IS GOD GOOD? (A Question And Answer Based Teaching) ( PART 3)

So we stopped at Question 9 yesterday. We were supposed to stop at 10 but 10 is a very delicate one. We move to question 10.

FOR PART ONE, CLICK HERE

FOR PART 2, CLICK HERE

QUESTION 10
 And on this I’ll ask from another angle. Satan disobeyed God, God is 100% good. So obviously the devil is the cause of all evil.Why did God let the devil live knowing he’ll keep perpetrating these evils. Why didn’t he get rid of him? Doesn’t that make God an accomplice to evil. 


You see this particular question 10, i used to think about it also.
Why did God let the devil live?
Why has he not just killed the devil so we can all love happily ever after?
Like why not just save us all the stress?Again, I will like us to go back to Creation.
Who created the devil?
How did he come to be?

Ezekiel 28 vs 12-15

 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God : "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
Ezekiel 28:12‭-‬15 ESV

Lucifer was created by God, just as man was and every other being.
He was also created to bring God pleasure.
Look at the details used in describing Lucifer in Ezekiel.
I'm certain God was pleased when He created Lucifer just as He was with man. The scripture says Lucifer was sheer perfection from the day of creation. Who would have thought that the devil was once perfect and pleasant to God?

But something happened.

Isaiah 14:12-15

 Lucifer was one of the cherubs beside God's throne.
that is how special he was. He was a highly rated Angel, an anointed one. The precious stone covering, I can't imagine how breathtaking his beauty would have been. It is even believed He was the head of the angelic choir

Head of the people singing sweet praises to God.
Telling of God's beauty with their words and physical appearance

 Let's read Isaiah 14:12-15

 Isaiah 14:12-15What a comedown this, O Babylon! Daystar! Son of Dawn! Flat on your face in the underworld mud, you, famous for flattening nations!
You said to yourself, "I'll climb to heaven. I'll set my throne over the stars of God. I'll run the assembly of angels that meets on sacred Mount Zaphon.
I'll climb to the top of the clouds. I'll take over as King of the Universe!"
But you didn't make it, did you? Instead of climbing up, you came down -  Down with the underground dead, down to the abyss of the Pit.

He wanted (wants) men to worship him. He wanted to be like the most high.
He rebelled against God

Then there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they were not strong enough. The dragon and its angels lost their place in heaven. It was thrown down out of heaven. (This giant dragon is that old snake, the one called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world into the wrong way.) The dragon and its angels were thrown to the earth.*
Revelation 12:7‭-‬9 ERV

A third of the angels in Heaven followed him.

Now that Lucifer who was created to give God pleasure is known as the devil.
And the angels that were expelled with him are called demons today

The devil was expelled to where?
Earth. So God did not create the devil, He created the person who became the devil.Lucifer became the devil, Satan (Which means the resister) out of Choice.
The angels had ability to choose also. Satan resisted God's ruler ship and right to be worshiped, he challenged it.

Satan answered the Lord, “But Job has a good reason to respect you. You always protect him, his family, and everything he has. You have blessed him and made him successful in everything he does. He is so wealthy that his herds and flocks are all over the country. But if you were to destroy everything he has, I promise you that he would curse you to your face.”*
Job 1: 9 ‭-‬11 ERV

The devil actually believed (believes) God is a manipulator. That humans serve Him because of the blessings He bribes them with. That God doesn't deserve to be obeyed.

 If you were God, will you reply with a show of force to someone that questioned you this way?
What kind of message will that be sending to The other angels? Will God not look like Hitler?

Response 1: God sent him packing, probably so he won't corrupt the other angels.

As a leader, if there's someone that constantly rejects my authority and influences others, causing discord, I'll send him packing with every means necessary. The devil wanted to be worshiped and He felt God wasn't deserving. We can see his stance from his conversation about Job and even with Jesus. And he pushed this agenda well enough for one third of the angels to align with him.

So if you were God in all of this, what will be your reaction?

Response 2:Sincerely, if I was God, I will respond in a way that others will learn from

Response 3: Well disloyalty is a deal breaker for me personally. So I think I’d do exactly what God did, except I’d permanently get rid of the enemy. _Still don’t know why God kept him alive tho_

I think God likes drama.

Response 4: Best thing is to banish such person and I won't hesitate before he corrupts other angels.


First,  GOD IS OMNISCIENT. No doubt or argument about this. God is ALL knowing

Now why did He create the devil in the first place and why did He still let him live after rebellion.

 God created angels and man for His pleasure. God created man with a will God created Angels with free will also. Will to choose between good and evil..God knows all the possible outcomes of our will. He knows what we will choose

God also knew the Angels were capable of choosing good (even though he knew what some of them will choose)

So I create Angel 1, Angel 2, Angel 3.

I create all of them with the ability to choose the right thing. I also know what each of them will most likely choose after I've given them free will

If I go back to not create Angel 2 because he wouldn't choose me. And leave only the angels that will choose me to stay alive. Is that not manipulation 101? True free will is allowing the truth to Happen. Here is a personal opinion I have. I think God also had hope somewhere than man and every one that has fallen would maybe choose right.

