All posts by : Simbo Odunaiya

Seeing what happened to Tyler was a wake-up call. I knew I was headed down the same path. So, I got help. One day, I was hanging out with a close friend who was a strong believer. Out of nowhere, I told him everything. My voice shaking, I confessed that if I could look at pornography for free, knowing I wouldn’t be found out or feel guilty, I would. I asked him for help. We prayed together.

And then—to my surprise—my friend told me he had the same problem. Turns out most of my friends did. We went to an older Christian in our church and asked him to meet with us every week and help us. This man had no great wisdom we lacked, no secret to fighting the drawing power of naked women. But what he did was listen, give us wise advice and pray. He became a caring mentor to all of us. The first thing he showed us was that we weren’t the only ones with these problems. We weren’t freaks. We weren’t alone anymore.

As I met with my new accountability group, I saw my life had to change. And a lot of those changes and lessons still apply to my life today. Lesson one: run away. “Flee!” our mentor often said. “Alcoholics shouldn’t live across the street from a liquor store.” To me, that means I can’t walk alone into the magazine section of a store. Or use a computer alone without internet filters.

I have to limit the opportunities for temptation. I have to put space between me and porn. I can’t have some catalogs in my house. I don’t let myself watch TV alone. Even with filters on my internet service, I don’t go online if no one else is home. These restrictions annoy me sometimes. But they help me flee.

The second thing I learned was to ask myself the question: How can I increase my desire for God and smother my desire to lust? Someone once told me that there are two dogs in my heart’s backyard. One dog always craves pleasure, sin and selfishness. The other dog craves justice, mercy, peace and obedience to God. When I wake up every day, I choose which dog gets fed. The one I feed grows until the other dog can’t even be seen.

I need to feed the right dog. I do that by having honest relationships with Christian guys. I have one friend in particular I check in with daily. We talk honestly about sex and sin and the junk that tempts us. Together we figure out how to be better men. We gripe. We pray. We confess. We teach.

I also feed the right dog by reading the Bible and studying it with other people. And I don’t just read it, but I write down what I’ve learned and what I’ll do or think differently because of it. I spend time in silence asking God to speak to me. I pray, worship, serve other people.

On most days, the good dog outweighs the bad one. That mongrel is so scrawny now that I hardly notice him. But he surprises me every once in a while. Out of nowhere he’ll bark at me, and I’ll find myself pulled in the wrong direction. He’s the loudest when I’m not careful about avoiding temptation. So I flee. I get up and leave.

And I pray: “God, help me do what’s right today. And help Tyler, too. Save us both from pornography and make us closer to perfect. Make us love you more than ourselves and surround us with people who remind us that you love us even when we mess up. Surround us with friends and a church that feed the holy side of us and teach us how to starve the addicted side of us. Kill the bad dog. Feed the good one. Amen.”

Life can be very unpredictable without the grace of God.  Only God knows the plans He has for each of us and only His grace can reveal it.  We all pray and look forward faithfully to a life that is free of troubles. We know trouble will come, but we pray it will not overcome us.  When trouble comes, we immediately begin to look for a way of escape. One of the most common reactions in times of trouble is to look for help.  And for us, we most often look for help from man first before we remember God. We forget that “people will often ask you how far, but they cannot help you go far.”  The word of God in Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Only God is always present to offer help in times of trouble. The main problem with us is that we fail to recognize that God is always present with us.  Our God is an ever-present God, but we must recognize or experience His presence in order to take advantage of the help He brings.

We need the grace of God to recognize the presence of God in our lives.  We need His grace to experience Him in times of trouble. We need the grace of God to overcome the avarices of the flesh which seek to battle His grace in our lives.  It is because the desires of the flesh often overwhelm us that we are prevented from seeing the hands and presence of God in our situations. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” (Galatians 5:17a).  The grace to experience His presence is in the fruit of the Spirit. When we live according to the Spirit, we shall walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). When our hearts are not in tune with God we cannot recognize or feel His presence. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).  

