Author: David Nikoi

I am David Kotei Nikoi and by the grace of God, I have come to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour for a number of years now. I am married to Wilhelmina and we have 2 lovely children. It has always been my passion to see Christ continue saving others just as He did to me and I hope this site can be used in God's own way to both draw people to Christ and to strengthen those who would desire a closer walk with Him and are not satisfied with the state of visible Christianity particularly in Ghana at the moment. Hope you enjoy the content!

Passing Thoughts…

I am not sure what title to give this or what it is even about but it is almost 11pm on the 18th of February 2023 and I could not really sleep as thoughts of Christian Atsu swirled in my mind. His lifeless body was recovered today which was not the news that any of us wanted to hear. I do hope at least that despite the pain of loss, it brings some measure of closure to his family so they can properly grieve his passing.

I have read articles and seen videos about his kindness and generosity through all the philanthropic works he would do and I am grateful he got the opportunity to do all these.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the Christian’s response to the Coronavirus (read it to get some context) which sought to explain the state of this world and how believer’s should process such occurrences and again a few days before this earthquake I posted a series of verses from Matthew 24 about the signs of the end. Alas, something like this was on the way. Definitely not a ‘prophet’ as these are written down by the Lord to help us understand each day and situation as it comes.

My thoughts have recently been on these verses spoken by Jesus in Luke 13:1-9

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had [a]mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it [b]use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [c]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2013&version=NKJV

What Jesus is saying here is that everyone has been given time and space by God to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness because it is only in that state that we can bear fruit that is pleasing to Him.

In every disaster, pandemic or pestilence, both believers and unbelievers will perish so this is not to suggest in any way that those who died in the quake were all unbelievers but rather that everyone will leave this earth one day and the question is will fruit be found in us? He uses the reality of physical death to prompt us about the reality of spiritual death without repentance and faith in Christ.

Thankfully, this does not need to be your situation Dear Reader!

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16-17 (Biblegateway)

God desires to give us life, true everlasting life that cannot be interrupted by even a disaster. Whether we die in whatever circumstance, provided we are in Christ, we are safe. What stops you from turning to Him right now?

The Christian Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Psalm 2:1-5

Why do the [a]nations [b]rage,
And the people plot a [c]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed,[d] saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure

On the 4th of April, 2020, some precious brothers and sisters from different churches had a conference call as we had started doing since the partial lockdown in Ghana to discuss a few biblical topics and to encourage one another. On this particular day, I had been tasked to lead a bible discussion on the Coronavirus (a name everybody and their grandmother knows by now), specifically how Christians ought to view and respond to it.

During my preparation, my mind immediately leapt to Psalm 2 as it so mirrored the ongoing rebellion of man against the Lord without realizing the futility of it all. Without digressing too much, I decided to break down the discussion into 3 parts, namely Cause, Symptoms (Effects) and Treatment all from a biblical standpoint which I hope to share with you below:

Historical Context:

Before this, I think it is instructive to share a few historical facts about pandemics or widespread diseases which should provide some context within which to approach COVID-19 and not give in to too much panic or hysteria.

Needless to say, this is not the first nor necessarily the most serious plague of its kind to befall this planet. It has been well-noted that about 50 million people died in the 14th century in Europe (50% of population) in what was called the Black Death. As recently as a 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu infected 500 million people globally and killed anywhere from 17-50 million people including over 100,000 people in Ghana (The Gold Coast) in less than 6 months. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/article/influenza-epidemic-of-191819-in-the-gold-coast1/93EFCA1CDC9FC2735A289728934E628C

While we do not know how this current plague will end up, it should at least give us some pause while reacting even whilst following all the recommended guidelines.

