KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:25 KJV “And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

Please read John 2:23-25.The bible said at the Passover period in Jerusalem, many people believed in Jesus, because of the miracles they saw him perform. The scripture added that, He did not commit himself to men because he knew what was in man. What the verses are saying is that because of the great miracles men saw Him perform, they thronged around Him, in a bid to praise Him. He likewise did not allow their acknowledgements to control Him. They are many people in places of authority who fall for the praises of men and tend to follow mostly the suggestions of the people. Men of God could become victims of such temptations. The Lord Jesus would have none of that. In such moments ,it is what those people suggest that one may do, because he finds it satisfying pleasing those people.

What is in men ? Before I answer that question ,I wish to establish that, we live primarily to please God and not men or even ourselves.

To do what God would want us do. Rev 4:11.

Every man in his or her natural self is selfish. He or she places his or her interest very high and so would want to use anything or anybody to satisfy those selfish longings. The Lord described Satan as seeking to do the desires or longings of men. Matthew 16:23 KJV” But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” From this verse, we see that ,there are things that  pleases God, and those things that pleases men , but Satan chooses those things that please men.

John 3:19 also says, “…..men love darkness more than light ,because their deeds was evil.”  Jer 17:9 KJV” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” It is because of this state of a man’s heart that, makes him need to be saved.

The next thing about men is that, they can be very forgetful, and would tend to forget about every good deed, but rather magnify one supposed error, to oppose, destroy or call for the destruction of their victim. To  Jesus they said  crucify Him .To Paul who healed a cripple ,they were quickly convinced to turn against Paul and even stoned Him.(Acts 14,15)

How do we relate to men? We relate to men from God’s perspective.God loves all men dearly and so we must love men dearly. Love believes all things and so we believe those who are associated with us,yet we do not put our confidence in men ,but in God. Jer 17:5 KJV “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” Do not please men against the will of God.

THOUGHT:” A LIFE OF SUCCESS IS TO PUT GOD FIRST”

FURTHER STUDIES

Isa 31:1 KJV “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

Psa 20:7,8 KJV” Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:20 KJV” Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?”

In the above scripture the Jews answered the Lord concerning His statement about raising the temple in three days, after it has been pulled down. They interpreted it as, how could he raise a building that was built over forty-six years in three days.? This was their interpretation to the Lord’s statement. We find this trend going on among many people who try to interpret the word of God. Things get rougher when it comes to interpreting signs and symbols used to explain certain parts of the scriptures. Often, such statements are parables, that may not find their interpretation literal, as compared to other scriptures. The error of these Jews is the same error that plagues most people in our times, who wrest the scriptures in trying to interpret it.

The scriptures itself shows us how to interpret itself. Isaiah 28:13 gives us the basic approach.” But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; … …”. The bible although is a combination of a number of books, was written by one author who inspired all the human vessels (2 Timothy 3:16,17). This author is the Holy Spirit.  No Scripture stands in isolation.

Isaiah 28:13 says God has given his message, from precept to precept, and line upon line, there a little, here a little. To be able to give good interpretation to the scriptures you need to have a good knowledge of the scriptures. By such knowledge, you would be able to explain certain symbolic statements, because, their meaning is given at other portions of the scriptures. You would also be able to see literal meanings of various statements that must be interpretated literally.

The Jewish people approached Jesus’ statement purely from a natural and none scriptural point of view. The Old Testament gives lots of prophecies about Jesus’ birth, suffering, death and resurrection. Isaiah 53, Ps 16:10,11; Hosea 6:2) With the principle of Isaiah 28:13 they would have understood that He was talking about His death. Well, the Holy Spirit who throws light on various scriptures was not with them to assist them. (John 14:26.) To add to what has been said above; for proper interpretation, one needs to first consider the context of the scripture and find the literal meaning as the author said it to its expected audience. Knowing the culture of the people at the moment of that scripture also gives more insight into the meaning of the verse.

 To also have a good understanding of the scripture, you need to always approach the scripture with an opened mind, and not with any preconceived notions which may not help you see what the passage or verses may be saying.