There is hope in experiencing God’s presence – “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence” (Psalms 42:5 – AMP).  You experience God’s protection when your experience/recognize His presence – “In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues” (Psalms 31:20).  When we experience God’s presence, our joy is full – In the presence of God is fullness of joy (Psalms 16:11). It is in our own interest and for our own good that we experience the presence of God in all we do and wherever we are – “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good” (Psalms 73:28a – NASB).  So, let us covet a Christlike heart, because it is in doing this that that God will reveal to us the grace of His presence in all situations. 

It is very important for us to recognize the presence of God in our lives.  I came across this illustration that is attributed to Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian, who wrote a lot of Christian books.  Consider the walk of a man who has a few coins in his pocket and compare it with the walk of the same man when he has just collected a few thousand dollars from the bank.  The walk of the one will be in a rather light-hearted and care-free manner while the other will be more cautious, often checking his pocket to make sure the money is still there.  The cautious walk is because the man is aware of the load he is carrying. When you are aware of God’s presence with you all the time, you will check the load you are carrying. Some of us are carrying unprecedented sin.  Some of us are carrying His glory. If you are not aware of His presence you will not know which load you are carrying. Awareness helps us to shed sinful loads. So, I ask that you pray that you will always experience God’s presence, because when you do, not only will you be fully aware of the load you are carrying, but you will have an assurance of His protection, and the fullness of His joy, no matter what the trouble is.  May we all live lives that make us great candidates to receive the grace of experiencing His presence always. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

The one Bible Verse for us in this season is “Fear not for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).  Whatever the circumstances, whatever you are going through, fear not for the Lord is with you.  He is always present with us because He is an ever-present God. When we pray, we do not need to pray for the presence of God, we should rather pray that we will feel His presence.  There is never a doubt that God is always present with us. His presence with us also has implications for our thinking and for our attitudes. One of those implications is that all fears should go away.

Fear is universal.  Every one of us deals with one fear or the other.  I remember very early in my life, I was living with my sister, who essentially is my mom because she raised me, in a very rural place that is very traditional.  They still worshipped, then, all the gods of their ancestors. There was the masquerade, there was what is called the “Oro” and so many other river gods/goddesses.  I had little fear for the masquerade, even as a child, because the son of the “Alaagba” (the head of the masquerades) was my best friend at school. So, I could say I knew some secrets.  However, I knew absolutely nothing about the “Oro” which makes this terrifying noise at night. All you needed to do in those days to silence me was to say you will send the “Oro” to me at night.  Whenever I heard the “Oro” at night I always jumped into mom’s bed. Mom had a way of holding me that will calm me down. In fact, the thought that she was in that room with me, and on the same bed, had magical effects on my nerves that usually calmed my fear.  The presence of a protector always acts to calm our fears.  

Our God is an ever-present God.  In Jeremiah 23:23, the word of God says, “Am I only a God nearby,” …… “and not a God far away?”  God is telling us He is always close by. In many parts of the Bible, the Lord had always acted to calm the fears of His people by letting them know He is with them anytime they are asked to engage in assignments that can bring fear.  In Exodus 3, when God sent Moses on assignment to Pharaoh to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt (vs 10), Moses was afraid (vs 11), but God assured him by telling him “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (vs 12).  The idea of God’s presence acted to calm Moses’ fears. When Joshua was installed the Leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses (Joshua 1), God knew it was a daunting task and that naturally, Joshua will be afraid. He then set out to calm Joshua’s fears by telling him “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).  Joshua’s fear was again calmed by the assurance of God’s presence. Our Lord Jesus Christ also assured the disciples that He will remain with them to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20), an act that emboldened them and helped them to keep moving despite all the oppositions they faced. 

