"God spoke to me"

Every now and then you will bump into Christians who would say something like, “God spoke to me” or “I hear God saying”. Coming from Pentecostal/Charismatic background myself, I can understand the zeal that spurs us into thinking that God is speaking to us all of the time. In fact, preachers do that quite often and the sheep … well, they follow. Now, I do not doubt that God speaks but many times, I wonder whether it is God speaking or is it just simply my ego!

My ego did get in the way! At least in the early years of my ministry. It feels so cool to be able to say, “God told me.” I don’t know how accurate I had been in discerning if at all God was speaking to me but being a pastor, if I told somebody something that is not true, I can cause damage! I cannot be presumptuous when it comes to dealing with people. It’s either God did tell me or He did not. And that brings us to today’s thoughts. How do I know if God is speaking to me? How do I know if God is the one giving me the word?

Ask a preacher/prophet this question: “How accurate are you in your prophesying?” If they answer, “70% or 80%” but not 100%, then maybe you should consider if you want to allow that person to prophesy over you. I mean, what if you fall into the 30% category where you receive an inaccurate prophecy? The preacher won’t take responsibility. If the word didn’t come to pass, it will always be assumed that you are in error, not the preacher. Scary huh? Well, what’s more scary is when Christians go around saying all the time that God is speaking to them and through them! Somehow it seems they hear God’s voice all the time and see visions all the time! Come to think about it, maybe I should hire them so I can know what God is saying about my friend who is struggling with cancer, or about that investment, should I or should I not?

Now I am not being sarcastic here. I do believe God speaks. I do believe in dreams and visions. But I am a bit wary with people who constantly profess that God is speaking to them and through them. What is alarming is they don’t take responsibility over what they say! If it didn’t come to pass, there’s always some excuse and it’s usually the recipient’s fault. And preachers … I don’t think they realize it but I think they are using this “God told me” mentality to “control” the audience. I have been a Christian since 1976 and have been in the ministry for more than 30 years and I dare say I have not yet seen a prophet in my life! I know there are many who profess to be prophets but really, I have not seen one true prophet yet! I’ve seen many who goes about prophesying, declaring God had revealed to them stuff, BUT no, I have not yet once met a prophet. At least not according to the credentials of a prophet as we see in the Bible.

So, the question now is … should I or should I not prophesy? Of course you do. The apostle Paul himself urges us to seek after the gift of prophecy. But in our desire to want to prophesy or proclaim “God told me”, let’s practice integrity. My personal preference is, if I cannot be 100% sure, then let me just not say "God spoke to me." And if God is speaking to me about stuff, I don’t have to declare “God told me”. If the information comes from God, I’ll just take it as wisdom and from here, I will counsel accordingly without the need to elevate myself before others in proclaiming “God told me”.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:26-28, “Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” Let me ask; did God spoke to the apostle Paul saying that Christians ought not get married but rather stay single? Or was it Paul’s opinion? Obviously it was Paul’s opinion, not God speaking for in the verse previous, this is what Paul wrote; “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.”

What happened here, God did not speak to Paul about this issue of staying single. It’s was Paul’s idea. But Paul’s idea was recorded into God’s Word so that makes it God’s word? Not necessarily so. Here’s my point for you to ponder. Yes, there are times God speaks to us supernaturally. AND being supernaturally born again of God and not of man, there are times we too like Paul, think God’s thoughts. So my point is this. When thinking God’s thoughts let us not say, “God told me”. Just because I can at times think my “wife’s thoughts” doesn’t mean that I can say “My wife said”. Paul made it very clear when he said, “I have no command from the Lord”.
I have seen damages done because Christians carelessly go around saying, “God told me …”. Most of the “word” given are out of context and do not bear the mind of Christ nor the fruits of the Spirit. Let’s be more responsible when we think we are speaking on behalf of God. We are all called into accountability and someday soon we are all going to stand before God. Did God really say it to you? Or are you just thinking God’s thoughts? OR are you just being presumptuous? It’s a problem with pride and ego.

I wonder. Did God ask me to write this article? Or did I simply just think God’s thoughts? Hmmm….