THOUGHT: FOR GOOD INTERPRETATION, YOU NEED A GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD, AND THE ILLUMINATION OF THE SPIRIT.

FURTHER STUDIES

2Timothy 2:15 KJV” Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Acts 17:11 KJV “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:19 KJV “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

After the Lord turned water into wine, and went ahead to cleanse the temple off the money changers and those selling goats, sheep, etc, the people acknowledged something unique about Jesus. They asked, what sign would you show us? The Lord said destroy this temple, and in three days time I will raise it again. He spoke about his own body. The Lord reveals clearly that, He is a Spirit being and lives within a house or temple which is His physical body. By that understanding, He was able to live above the many limitations of the body. We as saints of God, are also spirits living in earthly temples.2Co 5:1 KJV ” For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” This awareness is a fundamental truth for supernatural exploits.

There is another divine revelation that the Lord Jesus made in the statement about destroying the temple. He said if the temple was destroyed, he would build it up in three days. He did not say, My father would raise it, or the Holy Spirit, but said, I will raise it up. This means He is God. No one can raise his own dead body, except by an external power. Only Jesus could say such things because He is a mysterious being, for that matter, the very creator of the universe. John 10:18 KJV “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Dear child of God, what do you say about yourself? The scripture reveals we are born of the Spirit of God. The following is what the word says about those born of the Spirit. John 3:8 says the wind blows to wherever it wants, you can hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell, where it is blowing from or going. So is everyone born of the Spirit. It simply means you have a limit breaking potentials. You can only manifest this potential when you live in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Carnality which is living by the senses will deprive you of your supernatural potentials. Samson was on top of his world so long as he kept to the life of the Spirit, but was reduced to a piece of mockery when he responded to the voice of lust. Judges Ch 13-16

THOUGHT:  LIFE IS EASIÈR IF LED BY THE SPIRIT

FURTHER STUDIES

Judge 16:17 KJV” That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

Rom 8:6 KJV “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:17 KJV “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

At the early stages of the conversion of most Christians, they find themselves in so much love for the master. It is called first love. They want to talk to everyone about their new found faith. A senior of mine after receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with evidence of speaking in tongues, kept praying in tongues for a couple of hours and so was sent to mental hospital in Cape Coast but found nothing medically wrong with him. What is that which makes people seem to go to the extremes of their faith? It is a virtue called zeal. Zeal is described as fire in the soul of an individual that spurs him on to do things that ordinary individuals would not do. It can be likened to passion in the soul of a man. The bible says it was zeal  for the house of God, that made the Lord act the way He did.

Zeal is the Spirit of God in charge of one’s thinking, therefore, the Holy Spirit controls his actions. A zealous individual gets much done for God. He is described as being beside himself, because he acts in pure love for the master.2 Corinth 5:13 KJV” For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. Apostle Paul explained further, it is the love of Christ that controls him. Every Christian needs to do all things by the influence of the zeal for God. With zeal much would be achieved for God through evangelism, and every aspect of the Christian life.

One’s zeal can be either High or low depending on his or her fellowship with the Spirit of God. Lack of fellowship that is the absence of prayer, studying the word and fasting, weakens the influence of the Spirit, and so the flesh becomes master and zeal is low or zero. Zero zeal is a very dangerous state for every believer. It is a symbol of the absence of oil in the life of a Saint. In the story of the parable of the ten virgins, the five were described as foolish because they had zero zeal.

You can always fan your zeal very high. Repent from every carnal life, stir up the presence of the Spirit in you, through prayer and the study of the word. Keep doing it, till it becomes instinctive to please the master without effort. This is the state that makes you ready for heaven. Matthew 25:13 KJV “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Pls read Matthew 25:1-13

THOUGHT:  ZERO ZEAL, MEANS ZERO HEAVEN FOR YOU

FURTHER STUDIES

Rev 3:16 KJV” So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

2Corinth 5:14 KJV :For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:14 KJV “And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:”

The word money “centriq” is not a word in any official dictionary, but my own creation. It means when money becomes the central focus in all that one does. This was the state of the house of God, during that Passover season, when the Lord visited it. Under the old covenant of the law, a lot of sacrifices of animals are made by individuals during that time. Buying animals, like, oxen, sheep, goat, doves and exchanging money was at its peak. As a result of this the core function of God’s house, which is prayer and sharing God’s word was no more done.

