WHAT MAKES GOD INVINCIBLE IN BATTLE

WHAT MAKES GOD INVINCIBLE IN BATTLE

Yes, God is the creator of all visible and invisible things

Certainly, He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent

Indeed, He is the only wise God

He is excellent in power, in judgment, and in justice

He is the Lord of hosts, the King of glory

He is the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!

Who dares to contend with the Almighty God?

Who dares to darken His counsel by words without knowledge?

Where were those people when He laid the foundations of the earth?

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor has taught Him?

Behold, the nations are a drop of a bucket in His sight

And are counted as the dust of the balance

All nations before Him are nothing and less than miniscule

They are counted to Him as less than nothing and vanity upon vanity

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations from the earth?

That He faints not, neither does He get weary nor slumbers nor sleeps

Truly, there is no searching of His understanding, power, love, majesty and wisdom

He gives power to the faint; and increases the strength of the weakling who waits upon Him

Yet God is never complacent nor careless for a second, at any time and in any situation

He always has His full armour on which enables Him to stand against all wiles of the devil

His full armour comprises truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, His spoken word and prayers

He commands His children to put on His full armour to enable them withstand all evil attacks.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                                                                 Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

And God created the heaven and the earth

He created them by and for Himself, without the help of humankind

Then He decided to create humankind to share His creation with humankind

So He created the first man and the first woman, and made them stewards over the earth

Adam and Eve disrespected and disappointed God

They rather chose to obey Satan instead of obeying Him

By their disobedience they surrendered the earth to the control of Satan

By their rebellion they permitted sin to dominate humankind and all creation on earth

God punished them and Satan

He also drove them from His presence because of their sinful nature

Yet God continued to love them and even covered their shame

Nevertheless, their descendants continued to rebel towards Him

He used all means to redeem and reconcile with them but to no avail

So God decided to sacrifice His life for these wicked, impudent and hard-hearted rebels

He came down from heaven to this earth to demonstrate His love to these stubborn rebels

They despised, mocked, maltreated, persecuted, rejected and crucified Him like a dog

He died but resurrected because death could not hold Him captive

He has still not given up on humankind, especially those who continue to reject Him

Even those who have reconciled with Him only a few of them truly and faithfully love Him

Is God not acting more than a foolish person?

Can’t He realize that His unconditional love has needlessly blinded Him?

What is humankind that He is so fruitlessly mindful of and not destroying swiftly?

He says even His foolishness is far better and higher than the best wisdom of humankind

He says even sinful humankind have compassion for their rebellious pets and children.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                                                       Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

MEEKNESS AND DIVINE DIRECTION

MEEKNESS AND DIVINE DIRECTION

“God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them” – Matthew 5:5 (NLT).

The greatest encounter or privilege a person can have on this earth is for that person to be led by God. This is because any person God leads is guaranteed of divine provisions, daily guidance, unfathomable peace, righteous lifestyle, comfort in the midst of difficulties, divine vindication and exaltation, long life, and divine exploits! However, God does not just lead anybody; He only leads the meek. “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his ways” – Psalm 25:9 (KJV). Moses and Jesus did great exploits while on this earth because of their meekness towards God by which He led them in all their ways.

This earth and the one to come belongs to God and He gives either of them to any person He wills – the meek. Matthew 5:5 expressly states that the meek shall inherit the earth. Meekness denotes gentleness, which “means to approach others (including one’s enemies) in a humble and caring spirit, not using force to get one’s way”.[1] It involves tolerance, forbearance, adaptability and more importantly, humility. Meekness thus generally denotes gentleness and humility. For Rev Dr Selwyn Hughes, “Humility is seeing ourselves from God’s point of view and having a right opinion of ourselves.” This means that humility is deep-rooted in both a correct view about God and that of ourselves in the light of His word.

Numbers 12:3 testifies about the meekness of Moses. This character trait of Moses paved way for God to communicate with him directly and plainly, beyond dreams and visions. Today, God mainly guides us through His word and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18, 22-33). Meekness is among the fruit of the Spirit. This means that we cannot exhibit meekness unless we allow the Holy Spirit to reside within us by surrendering our hearts to Jesus and God’s word (Matthew 11:28-29; John 6:63). We naturally exhibit meekness when the Holy Spirit takes deep roots in our hearts. Does He really live in your heart?

