ARE YOU STUBBORN?

"If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover" Proverbs 29:1 (Good News)

"Ẹniti a ba mbawi ti o wà ọrùn kì, yio parun lojiji, laisi atunṣe"- Proverbs 29:1 (Yoruba)

In 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia and hundreds of passengers died on that fateful day. Investigation later revealed that the accident was not caused by technical fault or even thick fog. Everyone in the two ships perished simply because their captains were too stubborn to change direction. They both knew that their ships are heading towards each other and may soon collide. A little change of direction by either of them would have averted the tragedy. However, neither of them was willing to change course and give way to the other. They were too stubborn to yield and by the time they came to their senses, it was too late. 

The Yoruba translation of above scripture is very explicit on the repercussions of stubbornness. God's verdict is that anyone who is stubborn or obstinate will perish suddenly without remedy. That was exactly what happened to the first king of Israel - Saul in 1 Samuel 15. The Bible records how that handsome young man crashed the glorious ship of his destiny prematurely because of his stubbornness. Saul's stubbornness forced God to use His divine bit and bridle on him. And immediately God finished with him, Saul's ship of destiny capsized in the middle of the ocean suddenly. Everyone watched in amazement how a man's stubbornness to divine agenda can sink a glorious destiny prematurely. 

"Refusing to obey is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Being stubborn and doing what you want is like the sin of worshiping idols. You refused to obey the Lord’s command, so he now refuses to accept you as king.” 1 Samuel 15:23 (ERV)

Unfortunately, many people have not learned from the mistake of king Saul. They are still stubborn or obstinate to divine agenda despite repeated warnings. They don't seem to understand that every act of stubbornness of man adds fuel to the fire of God's wrath and judgement (Romans 2:5).

"You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you— Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire! "- Romans 2:5-8 (MSG)

Beloved, I hope you are not stubborn or obstinate like King Saul and the two Captains in the above story. Hope you have not turned your back on God like the stubborn Israelites (Deuteronomy 9:6-8), hope you are not like the stiff-necked Jews in Corinth who rejected Christ and even went ahead to maligned the Way (Acts 19:8-9). Please don't forget that everyone who stubbornly rejects God's Sweet Will on earth will be doomed for the rest of eternity. This article may be the last warning God is sending to you before He will eventually turn you over to the hardness of your heart. Friends, time is running out. Therefore, I urge you to please repent today and surrender completely to His Sweet Will before it will be too late. 

In 1900, God inspired Mrs. C. H. Morris to compose a wonderful hymn on surrendering or yielding to God will which is titled "Sweet Will of God". Please join me to sing and meditate on the lyrics of this beautiful hymn below as we trust God to help us yield totally or surrender completely to His Sweet Will at all times. 

SWEET WILL OF GOD

My stubborn will at last hath yielded;
I would be Thine, and Thine alone,
And this the prayer my lips are bringing,
“Lord, let in me Thy will be done.”

Refrain:
      Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
      Till I am wholly lost in Thee;
      Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
     Till I am wholly lost in Thee.

I’m tired of sin, footsore and weary,
The darksome path hath dreary grown,
But now a light has ris’n to cheer me;
I find in Thee my Star, my Sun.

Thy precious will, O conqu’ring Savior,
Doth now embrace and compass me;
All discords hushed, my peace a river,
My soul a prisoned bird set free.

Shut in with Thee, O Lord, forever,
My wayward feet no more to roam;
What pow’r from Thee my soul can sever?
The center of God’s will my home.

Good morning and do have a blissful day.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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DON'T IGNORE DIVINE INSTRUCTION

"Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord" - Proverbs 13:13 & 16:20 (NIV)

Few days after a successful old hunter indicated his intention to retire from the hunting business, an energetic young man approached him and offered to buy his shop, his hunting rights, and even his secrets for successfully hunting. The old hunter agreed; he sold all his goods to the young man and carefully told him all the secrets to his great hunting success. Thereafter, the old man retired and travelled to another city. A year later, the old man returned to the city, looked for the young hunter and asked how his first year as a hunter had been. The old man was however surprised when the young hunter said that he had not caught anything since the old hunter retired and left that city. The old man then asked him: did you followed the instruction and adhere to hunting secrets I gave to you? "No Sir, I found a better way" was the young hunter's response.   

