Posts in category: The Shepherd’s Blog

This week I want to lay down an enduring thought for our Perfection Series.  And that is, perfection begins with what we proclaim with our mouths and is perfected with what we think in our hearts.  The moment we accept Christ into our lives and acknowledge Him as our Lord and savior, our journey of perfection begins.  Although, it may sound like tautology, this acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of the perfection of our journey of perfection.  Accepting Christ into our lives is the beginning, not an end in itself.  I say it is the beginning because anyone who accepts Christ must also walk like one who has accepted Christ.  Anyone who is in the light must live as a child of light.  Living as a child of light begins from the heart.  When our hearts are in the right place, it does not mean we are sinless, but it means we are striving as hard as we can.

Apostle Paul talked about the weapons of our warfare in 2 Corinthians 10:4. He said these weapons are not carnal but they are mighty through God in pulling down of strongholds.  These strongholds include those that have been built in our hearts by our upbringing.  Strongholds that have been erected in our hearts from our life experiences; strongholds as a result of wrong doctrines that we may have been exposed to during our time of seeking the truth; strongholds that we have picked up because of our environment.  All these strongholds need to be torn down so that we can live our lives as true Christians.  We need to renew our minds completely.  We need to unlearn things that are not of God but that have become part of our lives.  It is only in doing these things that we can begin to perfect our walk with God and as a result perfect our journey of perfection.

There is a new fad amongst the young people in Nigeria.  There are kids, and some adults too, who identify themselves as “Marlians”.  Yes, just as we call ourselves “Christians”, these people also call themselves “Marlians”.  They are followers of a viral musician known as Naira Marley – real name Azeez Fashola.  However, Nigerian parents are up in arms and do not want their children identifying as Marlians.  This is because Naira Marley may not be that kind of a good example.  While his songs are danceable and his phrases catchy, people are not that sure of his character traits as a role model.  In the last six months he has been involved with the police for one thing or the other.  In one instance he was accused of stealing a car, and in another he was accused of internet fraud and cybercrime.  Some of his songs include “Marry Juana”, “Am I a Yahoo Boy”, “Soapy”, and “Tesumole” meaning “walk on Satan”. Without going into details or the merits/demerits of his lyrics, many Nigerians see these songs as teaching bad morals.  Put his police issues and his songs together and you see exactly why many parents do not want their children to be Marlians.  They are afraid a Marlian will behave like the person he/she follows.  As Christians, our contention is opposite.  We must behave exactly like the one we profess to follow.  Every effort to succeed as a Christ follower is an effort at breaking down strongholds.

When our Lord Jesus Christ was explaining a parable to Apostle Peter, He said, “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” Matthew 10:18-19. This means that a man is defiled only by what comes out of his heart.  So, if our hearts are not perfected, only defiled things will continually come out of them.  The things that make us imperfect usually emanate from the heart.   The common ones are false testimony, also known as lying; theft – taking things that do not belong to us; and slander – that thing we do behind people.  They all start from the heart. 

My brothers and sisters, the Lord has made this year a perfect year, we need to get on board with God’s plan.  Being in tune with God’s plans this year requires that we begin to work out our perfection too.  Seek God’s face for renewal of the mind.  Ask God to change your mindset.  Ask God to help you unlearn the many imperfect things you have grown up with.  As we do this we will be on our way on that journey of Christian perfection and take every imperfect thought pattern into captivity. Try it and see what God can and will do with you. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

There is this kind of Christianity that seems to be taking over all around the world, especially in Africa.  It looks like people have defined a new “Christianity”. The way I understood Christianity is that there are some folks who are followers of Christ and because they are followers of Christ, they are called Christians.  Now it looks like all that is changing. What we have now are miracle-seekers, and it does not matter what they have to do to get these miracles. This kind of “Christians” only go to Church because of the material things they believe they can get from God.  Some of us go to Church because we are looking for someone who can deal with our enemies for us. Some even go as far as asking God to kill whoever they think is their enemy. The bad part is we do not even know who this enemy is. The fact is God does not conform to our notions of how He should behave, who He should bless or kill and how.

