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THE TWO GREAT SECRETS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM (1) SECRET OF OVERCOMING PROBLEMS CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION PROBLEMS IN OUR PRESENT WORLD We live at a time when life is increasingly becoming complicated and in reality God has made us plain and simple but we have made ourselves difficult and complicated. “This only have I found: God created humankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes." (Ecclesiastes 7:29). The cost of living is increasing in a geometric manner every passing day without any corresponding increase in income. It is not a testimony of exaggeration to say that many people have been reduced to scavengers and living in abject poverty. Almost everything is becoming out of reach of people – housing, feeding, clothing and what have you. Because of problems; people are becoming more and more ungodly. They now use what they have to get what they want (a life of prostitution) and since they can no longer beat them, they have decided to join them. "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,” ( Exodus 23:2 ). They are negatively making ‘reasonable’ adjustments. Adjustments are good but they should be positively and bearing in mind that you are a child of God. So you need patience, endurance, prayer, faith, hard work and godliness to make such adjustments. We are daily faced with numerous pressures that confront us today. Troubles they say come in pairs and quick succession that it seems difficult to overcome. There are all sorts of difficulties in marriage, crisis in the family, conflicts at work, uncertainty about the future, financial pressure and sickness. We must however be realistic about the trials and troubles of life. They must come, nobody is immune from them, but when they confront us, we can be assured that, “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicle 20:15b). Ralph Martins (one of the founders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal) said that: ‘All of us will face great difficulties in this life. What a difference it makes to face these difficulties with faith in the son of God, who gave himself for us and who lives us.’ (New Covenant Magazine, November 1993). Paul tell us, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Elisabeth Eliot said, ‘Suffering is an irreplaceable medium by which we learn indispensable lessons. My definition of suffering covers all sort of troubles from traffic jams to tumour, to tombs; having what you don’t want, wanting what you don’t have. I see it as a necessary part of the sovereign and loving purpose of God, even as a gift to be received, then offered back as a sacrifice, capable of being turned into something beautiful.’ And that is quite true. You want good health, but you have ill health. You want a child but you are childless. You want employment, you are unemployed. You want people to say kind words about you, but they are saying cruel words about you and thereby assassinating your character. You want a life partner, buy you are still unmarried. You want success, but you have failure. You want peace, harmony and faithfulness in your family, buy what you have is chaos, mutual suspicion and unfaithfulness. For many today, life is hopeless and the future seems uncertain. There are many unanswered questions in their minds. Where are we heading to? Who can rescue us? Does God really exist? Why are there so many evils today? These are just a few of such questions. Perhaps, you are one of these people. Is your effort in life filled with much disappointment? Are you losing courage and growing weary? Are you friendless? For those who are struggling with numerous problems, I want to assure you that you will get out of them. One of the great secrets of living in victory is – ‘look at your problem through God and don’t try to look at God through your problem.’ If you get this the other way round, then all that you see is a giant of a problem and a very small God. But when you are looking at your problem focused on God first, you see His glory, His majesty, His faithfulness and His power. Your power is then brought into perspective, as you see it for the true size it is. It is always darkest before dawn. Therefore, brace up. Things will not always end on a bitter note. A new day will dawn; a new era will begin in your life. Recall the reply the Lord gave to the message of the sisters of Lazarus. Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha was critically ill. Mary was the one that poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord the one you love is sick.” (John 11:3). When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end up in death. No it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4). I am telling you by the Spirit of the living God that your present problems will not end in death. God’s name will be exalted through them. Jesus specialises in doing mysterious things beyond human comprehension and imagination; and contrary to modern day science. One of the most basic of spiritual facts in both time and space is: that 'Nothing is impossible with God.' Problems which appear insoluble to us, Jehovah the God of Israel can easily set right - if He so chooses. The difficulty is that we humans lack the knowledge, faith and wisdom to accept this fundamental fact. He will do it in your life and people will be amazed and ask, “What kind of a man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41, Luke 8:25, Matthew 8:27). No wonder the psalmist says, “The Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23). You night of sorrow and sighing will break into a morning of joy and happiness. Do you know that your future is silver-lined? Pick up your telescope; look into it and ahead with the eyes of faith to see the wondrous things kept for you in God’s treasury. There is this popular song translated into English by Stuart K. Hine. Title: O Lord My God, When I In Awesome