Idol worship (2), By Femi Aribisala

If God is with us, why will we concern? 

Typically we pray to fulfil all righteousness. And after we’ve got prayed, we come again to our senses and have panic assaults.

A girl’s son was going again to the US from Nigeria. He had an American passport and a Nigerian passport concurrently.  He got here in along with his Nigerian passport, which meant that he didn’t get a Nigerian visa.  But when he tries to depart along with his Nigerian passport, they’d require him to indicate a visa for his vacation spot, the US.   

That meant he must present his American passport. However twin nationality had been suspended in Nigeria.  If he confirmed his American passport, they’d ask him how he bought into the nation with out a Nigerian visa. 

It was a “Catch 22” scenario. So, she took the matter to God and requested for assist. Then she went to the airport along with her son. However on getting there she had a panic assault. She began searching for different gods to assist her.  Maybe there may be any individual that she is aware of? Maybe if she talks properly to the immigration official? Maybe, maybe, maybe.   

However what does the phrase of God says?

“Be concerned for nothing, however in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made recognized to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds via Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

However this woman was anxious about every thing, and he or she had no peace. Lastly, the Holy Spirit spoke: “Did you not ask Me for assist?  So why are you continue to anxious?” 

Instantly, she stood there within the airport terminal apologising to the Holy Spirit. She had scarcely completed praying her apologies when somebody known as her title. 

“Professor Ogwu is that you simply?” 

She regarded as much as see this distinguished navy officer standing in entrance of her and smiling at her. 

“What are you doing right here?” he requested. 

“My son is travelling to the US.” 

“The place is he?” the person requested taking cost. 

He took cost so utterly that he ushered him previous immigration and actually on to the airplane. Downside solved.

When Pleasure informed her husband what had occurred, he was unimpressed. “It was only a coincidence,” he insisted. 

Coincidence my foot! God shouldn’t be a coincidental God.

Babalawo Possibility

At different instances, we’re so apprehensive we can not even pray. 

“Pastor, I’ve been so apprehensive, I’ve not been in a position to pray.”

It might be since you don’t consider in prayer anyway.  Possibly you solely pray to fulfil all righteousness.  In any other case, I fail to know why a person would refuse to wish when he’s in hassle.  It’s like falling off a cliff and hanging by a shrub and refusing to cry out for assist.  Possibly you might be satisfied that no assist would are available any case.  

 If there ever had been a time to wish, it’s in time of hassle. God says:

“Name upon Me within the day of hassle; I’ll ship you, and also you shall glorify Me.” (Psalms 50:15).

My brother had left the nation unannounced.  For years we didn’t know the place he was. However sooner or later my Aunty who’s a Christian got here with an exquisite suggestion. 

“I’m not saying that God shouldn’t be highly effective,” she stated, beginning on an apologetic and defensive word. “However what I’m saying is that generally we have to combine issues with our personal native and native abracadabra.” 

Her suggestion was that we must always go to the “babalawo” (the voodoo man or fortune teller), who would you’ll want to inform us precisely the place Bayo was.  Her logic was impeccable: God generally wants native assist.

However the message of the bible is with out ambiguity:

“Why are you looking for out the long run by consulting witches and mediums? Don’t hearken to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the dwelling discover out the long run from the useless? Why not ask your God?” (Isaiah 8:19).

A god who wants assist shouldn’t be God.  A god who wants assist doesn’t deserve our worship.  When man decides to assist God, he finally ends up with Ishmael and never with Isaac.  When man decides to assist God, he arrogates himself as God and generally finally ends up useless, like Uzzah, who tried to assist the ark from falling down.  When a person decides to assist God he’s prone to find yourself with a lorry-load of issues. 

That’s how folks get kids from the god of the river and begin consuming the bread of sorrows.  That’s how folks make offers with the satan, get wealthy fast and inside a short while the god of mammon receives them into his eternal habitations.