Because they actually had the power to choose right

God is not a manipulator.

He will not alter things away from a truth he can't face because it is hurting. And if Lucifer had not led the rebellion, another Angel would have. God wants a world filled with people that voluntarily choose to love him back. Not a world where he creates only those that will pick him. That will be like programming people to pick him

Like automated human beings and anger. Which brings us to God knowing *the end from the beginning. The end is the separation of those that have chosen evil from those that chose Christ. Christ's coming has been there all from the beginning. If God created angels  that had only the capacity to choose God then there is no choice. And he'd be lying about freewill

 God will never be a liar.  Another thing I want us to know Is, though God knew beforehand those who will rebel, He still feels hurt when this things happen. But because God is sovereign, He used all of these rebelious action to bring about His Holy plan. Salvation had been there from the beginning (because of the knowledge of choice outcome God has).

Salvation requires something to be saved from.

So God still found a way for us all. Do we all understand why God created man and angels knowing some of them will Rebel? So now we know why Man and Angels alike were created despite God knowing some will rebel. Why is God still allowing the devil to live?God killing the devil now does not end the curse of sin. Many  still choose to resist God's plan for man up till date just like Satan (the resister). Many still choose to rebel against God this day. The curse of sin is removed when we are permanently brought in His presence forever.

Remember God cannot behold iniquity. So when we finally join Him, only those that said no to Sin by choosing Christ will the curse be removed from. And every other person that chose sin will be destroyed alongside sin and the devil

I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”*
Revelation 21:3‭-‬4

God will not allow the devil to live longer than necessary. The influence of the enemy will also not remain. God has set a time to Destroy the devil and all that choose Him

Now, God is waiting for more people to make that right Choice (Christ)
 Know that there are conditions for paradise that is why Adam was sent from it in the first place. Those who make it are those who meet the conditions here on earth. There will be a legal case against Satan on that great day and God's right to rule will be vindicated. The devil's challenge of this right (and every other person that joined him) will be openly judged

And God in all of this will remain true, having disproved all that the enemy brought as accusation. God will remain True, truly deserving of our worship, of our own free will. A God and His people. Those whom He chose and those that Chose Him in return. We will all live as God intended from the beginning. No mosquitoes, Cancer, sin, fear, war. All we have is righteousness and our new glorious body. This time is coming, sooner than we think.

The end is here.

As cliche as this might sound, the end is actually here.  And everyone that chose to remain in the curse of sin by resisting Christ will join the devil. The end of the devil is here. “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons*.
Matthew 25:41 NLT

And here is something, I think God will still be hurt when casting the devil and everyone that chose to resist into this lake.

God created all things in love. All these things meaning so much to Him at that time.

But God would have to Destroy these things regardless cos He must stay true to His righteousness. I think I might give God a hug when this is done. Now we've answered the question of *Why the devil is still alive And why he was created in the first place.

Erhm...Has anyone ever thought, what if we get to paradise and someone else chooses to sin again. I used to think about this when I was growing up. Like what if somebody sins And everybody has to come back to earth and repeat cycle.  Let me answer this.

There will be no Sin.

First, Sin came in as a result of challenge of God's authority and ruler ship. The devil felt He should be worshiped. He deserved it more than God. Adam ate the fruit of the tree cos he was told he'd have knowledge more than God. All of the theories by the day of judgement would have been thoroughly debunked. As all men will see the vindication of God that He is truly God, worthy of praise, truthful, fair and righteous. Even those that will be thrown into the lake will agree with this at that time. And those in Heaven will also see that there is truly no place for argument concerning their initial stance

God will be true and this will be established by all people.Then there will be no need for rebellion since there is nothing to argue about again. Sin will be permanently purged from the world as those chose it are thrown in the lake of fire. The ones who have chosen Christ will have His life in them and live it fully in a new world. This life we will have will not be capable of sin
So sin is NEVER coming back

 End of teaching

IS GOD GOOD? (A Question And Answer Based Teaching) ( PART 2)

So we continue from where we stopped on Sunday.

for those that were offline, Topic is IS GOD GOOD? You can catch up on the FIRST PART CLICK HERE

Why all the evil in the world if He is good?

In relation to this topic, we are answering questions that bothers Christians.
Questions that atheists and unbelievers as but we don't know how to reply them. We stopped at Question 3 on Sunday. So we move to question 4 today

Question 4. 

Looking at these questions/discussions, makes me think about how when unbelievers or atheists say statements like "your all loving and powerful God let millions of children starve" or "your powerful God is not powerful enough to stop the killing", something along these lines basically.  And while I know and believe that God is loving and merciful and gracious and powerful, there's no sound reply to give.

I always wondered why plenty people died too. God is ALL powerful, why can't He just step in and stop all the killings. Why can He just come down and do something about the evil in the world.

Can't He see the pains and suffering in the world?

Sigh

I'm going to share a personal experience with us first as I go ahead to answer this question.

Sometime last year, i was walking on the road (to the market) and I suddenly saw myself in the midst of people Locked in a room.

Everyone in the room was in pains.