Wonder O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed: (Chorus:) Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: (Chorus) And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin: (Chorus) When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou One of the best passages of the scripture that enables us to focus on God’s greatness was written by the prophet Isaiah. He said, “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’” (Isaiah 9:6). Focusing upon God as the, ‘ Wonderful Counsellor,’ directs us to the truth that he alone has the answer to our problem. Seeing Him as the ‘ Mighty God’, reminds us that he is not some one merely of talk, but of supernatural ability. It is His miraculous power that is able to change what seems to unchangeable. In dwelling upon His nature as the ‘ Everlasting Father’, we are encouraged that he hasn’t just got an answer to our problem, nor merely power to bring the miracle we need. As our Father He has concern, and the willingness to timely respond to our cry. Then as the ‘ Prince of Peace’, we’re assured that the one who was able to still the raging storm with just a word of command, is also able to bring peace to the storms in our emotions and thoughts. Let it be known to you that, man’s extremities are God’s opportunity. There is no impossibility with God. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how long the problems have lingered; God who did it for both Abraham and Sarah in their old age will do it for your. And you will sing assuredly this beautiful chorus: Abraham’s blessings are mine (2x) I am blessed in the morning I am blessed in the evening Abraham’s blessings are mine Because we serve a God, “That changeth not” (Malachi 3:6) and he has the power to do again and again all that he did many years back since, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Remember God has a good thought towards you for the scriptures say, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). He takes “Pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.” (Psalm 35:17). He says, “In blessing I will bless thee; and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed…” (Genesis 22:17). Do you think that God is so preoccupied with too many activities that he has no time for you? “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15). For this is what the LORD almighty says: “… for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eyes.” (Zechariah 2:8). God cannot lie and he is consistent in all his ways “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.” (Hebrews 6:18). “A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,” (Titus 1:2). “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil? (Numbers 23:19). So what is it that you want in life? Promotion, Provision, Protection, Prosperity, Procreation and Presence of God? Listen to what the bible says in Psalm 121:1-8 A song of ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— 2 My help comes from the LORD, 3 He will not let your foot slip— 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel 5 The LORD watches over you— 6 the sun will not harm you by day, 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going I want you to know that times of crises are not moments of crying, despairing and discouragement like people without God, but rather we should be composed and alert to discover the secrets of overcoming them. Tough time, they say, never last but tough people do. I will now take you through the eight (8) dependable and indispensable secrets of overcoming problems. Evang. John Bamidele Oseh Foreword Categorically speaking, there are a thousand and one problems, ups and downs or what you may call upheaval in our lives, but the most annoying and disturbing thing is that some have never accepted that they have problems. Some also are not humble to face the existing problems in their lives. The most unfortunate thing too is that most who have admitted theirs are unable to identify the root cause of their problems thereby not finding it very easy to tackle. However, in this book not only that our brother Oseh has pointed out some of these problems in our world, he has equally given some bits of solution to them. Furthermore, he outlined some secrets as long as one desires to combat his or her avenue to tension. This problem in fact, cannot only be political, economical or social but at the excruciating point psychological. Oseh, facing the reality of the phenomena of life, embarked his thought biblically. For him before God, whatever that seems impossible turns to possible. Furthermore, one of the great secrets of living in victory is: ‘Look at your problem through God and don’t try to look at God through your problem’. Succinctly put, do not allow your personal (human) reasoning and laziness to prevent your endeavours from overcoming your problems. Certainly, he is indeed correct because even God allowed his only Son Jesus Christ to suffer and to encounter problem. And through his faith and hope, he was able to overcome all. So as human you must resign to faith when reasoning stops. To be true, in overcoming one’s problem, the writer of this book Oseh John B. has given a lot of instances from the bible that will console us and encourage us to exercise patience in the face of any upheaval. Above all, it is quite unfair to pre-empt everything, but suffice me to say that this book no doubt is a food for thought, a decisive step for one and therefore, a comprehensive topic for peoples’ meditation. It is also suitable for prayer and more especially for transcendental meditation. And so I recommend that all should read and see the wonders of God in our lives. Read it, ride on and peruse all for you will see all yourself. May the good Lord endow you with enough insights and strength as you avail yourself with this golden opportunity. We nevertheless, congratulate our brother Oseh for insight and efforts. Remain blessed in Jesus name. Amen. Rev. Fr. Anthony Anike Maduakonam |