Man-made Gods

The bible says “casting down imaginations.” God shouldn’t be a God of our creativeness. We don’t serve an imaginary God. We serve a God who’s actual and who’s true. We must always not presume something about him. 

We can not know God by motive or pondering. His methods are usually not our methods; his ideas are usually not our ideas.  We are able to solely get to know God via the bible. The phrase of God says: “I’m the way in which the reality and the life, nobody can get to the Father besides by me.”

“You shall haven’t any different gods earlier than me.”  

However I believed there was just one God, so how can I’ve one other god when there is just one? 

Males are very inventive.  We’re specialists God-creators.  We desire to worship a God who’s created in our personal picture and likeness.  We desire a God of our personal creativeness.  We don’t have time to get to know the one true God.  In any case, the one true God is a “onerous man.” He isn’t the God we would like.

“Why don’t you want Me,” asks God?  “What did I do to drive you away?  What iniquity did you discover in Me that turned you towards Me?” (Jeremiah 2:5).

It wasn’t that we discovered iniquity in Him, however that He wouldn’t permit us to do the issues that we wish to do.  We would have liked to get away from Him, in order that we may stay our personal lives by our personal guidelines. We would have liked to get away from Him in order that we, and never He, might be the god of our lives.

When God lastly confirmed up within the individual of Jesus Christ, we didn’t like Him.  He got here unto His personal, His personal obtained Him not.

All our lives, we’ve got handled males they usually have disenchanted us.  We’ve got handled males, they usually have lied to our face. We’ve got handled males, they usually have betrayed us. We’ve got handled males, they usually have deceived us.

Many have even used God to deceive us.  Many use the title of God to defraud us.  Many swear by God after which stab us within the again.  So, relating to dealing straight with God, we change into hostages of our previous.  However we have to bear in mind one factor.  God shouldn’t be a person despite the fact that He turned man. 

“God shouldn’t be a person, that He ought to lie, nor a son of man, that He ought to change His thoughts. Does he converse after which not act? Does He promise and never fulfil?  (Numbers 23:19). 

Let God be true even when all males had been liars. Jesus can by no means fail us; He can by no means disappoint us.

Spirit of Concern

Worries. Anxieties. Issues. If God is with us, why will we concern? Why are we lonely? Why are we unhappy? Why are we anxious? Why are we troubled? If Jesus is within the boat, why ought to we be afraid of perishing? 

The reply is straightforward. We concern as a result of we don’t know Him. We concern as a result of we don’t actually consider in Him. However everlasting life is within the information of God. With out belief we can not please God.

Is God not sufficient?  God says don’t fear and we’re nonetheless apprehensive. Is there some other reassurance that we’d like?  If God can not reassure us and we hold our peace, then inform me who can?

Expensive God, I believed every thing can be easy crusing as a result of I’ve You. However issues had been getting worse and worse. “God, you deceived me,” cried Jeremiah. “You stated You’d defend me, so why am I right here on this dungeon?” 

John the Baptist experiences an analogous disaster of religion. “Are You actually the Messiah,” he requested Jesus.  Or ought to we search for one other?” If you’re actually the Messiah, why ought to I find yourself in jail for doing Your work?

“My case was totally different,” stated one among my parishioners. “I used to be a devoted servant. I actually waited for God. However He saved me ready eternally. I merely needed to do one thing earlier than it was too late.” 

I couldn’t however sympathise with the man. The issue with God is that He at all times takes too lengthy.  The place was He all this time? The place was He when all these issues had been piling up?  “I had informed God I may solely anticipate Him till eleven o’clock. After eleven o’clock, I had no alternative however to search for different choices.”

We’ve got different choices as a result of we’ve got different gods.  We’ve got gods as insurance coverage insurance policies.  We’ve got gods as fallback positions. Simply in case God fails to behave let me not be solely godless.  However God is rarely late with individuals who really put their belief in him. And he that believes by no means makes haste. (Isaiah 28:16).

Faribisala@yahoo.com; www.femiaribisala.com