As I walked closer to each of them, I saw what was wrong with them and I FELT it. I felt their pains.
I walked up to the person having cancer and I could feel the pain of the cancer even more than they did. I quickly moved to the next person  but the pain from the previous was there.

I was crying.
I wanted to help all of them
I wanted their pains to stop
I felt the pain of everyone in the room

 I felt like dying. After a while, I started bleeding through my nose. I thought I was going to pass out. I wanted to stop feeling the pains of those people, it was too much for me.Then I saw Jesus (I think He had been there right at the time I entered the room)

He told me there were just a few people in the room and I only felt little of the pain each person is going through. He said: "I feel all of their pains, Even the ones not expressed fully. Even the ones hidden inside"

All of the pains of everyone in the world.Even the ones that haven't brought their burdens to Him to lift. I snapped out and realized I was already dropping tears in real life. This episode changed my intercessory life. It changed how I saw the world and the pain in it. It changed my reaction to people's pains. God truly cares for us. He mourns both the death of the righteous and unrighteous. He weeps over the lost souls. He suffers every pain, humiliation and violence as we do. We don't have a high priest who is out of touch with the current realities of this world.

He feels the pain even more than we do

Probably someone is thinking, So if He feels the pain, why can't He just come down and stop everything?

Let's go back to Creation.

Gen 1:26-28_*

Genesis  1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.*

Here is what God had in mind when He created man. He was creating gods. Men that will live forever. Men that had His image and likeness. He created man to have dominion. To have authority
To rule and have a mind of His own. After God created man, He gave instructions.
Simple instructions o


And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The day you eat of the tree, you shall die. Man knew the consequences of that choice. God Did not hide that from them. Man still knows the consequences of Making evil choices this day but man is still busy "manning" . Adam *Chose* to disobey God and here we are.
I used to think, sebi it is Adam that sinned, God should have just dealth with Adam alone.
But I've come to realize that Adam is a fair representation of us All, humanity. There is really no Ojoro in it.

If Adam whom God looked at as Good at creation (like God was so impressed), and was also placed in a perfect environment (No sickness, waking up 9-5 To work, everything was just enjoyment basically), If he could disobey such simple instruction then any of us could

God wanted a world where man could think for himself and have dominion. God's ideal world isn't one filled with Automated human beings doing God's will cos they've been built or programmed to do so. God wanted (wants) a world where we obey and trust Him.

He created man out of love. When He saw what He created He was in love with it. God wanted to love man and He wanted man to love him back but out of choice and not compulsion. God gave man the ability to choose. When God's love hits you, the only way you can respond is loving Him back.
And if man returned this love to God, Man would choose peace, love, Calmness, righteousness. But man chose otherwise and even now that there is a way (like God really still sent His son to help us live our choice), Man still keeps choosing otherwise: War, hatred, chaos, evil, rape etc.

GOD MOURNS OVER ALL THESE, BUT REMEMBER THEY ARE ALL MAN'S CHOICES. GOD WILL NEVER VIOLATE OUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE*

 Sadly, because of the choices man keeps making, there will be evil in the world until the day of the Lord. But do not be disturbed. He is coming soon to end all the sufferings in the world. Just as He waited 400 years before destroying Canaan (some  Canaanites came to know Him these period), God is waiting for men to choose rightly (Christ) also. While we wait for the very end And the glorious beginning, Remember Christ has given us power and all authority. Please shine your light
Speak to situations around you
Pray for the world.

If we die today due to the evil in the world, it is not a loss for us because we are in Christ. We are going home. Again, we have all power and authority given to us now.
Speak to situations.
Pray for believers and unbelievers
Pray for the world
 intercede on behalf of others.
God help us all.
Amen


QUESTION 5
Was Boko Haram made for his purpose as well?

It has been answered during the previous questions.
Boko Haram is an ideological group that believes in using violence to propagate their teachings.

I don't think God will have anything to do with such a group.God created man for his pleasure

Revelation  4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

But if man decides to stray away from that path, and decides to do evil, I don't think God has any hand in that. That's the Devil's.  Does this mean those who stray away from the original path are created for the devil's purpose
Nope.
The Devil filled the part made vacant by God's absence. Everything originally was created by and for God. Man created the organization and ideologies that formed Boko haram not God. But originally, the people in the organization were made for his good pleasure

Another thing..

Every man initially is born a sinner. His spirit had been corrupted via the sin of Adam. So the natural man has the propensity to do evil.

Jeremiah  17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

He being born again changes the spiritual genetic code from Adam to Christ.

Next question.

I will also leave this to us to answer .
Please if you are online and you have an idea, Just share.

QUESTION 6.

 God is not a liar, He is love, and God is Kind and I understand His love but how do I explain this to a child who asks me why God is not stopping the war His family was killed in since he has the power to stop it?

James  4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?  4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.*

The origin of wars and any type of conflict .There are barbers and hairstylists all over the world. Does that mean everybody has their hair done or cut? You have to go to the barber for him to attend to you. God created man with a will. God won't enforce his will on man. When man decides to act according to his selfish will and desires, there will always be consequences

QUESTION 7. So the laws Moses wrote as consequences for disobedience God did not give them?
.
Who gave the laws?

I think God did. He wrote them himself on the stones. The law was given by God.

