RESTING IN GOD’S LOVE

- Pst. Gavin Aleogho 
 
Just recently, I was listening to Bob Fitts. As usual, whenever I listen to such an old collection of songs it brings back memories of the “good old days” of when I was still trying you get my feet in the faith. Such songs greatly shaped my view about the faith.
 
I remember how I usually keenly listened to these songs. The lyrics of these songs are powerful. Thanks to the fact that the lyrics of such songs usually come along with the cassette then. Hence, I was able to easily memorise the lyrics of the songs, giving me a good perspective of God the Father.
 
By the way, Bob Fitts was one of my favourites and he still is. I came to know his song in the late 90s, just a few years after I gave my life to Christ as a young teenager, in the remote town of Monguno in Borno State of Nigeria. 

Below is one of the lyrics of his song, which is the reason for this article.
 
O Lord, your tenderness
 Melting all my filthiness
O Lord, I receive your Love
 
O Lord, your loveliness
 Changing my unworthiness
 O Lord, I receive your love
 O Lord, I receive your love
-Bob Fitts
 
Recently, as I listen to the above song, the Spirit of God begins to call my attention to something very important. And that is the fact that many believers have not learnt to rest in God’s love. There is a lot of struggle among God’s people that is aimed at compelling God to love and favour them; instead of resting on His everlasting love.
 
Then, as a newborn babe in Christ, I could easily relate to the fact of resting in God’s love without doing anything. However, as we make progress in our walk with God, with the increase in knowledge, we tend to forget that it’s the love of the Father that brought us into His kingdom in the first place and it is the same love that will keep us in His favour.
 
We forget that even while we were sinners, He loved us. And because we forget, we begin to think that God’s love for us will be determined by how much we work for him or do something for him. This is a great deception that the devil has used to cheat many of God’s children.
 
In the course of ministry, I discovered that unbelievers and even newborn babes in Christ easily get God’s intervention in their lives. This is based on the fact that such individuals do not base the love of God for them on their many hours of prayers or fasting. Their faith is based on God’s love and not on their good works. Hence, they get God’s intervention cheaply.
 
God’s love for you is not determined by your dos and don’ts. His love is not based on your performance. He had already loved you even before you became born again. Now that you are born again, it has not stopped God from loving you. Being born again ought to give us the privilege to explore the great ocean of God’s love
 
Remember that God is love; that is His nature. Your mistakes and misbehaviour cannot change Him from being love-personified.
 
Yes, I highly recommend that you pray, fast, give, work and engage in various godly acts. However, we should never base our faith on our works of righteousness, but on His eternal love for us.
 
This reminds me of one of such old favourite songs of mine which was derived from Jeremiah 31:3, done by Kent Henry and later sang by Don Moen and other gospel Minstrel. God is saying through that song to you that,
 
“I have loved You
With an everlasting love
I have drawn you
With My loving kindness”
 
When you are able to comprehend the fact that God loves you,
Your fears will vanish away.
Your concerns will give way.
You will find rest.
You will be sure that no battle confronting you can bring you down.
 
For his love drives away fear.
His love brings comfort and assurance.
His love will give you peace amid the storm.
 
Say the following words aloud to yourself several times,
 
God loves me.
I receive the love of the Father.
I rest in God’s love.

AWAY FROM WORRIES TO REST

 

 
- Pst. Gavin Aleogho 
 
For more than 3 years now, Nurse Kemi has been the one helping Mama with her routine medical check-up. She comes to Mama’s residence to do this every week. This appointment was agreed on because of Mama’s health condition. Hence, Mama’s children made this arrangement with this nurse to avoid sudden uncontrollable medical conditions.
 
Of recent, after checking her vitals at different times for the last 3 months, she discovered that Mama's blood pressure and sugar levels have been normal, unlike before. Everything has been very okay to the astonishment of Kemi.
 
"Mama, which food or supplement you dey take?" Ask Nurse Kemi. "For some months now, everything dey okay with you. I happy for you well well oh."
 
"My pikin, I no dey think again," was Mama's direct response.
 
When Mama was narrating the story to my wife she said that since she made a decision to worry less, she has experienced improvement in her health. Indeed, worrying and thinking affect one’s health.
 