Cause:

It is now well-known that this disease is caused by a virus from the biological lens but the purpose of this article is to look even deeper from the biblical and spiritual lens (the truest). I have heard many famous ‘pastors/prophets’ make various pronouncements about this disease even going so far as to ‘bind’ it, command it to disappear by certain dates or even sell cures for it. All these just underscore how biblically illiterate many have become even though there is a proliferation of churches. For our answer, we will turn to the trusted words of Scripture to see if we can make sense of all this and its source.

  1. Man’s Sinfulness:- Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”

This really is the root cause of the Coronavirus but not just. It is also the root cause behind cancer and headaches and blindness and corruption and immorality and all manner of sorrows and heartaches and depression and ultimately death. The clear testimony of the word of God is that in Adam’s disobedience all sinned and death entered the world. God’s perfect earth He created was subjected to decay and ever since then the story of man has been one of tragedy intermingled with God’s grace where we still know moments of joy and peace. This is not to say that anyone being afflicted with this current disease has committed a specific kind of sin which is why they have fallen sick but rather that we all have sinned as we were in Adam when he sinned.

2. God’s Wrath:- Isaiah 45:9-10

That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’

Amos 3:6 – If a [c]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

While I know many Christians shrink away from the very thought that such things could come from the hand of God, we ought not to be ignorant or try to defend God. He is just, righteous and even merciful when he does this and it is always for a purpose which we shall look at further down the line. However, one cannot read the Scriptures for any length of time and find the unmistakable hand of God behind every calamity or pestilence that ravaged the various lands.

Symptoms (Effect):

I believe the effects of the disease are clear for all to see but I will try and summarize them briefly:

  • A Disturbed World – Until a few weeks ago, the world economy was growing, people were going about their normal routine as always. We had become settled in our ways with no thought as to God or whether we had the right priorities. Now, a microscopic organism has brought the world to its knees with widespread lockdown, business closures, shortage of food and critical materials. The status quo is no more.
  • Vanities Laid Bare – With issues of life and death confronting many, we notice a lack of spending on frivolities and even giving attention to the vain things of this world. Celebrity culture seems to be at an all time low and there are videos of some of them depressed as they have been used to commanding the spotlight for so long.
  • Fear of Death and the Future – Due to the general sense of helplessness, many people are for the first time thinking about their own mortality and dare I say, eternity and rightly so for these are the really important things.
  • Exposing of Charlatans in the Body of Christ – If anybody had any reason to wonder if the self-professed miracle workers/healers and prophets were really hearing from God, this should put all doubt to rest. Not a single one has volunteered to go to a treatment facility to heal the sick and dying. Not a single one during all the 31st Dec watch-night services prophesied about such a year. They continued prophesying ‘feel-good’ words of breakthrough and prosperity as they always have. Read Jeremiah 23:16 and onward to see more of what God has to say as I may save this for another article.

Treatment (Our Response):

How are we as believers to respond to these things?

  • A Renewed Passion for the Gospel of Christ – Now that many people have been shaken out of their false sense of security, there may be some who may be more sensitive to hear the good news of the gospel preached. By the mercies of God, some may have become more sensitive to the fact that they have wronged a holy God and that they do not know what the future holds after all. In love, just as we have heard and believed the good news, let us heed the words of Christ “the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35) and proclaim the truth with renewed zeal and courage.
  • A Sense of Hope – Christians have a real hope come what may. The reason for this is that from the moment one puts their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, we understand that we are translated from death to life (eternal) and so while we may not necessarily look forward to the pain associated with death, we also understand that death is a defeated foe. Even if COVID-19 should take me or any believer, we have a firm hope and assurance that we will enjoy eternity with the Lord. This is a blessed and living hope (1 Peter 1:3-8)
  • Love One Another – John 13:35 – “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Dear friends, it is especially in times like this that we must indeed be like our Saviour and show love to all people and especially those of the faith. Let us look for opportunities to serve people by way of all manner of support, financial or otherwise. We can adopt another family in these times or simply share some of what we have with others if we are in the position to do so. Identify people in your family or church who may need a leg up and let us do good to all men.
  • Gratitude – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We are often a complaining people. At times like this, can we indeed look back at how the world was just a few months ago and realize how ungrateful we have been to God all this while? Even now, we are to give Him thanks because it is still not as bad as it could possibly be as He is still showing much mercy.
  • Understand God’s Sovereignty – Romans 9:15 – “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” God is under no obligation to show anyone mercy and He chooses whom to dispense it to according to His will. I think this calls for a separate post as there is much to cover under this and it seems a lot of both Christian and non-Christians suffer with this though the Bible is clear.
  • Prayer – We are to pray about all things according to the will of God. It is not a commanding prayer as if we could even begin to command God. Neither is it to bind demons as we have already established that this can only be from the hand of God. It is rather a prayer of repentance and a plea to the Lord to spare us the worst of it. It is a prayer for our leaders and for one another. It is a prayer of grief over our corporate sin and for the Lord to quicken the work of salvation in the hearts of men.

