Month: March 2020

Corona Virus, the Government, Us & God…

Corona Virus, the Government, Us & God…

Many may be apprehensive and fearful at this time because of so many reports on television and in the newspapers about people being ill, dying or dead because of the coronavirus all over the world.

The sense of panic and uncertainty is worsened still because of the need to be quarantined or practice social distancing and isolation even for those who do not have the disease or manifest symptoms.

Brethren God is with us today as He was with Israel and these comforting words apply to His people now as they did in ancient times;

10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you

Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.

12 You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41:10-13 NKJV).

Specifically in relation to God being the protector of those who are his from danger and plagues, the psalmist states:

“1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. And under His wings you shall take refuge” (Psalm 91:1-4 NKJV).

It has been proven that those who do not have symptoms of the corona virus (covid-19) manifesting to any degree and were later tested positive, were found to have infected those they had socialised with before they tested positive. I read several accounts of this.

Therefore it is important to distance oneself socially as much as possible for lengths of time, especially obeying national guidelines.

This is not only for one’s own sake but for the sake of others; You may not contract the disease or you may only have a mild form of it, but you could infect someone or others with underlying health issues (i.e pneumonia, organ transplant etc…) who are therefore vulnerable. Health professionals have also said the elderly are also more vulnerable to contracting the corona virus.

Let us be honest, at the time of writing, most people have not been tested in places where covid-19 diagnosis, illness and death are increasing in number such as the UK.

We must therefore be selfless and concerned for the well being of others as well as our own.

Instead of being alarmed and critical of the strict measures imposed to prevent the transferal of covid-19, and thinking “surely as a believer in Christ I don’t have to pay any attention to what the government is advising, after all God is with me!”, it is time for those who reason this way to come out of the “spirituality bubble” that resists God given common sense and wisdom.

Certainly there is over reporting and too much focus on the cases and issues surrounding the corona virus, but this is the reality of life. Reporters do the aforementioned for a living and human beings generally focus on issues that affect their everyday life to varying degrees depending on what it is.

Cutting out all the “noise” and living in a “spiritual bubble” of the type described earlier is not only disobedient but dangerous to the health of oneself and others; it is a case of also refusing to advise others sensibly because one refuses sensible advice.

God given common sense and wisdom must be the basis for complying with the governments’ efforts in controlling, preventing and resisting the spread of the coronavirus. If in China where the corona virus started, the strict enforcement of social distancing and quarantining worked to dimish and stop people being affected with covid-19, then other countries imposing the same or similar measures are doing the right thing.

Godly common sense and wisdom calls for accessing the situation realistically and when we do, we are able to see what governments are doing from a biblical perspective. It is not everything the secular unbelieving (in Christ) world does that is apart from Elohim. After all He created human beings, the heavens and earth and is in control of everything.

It is worth knowing or remembering as a believer in Christ or for those interested that social distancing, isolation or quarantine were practiced during biblical times.

There is God (of our Lord Jesus Christ) instructed biblical precedence for social distancing, isolation and quarantine. Therefore disobeying the government is not merely senseless but in effect it is disobeying God the Father’s proven method of ensuring the diseased are healed as well as preventing them from spreading it to others. There is nothing new under the sun!

Some of the scriptures are as follows:


45 “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:45-46 NKJV).

This is a type of current social distancing and isolation measures.

In Numbers 12:1-16 when Miriam got leprosy, God instructed that she be kept isolated outside the camp for seven days. Israel led by Moses complied and they did not continue their journey until she was returned.

This is an act of being quarantined or isolated so that Miriam can recover quickly and she is also prevented from spreading leprosy.

In addition in Numbers 5:1-4, God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel to put outside the camp those among them that have been defiled. They obeyed. This is what is happening now; those who have tested positive for the corona virus are quarantined.