I hate to tar everyone with the same brush here, but for these people, fasting is no longer about the heart, nor is it any more about the spirit. Fasting is about forcing the hands of God to make that breakthrough quick.  So, you will see them fast for 21 days to finish the year, and fast for 70 days to begin the year. The expectation is that the more the fasting the more blessings God will bring. Every action, either going to Church, praying, or fasting, etc., is all about material blessings and no longer about spiritual blessings.  Even when we give in Church, it is so that God can multiply whatever we had given one thousand-fold and not so much about giving willingly and joyfully.

Please do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with fasting, in fact fasting is good.  There is nothing wrong with praying; the word of God instructs us to do so continually, and there is nothing wrong with having great expectations of blessings from God; even the Bible asks us to test God and see.  These are good and dandy, but we cannot make all of these the sole reason we are Christians. Being a Christian is more about our souls than it is about our material blessings. Being a Christian is not about coming to Church to negotiate blessings from God.  In fact, what the word of God says is to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” So, there is no doubt that God will bless, anyway – materially, physically, spiritually – but the word of God says this should not be our preoccupation.  

We must know who we serve, why we serve Him, and how to serve Him.  We cannot afford to focus on the things God has already told us is secondary.  When we make the minor things the major things in our relationship with God, then we have missed our way and we have lost focus.  Whenever we lose focus we can fall easily in the hands of Satan and his acolytes. Tell me, what kind of blindness makes a man keep going to a Church where the Pastor has already been exposed as staging miracles?  What kind of blindness makes a man to continue worshipping a Pastor who has already been convicted of murder? What kind of Christianity makes a man, in cahoots with his Pastor, offer his own girlfriend as sacrifice to become rich?  

We are all looking for the perfection of all that concerns us in this divine year of perfection, and I know God is set to do great and wonderful things.  We must however remember God’s word for us. When he appeared to Abraham, He told him “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” – Genesis 17: 1b.  God ultimately perfected His promises for Abraham. It is again one of those “seek ye first” moments. Walk before God perfect and God will add every other thing unto you.

Brethren, we must not make our Christianity about what we can get from God.  Do not be a transactional Christian. There is no doubt that He will bless, but we must make our Christianity about obedience and about living according to His divine purpose for us.  It is in doing this that we show that we are seeking His Kingdom, and God is set to add all other things unto to us according to His riches in glory. May we always enjoy His grace and mercy – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

Welcome to the year 2020.  It is our year of divine perfection.  God, true to His nature, will perfect everything that concerns His children in this divine year.  Every year we get inspiration from the Holy Spirit about what we should focus on in the new year. It has been a wonderful journey as I looked back at what the Holy Spirit has done and is still doing amongst us here at CICC.  I could not but marvel at the direction the Lord has led us through His divine spirit. In January 2016, the Holy Spirit led us to seek revival and renewal. It was a time of intense prayer amongst us at CICC. Our prayer life had not remained the same ever since.  Little did we know that the Lord was Himself preparing us for the future. Prayer and the grace of God had upheld us here at CICC in the last few years and we give God the glory. When I listened to the testimonies on Crossover Night and each testimonial giving glory to God for answered prayer, I marveled again at how faithful our God has been.  We surely serve a living God.

Faith has carried us thus far and I just want to encourage brethren this morning to keep our faith alive and strong.  This year, 2020, is a different year. Only very few people will experience this kind of year, and those who do will most likely experience it once in their lifetime.  It is a year full of divine grace. Based on our life experience, it is a year of perfect vision. Well, one can argue that only God has perfect vision, ours is never perfect.  However, from our point of view when our vision is normal, it is perfect. As stated in Habakkuk 2:2, seeing clearly makes action swifter. “Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it”.  When God’s purpose for us is made crystal clear to us, we can more perfectly carry out His will for us.  

As we proceed in this new year, there is a scripture I want us to commit to memory: – “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17.  As we look forward to God perfecting all that concerns us in this year, let us be careful to understand what God’s will for us is, because God will only perfect His will for us, not our whimsical requests.  As we seek God’s perfection, let us have in mind that God is not in the business of perfecting foolish requests or prayers; and God also cares about how you live your life even when the year is a year of divine perfection.

Apostle Paul here says we should be careful how we live our life.  We must not live the life of foolish people. Only a foolish man will start making requests of a father that they have always disrespected.  Only a foolish man will make a request of a father they have always disobeyed. Only a foolish man will make a request of a father that they have always held in contempt.  So, as we look up to a God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, we must also be ready to live as He wants us to live.  Yes, we must understand His will for us and live according to His divine purpose for us.

