Posted by: pastorapbell | May 12, 2010

As we uncover the things that causes cover-ups

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12-13 NIV).

When we venture down the road of deception there are several steps that follow up from that. Firstly let me say that deception is a presentation of falsehood as reality. For Adam and Eve, eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil not only opened their eyes but opened up humanity to ravages of sin. God gave Adam and Eve options, just as we have options today. Obey me, he said or do your own thing. They chose to do their own thing and all of us apart from Jesus Christ ended up paying for it.

As we travel down this road the first thing we do is make excuses. When we believe a lie and are caught out the natural tendency, humanly speaking is to justify why we did what we did. Adam’s excuse was, he was afraid (v.10) because he was naked. He was never afraid before disobeying God, but now he is afraid. An acronym for Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. The half truth that he would be like God only brought fear to him and shame to his family. Fear causes us to exacerbate any situation and this is exactly what happened with Adam and all those who are disobedient. The initial deception of the serpent now is transferred to humanity in that they are now afraid of the glory of God and compound this by passing the buck. 

It wasn’t me Adam said, it was Eve, she was the one who disobeyed. It wasn’t me Eve said it was the serpent; he was the one who tricked me. The serpent could not respond to the charge for as we will find out later on in scripture he wanted to occupy the throne of God in heaven and was ejected to the earth where his remit is to cause disobedience and confusion among humanity.

Today is you are disobedient and stubborn with it remember that your deeds will catch up with you. For whatever you sow that you will also reap. So submit yourself to the truth of the gospel of Jesus and allow the light of the gospel to shine on the dark areas of your life so that everything that is covered up will be exposed to the light. 

Read Isaiah 14:3-21

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 11, 2010

As we examine the effects of lies and deception on the fate of humanity

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:2-4 NIV).

The first incidence of lying or making excuses for their actions we have recorded in scripture was that of Adam and Eve who told God I heard you walking in the garden but I was afraid because I  was naked so I hid (Gen 3:10).  Their act was not one of blatantly lying but it was a concoction of rebellion borne out of deception. Therein lies the problem for all of humanity, deception, half-truths and covering up are part and parcel of our psychological DNA. 

The problem with deception is that of hiding. Adam and Eve believed the serpent, swallowed the fruit of deception and ended up hiding from God. When we realise that we are wrong the default option is to hide. Rather than facing the problem, repenting and beginning the process of reconciliation we would rather hide. Along with the need to hide there is also the desire to cover up.  Adam did this by using fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Again we see that our attempts to cover our exposure are quite futile, and it was God who shed the blood of an animal to cover them properly (v.21).

From this account there are several things that we can learn as 21st century Christian.

  1. When we come to God remember that we have the propensity to fail.  However, when this happens, do not hide or cover it up because as Jesus told us “whatever is hidden will be exposed (Matthew 10:26).”
  2. Our attempt to cover our nakedness ourselves will still leave us partially exposed. It is only God who can completely cover us. This is achieved by the shedding of blood. God killed a goat or a lamb and used its skin to cover Adam and Eve; today we are covered by the blood that Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed on Calvary. And that blood has never lost its power.
  3. When we fall, do not be wrong and strong; come back to God by confessing the wrong done to a mature sensitive leader and go through the process of being restored. It is not God’s intention that any of us should perish but that we all should be saved from the wrath to come.

So today, do not cover up, fess up, lay it all on the altar and allow the blood of Jesus to cover all our sin and reconcile us back to God. Lies are contagious!

Read Genesis 3,  Matthew 10:26-33

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 10, 2010

As we understand the truth about truth

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him (John 18:36-38).

What is truth? This is the question Pilate asked Jesus when Jesus told him of his purpose for coming to the earth (John 18:38). And this is a perennial question that every human being asks when they are cognisant of their surroundings. What is truth and how can I appropriate it?

We live in a Post–Modern world where everything is relative. Before this, in the modern world, that which could not be proven by science was disregarded by humanity. So society was dictated by science and advances in science ceased to be called break-through since they were coming quick and fast. Our world has been transformed by technological and scientific development, yet the vast majority of humanity is still unsure of what truth is.

For us as Christians who put their trust and belief in the lordship of Jesus Christ, we believe that all truth is in the knowledge and understanding of Jesus. This knowledge does not come solely by study and reflection but by having a living personal relationship with Jesus who is God incarnate. So the truth about life and the purpose for which we are born becomes apparent when the truth about Jesus is revealed to our spirit.

Early in his discourse Jesus told his followers that he is the way the truth and the life (John 14:5).  Truth is defined as facts that can be verified, but we know that faith in Jesus can only be verified when he is revealed to us and we receive the revelation by faith.

Jesus is the word made flesh who brought the truth of God to humanity and conquered the lies of satan whose remit is to bring death and destruction to all who are deceived by him.

