BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!’’ - 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)

''Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence'' -  (MSG)

The above admonition of Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth around AD 55 is still very apt and relevant in our generation. There are many people who started very well with God but had their good records or testimonies stained before reaching the end of their journeys on earth. 

For example, Noah was a righteous man, perfect/blameless among the people of his time. He walked with God for a while but missed it before he reached the finish line (Genesis 6:9, 7:1). He succeeded in building the ark which took him many years in the midst of wicked people. However, those impeccable records of his was stained after the flood. According to Genesis 9:20-24, one day, that same great preacher of righteousness suddenly became drunk from the wine he produced from his vineyard. Then, he uncovered himself, and Ham his son saw his nakedness. There is no doubt that Noah’s drunkenness after the flood is a lesson that even great people of faith can also stumble or fall. 

Like Noah, King David also had a good walk with God for a while before he eventually committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his soldiers- Uriah. While the Israelite soldiers were busy winning the war against the people of Ammon, king David, who remained in Jerusalem, was losing the battle to adultery. He had become complacent and lowered his spiritual guard to the extent that he could not resist the sight of a naked woman. Then, David went ahead to kill Uriah to cover up his dirty track (2 Samuel 11). Today, just as David is still being remembered for killing Goliath, he is also not forgotten for killing Uriah whose wife he impregnated and married. 

Samson is another good example of someone who didn’t take heed to avoid a fall. An undisciplined lifestyle led him to love a woman in the Valley of Sorek, who eventually brought him down. The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and humiliated him. Eventually, he died with his enemies prematurely (Judges 16:4-30). 

Also, King Uzziah was a very successful king. God marvelously helped him. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong. But his success went to his head. He was unfaithful to God and intruded into the office of a priest by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar. God warned but he wouldn’t listen and he became leprous. Despite Uzziah’s previous good record, he went astray towards the end of his reign (2 Chronicles 26:16-20).

Beloved, if you think you’re standing firm now, you better be very careful lest you fall. The above examples clearly shows that it is possible for genuine believers to fall by the way before reaching the finish line. Therefore, we must always strive and trust God for grace to finish the Christian race well. We must never lower our guards especially after a season of success because that is one of the period that the devil usually strikes. While celebrating, we must be extremely careful not to engage in sinful pleasures that can spoil, stain, or discredit our past achievements and walk with God. 

The lyrics of this wonderful hymn below reiterates the admonition to the church in 1 Corinthians 10:12. 

BE CAREFUL By Charles H. Gabriel, 1896

1. Little feet, be very careful where you go,

As in life you daily travel to and fro;

Never for a moment stray

From the straight and holy way;

Oh, be careful, be careful, little feet.

2. Little hands, be very careful what you do,

Wrong or thoughtless actions you will surely rue;

Into mischief never go,

For ’tis very wrong, you know;

Oh, be careful, be careful, little hands.

3. Little ears, be very careful what you hear,

When the tempter whispers to you, danger’s near;

Though he promise everything,

Every promise is a sting!

Oh, be careful, be careful, little ears.

4. Little hearts, be very careful to be true,

Love the Lord and He will surely care for you;

Jesus will not enter in

Where there is the least of sin;

Oh, be careful, be careful, little hearts.

My prayer is that you and I will not stumble or fall on this holy journey till we reached the finish line. May we never engage in any activity that will rubbish or stain our good record or make people not remember the good that we did in the past.

Good day and God bless you. 

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE CORRUPT GATEKEEPERS

‘’You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly’’ - Deuteronomy 16:19 (NLT)

“The Great Wall of China is a gigantic structure which cost an immense amount of money and labour. When it was finished, it appeared impregnable. But the enemy breached it. Not by breaking it down or going around it. They did it by bribing the gatekeepers.”—H. E. Fosdick

There are many corrupt gatekeepers everywhere in our world today. These people have clearly demonstrated that they can be bought or influenced to do anything for a reward. "Everyone has a price", is their slogan and they are always eager to play the cards once the price offered is reasonable or good enough for them. Like those Chinese gatekeepers, they don’t care if everyone else is going to suffer as long as they get a sizable chunk of the reward into their own pockets. It is obvious that these gatekeepers' moral uprightness and integrity is questionable. What a greedy, selfish and corrupt generation?