The Lord got furious with the sight and quickly made a little whip to beat the rot out of the temple. Dear man of God, what kind of house of God do you have? In lots of places, it is all about money. Many use all kinds of manipulations to extort money from innocent congregation members. There are those who bring various oils and sell them. Some would anoint the floor and ask people to stand in the oil and make donations of all kinds. A note here, the Spirit of the Lord may ask for certain particular instruction to be followed. We may not talk about that one. It is all about the motive by which one does those things. Dear man of God, anything you do in the name of the Lord which is a lie, would surely call for God’s righteous judgement and retribution. Every servant of Ghrist, has been called by the Lord and it is the Lord who pays you.

I want people who do such things to know that there are two main consequences that awaits you. The Lord may bring the whip one day, and that is to bring certain corrections that may put you that man of God to  an open  shame  or you would be in ministry yet your spiritual candle has been put out .Remember that King Saul was on the throne, yet He had been neglected and David had been chosen.1 Samuel 15:28 ” And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.” God did not call you to sideline you, so repent and focus on pleasing the master. Serve the Lord faithfully and you would never lack any good thing.

THOUGHT:  THE LORD IS CONTINUALLY CLEANNING HIS HOUSE, BECAREFUL, YOU ARE NOT THROWN OUT

FURTHER STUDIES

Titus 1:7 KJV “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;”

1 Peter 5:2 KJV “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:11 KJV” This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”

Miracles are the longings of the soul of every man. Miracles point to the presence of God at a place. The greatest longings of all men, irrespective of their race, academic level is to encounter the reality of God. Men would flock at where miracles are happening. There are false miracle workers anyway. These ones can easily be identified. The Lord said, by their fruits you shall know them. In the light of this every worker for God must yearn to see the miraculous arm of God in His ministry. Our key scripture revealed that, the miracle of turning water into wine revealed the glory of God, and Jesus disciples believed in Him.

Miracles on many occasions authenticate a man’s ministry. In Joshua 3:7 the Lord God almighty authenticated His hand on Joshua by rolling back the Jordan for Israel to walk on solid dry grounds. Jos 3:7 KJV “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” God desires to confirm His approval of His servants leadership over His children by working miracles through them. Dear leader of God’s people If you are having difficulties among the people, you have been called to lead, then ask the Lord to confirm it to them by working miracles through your hands.

Miracles are the intervention of God’s supernatural hand in our day-to-day encounters. They come to terminate what Satan has tried to destroy. On many occasions human beings have no clue to such situations.

I watched Ps Chris Oyakhilome PhD, pray for a woman whose vital organs were all failing. Her system was almost at a shut down. The power of God went into her and instantly she begun to live again. God is still in the miracle business and any man or woman of God who will hunger and thirst for this grace of walking in the miraculous would indeed see Miracles.

It begins with a sincere desire to alleviate men from the torments of the devil. You also seek it that God’s name may be glorified in the midst of men. Finally, kill every selfish hidden agenda. God is faithful who seeks the peace and blessing of all men, will honour you with the grace.

THOUGHT:  SEEK THE PEACE OF ALL, AND GOD WILL USE YOU TO BRING THAT PEACE

PRAYER:

I CALL ON THE GOD OF MIRACLES TO ANSWER YOU WITH THAT MIRACLE YOU NEED TODAY.I COMMAND THAT EVIL HAND OF SATAN OUT OF YOUR LIFE TODAY.BE SET FREE RIGHT NOW, IN JESUS NAME.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 7:8 KJV” For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Acts 10:38 KJV” How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:10 KJV “And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”

Man, always tries his best in all that He does, yet when God steps in, the game always changes. Jesus produced the best wine according to the master of the ceremony. He said in every feast the good wine is served first and after people are well satisfied the bad one is given. What is a good wine? The bible distinguishes between the types of wine the Jewish people used to have.