Conclusion:

To conclude, I believe it would be of great help and encouragement to those of like faith to know exactly how this all ends. The beautiful thing about the Bible is that we can skip ahead to the end and avoid all the suspense and the drama. We conclude with Revelation 21:1-5

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said [b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

I always say that these verses are my favourite in all the Bible. There is coming a time when there will no longer be even the possibility of death and God will restore all things to a glorious state and I encourage any fearful saint of the Lord to memorize these words and hide them in your heart. They will serve you well!

Unfortunately, the chapter does not end there. From verse 8 it reads:

8 But the cowardly, [e]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

If you are reading this and have not put your trust in the Lord, please do not wait until it is too late. Whether your end comes through this disease or another means or simply at the Lord’s imminent return.

Christ stands ready to receive you. No matter how bad your sin may be or what you have done or are doing now. I end with Christ’s own words:

37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will [f]by no means cast out. (John 6:37)

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28)

What I Learned In Church – 29th July, 2018

Prepare to Meet Christ – Truth Missionary Baptist Church

So today was another Sunday and as always it was a blessed time to be with other believers in Church to give glory to our God and to hear His timeless word preached by Pastor Ferguson Kcofie. The title of his sermon was ‘Prepare to Meet Christ’ and it was taken from Matthew 25:1-13 also known as the ‘Parable of the Ten Virgins’. Let us take a look at it below and then we shall consider the lessons that we took from this:

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

Context

Before the key lessons, it would be helpful to understand the cultural context behind this parable as the original hearers would have understood clearly what Jesus was teaching. In those days, marriages were in 4 stages:

a. Betrothal – A short and simple ceremony in the bride’s home (think today’s engagement). However, this was a binding agreement in that culture showing the importance placed upon marriage.

b. Period of Preparation – Typically lasted 1-3 years and required the man to prepare a place where he will come and live with his bride.

c. Procession – A date was set when the groom would come from out of town and would be welcomed by selected bridesmaids (virgins) as we can see in our parable to take him to the bride.

d. Marriage – Vows were made and the marriage was finalized with the groom taking his bride to their new home.

Our parable therefore takes place between the second and the third stages of the marriage. Christ represents the Groom and the Virgins represent mankind and it is all about how one will enter the kingdom of heaven as verse 1 clearly outlines.

Lessons

  1. There are 2 Classes of People (v 1-5)– We see 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins compared and contrasted in this parable. This is similar language from Jesus as He used earlier in Matt 7:24-27 when He talks about the wise and the foolish builders. This is exactly how it is in the real world. There are basically only 2 kinds of people. Wise or Foolish in the sight of God depending on their standing with God. Men may make much fuss about people of different races and abilities and personalities etc and all these are important in their own place but in the grand scheme of things, there are only 2.

Wise

  • The ‘Wise’ were those who possessed spiritual life.
  • They had a reverence for God. They knew to be alert and ensured they had oil.
  • Realized the privilege they had to be selected and granted grace. Not everyone got to be a bridesmaid during this ceremony.

