TRUE HAPPINESS

“Blessed is anyone who has not sinned in speech and who needs feel no remorse for sins. Blessed is anyone who conscience brings no reproach and who has never given up hope” (Sirach 14:1-2)

‘My child, treat yourself as well as you can afford and bring worthy offerings to the Lord’ {Sirach 14:11} i.e in treating yourself as well as you can afford let that lifestyle not make your offerings to the Lord unworthy having in mind that nothing unworthy will enter that city “nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev.21:27).

“Like clothes, everybody will wear out, the age-old law is, everyone must die. Like foliage growing on a bushy tree, some leaves falling, others growing, so are the generations of flesh and blood: one dies, another is born. Every achievement rots away and perishes and with it goes its author” [Sirach 14:17-19]

THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

“And he taught them and said, does not the scripture say: my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have turned it into a bandits den” (Mk.11:17)

This is clear definition of the fact that all we do in life [habits, career, vocation, thoughts, emotions, passions, visualizations, reading, hubbies e.t.c ] is a prayer to God said by you or others admiring or observing you (“only be careful that this freedom of yours does not in any way turn into an obstacle to trip those who are vulnerable” 1 Cor.8:9; ‘talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom. Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy but mercy can afford to laugh at judgment’ James 2:12-13) either with pleasing fragrance that opens the flood windows of heaven for blessings {‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ Heb.1:9} or abhorrent which marks us with signs of betrayal (‘…and those who despise me will be an object of contempt’ 1 Sam.2:30), rejection {“I regret having made Saul King, since he has broken his allegiance to me and not carried out my orders…”}, fear [‘that is why you must take up all God’s armor or you will not be able to put any resistance on the evil day or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full’ Eph.6:13] and enmity with God (“Adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God” James 4:4) since we all have been confirmed as image of God (‘God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them’ Gen.1:27) and the temple of the Holy Spirit {“do you not realize that you are a temple of God with the Holy Spirit of God living in you? If anyone should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy and you are that temple” 1 Cor.3:16-17}

He does not make empty treats [‘the Glory of Israel, however, does not lie or go back on his word, not being human and liable to go back on his word’ 1 Sam.15:29, Num.16:31-35, Mk.13:31, Heb.12:29 ‘for our God is a consuming fire’, “A third angel followed shouting aloud, all those who worship the beast and his statue or have had themselves branded on the hand or forehead will be made to drink the wine of God’s fury which is ready undiluted in his cup of retribution; in fire and brimstone they will be tortured in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb and the smoke of their torture will rise forever and ever. There will be no respite, night or day, for those who worship the beast or its statue or accept branding with its name” Rev.14:9-11] knowing full well that worshipping the beast and having its mark involves all disobedience to God’s law in thoughts, words, actions, dressing, negligence to the intuitions and counsel of the Holy Spirit e.t.c thus ‘there are six things that God hates, seven that he abhors: a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that weaves wicked plots, feet that hurry to do evil, a false witness who lies with every breath and one who sows dissension among brothers’ (Prov.6:16-19) i.e your dressing, pictures as well as videos on the internet or streets what does it portray {igniting desire for righteousness in you and on-lookers; Mtt.5:27-28} as well as your gaze on others body/parts of the body, pictures, videos e.t.c on the streets/phones/laptops what spirit is encouraged (1 Cor.10:31), is lying a hubby/mistake to you? {‘but the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and sexually immoral and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur’ Rev.21:8}

He does not, has not and will never change (Mal.3:6, Heb.13:8)

Thus let those still indulging in sin/sinful desires and wicked impulses note “God made everything for its own purpose, yes even the wicked for the day of disaster” [Prov.16:4], ‘then he will say to those on his left hand, Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ Mtt.25:41, “then the devil, who led them astray, was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet are and their torture will not come to an end, day or night, forever and ever” Rev.20:10” then make amends thus ‘do not allow yourselves to be shaped by the passions of your old ignorance but as obedient children, be yourselves holy in all your activity after the model of the Holy One who calls us, since scripture says, Be holy for I am holy’ 1 Pet.1:14-16, “No foul word should ever cross your lips; let your words be for the improvement of the others, as occasion offers and do good to your listeners; do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free. Any bitterness or bad temper or anger or shouting or abuse must be far removed from you – as must every kind of malice. Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as god forgave you in Christ” (Eph.4:29-32)