8)   Was there Malaria in the garden of Eden? Or did God create mosquitoes after the original creation?

 If man could be chilling with lions and bears in the garden of Eden, then mosquito surely weren't harmful. There was not sickness in the garden of Eden. Or maybe they weren't there. Maybe they evolved from some of the other insects in the Garden. Scripture records creation of bug.

God spoke: “Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds.” And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24‭-‬25 MSG

IS GOD GOOD? (A Question And Answer Based Teaching) ( PART 1)

A lot of Christians find it very difficult to reconcile the old testament God to the one in the new testament. I mean, how can the God who comes off as angry, vindictive, ruthless, raining fire and brimstone be same with the loving, patient and forgiving new testament God.

How?

So many are confused as to what to believe.Same God?

Is there a consistency in personality?

Did God change along the line or with the coming of Christ. I believe every Christian has asked these questions at some point in their life (I have). In fact, I always knew God had to be the hero in all of these narrative  He just had to be good but I never knew how to explain it to myself talk more of others. A lot of people have also turned away from God because they couldn't come to an understanding of this. Today, we will be answering questions that have been asked regarding this. As time goes on, we will treat each point as a topic on its own gradually.

I will like to say this before we start,

*God is Good

*God is Love

*God Did not create evil

*God is not responsible for any evil/wickedness in the world

*God has no atom of wickedness in Him.

God Did not create evil. Remember, after creation God looked at ALL He created and they all looked good. He saw that they were good. Sin/evil could never have been hidden in all that goodness.Sin and all it brings came as a result of fallen creatures. God never intended for an evil world or one filled with sin, God wanted/wants man to be just like Him.

           For us to understand the full extent of Grace, we must be able to understand God's Holy Wrath against Sin and His (Righteous) judgement of those who engage in sin. A lot of what we term as God being evil is His Holy Wrath/Righteous judgement in display. All the questions we had during the week are questions about God's Character and understanding His person helps us to know why some things are;

God is just and holy.

Gods anger/wrath is righteous in nature

Gods anger is Holy distaste towards EVERYTHING that is contradictory to His nature; Holiness*

Romans 1:18 But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth.

Here we see what brings God's wrath, wrong doing. Wrong against what?Wrong against that which is Just? God's anger/Wrath is not bad,of course it looks bad to the sinner. But no, God's wrath is His love in action against Sin. I once read somewhere that God's wrath is a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil. If there is no judgement of evil, God would not be God. His Holy nature which is in contrast to Sin justifies His wrath towards sin and sinful men.God's nature and character has remained Constant from the old testament to the new. He is the same righteous God. His Holy anger will someday be unleashed upon the world.

Questions and answers

We have 12 main questions with some part  questions in them also.

Question 1

So I’ve heard bible teachers say God was not responsible for the evil in the Old Testament. E.g the children of Israel constantly being given into the hands of oppressors when they sinned against God.

My question is, did those who write the account of the Old Testament also misinterpret all the laws and punishments God wrote out, for those who walked in disobedience? 

If God isn’t evil, why ask people to stone,shoot,kill etc when they walk in disobedience?

 Answer

To start with, the bible is not the revelation of God, Jesus is.Of a truth, some people in the old testament had a flawed interpretation of the person of God and/or His actions (We will see some of them as we answer the remaining questions)

But I say to you, there is no Misinterpretation of laws/command of God.

All Scripture (though written by men who might not have a full understanding of God's nature) is God-breathed and useful for shaping our lives. Useful for our living.

Do you think God will ever allow an error be passed down as a tool for shaping lives? It took long before these manuscripts became the bible. It would have been destroyed. God would have destroyed everything.This brings us to the question *Killing of people when they walk in disobedience.

Will use the following examples.

 Laws of the land.

If you kill, you will be arrested and most likely the judge will sentence you to death if found guilty.

Is the Judge guilty of killing the man who disobeyed the laws of the land?

Is the judge evil for pronouncing or bringing to actualization the consequences of breaking that law?

Let's use the Student Illustrative.

You write an exam and fail. Most students will say, "the professor failed me" or "the professor gave me F o".But it's the student that failed to meet up to the standard used as a yardstick of judgement. So we can't blame the professor

Next is

The Law and its implications

The law came with consequences.The law is required for people to live right and not commit atrocities.Every body, country, organization has laws and rules governing them.

When people go against these laws and they are to pay the penalty, is it not the person that erred we blame? Do we blame the sitting president for the carrying out of this law? Do we call the judge evil?

NO.

There is a reason there are laws. Laws are there to actually protect citizens.these laws are for our own benefits.If we see cases where countries were destroyed in the bible, you will see mention of their atrocities.It is always because people did something that was against the law (based upon God's Holy nature).

 But when you take cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must kill everyone. You must completely destroy all the people—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Lord your God has commanded you to do this. So then they will not be able to teach you to sin against the Lord your God or to do any of the terrible things they do when they worship their gods.*

Deuteronomy 20:16‭-‬18

Destroy the people who sin so they will not also teach others to sin. Does it sound like our cry for rapists to be brought to be book so it can sound as a warning to Other rapists that they can't continue their evil ?

