MAKEOVER DAD.
Abraham was 99 years old and passing through serious family crises that included his affair with Hagar, the Egyptian housemaid; while Sarah yet had no child. God appeared to him and said, “I’m Almighty God, walk before me and be blameless” [Genesis 17: 1ff]. I am El shaddai, the Strong and Breasted One, Strong Nourisher, Strength Giver, Satisfier, All Bountiful, the Supplier of the need of His people, the Fruitful one, Alpha and Omega, a Life Giver who has come to restore you and your wife as well as multiply you. God identified himself and called his name, to authenticate He is God; remove doubts as well as fakeness. Abraham must have been tired and worn out; grooming in the dark and blaming himself and other suspects. He must have tried so many things over 99 years and achieved nothing but failures. Shouldn’t you stop looking down and around but begin to look up to God? It’s time you try something or someone different, ME. God says I am here to help and fulfill my promises in you. I shall first and foremost cleanse you and then restore you. You must put off your old ways; they have not helped your past. Walk before me, walk in my presence, depend on me and trust me. I shall order your steps and be a lamp unto your feet. My presence shall go with you. It does not depend on your past mistakes, failures and delays or what you’ve gone or may be going through.
Blamelessness could mean to be perfect, righteous, blessed, fruitful and prosperous; being holy, sanctified, cleansed, promoted and uplifted. Perfection is God’s standard. God shall not lower his standard rather He will help us to attend perfection. Some Christian folks believe that God’s grace does not require much holiness and observance of the laws of God. But the reality is that God’s grace demands more righteousness and tougher holiness than the laws. For example: Murder under the law is physical but under grace it’s Spiritual: if you hate your brother, you’re a murderer. Fornication or adultery involves physical act under the law but under grace you already in default if you lust after a person in your mind even when the person is unaware of it. Idolatry is the worship of idol, vain materials and stubbornness under the law but under grace it’s spiritual: if you place or love anything in your heart the same or higher than God you’ve committed idolatry. When God is not your number one or you have an alternative and preference to God, then you’ve erred. If God could make Abraham find holiness, He would also help any Christian attend perfection through Christ Jesus. Abraham received the same gospel as we have today [Galatians 3:8; Romans 4]. The name of God is a Strong Tower. When God mentioned His name, it was to authenticate what He said. This credents, He holds clearly to give Him not only deserving glory but also pleasure. Little wonder, God warns in the 3rd commandment that His name should not to be use in vain.
Walking before God starts with sanctification that possibly follows true repentance. True repentance comes from honest confession that ushers in restoration [Acts 3:19]. There’s neither any vacuum nor mid-shift in Christian race. When you reject sin, you accept holiness; reject Satan and accept God in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Walking in the newness of life [Rom 6:4] is walking in the strength of your salvation and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, striving for perfection. Writing in ‘God can make a nobody somebody, Pastor Emma Omon says God is looking for the empty so He can fill him up. The problem has always been that many people are too strong for God to use. Many people are so full of themselves that there’s no place for God in their lives. If you are already full of yourself, how can you expect God to fill you? If you are already so strong in yourself, then you do not need God……….for by strength shall no man prevail [1 Sam 2:9].
God invited Abraham, an ordinary old man, who had made numerous mistakes, just like any human being to an extra ordinary life of newness, reawakening and renewal. He summons a man who was nobody full of hesitant Spirit [proud]; humble him to his knells and break him and remold him into somebody. God calls the weak, helpless and hopeless and make them strong and give them new lease of life. Walking before God turns the proud into humble; submit and surrender to God…….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up [James 4: 6, 7,10]. God called Abraham to a new beginning, a new dawn and a new life. All these years, periods and seasons, he has been attempting to walk in holiness and righteousness but failed. The reason is that only God calls those He wants for his purpose and pleasure. Again our self righteousness is like filthy racks and cannot satisfy God’s holiness. It was for this reason that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die as a lamb to satisfy God’s holiness and set mankind free from sin; pay the debt we owed and couldn’t pay. When we put our faith in Him, we are saved. This is God’s grace. Abraham believed [put faith] in God and was counted as righteousness.
