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‎To Job, his friends became strange and this greatly grieved him, making him familiarize himself with death and the grave which yielded some comfort to him(Job 17 vs 10-16) What an irony!

How do your friends feel around you – Comfortable or Uncomfortable? Who are you before and behind your friend – the true friend or the backstabbing friend? What are the emotions that run through your mind towards your friend – jealousy, strife, hatred, love, support, mutual respect etc.  As a believer, we should make things better not worse for our fellow friends. And until we build up our character as a Christian/Believer, we’re not true disciples of Jesus. To be a believer/christian doesn’t necessarily mean you exhibit the true character of Christ, as there are many who claim to be christians, yet are corrupt, crafty, shrewd, gossips, liars, yet steal , backstabbers, adulterers, deceptive, and all other vices that does not reflect the character of Christ. You might be thinking how do I make changes, or what do I do with my life (having fallen short to any of the above vices) The only way to dispell this is through the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit  changes a person inside out through Regeneration (new birth- which we already have through our salvation) and Sanctification (continuous renewal of mind and changing one’s behavior and attitudes in alignment with God’s holiness). Whilst our focus will be on the latter, which is the second conversion, 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV ‎(And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit)  And Ephesians 4:23 ESV ‎(and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds)are some scriptures that highlights transformation of our Spirit man.

Having been regenerated through faith, we must also deliberately sanctify ourselves through prayers, study of the word and alignment to the leadership of the Holy Spirit to archive a radical transformation of our spirit man. Living a Christian life is demanding and it requires a deliberate consistent effort to be well rooted in Christ. As God expects us to be responsible stewards of not just our gifts but also of  our character.

Being a true christian is allowing the Holy Spirit scrutinize the intentions behind our actions. And until we have this revelation and apply it, we are not yet fully transformed. We must be accountable 1st to God and then to other believers.

And yet as a nonbeliever, you might be thinking how would I fit in, not to worry, there’s still hope for you because it is for this reason that Christ died on the cross. Hence, you just have to call on the name of the Lord, confess his lordship with your mouth and believe with your heart that you are saved.
You can do this by making the below confession :-
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord . I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)

Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal

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‎Putting on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6 vs 11) as a Christian particularly in the market place (be it in business or career) shields us from the fiery darts (wrong accusations , evil powers and authorities, wickedness etc) flying around the space.

‎The market place is where your faith, righteousness/integrity, truth, the usage of God’s Word and shield of faith will be put to test. In Job’s case, even his friends and associates couldn’t vouch for him and as such spoke ill of him. They had concluded that Job deserved what he got – how quick we are to passing judgement even in Truth.

‎In the market place, it is dog eat dog as the world is not fair and everyone is trying to have the larger part of the cake. I recall a project I embarked on, where my integrity and faith were put to test. The supplies had a shortfall and I didn’t communicate that to the principal on time, simply because I was trying to resolve the issue and get a better result. The principal in this case took offense and thought I was playing smart, because a third party had confirmed the shortfall to her first. Although, I admit to not communicating with the principal on time, I still went ahead to do the right thing and paid the price irrespective, just to maintain my integrity.

You see, the cost of building and maintaining one’s integrity is very pricey and you’ll have to pay it, if you are genuinely in tune with your walk with God,. Don’t be deceived, one of the characteristics of God is Truth and it stands anywhere and everywhere as Truth no matter the litmus test that is applied on it. Although, there were suggestions from different quarters not to pay for or replace the shortfall, I ignored them all and paid the cost of the shortfall, even though it ate deep into my profit margin. Still yet, I was glad deep inside of me that I had done the right thing.

Submitting oneself to God’s Word and ways pays off in the long run. Job 12 vs 23b says He enlarges nations and guides them. God’s word is true ALWAYS and It is only when we trust and accept Him as our SOURCE that we are able to overcome any financial, moral or spiritual integrity test and not be unnecessarily anxious or fretful.

Shalom 🕊️

Bimpe Lawal

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Still referencing the book of Job, where we highlighted that we can’t judge man based on his outward condition.

God will not cast away an upright man, he may be cast down for a time, but he shall not be cast away forever, for the mouth of the righteous shall be filled with rejoicing whether in this world or the next.Proverbs 22 vs 11 says – He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend. 

