GODLY RELATIONSHIP

“ They were both naked,……..and were not ashamed. Gen. 2:5”

Our heavenly Father, hallow be Your awesome name. How beautiful and wonderful You are! You are truly the Lord of lords and the Almighty King of the universe. You created all things in heaven and the physical world, both visible and invisible. No one can contend with You, and no power can dethrone Your majesty. You rule and reign forever and ever. Heaven is Your throne, and the earth You have given to the children of men. Your Kingdom is established in justice and righteousness; mercy and truth go before You. We thank You Lord for Your lovingkindness and faithfulness, and pray that Your Kingdom power and principles will ultimately fully reign over our tumultuous and treacherous generation, in Jesus name. Amen.

Wow! This year of 2015 has almost come to an end. How quickly time seems to zoom past. The Word of God counsels us to pray for the grace to count our days and gain a heart of wisdom. For many of people, it has been a successful year but for most, may be, not all that exciting. Thousands of people live in squalor and abject poverty with no hope in sight. Still others have and continue to acquire wealth and luxury with such ease. The tremendous disparity between the poor and the rich is widening at such an alarming rate. Those who rule the nations are burgeoning in wealth and more power and the majority of the masses are faced with increasing hardship.

Family values and cohesion are being eroded rapidly. Priorities are changing for the worst. Godly principles and established ways are now relegated to the archives of our minds and everyone seems to be on a rat race for more and more material things. Our sense of gratitude for the basic things of life is lost and the cancer of ingratitude and discontentment is growing deep in the lives of even our children. Hopelessness and faulty or perverted vision have clouded our collective existence.

In the midst of the discouraging horror of our times, the Lord is still on His throne. There is definitely violence to His Kingdom but the Word of Jesus remains faithful. The Kingdom of the Lord will be built and established on earth and the powers of hades will never prevail against it. For the Saints of God, the Holy Spirit continues to move powerfully through His children to impact the lost and wretched world around us. The Scriptures teaches and inspires us with this profound truth: “ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” Proverb 11:30. This is a sobering truth. No amount of worldly success and acclaim will be truly fulfilling and eternally rewarding compared to leading someone from darkness to light; from the power of Satan to the loving embrace of Jesus; from a hopeless existence to a victorious life of faith in Christ Jesus. Idleness and complacency in the Kingdom of God is to say the least wickedness and foolishness!!!

The Lord Jesus has positioned His children in strategic places. Every situation or position you find yourself is not by accident. God permitted it so for His glory. A Spirit-filled walk will provoke praise to Christ at all times. The Lord reveals purpose when we ask for insight in difficult or unpleasant situations. This summer was particularly challenging for my family and I. It was a tough test of faith but the faithful Lord saw us through it all. My patience was seriously stretched almost to breaking point. However, abundant grace was poured into my life as I intensified in the study of the Word, prayers and praise. In my area of influence, so many souls were won over to the good Lord. The violence to my soul and afflictions in my body translated to spiritual fruitfulness to the Kingdom of God. Hallelujah!!!

Yes, this brings me to the disturbing escalation of violence and unrest in our world. The deep sense of harmony, peace and security in our homes and families is now just memory of the past. The joy and happiness of most families seems to be resting on a very unstable precipice. The foundation of our existence has shifted sadly from established Godly principles to weak and faulty worldly wisdom. The Lord of all creation is securely seated on His throne as He watches the world powers manage the affairs of the world. Habakkuk, a great prophet in his days, decried the violence and anarchy of his time.

“ O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, ‘ Violence!’ and You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, perverse judgment proceeds.” Hab. 1:2-4.

Several years ago, when the hostility in northern Nigeria was just smoldering, the Lord called my attention to the impending violence. I was terribly afraid and wondered how I could safely travel to Nigeria and to do the work of ministry. As I continued to pray and fellowship with the Holy Spirit another vision was revealed. It was a vision of my wife and I walking together along a path. It was as though we were naked but the atmosphere was serene and sublime. Then, I was led into the sanctuary of this mysterious looking old man. This ancient looking man sat behind me and instructed me to see the world through a microscope. I have prayed and meditated on the interpretations and significance of this vision.

“ Look among the nations and watch: Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you.” Hab. 1:5.

In my terror-stricken condition, I found grace in the insights gleaned from the humble attitude of Prophet Habakkuk. I learned to position myself in the right posture to receive understanding from the Wonderful Counselor and Sovereign Lord of all creation.

“ I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘ Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time! But at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Hab. 2:1-3.

As someone who can boast of years of personal battles and violence against my person, but ultimate victory through the Lord Jesus, I understand that the visible is merely the symptom of the invisible. The outward state of unrest, agitation and violence in our families, communities and nations are merely symptoms of deep-seated emotional, spiritual deficiencies and faulty thought processes that stem from a depraved and sick nature. For most part, the solution and cure of a malady requires a thorough investigation and microscopic analysis of pertinent factors. A forensic analytical approach is fundamental to proffering suggestions to the disturbing instability of our collective existence. Lasting solution can only be discerned from the lens of the Word of God empowered by the Counsel of His Will.

Marriage Relationship

“ And they shall become one flesh.” Gen. 2:24.

The concept of the first human creations, Adam and Eve (male and female), becoming one flesh carries the idea of a transforming process into a harmonious unique entity. Each of them is endowed with profound intelligence, creativity, emotions, and ability to respond to God and the external environment. Each has the in-built capability to exist independently, but for the grand purpose of God must co-exist in a mutually beneficial relationship in pursuit of God’s will for their lives. A fusion process that encompasses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of their being is critical for meeting the intents of God. Any aberration to the fusion will undermine purpose and ultimately outcome. Now, lets take a closer look and analysis of the Genesis account.

“ And the Lord God said, ‘ It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him………….And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘ This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

“ Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2.