1.The new wine Prov 3:10, Isaiah 27:4, Isaiah 65:8 and

2. The old wine Luke 5:39

Old wines are fermented new wine. The new wines are the freshly pressed wines which are the better ones. The statement the master of the ceremonies made, saying when men have “well drunk”, does not mean when men were intoxicated after drinking the good or new wine. The statement means when men have drunk to their fill. You can drink a non-alcoholic drink to your fill. This does not mean you were intoxicated by it. The scriptures does not encourage intoxication.

Our focus of study for now is that God’s works are always the best. Our world is trying to push God out of our societies. Secularism means God is not factored into man’s equation, and therefore man lives to please himself.

When man is in charge of affairs, he destroys his fellow men.2 Timothy 3:1 state, there would be perilous, difficulty or evil times in the last days, why? Because men would be in charge of their affairs and doing what they like. In a fully blown secular system a few people welding a great amount of wealth can decide to control the population of the whole world. They can plan diseases to eradicate men, prevent simple treatment not to be used, so that many would die. As result of the many deaths, everyone would be afraid. In the course of the fears, they suggest a medication that can, probably prevent, or control the disease. Their suggested drug has no certain years of trials, giving any strong empirical grounds for its use. They manage to convince all, this has been proven to be good, use it that is the only way out.

 People go for it because they are afraid.

If it turns out to be dangerous, they achieve their aim in wiping our humanity as they projected from the beginning. This is what extreme secularism can offer men.

When God is in charge, man does not see other humans as tools to get what he wants, but a fellow in God’s image with God’s potentials fully immersed in him. When God is in charge each individual is allowed to achieve his unique potential and the power of God works miracles to solve the universal problem of men. I wish to make this categorical statement, when God is to be in charge of our world, the resources of our earth shall always be sufficient for each present world population. It is the wickedness of men steered by secularism that put God out of our world system, and then the result is men manipulating their fellow men. God brings true freedom.

THOUGHT:  THE GREATEST MISTAKE OF MEN FOR ALL TIME, IS WHEN MEN PUT GOD OUT OF HIS SYSTEMS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 1:21 ,22,24 KJV “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:7 KJV “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.”

Please read John 2:6-9

After the mother of Jesus asked the servants to act on every instruction the master gives them, they also went to Jesus expecting to receive certain instructions. The Lord asked them to fill the water pots with water. The servants quickly got them filled. Please note, those water pots were dish washing pots. They were not clean water meant for consumption. After they had filled them to the brim, He asked them to draw some and give it to the master of ceremonies to drink. Please come to think about this, that since it was not wholesome water, it would have been difficult to pick some and give the master of the ceremony, yet these servants were just ready to carry out any word Jesus tells them. I believe when they drew some for the master of the ceremony, it was still ordinary water, but just before he drank it, it became wine. Their obedience brought their results.

Life would have been easy for most people if they would just learn to follow instructions.

 Someone defined faith as simply obeying what the Lord says.

When The Lord was at the tomb of Lazarus in John 11:39 & 40 he asked the sisters to role away the stone. They said he has been dead four days, and so it will be stinking. Jesus had to say that if they believe they would see the glory of God. Their unreadiness to move away the stone meant that, they did not believe…Their brother Lazarus could only be raised after they had rolled away, they stone.

Miracles don’t happen out of the blue; they are worked out. They come by following instructions of faith. Are you expecting a financial miracle start giving, in obedience to the scripture that says, Luke 6:38 KJV “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom…? ” In Mark 5 when Jairus who had invited Jesus to heal her daughter head she was dead, the Lord told him, do not be afraid only believe. The Lord went to the house and said to the mourners, why these noise and tears, the girl is only sleeping. He then went to where she laid, and drove everyone from there except, the Father and His three disciples. It was after these acts of faith, that He raised the girl. What are the steps of faith you have to take to finally see your miracle? The occasion would offer those steps; make sure you take each step with full confidence in God.