Foolish

  • Hebrew word stands for ‘moron’ or one who is thoughtless and cannot reason.
  • Many are like that today and are very careless with their souls. They live without regard to their eternal state.
  • They assumed they would go to heaven based on the externals of life and had no inward reality of salvation (represented by the extra oil).

2. Time will soon end (v 6) – We notice the groom arrived at midnight. Basically, it was at an unannounced time. We do not know the day nor the hour that Christ will come. We also do not know the time of our own departure from this earth so we must be ready at all times. It is an act of grace that God has waited so long before Christ coming and we know it is so as many as will may come in.

However, the delay is also a test. True Christians will be proved through many trials and will endure to the end 1 Peter 1:6&7.

3. Grace can not be shared (v 7-9) – No one can share their spiritual life with another. That is why the wise virgins told the foolish ones to go and buy their own oil. Salvation is a personal thing. Your parent cannot believe for you, your spouse cannot believe for you and no man can confer it upon you during infant baptism or any other such religious ceremony. Every person must individually be born again by repenting and putting their faith in Christ.

4. The Door of Grace will be shut (v 10) – The time and space to repent will not go on forever. God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in Christ Jesus. Never put off coming to Christ till tomorrow or till a more opportune time. That may never come for you. Remember the story of Noah’s Ark and the Flood. Eventually, the flood came and we are told that God Himself closed up the door of the ark and no one could enter in afterwards. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.

5. Foolish Virgins Disowned and Rejected (v 11 & 12) – Finally, the most fearful saying that any person could every imagine is Christ saying on that day that “I do not know you.” Can you imagine the terror of that statement when you swing out into eternity?  In Matt 7:21-23, Jesus says this again. On the last day, many will come to Him with all kinds of activities claimed to have been done for Him and He is going to tell them He never knew them. Please do not think this is talking about someone who was saved and lost His salvation (The Bible does not even teach that but that is for another day). He says He never knew them. Not, He knew them and then the relationship got broken along the way. HE NEVER KNEW THEM! How many people sit in churches today are making these very assumptions without having true life in them?

To conclude, let us all seek the Lord while He may be found. What is the priority in your life? What consumes your affections and desires? Can you in all honesty say Christ is the centrepiece of your life and not an accessory you call upon when you are in some need?

Let us prepare to meet Christ!

Psalm For the Week – 29th July, 2018

Psalm 32 (NKJV)

The Joy of Forgiveness

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.

32 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not [b]impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

 

This is where I just pretend there has been no break since the last Psalm post 🙂

This week, we consider Psalm 32 which I must confess is one of my favourite psalms and I am sure you can understand why as you read through it. A friend asked me in the past week how one becomes a true Christian and I could not help but remember this Psalm as I believe it captures succinctly and accurately the message of the gospel.

What/Who is a Christian apart from one who has found reconciliation and peace with God?

The first 2 verses start with such joy and blessing and you can immediately feel David’s jubilation at having his sins forgiven and indeed that is true blessedness and joy. The one who has had his sin covered and to whom God does not impute iniquity. One whose spirit has been cleansed and is no longer duplicitous.

However, David did not always feel this way as verses 3 & 4 make very clear. On the other hand, he was weighed down heavily by his sins and he knew that the very hand of God was upon him. Oh! How this is true about any and all of us prior to redemption. All men know this and many seek relief from this real and gnawing sense of guilt by turning to many varying devices.

Some try to find peace by burying themselves in work. Others try a deadly cocktail of sinful pleasures. Some also attempt to perform good works in order to assuage their conscience and become a bit appealing to God. Still others decide to do away with the knowledge of God altogether in the thinking that if there is no God then there is nothing to give an account for.

All these are futile! They may promise some comfort initially but ultimately will disappoint all who attempt this.