Today put your faith in Jesus for he is the only truth in this world of relativity. His truth is eternal and not temporal. And he is the only way to get to God the father.

Read John 1828-40; 14:1-18.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 9, 2010

As we speak the truth in love

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV).

From our previous conversations we notice that James highlights the difficulty we all have in trying to tame the tongue. As one of the smallest members of the body, the tongue is totally uncontrollable by any outside agency and must be brought under control by the individual who owns it. If this does not occur then we get into situations which become damaging to the individual and also to those with whom the individual associates. This is exactly what happened to the people Moses led out of captivity on route to the Promised Land.  Those who did not understand the vision for what the Lord had planned or failed to seek God for clarification, complained, moaned and rebelled against Moses and ultimately God. 

They did this with their tongues and God punished them so that in the end when they eventually entered the Promised Land forty years later, only two people, Joshua & Caleb, out of an estimated 600, 000 crossed over.

Today we need to speak the truth in love to each other and when we hear it modify our behaviour to get in line with what God is doing. If we fail to do this we will develop the Marasmas syndrome and fail to grow and develop as a man or woman of God. The enemy is cunning and crafty and will try to breach any gap that he sees in the walls to come in and cause confusion. Speaking the truth will flush out the enemy, as those who speak with ‘forked tongues’ will be found out.

Truths are words that align with God’s word, the bible. Speaking the truth in love brings restoration and reconciliation, this is what God requires from us and this is what will cause us to grow.

Truth is Jesus, the word. Lies are from Satan the devil. Avoid the dangers of lying and embrace the love of and for the truth.

Read Ephesians 4:1 to 5:3

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 8, 2010

As we recognise that what we say will affect how we operate and what we become in the spirit

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14 NIV).

The Christian faith is a confessional faith and requires that all who become Christians must do so by verbalising the faith that came to them by hearing the word of the Lord (Rom 10:13). The confession of our faith then becomes a part of how we live our lives. As we develop and become mature in our faith we must understand that the words we speak are indeed powerful and life changing.

Reflecting on the writings of the psalmist we recognise that when we speak, after we have thought about what we will say, can be creative or destructive. It is imperative that we think and reflect before we speak.

What we confess with our mouths and declare will affect us now and also in the future. We cannot see our words but we can see the effects of it. Prayers are declaration from US to God. The scriptures are God’s declaration to us.

This is not an advocating of the word of faith movement or of the name it and claim it movement. This is advocating the process of reflective practices where the believer meditates and reflects before they utter words.

So today become a reflective practitioner and taste your words before you utter them. Words spoken have an effect in the ‘spirit realm’ and change those things that are unseen so that they become seen.

 Read Psalm 19:13-14.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 7, 2010

As we reflect on the virtue of personal and national confession

Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the People of Israel gathered for a fast, wearing burlap and faces smudged with dirt as signs of repentance. The Israelites broke off all relations with foreigners, stood up, and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their parents. While they stood there in their places, they read from the Book of The Revelation of God, their God, for a quarter of the day. For another quarter of the day they confessed and worshiped their God. Blessed be your glorious name,
   exalted above all blessing and praise! You’re the one,
   God, you alone; You made the heavens,
   the heavens of heavens, and all angels; The earth and everything on it,
   the seas and everything in them; You keep them all alive;
   heaven’s angels worship you! (Nehemiah 9:1-3, 5-6 NIV).

The act of repentance is central to the Christian faith and it is through confession with our mouths that salvation is received and the process of restoration begun. From our text we see that Ezra gathered the people together and confessed on their behalf. Before the confession started all the people went on fasting putting on sackcloth on their backs and ashes on their heads to remind us of the seriousness of their intent to be restored. This reminded the people that our righteousness will never compare to that of God and that the ashes were acknowledgement that the repentance was real, i.e. people had burned all the things that they had placed before God.

After the process of repentance and confession was complete, the people were led into a time of worship and exultation. Worship is a vital ingredient in getting your spirit to accept what you have said with your mouth.

Today learn to confess, repent and rejoice. God is still God and will always be God.

Read Nehemiah 9 & Romans 10

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 6, 2010

As we reverse the ‘loss of fat stores’ that also causes the Marasmas syndrome

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Philippians 4:12NIV). 

The majority of stored fat on the human body is present under the skin, or as subcutaneous body fat. This fat tissue is made up of fat cells. A human being can have anywhere between 50 – 200 billion fat cells distributed around the body.  When the body uses stored fat for energy, it breaks down the contents of the fat cell via enzymes to release glycerol and fatty acids into the blood. As the circulating fatty acids reach muscle cells that require extra energy, they are transported across the membrane and into the muscle cell. They extract energy from fat and carbohydrates to produce the cell’s usable form of energy.

If the fat stores are depleted, then the amount of energy produced will fall and the individual will become lethargic and immobile and hence develop the Marasmas syndrome.

