Of God and Mankind

Romans 8:9 (AMPC)   “ But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God] .”   Dear people of God, you can find God’s opinion on any matter of life in the Holy Bible.   Now, there is a common worldly saying that every man must be involved in at least one of three habits:   (1) Cigarettes or marijuana smoking (2) Alcohol consumption (3) Womanizing or flirting with women as a single or married man   Unfortunately for those who believe in this false statement, this is man’s opinion or worldly wisdom so it cannot hold in the court of heaven.   For anyone to insist that every man by nature should indulge in one of these 3 despicable behaviours is to state that God made a mistake in creating man but I know for ...

Romans 16:17-18 (AMPC) “ I appeal to you, brethren, to be on your guard concerning those who create dissensions and difficulties and cause divisions, in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have been taught. [I warn you to turn aside from them, to] avoid them.   18  For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites and base desires, and by ingratiating and flattering speech, they beguile the hearts of the unsuspecting and simpleminded [people].”     Dear people of God, in his Holy Spirit inspired letter to the Christians of Rome, Apostle Paul warned that they should be wary of people who profess Christianity but cause dissensions, difficulties and divisions and to avoid them.   Since God’s Word is forever and for all generations, this message also applies to today’s Christians especially with the way many lay claim to knowledge of God even when their character clearly displays ungodliness.   I know there are...

Luke 4:18 (AMPC)   “ The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me (Jesus Christ), because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],”   Dear people of God, many Christians usually get into trouble because they fail to adhere to God’s instruction in His Word in the Holy Bible.   What is the first thing God’s Word says to do when you have a problem? As proof, let us see James 5:13 (AMPC), “ Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].   The Bible says we should pray to God FIRST whenever we encounter any trouble. But how do you pray to a God with whom you have no personal relationship as a Father to a child? How do you pray about...

James 4:13-17 (AMPC) “ Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money.   14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].   15 You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing].   16 But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong.   17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.”   Dear people of God, in the evening of Friday May 21, 2021, Nigerians were informed of a tragic event, the death in a plane crash of the nation’s most senior army officer, the Chief of Army Staff along with 10...

1 Corinthians 8:9 (AMPC) “ Only be careful that this power of choice (this permission and liberty to do as you please) which is yours, does not [somehow] become a hindrance (cause of stumbling) to the weak or overscrupulous [giving them an impulse to sin].”   Dear people of God, in the first post of this topic we saw examples of how professed Christians, congregation and spiritual leaders alike could exhibit ungodly character that becomes a stumbling block to the Gospel of Christ Jesus aimed at saving lost souls and building new converts spiritually for the Kingdom of God.   In today’s world, fashion in church has become a major distraction and stumbling block for many professed Christians especially the women folk.   Majority of the ladies and some men are more concerned about how attractive they look physically to others than how their souls look before God Almighty Who created them.   The ladies paint faces, carry hair attachment, wear tight-fitting trousers,...

Romans 14:12-13 (AMPC)   “ And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.   13 Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavour never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother.”   Dear people of God, a few years ago, we were asked to share invitation flyers to the public in an area where one of our local church parishes was to open newly.   I recall giving one of the flyers to a lady who asked me the name of the church and when I mentioned it, she said “God forbid.” When I asked why she rejected the flyer, she did not respond.   Obviously, some member of the church she knows must have caused her offence and this stirred up hatred in her for the church.   Recently, a friend told me how in his church the pastor made a commitment towards a church project but never fulfilled it.   It ha...

Numbers 23:19 (AMPC) “ God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? ”   Dear people of God, in previous posts we have established that the right way to pray for answer from God is praying according His Word or according to Scriptures.   The reason why we must pray according to Scriptures is because God is the One Who made the statement either directly or through inspiration of His servants and we know God cannot lie.   God’s integrity is called into question when we pray according to His Word and so God is obliged to grant that prayer request as proof of His integrity.   The challenge with many Christians is that they relate with God as though He were a human, meanwhile, we are told today that God is NOT a man that He should lie and that whatever He has declared He would ...