King Solomon, the wisest man that has ever lived was right by saying "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and whoever scorns instruction will pay for it." Unfortunately, many some people have been struggling with their unfruitful/unprofitable personal hunting ventures/projects on earth for years like the young hunter in the above story. They are busy accusing their enemies for their predicaments but did not know that their refusal to obey God's instruction is the source of their problems. They ignored divine instruction on the ground that they are staled and of no relevance again in our world today. They seem to have forgotten how Adam and Eve got their fingers burnt when they ignored God's first instruction to man in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3: 11-19) . They don't understand that the only antidote for frustration, tragedy, lack and failure in the race of destiny is total obedience and adherence to divine instruction. 

Beloved, despite all your many qualifications, experience/ exposure and connections, why are things not looking up for you as expected? Don't you think you may have ignored some important divine instruction? Could it be that you have ignored divine instruction on salvation (Acts 2:21), holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1) and evangelism ? What do you have to show that Great Hunter (Jesus Christ) who gave you all His hunting rights when he retired from the hunting business on earth over 2000 years ago (Mark 16:15-20) . Please be sincere with yourself, in the first eight month of this year, how many souls have you shown the way to the cross? Don't you know that your prosperity, fruitfulness and fulfilment in life is a function of your willingness to obey God's instruction on soul winning (John 15:16), giving (Luke 6:38), tithing (Malachi 3:10) and kingdom service (John 12:26) etc? Don't you know that every divine instruction you ignore opens up doors for demons of pain and hardship to invade and torment your health, marriage, finance, career and business?

May we receive grace to repent genuinely, trust and obey all God's instruction immediately, cheerfully, completely and without complaining henceforth. Please join me to prayerfully sing and meditate on the lyrics of one of my favourite hymn titled" Trust and Obey". This wonderful hymn was composed in 1887 by John H. Sammis. 

TRUST AND OBEY

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
      Trust and obey,
       For there’s no other way
      To be happy in Jesus,
      But to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do;
Where He sends, we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Good morning and do have a blessed day.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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HAVE YOU LOST YOUR PRAISE?

"That servant was still speaking, when a fourth one dashed up and said, “Your children were having a feast and drinking wine at the home of your oldest son, when suddenly a windstorm from the desert blew the house down, crushing all of your children. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” When Job heard this, he tore his clothes and shaved his head because of his great sorrow. He knelt on the ground, then worshiped God and said: “We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death. The Lord alone gives and takes. Praise the name of the Lord!” In spite of everything, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong"-  Job 1:18-22 (CEV)

Few days ago, I met a man who had lost huge possessions and things have been pretty hard for him recently. The man is practically living in the desert of loneliness as all his trusted friends and close associates had deserted him in his season of pain. He's now a shadow of himself, looking so frail, depressed and helpless. His entire life had been submerged completely in the ocean of loses. After he narrated this ordeal, the Lord prompted me to ask him these questions: "Sir, I hope you have not also lost your joy of salvation? Hope you have not hung your harps upon the willow tree?". His response was "No, I have not".

Nobody actually likes to lose anything in life because loses really hurts. Yes, it does. However, there are many examples of people who had lost several things in life but they eventually recovered it all. Some of these people had lost their possessions, health, jobs, marriage, children, businesses, etc.  For example, in Job 1:18-22, when Job lost everything he had, instead of committing suicide, he organised a befitting Banquet of Praise service for God. Does that not sound very crazy or odd? What about Paul and Silas? In Acts 16: 22-26, when these two disciples of Jesus Christ lost their freedom, instead of weeping and blaming God, they decided to organise a Praise Party to celebrate the Almighty God even inside the prison.

Like the man mentioned above, Job, Paul and Silas had lost many things but they never lost their faith in the God of All flesh. They did not lose their peace and joy of salvation in the midst of the ocean of loses. Paul and Silas were beaten, yet they couldn't resist the urge to continue to praise their Saviour even in the prison. They knew that the faithful God is still in control even when it appeared that they had reached the very bottom of the ocean of losses. They knew that the worst thing anyone can lose in life is to lose his/her fellowship with God. No wonder they eventually walked out of the ocean of loses with mighty testimonies. Yes, they recovered everything they had lost.

