Feel free to say anything you want to say.

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH NOT THE DEVIL

Fight the good fight of faith…
1st Timothy 6:12
The title of this one sounds rather peculiar but it is very true. Paul tells Timothy in his letter that he should fight the good fight of faith. What then is the good fight of faith? What has faith got to do with ‘fight’ at all? The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. That means that faith is the most basic ingredient a Christian must always have. The passage says that they are three most important things, FAITH, hope and love. Faith is the first to be mentioned because without it, they can’t be hope and there certainly can’t be love.
There is an understanding I received while studying this scripture. We as Christians are supposed to fight the good fight of faith. It doesn’t say fight the devil or demons. In fact never will you come across a scripture that says you should fight the devil. What is written is that we should resist the devil and he will flee. Why? The devil has been defeated already. He was defeated when Christ came to save and rescue us from the power of sin with His blood. The enemy puts on an appearance of power but he has no power. All he does is to put fear in people but he has no power. The Bible says he walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour. The word like there means he put on the appearance of a roaring lion but in fact he is not. That’s when it hit me. Paul told Timothy to fight the fight of faith because that is what the devil does all the time. He tries to attack your faith, your belief in God which is the principal thing. Remember we said that is the basic ingredient. Because without faith in God, you might as well be counted among the heathen who don’t believe in HIM. When he is able to attack your faith, then the battle is won. Why? Because that is what he wants: to get you off course, off God’s word into the world of sin. Because the devil is powerless, all he has is deception and because it is his age old trick, he has gotten good at it. He uses the things of the world, fame, money, lust, pride, music, movies, etc. He tells you that everybody is doing so why hold back? He has no power. It is when you don’t know who you are and whose son you are (that is God’s) that is when you will lose your throne and wallow in sin. Know who you are!
So why faith? Because the devil CONSTANTLY tries to sway you off course so that you lose your faith, you have to fight the good fight of faith and you do that by increasing your faith CONSTANTLY. Why do you think you have to meditate and study and word of God day and night? The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Because we are constantly affected somehow by what goes on in this world which minds you has it father as the devil, everything we do outside of God’s word reduces our faith unconsciously and so by increasing your faith daily you will be able to put on a strong defence against the schemes of the enemy. That is, you will be able to fight the good fight of faith. So what do you do now? Increase you word power, study the word, listen to word CONSTANTLY so that you won’t fall prey to the enemy’s deceptions. Remember we are not fighting the devil. The devil is not fighting you. He is fighting your faith. He did it with Adam and Eve and all through the ages that is what he has been doing and will continue doing.
The Bible says that we wrestle not against the flesh but against principalities, power, thrones, dominions… You will be making a very big mistake if you think this fight is physical. It is not. It is spiritual. Why did Paul say that? He said that because, the enemy is fighting to turn our spirits away from God. Note that your spirit is your connection to God. That is the real you and so if the real you is not holding unto God, the whole house will fall. Your spirit is only as strong as the word of God you have got inside you and so I will ask, how does your spirit look? Hungry, sick strong, average, okay, muscular, small, big, huge… Fight the good fight of faith!!!