No wonder a medical personal, Charles W. Mayo, M.D. said, “Worry and stress affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system, and profoundly affects heart action.”
 
We worry too much these days. The hardship in the land and the uncertainties in our world are making a lot of people slip into depression. Fear of the unknown and the many challenges confronting humanity have fueled man’s tendency to worry more.
 
The question remains, “Has anything changed because of our worries?” No. Like Jesus would ask, “And besides, what’s the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not!” Luke 12:25 TLB.
 
I remember what my beloved brother, Daniel Awa always said when we were serving (NYSC) many years ago, "Things have a way of sorting out itself." If you are not lazy and you are doing what you ought to be doing; taking responsibilities. I can assure you that, with God on your side, give it some time; things will indeed sort itself out. You will look back to discover that you've made steady progress.
 
The Lord’s promise to everyone is this, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28.)
 
There is a rest we are supposed to receive by coming to Christ. However, only a few find this rest. If you don't learn to worry less you can't experience the rest that God has given to us in Christ Jesus.
 
You may not be able to completely eliminate worries, because each day always comes with it many reasons to be worried (Matthew 6:34). From the daily news on the media, the problems of your neighbours, and family members and the many challenges confronting you personally. All these are enough to make one sleep in depression.
 
You must learn to keep your mind in God's love. I know it won’t be easy.  Even as a Minister of the gospel, I also have my share of life’s challenges. Thank God for my wife who has been a major encourager to me, besides the Person of the Holy Spirit.
 
I remember talking to a very dear sister in the Lord of my worries; that was a few months back. She responded and challenged me saying, "Are you not the one encouraging us? Your daily quotes and scriptures that you always sent out are encouraging thousands out there." She was invariably saying that she expected me to live without worries considering my depth in God and my vastness in scripture.
 
What she never knew was that every quote and encouraging word that I sent out were words that the Holy Spirit had used to comfort me. Hence, from the comfort I have received from the Lord, I use the same to comfort others.
 
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 1:4
 
Pastors are also humans with expectations, trials and problems. One major thing that gives a pastor concern is when he says that through his prayers and counselling God brings solutions to other people's problems, while his own problems remain unsolved. It can be confusing!
 
I talked about myself just to let you know that I understand what it means to be disturbed in your mind due to unsolved problems and unmet expectations.
 
Lately, I began to understand that you can have peace even in the midst of the storm. You mustn't wait for the problem to be solved before you enjoy your rest in God. Before the problem is solved, you can stop the thinking. For that thinking and worries is affecting your psychological and physiological health.
 
I discovered that with time, some problems will automatically be solved. I have had to ask myself, "Why did I have to go through such trouble, troubling my soul? If I had known that things would sort themselves out, I would not have lost my sleep and spent many hours in worry."
 
I am still mastering the art of worrying less. It is a possibility that you can find in God. With the instrument of prayers coupled with the art of meditating on God's promises, I am making progress in this regard.
 
Life is full of problems and challenges. When you solve one problem today, another will rise up tomorrow. If you wait for all your problems in life to be solved before you become happy, then you will perpetually dwell in grief and depression.
 
Cheer up, my brother.
My sister, cheer up.
 
Learn to live each day as it comes.
Celebrate yourself.
Celebrate your little achievement.
Don’t kill yourself over what you can’t change.
Give yourself a treat.
 
Stop postponing your joy till when you get that breakthrough.
While you wait for your expectations to materialize, enjoy the moments.
 
Pray about everything. “O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” When you cast your cares on the Lord, don't take it back after prayer. Take your problem to the Lord and leave it there.
 
Life is too short to live through it with worries.
Rest in God's love!

SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS: THE MISSING ELEMENT OF GENUINE REPENTANCE

Pst. Gavin Aleogho

 

“God is not that difficult like you think,” responded Desmond. “He is a loving Father who understands our weaknesses. As long as you keep coming back to him, confessing your sins, He will keep forgiving you. It does not matter if you still repeat the same sin, whether intentionally or not, He will always forgive you.”

 

As good as that statement may sound; it is not a complete truth. There is something fundamentally wrong with such an ideology. Such ideology tends to paint God as One who does not have a standard, simply because He is a merciful God. It is a statement that takes the mercy of God for granted.