So, what do you think God’s will is for you in this new year? Do you think He wants you to be distracted by a load of care that you hardly have time for spiritual things? What do you think God’s will is for you this year?  Know this, that God can make every impossible become possible. He can perfect everything that concerns you if you walk according to His divine purpose. Whatever He has promised will come to pass, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” – Habakkuk 2:3.  For those who have walked in His purpose and those who have been earnestly seeking His face to walk in His purpose, your year of perfection is here. Just believe and it shall come to pass, but be careful not to be foolish. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

We have all come to learn that Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.  The way it is celebrated here in the United States is with families coming together and mostly around different types of meals that often include Turkey.  Since we joined in the celebrations my family and I are always looking forward to this day where we get to eat so much food.  Come to think about it, the celebration should probably be called “Thanks Eating” since that seems to be all we do during this time.  We seem to emphasize the eating part.  I am thinking, if there is something that really must be emphasized during this period shouldn’t it be the “thanks” and the “giving”?  I know in my house we do some round robins about what each person is thankful for, but everyone kind of zips through it very quickly so that we can get to the eating part.

I just want to use this opportunity to encourage us to use this festive period as a time to emphasize thanking and giving.  I have observed that many of us of the Christian stock don’t like playing the Christianity game with our money unless, of course, the Lord is providing it.  I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty with this, I just want to encourage that we put things in the right perspective, because often the reason we do not do some important things is because we lose our perspective.  I want to ask us to have the right perspective during this thanksgiving period and the coming Christmas celebrations.

Since thanksgiving is a period of thanking God for the harvest of the preceding year, I believe we should be applying the principles of harvest. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops” – Proverbs 3:9.  So, our harvest thanksgiving must also include some giving.  We can also use the principle of harvest to illustrate what happens when we give and when we don’t.  This is a principle that Apostle Paul made very clear in his letters to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”  And also, the letter to the Galatians in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”  Four principles are evident from these two passages – 1) You cannot reap if you do not sow; 2) You cannot reap something different from what you sow; 3) You cannot reap earlier than you sow; and 4) You reap in proportion to what you sow.

Many of us do not understand this principle.  As it pertains to giving in the Church of God it is not possible to reap what you did not sow.  There is not much that we are able to give God to show our appreciation for all he does for us.  The only thing that costs us is to give out of our sweat, and that is from our harvest.  Our motivation for giving should be because we are thankful for what God has done in our lives. This thanksgiving season if you are wondering whether you have things to be thankful for, consider the following statistics: If you have food in your refrigerator and clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of those who live in the world; If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.  If you have money in the bank and in your wallet and spare change in a dish somewhere in your house, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthiest. If you can read and write, you are more blessed than 2 billion people on earth who cannot. 

A Season Of Thanking And Giving

We have all come to learn that Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.  The way it is celebrated here in the United States is with families coming together and mostly around different types of meals that often include Turkey.  Since we joined in the celebrations my family and I are always looking forward to this day where we get to eat so much food.  Come to think about it, the celebration should probably be called “Thanks Eating” since that seems to be all we do during this time.  We seem to emphasize the eating part.  I am thinking, if there is something that really must be emphasized during this period shouldn’t it be the “thanks” and the “giving”?  I know in my house we do some round robins about what each person is thankful for, but everyone kind of zips through it very quickly so that we can get to the eating part.

I just want to use this opportunity to encourage us to use this festive period as a time to emphasize thanking and giving.  I have observed that many of us of the Christian stock don’t like playing the Christianity game with our money unless, of course, the Lord is providing it.  I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty with this, I just want to encourage that we put things in the right perspective, because often the reason we do not do some important things is because we lose our perspective.  I want to ask us to have the right perspective during this thanksgiving period and the coming Christmas celebrations.

Since thanksgiving is a period of thanking God for the harvest of the preceding year, I believe we should be applying the principles of harvest. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops” – Proverbs 3:9.  So, our harvest thanksgiving must also include some giving.  We can also use the principle of harvest to illustrate what happens when we give and when we don’t.  This is a principle that Apostle Paul made very clear in his letters to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”  And also, the letter to the Galatians in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”  Four principles are evident from these two passages – 1) You cannot reap if you do not sow; 2) You cannot reap something different from what you sow; 3) You cannot reap earlier than you sow; and 4) You reap in proportion to what you sow.