God is always present with us.  Sometimes we let our fear overcome us to the point that we do not remember God’s promises of Isaiah 41;10, that He will be with us.  During Paul’s trial no one came to his defense, but Apostle Paul acknowledged that the Lord was with him (2 Timothy 4:16-17). God’s presence acts to deliver us from the enemy.  So, my brothers and sisters, let us fear not for the Lord is with us. He is always with us. In times of tribulations, fear not, for the Lord is with us. In times of overwhelming burden, fear not for the Lord is with us.  In times when we think our prayers are not being answered, we must fear not for the one who knows tomorrow is present with us. We must always remember the word of God in Psalms 139:7-10, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Absolutely nothing can separate us from His presence or from His Love. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

The journey of life is full of many unknowns for the children of God.  Many will go to any length in order to have the ability of predicting what tomorrow holds.  Interestingly, because we know not what tomorrow brings, we act foolishly many times. Many times, I personally look back on my life history and just shake my head in astonishment at the many foolish things I have done.  Some of these things continue to show me the power in God’s grace and the unchanging nature of His words and testimony. In those days, even when I was being foolish, God already knew the plans He had for me and, like a loving father, He has carefully guided me towards achieving that purpose.  We cannot joke with God’s words, they always come to pass.

I remember a story which I thought was really funny at the time, but when I look back now, I see the foolishness of our actions. I had this friend, who because of His life experiences had grown to love and trust God with all his strength and might.  He and I formed part of a group of 16 students sent to Rome, Italy to train with a company called Selenia at that time. We were to be there for six months to train on Air Traffic Control Radar. Well, as junior officers in those days our allowances were not buoyant enough, especially because we also wanted to save some money to buy some high-class gadgets to show that we have also arrived.  So, while our bosses were staying one to a room, we decided to stay three to a hotel room.  

Every day and night, all my friend did was pray and study the Bible.  We could not understand what was wrong with him. Well, so we thought.  How could a young man in his twenties spend so much time praying and studying the Bible when there was so much fun out there in Rome?  Well as if that was not aggravating enough, this guy will also turn me and our other room mate into his church congregation, asking us to pray with him and teaching us memory verses.  So, in class we ganged up against him with our Italian Instructor who will always tell us that he would get to heaven before my friend because he is an Italian and the Pope at that time was Italian.  He said he had a stake in the biggest airline that takes people to heaven. I cannot tell you how infuriated my friend was when we all joined in belittling his faith. But he never gave up on us, on me especially because his bed was near mine. We thought God’s word was something to joke with.

Fast forward to 10 years later, I had become a born again Christian and was able to trace my heart conversion to that time we were roommates in Rome. When he was asking me to pray with him and he was quietly discipling me, I thought it was funny then.  I had since found there is no joking with the word of God. If only I had known that then, but I thank God for not counting my sins against me. If someone had prophesied to me then, I would have ignored the prophecy. But the Bible tells us that “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous” Psalms 19:7-9). Those are the words of God. When we immerse ourselves in His word our souls are refreshed, and they are transformed.  A once simply foolish man like me can receive God’s wisdom from His statutes. No matter how you do it, looking for God’s instructions and command makes it look like you have a third eye. Everything becomes so bright.  

My brothers and sisters; joke not with God’s words.  God placed my friend near me at the time to prepare me for the task ahead and I thought it was a joke.  God’s words open our eyes, our hearts, and our souls. The Bible says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).  “Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies” (Psalms 119:98). We must always remind ourselves about God’s words and testimonies because His word is a lamp for our feet, a light on our path (Psalm 119:105).  Hallelujah! –

Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

It is hurricane season and, of course, it is that time to wonder why we have natural disasters.  No matter how many times I have convinced myself not to bother, each time a natural disaster occurs, I cannot but bother and wonder.  These feelings are compounded when we add the fact that some innocent folks get cut down senselessly by some deranged folks through mass shootings in the United States and folks in South Africa being killed by some miscreants because they are foreigners.  This year, especially, there have just been too many of these mass shootings. It even gets worse when the shootings in the United States and the killings in South Africa are fueled by racism and xenophobia, things that are contrary to Christian moral ideals.  Also, during this past week there was news about some scuba divers who were all burnt to death in a freak boat fire. I looked at the havoc wrecked by Hurricane Dorian and I am like, “God, where are you?”