The Lord GOD says, “I don’t want evil people to die. I want them to change their lives so that they can live!  “Now, maybe good people might stop being good. They might change their lives and begin to do all the terrible things that evil people have done in the past. (The evil people changed, so they can live.) So if those good people change and become bad, God will not remember all the good things they did. He will remember that they turned against him and began to sin. So they will die because of their sin.  “You people might say, ‘The Lord isn’t fair!’ But listen, family of Israel. I am fair. You are the ones who are not fair!*

Ezekiel 18:23‭-‬25 ERV

God never intends for evil people to perish. He wants them to change their ways. Look at the Canaanites, God destroyed them.The plan to destroy them had always been there.But do you know God waited 400 years before?And so many Canaanite came to God within these period. For example Rahab. Rahab is even in the ancestral lineage of Jesus Christ

God gave the Canaanites enough time to change, to turn back before destroying them.More like before allowing them reap that which they sowed. The same is happening in the world today. Judgement is coming. Man has time to repent, to turn away from evil and turn to God

Some people will still blame God and call Him evil when judgement comes. And if we advocate for God to destroy immediately, Even you and I will not be standing.

 God is Just

          QUESTION 2

.

We know God is 100% good and if this is the case then these punishment laws and other events in the bible wasn't given by him.

On the contrary God is balanced. And though he is a good God he will punish where there is disobedience.

Biblical references

 The place where He asked for an evil Spirit to go deceive through the prophets Ahab, so he could go into battle and die there. 1 kings 22:22. Second instance is where the Bible records An evil spirit coming from God to torment Saul. 1 Samuel 16:14. Now the question is,was it actually God who sent this Spirits as the Bible says or there is another explanation please?

Answer

God did not send any evil Spirit to Saul.

Let's read 1 Samuel 16:14

The Lord’s Spirit left Saul. Then the Lord sent an evil spirit to Saul that caused him much trouble.*

1 Samuel 16:14 ERV

God's spirit occupied Saul's body initially. God later withdrew His spirit (We all know why) so Saul's body became empty. Saul had lost his spiritual protection. His body became open for any evil Spirit passing by to enter.

God's withdrawal of His spirit is an open invitation for whatsoever spirit to come in since the house is now empty. Since God knew His withdrawal of His spirit is proportional to open invitation for demons, it is easy to translate this to God sending the evil Spirit. But that's not His doing. He only packed His bag and left.So God did not send any evil Spirit. The evil Spirit entered because God's spirit wasn't there. This part is one of the flawed interpretations of God in the bible.

it was automatically assumed that God sent that spirit.

 Saul’s servants said to him, “An evil spirit from God is bothering you.*

1 Samuel 16:15 ERV

Saul's servant telling him it's an evil Spirit from God, did he even know God? This one is also not on God.

So in essence he let Hitler perpetrate evil? 

God created man for His pleasure. God created Hitler, Terrorists, good people and bad people, all for His pleasure. And they were none of these things at creation.

Man has a will,Man has choice.To choose who or what they give pleasure.

God is happy when we choose the right path but He is not responsible for whatever choice we make.

He can make the Choice turn out for good also.But that choice is still ours to make. God's permission of men's choices (Both good and evil, especially evil) does not in anyway translate to His approval of those choices. Adam chose to eat of the forbidden tree.

God could have done some magic and appeared to toss the fruit away but He did not.

Does this mean God approves of Adam's choice/decision to eat the fruit? NO

Back to Hitler and the Holocaust.

The blame for this is solely on the shoulders of sinful humanity.

The Holocaust was a pursuit of sinful choices made by men deep in sin against God whose nature is Holy/Just.

 Reading about the Holocaust is painful to be honest. What hurts me the most is this, Millions of people followed Hitler. And this was just few years after the World War 1. Do you know how devastating the first war was? How could people support Hitler and follow him to perpetrate such evil?

We want to blame God that didn't take part in the war. But what of the people that joined Hitler?The few people that still think He was on the right cause

Man's evil is never to be blamed on God.Man chose that path.And evil has consequences.

Consequences that sometimes hurt the innocent

 So the question should be:

Why did men let Hitler perpetrate such evil?

Why did people support Hitler? Because they chose evil,And this choice is not on God.

God bless you all

Let us pray

Thank you for your word Lord.

Thank you for clarity

Thank you for speaking to us

Dear Lord, All we want is to know you.

If there is anything we still do not understand fully, please reveal all to us.

As we continue during the week, help us answer these questions rightly and also understand them.

Amen

HEARING GOD

 Today, we will be talking about something very important : HEARING GOD

 There have been a lot of questions as regards this and we try to answer then bit by bit but today we will talk about it fully

 *Have you heard God speak before?

 *Have you felt it that God is asking you to do something before?

 *You hearing from God personally and God using others to speak to you,  which happens more often?

*Do you sometimes find it difficult to know if it's God speaking?