"The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas’s clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black and blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that. He threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them. Then, about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake occurred. The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose"- Acts 16:22-26 (MSG)

Beloved, what has the ocean of losses swallowed in your body, home, business, marriage, finances, academics? Why not check and be sure that the joy of your salvation has not been swallowed or tampered with too. If it has then, I urge you to please run back to the feet of the cross today and plunge into the fountain filled with blood drawn from the Saviour's veins. Thereafter, trust the same God who restored the losses of Job, Paul and Silas to restore your losses and make your life a living testimony of His amazing wonders and faithfulness . And as the Lord God lives, everyone who have mocked and deserted you will come running to pay obesience to you very soon in Jesus name.

No other song summarises this subject like a song titled "I Never Lost My Praise". This wonderful song was composed in 2009 by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. May I urge you to please join me to sing and meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful song as we trust God to restore our loses and silence our mockers permanently before this week is over in Jesus name. (Amen).

I HAVE NEVER LOST MY PRAISE

"I've lost some good friends along life's way
Some loved ones departed in heaven to stay
But thank God I didn't lost everything
I've lost faith in people who said they cared
In time of my crisis they were never there
But in my disappointment, in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope,
I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith
But most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise still here,
My praise still here

I've let some blessings slip away
When I lost my focus and went astray
But thank God I didn't lost everything
I lost possessions that were so dear
I lost some battles walking in fear
But in the midst of my struggles, in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope,
I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith
But most of all, I never lost my praise

Praise, Praise, Praise, Praise, Praise
Most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise still here,
My praise still here

But most of all, I never lost my praise!"

Good morning and do have a blessed day.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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EXCHANGING YOUR TROPHIES FOR HIS CROWN

"The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him." Philippians 3:7-9 (MSG)

One day, a young man who was walking behind a school compound, saw what looked like a huge “treasure chest” filled with gold and silver, glittering in the sunlight. He looked closely and discovered that the “treasure” was actually a collection of “trophies” of every shape and size that had been piled up in a trash! The school was simply repeating a tradition of clearing their shelves and cabinets of all the old trophies, plaques and awards received over the years in order to make room for new ones. As he gazed upon the glittering scene, he realized how these trophies in the trash might accurately represent all the worldly achievements, fame, popularity, wealth, and power. And he could see their ultimate end; to eventually be discarded as “worthless” and then crushed and ground to dust!

In Philippians 3:7-9, the Holy Spirit described how a man who had many worldly trophies, laurels, awards and achievements decided to throw them all in the waste bin in order to truly embrace or cling to the cross of Calvary. Apostle Paul cherished the old rugged cross and the eternal crowns more than all his perishable laurels of this world. He understood that all the trophies of this world will not last (2 Peter 3:10), but Christ offers to him an “Imperishable Crown” – the Crown of Life (James 1:12). This offer is not for Apostle Paul alone. Jesus Christ also promised to give the crown of life to those who: place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38), and thereafter live faithfully to Him for the rest of their lives (Revelation 2:10).

Beloved, how many trophies, awards, laurels, credentials are you waving around today? Are they more than what Apostle Paul trashed several years ago? Can the splendor of those trophies of yours be compared with the glory of the Crown of Life? The answer is a capital "NO". Have you truly clinged to the old rugged Cross? Please don't forget that the very best of man's achievements, credentials and trophies in this world will soon become old/stale and eventually end up as trash. Therefore, I urge you to please lay down all your perishable trophies at the feet of the cross, so that on that glorious day, you will receive in exchange His Imperishable Crown of Glory.

In 1912, Evangelist George Bennard, having seen the glory of this imperishable crown, compose one of the most popular hymn in Christian history which is titled:-"The Old Rugged Cross" . May I urge you to please prayerfully meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn and trust God for grace to truly lay down all your worldly trophies at the feet of the cross in exchange for the Crown of Glory that never fade away (1 Peter 5:4).

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame,
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
      So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
      Till my trophies at last I lay down;
       I will cling to the old rugged cross,
       And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

My prayer is that the rat race of life will not make us lose the splendour that is waiting for us in heaven.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo
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