Eight Things A Christian Must Do During The Storm

We all go through storms one time or another in our walk with Christ. During this time we get confused and focus on the problem. We then make the problem bigger and forget that we serve a God of possibilities. A God bigger than our circumstances. 

The word of God has not promised us a free walk with Christ. It does say that we will face and meet challenges.

 

The following are some of the key things one MUST DO during the storm:

You MUST be strong in the Lord during the storm.

PROV 24:10(NKJV) If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 

This means that the day of adversity is not the day to be tired

The crying of the believer is an entertainment for the devil

Trials, problems test how strong you are as a Christian.

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might…” (Eph 6:10)

The day of adversity is a wrong day to become weak. The enemy, in desperation, will re-enforce and regroup while you relax and your problems will accumulate.

Stay connected for the next weeks to learn more about what to do during the storm!

Stay Blessed!

Pastor Ben Ndobe 

Breaking The Siege Of The Enemy

As a Christian do you feel caged and walled in?

Do you feel like you are tied on the same spot?

Do you feel like you are moving in vicious circles?

 

Do your feel your businesses, destinies, ministries, marriages and promising pursuits that have been walled around.

 You truly feel every access that can bring progress and prosperity seem to be blocked, causing your pursuits to be frustrated.

If your answer is Yes to the above YOU ARE UNDER SIEGE

WHAT IS A SIEGE?

The English Dictionary defines a siege as a blockage, a barrier, an obstruction, a line of defense, a cordon. To be besieged means, “To be walled in, surrounded, encamped and enclosed.”

When you are besieged, you are walled in, surrounded, shut in, squeezed in, enclosed and encamped by the enemy.

EZEKIEL 4:1-2 (NKJV)

How to break the siege of the enemy? Follow me on this blog to establish how.

Stay Blessed

Apostle Ben Ndobe

DEALING WITH EVIL SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE – PART # 1.

INTRODUCTION.

The spirit world is as real as the physical. In fact, it is more real than the physical because the physical world comes out of the spiritual world. The spiritual world is far removed from the consciousness of the average human being, yet we all know that what takes place in that realm affects us practically in our day-to-day lives. It is the spirit world that determines what happens in the physical, material world. It governs the physical world. It is very important to know this. Many people’s lives, marriages and destiny are ravaged by evil spiritual marriages. Unfortunately, many due to ignorance have no idea what’s happening.

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IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE.

Many are ignorant of the evil spiritual marriage. Ignorance is no excuse. What you don’t know can kill you.

HOSEA 4:6a(NKJV) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Ignorance brings destruction. Just because you lack knowledge doesn’t immune you to satanic attacks. What you don’t know can kill you.

ISAIAH 5:13a(NKJV) Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge;…

Ignorance brings captivity. If we are ignorant of the activities and operations of the enemy and his cohorts, we will become his captives. We should not be ignorant of the devices and the operations of the enemy.

2 COR 2:11 (NKJV) Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

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Satan’s kingdom thrives where there is ignorance

MYLES MUNROE rightly observed when he said, “The greatest enemy of man is not Satan, but it is ignorance.”

Those who are in ignorance are in darkness concerning the operations of the enemy. Only the word of God is able to bring light that destroys ignorance. Only the word of God is able to expose the works of the enemy.

PSALMS 119:130(NKJV) The entrance of your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

God’s word brings illumination into our spirits and minds.

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When God’s word gains entrance into our hearts and minds, it dispels the darkness and ignorance in our lives.

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When light comes darkness disappears.

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When the truth shows up, ignorance has no choice but to flee.

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It is when we know the truth that it sets us free.

JOHN 8:32 (NKJV) “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Notice the Bible doesn’t say the truth sets us free but rather the knowledge of the truth sets us free. It is the knowledge of the truth of God’s word that sets us free. It is experiential knowledge that bring freedom and liberty into our lives.

It is the truth discovered, embraced and rightly applied into our lives that brings freedom. It is when we apply what we will learn today into our lives that we will experience breakthroughs into our liveS.