Silver Cord

Last week in church, I spoke on the "Silver Cord". I do this once in a couple of years to remind church of the mercies of God and that we are not to judge the living nor the "dead". On the same week, an assistant pastor from a mega church in California, USA  committed suicide, leaving behind a wife and two little boys. The pastor was only thirty years old and was a mental health advocate. It's kinda hard to understand and I am sure there are many that had extended help and compassion to the surviving family while there are others who would have judged and condemned even though none actually have the relevant facts. Mental illness has become or is becoming a disease and many has succumbed to it. I suspect the internet age has contributed significantly  to this. I sometimes wonder too  for those that succumb to euthanasia. Can they be looked upon the same as in the case of this young pastor? What happen to their souls? This is why I preached on the Silver Cord once a while in church to remind us of the mercies of God and that God, and only God alone, can rightly judge.. Here's the gist of it.

Death, according to the Bible, is not when the heart stopped beating or when the brain ceased to function. Death, in the eyes of God is when the spirit of man is separated from the physical body (James 2:26). UNTIL that happens, like in the case of Lazarus, the person is not dead but "asleep". Because Lazarus  was "asleep", Jesus was able to "wake him up" (John 11:11). Otherwise Lazarus couldn't have been raised from the dead for God has appointed: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment," (Heb. 9:27). Lazarus would have died twice in his life time then if God had raised him from the dead. So death, according to God, is not when the heart stopped beating and when the brain ceased to function. Death occur ONLY when the silver cord is severed (Ecc. 12:6-7). The silver cord is that which attached the spirit of a man to his physical body giving life to it (think of it like the umbilical cord). As long as the silver cord is not broken, even when the person is being dead for up to four days like in Lazarus case, in the eyes of God  that person is not dead but asleep and can be saved or raise from the dead if God chooses to. Here's a scenario.  When that young pastor committed suicide, his physical body perished but the silver cord may not  yet have broken. The Lord could have appeared to him and got things right with him. Then when the silver cord breaks, he's with Jesus in heaven. That's why I say even for a person who has never heard of Jesus prior to death can still be saved. After all, Jesus is the good Shepherd who brings His lost sheep back to the sheep pen. Salvation belongs to God.

God is indeed merciful. I won't be surprised at all to meet people in heaven whom I never thought I'd see. An uncle or aunty, grandpa, grandma, brother, buddies, people who had never received Christ while alive on earth or heard about Jesus. God has His way of revealing Himself to his lost sheep. After all, many are praying for their love ones and friends. In answer to prayers, the Lord could have revealed Himself to that person prior to the breaking of the silver cord and do that which we cannot but can only hope and pray for. Is there anything too hard for our God? Amen.

Maranatha!!!

Since the beginning of Christianity, every generation of believers had believed that Jesus is coming back in their time. It has been two thousand years now and I wonder if Christians today still believe Jesus will be returning in this generation? I asked because this reality has not been taught much today as it was previously. Nevertheless, the truth remains. Jesus is coming soon and when He comes, He comes like a thief in the night when you least expect him and when your guard is down. I have always been hopeful that Jesus will come in my generation. I have the hope that I will not experience death but the transformation of my body in the Rapture! And for that I have to believe He will come in my life time. Perhaps many are not expecting His soon return anytime soon but Jesus' return is unavoidable and imminent and He WILL return in His full glory. It has to be sometime. Why not hope and believe for NOW?

Looking back over the centuries, there has never been a more realistic time for Jesus' return such as NOW. Within short decades,  the ushering in of the internet age has shaped this world's landscape in such a manner that the signs of Jesus' return is now in place and a reality. Two thousand years ago, the apostle John saw into the future that described the age we are living in TODAY. Take the robotic age and AI (Artificial Intelligence) recorded in Revelation 13 for example. It's already a reality! Not one hundred years ago, not during the times of the apostles but HERE and NOW. Recently we read about China's invention of facial recognition as it enters into 5G. It will replace the present cashless society in China. Imagine, no need cash, credit cards, no need hand phones for making transactions. Just face recognition! What is simply needed in the very near future as this world continues to evolve rapidly in this manner, is just your facial recognition and hand prints! Does this sound familiar?

"And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark - the name of the beast or the number of its name". (Revelation 13:16-17)".

What are the manner of recognition? Forehead and hand. Not necessarily an embedded chip (old school). Facial recognition and hand prints! Jesus is coming back soon. If you are neither  perceiving  His soon return, nor expecting His soon return, I then fear for you for in the Bible, Jesus said : "Two men working in the field. One taken up and one left behind. Two women working in the mill. One taken up and one left behind." One out of two is 50%. So many will be left behind when Jesus comes.  In the parable of the Ten Virgins, there will always be the five foolish ones. Don't fool yourself into thinking Jesus coming is not anytime soon.