WORD FOR 2012 – A BETTER YOU

As we have entered into this New Year 2012, the main question that runs through is ‘what are my new year resolutions?’ Others just simply make up their minds not to think about it yet still others make a long list but by mid-January they fall away from their plan. We all fall victim to this year after year and this phenomena keeps happening again and again. Before we entered this year, I prayed to God telling Him, I don’t want to be counted among those who make resolutions and not stick to them. Because I also don’t want you to fall away before the first month ends, I’ll tell you what His response was. He said that every year presents its own challenges and successes and failures and just as the word of God says that the latter shall be greater than the former, that is the same way year after year things get. Challenges get bigger and if not successfully overcome, the failures are worse but thankfully it applies the same way the other around, that when successfully overcome, the successes are immeasurable. In 2012 your problems will be bigger but your successes will also be bigger if only you rely on God.
And so for me this year apart from having my resolutions, one thing I seek is to be a better person. Better than last year, better than the previous years. Better in the schooling, better in my relationships, better in my family life, better with my friends, a better person in every area of my life. The worse thing you can do this year is to fall back to what you were in the previous years. If 2011 was the best year for you, guess what, so far as you are still here, alive, then there is more ahead for you…2012 will be a even greater year. If 2011 was one of the worst years of your life, guess what, God said to tell you that don’t lose hope, don’t lose heart…2012 will be your year of BIG THINGS because God is perfecting things for you and just like Job who lost everything but receive in the ends more than he had. You see if you have been down, there no where else anything or anyone can send you and there you have only one way ahead of you and that is UP.
Look when the tough times hit you, it will either knock you down and out or it will toughen you and become a stepping stone to the next level, YOUR CHOICE.
The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that we should commit all our plans into God’s hands and our thoughts will be established. But what do you find us doing, yes even Christians, when we come to making resolutions, we declare that this year I want to do this and that, and to make us feel like we are not doing things without God’s help, we add, God willing or If God wills… or So God help me. That is what not the Bible asks us to do, He says we should first commit our plans and you have to do this thoroughly and then afterwards whatever thoughts you even have about those plans in line with His will for your life or that year will be established. God is not liar. He will surely establish it. So if you find out that halfway into the first month of even the year, you are not being faithful to your resolutions, check yourself, you didn’t follow God’s word. He said commit then your thoughts will be established. Don’t make the go ahead and try to do it on your own. You will fail and fail badly.
One more for 2012, God wants you to know that you are not alone. He said He will never leave you or forsake you. One thing I have learnt maturing in Christianity is that sometimes you will feel like God’s presence is not there and when that happens, check yourself and see if you are not the right path. Because God is on the right path, if you don’t feel Him, then you have deviated. Secondly, if you realise that you are on the right path but you are still not feeling His presence, then God is telling you that you need to move from your comfort zone and seek Him more. He wants you to build your faith more, study more, read more, pray more, fast more, praise and worship Him more, do more for Him. He wants you to move higher. 2012 promises a lot more. Climb higher! Keep the fire burning throughout the year! Never turn it off. When you see that it is going down, increase it!

DID YOU KNOW THAT TO STRUGGLE IN LIFE IS NOT BIBLICAL…under the glory of God?

I read Psalm 95 this morning and I came across something in the very last verse (vrs.11) when God said, “…so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.” God made this resolution when the people of Israel doubted God, asking questions even after He had brought them from Egypt where they had been in bondage for 400 years and over. They had seen His works; He divided the sea to made a dry land for them to pass through, He fed them everyday with manna and even when they got tired with quails (meat) but they still kept murmuring and complaining about everything. God was angry at them and so here in this scripture God said that He will not let them enter His rest. That was the turning point for those that had defied God and disobeyed and questioned His commandment.

The rest of God is a very essential element that everyone needs. I would show you why. When God in his wrath made this resolution or decree, the people it was said about never entered the promise land. They struggled for the rest of their lives, wandering the desert for 40 years (Psalm 95:10) until each and every one of them died then God’s chosen families, Joshua and Caleb and the others that held on to God’s word entered the Promised Land, Canaan. You can read Numbers 13 and 14 to see the whole account for yourself.

Have you asked yourself why sometimes people run around doing things but never succeed at anything? They never build lasting success. Others struggle so much and nothing materialises. Maybe you may be in this type of situation yourself. You strive and strive and strive with your all but there is no fruitfulness. Many times we talk about God’s grace given to us but here is the shocker, the grace of God is different from the glory of God. The grace is what keeps us alive. We go to bed and wake up every morning because of God’s grace. Our sins and petty misdeeds are pardoned by God because of His grace. Evil does not befall us; no accidents and even when they happen, delivers and preserves our life It is what keeps us going all the time. However the glory of God which is the same as the rest of God is the very presence of God surrounding a person. It is this (God’s) presence that causes or brings about unexplained or undeserved favour. His presence or His rest is what takes away the pressure, the stress and burden of every day life. It is this very presence that makes life seem smooth for us and even when we face problems, this same rest of God gives us strength to overcome. It causes us to smile, laugh, find joy always even in the darkest of tunnels. When the glory of God is lifted off a person then it means that the presence of God is no longer with that person and that is when we see that the person struggles and struggles to make succeed in education, family, marriage, business, networks, but achieves nothing. Sometimes the person would even go back to using the same principles that worked for them before but this time, it won’t work.