Brethren, may our lives as faithful warriors for Christ be demonstrated among other ways, in our partnership with our government and nation to combat this common world wide enemy: corona virus. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

copyright DENyamekye

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Jesus is always praying & gives us reasons to Pray

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Introduction
We live in the best of times (because God the Father is always with us) and the worst of times (so much affliction is upon us, even to the point of death ! e.g. Corona virus), so at all times we must be in prayer to God the Father, through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ).
Prayer is communication with God. God has called us who are His to a life of prayer and in the busyness of life, it is important to remind ourselves of this every so often. In the New Testament scriptures, we are revealed the importance of prayer to Jesus Christ during his ministry. He used to frequently and consistently separate himself from the crowd and even his disciples and spend time alone with Father God. As we know there are different ways of praying to God. Prayer is not a specialised ministry only for some, so let’s ensure we make prayer a lifestyle, fervently, consistently and frequently as Jesus Christ did.

Jesus is always praying and gives us reasons to pray.
When we read about the ministry of Jesus (Yeshua), one thing that is clearly evident is how he taught so much about principles of the kingdom of God and effective kingdom living through having the right attitude and heart condition before God. He would teach with direct speech, use parables or illustrations.

A key point worth noting in relation to Jesus’ ministry is the fact that God cares very much about the life of a believer in Jesus Christ beyond their salvation and is determined to ensure that we fight the good fight of faith so as to be winners in His camp or that we overcome every obstacle through the finished work at Calvary by our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Jesus knew that the best way to reconcile mankind to God, even beyond salvation to a place of consistent intimacy was not only to teach about the principles and requirements of the kingdom of God but to engage with them in the area of prayer. Prayer is communication with God by true believers in Christ who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within.

The Holy Spirit is first and foremost the power of God. Without a life of communication with God in a fervent, consistent and frequent manner, the power to sustain victorious Christian living is impossible. We can have all the teaching of the Word possible but if we do not have a relationship with the source from whom we have the Word, then we are unable to grasp the meaning of the Word. A relationship with God in the power of the Holy Spirit is cultivated through prayer and enables the Holy Spirit to teach us and consistently remind us of the teachings of Jesus.

“26I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27But you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. (1 John 2:26-27 NLT).

“… when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.(John 14:26 NLT).

Jesus was therefore determined that believers in him then and thereafter would

1) Understand the importance of having time away from all the noise and busyness of the world to be with Abba Father.

What did he do to be our perfect example in relation to this?

In Luke 5:16 we read “..Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” (New Living Translation)

The New International Version of the bible states “..Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed”.

Also we read in Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Based on how Jesus Christ prayed before his crucifixion revealed in the gospel of John (Chapter 17), we can conclude that when he isolated himself several times during his ministry to pray, he not only prayed for himself, but he often prayed for

  • those people who would hear his teachings and believe in God through believing in who he was and his messianic mission.
  • his twelve disciples and several others who believed in him and even went from towns and villages with him such as certain women including Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Suzanna.

2) Know how to pray effectively

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous availeth much” (James 5:16 KJV).

Jesus took it upon himself to teach his disciples to pray

-with the right heart or motives (Matt.5:5-8)

-using the basic format as a template that pleases the Father; (Matt.5:9-13)

When we pray, we are required to

  1. recognise God as our Father who is in Heaven and hallow His name.
  2. ask for
  • God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven
  • our provision; this means we recognise him as the one we depend on for our daily needs.
  •  forgiveness but only if we know we have forgiven others their sins against us. This is because if we have not, then God will not forgive us our sins and non-forgiveness will serve as an obstacle to our relationship with him and therefore prevent Him from answering our prayers.
  •  deliverance from temptation and evil

3) Know that

  • teaming up to pray with and for someone in their time of desperation was also required of us.
  • in a time of crisis, whether personal or in a group, prayer or intercession is important for it strengthens the spiritually weak.

What happened to confirm this? when Jesus retreated to the garden of Gethsemane he could have gone alone as it was the time just before the Roman Soldiers would appear with Judas to arrest him. However he did not retreat to pray on his own, he chose to ask Peter and the sons of Zebedee, namely James and John to watch and pray with him.

“36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” (Matt. 26:36-46NLT).

Jesus wanted his inner circle of disciples Peter, James and John with him at this time which was a period of intense spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm. Jesus knew that at that time of crisis with the hordes of hell mobilised greatly, it would be easy for them to give in to temptation such as denying they knew Jesus or reject him for fear of what people would think if they knew the disciples walked with Jesus. Therefore praying beforehand would strengthen the flesh so that it would be aligned to their willing spirit man. We know that some disciples fled after Jesus was arrested and Peter denied he knew Jesus.