Those who are still yearning as well as standing on the truth “Everyone, no matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall” [1 Cor.10:12], ‘My brothers, never slacken in doing what is right’ {2 Thess.3:13}, “I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown away from you” (Rev.3:11), ‘this is why there must be perseverance in the saints who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus’ {Rev.14:12}, because “nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life’ (Rev.21:27)

For those hiding under the umbrella of religiosity and clauses like ‘nobody is seeing me’, “there is still time”, ‘I have got to live my life the way I want’, ‘I am rich I do not need God’, “I am Holy others are sinners and should go to hell” to commit heinous sins, abominations and wickedness remember ‘…I know about your behavior: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead’ (Rev.3:1), “I know about your activities: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm. I will spit you out of my mouth. You say to yourself: I am rich, I have made fortune and have everything I want, never realizing that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you truly rich and white robes to clothe you and hide your shameful nakedness and ointment to put on your eyes to enable you to see. I reprove and train those whom I love: so repent in real earnest…” {Rev.3:15-22}.

HAPPY NEW MONTH

Thank you Lord, for the gift of a new month, ushering all and sundry into the last quarter of the year 2012 {the year of the twelve tribes of Israel with regards to the old testament and the twelve apostles of the Lamb as we have in the new testament hence a confirmed year of masticating the Scriptures; THE WORD} as we pray Him to grant us mercies on the past mistakes (sins) “and it is for the Lord our God to have mercy and to pardon, since we have betrayed him” {Dan.9:9} also seeking his Grace, and the full activation of His seven Spirits [Rev.4:5] within us in order to desire and consistently bear witness to the truth in all our endeavors. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP:

‘Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy servant whom the master placed over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed that servant if his master’s arrival finds him doing exactly that’ (Mtt.25:45-46)

Are you a servant? {Yes/no}

A servant is one whose speech, silence, dressing-habit, thoughts, reasoning, marital-status, career, intentions, actions, vocation e.t.c denotes a sacrifice that will positively help to improve the living standard of others with recourse to the integrity and security of Human life under Divine approval (‘and whatever you say or do, let it be in the name of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving to God the Father through him’ Col.3:17)

What type of servant? [Wise and trustworthy / opposite]

Where do you apply your wisdom most often? (Righteousness / sinful inclinations / wicked impulse[s])

Is your body a servant to your spirit at the proper time? Is your spirit servant to your body at the proper time? {Both/either/one-sided/I don’t know}

Are you a servant to your house-boy/house-girl/gate-man/driver/cook in accord to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit?

Are you a servant to God/the congregation/the self?

Are you a servant to your husband/wife/children/mother/father/elders/relations under the guidance of the Spirit of God?

Are you a servant to your workers/clients/boss under Divine intuition?

As a servant are your working tools {“that is why you must take up all God’s armor, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full. So stand your ground with truth a belt round your waist and uprightness a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to quench the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must take salvation as your helmet and the sword of the Spirit, that is the word of God” Eph.6:13-17} still active (‘do not grieve the holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free’ Eph.4:30) or blunt {“that is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift of God that you possess…” 2 Tim.1:6}?

Will you be found doing your work when the master comes [“Blessed that servant if his master’s arrival finds him doing exactly that” Mtt.24:46] or being dishonest as well as wallowing in sin with the presumptuous clause ‘God will understand’ {“but if the servant is dishonest and says to himself, my master is taking his time…his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know…” Mtt.24:48-51}

AWAITING

“So stay awake because you do not know the day when your master is coming” (Mtt.24:42)

All these rumors about the date of Christ coming are uncalled for as well as shear waste of time because the heart of man will not be able to divulge this secret of God {“for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways declares the Lord” Isaiah 55:8} just concern your soul and that of the people around you with consistency in righteousness [the awake call; ‘Uprightness will be the belt around his waist and constancy the belt about his hips’ Isaiah 11:5] by serving God continually in your intentions, actions, careers, vocations, habits e.t.c and that of our neighbors guided by the illumination of the Holy Spirit (“Open my eyes and I shall fix my gaze on the wonders of your Law” Ps.119:18)  unless you want to stick with stubbornness and smartness in sin {Rom.2:5} and enjoy the place prepared for the stubborn and smart serpent [Devil; ‘Now the snake was the most subtle of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made…’ Gen.3:1] and his angels as Christ affirmed (‘then he will say to those on his left hand, go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ Mtt.25:41) which is a place of continuous torture in the presence of the Lamb and the Holy angels “a third angel followed, shouting aloud, all those who worship the beast and his statue or have had themselves branded on the hand or forehead, will be made to drink the wine of God’s fury which is ready, undiluted in his cup of retribution; in fire and brimstone they will be tortured in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb and the smoke of their torture will rise forever and ever. There will be no respite, night or day, for those who worship the beast or its statue or accept branding with its name” [Rev.14:9-11] also those who are struggling in righteousness should not give up their faith in Jesus and obedience to God’s commandments {‘this is why there must be perseverance in the saints who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus’ Rev.14:12} and (‘I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown away from you’ Rev.3:11)