I have never experienced a hurricane, neither have I been remotely close to a place where mass shooting occurs.  However, I have been in a place where some fanatical Moslems in Nigeria (Maitatsine group) decided to wipe out every Kafir (infidel) they laid their eyes on.  My house was less than two miles from where they were operating and that was scary. If what I experienced that time can be a yardstick, it is palpable fear that gives rise to a lot of questions in one’s mind. Why is this happening.  By the way, what created natural disasters? Why do people kill others in the name of God? Does God have a hand in this? If He does, to what end? My Yoruba folks will always call these things “amuwa Olorun” meaning it is something God brings.  Many other Christians also believe that when things like these happen, God must have brought it. Is God involved in disasters? Is God involved in targeted killings? It is easy to explain that those who engaged in mass killings and targeted killings due to racism or xenophobia are under the influence of Satan, but how about the victims?  Some folks believe the victims or their progenitors must have done something wrong, but I want to let you know that God is not a sadist deity that derives joy in sending disasters upon His people for some disobedience; rather, our God is a God who rises and meets us even in the midst of life’s disasters.  

In Isaiah 45:5-7, this is what the Lord said to King Cyrus, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”  So, one can infer from this passage that God has some involvement somehow.  At least He created the natural disasters. This translation does not say He brings the disasters, but He created them.  I am not sure however, how it helps my walk with God if I know the extent of God’s involvement in natural or even man-made disasters.  God is sovereign and He can do as He pleases. No one can understand God. He is the one that sees the end from the beginning. He understands the whys of every disaster, natural and man-made.  Because God has made us to always yearn for Him, it is normal for us to look for God everywhere including in disasters, but only God has the answers. All we need to do as children of God is to submit to Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.  

One sure thing is that God created the world and everything therein.  This includes natural disasters and all the pains that accompany them.  But what activates them? I don’t know and I am not sure I care. Why? Because God is sovereign, He can do as He pleases, so it does not matter what I know or do not know.  I cannot fully understand anyway. Remember God’s answer to Job in Job 38:4, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” It is enough for me to know that I am a player in His plan in the world and I am ready to play my roles whenever the Lord calls, even if that role happens to be within a natural disaster, so be it.  His sovereign will shall always prevail! – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

Many of us who attended Sunday School as little kids grew up singing the song “He’s got the whole world in His hands” – a very melodious tune that has the capability of taking over one’s mind completely.  Even now, as old as I am, I cannot help myself each time I remember the song.  I find myself humming the tune beneath my breath for days at a stretch.  I sleep humming and I wake up humming.  The downside is that the melody is so good that as we hum, we tend to forget the import of the words in the song.  That song pretty much says, that the whole world is in the hands of the Lord to do with as He pleases.  Just exactly what Psalm 24 says that “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”.  For emphasis, that Psalm says God’s ownership is not limited to the earth or the world alone, but it includes all who live in it.  When you own something, you reserve the right to do with that thing as you well please.  So, God’s ownership of the earth and everything in it means we are all in His hands.  This ability of God to do all things, know all things, control all things is what the theologians refer to as God’s sovereignty. 

The Psalmist in Psalm 115:3 says “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”  God said to Cyrus the King of Persia, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”  Our God will do what He pleases because He has the whole world in His hands.  Yes, God will do what He pleases, and we cannot even question Him.  First law of God’s sovereignty is “question me not”.  All of these have implications for us; far reaching implications that may elude our understanding sometimes.  We have questions like, why am I suffering like this?  I thought the basic foundation of Christian morals is that good begets good and evil begets evil.  Why am I experiencing the opposite?

How do we explain it when someone who seems to be doing good is struck by evil?  How do we explain people who have seemingly given their lives completely to God and are yet struck down by debilitating illness?  Should we question God?  This is the story of Job and he indeed questioned God when he decided to list all the good things he has done.  The Lord had a classic response for him in Job 38:2, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” It continued in Job 38:4-6, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone”.  There are a couple of things here – 1) When we question God we may be standing in the way of his plans? 2) Who is Job anyway to question God?

