Life on earth is a test (III)

BY ARCHBISHOP J.O.AKINFENWA

All correspondence to the editor, The Living Word, Ibadan Anglican Diocese, P. O. Box 3075 Mapo, Ibadan. For your prayer and counselling needs, visit or call these lines. Archbishop’s Palace, 3 Arigidi Street, Old Bodija Ibadan. Tel: 02- 8101400 or 8102298, GSM: 08039135983, 08060947795. E-mail mess-iah@Skannet.com.At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and then rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity.

First, you’; receive God’s affirmation: He’ll say, “Good job! Well done!” Next, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: “I will put you in charge of many things.” Then you will be honored with a celebration: “Come and share your Master’s happiness.”

Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. Jesus said, “If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealthy, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”(NLT) Luke 16:11"lf therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? KJV

This is a very important spiritual truth that most people are completely unaware of. God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life! How I manage my money (“worldly wealth”) determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings (“true riches”). Let me ask you: Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can God trust you with spiritual riches?

Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (NIV). Luke 12:48 “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” KJV Life is a test and a trust, and the more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.

All correspondence to the editor, The Living Word, Ibadan Anglican Diocese, P. O. Box 3075 Mapo, Ibadan. For your prayer and counselling needs, visit or call these lines. Archbishop ’s Palace, 3 Arigidi Street, Old Bodija Ibadan. Tel: 02- 8101400 or 8102298, GSM: 08039135983, 08060947795. E-mail mess-iah@Skannet.com.

Enter the promised land (I)

BY REV G.F. OYOR

lead the army of Israel into the Promised Land (Jos. 5: 13 15). What a great encouragement! But what do we see next? Joshua 6:1: Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

The fact on ground contrasted sharply to the divine encouragement that Joshua had just received. Yet Joshua was not too discouraged to listen to the word of the Lord. What happened next? The Lord gave Joshua the divine strategy for conquering Jericho.
Joshua 6:2-5 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

Notice that this strategy demanded some action at least from Joshua and his company. They were to march round the city once for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. When on obeying requisite divine instruction, the wall fell, they were to advance straight into Jericho.

Another question?
What if Joshua and his people folded their arms and did nothing? What if they said, “Let God do it all by Himself”? Would the wall have fallen? Would they have possessed Jericho?

We see a similar story in 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Three nations conspired together against Jehoshaphat. The enemies' credentials were intimidating, but Jehoshaphat had enough presence of mind to seek the help of God. God gave him a divine strategy through the word of prophecy (2 Chron 20: 14 17). As they obeyed, what happened?

2 Chronicles 20:22-30 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
(To be continued)

God-will-Do-it Christian Centre (GCC)
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