Misconceptions:

This is about the new heaven and a new earth being two different places for those who have a hope of heaven with their pursuit of radical righteousness [‘since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm’ Mtt.11:12] and the later for the meek (“Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance” Mtt.5:4). The new heavens and new earth as used in Rev.21:1 {“then I saw a new heaven and a new earth”} is the one throne of God (‘thus says the Lord: with heaven my throne and earth my footstool…’ Isaiah 66:1) and the home of the righteous {“But our homeland is in heaven…” Phil.3:20} and not two different places since we have one God, one body, one spirit thus “there is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all” {Eph.4:4-6}. Just as in every monarchical kingdom on earth we have the kings palace where he resides stands for this new heaven and other places in the kingdom which is also under his reign stand for the new earth and above all everyone in the kingdom enjoys the same privilege though in varying degree as well as functionalities {Virgins, Apostles, prophets, martyrs, priests, archangels, angels e.t.c} much more illustrated with the clear fact of God dwelling currently in heaven from where he directs the affairs of the world {‘Our God is in heaven, he creates whatever he chooses’ Ps.115:3} with our co-operation to His Grace [‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness as none of your rivals’ Heb.1:9] or without (“I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no other God except me. Though you do not know me, I have armed you” Isaiah 45:5) men’s co-operation to righteousness.

The view by some people that hell-fire/abyss or second death in most passages of the scripture {Rev.21:8, Mtt.5:22, Rev.20:1} as not being a place of continuous torment for sinners and the wicked rather their punishment would be destruction by death (Ezek.18:4) is not true. The torture of hell-fire is continuous, day & night, forever and ever with these passages “then the devil, who led them astray was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet are, and their torture will not come to an end, day or night, forever and ever” (Rev.20:10), ‘a third angel followed shouting aloud, all those who worship the beast and his statue or have had themselves branded on hand or forehead, will be made to drink the wine of God’s fury which is ready, undiluted, in his cup of retribution; in fire and brimstone they will be tortured in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb and the smoke of their torture will rise forever and ever. There will be no respite, night or day, for those who worship the beast or its statue or accept branding with its name” [Rev.14:9-11] though this continuous and eternal fire was not designed for us (image of God) but our stubborn refusal to repent {‘your stubborn refusal to repent is only storing up retribution for yourself on that Day of retribution when God’s just verdict will be made known’ Rom.2:5} and help others with our God-given talents, beauty, handsomeness, Spiritual gifts and wealth to come closer to God has branded the wrath of God’s justice on men thus “then he will say to those on his left hand, Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” Mtt.25:41 as a reference to the contents of Rev.20:10 already mentioned above.

The idea in some people that some of Our lady’s (Blessed Virgin Mary) statues and images that are blessed by legal, authentic and loyal priests of the Catholic, Apostolic, One and Holy Church with Christ as the Head (‘since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body…’ Eph.5:23), Foundation {“for nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ” 1 Cor.3:11}, Founder [‘so I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community/Church…’ Mtt.16:18], Corner-stone {“you are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone” Eph.2:20} with the apostles and prophets as the physical representatives, whose unbroken succession the priests and bishops of the Holy Sea (Roman Catholic family) maintain are being manipulated by evil spirits is a lie because the word of God remains forever [‘but the Word of the Lord remains forever…’ 1 Pet.1:25] and the position of Our Mother {Virgin Mary} in the Holy Bible is very clear as the beloved daughter of the Father (“but the angel said to her, Mary do not be afraid; you have won God’s favor” Lk.1:30), Mother of the Son (“look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son and you must name him Jesus” Lk.1:31), spouse of the Holy Spirit [‘the angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God’ Lk.1:35], humble servant of God (“Mary said, you see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said…” Lk.1:38), always magnifying God {‘and Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord’ Lk.1:48}, always the mother of God [“why should I be honored with the visit from the mother of my Lord?” Lk.1:43], always having us handed into her care by Christ as a call for all who love Him to reverence her (‘seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, this is your mother…’ Jn.19:26-27), always interceding for us at the most critical periods {“and they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used and the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine” Jn.2:3}, always commanding her children (‘then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, who obey God’s commandments and have in themselves the witness of Jesus’ Rev.12:17) and every other force in the world, to do the will of GOD [“His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you” Jn.2:5] bearing in mind that the WORD is GOD (‘In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God’ Jn.1:1) Who does not change status with time  {“Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be forever” Heb.13:8}.