Jesus knew that Peter would deny him three times and told him so (Luke 22:34), however prior to that Jesus had said to Peter (also called Simon):

“31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”(Luke 22:31-32 NLT)

Just pause and think of how when Jesus was having his one to one with Father in a solitary place he would speak to Father about his beloved disciples and especially pray for those such as Peter he had foreknowledge would undergo affliction for his sake. That was then, but similarly Brethren, Jesus who is now seated at the right hand of Father  making intercession for you and I, asking God to deliver us from evil and temptation and to bring forth His plans and purposes in our lives.

Did Simon Peter overcome? Yes and he had a powerful ministry we read about in scripture as part of the early church apostles who were fearless preachers and miracle workers. We are also overcomers through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37). If we have not yet seen breakthrough in certain areas of our lives, we must rest assured that it will come to pass for Father God is never late but His timing is perfect.

Jesus not only prayed for his disciples but he prayed “also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.

21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
(John 17:20-21 NLT).

It was important to Jesus that there would be unity of all believers and with God and himself. This unity would be a testimony that Jesus was sent by God. Likewise we too must pray for the unity of believers under a mission statement founded on the Word of God. Division among other things does not glorify God nor does it render His kingdom attractive to the unsaved.

Brethren, we are given insight into the mystery and power of intercessory prayer because Jesus’ prayers in biblical times exemplified by John 17:20 is the reason why you and I are not only saved but we are being protected and sustained daily by the power of God. We are also more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) daily because Jesus is still making intercession for us, this time in his position as the Royal High Priest seated at the Right Hand of the Father (Romans 8:34/Eph. 8:1-6). We give him all the glory and praise!

This ought to give us assurance and hope that being a kingdom of priests seated in heavenly places with Christ, (Rev 1:6/Eph. 2:6) as we intercede for the unsaved in agreement with Jesus’ prayers, they too will be saved.

To God be the glory great things He has done!

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A Call to Prayer: Arise!

The mantel of prayer
is a gift to you, disciple of Christ,
not to a specific priest so accept it
as a sword to wield in the battle field.

Firebrand!
Let the flames of prayer be released
from within to set alight Satan’s plans
and to ignite the Word of truth in God’s sons.

Watchman!
Look to see and hear the LORD.
Sound the alarm at the enemy’s advance
upon man and with the armies of God
shoot the arrow at the hordes of hell as
a protector and defender of man.

Warrior!
As an impenetrable wall,
the LORD entreats that your prayer rain is released to fall
as fire and brimstone for the retreat of the armies of hell,
for He says
“The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”1

Intercessor!
Forever seated in heavenly places
and in oneness with Spirit and Royal High Priest,
be a bridge for the crossing over into God’s turf,
a mother to carry the vision unto birth and
a midwife, for the bringing forth of God’s plans.

Arise!
Firebrand,
Watchman,
Warrior,
Intercessor
stand in unity on the Rock of Salvation,
your Foundation Stone who is Christ,
the Chief Cornerstone.

(Quote 1. John 10:10WEB)

©DENyamekye

Excerpt from book: Wielding the Sword of the Spirit
Volume 2 Treasurers of Wisdom series, for more information: http://www.amazon.com/author/nyamekyede

Happiness is knowing… Our times are in His Hands.

Praise God that “My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”(Psalm 31:15 KJV).

God knows the times and seasons for everything under the sun and He therefore has a reason for everything that happens to us. Brethren, God will not allow us to suffer more than we can bear.

The Psalmist (Psa.31:15) knew that God was in control and He could trust Him with regards to every situation including delivering him from his enemies and those that persecute him.

Whatever you may be facing or going through, God has gone ahead of you for He knew it would happen anyway. He has a strategy to deliver and restore whatever has been withheld or lost due to evil schemes. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you and that is a fact. Rest assured, God Almighty has a plan that He is outworking, trust Him and it will come to pass.

“11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”(Jer.29:11 KJV).

©May17DeborahENyamekye

The “Happiness is knowing… ” Series are scriptural based devotionals on a specific topic to encourage and uplift the reader.

From Happiness is knowing series … on Manna From On High Blog (use search to find)

http://www.readywriterps451.org

Emmanuel Daily Bible Verses #1

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to their

Emmanuel