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When God say don’t fret its because of context. The ability to see the whole script- it ends well. But we don’t have that priviledge unless He enables us. Context also allows us to place the situation in focus, in perspective. The problems viz a viz the answer. Little is nothing in comparison to a great resource. Tears pales when solutions are found. None of us would panic over a drop of water if you have access to an ocean. Also, who assures is as important- when God says I give you my word, now that’s powerful. Not just because of the word, but who says it.

Scripture says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 (Matthew 6:31-32).

Cheers. God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

1.

“The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.”

Psalm 23.

2.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26.

God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

One of the blessedness of Christmas is the spiritual spring of redemption. Like a fine scent Christ repels darkness and its guilt.

In John 8:12, this truth is found in these lines- “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

A reassurance that when you need guidance God is present to show you the way. The brightness may be overwhelming, but remember this you’re safer in God than elsewhere. 
God replaces despair with an uplift of spirits, the ill of evil with grace of right standing in God, the shrill noise of darkness with the ambient radiance of light.

I hope this Christmas brings you God’s best wishes. 

God bless. 

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye 

“Our LORD, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago.”
Psalm 77:11

As you start your day, the scripture above is a beautiful reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness, but also the Psalmist’s devotion to recount.

To make it into a conscious habit to remember God’s intervention to save, is commedable. To in some way recount the tales of divine mercy and grace. Whether be every morning or during the day with family or personally, weekly, monthly, or as frequently as possible to be grateful.

To write down a supernatural, unexpected favour, a beyond-personal-strength encounter, and give thanks. For some it is living through a painful ordeal or disease and making it, for some cheating death in a car accident by their hair’s breadth, for others finding true lifelong friends to share their happiness, for some being able to make credible decisions that turns out a string of positive options, some not expecting a loved one to survive then hearing out of the blue they made it, or honestly having a framework that supports your dreams. Your unique story may seem very archaic, one meant for the 1950s or 1320s- one that should have rightly come to its conclusion. Well if you read a story passed down to you on a piece of paper, saying to your Pa or Ma, God was very good, and that they had victory over a strange plague or war, it hardly matters that was the 20th century or 14th century, that is still efficaciously thrilling, and commendable. Why? Because its your story too. Because they survived you live. The goodness of God to them became yours. Like in this present day, as I write- November 2020, examining what it means to build your faith, not contigent of being physically present with other believers for brief periods, but drawing joy and comfort from hearing they do well despite the raging internal conflicts- somewhat similar to some of the Apostles’ encouragement in the 1st and 2nd century, writing and receiving letters. Incredible. When the storm calms, which I believe shortly, what a joy it is to see each others’ faces and rejoice in the goodness of God, and pray strength for each other. And truly God is still doing blessed and mighty things today, a story for the next generation and century, of survival, thriving, grace, and divine favour and protection. Amen.

As you praise God I feel God includes you in His book of favour and matches you for increase, and removes sudden predicaments, one beyond coincidences, one of enduring mercies. Whilst there may be feeble contemplations passed down, exciting to know that God can orchestrate a wonderful story of His love. But its your responsibility too, to build an awareness of God’s love through time. Remember, God always forgives, so prepare to relaunch an avalanche of thanksgiving, knowing its your time to work hand in hand with God. Ask, what would God have me do? And will God really take care of me?

Let us pray, dear God, please grant us a thankful heart, and the calmness and humility to remember. Also, the tenacity to research your faithfulness and grace to recount your grace.

As the Psalmist say I will remember you miracles of long ago.

God bless.
Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

You’re welcome to note, and indicate your interest via email. God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

I think its a priviledge to enjoy a soothing picturesque environs. Its something to pray for, and also deliberately prepare for. I wonder if it extends to doing life, choosing friends, choosing career, deciding where to pitch a home, supporting a policy or bylaw, conversation you listen to, levels and kind of music you pick, and more.

Perhaps noise and bustling has its place. All good in its appropriate forms, and could be kind to the heart. Things might need to filter through as through a sieve, so the grains stay below. Everything has its use. But calm, peace, rest, conclusions, order, stability, all has its place. Life then is in phases, reaching one goal, moving then to the next, allowing a creative design that enriches life and others. I come to think God likes nurturing things and putting all things in its place. Again you have to trust God means well. And also shape your life and kid-bubbles to create a soothing time for you, and safeguard it.