In spite of all the above, Job understood one thing and he made it clear that He knows who controls His life, “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). God has the whole world in His hands to do with as He pleases.  This sovereign God is a master orchestrator.  All we need to do is to “trust the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3), because His plans for us are for good (Jeremiah 29:11).  We cannot question his actions at every moment because whatever happens to us is part of His grand design for us.  God is not man, so we cannot relate with Him as if He were man.  Man rewards positive actions with trust.  God requires that we trust Him, and He rewards our trust with His actions.  We however cannot question His actions because they are part of a grand design, the end of which only God knows.  He is an unquestionable God.  When we question Him, we get in the way of His plans (Psalm 38:2).  Our questions are often based on what we know, and unfortunately, we do not know much because for now we only know in part (1 Corinthians 13;9).  He is sovereign, and we can rest on His words in how He deploys His sovereignty, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Our God is able to use every circumstance we may find ourselves in to work for His good and His glory.  Abide in Him and watch His plans for you unfold. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

I must say one more thing about the joy of being known by God.  There is no doubt in my mind that the idea of being known by God is a precursor to a lot of things that make our walk with God worthwhile.  Even as we strive daily to know God a little better, we find, as J.J Packer said in his book “Knowing God”, that what matters most is not the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it, the fact that He knows me.”  As important as it is that we know God, we find that on this side of eternity we can only know in part.  Our hope, always, is in what Apostle Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known”.  The time comes when we will know even as we have been fully known.  This tells me that it is important that God knows me, and also that the day will come when I will know more than I do now.

As much as we try, our identities are not clear to us.  We think we know who we are, but again, we only know in part.  Let us take the example of Simon Peter the first time he met with our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:42), He told Simon Peter, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”.  Obviously, the Lord Jesus already knew him inside and out.  He knew his complete identity.  What the Lord knew about him is completely different from what he thought he knew about himself.  Recall when the Jesus asked Simon Peter to cast his net in a certain direction and he ended up catching so much fish after initially arguing with Him.  Subsequently Simon Peter knelt down and proclaimed to the lord that he is but only a sinner.  That was what he knew about himself, that he was a sinner.  But the Lord Jesus knew so much more about him that he never knew.  Jesus called him the rock, and that was exactly what he became. 

As Simon Peter continued to grow in faith, the vestiges of his past still did not allow him to express his faith the way someone who is supposed to be a rock should.  When Jesus Christ asked him to walk on water, he did momentarily (Matthew 14:29-30), but when the wind started blowing his faith was not as stable as a rock was supposed to be.  When trials came for our Lord, Peter still managed to deny Him, as the Lord had already prophesied. All of these did not mean he was not the rock that our Lord Jesus Christ knew him to be; they were all part of the design of God in getting him prepared to play his role as the rock of faith.  That was his identity, Peter the rock, the one on whom the followers of our Lord had to depend.  All the events that occurred later proved this to be so.  One can argue that the event led to his knowing God much better.

In 1 Corinthians 8:2-3, Apostle Paul says “Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.” Meaning we do not quite know what we think we know.  However, anyone that loves God is known by God.  So, while we may not yet know why we are here, and we may not yet know who we are, or quite well who we serve, as long as we continue to love God, we are known by Him.  The time will come when we shall know fully, even as we have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).  So, here I see a nexus between knowing and being known.  It seems to me here, that knowing comes from being known, and being known emanates from loving God which comes from a relationship with Him.

Being known by God leads to knowing Him.  Being known by God leads to me knowing who I am and why I am here.  Being known by God transforms me.  All these can happen only when we have a symbiotic relationship with God and give ourselves completely to a real relationship with Him in word and in deed.  Knowing and being known transforms us to who we ought to be.  As Apostle Paul mentioned in Galatians 4:9, “But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”  Anyone who knows God or is known by Him is a new being and cannot go back to old rejected ways.  My prayer is that God will help us to love Him the best way we can. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

It can be kind of overwhelming to grasp or even think about the all-encompassing knowledge of God.  We get so stuck in this overwhelming mode that we fail to grasp or understand the import of this omniscient God for us, His children.  Last week I wrote about the fact that this means He knows my name and that the fact that God knows my name is a big deal for me.  There are so many more big deals that attempting to write about them will be a tall order.

