord when the reality of the test appeared, crying, “this is not working!” and “God is not answering my prayers!” I panicked in fear as Peter did (Matthew 14:30). However, as I matured in my faith, I learned that I should not demand God to act as if I am ordering a servant. It is true that most Christians have this perception that we can simply order the Lord around when we face steep challenges. One of the most popular but false teachings advocated by prosperity teachers is that Christians have a right or entitlement to God’s blessings and should, therefore, “name it and claim it”, demanding of the Lord to give us whatever material wealth or health we desire. In humility and truth, we are to be patient and steadfast in the midst of our situation, and the Lord will grant deliverance as He wills (Daniel 3:18). Over the years, I have since learned to employ faith, patience, and humility to win God’s favor, because the Lord is not moved by our ‘quick and urgent’ and demanding attitudes (Isaiah 40:31). God responds to a humble request in faith (James 4:6). In one of our previous articles (please refer to Patience: An Essential Fruit to Inherit God's Promises) we mentioned that the fruit of patience slows us down and it helps us focus on God's salvation and deliverance. From my own experiences, consistent prayer might appear arduous, tedious, and wearisome, but it brings forth trust, endurance, and a patient faith (Luke 18:1-8). I can tell you, it pleases the Lord when we show our faith and dependence on Him. In a message to me recently, I sensed the Lord’s joy when He appraised my faith and in His good pleasure, He granted my request. Hallelujah!

In 1991, when I was retrenched from my first formal job, I had my first taste of frustration as a Christian. I had no income to pay my monthly rental, and after experiencing a few months of frustrations and disappointments of not finding a job, a brother whom I truly regard as a faithful mentor in Christ advised me to go on a fast for a few days and stop my dependence on people. I willingly followed the brother’s counsel and I went on my first ever fasting experience as a Christian, which was a three-day fast. On the last day of my fast, the Lord spoke to me through the Bible and said that He had opened a door of employment for me (Revelation 3:7-8). As confirmation, and what made this verse so shockingly true, was that those words of ‘an open door’ were similar to the wording in my page of prayer request, and back then I was not aware that such a verse of open-door existed in the Bible. A few days after my fasting, I had a dream from the Lord in which I saw a man coming to me with a job offer. About a week after this dream, a man who lived in the same block of flats as I did, came and told me that the company he works for was looking for people. I was suitably qualified and when I went to the interview I was offered the job. In His faithfulness, the Lord honored my faith and granted my request.

In a similar experience, a brother in the Lord recently told me that he had failed his motor car driver’s test twice because he was depending on the ‘mercy’ of the officer to overlook his mistakes and give him a pass to obtain his driver’s license. However, after realizing that he had made man his dependence, he repented and went on a one-day fast, and on his third attempt, the Lord fulfilled a promise He had made to him a few months earlier in a dream that He would receive his driver’s license.

In another test, in January of 2010, I was unable to provide for my family and pay our mortgage. I had relied on many people to help me find a job and to give us whatever money or groceries they had. In my desperation, I even approached my pastor, who had many contacts, for possible jobs but her promises did not yield anything. To add insult to injury, someone even told me: “You are praying so much, but God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers for a job!” I was hurt by those words, and I regard them as mocking to the Lord. My family’s suffering and frustrations drove sharp arrows of conflict at home, dividing the family. In another desperate act, I humbly went to God who had helped me previously; I fasted for seven days, giving myself literally to God (you may read my full testimony in our Preparing for The Kingdom Book 1, under the chapter on “Prayer is the Key to Solving All Problems – Part I”). After seeing my position of humility and helplessness, the faithful God took mercy on me, answered my prayers, and provided the financial means that we needed.

This is what the Bible says to encourage us:

• I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2).
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
• Call on Me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, put your trust and faith in God’s hands, and He will not overlook your situation as many think He does. God knows your anxious thoughts and CARES FOR YOU (Psalm 139:2; 23; 1 Peter 5:7). The Word also says: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).

As we conclude this message, we must consider our attitude when asking for help from the Lord. From our experience, we have learned that we must be submissive to God and not have a demanding attitude. We should also not base our faith on some formulated prayers or dogma, or look to a certain preacher for answers. Our hope and trust must be in the Lord alone to help through any trying situation we may face.

A few years ago, I learned from someone about a Christian woman who, while lying on her sickbed, earnestly desired her pastor to pray for her healing. Due to his busy schedule, the pastor could not make it to her bedside to pray for her. This led her to think that her pastor didn’t care about her. In her desperation for her pastor’s prayers, this precious sister did not value the worth and power of her own prayers and that of other believers. If we would only turn with desperation to the Lord, He who sees everything is READY to take over our situation. As it is, after a few weeks the young woman died without receiving healing, because her dependence and faith rested on her pastor’s prayers and not on God’s ability and promises to heal her. This is the unfortunate situation of many Christians: their dependence, hope, and confidence are in man and they like piggybacking on others. This should not be the case, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV)

We encourage you to read further on how prayer releases God’s blessings and deliverance by studying your Bibles. You may also reference our articles on Prayer: The Key to All Problems - Parts I and Part II. To accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Have a blessed new year trusting in God alone, and may your year be filled with Jesus’ love!

Brother Glenn .

Being Courageous Dispels' Fear

 Faith Is Courage

Brethren, the Lord has revealed to us through various messages and visions that the courage of many Christians is failing them to walk fully in the will of the Lord. This, the LORD said, led to many Christians dishonoring Him and they instead choose to honor man more than Him. Therefore, after prayer, we are reposting this message to encourage and remind the brethren to be courageous and stand firm especially given the times that we are living in. We are going to need the courage to overcome the temptation of being ashamed of the gospel and our good confession that Jesus Christ is LORD! Be blessed and share the word as you continue serving. 