In Verse 5, David discovers the real answer to man’s dilemma (sin). He no longer keeps silent about the main issue and acknowledges his sin to God and confesses and the Lord true to His character forgives the guilt of his sin.

Remember dear reader, God desires to forgive our sins. We see this in 2 Peter 3:8,9

“8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

This is the exact reason Jesus Christ came upon this earth. To pay for the sins that we have committed in order to bring us to God. What we have to do is turn from our sins and put our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins.

Do note also that there is a warning here as well from David. As we continue in verse 6 of our psalm, we see that there is a time in which the Lord may be found. Do not tarry and presume upon the grace of God for none of us know for certain how many days the Lord will grant us upon this earth or how long it will take for Christ to return.

The rest of the psalm from verse 8 is the Lord Himself giving all who would truly hear the exhortation of this psalm with encouraging words of how He himself will uphold us. Indeed all those in the Lord can rejoice knowing for certain that the Lord will preserve us come what may. He will guide us and He will keep us.

May the Lord bless us all as we go through this week and may we seek Him daily in His word and in prayer!!!

Sermons on Salvation in Fante

Hi Dear Readers,

We want to take this opportunity to upload a few sermons in Fante. This is in response to one of our readers, who made a special request so she can share the gospel with members of her family. These sermons were preached by Pastor Bentum Ennin of Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coast.

Topics include:

We hope it will be helpful to others as well. Especially for those of you with family members who don’t speak English but desperately want to hear sound Bible teaching in their local language. We hope to be able to add more Fante sermons later as well as other resources in Ewe, Ga, Twi and other languages.

Stay blessed!

Psalm for the Week – 22nd October, 2017

Psalm 3 (NKJV)

The Lord Helps His Troubled People

A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

 

It has been a couple of weeks since our last ‘Psalm of the Week’ segment. Let me just say life intervened and I was unable to post what I had in mind.

By God’s grace, things are running at a much better pace now and we can get right into it. I trust we will all be blessed by this psalm.

This week, we want to consider and meditate on Psalm 3 which is one that David wrote as he fled from Absalom during his son’s rebellion against him (See 2 Samuel 15 for the full account).

I like to say there is betrayal and there is betrayal. Any one of us who has been let down by a close friend or a loved one can certainly relate with how David is feeling here. It is much worse to be betrayed by your own flesh and blood, your son and one whom his father especially loved and doted on possibly above even the rest. It also was not only Absalom, but as we read the full account, some of David’s most trusted men and counsellors had also sided with Absalom and he had been written off.

He therefore starts the psalm acknowledging the desperation of his situation and how even God, according to the mockers, would not be able to help him. I believe that is a great place to start when we find ourselves in dire circumstances. Acknowledging our helplessness is a great place to be for God to act to help. I do sometimes see a certain pride in some strands of ‘Christianity’ who will never accept any truth about their situation. They will never accept they are weak, or sick or poor or desperate claiming that is negative speech. Some call it faith but all I hear is fear and pride. Rather, it is in our weakness that God perfects strength and in that He might receive all the glory. It is like how when Jesus came, the Pharisees always accused Him of being with tax collectors and sinners. Here is His response:

Luke 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

David quickly moves on and proclaims the truth that he has learned from all the years of walking with God and which is confirmed to us by His word. God is our shield. He is our strength. He is the one who is our glory and who exalts when we humble ourselves before Him. We therefore need to call out to the Lord in our problems. Is it an issue of sin we are battling? Is it one of a cry for salvation? Is it one of need? Is it one of anxiety over the future? The answer is one and the same. Cry out to the Lord for His deliverance and for Him to uphold you.