I Corinthians 14:40, is key on this end – “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” This Scripture speaks mainly to prophecy, but its a reflection on the mind of God, and extends to all things we do. We see in creation God’s sense of making things to flourish, we see Solomon’s wisdom translating to setting his Palace courts and service in fine tuned beauty, the earth’s seasons and plant cycles shows us this visualisations. Just seating to stare at the waves of sea as flocks of hair, tickles my sense of delightment and directs my mind to the peace of God.

So who is travelling miles to find God’s miracles scattered all over? I recently bought a Succulent plant, you will not believe how thrilled I was to notice how much of the leaves had sprout! There’s much left to take note of, then consider the pleasure finely arranged music bring without that loud strike out of place, or a meal set in its order and nicely prepared, birds in their formation in the sky, grass being blown and bending in non-resistance to the wind as in a dance, or a flower in its prime. In many examples, ask God to help your mind, and your brain cells appreciate nature’s blessings- God who set it, had a plan, first to His pleasure, and then to your delight. How then can one take a leaf and make clusters of order and grace? Consider. You will find something to nurture, but you would have re-engaged a piece of your creative side to brilliantly constructed moments of sweetness. This my friend takes work, as tending a garden, reorganising, building, refocusing, orientating, mapping out, seeding, salting conversations, decorating- its not the easy bit. But it is, and many more positives, an input to cause value.

God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:2

“The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much….” Ecclesiastics 5:12a

Truly, consider- God delights in your peace, that’s, in your wellbeing. If that means you get some break, a little more sleep to recalibrate your brain, relax your nerves, reset your pulse, strengthen your weary eyes, sharpen your fluttering speech, and reenergise your body. Such intimate and intricate detail? That blows my mind. I wonder if this adds up with some research on the benefits of this natural phenomenon, and what other theologians hold as a perspective? Balance the gift of God with living a life without greed and undue slumbering, with assurance of being under God’s constant watchful eye. There is deep anxiety, fear and intense pressure which is not good to have. You can crave such gift, especially in this tumultuous time, may Christ speak His peace in a raging sea. Like Christ find sleep in the perfect moment, and don’t mind the waves! Tune into God’s frequency. 

One because it makes the receiver of such grace feel special, that God could care as much, two, because it moves the notion of sleep from the construct of lazy retarded moments to a refreshing opportunity when done as need arises. Could you take intentional steps to create time? Else a doctor may insist upon it on a bad day. 

Perhaps in a crisis you’ve had some unexpected break, nonetheless whilst you ponder on creative solutions, remember the space to reflect, and lay your head in nature’s tide as it is a gift from God too. I guess what everyone desires is sweet sleep, not a troubled bed- so recognise your gift if you have one. Work hard, but when time comes, sleep well. 

Christ’s blessing, 

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye 

“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?”
Job 11:7

I observe some believers in their dealings with God- they go there is no way He can go beyond that mark there, and then journey below this line here. So there is space for schemes against His name. Well, God is, has, and will be. In His love consider where He took you, and achieving what you never thought you could achieve, now decide how to relearn how to trust Him for your future. Sometimes His interventions are rare and unpredictable, but be sure God is still at work. Receive this truth with courage.

Truth is what we need for spiritual life and essential principles for godliness in this world has been revealed, and we need His mercy, grace, and power to follow Him. (Psam 25: 14; 1 Cor 2:9-10; 1 Cor 13:9)

If there is one thing to hold to is reliance on God, as you grow into becoming more like Christ (Romans 8:29; 1 Cor 3:18). God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye

I’m impressed this morning to remind you that dependency on His grace and obedience to God is not too great a cost in the long run. Consider these two scriptures. The first encourages a listening ear, the second the need to weigh a decision. In summation, gravitating towards God will be beneficial, not only for now but later.

Acts 27:21-26
“Since hardly anyone wanted to eat, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. You would have avoided this disaster and loss. Now I advise you to have courage. No one will lose his life. Only the ship will be destroyed. I know this because an angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood by me last night. The angel told me, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul! You must present your case to the emperor. God has granted safety to everyone who is sailing with you.’ So have courage, men! I trust God that everything will turn out as he told me. However, we will run aground on some island.”

Luke 14:28-33
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples”

God bless.

Evangelist Israel Okunwaye