IF GOD DID NOT SPARE HIS ONLY SON {Mtt.27:46}?

We cry out in travails and make excuse for ourselves why we should betray our Creator in order to steal from our parents/neighbors/offices/schools/relations/enemies e.t.c, defile our body and soul in masturbation/sudar-daddy & mummy affairs/pornography/adultery/fornication/lesbianism/homosexuality/incest/prostitution/drug trafficking & addictions/smoking/gluttoness/drunkenness/insults on parents/lying lips/partying-spirit/envy/jealousy/heresy/apostasy/indecent projection and exposure of our body parts in the lodges/streets/internets/markets/offices/schools with tight & mini tops/gowns/skirts, show back/breast/underwear/laps clothes, transparent clothes, boxers, bomb-shorts, trousers, strapless tops e.t.c with a back-up phrase of ‘God will understand & His mercies endures forever’ even those who wear long gowns and skirts which they easily roll up for a fling, quickie, fingering and five minutes sex under the belief that nobody saw you remember ‘…I know about your behavior: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead’ (Rev.3:1) and amidst all these and many more which Christ saw in us he decided to take our curse on himself that we might be saved {‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by being cursed for our sake since scripture says: Anyone hanged is accursed’ Gal.3:13} hence fulfilling the will of the Father under agonies and pain yet His Father did not spare him (“it was God’s good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life and through him God’s good pleasure will be done” Isaiah 53:10) thus he cried out “And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eli, eli, lama sabachthani? that is , My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mtt.27:46) It is a cry in the mysterious language of Hebrew to express the tremendous mystery of a God “abandoned” by God. The Son calls His Father, God. What a contrast with a prayer He once taught: “Our Father, who art in Heaven!” In some strange, mysterious way His human nature seems separated from His Heavenly Father and yet not separated, for otherwise how could He cry, “My God, My God”? But just as the sun’s light and heat can be withdrawn from us by the intervening clouds, though the sun remains in the sky, so there was a kind of withdrawal of His Father’s Face in the terrible moment in which He took upon Himself the sins of the world. This pain and desolation He suffered for each of us, that we might know what a terrible thing it is for human nature to be without God, to be deprived of a Divine Remedy and Consolation, but did not give up rather believed, trusted and commended His soul to His Father ‘…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…’ (Lk.23:46) thus in moments of family crisis, life- challenges, sinful-desires stick-in with God and his righteousness because “after the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content…” {Isaiah 53:10} and ‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ [Heb.1:9].

For those who say there is no hell-fire because God cannot allow his creatures that he professed to love [‘God has appeared to me from afar; I have loved you with an everlasting love and so I still maintain my faithful love for you’ Jer.31:3] to suffer eternally under pain, torture and agony in hell-fire (Rev.20:15)  have you forgotten what happened to Korah’s family and the 250 levi who protested against Moses and Aaron as we have in people who are today dividing against the one Church instituted by Christ on Peter and the obedient succession of apostolic link of the Holy, One, Catholic and Apostolic Church (‘…these banded together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, you take too much on yourselves! The whole community, all its members are consecrated and God lives among them. Why set yourselves higher than God’s community?...Moses said, this is how you will know that God himself has sent me to perform all these tasks and that I am not doing them of my own accord…the moment he finished saying all this, the ground split apart under their feet, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families, all Korah’s people and all their property…fire then shot out from God and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering incense’ Numb.16:1-35) and the God of that period has not changed neither is he dealing with another people apart from his creatures sprung from the race of Adam and eve down to Jacob and Sarah {“No; I the Lord, do not change; and you have not ceased to be children of Jacob” Mal.3:6} or suffer the effects of mortal sins already forgiven [‘… you were a God of forgiveness to them, but punished them for their sins’ Ps.99:8] or venial sins not forgiven (“…there is a sin that leads to death and I am not saying you must pray about that. Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all sin leads to death” 1Jn.5:16-17) before death in purgatory since we refused to atone for them here with mortification (Acts.13:2), alms-giving {Tobith 4:11}, living a life of testimony for Christ (Mtt.10:32-33), honest and sincere repentance using the sacrament  of reconciliation [Jn.20:22-23] from evil desire to a craving for holiness in all ramifications {Heb.1:9} bearing in mind that “nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev.21:27).