And O! How he upholds us. Sometimes, I like to jokingly (but seriously) tell people that when it is night I sleep and sleep soundly. This started because I have a good friend who was working tirelessly to convince me years ago that there were attacks of Satan which take place only at certain times of the night so I need to be awake to pray and engage in warfare. This happens when you read too many books apart from the bible or watch too many of these famous ‘pastor’s these days. Why worry needlessly when the King of the universe never sleeps and He sustains us? What really is the worst that could happen? I die and then what? I end up in heaven with Him of course. My family belongs to Him as well and if He chooses not to keep them here any longer or for our circumstances to change somehow, then glory be to His name. Like Job said, “shall we accept good from the Lord and not evil?” God is good and He is wise. Let us learn to trust Him like David.

Now I am not of course saying it is wrong to pray at night or even through the night if we have a certain burden we are carrying. We should pray at all times but always with a sense of assurance as to who is really in charge of things.

Finally, in verse 7-8, David talks about all God has done in destroying his enemies in times past and comes to the good confession we all must make:

Salvation belongs to the Lord. His blessing is upon His people! (my wording)

The question, Dear Reader, is therefore are you part of the people of God? Do you in truth belong to Him? If not, I cannot give you any comfort. God does not offer you comfort in your strife and troubles in this sin-filled world.
He has made provision for you through Jesus Christ. Why not turn to Him today and have your sins forgiven? Then even if you go through the rest of your life surrounded by issues and troubles which we will face in this world, we can have strong assurance in the words of Jesus:

John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Have a blessed week and let us remember to serve our God!!!

Psalm for the Week – 1st October, 2017

Psalm 2 (NKJV)

1 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

7 “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break[a] them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,[b] lest [c] He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

I have always found Psalm 2 fascinating in light of Psalm 1. Whereby Psalm 1 gives great blessing to those who have submitted to the word of God, Psalm 2 shows the great opposition in the human heart against the sovereignty of God.

I know of no other psalm which more accurately describes the widespread rejection in the human heart for the authority of God. This is the source of all sin. Right from the garden, we see the point of attack which Satan used. He basically asked, “Has God really said…” and we know the rest of the story.

The human heart is evil and there is rebellion from the onset to any symbol of authority. Consider the heavens and all that is in them. God commands the sun, moon, stars, seas, wind, plants, animals and they all obey Him. It is only in the human heart where there is any form of dissent.

So in the first 3 verses, you see what man has agreed to do and indeed do we now see signs of that in various places physically and in some countries even, public prayer to God is more and more out of favour and even in Ghana, trying to insist that you live for the glory of God can and will attract mockery among co-workers, school mates or even family members.

Even some ‘churches’ have not been spared in this regard and you find many such institutions no longer governed by the word of God but more by majority decision or by what is popular in the culture at the time to make decisions. That is tragic!

However, God is not in the least bit bothered by the futile plans of human beings because they ultimately fall short. Verses 4-6 make this abundantly clear. God has determined what he is going to do and all the counsel and scheming by the kings and rulers and wise men of the earth will come to nothing.

Even more significantly, Psalm 2 is a messianic psalm and points ahead to the true King and Anointed One of God, Jesus Christ. From verse 7, Christ speaks about the declaration the Father has made concerning Him and the promises that He has received after His suffering. The nations belong to Him even though some of them do not realize it yet.

There is a warning of judgment at the end of the psalm for all those who do not make peace with the Son of God. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the day when grace has been extended. Kiss the Son for the time is coming when His wrath will be unleashed upon all the children of wrath and it will be justified.

What about you today? Do you truly know Christ or are you still fighting God at every turn of your life?

Fellow Christian, I leave you with this:

1 John 5:3-4 (ESV)

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

 

Every word He has spoken is designed for His glory, our good and our flourishing. Do not allow the world to influence your thinking that it is oppressive somehow. Rightly divide the word and obey! God bless you this week!

Psalm for the Week – 25th September, 2017

PSALM 1

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 

This psalm has been a cherished one for many of the saints of God over the centuries and millenia and God has used it mightily in my own life. I find myself coming time and time again back to this simple but profound psalm. It is a beatitude and speaks of blessing or happiness. God pronounces the means by which a person will know true spiritual blessing.