With a pure heart towards God and grace on his lips, Job maintained his friendship with God despite his condition. 
Our disposition to challenges or trials really says a lot about our faith walk with God. Are we the grumbling and complaining type, the retrogressive type (where we slow down on our walk with God) the thanks giving type or the enquirer type?  Job 9 vs 2 says I will say to God, Do not condemn me; Show me why you contend with me. Asking for or better still making a prayer of enquiry helps us know the situation report of things and enables us to align ourselves better, in understanding the doctrines of God (His righteousness, standards and retribution).

Retribution here is the consistent application of holiness against sin. This consistency, righteousness and maintaining God’s standard can only be archived through Jesus Christ, by abiding in him as the true vine, relying on his grace and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts instead of relying on self. 

Maintaining one’s integrity in the face of challenges is no child’s play, where family , friends and associates advice based on biblical and non- biblical facts. To remain focused in our walk with God, remain friends with Him and not drift away, there’s need for dependence on Christ as believers and as non-believers, all we need to do is accept Jesus into our life. (By saying this salvation prayer: – Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord  I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)

Shalom 🕊️

Bimpe Lawal

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‎Many times we are quick to judging people either in thoughts or speech when a tragedy or misfortune befalls them. As life is bound to test our integrity, either in big or small ways, in career, business, ministry, family, health, faith, finances etc. It can sometimes be a very devastating, heartbreaking or hopeless experience. 

In Job’s case, his integrity test came in a manner where he had to prove that his affliction wasn’t an evidence of him being a wicked man. For others, it is refusing to conform to the demands of an oppressor or people challenging their moral standards thereby setting boundaries to maintain their self respect.

Again, Job had to hold on to his integrity, despite being charged with weakness and faint heartedness. Imagine, this was a man known as an encourager to all and sundry, who was also known to give suitable counsel and comfort in helping people out of their circumstances. Yet, his integrity was tested, depicting the test aims mainly for morality or righteousness

For some, it is a great challenge maintaining integrity financially, whilst others is morally. Whichever way we fall short of it, as we celebrate Easter, let’s reflect on the essence of Jesus’ model of integrity. In his case, his integrity test was like that of Job – to prove his innocence whilst he was stricken, to declare authority over the devil and his co-hosts, to liberate and give victory to the heirs of God from the veils of the enemy,  and to present an open cheque to the many blessings in the inheritance of the heirs of God through his resurrection power(alleluia!!!)

The quality of our honesty and moral principles will surely be put to test. And except we anchor our life in Christ, we can’t succeed based on human strength or wisdom. For through Christ, we are able to maintain our self respect and prove that neither afflictions or trials can overpower us for we are overcomers and victorious in all ways.

‎Shalom 🕊️

‎Bimpe Lawal

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‎Those who accuse good people falsely are sure to loose out at the end like Satan their master. They have a trait like their master, walking aimlessly up and down without any good vision but a bad mission – which is to gossip, pull people down, backstab, frame people up etc.

‎The scripture implores us as Believers, to shun evil and align with our God given assignments, but the question is, are we aware of our mission at all? If we are, is it a good or bad mission we are running with? If it is good, are we running with it? And are we in alignment with it? Because running with it doesn’t mean one is in alignment. Many Christians relax after Salvation, thinking the race is to be ‘carried out’ by God the Father, Jesus Christ plus the Holy Spirit…………news flash! You and I are the ones running the race and this race is not for the faint hearted. We are the ones building up our muscles (spirit man)in the place of prayer, faith, trust and hope in God, fasting, study and meditation of the Word of God etc and no muscle building is easy. The flesh is the greatest enemy of our spirit man (for those who are led by the Spirit of God are called the sons of God – Roms 8 vs 14) , so we need to build up our spirit man as sons of God. Referencing Job in chapter 2, the accuser gunned for his flesh and yet despite the pain he stayed committed to God…….his words from vs 10……. What? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a bad nature? 

‎The scripture encourages us to prioritize eternal spiritual standing over temporal physical safety. As Job demonstrated a very high level of spiritual maturity and intelligence, believers are also beseeched to attain a very high level of spiritual maturity and intelligence through faith in Jesus.

‎I remember when I used to go back and forth as a Christian especially when life throws it’s shades at me, I’ll be consistent in my study of the Word with God for some days and go on sabbatical for other days – I was like a pink-punk ball. Until I discovered I was going round in circles, nothing significant was really archived, yet time was passing by quietly.

Brethren, until we get to the point of LOVING God and being committed to a CONSISTENT walk with HIM no matter what life throws at us, we are still Carnal and we need to level up.

Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal

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Job was proven to be an honest man (because he blessed God despite his loss), contrary to satan’s accusations who simply hated him because God loved him.  The accuser was also looking for every means possible to cut that tie between God and Job, the same way he has successfully cut ties with some of God’s children with God and he’s still trying to cut other children’s ties. You see, satan accuses God’s children before God and accuses God before His children. You ask how? By accusing us before God and whispering lies to our ears that God is not faithful to His word or promises.
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‎One will wonder why God still permitted satan to come to present himself before Him like other angels and even went as far as having a conversation with him, well, that’s part of His faithfulness. If He could grant him audience, how much more ‘We’ His beloved children. Now, that’s not to say our God condone’s his evil activities , NO!. He is a just and righteous God, who is slow to wrath and gives chances for repentance (2 Peter 3 vs 9 and Nahum 1 vs 3) .
‎Whichever way/manner the accuser comes at us, we must stay with God (if you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this salvation prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord  I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen) and not let go because our God is TRUE AND FAITHFUL. He can NEVER LIE, He doesn’t have a track record of a liar, so He’ll never delve into that not now, not in the future..
‎As citizens of God’s kingdom, we must have a time schedule of meeting/communicating with Him. I know as believers it’s sometimes difficult to pray especially when grieving, we still need to keep at it because prayer is like touching base with your head office (in the case of an Organization) and giving account of our activities outside our station. Consistently keeping to this act simply releases divine healing, peace (in the case of the one grieving) promotion etc to us and makes God vouch for us the more and as such he’s pleased with us.
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As we approach the end of Q1, what’s your KPI like before God? Have you been listening to the voice of the accuser that God is not faithful whether in some areas or in all areas of your life or you’ve deliberately resisted the voice of the one accusing God? There’s still room for a realignment with God as we approach Q2, it’s not too late to renavigate if you fall into the category of the former.
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‎Shalom 🕊️
‎Bimpe Lawal
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To experience the loss of someone, something or both like Job (Job 1) can be a wrecking ball to the heart or an emotional tsunami. ‎Memories once shared with either the person or that object suddenly floods in and you hold on to them like treasures in a chest or safe. And if you are fond of that person/object you start missing the absence of it.

Mostly, if it’s the death of a loved one or someone close, we start to grief. For some, the time frame is short, whilst others take long and yet some others a bit longer. ‎Either way, grieving is not controlled because it’s a display of emotional, mental or physical suffering experienced after a loss, (be it a life, marriage, object, job or news of a terminal ailment). The way we also handle this differs. For some it is through weeping and loud wailing, for others, it may be the rendering of their clothes, or through fasting and keeping silent, some pour out their heart and lament, some accept the loss with hope in God, others put on sack cloth and pour ashes on themselves, just to mention a few.

Referencing Job again in Chapter 1, we can see that despite all the loss and the news getting to him all in one day,he never blamed, accused or spoke against God.
‎Isaiah 53:4 (AMPC) says
‎[4]  Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].
‎Jesus is being referenced has the grief Carrier. God cares for you and I so much that He sent Jesus to CARRY our griefs – meaning no matter what the grief may be or how hurting it is, Christ has the capacity to carry it if us, we’re meant to submit to him and allow him carry it for us, Glory to God!.

No one is permitted to carry their griefs alone, Jesus Christ is willing to carry the burden for us. And he isn’t just carry it when the loss occurred, no, he carried it over 2000 years ago when he lay down his life as a lamb (Rev 12).
‎Since it’s already been established that grieving can’t be controlled outside of Christ, the best option is to learn to Trust God, Rely on Him, Lean on Him and you will be HELPED, that’s exactly what Job did and also one of the reasons Jesus Christ came to the world. So, why carry it when a carrier has already been provided for? Allow him carry it and REBUILD you, whilst you experience peace that surpasses all human understanding.

Shalom 🕊️

Bimpe Lawal
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‎Affliction is a state of great suffering, pain, misfortune or distress and it can appear in any form be it sickness, loss of something leading to significant pain just to mention a few.
According to the Scriptures, affliction can be multifaceted, ranging from emotional, physical or spiritual pain resulting from a fallen world(Gen 3), divine discipline(Prov 3 vs 1-12), sinful /unwise decisions(Ps 107 vs 17), display of God’s power(John 9), direct persecution(2 Timothy 3 vs 12), demonic attack (Job 2 vs 7) just to mention a few.
‎Whichever way it comes, as a believer, It acts as a tool for building endurance, for purifying faith, which often leads to deeper reliance on God. But as a nonbeliever, it is an opportunity to know and experience the wonders of God.