As we grow older the amount of fat cells do not increase, however the amount of fat we store under the skin does. To avert the depletion of fat stores we need to have a healthy diet. Eating fatty foods such as chips and burgers coupled with lack of exercise will bring imbalance to the body and put extra pressure on the heart.

Like the apostle Paul we must learn how be content with much or little. Loosing fat is not the problem it is losing the ability to retain fat hat can be converted into energy that causes problems. So today don’t lose the stores, lose the fat!

I would like to see everyone develop to be who the Lord has called them to be, so today to avoid Growth retardation, Muscle wasting, Impaired immunity, Lethargy, Vomiting, Delayed wound healing and Loss of fat stores and become both spiritually and physically disciplined.

MARASMAS babies never develop properly and therefore never fulfil their potential and become very needy all their lives.

Read Philippians 4:8-23

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 5, 2010

As we deal with the symptoms of delayed wound healing which is part of the Marasmas syndrome

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle (Proverbs 18:19 KJV)

We all become soldiers when we enlist in God’s family and we are in a battle. This is an important fact that every Christian must come to terms with. If we don’t, we will inevitably be wounded often and will eventually be killed. This is why we are instructed to put on the whole armour of God to avert the fiery darts of the enemy (Eph 6:16), and these darts are only stopped by the shield of faith.   

When we are wounded it is imperative that we are treated immediately and the wound is not left to fester. If left untreated, the individual can develop further complications and other diseases. For example, you break your arm: if the bone is not set and put in position quickly after the break, then that arm will not heal properly or it will heal but will be permanently deformed because it was put back in its rightful place.

There are many Christian soldiers among us with wounds that are still raw. And because the wounds have not been allowed to be healed, anyone who touches that wound is likely to receive the full brunt and the venom of the latent hurt. It is as though the wound was just received.

So how do we deal with the wounds that are still raw? 1. We need to identify the wound and remove the puss (the dead stuff) from it, don’t put a plaster over it as it will soon start to weep and manifest itself through the temporary covering.  2. Speak to someone about the wound, preferable a medic. Our medics are our pastors and leaders; they will instruct you how to deal with the wound to get it healed. 3. Apply the prescribed medicine and complete the course of treatment. Sometimes we stop the treatment once it starts to work and abort the healing process before it is complete.

Today, submit yourself to your leaders so that the wounded areas of your life can be healed and you can be fully restored to where God intended you to be.

Read Ephesians 6: 10-18 and put on the whole armour in humility.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 4, 2010

As we change our diet to overcome the effects of vomiting that causes us to become Marasmas babies

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35 TNIV). 

Vomiting is a violent act in which the stomach has to overcome the pressures that are normally in place to keep food and secretions within it. The stomach almost turns itself inside out – forcing itself into the lower portion of the oesophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) during a vomiting episode. It is often caused by an offending agent which irritates the lining of the stomach. When this occur the brain senses the imbalance caused and tells the stomach to eject the offending object. If this continues on a regular basis the body will never get the nutrients that will cause it to grow efficiently.

On a spiritual perspective, after feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish Jesus reminds his followers that he is indeed the true bread of heaven as opposed to the bread that fed the Israelites in the wilderness. The onus on us is to eat the body of Jesus, the word, on a regular basis. If we use our traditions and cultural specific to feed our spirits we can develop spiritual anorexia nervosa and or bulimia which will ensure that the ‘spiritual man’ never grows properly.

So today develop a healthy appetite by first drinking the milk of the word (1Peter 2) and then graduate to solid food so that we develop into a healthy body, the body of Christ.

Read 1 Corinthians 1

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Posted by: pastorapbell | May 3, 2010

As we overcome the symptom of lethargy that leads to the Marasmas Syndrome

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
       they will never be silent day or night.
       You who call on the LORD,
       give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
       and makes her the praise of the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7 TNIV).

Lethargy can be defined as a state of comatose torpor as found in sleeping sickness. It is also a state of abnormal drowsiness and stupor. The individual who suffers from this condition is always slow and appears to be tired or about to fall asleep. If you develop this syndrome then anyone and anything can come where you are and invade your territory. To avert this condition we are called to exercise daily, develop a routine and be persistent so that we are aware when the deceiver tries to come in like a flood and can fight.

When the walls around a city were secure the commanding officers would place guards on them to look out for possible enemies. In England We have CCTV cameras placed in every nook and cranny of our cities to keep them safe. These watchmen were a vital part of security of the city. If these watchmen fell asleep on the wall then the enemy could sneak in unawares and infiltrate the army.

Our watchmen are the intercessors in the church. If the intercessors become lethargic and sleepy, then the enemy will come in and cause confusion. When we are disciplined and alert we will see the enemy coming sound the alert and allow the commanding officers to avert the invasion.

Today set up a regime that exercises your ‘spiritual man’. Get up early pray and read the scripture, by doing this you are putting on your armour; ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes to see the tricks of the enemy.

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

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