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

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[1] William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Zondervan 2006) 281.

WHAT PEOPLE DO FOR VOTES

WHAT PEOPLE DO FOR VOTES

Ama: Hello Kofi, how’re you and Zimbabwe?

Kofi: Hey! Ama, good to hear from you. You always make me feel for Ghana.

All’s not well here. Zimbabwe is still wrestling with hyperinflation, mass unemployment, and collapsing economy. I hear Grandpa Mugabe wants to introduce bond notes which some experts are predicting will worsen the current wounded economy. How’s Ghana?

Ama: Ghana is getting sweeter and sweeter.

Kofi: That’s good news, I better start packing then and head to Ghana.

Ama: Hmm! Kofi, it’s a good idea but no rush. Come home and contribute your quota to the ailing economy. All Ghanaians need to take special interest in how our nation is being run.

Kofi: I understand dumsor (power crisis) is gone and massive development is taking place.

Ama: Kofi don’t forget we are in an election year and all things are possible; people can even grow yams on trees and harvest them overnight. We’re good at fixing our developmental challenges when elections are approaching. But experts say dumsor is just hiding.

Kofi: How sweet is Ghana getting then? Is the situation better than the cries in Zimbabwe?

Ama: Many interesting fila Kofi. The election referee is being suffocated with legal suits due to how it is blowing its whistle; the major political clubs are promising to bring down the new earth and new heaven if they win the elections; the current head coach is promising to score better goals if he’s re-elected; and some chiefs have become political pulpits for unhealthy propaganda because of their stomach. Many of the electorates are being swindled with gifts like coffin, gas cylinders, coins, microwave roads, electoral prophecies and political humility.

You know something, Kofi, these political clubs are currently behaving as if they care so much about Ghana and the electorates. On the contrary, they just want their votes. Their real interest is in their political clubs and the true members of those clubs.

Kofi: Ama you know in the US, issues about sexual misconduct, sexting and email scandals are being exploited to court the electorates by the leaders of the two big clubs. These issues point to character and integrity of the big shots; their colourful manifestoes are not enough.  

Ama: We also need to pay attention to the issues of corruption, incompetence, mismanagement, desperate desire for power or retention of it, and abuse of power and incumbency. The ongoing Gospel messages from the political pulpits are not enough! Oh! sorry Kofi, you know, I am almost out on phone credit. I should end here.

Kofi: Sorry Ama, I understand. I have not been able to send you some money all this while, due to situations here, but I hope to remit money when possible.

 Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Wisdom Thoughts

 Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                                                      Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

FREE SALVATION; HIGH COMMITMENT

FREE SALVATION; HIGH COMMITMENT

Salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift of God to mankind

It is only through the grace of God that a person can be saved

Salvation is being saved from sin and its damning eternal consequences

It cannot be earned by even our best efforts or perfect deeds

Yet God’s free gift of salvation to all is costly

Accepting it calls for high commitment

Commitment to deny oneself and live a Christ-centred life

It calls for denying one’s self daily to follow Jesus

It involves presenting one’s body as a living sacrifice unto God

It is a sacrificial commitment that is holy, acceptable and reasonable unto God

Accepting God’s salvation through Jesus is two-fold

It involves repenting from one’s sins and receiving Jesus as one’s only Saviour and Lord

It also involves telling others about the salvation of God through Jesus

Accepting to follow Jesus is a commitment to share the Good News

The Good News that Jesus came to this world, suffered and died for our sins

That He resurrected on the third day after His death and lives forever

That Jesus is the only source of hope and eternal life to the world and its people

Sharing the Good News is a great commitment to Jesus and His kingdom

It requires seeking the kingdom of Jesus and its righteous first in everything we do

It is a commitment to choose and champion the cause of Jesus and His kingdom

The cause of Jesus relates to soul-winning, discipleship and spiritual multiplication

Have you received God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?

Are you championing the cause of Jesus and His kingdom?

Are you sharing the Good News with the unsaved people around you?

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                                                       Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

TRIBUTE IN HONOUR OF OSEI ASIBEY BONSU @ NAASEI

TRIBUTE IN HONOUR OF OSEI ASIBEY BONSU @ NAASEI

“I ... was thirsty and you gave me drink” – Matthew 25:35a (GNB).

