Word of Encouragement and Short Visions

Brethren, we have no specific article or message to share with you for this week. However, the Lord said we should encourage you by sharing some refreshing visions. Furthermore, the Lord said His children must not lose their faith; they must be obedient to the end, and He loves all His children. As your fellow brother in Christ, I encourage you in Jesus' name to hold on; The Lord is near, and our sorrow, pain and suffering in this world will soon be turned into joy (John 16:16-22).

Short Visions (2014)

The visions below were given to Charis by the Lord Jesus Christ recently.

Vision About Color Blocking (Serious Warning)

“I had a vision that I was in a very colourful room. I saw various colors: red, blue, green, purple yellow, pink, etc., and I said to myself, “these are very pleasing colors, I like them!” Soon after saying this, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “You may just like a color, but you must not go on senselessly about colors. Some people are busy with color blocking”. I replied to The Lord, “You are telling the truth!”

I left and went out of this colourful room and I entered into a room that was grey and black. Upon entering, I heard the voice of The Lord say, “The color grey is a very seductive color, and even the celebrities wear masks that are grey or silver.”” End of vision.

Interpretation:

Color blocking is a recent trend of showing off in fashion, where people wear blocks of solid colors together – either buying items that come already color blocked, or doing it themselves by pairing brightly colored separates. This draws attention to self and can lead to idolatry. The Lord is warning people not to idolize colors, be infatuated, or be controlled by them (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Brethren, neither Charis nor I ever knew that the word “color blocking” even exists, until I looked it up after this vision. This message is a warning from the Lord, that though we may appreciate colors, we should not idolize them (1 John 2:15-17).

Vision of the Devil and Rebuking him in Jesus' Name

“In a vision, I saw the devil appearing with his back facing towards me (although I was not allowed to see his face, I knew it was Satan). He made fun of me saying things that I am not allowed to share here. I replied and said in a loud voice “I rebuke you in the NAME OF JESUS!” He screamed at me saying, ‘Don’t say that name; I hate it!” And I saw him covering his ears. I kept on saying “I rebuke you in Jesus Name!” and he said, “STOP! STOP! STOP!” When he realized that he could not have me stop rebuking him in Jesus name, he ran off in a funny way”.

Interpretation:

Our victory against Satan is Jesus. Submit yourself to God; resist and rebuke the devil steadfastly in faith and he will flee from you (Mark 16:17; 1 Pet.5:8-9; James 4:7;Luke 10:19).

Vision of The Lord Jesus’ Glory

“I was standing outside our main bedrooms window, and suddenly a BIG pure white cloud appeared. The cloud opened up in the middle and a white page appeared. While I looked at the page, The Lord Jesus Christ appeared in blistering BRIGHTNESS. I tried to cover my eyes from the strong light, but I could not; I could only sparsely see the form of a Man, and I saw The Lord waving at me and said "Bye". The cloud closed and the Lord disappeared.”

Interpretation:

This was a glimpse of the glory of the LORD! (Matthew 17:2; Ezekiel 1:28).

Have you been busy focusing on cares of this world, and losing battles to Satan? If you would like to accept Jesus and experience true joy and victory in your life, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed Grace,
Brother Glenn.

Harmful Words and Vision of Two Raptures

“Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT)

Before delivering the Lord’s message for this week, kindly allow me to share a short vision with you given to me (Glenn) by the Lord on the morning of October 11, 2014. I have searched the Scriptures and the Lord confirmed with me that the Bible passages mentioned here are relevant to the vision. Brethren, I am in no ways writing an article on the Rapture, nor am I supporting or endorsing a specific view – whether post-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or pre-tribulation. I certainly don’t want to get involved in such a web of speculation. I only share what the Lord permitted me to say for now. Let me also clarify that even though the English word "rapture" is not used in the Bible, the meaning is Biblical. “Rapture” is derived from the Latin verb "Rapere" meaning "to carry off," or "to be caught up" as written in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [the dead in Christ] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

I prayed to The Lord saying: “Lord, please don’t make me write an article about the rapture, because I read many and various explanations on this subject, and I certainly wouldn't want to be influenced by any. I believe in the rapture, and there is much speculation relating to the rapture that has caused widespread confusion leading to the shipwrecked on many people’s faith.”