THOUGHT:  YOUR OBEDIENCE OF FAITH WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR MIRACLE.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 11:39 KJV Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 2:5 KJV” His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:4 KJV “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.’

In our last study we got to where Mary the mother of Jesus went to Him and requested for a miracle of producing wine. Wines could be obtained by buying, if they ran out. The only other means to get it, is to work a miracle to bring it to being. The Lord addressed her as ‘woman’ and not mother. This was not an insult, He used the same term when He was on the cross, John 19:26. Jesus is also God, and at certain occasions He spoke and even received worship as God.

The Lord completed the statement this way, ” Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come”. He said to her my moment for working miracles is not ready yet. This was an unexpected answer at such a crucial moment as that. It is like praying about a situation, but instead of things turning out well it gets worse. This is where many loose their miracle. They throw in the towel.

 Please never give up on God.

Mary, instead of bowing her head in shame went to the servants at the ceremony, and asked them to go to Jesus, and whatever He tells them, they should do it. Mary acted on her faith in the Lord. This act of hers caused the Lord to respond, although He said, it was not His hour. True faith in God would move Him to act whether it is His time or not. (This is an occasion when the answer can’t wait)

 Faith is allowing the word to act through you, and God is the word. So, faith is God acting through you.

Since He started the act through you, He consummates it with the results.

Mary’s example opens up a great truth to us. When the Lord’s answer was negative, she did not say, I am believing for something to happen. No, she set the first step by asking the servants to go to Jesus. What are you doing about the condition you claim you are believing for? If you are anticipating to get pregnant for instance, start buying the baby’s cloths, get the baby’s cot. You can even start wearing your maternity dresses. You may do all these as a response to your faith in the word you have received. If you’ve been prayed for about some sickness, please rise from the sick bed. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

 Your action expresses that confidence in God, which is also, the substance of the thing you are hoping for.

The evidence of your faith is your action.

THOUGHT: TRUE FAITH GIVES GOD NO HOLIDAYS

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 11:8 KJV “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

Heb 11:23 KJV “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:3 KJV” And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.”

Jesus and his new disciples were at the wedding ceremony. They soon realised there was a challenge. The wine had run out. Marriages always have some challenge of some kind that may hit it. This  marriage was a fresh one, barely a day old and it was met with the first difficulty. In our current world we would say the drinks have run short. The joy of the party is available drinks for everyone. Problems in marriage have varying sources or causes. They may be

1. Self imposed

2. Accidental

3. Unidentifiable sources

4. External family Influences

5. Other people creating that problem for the couple

6. Financial insufficiency

7.Character incompatibilities

8. Poor communications

9. Conception difficulties

10. Demonic origin

and many more

The above problem from our bible story could be attributed to

1 poor planning or

2. Good planning yet, their expected witnesses, exceeded their projection.

3. Just insufficient funds

I believe the couple were the first to be hinted, that the wine had run out. We read that it was Madam Mary who went to Jesus and asked for help. This meant the couple had no clue as to what to do. Scripture did not say anything about their reaction to the need. This condition could have generated a sharp rift between the couple or the couple and the person who was put in charge of the wine. Different people react differently to challenges. Some take such shortcomings too personal that, they lose every sense of moderation and just explode, saying whatever comes to mind. At the end, they realise they have made certain irreparable damages. James 1:19,20 gives us an advice on how to prevent such a thing from happening. Another person may internalise it and just pass out or collapse. What do you do.?

Blessed Mary the mother of Jesus who heard about the situation did none of the above. She did not allow the situation to overwhelm her. She had been considering all that has been prophesied about Jesus, and so knew that, this was within His power to bring a solution. He went to the Lord and told Him about the need. If she had no faith in Jesus at that hour, she would not have gone to him, for a solution. As a child of God, you should be ready for challenges by building your faith in God and His word. Faith always comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Don’t just hear it, do what it says, and your faith would be ready to stand the challenges that come.

THOUGHT: STRONG FAITH DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE WORSE PROBLEMS

FURTHER STUDIES

Ephesians 6:16 KJV” Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

James 1:19 KJV “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”