Firstly, it starts by stating the negative. No one is blessed who walks in ungodliness (anything against God’s character and word) and it is interesting to note the progression here. You see it starts with walking, then standing and finally sitting. The world has its own wisdom and counsel and to be blessed, we must be far from that or else very soon we will find ourselves standing and then finally partaking.

On the other hand, the truly blessed person is one who finds his counsel in the law of God (His revealed will, the Scriptures) and He meditates or basically delves deeply into His word. This is not the casual attitude of grabbing a quick 5 minutes read here and there because we are too busy to make time but rather a deliberate attempt to know what God desires and making it our goal to conform our lives to this. How often do we seek God’s will in every aspect of our lives. How we work, how we use the gifts He has given us, how we seek a spouse, how we treat others, how we evangelize, how we forgive, how we give to His work, how we run our home. Indeed everything should be brought to His word and humbly and faithfully applied and in that we can know that God’s blessing is upon us.

The psalmist then contrasts the end of the righteous (those living like above) and that of the ungodly who refuses to be ruled by God’s word. Do not fret Dear Reader when it seems like by the world’s standards, the ungodly are doing well or prospering. God will vindicate His own at the due time. There is eternity ahead. Have a blessed week. Go serve your King!!!

What is the Gospel?

 

This is the most important question that any person no matter the time in which we live can hope to ask. In an age of so much confusion and sinfulness, what we know of the gospel will

determine where we spend our eternity.

So let us take it a step at a time.

Gospel means ‘Good News’ taken from the old English word ‘godspel’ which means ‘god'(good) and ‘spel’ (story/message). This is analogous to the Greek ‘euaggelion‘, from which we get our English words evangelist, evangel and evangelical. The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture; more narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation.

Let us consider what the bible has to say concerning it:

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (emphasis mine)

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NASB

http://bible.com/100/1co.15.1-4.nasb

For the good news to be appreciated, we first need to appreciate the bad news. The fact of the matter is that man is sinful and by this I mean all men, women and children. God clearly states in His word that “there is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). From the moment that Adam sinned, the entire race fell into sin and because of that sin, God cursed the entire race to die because He God is holy and just and will not abide sin. The death here was both physical and much more devastating spiritual which refers to eternal separation from God and a fearful expectation of judgment and hell once this physical existence is over.

Oh, men try to clean up their act and do many things thinking that God will have to forgive them because of their good deeds. Unfortunately, we do not realize just how holy God is and just how sinful our sin is. Isaiah 64:6 makes this abundantly clear when it states, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

So to summarize the situation, we are born into sin and as a result are dead spiritually and all attempts to remedy the situation through our own efforts will ultimately not satisfy God nor help us.

Now comes the good news!!!

God is holy and just and He is also love. Therefore God in His great mercy, looked at our helpless situation and provided a way out for us in order that we might not be condemned forever because of our sin. At the right time, He sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to this earth in the form of man, lived a perfect life without sin and ultimately paid for our sins with His own life on the cross. With this act, God punished our sin on the sinless one and on the cross, Jesus drank the full cup of God’s wrath that you and I deserve. He is our substitute. Through that God satisfied his justice and wrath on Him and at the same time was able to express His love for sinful men.

Having said this, there is only one way to appropriate the death of Christ and that is through repentance and faith in Him. No matter who you are and what you have done, God promises forgiveness of sins if you will acknowledge that you are a sinner, being broken over your sin and confessing them and then trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross on your behalf.

Looking at the verse above, you will notice that Christ did not remain buried but was raised up and that resurrection is a powerful proclamation that His sacrifice on our behalf was accepted by God the Father and therefore we can have confidence that in Christ our sins have indeed been forgiven. (1 Corinthians 15:17-22)

Have you heard anything better than this? Good news truly. Indeed the very best! Have you responded to Christ Dear Reader?