In His goodness and faithfulness, The Lord answered my prayer, and I will share what He revealed to me, along with the relevant supporting Scriptures. If The Lord so wills to reveals more, I will update this article accordingly.

Vision of Two (2) Raptures

In the vision, I saw myself preaching to a group of people who were listening attentively to me. The message the Lord gave me to minister to the people was about ‘Rapture’. I saw a book lying on the pulpit and I read from it the following words regarding the rapture from the Lord Jesus Christ: “There is a FIRST ONE and the NEXT ONE”. As I attempted to explain to my audience the message while looking into the book on the pulpit, the above words were the only ones left and the rest of the text disappeared. This was the end of the vision.

The Scriptures that describe the first rapture are these:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[a] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested (Revelation 14:14-16).

While there are no Scriptures that explicitly mention the second rapture, The Lord says there would be another rapture, this one occurring after the great tribulation:

“I [Apostle John] answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

Again, I am only sharing what the Lord revealed to me. I urge you, Brothers and Sisters, to be ready so that when the Lord comes you may be found awake and clothed (Revelation 16:15), with your lamps full of oil (Matthew 25:1-13), for The Day is near!

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Romans 13:11-14).

The Power of Words

There are many Scriptures in the Bible that deals with the use of words and the price one would pay for it, for example:

"From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:20-21). 

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

With the “freedom of speech” most of us enjoy today, many people including Christians are in the habit of offending, insulting and hurting others with their words. While I acknowledge that some social media platforms can play a positive role in promoting friendships and family bonds, people often use these channels to spread malicious gossip, slander, and poisonous words intended to hurt others.

The above quoted Scriptures serve as a warning to Christians and others not to belittle or shame other people. Christians are commanded to make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to do what leads to peace and mutual edification (Romans 12:18; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14). By this we are not saying that you should ignore a person’s wrong doing; the Lord commands us to rebuke wicked conduct in a spirit of love (Galatians 6:1; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:2), since this warning may help save a person from hell (we also discussed this subject in the “God’s Serious Judgments” article and visions shared in April, 2014).

Some people are not humble enough to accept a rebuke which is aimed at correcting them. They defensively see it as an insult or feel disrespected. In the Lord’s recent rebuke and judgement to at least three (3) of our ministry members, He chastised them for “feeling sorry to hurt their children and offending people’s feelings,” thus allowing them to continue in their wrongdoing. I guarantee you that you will be hated and persecuted for your efforts (Matthew 10:22; 24:9; John 17:14) but remember they hated Christ first (John 15:18; 24; 25). 

Often times, people feel hurt when you correct or rebuke them in love. As children of God, we also may feel hurt when The Lord corrects us (Hebrews 12:11; John 21:17). This kind of hurt is acceptable as "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10); some might even be saved as a result, like Paul who received salvation through the Lord’s rebukes (Acts 26:14-18).

The Lord said that a truly God fearing Christian would abstain from insulting others and calling them names to make their hearts sore: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).

Don’t Use Words to Hurt others

Admittedly, I was in the habit of insulting and hurting others earlier in my walk with God. I adopted this habit from friends who were in the habit of proudly peddling their arguments as superior, while using insult to belittle and hurt those who disagreed with them. This is a common practice among politicians and the ‘wise’ of this world. The Lord forbids Christians from engaging in such practice; our work is to “spur on one another in love…” (Hebrews 10:24), in our hearts revering Christ as Lord, and always "prepared to give an answer …with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15; Proverbs 15:1). The Lord told me not to say things to hurt or make others feel bad, for when we say something we have the choice and motive to present it to either hurt or gently correct others. I was also warned for being loud when talking or rebuking; the fruit of love and of the Holy Spirit encourages us to be gentle (Galatians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

Likewise, many other brethren were warned not to engage in strife, offend others, or hurt people who are otherwise disabled or of a different race. In addition, laughing at people even if or when others do offensively is equally wicked. The question we should ask ourselves is this: are we building up or offending? (Luke 11:23; Luke 17:1-3).