Greatness is a product of service; a service that flows from a person’s God-given purpose. John the Baptist was the greatest among all persons borne by women because he fulfilled his God-given purpose as a forerunner of Jesus and pointed people to Him. From the perspective of the Bible, I consider Naasei as a great servant of God who served God’s people with his ordinary gifts in an extraordinary manner.

I saw Naasei for the first time in 2013 when I joined the Gracefields Chapels’ Prayer Ministry in Kumasi, Ghana. The last time I saw him was sometime in August 2015 when I was preparing to travel to the United Kingdom to further my studies. Although we never became close friends, aside being members of the same ministry, I observed him at a distance for his commitment towards God, His church and the people of God. Personally, Naasei among others assisted me to purchase some items from the Kumasi Central Market in relation to my intended travel. He sacrificed his time and financial resources to enable me acquire the items I needed. Since reading about his sudden departure to glory on 28^th September, 2016; I have been reflecting on his service to God and His people.

Naasei had a sense of humour with which he transmitted smiles to other people’s faces. He was always punctual to prayer meetings and usually attended such meetings on time. His punctuality and respect for time, was most expressive in his attendance to first service on Sundays. I occasionally took great admiration in his hiring of taxes to enable him attend first service with family on time. By these financial sacrifices, Naasei demonstrated his respect for God by coming to His presence on time with his family. Besides, he by his conduct pointed his family to God and taught them to value and honour His presence.

Naasei always came to prayer meetings with a number of sachet water primarily not for himself, but for all members of the ministry who were in need of them. Not only did these sachet water refreshed and quenched the thirst of the thirsty, they were also silent tokens that relaxed God’s people in His presence. I was one of the many such people who benefited from this continuous kindness of Naseei. This great attitude and heart of Naasei became more meaningful to me when I began to reflect on his good works upon reading about his sudden demise from the prayer ministry’s WhatsApp platform.

My deep reflections on the good works and great virtues of Naasei have convinced me about how Jesus highly esteems him. I believe Naasei is one of the righteous people Jesus on His Second Coming will gladly invite to His right hand with the following words:

Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was ... thirsty and you gave me a drink...I tell you, whenever you did this for one of these followers of mine, you did it for me! -  Matthew 25:35a, 40 (GNB).

Naasei, I salute you because you have been a great servant of God. Your exemplary life continues to echo the fact that greatness does not only subsist in serving humanity with our extraordinary God-given gifts, but also in serving people with our ordinary gifts in an extraordinary way. You have watered and refreshed God’s people in an extraordinary way. God will definitely water you in His bosom and in His presence in fulfilment of Proverbs 11:25. You will always be remembered for your good works, great virtues and silent legacy.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

                                       Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                        Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

“When we give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back” – Proverbs 19:17 (GNB).

It is said that “no person is too poor to give and no person is too rich to receive”— true! Everybody has a need and everybody has something to satisfy a particular need of another person, be it the rich or the poor. The need in question may be spiritual, physical, social or emotional. A rich person may need a godly or professional counsel from another person who may not be equally rich. We may also be able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked despite our limited personal and family finances. It is relatively easy to receive from others. On the other hand, we most often struggle to give to those who may need our assistance due to some negative human attitudes such as ingratitude, mismanagement of the gifts given, and abuse or mistreatment from persons we helped. Some people may also exploit the kindness of a particular giver. Nevertheless, giving becomes easier if we make Jesus the receiving object of our giving and accept the fact that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Matthew 25:31-44 is one of the most revealing Bible passages on the Second Coming of Jesus and the final judgment of all things. The passage highlights the importance of meeting the needs of other persons. It particularly links true righteousness to meeting the needs of strangers, prisoners, the hungry, the thirster, the naked, and the sick. “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me’” (vv. 34-35 (GNB)). The pronoun ‘I’, which appears three times in the foregoing scripture, refers to the ‘King’, who is Jesus. This means that Jesus appreciates and rewards every kindness we show to other people irrespective of their attitude. Therefore, do not get tired of doing good; Jesus has a reward for you in this life and in Heaven (Galatians 6:7-10). Giving is ultimately more beneficial to the giver. Therefore, do not give up on giving!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

                                       Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                      Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com