 

This is one form of deception that has kept a lot of believers in a state of spiritual paralysis. It’s a belief that says, “As long as God will always forgive me, then I don’t have to try to stop a particular sin.”

 

Thus, many do not see the need to put an end to sin or an ungodly habit that is keeping them in bondage. It is important to know that God's objective is not just forgiveness; rather He wishes to see us have a complete victory over sin. Thus, we are expected to resist sin even if it requires that we shed our blood. (Hebrews 12:4).

 

Almost every believer understands the concept of forgiveness. However, only a few understand the concept and importance of the word “repentance.” The ignorance of the latter is the reason why a lot of Christians do not see progress in their walk with God.

 

Yes, our God is a God that is full of mercy and loving-kindness. He does not wish that any should perish. He is ever willing to show His mercy to anyone who asks for it. The scripture says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9.

 

The mere act of confessing our sins from a sincere heart positions us to receive His forgiveness. Our God loves it when we come to Him with an honest heart; showing our helplessness.

 

However, as long as we keep coming to Him to receive mercy without a strong desire to turn a new leaf, we will never amount to anything in God’s hands. This is where repentance comes in. Genuine confession of sin must be coupled with a strong desire to repent of the sin. To repent implies that one feels regret and sorry about a sin (ungodly act) while he makes a decision not to do it again.

 

Repentance says, “I am not just coming to God to receive His forgiveness, but I am also making up my mind not to go back to my vomit.”  Repentance entails a strong desire to change and turn a new leaf.

 

When confession of sin is coupled with genuine repentance, besides receiving forgiveness, the individual will also receive the empowerment to live above that particular sin.

 

Hence, one of the major reasons why a lot of believers find it difficult to live above a particular sin is because they’ve not repented of that sin. True repentance is reflected when we are remorseful for a particular sin.

 

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV

 

Sadly, many believers are still wallowing in sin, not because God is not willing to save them completely from the bondage of sin but because they are yet to make the decision to turn a new leaf. Such people want the mercy of God and yet they still love their sin. Nobody can amount to anything in God’s hands with such an attitude.

 

King David was different in this regard. When He was confronted by Prophet Nathan about his sin with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah, David didn’t just ask God for mercy. He repented and never went back to commit the same sin again. He never slept with another man’s wife, and He never shed any innocent blood again till his death.  That is a man who understood the concept of repentance.

 

Today, on a daily basis we have a lot of Christians who come to God pleading for His mercy and forgiveness for what they’ve done wrong.  After receiving God’s forgiveness, they still go back to commit the same sin with the hope that God is a lovely Father who will always forgive them when they come back to ask Him for mercy. That is a mark of gross spiritual irresponsibility.

 

That is a dangerous ground to tread on. God cannot be mocked. God cannot be fooled. God cannot be deceived with deceitful tears for mercy without a heart that is willing to repent. I think we humans sometimes forget that we are dealing with an intelligent Being. God cannot be ridiculed.

 

4 MAJOR DANGERS OF NOT TURNING YOUR BACK ON SIN AS A CHRISTIAN

 

- Danger 1: Slave To Sin

 

A slave is at the mercy of his master. When a Christian refuses to turn his back on sin, he is invariably saying that he is okay with the chains of sin over his life. Such an attitude kills the willpower to break free from sin. Hence, such Christian will be kept perpetually under the bondage of such sin till he sincerely cries for help, and that is, after he might have realized what he has lost over time.

 

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:16

 

- Danger 2: Gives Legal Ground To The Devil

 

Sin gives the devil legal ground to manipulate and destroy. The devil cannot use a child of God. However, when a believer brings himself under the bondage of a particular sin, he automatically enrols himself to be used by the devil whenever he wants anyone to perpetuate that particular sin.

 

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:13

 

- Danger 3: Hardness Of Heart

 

When an individual sets his mind to keep committing the same thing, his conscience becomes weak and incapacitated; unable to query or correct him. Thus, his heart will become hardened concerning that particular sin. This hardness of the heart will eventually lead to the destruction of such individuals.

