Don’t Do This in 2014… and Ever Again

Towards the end of last year, I began to wonder when the ‘receive God’s prophecy for your life in 2013’ pop up advert was going to change. I didn’t have to wonder for long. Before the end of December, the date changed to 2014 and right there, sandwiched between the ‘study in Ireland’ advert and the ‘affordable jeans on Jumia’ advert, there is the heavenly call to you to ‘receive God’s prophecy for you for 2014’. As we speak, the advert is still there, it will be there till November when it changes to ‘2015’.

I have no idea of the individual or ministry behind this campaign but here is my two pence: don’t go online receiving prophecy from anyone, regardless of who it is. Many years ago in Nigeria, it became a tradition for people to wait with bated breath to receive prophecies about which celebrity will die in the coming year, the politicians that will win/lose, the national disasters that will come on us as a nation and on the world generally. Except for vendors of trashy tabloids- who I believe made up some of these things, - nobody made any profit from these episodes. Definitely not the Body of Christ. Gradually, people are shunning the annual prophecies and popular men of God seem not to dish the out as much- if they ever did. Note that this is different from the annual scriptural watchword that a local church chooses to focus on for the year/month. What we talk about is the act of seeking signs and experiences and prediction of events that sometimes don’t happen thereby causing the name of God to be ridiculed amongst men.

This hopping about looking for beautiful prophecies for a new year is no more than sorcery and seeking mediums to ‘hear God for you’. It is bad enough that we have created prayer contractors- those who pray and fast on your behalf for a ‘small fee’ aka prophet offering: No sir, you are not paying for services rendered; you are merely giving to God’s servant who has redefined the kindness of Jesus by taking it upon himself to fast and pray on your behalf while you go your merry way. Note again that this is different from having a person intercede on your behalf.

Instead of seeking prophecies and signs, do this: clutch your Bible and read it with all you’ve got. As you will find out, embedded in it are incredible promises of God for your life. You will discover a ‘more sure word of prophecy’ rather than cunningly devised fables. Beyond promises, you will find the Beauty, Grace, Wisdom and Glory of God. You will also realise that being a Christ follower is beyond blessing hunting. Most importantly, you will find that the whole of the Bible is one chapter and one verse and about one person only- Jesus, the Christ. When you see this Jesus as He wants to reveal Himself to you, you will find life eternal. The kind you won’t ever get in an online prophecy dispenser.

(Dan 11:32 [KJV])

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Hugging Strangers We Know

It was the dawn of a new year and she was there. Right beside me. I didn’t know her; I didn’t know her name and I didn’t know anything about her except her lovely brown Bible and the fact that right here, right now, she was standing next to me and she was smiling. I smiled too and we did the natural thing when everyone roared ‘happy new year’- we gave ourselves a big warm hug. It was the kind that makes you feel good from your hair to your toe nails. 

We are One Body in Him

This very moment, although she was a stranger, she was also my sister and that fact wiped out every other fact. She is my sister. Period. Why? Because we share the same Brother, the First Born of our family. His name is Jesus, The Christ, and if you believe in Him, you and I are siblings, directly related by the Blood that truly matters.

So the first person I hugged this year was a stranger and the only thing we knew we had in common was our faith. We met at a three day conference in Adebayo, a tiny village near Ibadan, Nigeria. It was my first time there and I had gone on the invitation of a friend who eventually didn’t attend the programme due to an unexpected health issue. So there I was in a sea of people, lost, friendless and lonely- yet I was among family. It was a wonderful conference. The word, worship and prayers were amazing and life transforming and there was no room for pity party.

I initially felt that although it was an interdenominational programme, the organisers were conservative (SU folks) so I expected to be judged. Why was I automatically defensive? Heaven knows. But I also know that a partial reason is because we are usually stuck up in our ways with our pretty little (or mega) churches and our doctrines. Anyone who even barely strays off what we believe is heretic. But dear friend, this divided church isn’t what Christ paid for and it sure isn’t the one He hopes to meet when He returns.

Regular readers may have observed how I tend to harp on unity among local churches. Jesus did too and He spent a lot of His final words on praying that they may be one. Do we need that prayer or what! Thankfully, during the conference, when everything was focused on Christ rather than doctrine, there was almost nothing to argue about. Nothing. Granted, I wore skirts all through, covered my hair during service (a kind sister gave me a scarf), sang more hymns in three days than I had sang January to December but those are very secondary issues that didn’t matter enough to deter me from enjoying a great family time of learning about faith in Jesus.

I encourage us all today to look beyond the things that divide us and look at the Cross of Christ instead. At this Cross, we are the same- no Greek or Jew, man or woman, African or Asian, Baptist or Pentecostal. God sees all His children through Christ and except one of us is none of His, how will you and I not be family?

Go ahead, hug a stranger. You know the kind I talk about. 

Blessings,

Miss August

PS: Happy New Year everyone. Sorry to come on here so late. It is extremely crazy at work January- April. By His grace, we will keep things up.