‘’But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice’’ - 1 Samuel 8:3 (NLT)

Bribery and corruption carries some grave consequences (Proverbs 15:27). Yes, it does. It may provide instant gratification for a while, but it will lead to irreparable destruction at the end. According to Job 15:34, everything gathered through dishonesty and corruption will eventually end up as fuel in the fire on earth. If Hophni and Phinehas had known this fact, they would not have opened the gate for the enemies to enter into their lives and father’s Ministry sheepishly in Shiloh (1 Samuel 2:13-36). Unfortunately, they did and everyone in Shiloh watched as the same wall and gate they were meant to safe guard fell on them suddenly and crushed them to death (1 Samuel 4:10-14). They never lived to enjoy the gain of their dishonest dealings. 

‘’For the godless are barren. Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn’’- Job 15:34 (NLT)

Friends, are you one of those corrupt Chinese Gatekeepers in town? Do you have a price? What is your price? How much can someone pay you to make you compromise your integrity? How many times have you allowed the Great Wall of China around you to be broken through because of greed. Why not repent before your cup is full? When the cups of Hophni and Phinehas became full, they were not given a second chance. Likewise, you may not be given a second chance too. Please repent today.

Please avoid anything that would destroy or damage your gate of integrity. Safe guard your integrity with everything within you. If you must lose anything in life, please don't ever lose your integrity. If you lose your money or property, you can get it back. Even, if you lose your job, you can get a better one. But if you lose your integrity, you have lost everything. Yes, it may take years to build a reputation of integrity, but it takes only a second to lose it. A single act of dishonesty, can destroy a lifetime of integrity. 

This wonderful poem below describes what a man of integrity stands for. According to the poet, a man of integrity is honest, respectable, impeccable and most importantly have a relationship with God. That struck a cord in my heart! Beloved, will you like to be a man of integrity? Men of integrity are rare in our world today. So, will you like to be among those very rare gems in your generation? Then, you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ and walk with God everyday till you see Him in glory like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) .  

INTEGRITY AND HONOUR by Sun Princess

Some men are not pretentious

They have integrity and honour

I admire these men most greatly

They walk with God by their side

Someday I wish to have a friend

Like these men with character

Respectable, honest, impeccable,

only thing is they are very rare

Like a shiny dazzling diamond

So precious, flawless, and valuable

Integrity and honour are so beautiful

and some men have it absolutely"

May God grant us grace to be numbered among those rare gems in our generation. 

Good day and God bless you. 

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE SCIENCE OF HYPOCRISY - 2

"Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.” Matthew 15:7-9 (MSG)

Many years ago, a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but he couldn’t play a note. Since he was a person of great wealth and influence, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king. The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra. Even though he couldn't read music, he was given a flute and when a concert would begin, he would raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He went through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound. This deception went on for two years. Then one day a new conductor took over the Imperial Orchestra. He told the orchestra that he wanted to personally do an audition for all the players to see how well they could play. The audition would weed out all those who did not meet his standards and he would dismiss them from the orchestra. One by one the players performed in his presence. Frantic with worry when it was his turn, the phony flutist pretended to be sick. The doctor who was ordered to examine him, however, declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill. Shamefacedly, the man had to confess that he was a fake. (Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks, Wayne Rice)

The above story further reiterates the Science of Hypocrisy that we discussed last week. Hypocrisy is associated with lying (1 Timothy 4:2) and deceit (1 Peter 2:1) which were among the seven abominable things mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-19. Jesus describes those who practice the Science of hypocrisy as religious fraudsters or Yahoo believers (Matthew 15:7-9).

Unfortunately, there are many fake flute players/fraudsters or Yahoo believers in the King's Orchestra today. They are very visible everywhere holding the flutes which they are not willing to learn and play. They are church-going pretenders who look heavenly on Sunday but live like hell from Monday through Saturday. They look good on the outside but when God looks at their insides, He sees a dirty mess of rotten bones and worm-eaten flesh. Many cleverly concealed secret sins, atrocities and skeletons are in the cupboard of their souls. They deceive everyone and pretend to be something they are not. They even put on a false front or wear mask to conceal their true identity and the rottenness of their souls from everyone. What a double faced lifestyle?  

Beloved, are you one of the Yahoo believers in town? Are you a phony or a true player in the orchestra of the most High God? Are you truly saved or are you just pretending to be? What do you do behind the scene from Monday to Saturday? What have you cleverly concealed from everyone? Although, everyone thinks you are a child of God but you know very well that you have lost touch with heaven. Hear what the Holy Ghost is saying to you: "You can deceive everybody (including your parents, spouse, Pastors etc), but you cannot deceive God". Please do something about your life today. Quit the pretense and surrender your life genuinely to Jesus Christ now. Delay may be dangerous.