 

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Proverbs 29:1

 

- Danger 4: Disqualifies You From Being Used By God

 

It is a mark of unseriousness to keep intentionally falling into the same sin that one has been saved from. Mind you, God cannot work with unserious people. Thus, a believer’s unwillingness to turn away from his old ways will disqualify him from becoming a vessel in the Master’s hand.

 

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

2 Timothy 2:21

 

In conclusion,

 

Be aware that the salvation package that God has for us contains total freedom from the bondage of sin. He has made every necessary grace available for all His children to live above sin and that includes you.

 

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14

 

Many believers who have taken advantage of his grace are living victorious above sin. With the help of the Holy Spirit coupled with your willpower, you too can live victorious above that particular sin that has held you bond this many years.

 

You are free!

 

SPIRITUAL GROWTH THROUGH OBEDIENCE

  

- Pst. Gavin Aleogho

Your obedience to God is directly proportional to your spiritual growth. Show me a Christian who is stagnant in his walk with the Lord and I will show you an individual who is living in disobedience to the voice of the Spirit.

 

Growth in the faith is not by chance. Growth is achieved deliberately. Spiritual growth comes by hearing and obeying the instructions of the Lord. And such instruction includes the written word of God as spelt out in the scripture as well as the personal instructions of the Lord to you; which does not contradict the scripture.

 

If you see a Christian that is making progress in his work with the Lord, you’ve seen an individual who have made up his mind to obey God even when it is not convenient. Such individuals’ desire is to please God, irrespective of who is offended in the cause.

 

Do you want to see progress in your walk with the Lord? Make up your mind to follow His leadings. Make up your mind to obey the scripture to the later. Yes, you might fail sometimes, but the desire to please God should keep you going. Such desire is what the Lord is looking for; a heart that is desperate to honour and obey Him.

 

Be assured of the fact that, God will never waste your life. God will never lead you to destruction. He will not waste your time. He won’t lead you to a place where you will get your hands burnt off. Although, sometimes, it might look as if, if you obey Him, you will be at a lost. But be rest assured that it will eventually turn out for your glorification.

 

For a couple of years now, by the grace of God I have seen steady progress in my walk with the Lord. And that is thanks to God’s leading. And one of the ways that God has led me is by instructing me to focus on some particular books/articles of some specific authors, follow the examples of some individuals in my sphere, and listen to the message of some specific ministers of the gospel.

 

Prior to the year 2021, I knew of a renowned minister of the gospel in Nigeria, but I never liked his person; though I don’t hate him. Even when I tried to listen to some of his messages then, it never sounded well in my ears. However, towards the end of the year 2021, I had the leading to follow him keenly. Thank God I obeyed and that obedience has greatly helped me in the ministry and in my walk with God.

 

By the grace of God, I have a ministry that cut across the line of denominationalism. Based on that, I am privileged to some information from my counselling room. A lot of believers are stagnant in their walk of faith, not because God is not willing to help them but because they are not willing to cooperate with God in total obedience.

 

I discovered that even though a lot of believers really desire to see growth in their walk with the Lord, sadly, they are not ready to do what the Lord will want them to do, especially when it has to do with them changing Church. Some individual are in the ‘wrong’ Church where they will never grow. Not necessary because the church is based on falsehood but because the structure and vision of the Church is not designed to help such individuals to move to their next phase in their walk with the Lord.

 

I usually come across such individual who knows that they are in the ‘wrong’ assemble. Funny enough, some of these persons have even attested to the fact that the Lord has instructed them to change Church. But yet they are unwilling to obey God in this regard due to some human factors and other reasons which do not have eternal consequences.

 

As long as they keep disobeying God, there spiritual life will keep dwindling. God is wiser. He is wiser than you. The longer you stay and operate in disobedient to God’s instructions, the more you miss out. They more you miss out of the great package that He has in store for you. As long as you keep walking in disobedience, you will keep losing time, years, virtue, opportunity etc.

 

Ironically, your eyes may not be open to see what you are missing out from at the period you are living in disobedience. It is after the deeds have been done that you will realize how you have cheated yourself through disobedience.

 

One of the reasons why a lot of Christians do not wholeheartedly obey God is because they don’t trust God. If you truly trust God, then you will obey Him. He has the best in heart for you. Besides, the Lord knows what He is doing. He is wiser than you. 

Just trust Him!