Catch part 2 as we continue with this heading

The power of self-discovery (Part 2)

CASE STUDY ONE: GIDEON

Gideon is one of those who defined himself after the flesh.

Judges 6:12 (NKJV) And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" 

God defined Gideon as a “Mighty man of valor!” That was God’s opinion of Him.

However, Gideon defined himself according to his earthly background and age. He didn’t defined himself as God defined him.

Judges 6:15(NKJV) So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 

God saw a deliverer in Gideon. He saw a mighty man of valour. God defined him as “a mighty man of valour.” Unfortunately, Gideon didn’t define himself as God defined him. He didn’t see himself as God saw him. He gave God two reasons why he didn’t agree with him:

His background - His clan was the least in manasseh.

His age – He was the least in his father’s house.

When God looked at Gideon, He saw a deliverer, a mighty man of valour. But like most of us do, Gideon defined himself after the flesh. God was fully aware of Gideon’s background yet he chose to overlook it and defined him according to who He had ordained for him to be. 

If you don't know who you are, people will put wrong labels on you. Matthews 16:13-14(NIV) 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"  14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

When you know who you are in God, it doesn't matter what people say about you.

“SELF DISCOVERY IS A PREREQUISITE TO SELF DEFINITION.”

Apostle Ben Ndobe

The power of self-discovery (Part 1)

The three revelations we must know

· We must know our heavenly Father and that he is for us. Therefore nothing can stand against us.
· We must know the devil is our enemy and that he is eternally defeated.
· We must know who we are in Christ and walk in the reality of our new creation inheritance.

Who are you?

Do you know who you are?
Of course you do. When asked this question, you are quick to give your name, which identifies you to the world. If pressed for a further explanation, you might tell who your parents are or were. The next description you would give of yourself would probably be your occupation or maybe your spouse's name.

But who are you?

Everything you have listed is a physical description, but it falls short to defining who you are from God’s perspective.

2 COR 5:16(NKJV) Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

The Bible is clear that we are not to define ourselves or others after the flesh, but after the spirit.

Many of us define people by their backgrounds. We also define ourselves by our earthly backgrounds. God does not see us according to our earthly background or social status, but according to who we are in Him.

Case study one: Gideon
Gideon is one of those who defined himself after the flesh.
Read the book of JUDGES 6 (whole chapter)

Let’s catch up and learn more on this subject next week....


Apostle Ben Ndobe

The power and the influence of a woman

Women carry power. It is not necessarily physical, economic or political power. It is the power of influence. Our society, over the years has been shaped by the influence of women, positively or negatively. It is not the issue of whether or not woman have power, it how do they use this power. Are they using it positively or negatively?

Our history as a nation will be incomplete without the positive influence of women during the armed struggle. Women played an important role in the struggle against the Apartheid regime. Who will forget the role played by the women during the Sharpeville massacre? Who will forget the role played by women like Charlotte Maxeke, Winnie Madikizela -Mandela, to mention just a few.

Women played a great role in the struggle against apartheid and they still continue to contribute for the development of our great nation even today.

Also, in the Bible, women were the first to proclaim the message of the resurrected Christ whilst men were cowering in fear (Matthew 28:5-8)

However, women can use their influence for good or for bad.

The following are some Biblical examples of women who used their influence negatively:

• EVE in the Garden of Eden - She's the very first woman to usurp the authority of her husband, used her influence negatively to get her husband to sin (Gen 3:1-6, Gen 3:17, 1 Timothy 2:14, 2 Cor 11:3)
• SARAH - Sarah, upon realizing that it was taking long for the promise of God to be fulfilled, negatively influenced her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar. That resulted in the birth of Ishmael. Today, there's war in the Middle-East between Israel and Palestine (GEN 16:1-16)
• JOB'S wife - in times of adversity, she tried to use her influence to get her husband, Job, to curse God (Job 2:9). Thank God, Job didn't give in to her negative influence (Job 2:10).
• JEZEBEL- Negatively influenced her husband Ahab and the entire nation of Israel into idolatry .She seduced Ahab and Israel to whoredom (1Kings. 16:31 -33, 1 King 21:2-25).  Jezebel usurped the authority of Ahab, her weak husband (1 Kings 21:8).
•   SOLOMON'S wives - Used their influence to seduce him away from God. A man who loved the Lord and had great wisdom,  was seduced away from God by his many wives( 1 King 3:3, 11:3-4)