  One thing I've come to see about most Christians is this,  we talk to God always (more like talk at)  cos we usually don't expect a reply or wait for any.
Even if He gives one,  we are not certain if it's God speaking or it's just our mind.
I think every Christian has been here at a point In their life and so many of us are still there

I'm reminded of the altar erected by the Greeks in Acts 17, with the inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD"
A lot of us still relate with God this way

As if He were unknown
 One of the greatest benefits of the coming of Christ Is a relationship with God,  one where we get to rub minds together. Both parties sharing themselves with one another

 That image of the strict father that wants to send you to hell the minute you mess up,  first of all cancel it.

That's not what Christ came for.
He is the loving father that wants to gist with us,  wants us to know Him and even though He already knows us,  He still allows us to tell Him things about Him

He carefully pays attention while we talk with so much love and adoration.
And He expects same from us.

What Christ brought is Intimacy.

 But what is Intimacy when it's just one person talking every time?

For all our questions about hearing God,  it's never a case of God not speaking.  It is usually us not hearing (more like not listening)

 Game of thrones is showing every Monday from tomorrow.
  If I fail to tune in to watch,  does it mean the show is not going on?

 If I fail to tune in to Bond Fm's daily morning show,  does it mean the speaker did not come or did not speak?
No

God transmits,  He speaks.
The problem usually lies with the receiver.

Sometimes,  we go to God,  ask and ask and ask.  Then we end.

Praying without listening is like switching off your phone after calling for help.

The people you called for help,  how do they reach you?

Like AW Tozer will say: It is God's Nature to speak

 In hearing God,  We need to check the following things. If we do not understand them,  we might have a challenge hearing

•  Know that God speaks and that you can hear

The first step is knowing and accepting that you can hear from God.  If you do not believe that He can speak to you,  you will most likely not hear whatever He has to say to you.

John  16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 The Holy Spirit,  the seal of our relationship with the father,  our engagement ring,  When He comes (He is here already), His job will be to guide us into all truth.  He will tell all we need to know

All that the Father is saying.

It did not say The Spirit of God will speak to a select people

Everyone of us can hear

My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me.*
John 10:27 TPT

So first,  know and accept that you can hear God speak.  Don't doubt it.
Don't think it's just for some certain people or leaders in church.

• Understanding that hearing from God is not a luxury.

Now we know we can hear (from) God but we also should know that we NEED to hear God.

Because,  the Shepherd will always speak to guide the sheep, it is very important for the sheep to hear

 We don't just wait to stumble upon hearing God.

 Hearing God is a must for as many of us that call ourselves sons.

When you meet your partner or your friend and you talk to them,  do you think in your mind,  "maybe he will talk.  Maybe he will not talk?"

No,  you don't.

If you say something while you are talking on phone and the person on the other end says nothing,  you will be worried

 Are they okay?
Is this person ignoring me?
Is something wrong with the connection?

The same way we know we have to hear our friend's voice when we are gisting,  is the same way we know that we need to hear God.

Let's Read Romans 8:14

Romans  8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It says,  For as many as are led.
If we say we are children,  then there has to be a leading.
To lead is to direct,  to guide,  to show.
"Follow this path"

"We might not be able to follow that path again o,  the road is bad. we stop at that junction and turn left"

 "Let's wait for the car to pass before we cross"

 I don't know if we've had encounter with a tour guide before.

They are always speaking

 "You can't climb this part of the Olumo rock at so and so time"

"If you take that route,  you will get lost"

 And sometimes,  the tour guides even gist with us outside the instructions on what to do and what not to do

 The tour guides are not just there for decoration or so you have someone to gist with.
Usually,  it is to avoid mishaps

This is another reason why we NEED to hear God.  To avoid certain things happening to us.
To help us walk through this journey of life smoothly.
To tell us stop,  move,  wait,  hold on

 It is very important we know what God is saying about every situation in our lives.

Now you know that you can hear Him and you need to hear Him

Next is:

• Listen to God and expect to hear him.

 If you are expecting someone to speak, you wait for a minute and just listen to hear what they have to say

 Even when they don't speak immediately. As long as there's an expectation, you wait

Let's read Ecc 8:3a

Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence/sight

 God gave me a book late last year for 2019 (unpublished yet)  but I will be sharing from the book in this part.

One thing most Christians are yet to understand is sitting and waiting in prayer.
Prayer is communication,  a 2 way street

We are having a conversation.
Expecting the other to day something and listening to what they have to say is just as important as the part where we talk.

For most people, prayer is just talking. God is not dumb, He speaks (in so many ways). Imagine meeting with a friend and they go on and on about themselves, every time you try to say something they are still speaking. You wait for them to finish so you can speak but they pack their bags and leave the date as soon as they are done. If anyone does this to me, I won’t meet with them again. Sadly, we do this to God always. Always in a hurry to leave His presence.

 Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go, stand in front of me on the mountain. I, the Lord, will pass by you.” Then a very strong wind blew. The wind caused the mountains to break apart. It broke large rocks in front of the Lord. But that wind was not the Lord. After that wind, there was an earthquake. But that earthquake was not the Lord. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But that fire was not the Lord. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice.*
1 Kings 19:11‭-‬12 ERV

God told Elijah,  go to so so so place,  I will speak with you.

The same way God is telling us,  I want to speak with you.  I want you to listen
 Elijah gets there,  wind blew,  No God.
Earthquake,  No God.
Fire,  No God.
Before the still voice of God

 This brings us to one thing.