Finally, if God did not spare his only beloved son that pain and agony on the cross in order to provide us with all the heavenly Grace, Strength and Power to overcome the enemy in moments of trials to prove our loyalty for Him which men of old like Enoch, Elijah, Abraham, Moses e.t.c showed even without their encounter with God made man (Christ) how do we think God will spare our sinful-generation who have both the knowledge {“…by his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself” Isaiah 53:11} of the law complimented by Grace of the Calvary in forms of water and blood from His precious wound (‘…through his bruises you have been healed’ 1 Pet.2:24) hence as you excuse yourself in any sin remember “if after we have been given knowledge of the truth, we should deliberately commit any sins, then there is no longer any sacrifice for them. There is left only the dreadful prospect of judgment and of the fiery wrath that is to devour your enemies” {Heb.10:26-27}, ‘there is no favoritism with God’ [Rom.2:11], and “He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin” (Sirach 15:20), then those who are yearning as well as walking in righteousness remember “Everyone, no matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall” [1 Cor.10:12],  ‘but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved’ {Mtt.24:13} and “I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown away from you” (Rev.3:11).

Forgiveness from God/Secrets from God (Jer.4:1-2; Acts.5:1-11):

How do you feel after deceiving yourself at the sacramental confession (Jn.20:22-23)? Because you decided to either justify some of your sins as minor offences, despicable (no one should hear/know apart from me and the environment therein because of my position in the church/society/family e.t.c), professional ethics that are anti-God {‘adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God’ James 4:4}, the time it happened [distance between now and the present; childhood, teen-ages e.t.c], the position of the accomplist, the character of the priest (‘since you have been forewarned about this, my dear friends, be careful that you do not come to the point of losing the firm ground that you are standing on, carried away by the errors of unprincipled people’ 2Pet.3:17) and your lack of knowledge of the Word [“My people perish for want of knowledge. Since you yourself have rejected knowledge, so shall I reject you from my priesthood; since you have forgotten the teaching of your God, I in turn shall forget your children” Hosea 4:6] under this paraphrase:
“the ones I remember and the ones I do not remember; I am sorry for all of them” while you willingly held them to yourself i.e hoping to grant yourself pardon for all these other sins as opposed to this passage ‘And it is for the Lord our God to have mercy and to pardon since we have betrayed him’ {Dan.9:9}.

It will be in your best interest to open up such canker thoroughly to God through the priest for complete healing (‘when he saw them he said, Go and show yourselves to the priests. Now as they were going away they were cleansed’ Lk.17:14) or face the poisonous fangs of your conscience till death {“then the Lord God of Sabaoth revealed this to my ears, this guilt will never be forgiven you until you are dead, says the Lord God of Sabaoth” Isaiah 22:14} because the secrets of our hearts from conception till date is as clear as the day before God [‘my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth. Your eyes could see my embryo. In your book all my days were inscribed every one that was fixed is there’ Ps.139:15-16] who will judge us according to all of them in Christ (“according to the gospel that I preach, God through Jesus Christ, judges all human secrets” Rom.2:16) whose life we are living {“because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. but when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too, will be revealed with him in glory” Col.3:3-4} hence we are going to be revealed with Jesus Christ in the glory of heaven if our actual lifestyles here on earth exudes righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17-19)

