TIME TO SURRENDER ALL AND WITHHOLD NOTHING

TIME TO SURRENDER ALL AND WITHHOLD NOTHING 

“But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs? He’s dealing with matters that are way over our heads"- Job  21:22 (MSG)

After World War II, a U.S. army officer and his wife were stationed in Japan. The country had been devastated by the war and the economy was in shambles with high unemployment rate. In a bid to make ends meet, many people came to the army wife’s door daily looking for job. One day, a man approached the woman and promised that he will do wonders to her garden if given a chance. So, for the first time in her life, this army's wife hired a gardener. However, the woman never gave him free hand to manage her garden. Everyday, she gives him instructions about where to plant and prune in her garden. After working for awhile, the gardener decided to quit the job. The woman expressed her regrets and asked where the gardener is going to. The gardener told her that he was returning to his old job as the Professor of Horticulture at the University of Tokyo. And the army's wife was amazed and responded, "so, you are a Professor of Horticulture! Imagine having someone with that amount of knowledge at my disposal. How beautiful will my lawn have been if I had allowed you to freely care for my garden!"

The question that Job asked his friends in Job 21:22 is still very relevant in our generation. Many of us are dealing with God like that Army's wife in the story above. We are fond of giving instructions to God about how He should manage the garden of our lives. We have barred God from pruning the weeds growing around some sensitive areas of our lives - relationship, marriage, finance etc. We issue out orders to the omniscience God, The All-knowing God, Professor of all the professors, the God of all Flesh, the All sufficient God as  if He is just an ordinary poor gardener. We have forgotten that He created us and knows everything about us. He has the blueprint or master plan of our destiny and He knows what to do to activate the glorious tomorrow that we desire.

Beloved, who are you to tell God how to run his affairs? How dare you give orders to the Holy One of Israel! Can you imagine how colourful and beautiful the garden of your life would have been today if God is fully in charge! It is time to surrender all and withhold nothing from your creator. Today, I urge you to please repent and surrender everything in the garden of your life to Him and He will make you a real wonder to your world. Let the counsel of the wisest man that ever lived recorded in Proverbs 3:5-11 challenge you to run and  surrender everything to God today: 

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God ’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over" - Proverbs 3:5-11 (MSG)

"In Full And Glad Surrender" and "Withholding Nothing" are two wonderful songs/hymns which expresses the mind of God on the subject matter. How I wish you can join me to prayerfully meditate on the lyrics of this hymn below as we surrender all to the God of All Flesh:

IN FULL AND GLAD SURRENDER

In full and glad surrender,
I give myself to Thee,
Thine utterly and only
And evermore to be.

O Son of God, who lov’st me,
I will be Thine alone;
And all I have and am, Lord,
Shall henceforth be Thine own!

Reign over me, Lord Jesus;
Oh, make my heart Thy throne;
It shall be Thine, dear Savior,
It shall be Thine alone.

Oh, come and reign, Lord Jesus,
Rule over everything!
And keep me always loyal,
And true to Thee, my King.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we will receive more grace to genuinely surrender everything in the garden of our lives to the God of All Flesh. We shall never withhold anything again from the All sufficient God. And God will rule and reign in every area of our lives and make us wonders to our generation in Jesus name.  Amen. 

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, I want to invite you to the June 2019 Holy Ghost service. Date: Friday- June 7,  2019. Theme: Swimming In Glory - Part 6 (Born To Sing God's Praise). Time: 7pm (Nigerian Time). Venue: Redemption Camp, Km 46 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Nigeria.  Ministering: Our beloved Daddy G.O - Pastor E.A Adeboye and other anointed Ministers of God.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -
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Twitter: @tammytaiwo
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THE NIGHT IS COMING

THE NIGHT IS COMING 

"I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" - John 9:4 (KJV)

"We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over" - John 9:4 (MSG)

Few weeks ago, the above scripture came alive in my spirit while attending the funeral service of a friend in Lagos. As the chorus of the farewell hymn "Good night! Good night!! Good night!!!" echoed at the graveyard, the reality of the brevity of human life struck a chord in my heart again. The obvious truth is, our days on earth will not last forever. Methuselah's (the oldest man that ever lived) days lasted for 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Although, that was a long day but we cannot compare it with the length of eternity. Even if our days on earth is as long as that of Methuselah, the night will surely come one day. So, the question is when will the night come? For some people,  the night will begin when they die while for others it will come when Jesus Christ returns for the rapture of His Church  (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). And this could happen at any moment from now.  