*Waiting to listen*

Don't be in a hurry to leave.

 Elijah could have left after the wind blew and nothing.
"Ah!  God I went there o,  but no show"

 A lot of us do not wait long enough to hear God most times.

We should never forget communication is both ways. Be open to listening to Him speak.  Cultivate the habit of listening (total silence in your mind, no activity whatsoever) and you will surely hear God. He could respond with a hug, a word of knowledge, scripture, peace, an assuring conviction or you could even hear Him loud and clear like He is sitting right in front of you.
Till you do, sit quietly, no matter how long it takes.

Also,  in our expectations to hear from God,  it shouldn't be for when we are in difficulty only

Does the tour guide speak only when you are in danger?  No.
He speaks even before you get there (of which,  he is the only one aware of where Danger lies,  that's why he is guiding you in the first place(

We should be willing to hear God on any and every thing.
Not just when there is trouble,  we are desperate or need something

God craves relationship

He wants to walk with us.

 And we benefit so much from hearing God.
It is not Him benefiting
We are saving ourselves from a whole lot of suffering,  troubled minds,  tribulations etc

And we are also building intimacy with Him.

Sometimes,  He is not telling us turn left or turn right.  He is just there reminding us we look beautiful today

 Same way,  the tour guide can randomly tell you your hair is nice or you have a lovely smile

 Sometimes,  He is reminding us of His love.
Of our identity in Him.
Or He is asking us to help someone else (probably by praying for them)

 He also reveals Himself to us in the place of hearing Him.

They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
Romans 1:19 NLT

 Now that we know why we need to hear and the things to have in mind

Let's move to the big question.

HOW DO WE HEAR FROM GOD?

 I once tweeted years ago that God is a speaking God and someone replied that He is not.  He already said all He has to say in the Scripture.

Truly,  the Scripture is very complete,  it is God breathed and our number one source of all we need to know.  It is also a check for whatever we hear from God.

 But there is a danger in assuming that God doesn't speak other than Scriptures.

We will not be paying attention to other ways He is using to speak with us

Imagine that I assume the only way I can communicate with my partner is written letters 😓

 What we do is limit ourselves and our hearing Him

 I remember hearing a testimony.

God told a certain pastor to go back and change his clothes,  to a blue shirt and a suit.

Someone in church asked this as a sign from God

The pastor didn't know why but He obeyed.
That someone in church has a very large ministry today.  Gave their life to Christ

Let's imagine the only way God can speak is the Scripture,  please where did they wear blue shirt and suit in the Bible,😂

 So first,  God speaks in so many ways and we will be learning about them tonight

1. THROUGH HIS WORD

The word of God is God. To hear from God,  we have to understand and know Him,  His character,  perspective,  how He does His things.
All these is made available in Scriptures.

 Sometimes,  you are going through something and you pick your Bible.  You are reading John 3:16.
You've known this verse all your life o but somehow you get a new revelation in relation to what God wants you to know at that point

 And you are wondering if this is the same verse you've been reading all along

And you are wondering if this is the same verse you've been reading all along

Don't know if we've experienced this

Are you sick?  God has a word for you in His word

Are you tired?  Same

Are you happy?  Same

The word of God is the most powerful book ever because it is God Himself

 You want to hear God speak?  Then hear what the word (which is God)  is saying.

 This is the easiest and most common,  everyday means of hearing God.
It is a must

You can't say you hear God and never through His word.
That's a big problem

 2. THROUGH OUR THOUGHTS

This is the part where people get confused.
"I'm not really sure which spirit is speaking o"

 "Maybe it's my mind or the Holy Spirit"

"Or I'm just over thinking things"

 This is where the place of our *inner witness* comes in.

The reason we tag it thoughts is because we are not so sure it's the Holy Spirit talking.

 Listening to our thoughts,  inner witness or conscience can be very tricky. I miss it sometimes too.
It takes a lot to be able to able to recognize this


Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking.*
Colossians 3:15 aERV

Let Christ's peace control your thoughts.

 If there is no peace in what you think you are hearing,  then safe to say you cancel

Another way to check is the written word.
If you are not sure it's God saying this through your thoughts,  take your Bible and check what God has already said

If you are still not sure,  ask God to speak more clearly.

I do this and it works

If I'm not certain about what I'm hearing God say.
I go back to Him and ask Him to speak more clearly in a way He cannot be misunderstood

If your teacher says something and you don't get it,  a simple "Excuse me ma,  please can you come again and probably break it down" does the magic

 Whenever you are in doubt,  ask God

           3. CONVICTIONS

Some people call this Sanctified desires.
Like you just know in your heart that you have to do xyz.  You just have that strong desire towards this.

We need to understand that there is only one spirit in us,  the Holy Spirit.
You can't have evil spirit and Holy Spirit at the same time

 So we need to learn to trust that He is leading.

 But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.
John 14:26 ERV

He will cause you to remember. That knowledge will just come.
You just know it

 But how do you know it's the Holy spirit that is talking?

