-THE VICTORY PRICE-

        -THE VICTORY PRICE-

The anticipation is high as the crowd stare to see what and how it would all go down. They have no idea of the minutes, hours, weeks and months of hard work that has been put into place before the eventful day.

They are lined up in a roll, waiting for the whistle to go off. The first step that determines the end, the sweat rushing down ones pores as you race over the track; the complete silence around you when the whistle does go off, as everything around you becomes a silhouette. You can’t hear the cheering of the crowd or your heart pounding in your chest box...It all becomes bleak

Everything goes dark for awhile as your only goal is to get to the finish line first. Every runner has his own strategy, its either you are slow at the beginning and gain pace as you progress or you are fast at the beginning and slow down as you reach the finish line. Whatever your plans maybe, the goal is to get to the finish line and win that victory price.

The book of revelations explains to us in a remarkable story how Jesus revealed things to John through an angel. John was at that time incarcerated just because he proclaimed the word of God and the truth revealed by Jesus the Messiah. He tells us how on the Lord’s Day the spirit took him and he heard a loud voice which sounded like a trumpet speaking behind him. Giving us a vivid description of Christ; a human being standing among seven gold lamp stands wearing a robe that reached His feet and a gold band around His chest. His hair was white as wool or snow, His eyes blazed like fire, His feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall.

He held seven stars in His right hand and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth...which symbolized something. He eventually told John what the seven lamp stand and the seven stars stood for: they symbolize the seven angels and the seven churches.

The victory price awaits those that persevere; holding up till they reach the finish line. Never giving up despite the challenges they might encounter during the race. The huddles and the strain, the inability to breathe normally and the competition they must conquer.

This is good news for those that may ask questions just like the disciple asked Jesus “what is in it for me”. The victory price is worth more than silver or gold, it sounds more promising than a medal or a trophy.

To Ephesus: He will give the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life that grows in the garden of God.

To Smyrna: They will not be hurt by the second death

To Pergamum: He will give the hidden manna and give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

To Thyatira: He will give the same authority that He received from His father. He will give them authority over nations to rule them with an iron rod and break them to pieces like clay pots. He will also give them a morning star

To Sardis: They will be clothed in white, He will not remove their names in the book of the living and in the presence of His father and of His angels He will declare openly that they belong to Him.

To Laodicea; he will give the right to sit beside him on His throne, just as he has been victorious and now sit by His Father on His throne.

To Philadelphia: They will be pillars in the temple of His God and they will never leave it. He will write the name of His God and the name of the city of His God, the new Jerusalem which will come down out of heaven from His God. He will also write on them His new name.

Let him that have hears, then, listen...Spread the word, shine the light, the victory price awaits.

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WHY???

WHY?

Its 5pm on Monday the 18^th of August 2014 and I just stare at a blank screen because I really don’t know what to write. There is so much to be written but the words are not just coming to my mind. The abduction of over 200 hundred girls in Chibok Nigeria is now over 100 days old and they haven’t been released, the outbreak of the Ebola virus is rocking the country and there is panic everywhere.

I sit and stare with nothing to write but with a lot of questions to ask, what is the role of a Christian at times like these? What can I do? In the midst of crisis the only way forward is to try and be calm,we need help.

There is chaos all around how do you know where to go? We need direction.

What content must you release out there? Is it that of fear or courage or simply just stay quiet and pretend that it’s not happening,we need understanding

I have thought deeply about what to write if I am ever going to talk about the insurgencies in the country, I have almost tried to avoid writing about it praying that it will just pass. Newsflash! It hasn't pass, it has even gotten worse.

The perfect example that comes to my mind is that of Jesus, He knew His time was near and He will soon be killed by the same people He came to die for. He knew what lay ahead of Him wasn't going to be pleasant, He knew He was going to be betrayed beaten, hung, nailed and left to die. He knew all these things but still persevered. The Lord’s Will was what was most important to him than anything else.

That was when it hit me; “the Lord’s will” is what is most important. In every situation, at all times, we must seek that His will be done.

If we do not know His will, His Spirit is there to guide us and align us to His exact will for our lives. That spirit is the help we need, the direction we deserve and the understanding we yearn for.

The Lord’s will for Jesus was for Him to come and die for our sins. Note that there was a purpose. No matter how hard this was for Jesus to bear, trust me, it got really tough. Jesus still maintained that God’s will is greater than His desires. So if the most unpleasant happens and it is the Lord’s will, then let it be. Easy for me to say right!

Was it fair that Jesus had to be stoned, hung, nailed and killed? No, it wasn't...But it was the Lord’s will for it to happen like that. Did his mother, his disciples and all believers at that time think it was pleasant for their saviour to be killed like an animal? No, I am sure they felt so bitter, they might have even asked God questions like “why did He allow something that gruesome happen to Christ” just like we ask questions like” why were those girls abducted” or “why has the Ebola virus come into the country” or “why can’t I have children” or “why am I so poor” or “why did my love one have to die”.

Well, I am not writing to give answers to the entire “why” questions. I am writing to point out the place of a Christian when the entire “why” questions pop up.

Eventually, if Christ had not died like an animal-stripped, betrayed, beaten, nailed and left to die. Our sins would not have been forgiven. There will be no one worthy to break the seal on the last day, no one fit to seat at the right hand of God the Father and solicit on our behalf as the high priest. We would have been lost to sin eternally, no forgiveness, no redemption. Nothing!

But that wasn't God’s will, God’s will was for us to be saved and if that meant releasing His only begotten son to come as a man and die like an animal. Then so be it!

Christians have to know that they must carry their cross if they intend to follow Christ, there are no promises of pleasantries, no assurance of perfection and no guarantee that their lives won’t go through trials and tribulation.

The good news is that God’s Will eventually gives an expected end. His thoughts for us are always that of good and not of evil. He knows what is best for us because He created us and formed us in His own image and likeness. He knows our future; He will never allow anything to happen that is not aligned with His will.

That is the place of a Christian at times like these, always asking that the Lord’s will be done in every situation. Always praying that the Holy Spirit be with us to help, direct and give us understanding.

At times like these we must be sensitive about the words that come out of our mouths.  If they are not words of hope, they shouldn't be spoken at all...

       Spread the word! Shine the light