I remember in my younger days living with my parents.  I was the quiet one but was always found in the company of the mischievous ones.  Whether at home or at school, when someone is doing something they are not supposed to do, I was there.  I was not necessarily the one doing it, but somehow, I am there, completely roped in.  The thing at home though, is how it seemed then that we could never do anything that our parents will not find out.  It does not matter what angle of her vision this is happening; all you will hear is “I see you”.  The worse was when these things do not even happen in the house and then you get back home and they, the parents, start telling you all the things you just did that you were not supposed to do.  Somehow, our actions preceded us.  In those days we could bet that these parents were all-knowing, and we would have won the bet because nothing can go past them. 

When I think of this all-knowing attribute of God, this is what comes to my mind, “I cannot get away with anything!”  He knows all there is to know about me, including things that I am not even aware of.  Wow!  It is quite sobering to think of.  “For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes” (Jeremiah 16:17). From the time the idea of sin forms in our hearts God knows.  When we ignore that little whisper in our minds that tells us we are about to commit a sin, God knows.  When we come back to God and give that fake “forgive me God”, all so because we think we are smart and can outsmart God, He knows!  Of course, that is foolishness and God knows our foolishness too.  “God, thou knowest my foolishness; And my sins are not hid from thee” (Psalm 69:5).  There is absolutely nothing we can hide from God. David in Psalm 119:168 talks about this when he said “I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.”  All our ways are before Him in the sense that He knows, and He sees all.

Another thing I think about is how this God knows what every of His creation needs to survive.  For animals He knows, for humans He knows.  For people who live in the tropics He knows, and for those who live in the temperate or even in the polar climates, He knows.  God knows every one of our needs.  “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”  Even before we ask, He knows.  If God can differentiate the needs of people in the tropical region from those of the temperate region, I bet He can also differentiate the needs between one person and another. Remember He knows each of us in and out and because He knows us, He knows our needs.  The word of God tells us that God “shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  He will provide your needs, and He will provide my needs.  My needs are not necessarily the same as yours.  All these facts about God’s knowing powers and promises for us have implications for how we live our lives.  They have implications for how we respond to His call. 

It can be quite scary and can even make one feel uncomfortable to know that God knows about all those things we will rather keep secret.  On the flip side, it can be comforting to know that this God knows all I need even when I have not asked and that He has the power to right wrongs for me.  You see we serve a God who is infinite while we are finite, a God who is unlimited while we are limited, a God who knows all while we know little.  The best decision one can make in life is to trust and obey this God because He has us completely covered. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

One interesting phenomenon I have come to observe, both as a Christian and as a Church leader, is the level at which we are always seeking for something.  Yes, people are always in search of something. Either we are searching for healing, or we are searching for wealth, or we are searching for fame. Some folks are in search of a partner or in search of a job.  We are all always looking for something. This has made many folks so desperate that they look in the wrong places. We forget we do not have to search too far because we have a maker who already knows everything about us.  Many of us also do not know the God we worship enough to realize that He knows us inside and out.

Why am I still searching when God Himself has already searched me thoroughly?  Psalm 139:1-2 says “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”  So, God knows every one of my troubles. When I go out, He knows. When I come in, He knows. When I am in pain, He knows. When I am in joy, He knows.  When I am in want, He knows and when I am in abundance, He knows. I do not need to look for anyone or go through anyone for God to understand my problems because He already knows.  God knows the real me. He is an all-knowing God. When I am not even sure who I am, God knows. He knows and He can use His revelation power to reveal a lot more to me than I can ever know about myself.  So, whatever I am searching for God already knows.

Whatever the burdens we are carrying on our shoulders, God wants to relieve us of these burdens.  We must however have a relationship with Him first. We need to know His name just as He knows our names.  When I was in High School, we had this Guidance Counselor who seems to know everyone’s names. He knew us so well that his counsel on which subject or profession we should engage in were usually right on the money.  I met this man again a few years ago, when many old students gathered to honor him, and I was surprised to find out that he still knew my name. As many as we were in the hall, each of us not only had words of appreciations for this man who guided us on our professional paths, but we also had various stories of our encounters with him while we were in school.  Back at school, none of us ever wanted to believe that the man truly knew our names until he has a personal encounter with you. For every student I know who has had this encounter, the feeling was always “oh my God, he knows my name”. This was so because it confirmed to us then, that the man truly had a relationship with each student. We all returned the favor, he was a beloved teacher among many. 

