The wise Solomon tells us that laziness is tragic (Proverbs 6:9; 12:24; 24:33), but the irony is that some busyness is no less tragic than laziness, as we shall presently learn from the prophetic parable to King Ahab. In that account, King Benhadad of Syria had been at war with King Ahab of Israel; Benhadad had been thoroughly defeated but got strangely spared by the king of Israel.
Visions and Voices over Nigeria
Did you read the last post, “The Threatened Storms Over Nigeria”? Well, since that message two days ago, I have received a few corroborations. One pastor sent this message, “Sir, this strongly resonates with signals I have been receiving from the throne room for the past few weeks.”
THE IRONIES OF FAITH
- The Angel that Couldn’t Save a Car
In the Bible there are many apparent ironies of faith, as in life there are many staggering ironies of existence. I listened to the fascinating story of a preacher who had parked his car in front of his hilltop house and stepped out to pick something quickly from the house.
THE THREATENED STORMS OVER NIGERIA
Once upon a time, a powerful king sent out his elite troops to arrest a preacher who had been reported as picking up his crucial intelligence each time he had planned an attack against that preacher’s people. Very early one morning (which is usually when security agencies choose to conduct their raids) the preacher woke up to find armoured personnel carriers all around his vicinity: a nation’s arsenal had come out against one holy man; chariots, horses, and armed soldiers against one unarmed civilian (2 Kings 6:8-24)!
COSTLY CONNECTIONS
Sometimes we become casualties along the path of life not for what we did wrong but for whom we took along. It happened to Abram who travelled hundreds of miles into the centre of his Promise yet was blinded to where he had got, because he had in his company someone whose name meant “veil” or “covering.” The day he broke from that fond association, God said to him, “Lift up NOW thine eyes … For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it” (Genesis 13:14-15). Wrong connections may not always kill; sometimes they drag and delay covenants.
WHEN GOD IS THE ENEMY
When God is your enemy, it is pointless to fight, because you will never win. In such conflicts, the mighty God could hire such ordinary fighters as frogs; such little fellows as locusts and lice, or fiercer regiments as hailstones and heathenish brutish Babylonians. His army could be deceptively fragile as flies and little as lice, yet, even with the backing of super-power Egypt, you will never win.
THE FAILED INTERCESSOR
1. Unanswered Situations
We are called to the watchtower, to avert danger from our land and our lives. Sometimes, sadly, terrible things still happen around us, causing intercessors sometimes to blame themselves for the misfortune, as though it might never have been if they had prayed more ‘properly’ or prayed ‘enough.’ There are certain swords that the watchman might see coming, of which he can raise an alarm, to which the people might or might not respond (Ezekiel 33:7-9).
