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Dutiful Dealings

  “ And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do .” Acts 22 : 10 KJV The persecution of Apostle Paul in the same Jerusalem, where he had previously brought chained believers for persecution, inspired the difference between decent and dutiful dealings in life. While persecution of believers represents decent dealing when Paul was the persecutor, it remains decent dealing with Paul as the subject of persecution. Decent dealings are the human acceptable behaviours, inter-personal relationships, cultural dispositions, and social or business etiquettes, especially when the purpose and will of God is not in focus or consideration. But by Paul’s unforgettable encounter with Jesus Christ, decent dealings receive an uncompromising transformation into dutiful dealings…when he said “ What shall I do, Lord? ”. Educated and highly influential people always know what t...
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Ready Rod

   “ Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done .” Acts 21 : 13 - 14 KJV The pursuit of righteousness and the perfect will of God is not a recipe for the faint-hearted. Notwithstanding, a ready rod is God’s battle axe and weapon of war; and carefully prepared for the Master’s use. Oftentimes, the period of preparation creates a serious impediment for many people, whose minds are easily sandwiched by the whims and caprices of the supposedly well-wishers. Apostle Paul had to confront these well-wishers and disciples in Caesarea, who were ignorant of God’s special calling and will for Paul. But thanks to God, the ready rod responded “ for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus ”. Therefore, a ready rod in the hands of God canno...
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Commanding Counsel

   “ Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. ” Acts 20 : 26 - 28 KJV “ Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men ” is nothing less than a bold statement of a vessel under the commanding influence of the Holy Ghost. In these days where multitude of counsels are overlaid with conformity to worldly standards, political correctness, and social convenience, the commanding counsel of the Holy Ghost is no longer fashionable. For example, Apostle Paul’s life and ministry demonstrated someone who totally accepted Jesus Christ as both his Saviour and personal Lord. When Jesus Christ is truly the Lord, His counsels are not subjected to comparison with other sta...
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Pleased Plea

   “ By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: And by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him .” Proverbs 16 : 6 - 7 KJV One of the major challenges in life is working on a pleased plea in our relationship with significant people and partners. For example, king Jehoshaphat of Judah struggled with this dilemma in his relationship with king Ahab of Israel. Even when it was glaring that king Ahab was abusing Jehoshaphat’s kind gesture, king Jehoshaphat went into an unholy alliance in the battle with Syria at the risk of his life, but for the mercy of God. Likewise, too many people are crippled by the fear of man at the expense of the fear of the Lord. Whereas, what the Lord requires is simple confession and forsaken of all unrighteousness to access His forgiveness and mercy. Invariably, the focus of the pleased plea is the pursuit of mercy from God with truth; and not the profiling of mandrakes f...
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Little Light

   “ Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city .” Acts 18 : 9 - 10 KJV The missionary exploits of Apostle Paul in Corinth didn’t come without a fight; but he tarried and prevailed on the strength of divine revelation “ Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city ”. Understandably, exploits in the things of the spirit are regrettably anchored by a little light, compared to the swarm of darkness in the form of conspiracies, wickedness, and satanic manipulations through the enemies. Notwithstanding, “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven ( Matthew 5 : 16 )” is always a divine call of faith for every believer’s little light to outshine the en...
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Fire Faith

   “ And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” 1 Kings 18 : 36 , 38 KJV The experience of Elijah in chapter 18 and his escapade in chapter 19 show the difference between fire faith and freebie faith. In the absence of consistent fellowship with God’s words, what is left of all believers is a mere freebie faith that cannot stand the slightest threat of a dog like Jezebel. Therefore, the fire faith of Elijah in chapter 18 was based on “ that I have done all these things at thy word ”. And when the undecided people saw the fire faith in action, they responded “ The LORD, he is ...
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Fruitful Fellowship

   “ And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee .” 1 Kings 17 : 8 - 9 KJV The relationship between God and Elijah in this perplexing moment shows that faithfulness begats fruitfulness. And the only anchor of faithfulness with God is the unfiltered access to the word of the Lord. Unfortunately, in these days of social media, artificial intelligence, and aggressive networking, it is more important to strengthen Wi-Fi connectivity than to invest in spiritual mountaineering. The daunting implications of our false hope in the brilliance of digital access is negatively influencing the confidence of those who wait upon the Lord for revival and restoration of fruitful sustenance. Particularly, like Elijah was asked to expect sustenance from a widow woman in Zarephath, we are tempted to faint on God’s approaches in dealing with our perplexing challe...
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