In conclusion, let us work for peace with our neighbours and fellow brethren. Using social media as a tool to insult and pour hurtful feelings onto others is not building up, but breaking people’s hearts. I was warned several times by the Lord against such behaviour. Learn to hold your peace and say only what will benefit others. In a recent visit to my parents, I heard people around me hurting one another with abusive words. Some were swearing and saying nasty things to one another, while others poked fun at the kind of sins others commit. They were doing all these in front of my children and I took liberty to rebuke them. In Jesus name, brethren, be gentle with your words, and keep them few; avoid being loud when rebuking, for that too may be construed as being offensive and ill- mannered (Proverbs 10:19;Proverbs 15:1).

Finally, don’t forget that the Lord is near and He is coming for a pure and spotless bride, so be fit to enter the first rapture, for the second one will bring untold tests. Do you have the faith to survive the coming storm and the dreaded Day of the Lord? (Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi. 4:5; Acts 2:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 6:17; 16:14). Or would you rather take refuge from the Coming Judgment (Isaiah 26:20-21)? If you desire a relationship with the Lord, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Brother Glenn.

How to Know God is Testing You

“The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:3b NIV).

Fellow brethren, I would like to reiterate that the subject line for our weekly articles on this website is given every Saturday evening to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. As it is, the Lord is also responsible for the visions that we share on this website. Therefore, those who have been looking forward for visions from the Lord on this website, please pray and be patient; the Lord will provide as He wills. He is surely testing many of us, knowing that people only like to read His visions and not His messages. The Lord is testing our faith!

Furthermore, the messages that we present here might not be new, but they are refreshing as we also include some practical visions and messages from the Lord, including actual experiences to augment our message.

Why Does God Test Us?

In last week's article, we discussed how God does not create evil nor tempt us to do evil (James 1:13). The Bible also warns us against testing God (Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7). However, God does test us, and in this article we will discuss how to know when He is testing us.

The dictionary defines test as when "the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined; a means of trial or process of assessing".

God searches the hearts – He sees, hears and knows ALL things (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 8:27; Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20; Rev 2:2, 19; 3:15); He does not test us in order to learn or know what we do, but He does this to humble us, so that in the end it is for OUR OWN GOOD, that all may go well with us (Deuteronomy 8:16; Job 7:17-18 NKJV).

Some of the reasons why The Lord tests us or allows us to be tested include the following:

1. To see if we will be obedient and follow His commands:

• Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions (Exodus 16:4).
• “…I will use them [the nations Joshua left when he died] to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did” (Judges 2:22; 3:1, 4).
• “On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

2. So that the fear of the Lord will keep us from sinning:

• Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Exodus 20:20).

3. To know what is in our hearts and see if we love Him with all of our heart and soul:

• But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him [King Hezekiah] about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (2 Chronicles 32:31).
• Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts (Psalm 139:23).
• “You must not listen to the words of that [false] prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:3-4).

4. To reward us for obedience and prepare us for heaven:

• Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

5. To prove if our faith is genuine:

• “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7 NKJV).

6. To fulfill His will, purpose and promises to us:

• Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character (Psalm 105:19 NLT).

For reference purposes, God tested Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a a burnt offering.   Abraham,was willing to obey God's command completely, until the Lord intervened and provided a ram for the sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-12). His attitude and response was one of faith and obedience. In this account, we don’t see Abraham questioning God; instead He complied with God’s command in a submissive and obedient attitude. It is important to know that God knew Abraham before he was (Psalm 139:16). Therefore, for the benefit of us who wondered why was it necessary for God to test Abraham if He knew how he would respond, this was for Abraham's own benefit, so that he might know God and have a personal experience with the Father. A living faith in God expresses itself in action in order to make our experience real with Him.

Similarly, in our everyday relationship with our families and friends, what shows our interest in them is what we do for them; they value and respond to that. Abraham’s faith was an act of obedience and an expression of love to God (Genesis 26:5; John 14:15). It must be remembered that the Christian faith involves test and such tests measure our faith, attitudes and seriousness in our relationship with God (Jeremiah 17:10). When we are being tested, we always respond from our self-will (Luke 22:42). In this regard, our will is in agreement with God’s command in an active response which we know as faith.

How Do You Know God is Testing You?

We should not blame God when bad things happen. This often happens when we confuse being tested by God with falling into temptation, and suffering the consequences of our own folly, sins or unbelief as a result of allowing Satan to wreak havoc in our lives.