Out of the many examples in the Bible, we’ll be referencing 2 Kings 6 vs 14 (because of our study of Elisha) where the King of Syria (a nonbeliever) set out to capture Elisha and yet in Chapter 8, when afflicted with sickness, he was quick to seek God’s face. through Elisha. The King acted unwise in this case because he didn’t indicate repentance in his message to Elisha. Instead , it was just an inquiry to know whether he’ll make it or not – what an unwise decision! He valued Elisha’s counsel as a man of God, yet he didn’t value his God. Like the King, many people tend to treat God in this manner, they just want “to know what tomorrow holds” and not bother knowing the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

There are times our eyes are opened to see our mistakes and we are RESTORED back to Him and other times our eyes are not. May we not fall victim of the latter. Other times the affliction is not by our doing, meaning it’s no fault of ours, yet the event occurs. When such cases arise, we just need to remember that Jesus is our Shepherd(Ps 23) and we have that assurance and inner peace that he’s in it with us – we are victorious.

In conclusion, rather than seeking what tomorrow holds, why not seek the God of tomorrow Himself and BUILD a relationship with Him through our Lord Jesus (for those who have never had a relationship with God) have reverence for God, continually gain knowledge and understanding of Him and walk in His Wisdom in Jesus name 🙏. 

Shalom 🕊️ 

Bimpe Lawal

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‎God gives strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards Him. And to earn this support certain steps most be taken. 1) To have and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior (this is for new converts), 2) To commune with the Lord everyday at a set place (‘an Altar’ ) and time where you met with Him daily, 3) To study and meditate on the Word of God daily, 4) To be led by the Spirit of God and yield to His bidding (that is to walk in the righteousness of God), 5) To do away with old habits by God’s grace just to mention a few.

‎An example of one who gained God’s support was Prophet Elisha, who when the Syrian army encamped him in order to capture him (2 Kings 6 vs 13-15) had horses and chariots of fire all around him (2 Kings 6 vs 17) and instead of being captured, he led the army to Samaria – right into the hands of the king of Israel.

‎‎Sometimes walking with God and earning His support may seem like everything is working against us or that the answer to what we seek keeps going further and further away from us. At such times, it is best to remain focused and not let go of our trust in God. He is never late and He’ll certainly never leave you (a Friend/Son) in the middle of nowhere (Deut 31 vs 6).

Other times, He may place us at an advantage over those who are or have persecuted us ( 2 Kings 6 vs 21-23, Roms 12 vs 19-20), we are meant to respond in Love in such cases. For one of the ultimate goal of gaining God’s support is to break the cycle of evil and overcome them with good, for God is Love.‎ Although we may sometimes feel abandoned, when/if our spiritual eyes are opened like Elisha’s servant, we’ll see that God’s angels encamp around us. Hence, we are to have an absolute unwavering confidence in God at all times NOT sometimes BUT AT ALL TIMES that He is with us.

‎In a nutshell, no matter what position or condition you find yourself, know that God’s support is strong over you at all times and you are meant to overcome evil with Love 💕.

Shalom

Bimpe Lawal.

‎Where are you sharing your story about the One true God of heaven and earth?
Like the maid in Naaman’s house although Elisha had not healed any one with leprosy before, yet she trusted in the power of God through the prophet to get her master healed. She became a blessing to that family by telling them the story of the God of Israel. On the other hand Naaman who represented the one who was sick didn’t ignore, despise or dishonor the ‘maids’ advice instead he acknowledged God’s invitation through the  maid and proceeded to Israel.

There are some people who are sick (spiritually or physically) and have been ignoring God’s invitation through Jesus the great Physician. Why not yield to His invitation today and allow him direct your path to Healing Deliverance or Breakthrough. Like Naaman, who waited on God (2 Kings 5 vs 9) to receive instruction on his healing, are you also yielding to that instruction to speak to someone about Jesus, to reconnect to Jesus or to improve/grow in your walk with Jesus?

God honors both His Word and His name and as He RESTORED Naaman’s skin, He is ready to RESTORE you, as you yield to Him.

Shalom🕊️

Bimpe Lawal

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