This is what happened to the Israelites who doubted and disobeyed God in Numbers 13 and 14; the glory of God was no longer with them. This is why when God said that He will not let them enter His rest, the people began to struggle, nothing was successful, they struggled with all their might but without that presence of God, they could do nothing worthwhile.

You see, you can have the grace of God and not be in God’s rest. You would have your life preserved. You will be pardoned and forgiven for your sins but without God’s rest or glory, life will seem like such as drag, a burden and impossible. Everything will seem like hard work that yields no fruit.

In Matthew 11: 28, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] AMP.

This is the same rest that Jesus talks about in the New Testament. When you are in the rest, glory or presence of God, burdens are taken away, and you receive new strength for everyday.

Sometimes we go chasing after education, money, fame, business, commerce, contacts, family, friends, sex, love and all the material and worldly things from Monday to Sunday and we don’t even give God a day to acknowledge Him. Even on Sundays we still chase after these worldly things and don’t even go to church to worship this same God who makes all things possible and then we go out there and struggle and struggle and struggle and the little we gain or save ends up leaving our hands and accounts quicker than we gathered them.

We assume that struggling is normal or mandatory with this life. It is not!

Jesus said that when we come to him, He will relieve us of our burdens. When we enter into God’s rest we find things going smooth and when we face difficulties, we receive strength to overcome them.

STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

Have you read Paul’s account in 2^nd Corinthians 12:1-10? His message on becoming strong through the weakness or trying times is an encouragement to every believer who is facing hard times with the death of a beloved one, an accident, an addiction, peer pressure, idolatry, sexual immorality, seduction, the list goes on.

Paul does not actually mention what his weakness was, but he called it a thorn in his flesh. This was something he asked the word so many times to take away from him but this is what the Lord rather told him,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 cor. 12:9).

Paul starts the chapter saying that he will not boast himself and he does not know what others may have heard of him, but he emphasizes that he will rather boast in his infirmities, his weakness, so that the power of God may rest upon him. (vrs 9b) Paul says that his infirmities or weakness are thorns that do not allow him to exalt himself above measure with all that he had accomplished.

When we think of Paul in the Bible, we all think of his great achievements for the gospel and all he went through. Sometimes we even may boast about his works but for Paul, he says he did not want to be exalted above measure because any time he felt it was by his own strength and that he could do it all by himself, that weakness he had, came to further show him that he could not do it all and that weakness made him draw far more closer to God for strength.

Today I do not know what you are going through that makes it seem like God is around or that He is intentionally punishing you. Maybe you have lost someone whom to you, may have been your all and you feel you can’t go on any longer. Believe me when I say that when God becomes you sole source of strength, you can move through those weaknesses, or trying times and gain strength. I am not saying it will be easy but there is God who can help you if you let Him.

Have you realised that many times when people go through a difficult time that is when they begin to call upon God more? Many times I have had this experience and still do, where my relationship with God is going very steady, you are praying, you are studying His word, you are winning souls, you are paying your tithe, you are daily communicating with God, etc and then the relationship starts breaking and you are moving further from God and you unconsciously think you are doing fine on your own but then you face a trying or difficult time, a challenge, a problem, a mountain, that you can’t go through, and that when you realise that you can’t do it on you own so you go back to God so that he helps you. What happened? The weakness I faced just like Paul made me rely solely on God’s grace that gave me strength in weakness. On the lighter side you can call it, a supernatural defence mechanism.