Usually, God's testing can come in two ways: Firstly, we can ask the Lord to test our faithfulness, as David did, when he asked The Lord to examine his heart and mind and determine that he was true to Him (Psalm 26:2; 139:23). Secondly, The Lord can also test us, or allow us to be tested, as He pleases – as was the case with Job (Job 1:12), Abraham, and the Israelites.

When many people go through testing and trials, they immediately start to complain, have strife, feel pity, or look to others for help or "bail-out", when all that is needed is to have faith, pray and look to God instead. For example, when the Israelites were tested at the Waters of Marah and Elim, they grumbled and complained against Moses. But Moses cried out to the Lord who showed him a piece of wood which he threw in the water and the water became drinkable (Exodus 15:22-26).) Moses trusted God and his faith was an act of obedience. These tests are opportunities to show and grow good fruit.

So, how can we tell whether God is truly testing us? Here are some of the ways to identify when our testing is from God:

1. When trials come your way even though you are walking blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil (Job 1:8; Daniel 3:17-18).
    
2. When you are genuinely and sincerely seeking a closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, and ask Him to examine your heart (Psalm 17:3).
    
3. When the Lord has made specific promises to you, you believe, and trials come your way before the promises are fulfilled, as was was the case with Joseph (Psalm 105:19 NLT).
    
4. When, after seeking the Lord, we get into situations where we must make a choice between right and wrong (Daniel 6:6-13). God is pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17a) and never tempts us to do anything wrong (James 1:13).
    
5. God tests our hearts (our desire for Him and our obedience to His word) leading to a closer relationship with Him and salvation of our souls (1 Chronicles 29:17a; 1 Pet 1:6-9); Satan tempts our hearts in order to lead us away from God and His will (Matthew 4:1-11), causing us to desire and pursue worldliness (including material or outward things and spiritual falsehood), and eventually end up in hell (Romans 6:23).

Brief Testimony on God Testing Us

Briefly, as a family and ministry we have been subjected to many tests from the Lord and I have well chronicled most of them in an article titled Obedience Through Test. We often don’t know when God is testing us. He can use anybody and any situation, for example: a beggar asking for money (Acts 3:1-5); or someone losing their money bag and you knowingly picked it up but kept quiet; someone cursing you and you retaliate (2 Samuel 16:5-13); you are lied to and flow with it (1 Kings 13:16-18); or you are in a situation where you feel “stuck” and need God help but you don’t faithfully pray (2 Chronicles 16:12).

Admittedly, tests are not always pleasant experiences; however the testing of our faith is part of the Christian walk, and it produces good fruit such as patience/perseverance (James 1:3). By the test, God is refining our faith (Psalm 66:10; Job 23:10; Zechariah 13:9). It is necessary for one simple reason: to see if we trust and agree with God; after the testing the Lord has reserved a blessing (Hebrews 12:2; 2 Timothy 4:8). While the Lord is going to reward us (materially or otherwise), spiritually our relationship with Him is growing in love, trust and obedience. Test from God is not a torment or suffering, but a test of obedience and endurance. During testing, we are ‘pruned’ to obey and surrender fully to God. He is teaching us to put our reliance on Him (Deuteronomy 8:2).

Before the Lord blessed us with our own vehicle, my wife and I, along with our ministry people, walked back and forth between our witnessing destinations and home. There were also times after our evening prayers when my wife and I would walk our fellow prayer partners home, leaving each person in front of their homes before we made our way back home. Those were times of great test; God saw our commitment and He graciously blessed us with our own means of transport.

In addition, one of our tests that the Lord gave us was that we should take in and care for a mother, her two children, and two additional girls – five people in total. I earned about $80 a month, from which we had to reserve for my monthly transportation costs to work and our mortgage. It was little but we had contentment and peace. Through all these, the Lord was faithful to provide and supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19); we made it through by His grace!

In conclusion, brothers and sisters, the Lord tests us for our good. He has also promised us that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). So,let us be encouraged to stand firm in our faith and persevere through tests from the Lord, or trials and temptations from the enemy, that we may receive the victor’s crown that the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

May God’s tests refine you like silver and test you like gold, that the genuineness of your faith – which is of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proven and result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (Psalm 66:10; Zechariah 13:9; 1 Peter 1:7).

Have you been going through tests and trials lately? If you desire true refuge in a close relationship with the Lord Jesus, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

God’s peace and abundant grace be upon you,

Brother Glenn.