Many of us do not understand this principle.  As it pertains to giving in the Church of God it is not possible to reap what you did not sow.  There is not much that we are able to give God to show our appreciation for all he does for us.  The only thing that costs us is to give out of our sweat, and that is from our harvest.  Our motivation for giving should be because we are thankful for what God has done in our lives. This thanksgiving season if you are wondering whether you have things to be thankful for, consider the following statistics: If you have food in your refrigerator and clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of those who live in the world; If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.  If you have money in the bank and in your wallet and spare change in a dish somewhere in your house, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthiest. If you can read and write, you are more blessed than 2 billion people on earth who cannot. 

Brothers and sisters, when we give, our generosity results in thanksgiving to the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:11).  So, I want to encourage you in the spirit of biblical thanksgiving that you make it a point to give to the work of God wherever you are sacrificially, willingly, cheerfully, faithfully, and submissively.  May the Lord accept our thanksgiving in Jesus name. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

Brothers and sisters, when we give, our generosity results in thanksgiving to the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:11).  So, I want to encourage you in the spirit of biblical thanksgiving that you make it a point to give to the work of God wherever you are sacrificially, willingly, cheerfully, faithfully, and submissively.  May the Lord accept our thanksgiving in Jesus name. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

Being Gracious To Each Other Is The Hallmark Of An Attitude Of Gratitude

It is Thanksgiving time and it is a good time to talk about our attitude towards thanking God and being appreciative of His Love and grace towards us.  Our general attitude towards showing gratitude to God can also be deciphered from the way we treat each other. People can have what could be called a general attitude of gratitude.  People who do not know how to thank God for one another or show gratitude to each other will also not know how to thank God. Gratitude is an attitude. While we were growing up, some of the first words we were thought as little kids were “thank you”.  And more than saying thank you to each other, is also recognizing the God that is in each of us. So, you find that those who excel in expressing gratitude to God do it in several ways that recognize the God in each of us – several ways that are borne out of their general attitude towards gratitude.

Our attitude of Gratitude can be expressed in our praise of God and thankfulness to Him directly.  In Ephesians 5:15, the Apostle Paul exhorted us to be careful how we live. He then went on in the same chapter, verses 19-20, to outline how to live carefully, and these include “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

An attitude of Gratitude can also be expressed to God in the way we express thankfulness for one another.  Apostle Paul again in his letter to the Philippians 1:3-6 says: “I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  We must always remember that we are created in the image of God and this God also lives in us.  When we thank God for one another we are essentially thanking God for His creation. This same point was reiterated in Paul’s letter to the Colossians 1:3-4, when he says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people.  When you thank God for each other you are essentially displaying an attitude of gratitude.

Our attitude of Gratitude is also expressed in our thankfulness to one another.  Showing gratitude to each other means we understand the good that comes from each other towards us through the God that works in us.  As Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 3:9, we cannot thank God enough for each other for all the joy we have because of each other. So, let us express gratitude to each other because as we do so, we are invariably also expressing gratitude to God and it shows that indeed we have developed an attitude of gratitude.  

So as we get down to it in this Thanksgiving season, let us all begin to receive grace to show gratitude.  Let us begin to think of the many people we must thank for hearing the word of God and bringing His grace into our lives.  My brothers and sisters, it is so easy to take people for granted, or even to complain and become angry because they do not meet our every wish.  But we need to give thanks for those around us, despite of the little inconveniences we may have experienced. The Christians in Corinth were far from perfect, but Paul began his first letter to them by saying, “I always thank God for you” (1 Corinthians 1:4, NIV). 

Let us give thanks for our spouses, our children, our relatives, our friends and others who have helped and continue to help us in every little way.  Thank God for those who touch your life. In fact, just thank God for those who are in your life. They are there for a reason. When you cultivate a habit of thanking people who you see, it makes it easier for you to thank God that you do not see.  You are a blessing to me. I am a blessing to you. Let us thank God for each other. Let us also show gratitude to each other. When we do this, we not only show our thankfulness to God we also exhibit a Spirit of thankfulness that is needed to thank God always!

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