This Saturday's "Devotion with senior pastor", I will be dwelling on this subject. Maranatha!!! (Our Lord is coming)!

How to sin

Everybody is prone to wrongs. That's the human nature. The moment we were born, we were born into a nature where it's natural to lean towards wrong while doing right is a struggle. It has been so following the FALL in the Garden of Eden since the beginning of time. That's why today we have laws, prisons, governance, etc because the human nature can't help but sin. However, one of the blessings of the human nature is God created us with a freewill, the ability to choose. The result of who we are or what we are today is a result of our choosing, not fate which is a convenient way of excusing oneself from predicament and failure. Before an act of wrong (sin) is committed, there is a process that leads to it. Looking back at Genesis 3 we can observe a pattern.

1. Sight
To get the attention of Eve so as to entice her to choose according to his favor, Satan drew Eve's attention to the fruits of the forbidden tree. She looked at the fruit and SAW that it was good. There is a huge difference between looking and staring. I can't help but to look at whatever is before my eyes but when I allow myself to stare at something , I am going beyond looking.  I am in fact dwelling on what I am looking at. I am staring, intentionally looking. That's why pornography appeals to the human nature. When Potiphar's wife appeared before Joseph naked, Joseph did not dwell on his glance. He did not stare. He looked away and fled. So be careful little eyes what you see. The eye is the window to the soul.

2. Talk
Yea, we all yak away the whole day long. Some more than others. Some unceasingly. There are those who intentionally took the vow of silence and there's this song with these lyrics: "silence is golden but my eyes still see". Talk means to converse, to articulate. As a teenage boy, my buddies and I would gather together at night and we would narrate ghost stories. Didn't have internet back then so that's what we did. We talked a lot. We made up stories. Needless to say, once a while there would be a nightmare or two. What we talked about dwelled in our mind affecting both our consciousness and sub consciousness. I sometimes wonder if such conversations had altered our psychological profiles (hahaha). Anyway, the fact is when we talk about something we should not be talking about too much or  too often, like the eyes, they lead us astray. Eve shouldn't have had that conversation with the devil KNOWING what God had cautioned. But against better judgement (like most thinking people) Eve succumbed one step further into the path that led to sin. Like a dynamite, the fuse is lit. So be careful little mouth what you speak.

3. Touch
Eve took the fruit from the tree. She knew she was not supposed to TOUCH it, let alone plucked it. In one of my classes with the teens on the subject matter on sex, I asked them what they thought were boundaries as to what is permissible and what's not permissible when it comes to touch whether it relates to a family member or peers. Touch leads to desires so it is important to bring to their attention what is appropriate and what is not. Touch is powerful. It means you are reaching out. When Jesus reached out and touch somebody, He healed. When Eve reached out and touch the forbidden fruit, it led to the path of destruction, of forfeiture. So be careful little hand what you touch.

4. Action
After long hours and days, even months of preparations and rehearsals, FINALLY comes the act. Curtains are drawn and the show begins. What “movies” you are watching today depends on what got you here through sight, talk and touch. Eve looked, talked about it, touched it. Now her desires for it grew to the extent she was willing to forfeit all that God had prepared for her in exchange for that one moment of pleasure. She acted accordingly. She plucked and she ate the forbidden fruit. The rest was history. So becareful what you do.

Now you know how to sin. Let me conclude by saying this. There was a time when mankind could not help but sin as a result of what happened at Eden. Look into history and you'll see they broke all the laws, including the Ten Commandments. They indulged in all kinds of debauchery, evil and wickedness. They killed prophets sent by God and eventually they crucified Jesus. Thinking that was the end of it, it was in fact the beginning of God's blessings upon mankind. Man, who had no control over the desire to sin now have redemption. Through a new birth in Jesus's name, once again we have the ability to exercise freewill to choose good over bad, right over wrong. Bondages are broken. Sins are forgiven and erased by the Blood of Jesus. But the battle between good and evil is still raging. However, we have help and we are never alone. God has given us the Holy Spirit. We are more than conquerors in Jesus' name. We are no longer victims but victors. We have been redeemed from the curse of the law. There's only one thing that God requires of us in order to live the victorious life. Stick close to God at all times! Do read Deuteronomy 28. The ball is in your court.

 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!” (2 Cor 5:17).

Knowing how to sin helps you avoid sinning. But alas … not all will take heed.