OPENING PROSE:
An elder in the Church shared a story that has to do with when he was much younger. In the Church he was attending then, he was the one in the technical room of the church. He always sees to the maximum functioning of the engine, microphones,etc. He said, the church has a culture of appreciating outstanding church workers every December 31st during the cross over night service when the church will be filled to its capacity with people in the overflow. For more than 4 years, the church has never remember to appreciate anybody in the technical room. The attention has always been on those workers that members are seeing every Sunday, every service, etc. Not someone in a room that people might not see when they are coming in into the church because he will be in the technical room before the commencement of service and will still be there when members are going home.He was feeling neglected and forgotten by the church as it appears that he is not recognized and his efforts of making the church services great with excellent P.A system output was not counted worthy of appreciation.
Then, there came that particular December 31st of that year. It was time to recognize those outstanding workers again. There names were called and they were celebrated with ovations and were given awards/gifts. This man's name was not called again. He got angry and told himself that he needs to ' teach them lesson'. He removed the plugs of all the microphones at once. The people in the auditorium saw there was still light but the microphones were no longer working. It was then some elders of the church and some people rushed into the technical room and they asked the man what happened, then he said ' so, you people know now that someone is working here to make the Microphones work? I removed it myself...'. They got the message. He fixed back the microphones and after the service, the pastor called him to admonish him and promised to appreciate him. He reminded him that God is the best rewarder. He said, his conscience smote him and he had to repent the manifestation of carnality he displayed.
Friends, are you like this beloved brother?. Are you working tirelessly in the church, in your ministry, in your company , or at home as a wife, husband, or a leader of an organization and it seems as if nobody is applauding and acknowledging your silent labour?. You are getting the feeling of neglect and obscurity and something is telling you and pushing you to ' remove the 'plugs of the microphones' so that you can call attention to yourself and make people notice you by all means?. Are you thinking of 'removing the plugs of the microphones' by reducing your loyalty, dedication , faithfulness, doggedness, to your work, life, ministry, family and Noble courses?.
Let me encourage you friends, yes, it is true that we all need motivation and appreciation from people. But even if they are not appreciating us, let's continue in doing good. There is a God in heaven who records and rewards His faithful servants. Are you a missionary In a far away land, and it seems as if you are forgotten by brethren and you are already thinking of packing it up? I encourage you to toil on. God who sent you there has not forgotten you. Every silent labour done for God is loud in His ears. He won't forget you. Read what His words says ' For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. (Hebrew 6:10).
As a wife, as a husband, whether your spouse is acknowledging your good deeds or not, please don't stop doing good. Don't be good because you want to impress your spouse but because you want to please God; the God of marriage. In whatever 'technical room' you might be working and it seems as if you are not seen or celebrated, if you are sure that God is the one who appointed you there, please, don't quit and don't remove 'the plugs of the microphones'. Be encouraged!.
THE FACE OF OFFSHOOTS
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17, 18).
On 08th January 2017, the hand of the Lord took me to a placed where I found a church. Standing there, I saw the main entrance wide open and people entering the church one after the other. There was a big tree outside the church. Inside were people worshiping. I saw a man standing at the corner of the church.
Then one man came out of the church. When the man who was outside saw him come out of the church he asked him why he had come. The man said that he had come out because he wanted to have some fresh air. When he was urged to go back, he refused and said that he would go back later. The man at the corner looked at him with pity.
Then suddenly their came another man to the church, as he was about to enter, the man who had come out called him and told him that nothing interesting was taking place inside the church and he invited Him to sit outside with him. The man refused and entered the church.
As people continued coming to the church, the man who was on the corner urged them to enter the church while the one who had earlier come out of the church, urged them to remain outside the church. Some people entered the church and some remained outside. I saw many people gathered outside the church. The people inside the church sang hymns and heard sermons. When I looked at the people who had gathered outside the church they too started to sing and the man who came out of the church began to preach despising those who were in the church. So some people opted to remain with him outside.
After these things I saw that time was changing. Then I heard a voice saying to the people outside the church, “leave that place and enter the church and all of you sleeping wake up and go inside the church.” Some people decided to go inside but others were discouraged to enter reasoning that what is inside the church is what is here. What can we get from inside there that is better than what we have? An angel who was shouting these words appeared holding a trumpet. He came near and the tree that was outside the church was removed. Then I saw two hands descend from heaven and tardily closed the door at the entrance of the church. I turned around and saw people come running from all corners of the earth. These coming entered the church but the group outside refused to enter. I too was told to enter the church. Inside the church I found people dressed in white sitting comfortably.
As the door slowly closed, two people came running to the church and entered. Then the Spirit told me to go out and tell the man who had earlier gone out of the church and all who sat outside to get inside. I went outside and pleaded with them to go inside the church. Some heard and entered the church but the man and some who were with him refused to enter. When we entered the church, the door closed. When the door had closed then the man told his colleagues to now go and enter. When they saw the door closed the man told them to wait at the door saying, “The door will be opened, they could be probably doing something inside there.” Many other people came and stood at the door, waiting for it to open. But the door couldn’t be opened. It was shut. Locked with 10 locks of fire and the people outside had no excess into the church.
After these things I heard a voice saying, “what you have seen is what is happening and what is going to happen in the near future. The church you saw is my church. In my church there are people who were my people but they have left me for other gods. But they don’t know that time is running out. I am pleading for them to come back and they do not want to listen. Time will come when they will be shut outside and will not have where to go. As you saw the door closed it means the door of mercy will be closed to all who are against my church, its leadership and my people. They claim to be members of my church but they are not. They hate and despise my messengers. They say they love me but hate their brothers and sister in the church. I know my people and my people hear me whenever I talk to them. But these wolves do not know that I know the intents of their minds. Some of these rebellious ones are still inside the church while others have gone outside the church like the man you saw outside. All are but outside my church whether they are physically inside my church or not. All will be shifted out and I will do to them as I did to the people you saw outside church. I see all that happens in the church and I know people that are confusing my church.
Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23) . God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances.We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God wants to work on you first, because transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind, until your thoughts begin to change.
MIND MANAGEMENT:
Why is it so important that you learn how to manage your mind? Let me give you three reasons.
Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). Your thoughts are powerful and have the tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you accept the thought someone told you when you were growing up: “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it was wrong, it shaped your life.
Manage your mind, because the mind is the battleground for sin. All temptation involves the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, "I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).
One of the reasons why you get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in your brain 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because your mind is your greatest asset. Satan wants your greatest asset! Manage your mind, because it’s the key to peace and happiness.
An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. When you don’t try to control your mind and the way you direct your thoughts, you will have an enormous amount of stress in your life. But a managed mind leads to strength and security and serenity.
“Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT). Prayer O Lord my father b merciful to me and give me a right and heavenly bound heart in Jesus name.