God command Abraham to put off the old man and ways and put on the new man [new ways of life]. Drop the old ways of greed, covetousness, unforgiveness, and grudge; swallow his ego and pride. God says, Come onto me empty, naked and desiring. God delights in setting captive free, clothing the naked and filling the empty. No flesh shall glory in his presence – before Him, [1 Cor. 1:29]. We empty ourselves when we humble ourselves and submit to God. We must accept our weaknesses, failures, helplessness, and limitations. Go into the river of God’s grace and be washed, purged and cleansed. Through Sanctification we achieve God’s perfection and be worthy of his presence.
When we walk in God’s presence, we walk like a child before his father [parents]. We walk with confidence and are rest assuring without elements of doubts and fears. In his book, No More Crumbs, Pastor Pod Parsley opines that, “Fear could mean false evidence that appears real.” He added, “Fears spring from lies of the enemy and the world. Fear is a mirage from Satan, He attacks us with difficult circumstances that we feel in the natural, and we can never get through.” We must not be moved or controlled by what we see or feel but must respond to circumstances with faith. We must fix our eyes on Jesus and stand on the word of God [Isaiah 41:10ff]. Abraham did not stagger at God’s promises but held unto it with faith [Rom 4:20-21] even when there appear doubtful, unrealistic and unbelievable. Fear usual slides off our faith into doubt and disbelief. When Peter walked on the sea towards Jesus, initially his faith silenced fears and doubts until fear slides him into seeing the wind, the waves and thinking that walking on sea is unnatural, he sank. He took his eyes off the Lord Jesus who had made it possible for him to walk on the sea and put it on the circumstances he was passing through. Brethren, we should not doubt the word, put off our focus on Jesus – the Savior; listen to the lies of Satan and opinion of men. We should not look at the waves, strong winds and powerful storms. Guard what you hear and what passes through your thought system; only believe and speak words of faith, rooted in God’s word. Pod Parsley wrote, “Fears and faith are opposite; they cannot live in the same heart. One will destroy the other just as light will always outshine darkness”.
You have nothing to fear when you walk with the Lord Jesus and controlled by his Spirit. Our God is our protection, shield and salvation. There should be no feelings of intimidation or dreads. His Son, Jesus Christ has gone to prepare a place for us and by his Spirit [guardian, advocate, and counselor] is preparing us for the prepared place. His word is our boldness, assurance and confidence. His faithfulness and promises had never failed. For this God is our God and shall be for ever more. God has not given us the Spirit of fear but of power, of love and of sound mind [2 Tim1:7]. In God’s presence we are fully surrendered, lay ourselves opened. We are like clay in porter’s hand. He’s in control and does whatever pleases him. We may not understand his leading and the principles of his sovereignty, but we are called to trust Him for what ever he does is controlled by His unconditional love.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace on which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God [Rom 5:1-2]. Walk before me, God says I will make you blameless. Dwell no longer in your past looses, pains, failures and weaknesses as well as inabilities. This new chapter opens new life, new dimension and advancement. God is about to make a nobody somebody; an ordinary man he turns into extra ordinary person. He turns poverty into prosperity; a slave into free born, an alien into citizen and sinner into a saint. His presence brings new life, new hope and new direction as well as new inheritance. Remember every situation you find yourself is for a season [temporary]. Be steadfast and prepare for a change. It will not delay…….it’s coming ……its here. God says walk before me, I mean in my presence, depend on me and I will do the extraordinary.
Some Dads [parents] struggle helplessly to raise children who do not care about them afterwards. Some of these children are doing well in their various fields of endeavors but it never occurs to them that their dads deserve some care and makeover. Indeed, parents deserve make overs: some refurbishment and replenishment. They’ve toiled to raise us and we cannot afford to abandon them. Our births to our parents were no mistakes; they were for purposes and we must fulfill them. We need to appreciate that God put us in their way for a reason. God has a purpose for our lives in our respective families. We must honor our parents and take care of them in later years, so that it could be well with us and also enjoy good benefits. More importantly, our children shall do same to us.
Reach Evangelist Ogbonnaya Godswill at:weefreeministries@yahoo.com OR