If a man could have that kind of impact on his students, how much more our God?  The all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God! It should be the same for us children of God.  Our God knows our names, a sign of His close relationship with every one of us. God loves us and we also need to return the favor by seeking a close relationship with Him.  The word of God in Jeremiah 1:5a says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”. He knows us because we are important to Him.

God knows your name, He knows my name; and as that popular worship song says, “He knows my every thought, He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call.”  You see, this our God that is omnipotent and omnipresent is not too powerful to relate with His own; He is not too powerful to know my name. I believe it is the song for that Sitcom “Cheers” that said, “Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name”.  That is okay, but I am perfectly satisfied being under God’s canopy of love anywhere, knowing fully well that He, above anyone else, knows my name. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

I have come across several Christians, and not many of them, me inclusive, can vouch or say without fear that they indeed know God.  And it is not that we do not know God, it is that we do not know Him the way we need to know Him.  For example, I find that the kind of things I often think about are those things that Apostle Paul referred to as “dung” (Philippians 3:8).  Our preoccupation many times have to do with material gains.  We think of how we can make more money in our chosen professions, or how we can move up the ladder and become the main man.  We think of how we can become famous.  Even in Kingdom service, many are thinking of how to become famous, not because we want to spread the word of God, but so that we will be known as people of note.  All these kinds of material gains are the things Apostle Paul said he “considered loss for the sake of Christ”.  He considered them loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.  Knowing God changes our commitment and the level of our service to Him.

There are many who know a lot about God.  However, there is a world of difference between knowing about God and knowing God.  There are people who have entire sections of Scripture perfectly memorized, and they may even be able to do things you and I cannot – but God is not really in their lives, because they do not know Him.  Many of us are easily broken when one or two life circumstances happen to us.  People who know their God do not brood over circumstances.  People who know their God do not become bitter because one thing or the other is not falling in place for them.  Those who know their God do not play victim because they happen to be in the valley of life, because they do not forget that the God they knew when they were on the mountain of life is still the same God in the valley.

There are yet folks who think they know God because they have gifts of tongues, gifts of healing, or gifts of the word.  And they are very quick to quote Daniel 11:32 that “the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits”, except that the passage is referring to a different kind of exploits.  Because, like we read in Matthew 7, on the day of judgement, prophesies and miracles will not give any advantage.  This means there are folks who perform those kinds of exploits but still do not know their God.  The word of God says “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ – Matthew 7:22-23.  What the Word of God is telling us in Daniel 11:32 is that those who know their God shall be strong in the face of different kinds of life circumstances, and they shall also do exploits for God.  There are three main things that will happen when we know God.

Firstly, those who know God will be zealous for God, just like Daniel and his three friends were even in the face of persecution.  The Word of God says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zeal.’” – Zechariah 1:13-14.  Those who know their God should be able to say “Come, follow me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” – 2 Kings 10:16. Secondly, those who know their God are bold in the Lord, just like Daniel and his three friends.  This same boldness was exhibited by the Apostles in Acts 5:29 when Peter and the other Apostles told the Sanhedrin “We must obey God rather than human beings!”  They knew how ruthless the King can be but they stood firm because of who they know. Lastly, those who know their God are always satisfied in the Lord no matter what situation they find themselves in, just like Daniel and his three friends.  Even when they were thrown in the fire, they were at peace because of who they know.  Apostle Paul, because of who he knew said “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

When we know God, we will not be “Cotton Candy” believers – looking pretty, tasting good, but when you bite into it there is literally nothing there!! Lots of calories but empty nonetheless. We all need to be zealots for God, because there is so much work to do.  It is in knowing God that this can happen.  The peace and contentment that follows knowing Him is an icing on the cake.  Are you ready to do exploits?

– Pastor Simbo Odunaiya