Maybe for you that weakness may be lying, stealing, treating others badly, the urge for sexual immorality –fornication, lust, pornography, adultery, smoking, drinking, an accident that you may or may not have gotten injured. It is anything that may want to ensnare you or actually does.

Sometimes our weaknesses could come in different forms and not just one. I am not saying that because our weakness or infirmities make us draw closer to God, you would commit adultery or fornicate for example and say that it will get you closer to God. No! I am saying that these weaknesses come when you don’t expect and the urge to do them may be too strong for and you may actually do them. But when you do, you feel this emptiness inside of you and that is what gets you closer to God because then you feel so disappointed, ashamed and empty that only God can help you to back on track. BUT be warned, if these weakness come and you don’t go to God to strengthen you, you will fall so fast and so quickly within a short time that you will feel you don’t need God anymore. GET BACK TO GOD.

Today, the message from Paul is that through you weaknesses, addictions, infirmities, sins, God’s gives you strength to go through them so that when they occur again, with God’s strength you will not succumb.

DID GOD REALLY SAY A MAN’S YEARS ARE 70 OR 80?

Most of us have heard have the scripture saying, ‘…a man’s years are 70 and if by reason of strength they are 80.’ I saw something different during my quiet time today that brought a whole new understanding of what that scripture actually meant and it might shock you but a man’s years are not 70 or 80. Yes you heard me. It is true. We’d realise that upon careful look at the scripture that is not what God actually says in Psalms 90. The chapter starts by telling us how the Christians had their dwelling place in God long before the worlds were formed. In the passage David was making a prayer to God, telling him that He had remained angry at God for a long time and that life seemed meaningless because to God a thousand years is like yesterday when it is past (vrs.4). David told God that because Israel had been consumed by God’s anger, and He was far away from them, the life of man seemed like a flower that springs up, flourishes and grows in the morning and by evening it is cut down and withers. David in his prayer was telling God to take His wrath away from them because life seems meaningless with God especially if His wrath is upon you. This is where David tells God that their lives are now but 70 and those who are strong enough live to about 80. Why? Because God had departed from his people because of their sins. (vrs. 7-10) and because of that the lives of the people are now filled with only labour and sorrow. Of course their labour ends up in nothingness that is why David prays to tell God to have compassion and mercy on their sins and let them rejoice all the days of their lives, so that the works of their hands will be established (vrs. 13-17).

When I saw this as I meditated on God’s word, I realised that a man living up to 70 or 80 years in sickness or weakness is not the original plan of God.

Many times this scripture has been taken out of context. God was angry at the Israelites for their sins and had departed from them. Because of this, their life was full of vanity, living seemed meaningless, their labour was also in vain and full of sorrow. We see the same thing in Genesis 6:3, where God Himself said that because of the sins in Noah’s days, He could not strive with man any longer and that man’s life will now be 120 years. Years of life was shortened due to man’s sins.

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord God shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.” Psalm 92:12-14 (NKJV)

When we abide in God, we live a full life rejoicing always in health and fulfilment of the life God has given us. It is not the will of God for a man to live and die at 70 or 80 years in sickness, or frailty but that even at that age man should remain yet strong and healthy, looking back on God’s goodness. This isn’t a superstition, or my own words. It is God’s own word. See it for yourself.

The choice is yours, you now know the way to long life, happiness and health or shortened life, weakness and frailty.

‘LOS DE ABAJO’ BY MARIANO AZUELA

General Background Information

The book was written by Mariano Azuela. He writes this fictional about the events that happened in the Mexican Revolution. Although fiction, he brings out the gory details of the war in this piece while making the reader aware of the situation during Mexico at the time. Mariano Azuela is said to have been disillusioned after the war progress and this is the main theme he brings about in the plot together with the effects of what the revolution did to Mexico. He portrays these themes through Demetrio Macias and his band of revolutionaries who go about fighting opposing forces as well as federal forces but they did not understand the ideals of the revolution or in better language, what the revolution sought to do. He and his men become involved in the war due to individual reasons and they go on destroying property and killing people at will. Towards the end of the book when they start to question why they are fighting, they did fighting for their lives in an ambush. Mariano Azuela sought to capture to reality on the ground in his book. The revolution had started out claiming to make things better for Mexico, but the battle between opposing forces who all wanted to rule made things rather worse for Mexico. What the people fought long for was not what they were getting. Disillusioned, many of them asked the question, “Why are we fighting?” the same question posed by Demetrio’s wife to which Demetrio has no answer.