The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do.*
Galatians 5:17 ERV

 The Spirit will never lead in the direction of the flesh

So trust it whenever you get that leading or conviction.

4. THROUGH THE SMALL INNER VOICE

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 KJV

Sometimes,  you hear a voice inside your head.
Like someone is speaking to you inside your head and only you can hear.
A lot of us should have experienced this?
That's the Holy Spirit.

5. THROUGH THE AUDIBLE VOICE

Very few people hear God this way.
You hear a voice in real life but you can't see this person and you know it is God. You are the only one hearing also


 Some Pastors I know of got their call this way.
It's okay if you don't hear this one.

Remember God speaks in diverse ways,  as long as you are hearing.

 Other ways God speaks to us

• Through Others
• Dreams,  Visions,  Prophecy and trance
•  Nature,  surroundings
• Circumstances

You can add ways you've heard God speak to you also

 To end the teaching.
The place of Obedience in hearing God

Obedience happens one step at a time.

I wanted to tell you everything I knew and give you all my knowledge, but you didn’t listen to my advice and teaching.
Proverbs 1:23 ERV

It doesn't stop at us listening.  Obeying opens us to hearing more and trusting more.

We show that we are His intimate friends when we obey him

You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you.*
John 15:14 TPT

 And this brings more intimacy,  more ability to hear clearly.

 If I talk to you and you never do what I say to you,  I will most likely lock up.

Continual Disobedience is us out rightly saying we don't rate God or whatever He has to say

 Staying in this phase affects our hearing

Now that you know that you can hear God,  please take out time to (in the place of prayer also) and obey all that He tells you.




◦

GOD'S LOVE

So my topic for today's teaching is going to be titled God's love

 I know this seems like a very "redundant" topic and some might say, obviously everyone knows God loves them, but we move still because every now and then we need to be reminded of the magnitude of God's love for us, how encompassing God's love for us is. Basically, I don't think I'll be talking much or doing much explaining but rather highlighting scriptures that talk about God's love for you and me.

Basically we'll start from the very basic but important John 3:16 which says that God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son for us so that we won't perish but we will have an everlasting life. I believe this transcends beyond the physical life but dwelling with him in heavenly places. When you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and has come so that we might be saved, you have eternal life.

Now, let's talk about His love for us in difficult times. Sometimes, it might feel like God is hiding or He’s not listening, but He is in the midst of the storm with you and I. He has not left your side and neither has he forsaken us. He’s holding your hand, hold on to him to be your peace in the midst of the storm. He’s crying WITH YOU over the heartbreak and difficult time you’re facing. I think that it's important to make conscious efforts to remind ourselves that He’s with us in whatever it is and that can be what gets us through today and everyday after that.

 Also, God never promises a perfect life. He does promise that He will be there every step of the way. God loves us and he knows our story and his plans for us are of good and not evil to give us an expected end.


Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!”
Hebrews 13:5 TPT

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

For hasn't he promised you that I will NEVER leave you and He won't loosen his grip on your life.

Just take note of this
Someone who does not love us will definitely not care so much about you to give you peace

A preacher said "God’s supply of grace will ALWAYS exceed our life’s demand for it.” His grace is enough for you and I and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Matthew  11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There is something about God’s power in the confession of our struggles. Vulnerability breeds honest community, and it is in that safe space that we receive healing. The secrets we keep create shame, we should  confess them to one another and to God and in that the power of shame is taken away and replaced with the power of our healing God.

Pastor Steven Furtick in one of his sermons explained that breakthrough comes at the point where everything seems darkest, when it seems like you're underground and you're covered. He used the illustration of a seed that has been planted by the farmer and stays underground for so long before it germinates and brings forth fruits. But the catch of this, is that the seed has everything it needs to survive underground. Everything, food, nutrition whatever it needs to bring forth fruit. And so do we, we have everything we need to survive at our darkest moments. Not only to survive but to thrive and grow and bring forth fruits. God loves us too much to leave us stranded.
 And on this note, I want to let us know that you are not an afterthought, you are part of a beautiful story, a part of His beautiful story. God knew you before you were born and has you in the palm of His hands and wants us to be happy and also grow too and know that growth is never easy or comfortable or what we want in some cases but it's what we need.

 Romans  8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.*

 For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers,

 39  Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With this Bible passage, I end it, reminding us that nothing can separate us from God's love. This topic is always quite personal to me and I can go on and on talking about God's Love because I know how just reminding myself of His love has gotten me through so much and how amazing it feels to know He loves me that much and how I feel so powerful and confident knowing that His love is here to stay regardless of anything. I also think everyone should feel that type of love and know that it is available to them without conditions really and we as humans very often need to be reminded of this love that God has for us. He sees the depth of our hearts and loves us the same.

And songs does wonders to remind us of this love so please and please listen to music that just reminds you of his love or how amazing He is really. I could always help with that.

I want us to whisper a prayer for everyone with a hurting heart on this group and our loved ones not on this group. May God heal them and meet them at the point where they need Him most. May they understand the magnitude and depth of His love for us and may they always walk in that love too.

Thank you Lord for your word and we thank you that the entrance of your word brings light and understanding and we pray that may your word resonate deeply with us and transform our lives. Amen.