While it is day, we need to emulate Jesus Christ by living wisely and optimally working for God with all our might and strength (John 9:4). As pilgrims, we must live everyday with the consciousness that our days on earth are numbered. If we live wisely and maximise our day for God, when night comes, we shall be ushered into the place of eternal rest to receive full reward for our labour on earth (Revelation 22:12). We shall be greatly honoured but those who did not work for God shall be beaten with many stripes ( Luke 12:47). They will be embarrassed and disgraced.  

"The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes"-  Luke 12:46 -47 (KJV)

Friends, are you living wisely and optimally for God today?  Does heaven have any record of your work or service for God in His kingdom today? Hope you are not the Honorable Methuselah of your church?  Hope you are not among those idle ones in the kingdom? What legacy will you leave behind when your days on earth is over? The truth is, time is actually running out. The right time to work for God is now. There is no doubt that every passing day brings us closer to the night when no man will work again. The greatest work anyone can do for God is to evangelise. Souls are perishing daily but committed labourers are very few and God wants us to enlist kingdom labourers for the end time rescue operation (Matthew 9:37-38). This is the heartbeat of God.  Therefore, I urge you to work for God now while you still have the breath of life in your nostrils. Once the day is over, no one can turn back the hand of time and every minute lost is lost forever . 

However, for anyone to work for God in the day, he/she must be genuinely saved. Yes, you cannot serve the God that you do not know. It was after Saul of Tarsus had an encounter with God that he began to work for God (Acts 9:1-6). Friends, you need to be saved like Saul of Tarsus to be useful for God. Please surrender your life to Jesus today. Time is running out, please do not procrastinate again. 

“Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work." - Revelation 22:12 (MSG)

Beloved, have you being working for God faithfully? Then, please let the Lord encourage you to keep doing His work faithfully as you meditate on lyrics of a wonderful hymn composed by a 18 year old young lady- Anna L. Coghill in 1854. The hymn which clearly emphasises the words of Jesus Christ in John 9:4 is titled "Work, For The Night is Coming" . May the Lord ignite a fresh passion for kingdom service in our hearts today in Jesus name.   

WORK, FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING

Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work 'mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.

Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.

Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man's work is o'er.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that God will help us to be mindful of the brevity of time so that we can live wisely and optimally to promote the kingdom's Agenda before night comes. May every minute we  spend on earth be useful and meaningful in the light of eternity. May we be faithful to the end in our calling and make our election sure as the daylight of this world fades away. And when Christ returns, may we rise to meet Him, receive our reward and reign with Him for eternity in the City of Gold. 

Good day and God bless you.(Amen)

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE PYRAMID

THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE PYRAMID 

"And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."  - Numbers 13:32 :33 (KJV)

A newly married woman insisted on going to the desert to stay with her husband. The only place the couple could find to live was a small apartment near an Indian village. The daytime heat was unbearable and the dry wind blew constantly, covering everything with dust. None of the Indians spoke English. The young wife was miserable. Then, she learned that her husband was going deeper into the desert for two weeks. So, she wrote her mother and asked if she could come back home.

In her mother’s reply were these words: "Two men looked through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars." As the woman read those lines over and over, she decided to change her attitude. She decided to look for the stars. She set out to make friends with the Indians. When they saw her genuine interest, they taught her weaving and pottery. She learned their culture and language. Then, she began to study the desert and its trees. Not only did she survive, she became known as an expert on the area and later published a book about it.