Additionally, we need to remind you that if a person does not have faith, God cannot work with you (Hebrews11:6). I have had quite a few people writing to me disputing certain bible truths or finding it hard to believe and when we asked the Lord He would address that person's lack of faith and doubts. Thus having the courage to stand against any oppressiveness or an ungodly demand is an expression of our faith in God (Daniel 3:18). 

Some time ago, a brother in the Lord was trusting God to bring about a certain event while his wife doubted. The Lord rebuked the sister for her lack of faith. Similarly, one young man asked us to trust God to bless him with a job, we prayed and asked God for him the Lord answered saying that the young man did not have enough faith. As it is then, we need to focus on God to help us overcome our lack of courage.

Furthermore, we have numerous Biblical examples of failed courage and how this led to disaster. Here is one powerful incident of failed courage. Moses sent out 12 spies to explore the promised land of Canaan, and upon their return, they displayed some of the rich produce from that land. They also reported how powerful the people were. They saw giant-like people there, “descendants of Anak”. The spies (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb), presented the report in such a negative and unfaithful manner that the people were discouraged and their hearts failed so that they longed back to the days of bondage (Numbers 13: 1-33).

Even though Moses, Caleb, Joshua, and Aaron pleaded with the community to trust in the Lord and not to be afraid, the people were determined to turn back in disobedience (Numbers 14:1-9). Brethren, I encourage you in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ never to turn back to bondage after you experienced the Lord’s deliverance. This will result in your destruction (Numbers 14:21-30). From the above Scripture, we learn that this same rebellious community experienced the mighty acts of God’s judgment upon the Egyptians, and yet they still doubted Him. They were driven by fear and they had given up. The Lord forgave them and promised judgment for their lack of faith, and we know that He fulfilled the judgment He promised them (Joshua 5:6).

God: Our Source of Courage

God the Father says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV). Furthermore, Joshua, being a man of faith, took God’s Word literally when the Lord said to him, “Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-7 NIV).

As it turned out, Joshua took faith in the words of the Lord and God’s command to be strong and courageous, and he brought the Israelites into the Promised Land (Joshua 24:8-14). This was a combination of faith and obedience which resulted in the promise. Faith is expressed through courage in facing uncertainty. I am not talking about human courage that seeks to elevate our own strength and abilities. I am talking about taking courage in God’s abilities. If we expressed such faith, God would be recognized as the Source of our achievement, rather than us. The result is always supernatural and beyond human ability (Joshua 1:3-9).

In addition, courage is often mistaken for risk in today’s language. The world encourages people to take risks by experimenting with their strengths and weaknesses. The benefit of success in taking the risk is wealth and self-glory. When we take risks, we base our faith in our own abilities and not in the Lord. In the Lord, however, we express our courage by faith in God’s abilities for His glory and our deliverance. In other words, we say, “Lord you said, so we do” (John 15:14).

In many instances, I have witnessed how the Christian’s courage is usurped by fear. In the examples above, Joshua had faith but he needed to have courage as well. We have also seen how fear seized upon the people‘s courage and they gave up (Numbers 14:4). Although they fell in the desert, God used Joshua’s courage to bring their children into the Promised Land. Likewise, God wants us to take up Joshua, Paul, and Peter’s courage as a testimony to trust in His ability. We read how they overcame all adversities. These courageous men witnessed fearlessly (Acts 4:33), they had the courage to face prison, ridicule, and death, and yet they persevered (2 Corinthians 11:23-33).

Today, many Christians are discouraged to witness because they fear what others might think about them. They fear being ridiculed more than witnessing to save souls. We often see and hear the lukewarm, disobedient, and self-righteous believers hurling insults, such as “fundamentalists”, to truly God-fearing servants of God. Do not lose your courage because of insults and abuse, and do not allow a man to judge you on the convictions coming from the Holy Spirit. Keep marching on in obedience and inherit God’s promises! (Joshua 1:7, Luke 6:22-23). God has promised success to the courageous and obedient believers. Also, let your courage not fail because you see that many Christians have befriended the world and live contrary to the scriptures; don’t join in, but hold on faithfully to your confidence (Hebrews 10:23, 1 Corinthians 15:58).

Furthermore, have courage like King Josiah who, when he heard about God’s judgments, repented and led his entire kingdom to national repentance (2 Chronicles 34:39-33). King Josiah took God’s word literally and acted in obedience to it. He was led by a strong conviction and committed himself to follow the Lord with all his heart and soul. He was possessed by fear for God and he followed the commands of the WORD (2 Chronicles 34:31). He showed contempt for the wrongs his forefathers did by destroying the evil they did against the Lord. A flame for God’s justice was burning within him (2 Kings 23:4-25).

Before I conclude, I would like to share with you a short testimony. Before I arrived at the position of faith and courage I enjoy today, I faced many tests and challenges. I fought the fear I had for man through prayer and obedience to God. I am not mentioning this to be pitied, but when the Lord tested our faith and courage, He sent us out witnessing with our Bibles only. He sent us out from morning till late at night. To read more about our faith and the courage we displayed kindly read our article “Obedience Through Test.” This is the courage we expressed in God to protect us and to provide for us.

In conclusion, I encourage you as a fellow servant of God not to allow the ungodly talk of the faithless to consume your courage. Instead, use your faith to draw courage from God, since He said in Scripture “…And I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NIV). We, therefore, say AMEN to His promises and unfathomable ABILITY!

How do your faith and courage measure up? Is your faith like that of Joshua and Caleb, focusing on the Lord as your strength and courage, or are you like the 10 unfaithful spies? If you have a desire to start trusting the Lord, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Grace to you in His courage,

Brother Glenn.