What Makes You a Christian?

I remember the day I first gave my life to Jesus; I was at Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor's church in Warri and had literally come to the end of myself in terms of chasing after the things of the world with one disappointment after the other.

There was this persistent Christian friend of mine who had preached Christ to me in a non-threatening and interesting way and eventually I found myself at the altar in this church, crying my eyes out as I said the famous 'sinner's prayer'. But that was only the first step of a journey I'm still making even now; a journey of uncertainty but knowing Jesus is with me, a journey of mistakes but knowing I'm forgiven, a journey of learning and re-learning with dashes of revelation received directly from above.

It has been a hard road to travel in some seasons and a smooth sailing one in others but I know I would do it all over again because this relationship and these experiences are actually what makes you a Christian; not just the 'sinner's prayer' at the altar or elsewhere.

So next time you want to share Christ with someone, let them see the bigger picture of what salvation or "sodzo" entails; let them know it's the beginning of a brand new journey where this time they have a faithful partner rooting for them through thick and thin, through mountains and valleys and even in the plateaus when things are at a standstill.

Let them know the whole truth, it will make them a better Christian.

Parched

What does it feel like to be really thirsty? I come from a part of the world where it was common to have dry taps for days; we would walk around the neighborhood with kegs and other such containers seeking any running water we could find. It wasn't hard to spot the taps that weren't dry, because the lines extended as long as your eye could see but clustered at the beginning in a swirl of dust. This dust cluster at the beginning of the line was always the kids fighting for a drink to quench their thirst first before filling up their containers.

Isn't that how it is when we're seeking desperately the rain of the Spirit? We don't care if we look mannerless as we cry out for His presence, desperately flinging ourselves at the altar and lying prostrate before Him. I have been watching the Miracle Channel 'Power of Partnership' running throughout this week and I'm made so aware of the level of hunger openly displayed among God's people in the nation of Canada. People were calling in and writing in from all over, and believing for an outpouring on this nation; it was wonderful to see that I was not alone...sometimes we feel like Elijah who thought he was alone until God reminded him that a whole host of believers existed who hadn't bowed their knee to idols.

So visit us Lord! Send the rain of your presence Father! We need the taps flooded and a full release!

Peace

I felt the tug
on my heart
and the gentle
whisper,
of the Holy Spirit
urging me to
let go...
and let God...
so I put the wheel
into His hands
and let Him steer
me to a quiet shore
called peace.


This poem I wrote in March 1995 is what came to mind after the news of the Virginia Tech massacre broke.

JP copyright 1995

Have You Seen the One I Love?

That is directly from the book of Song of Solomon, chapter 3 verse 3; it is an allegory of the Lord and His love, us. Some of my favorite verses in the Bible tell of deep hunger for the Lord's presence and deep love for Him. Coincidentally, they're all in the book of Psalms:

• Psalm 27:4 - One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.
• Psalm 63:1 - O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
• Psalm 84:2 - My soul longs, yes even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Yes you guessed it, I'm a worshiper and I love to spend time in His presence. I used to say I didn't have enough time to spend with the Lord as much as I would love to, especially as I'm a wife, mother, work a day job, attend weekly evening classes and still do a host of other things!

But I found out when you really love, you make time to spend with the one you love, or else the relationship will deteriorate and eventually die. Instead of setting aside a certain time every day which may work for some, I decided to be in His presence all the time. This meant I was constantly aware of His presence everywhere I went and in everything I did or said; it was hard at first to get into this mode, but as I practised His presence, it became easier to be aware of Him.

So I ask again, "Have you seen the One I love?" Write me your experiences of your personal journey on seeking Him and staying in His presence....

Have a blessed Easter and don't forget, He's alive!

I Am Not In Control, He is

When I became a Christian, I attended a Church where the Word was taught and prayer was emphasized; nobody talked much about dying to the flesh and getting conformed to His image except in the annual conferences. Rather, the emphasis was on praying and fasting, binding and loosing, and becoming a spiritual warrior.

There's nothing wrong with those themes but if that is all you do, you eventually wind up a one-sided Christian like I did. You feel invincible to the devil and are blind to your shortcomings which leads to pride, a heavy dose of it. So there I was seven years ago, new in Toronto from Nigeria, and feeling like a 'spiritual star' well above everyone I met...until I went on a spiritual retreat and realized I had no control over my life and I was full of gunk that needed to come out. The love emanating from the retreat ministry staff was my undoing and it totally changed my life.

I remember this retreat everytime I'm overwhelmed with prayer needs from friends and family; these past two weeks was one of those times when I realized that no matter how much I prayed, fasted, stood on scriptures, and cried out to Him...that was really all I could do. I was not in control He was, and I had to remember that.

It is not a feeling most of us are comfortable with, because we always want to be in control of everything happening around us; but He unfolds His plan on a daily basis as we come to Him daily.

Isn't He amazing? I love you Precious Lord!

The Waiter Serves the Wine

I'm onto this waiter thing again; that's because I was at a restaurant recently and watched a waiter serving wine. Now that is an ordinary everytime-task for a waiter but if you consider yourself a waiter, who waits on His promises, here are some tips I picked up watching the waiter, yet again...