The question for thought is “why should I allow my flesh which will be eaten up by maggots and ants (Isaiah 14:11) one day to control my spirit that will face judgment with an imperishable reward of either burning lake of sulphur [Rev.21:8] while one can rarely stand the flame from the stick of a matches/candle yet I am unwillingly to give up incest {mother to son, father to daughter, cousin to cousin, brother to sister, son with aunty, daughter with uncle, sister-in-law with brother-in-law, father-in-law with daughter-in-law, mother-in-law with son-in-law}, adultery (with husband’s best friend, with wife’s best friend, with next-door neighbor, with office colleagues/boss/clients, with lecturers/students, with church members/clergy), the truth about the paternity of your child to your husband and the child which will be more disastrous when the truth finally comes from outsiders, lesbian and homosexual lifestyles, nude/hal-nude/dirty pictures/videos/comments/write-ups of yourself or others that you watch/download/upload/read/keep/use around [phones/laptops/rooms/ipods/ipads] us from the internet/market which brings about uncontrolled passions, evil desires, impurities and sexual vices like masturbation, fornication, rape, indecent dressing on women (show-back/breast/underwear, tight tops/skirts/gowns, mini/pencil skirts, sleeveless/strapless tops, trousers, transparent clothes, boxers/bomb-shorts e.t.c) and men {tight shorts/trousers, sleeveless, boxers, transparent clothes e.t.c}, anger, hot temper, malice, abusive language, dirty talk, heresy, glutton, drunkenness, partying-spirit, abortion, pride, lying, buying and selling on Sundays/holy days of obligation, insults on parents/enemies/age-mates/relations/friends, idolatry, sorcerer, stealing, cultism e.t.c or gain the free water of life (Rev.21:17) for those who aim at glory, honor and immortality by persevering in good deeds (Rom.2:7)

Just turn around from your enslavement to those secrets {“I made my sin known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, I shall confess my offence to God. and you, for your part took away my guilt, forgave my sin” Ps.32:5}; love righteousness and hate sin then God will raise you above your contemporaries (‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ Heb.1:9) because he does not desire the death of a sinner (“shake off all the crimes you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone—declares the Lord God – so repent and live!” Ezek.18:31-32).

Love for worldly things = hatred for God:

‘Adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God. Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, the longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing? But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favor to the humble’ {James 4:4-6}

An adulterer is one who is not contented with his/her spouse hence goes outside the bed of matrimony to obtain wealth, satisfaction and happiness yet returns with betrayal, diseases and emptiness which can only be filled by the Source of all our longings {“In the daytime God sends his faithful love and even at night; the song it inspires in me is a prayer to my living God” Ps.42:8} who made us (Gen.1:27) and is always ready to remold us, if only we are willing to return sincerely to Him [‘if you come back, Israel, the Lord declares, if you come back to me, if you take your horrors out of my sight, if you go roving no more, if you swear, As the Lord lives! Truthfully, justly, uprightly then the nations will bless themselves by him and glory in him’ Jer.4:1-2].

Are you an adulterer? Have you inactivated the Holy Spirit you received at the waters of Baptism by sin? Which type of sin? Or the unending quest for genuine love from men and women that cannot be trusted? The craving for money/fame/favor/societal-class/spouse/carrier/education and its related degrees/power e.t.c

These yearnings we use to replace the major desire of our heart which is righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit (‘for it is not eating and drinking that make the kingdom of God, but the saving justice, the peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit’ Rom.14:17-19) as Christ demanded of us “set your hearts on his kingdom first and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well” [Mtt.6:33] nevertheless after getting all these things if God permits (‘so it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God having mercy’ Rom.9:16) the soul’s emptiness and yearning for God increases thus a rich man whether cultic or righteous begins to seek God’s blessings with regards to the fruit of the womb (male/female/either sex), protection on family, business, partners, relations, state e.t.c. as well as eternal life just like the rich aristocrat “one of the rulers put this question to him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?...” {Lk.18:18-23}

The woman who was a sinner “one of the Pharisees invited him to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, suddenly a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dinning with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping and her tears fell on his feet and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment…for this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love. It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love…” (Lk.7:36-50)

Priests and would-be-priests as well as all of us (royal priests; baptized Christians; 1 Pet.2:9), who find it very difficult to descend a little low to aid the poor around us {face to face neighbor/sick relations/widows/orphans/religious extremists/unlearned/difficult parents/stubborn brothers & sisters/indecently dressed people/unethical office colleagues/annoying course-mates/friends e.t.c} with admonishing words, gifts and heart-warming presence remember “…now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him and passed by on the other side…” [Lk.10:29-37] as you prepare to acclaim yourself ‘A CHRISTIAN’ or “A Sacerdotal Priests” before God on the last day (‘it is not anyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven’ Mtt.7:21)