Friends, please note that the Great Conductor (Jesus Christ) will show up soon to fish out religious fraudsters (Rev. 22:12). During the audition, everyone would stand before the judgment seat to play the flute one after the other. The audition would be very thorough and the sheep would be separated from the goats (Matt 25:32-33). Everyone who does not meet God's standards, would be dismissed from the orchestra (Luke 13:27). All fake Believers, Disciples, Ministers, Pastors, Evangelists, General Overseers will have no where to hide again as no excuse will be tenable. All the masks worn on earth would be removed and pretenders shall be dumped into the everlasting furnace as firewood for the rest of eternity (Rev. 21:8)

God's admonition to religious fraudsters is detailed in this poem below:

YOU CAN'T FOOL GOD! By Grenville Kleiser

You can fool the hapless public,

You can be a subtle fraud,

You can hide your little meanness,

But you can’t fool God!

You can advertise your virtues,

You can self-achievement laud,

You can load yourself with riches,

But you can’t fool God!

You can criticize the Bible,

You can be a selfish clod,

You can lie, swear, drink, and gamble,

But you can’t fool God!

You can magnify your talent,

You can hear the world applaud,

You can boast yourself somebody,

But you can’t fool God!

My prayer is that every religious fraudsters or yahoo believers in the King's Orchestra shall repent and become real singers or flutists before the audition to fish them out begins. 

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE SCIENCE OF HYPOCRISY

“….You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside they look fine, but inside they are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of filth. It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are godly. But on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil"- Matthew 23:27‭-‬28 (ERV)

A Sunday school teacher was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one young boy said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t really know you.”

The response of this Sunday school student above re-echoes the issue of hypocrisy that Jesus Christ accused the Scribes and Pharisees of in the temple. 

What is hypocrisy?

Hypocrisy can be defined as an art of organizing and participating in the self-made parade of mask(s). It involves dissimulation and pretense. An hypocrite conceals his/her real nature or identity with mask of deceit/pretence. They are not who they claim to be. They are fake!  

Friends, have you ever wondered why there have been deplorable moral and spiritual climates in our world today despite the growing number of people who profess to be Christians? Is this not a clear indication that we have more fake Christians in the fold than genuine ones? Is it not obvious that we have more "Title Carrying Christians" (TCC) in the kingdom than "Mantle Carrying Christians"(MCC)? If the secret dealings of many professing Christians are mirrored through the x-ray of heaven, I wonder how disgusting the outcome will be. 

Beloved, have you obtained a degree in the school of hypocrisy? Have you mastered the art and science of  hypocrisy? Are you a fake Christian or a genuine one? Are you a true disciple of Jesus Christ or are you a certified pretender in the kingdom? Are you really who you claim to be or are you hiding behind the transparent wall of hypocrisy? Are your external activities or actions covering up your internal filthiness or unrighteousness? Does your lifestyle contradict your profession? Are there any convincing evidence in your life that can attest to the fact that you have truly been with Jesus (Acts 4:13)?

This wonderful poem below describes the science of hypocrisy that is attacking the roots of revival and Christians' testimony in our generation. 

"MASKS" (By Unknown)

Don't be fooled by the face I wear, 

for I wear a thousand masks,

And none of them are me.

Don't be fooled, for goodness sake, don't be fooled.

I give you the impression that I'm secure, 

that confidence is my name and coolness is my game,

And that I need no one. 

But don't believe me.

Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in aloneness, in fear.

That's why I create a mask to hide behind, 

to shield me from the glance that knows,

But such a glance is precisely my salvation.

That is, if it's followed by acceptance, if it's followed by love. 

It's the only thing that can liberate me from my own self-built prison walls.

I'm afraid that deep down I'm nothing and that I'm just no good, 

And that you will reject me.

And so begins the parade of masks.

I idly chatter to you. I tell you everything that's really nothing and

Nothing of what's everything, of what's crying within me.

Please listen carefully and try to hear what I'm not saying. 

I'd really like to be genuine and spontaneous, and me.

But you've got to help me.

You've got to hold out your hand.

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will stir up genuine repentance in the hearts of many professing but fake Christians all over the world. May the fire of hypocrisy burning fiercely in this generation be put out and replaced with the light of sincerity and genuineness. 

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, Pastor. E. A. Adeboye, I would like to invite you to June 2024 Holy Ghost Service. Theme: THE ROD OF FIRE. Date: 7th June 2024. Venue: The Redemption City, Mowe, Nigeria.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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