• Serve the wine openly - let the joy of the Spirit overflow in public worship not only in private worship.
• Let the guests taste the wine - let the people partake of His Spirit by introducing them to the river of His presence and let them rejoice in Him by having longer worship times.
• Fill up their glasses intermittently - don't have a one-time revival worship and expect the people to be continuously joyful, fill them up to overflowing like Jesus did at Cana, and let the revival be endless.
• Ask them if they enjoyed the drink - the joy on their faces will let you know and they will do the evangelizing for you as they invite their friends to "come and see", like the woman at the well.

So go ahead and practise being an excellent waiter while you wait on His promises to be fulfilled....have another drink!

Which God Who Cannot Lie....

Did you ever notice that phrase in the Bible? It's in Titus 1:2 and I stumbled across it a few days ago while reading my Bible and preparing the children's lunch for school (talk about multi-tasking!). There it stood out all of a sudden, jumping off the page at me and I thought to myself, "Wow! God cannot lie, not God will not lie...but cannot; which means He is not able to lie and He doesn't have the capacity in Him to lie! The phrase 'cannot lie' there is interpreted from the Greek and means 'veracious'; the root English word being 'veracity' or 'truthfulness, accuracy'. Get a load of that! His word to you is always truthful and bang-on target.

Then I started to 'backthink', if God cannot lie, then whatever promise He gave me personally, He will bring to pass, it's that simple! I took a deep breath and began to understand why certain people 'rested' in the midst of spiritual warfare...they had a personal word from God who cannot lie and they knew for sure that it would definitely come to pass! They did not need fleeces, signs, or 'supporting words', they just waited on Him to bring the word to pass.

Now that's faith! What new revelation have you received or re-learned recently? Read the Word and let Him speak...

Hopeless, Helpless and Hapless Without Jesus

It wasn’t such a cold day outside and I decided to take a prayer walk, as I usually did when I’ve had a busy day. I had a long list of prayer topics on my mind, uppermost of which was my husband’s imminent trip home. Led of the Spirit, I walked north on University Avenue, I turned east on Wellesley and got to Bay Street (not that most of you out there know where these streets are!), praying in the spirit all the while.

Being led to return to my office I started south on Bay doing a loop but was drawn immediately to a nearby bus shelter. Inside it sat a man who looked well over 70; I stopped praying, smiled and asked him his name.

Jimmy McNeil is a homeless drunk who sleeps on the streets; he speaks perfect English and was married to a gambling addicted wife. According to him, she gambled away all their money while he drank himself to despair. They were eventually evicted from their home, and penniless, she continued her habit in clubs, etc. while he became a drunk. he doesn’t know where she is today.

Jimmy is actually only 56 years old knows the Bible very well; he also made a few insightful statements which included:

“God has no favorites!”
“Kids are getting kids now, that’s why there’s so much trouble.”
“People are no more content, that’s why there’s so much divorce.”
Then he said, “Thanks for stopping to talk; you’re a Proverbs 31 woman...”

We had quite a conversation and I was surprised at the depth of his knowledge…
I find myself drawn regularly to the homeless because it reminds me of my brokenness and utter dependence on God.

Thank you Lord for making me see that without you I’m utterly hopeless, helpless, and hapless.

Tear Through the Veil

Boundless feelings
Eternal depths
Searching for the meaning
Seeking and standing
Yet stumbling through
To see stabs of light
Through the dimness
Coloring outside the lines
in a desperate attempt
to see the big picture
Pushing aside the hills of thought
and mountains of need
Just to focus on You
Just to see Your face
Just to hold Your hand
as I tear through the veil
and fall before You
I love You deeply

JP Copyright 2007

Watch What You Say – Literally!

Recently, I have had to watch what I’ve been speaking over myself. I’m actually more careful in watching what I say over my children or other people, but fail more often in watching what I say over myself.

There I was unpacking the groceries on Saturday afternoon with my children, and Naomi turns to me and asks, “Mom did you get the flatbread for the wraps?” “How silly of me, I forgot – and it was on the list…how could I have forgotten?” I berate myself. But my daughter immediately cuts me off, “Mom! You’re NOT silly! Don’t call yourself silly! You’re smart!” I stopped short, realizing that what I had so patiently and consistently taught my children, they were teaching me right back!

What if God gave us what we spoke over ourselves – literally? That would be really scary in a lot of cases; you would agree with me that we would regret so many words we spoke if they literally happened before our very eyes. Take my example above for instance, what does silly mean? It means, ‘weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid or foolish’. Did you know calling yourself silly and calling yourself foolish, meant the same thing? I bet you didn’t; you probably thought like I did, that silly was milder. Well you thought wrong…

So why don’t you try this with me this week; watch very carefully what you speak over your family, but more importantly over yourself and see how many times you catch yourself speaking negative words; when you do, speak the reverse immediately, like Naomi did over me.

[Eph 4:29 ‘Watch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians – NLV]