The old woman's reply to her daughter remind me of the ten spies who brought back negative assessment reports of the Land of Canaan to the children of Israel in the wilderness. All the things that those ten spies saw in the land of Canaan was mud and no stars at all. Everyone who heard their reports were discouraged, wept profusely and wished they had opportunity to go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-3) . They concluded that the land of Cannan cannot be the promise land that God had  promised them. They believed that taking over the land was an impossible task and they were ready to give up on their dream and God's promise. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men died. Joshua and Caleb - the two spies who brought back a good report were the only men from their generation permitted to go into the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30)

"The whole community was in an uproar, wailing all night long. All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!” - Numbers 14:1-3 (MSG)

Beloved, are you in an unbearable, inescapable situation today financially, academically, or maritally? When you look through the window of life today, what do you see? Do you see mud or stars? Do you see giants or a land following with milk and honey? Are you already thinking of changing course like the woman in the above story and the children of Israel? Hear the word of the Lord, - "Life is always hard for the poor, but the right attitude can turn it into a party" -  Proverbs 15:15 (Easy to Read Version)

Friends, in the midst of that challenging situation, why not ignore the mud around and focus on the stars in your sky. Like Joshua and Caleb, please refuse to be intimidated or discouraged by the size and numbers of the giants on your promise land. Like the woman in the story above, please look for the stars in that unbearable situation. Yes, you may not have control over what happens to you, but you do have control over your attitude. So, I urge you to climb the positive attitude pyramid today and make the best of that situation with the help of God. Who knows? You might end up writing a best selling book on the subject matter very soon. As the Lord God of Heaven lives, before this month is over, those hard times shall turn to lavish celebration for you and your household in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. (Amen). 

One special hymn that describes the splendour of the promise land that God promised us is titled: "God Has Set The Land Before Us". May I urge you to please let God minister to you as you meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn below. 

GOD HAS SET THE LAND BEFORE US By Lowell Mason (1792- 1872)

God has set the land before us,
And the land we will possess.
God has finally found a people
Tired of the wilderness.
Down with every weight and sin;
Let’s go up and enter in.

Refrain:
       Hallelujah,  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen.

God has cleared the way before us
Through the victory of His Son;
Raised the Victor’s banner o’er us,
All the battles He has won.
All that’s left for us to do
Is by faith to follow through.

It’s a land of hills and valleys,
Brooks of water flowing free;
Fountains rich with living water,
Streams that flow abundantly.
Brothers, joyfully we stand
In His promise, Christ the land.

God has made the fruit to grow here,
Filled the land with produce sweet:
Olive oil and pomegranates,
Fig trees, honey, vines and wheat.
We need nothing else besides,
All we need the land provides.

We have eaten unto fullness,
And with joy we bless the Lord,
For the good land He has given;
Faithful to His promised Word.
Here we find there is no lack—
Never, never we’ll go back!

All we need to do is labor,
Working on the land each day;
Not expecting ’manna’ blessing,
Working in a normal way.
God and man cooperating
While for harvest we are waiting.

Labor thus will bring the increase
Of the land with all its worth,
And the Lord will have the harvest,
When He comes to reap the earth.
To provide the Lord the way,
We must labor day by day.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we shall possess the promise land that God has set before us. We shall never go back to Egypt. And we shall never cease to labour in the Land for God day by day until Jesus Christ returns to reap the raturable believers to eternal life.

Good day and God bless you.(Amen)

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -
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Twitter: @tammytaiwo
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DON'T PATRONISE SATAN’S SUPERMARKET

DON'T PATRONISE SATAN’S SUPERMARKET 

"One day, Samson went to Gaza. He went to have sex with a woman there. Some time later Samson began to love a woman called Delilah. She lived in the valley of Sorek. Delilah made Samson sleep with his head on her knees. She asked a man to cut off the 7 tails of his hair. This was to make him weak. He was not strong any more. The Philistines took Samson. They pulled out his eyes. They tied him with metal ropes . They made him work in prison. He had to make grain into flour" - Judges 16:1, 4, 19, 21 (EASY)

Once upon a time, Satan opened a supermarket at the city centre. Neatly arranged on the shelves are different items that are very appealing/engaging. On the wall are; rakes of scorn, the shovel of jealousy, the harrow of adultery and fornication, the cutlass of gossip and backbiting, the plough of selfishness and apathy, garden fork of pride and arrogance, etc. All the items look very good and also came with fabulous after sales services, free delivery and money back guarantee. The prices of the items were cheap, free credit and instalment payments are allowed to willing customers. Satan encouraged people to patronise his wares by screaming “Take it home, use it, and you won’t have to pay until later!” 