Hence let all you seek in life be primarily rooted on the fear of God (“In fear be submissive to the Lord; with trembling kiss his feet lest he be angry and your way come to nothing, for his fury flares up in a moment. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Ps.2:11-12), love of God {‘My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God’ 1 Jn.4:7}, garnished with self-control [“so with you, as you are eager to have spiritual powers, aim to be rich in those which build up the community/Church” 1 Cor.14:12] as we call to mind death (‘since human beings die only once, after which comes judgment’ Heb.9:27), judgment {“talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom. Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy but mercy can afford to laugh at judgment” James 2:12-13}, Hell [‘but the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and sexually immoral and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur’ Rev.21:8] and Heaven (“the curse of destruction will be abolished. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face and his name will be written on their foreheads. And night will be abolished; they will not need lamplight or sunlight because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign forever and ever” Rev.22:3-5)

REASONS FOR DISUNITY AND UNANSWERED PRAYERS:

REASONS FOR DISUNITY AND UNANSWERED PRAYERS:

“Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive; when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions” [James 4:1-3]

The enmity between people/groups is often based on selfishness or unwillingness of one or both party(s) to see the other as image of God who has a soul that needs to be loved, cherished and respected from a genuine heart {“above all preserve an intense love for each other since love covers over many a sin” 1 Pet.4:8} more still one who has dreams, goals, purpose and God’s Divine unique intention for him/her (“if seed-corn is still short in the barn and if vine and fig tree, pomegranate and olive tree still bear no fruit. From today onwards I intend to bless you. When that day comes – the Lord Sabaoth declares – I shall take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel my servant – The Lord declares – and make you like a signet ring. For I have chosen you – the Lord Sabaoth declares”  Hagg.2:19,23) rather we want people to bow to the altar of own ego and chafe at their own will hence quarrels/backbiting/slander/jealousy/malice e.t.c. begins to brood within the mind of one or both party while at the external there is scarecrow giggles to deceive those whose spirit of perception (understanding) are inactive [‘do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free’ Eph.4:30] yet the Lord protects us with or without our righteousness (“I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no other God except me. Though you do not know me” Isaiah 45:5) as this affirms this scriptural passage ‘the heart is more devious than any other thing and is depraved; who can pierce its secrets? I the Lord, search the heart, test the motives, to give each person what his conduct and his actions deserve’ {Jer.17:9-10}

It is very important that we watch our ambitions; are they for the purpose of bearing witness to the Truth (Jesus Christ; I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: Jn.14:6) or for the sake of belonging to the world {‘do not model your behavior on the contemporary world but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and mature’ Rom 12:2} and the way we go about trying to satisfy them “Only be careful that this freedom of yours does not in any way turn into an obstacle to trip those who are vulnerable” [1 Cor.8:9].

The ritual prayer most of us indulge in these days mainly involves monologue thus “God my provider, I want firstclass degree/job/husband/wife/car/house/good-health e.t.c from now till next six (6) months because I have paid my tithe {‘bring the tithes in full to the treasury, so that there is food in my house; put me to the test now like this, says the Lord Sabaoth and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour out an abundant blessing for you’ Mal.3:10} though I am still managing lying tongue/masturbation/indecency in dressing/fornication/Adultery/buying and selling on Sundays and holy days of obligation/unforgiving-spirit/pride/jealousy e.t.c then draws the curtain with AMEN while leaving the church without listening for the reply from God on what to do in order to achieve these prayer request {‘the Lord then said to Moses, why cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to march on’ Ex.14:15} or [“be still and acknowledge that I am God, supreme over nations, supreme over the world” Ps.46:10] as well as learn how to say ‘…my Father, he said, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it’ (Mtt.26:39) and implore for a sign of confirmation on whether your prayer request concurs with Divine Will like “Abba, Father between now and next seven days may it please you to grant me the grace to open my affection to one my suitors in reality who will provide me with …(list the item)” just like Hezekiah requested for one when he was promised an additional fifteen years (2kgs 20:1-11, Isaiah 38:1-11) because he promised to teach us secrets about the unknown {‘call to me and I will answer you; I will tell you great secrets of which you know nothing’ Jer.33:3}