The following are some Biblical examples of women who used their influence positively:

•   DEBORAH - She's a perfect example and a role model that an empowered woman in the 21st century can follow. She was a judge, a prophetess and a wife (Judges 4:4). Though she was an empowered woman, yet she didn't confuse her roles. She was both a judge and a prophetess and a wife! As powerful and influential as she was, she still fulfilled her role as a wife. There are many empowered women today who shun their responsibilities as wives due to their social status or the positions they occupy in society.
•  ESTHER - Used her position and influences positively to save the nation of Israel from total extinction. Haman had set himself on a course to attain the destruction of the Jewish people (Esther 3:8-9). She discovered, through the persistent voice of her Uncle Mordecai, that the events of her life, which had brought her to the palace that particular point in history, were not arbitrary. She had been positioned by an unseen hand for a yet unknown purpose (Esther 4:14-17). Esther, one ordinary woman, made a difference. She  stood in the gap and saved the Jews from extinction (Esther 8:5-15).
• ZIPPORAH - Zipporah, a daughter of Jethro and wife of Moses, used her influence positively to save the life of Moses, her husband. Moses committed a sin of omission in that he didn't circumcise his son. this offended God, who sought to kill Moses until she intervened. Zipporah's action is so influential that it actually saves Moses' life and enabled him to continue his assignment to emancipate the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage (EX 4:24-26).
•  DORCAS - She is one woman who lived a selfless life. Her life impacted so many people that when she died, people refused to bury her because they wanted her to be raised from the dead to continue her noble work (Acts 9:36-43)

There are so many women even in our contemporary society who used their influence positively. Women like Florence Nightingale, Rosa parks, Mother Teresa, just to mention a few. All these women played a major role in bringing transformation to our society.

Women use their power and influence in distinctly different ways and with different consequences. As we celebrate women's month, how are you influencing your family, husband, church, community or nation? Is it negatively or positively?

As women, endeavour to use the power of influence that God has given you, to positively influence your husband, children, church and community towards God.

”A new day” Lending a helping hand

Dear Saints

On a week like this, I would like to say that goodwill and compassion is what the life of a Believer should be characterized by. As we celebrate the Nelson Mandela day in commemoration of his birthday.

I would like to draw your attention and remind you saints that the Bible speaks about Dorcas in Acts 9: 39 (NKJV)“Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas has made while she was with them.” Dorcas did good deeds and the Bible records that because of that she experienced a miracle of being brought back to life because of the intercessions of the beneficiaries of her almsgiving. 

 

We also see Cornelius in Acts 10: 1 – 48 where he experienced God’s saving grace unto him and his household because of his alms or giving to the poor. His giving and caring heart moved God so deeply to a point of blessing him and his household. 

The acts of caring for the poor should not be a Mandela Day event only when it comes to us as God’s children, but we have to live it as a lifestyle. Our attitude should be such that we give without expecting anything in return. We should give our time, talents and resources for the benefit of those that are in need as we even preach the Gospel of Christ to them. By doing so, we are making Christ to be practical to them and the Holy Spirit will convict them in the process and they will be won to Christ. So let us go out there and make an impact for the Kingdom. Let us be the agents of change. Let us allow ourselves to be used to demonstrate the love of the FATHER.

As kingdom AMBASSADORS, let us seize the moment to represent the caring and the compassionate heart of God by serving the people around us.

Yours in his service

Apostle Ben