According to my father in the Lord,  Pastor E.A. Adeboye, "You are free to call Satan any name but don't ever call him a fool". Yes, I strongly believe that Satan is not a fool. He is a very smart, shrewd but wicked businessman with track records. In a bid to make profit, Satan usually offers his wares to willing buyers on credit  and then make them pay heavily at a later date with interest. That was exactly what he did to Samson in Judges 16:1- 21, King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1- 23, and Judas Iscariot in Matthew  27:1- 8. Satan tricked them to mortgage their glorious destiny when they patronised his terrible supermarket. He made Samson to enjoy the laps of Delilah and other strange women free of charge for a while before he eventually demanded for his two eyes and anointing. Satan cajoled Judas Iscariot to pick up betrayal, greed and covetousness from his supermarket and later demanded for his soul through suicide. Humm! What a wicked businessman he is! 

Beloved, Satan is still hawking his wares everyday. Unfortunately, many people are still patronising his terrible supermarket. I hope you have not picked up anything from that supermarket yet. If you have, then when is your repayment due date? How much will you pay to that wicked businessman for the items you picked? Will he demand for your life prematurely like Judas Iscariot? Will he demand for your eyes like Samson? Can you really imagine what he will demand from you on that day? I urge to be sincere with yourself today and return everything you bought from satan's supermarket before your credit period is over. Remember, Satan is not a fool but a very shrewd and wicked businessman. Please repent today before it is too late. A word is enough for the wise!

One special song that stress the need for genuine repentance now before the payback period finally comes is titled "The Payback Time". Please join me to meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful song below as we trust God for grace to repent genuinely and make restitution before the payback time.    

THE PAYBACK TIME by Charlie Daniels

When it's payback time
And you take that final ride
When there is no place to run to
And there ain't no place to hide
The supreme court of the universe
Where justice is not blind
And no prisoners will be taken
When it's payback time

Their blood cries out to be avenged
And someday you will cower and cringe
Where the books don't lie and the judge don't deal
No high-priced lawyers to appeal
Where the verdict is eternal
And you can't escape this that you're deserving

When it's payback time
And heaven rules supreme
When your gold and silver's worthless
And you stand before the King
When your nightmares are reality
And there is no exit sign
And it's too late for repentance
When it's payback time

The sun comes up the pendulum swings
And each new frightening morning brings
The children's cries, the cannon roar
More loudly than the day before
The wax of time is drippin' down
From both ends of that candle brightly burning

A mighty shout, a trumpet blast
When the last is first, the first is last
The world is hushed and time stands still
And the final chapter is fulfilled
The sky will part each knee will bow
To greet the awesome hour of His returning

When it's payback time
And the sheep are gathered in
When the roll is called up yonder
And eternity begins
When the wedding supper's ready
And the faithful called to dine
Who'll be sitting at the table
When it's payback time.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that when the faithful ones are called in for the wedding supper of the Lamb, we shall be there by His grace and mercy. God will give us grace to genuinely repent and make restitution (where necessary) so that we will not regret on the payback day when Christ returns. 

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, I want to invite you to the May 2019 Holy Ghost service. Date: Friday- May 3rd,  2019. Theme: Swimming In Glory - Part 5 (Born To Win). Time: 7pm (Nigerian Time). Venue: Redemption Camp, Km 46 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Nigeria.  Ministering: Our beloved Daddy G.O - Pastor E.A Adeboye and other anointed Ministers of God.

Good day, Happy new month and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -
http:// okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com
Twitter: @tammytaiwo
Instagram: @lawontaiwo
Facebook: Okanlawon Taiwo