ANALYSIS

THEMES OF ‘LOS DE ABAJO’

THE ABSURDITY OF THE REVOLUTION

The pioneers of the revolution claimed that they were going to make thing better but it rather gets worse. The revolution becomes a power-struggling conflict between personalities like ‘Pancho’ Villa, Venustiano Carranza, Victoriano Huerta and many others, as well as among their followers.
Everybody killing his fellow for the pleasure of it because there is no order and most importantly it is so absurd that the followers and soldiers themselves at the frontline didn’t understand what the war was about. When Demetrio is questioned by General Natera on which side he was on in the war. He stratched his head saying,

“Mire, a mi no me haga preguntas, que no soy escuelante… La gitanilla que traigo en el sombrero uste me la dio… Bueno, pos ya sabe que no mas me dice: Demetrio, haces esto y esto… ¡y se acabo el cuento!”

He even goes further to say that Villa? Carranza? Obregon? What is the difference? We see for a fact that the whole leader of the band of men who were going about killing people because of this revolution did not understand what it was about.

HYPOCRISY

In the book, we discover that almost everyone had a reason for being part of the war. Everyone was seeking their own selfish gain in the war underneath the blanket term of fighting to make things better. Some joined Demetrio’s army because they wanted to survive and being part of the army meant that your stomach was always full. It also meant that you had a share of the booty that was looted from individuals and houses. In book we come across a commander of an army who sits back and does nothing whiles his soldiers fights and later writes to his superiors about his ‘exploits in the war’ in order to get a promotion. Most people had their selfish reasons for joining the revolution. We see this hypocrisy so much in the character of Luis Cervantes, who is the only literate person among Demetrio. He is the one who gives them a little education about the war. He is initially seen as the only sane person in the group but only till we get to the last part of the book that we see that he had gathered enough booty and money, left Mexico while the war was on-going and went to school. After he completes and is out of money he writes to Venancio, another of Demetrio’s men to bring money so that they start a business and because he brought the idea, they would divide the profits equally. In the end we come to the conclusion that he was no interest in the war.

 

THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR

The effects of the war are seen throughout the book as Demetrio and his men takes the reader on their journey of the plundering towns, killing people and destroying property.

1. Death
2. Broken homes/ Marriages
3. Poverty & Economic instability
4. Loss of conscience/ Animalistic tendencies
5. Senseless destruction of lives and property

 

DISILLUSIONMENT

 

STYLES & TECHNIQUES USED BY AZUELA IN ‘LOS DE ABAJO’

Realism – it talks about real events that happened in Mexico as well as mentioning actual places that exist.

Division of the plot into three main parts and each of these parts are furthered divided into several chapters. In the 1^st part we see the ignorance of Demetrio and his men and why each of them were involved in the revolution. We see their excitement about the whole revolution. In the 2^nd part, we see the effects of the revolution as Demetrio and his men journey through the country. In the 3^rd and final part, these men begin questioning themselves as to why they joined the war at all. We see how disillusioned they have become and how they die as a result of this.

This plot is a tragedy

Flashback technique –this is more emphasized in the 3^rd part where they begin reflecting on why they joined the war at all and how people no longer welcomed them when they entered a town like they used to. This is also seen in the letter Luis Cervantes writes this letter. The story takes us a little back to what happened to some of Demetrio’s men in the war.

Sordid humour

Similes & Metaphors –eg. when Demetrio in the end of the 2^nd part likens the revolution to a volcano.

Symbolism – the hurricane and volcano used to symbolise the revolution.

Diction – he uses a lot of words about violence.