Blaming God When Bad Things Happen - Part I

Why Do People Blame God for Bad Things that Happen to Them?

Brethren, in this article I do not claim to have all the answers to why people blame God. I solely rely on the Holy Spirit to guide my conscience in relation to this message. Many Christians fail and give up on their faith after allowing sin to eat away at their faith and obedience.

The Lord has given this message in response to people (saved or unsaved) who blame Him for their misfortune(s). The principal reason why people blame the Lord is based on their understanding that God is all powerful and He directs all things; so why does/did He allow such evil to happen to them?

As a ministry, we too have our set of problems and challenges, even though the Lord is speaking to us the way He does. He expects us to pray and have faith in Him if we are trapped by bad thing; sitting around and blaming Him only gives rise to more trouble! Therefore, in our own suffering we accept the discomfort of the situation we are facing, while trusting the Lord for complete deliverance and continuing to gather the fruit of perseverance and longsuffering (2 Timothy 3:10-11).

Why is God Blamed?

Briefly, we find a few instances recorded in Scripture where people directly blame the Lord for their unfortunate situations. Naomi, the widow of Elimelech was one such person, who was bitter after losing her husband and two sons. For we hear her say, “… my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me” (Ruth 1:13 HCSB). She also says, ^“Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, … for the Almighty has made me very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has pronounced judgment on me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:20-21).

Furthermore, when tragedy struck Job, he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of Yahweh (Job 1:21). Equally, after discovering he was in trouble, Adam blamed God saying “the woman You put here with me…” (Genesis 3:12 NIV).

Similarly, Moses blamed God for sending him to Pharaoh, given the harsh treatment Pharaoh and his officials meted out to the Israelites (Exodus 5:22-23). In these few Scriptures, we see two undeniable facts, namely: God is present and has a direct interest in the status quo; and knowing God’s fearful POWER, the affected individual questions why He has allowed this unfortunate situation to happen.

As humans, our immediate response to an unfortunate situation is “where is God and why did He allow this to happen to me?” The Bible says that a day of evil is reserved for all mankind (Ecclesiastes 9:2-3; Job 14:1; Acts 20:24). The world, as we know it, is filled with every kind of evil all around. I have heard people arguing that God is the author of all the confusion and evil in the world since He created everything (1 Corinthians 14:33). We do know that all things are from God (Psalm 24:1; 50:12), and that He is almighty, but He does not bring evil (James 1:13). Evil is executed upon us when the evil doer intends to harm us (Genesis 50:20; 1 Peter 5:8-9). It is wicked to blame God when we are being trapped by evil. Shall God, who says “Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 NIV), still bring evil upon us? If we consider God to be a fair and righteous God, after having brought evil upon us, would He have a basis to judge the guilty if He was the author of such evil? (2 Thessalonians 1:5-8; 2:5-8; Proverbs 11:21). Therefore, if the Scriptures declare that our sin reveals God’s righteousness (Romans 3:5-8), can we still blame Him when bad things happen to us? No! The Lord God will punish those who are responsible for the evil against us! (2 Thessalonians 1:6).

Scripturally, we have proved above that God created everything except evil, for evil is an act of rebellion against God (sin or wickedness). The Bible tells us that He created "the tree of life [which] was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). God gave man free will and choice to eat from every tree in the garden, but He commanded him not to eat from tree of the knowledge of good and evil; violation of this command would lead to man's death (Genesis 2:17). We know that death and evil entered the world when man disobeyed this command (Genesis 3:6; 16-19). In His great love for man, God gave man commands to live by, choices and consequences that lead to eternal life or death, blessing or disaster. He pleads with us to "choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Some might find the Scripture in Isaiah 45:7 as saying God created evil, but we know evil was allowed to co-exist with good in the world so that man may choose good and life. The word “evil” as used in the Bible is from a Hebrew word that means “adversity, affliction, disaster, calamity, distress, misery” -- the consequences God allows to come upon us a result of our rebellion against His Word and commands (Jeremiah 32:23). If God was the author of evil, He would not have given us commands to live by in order to root out evil; would He? (Luke 11:28; Deuteronomy 11:13). Being a just and holy God, He thus separates Himself from sinful behaviour - He is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).  Therefore, blaming God when people sin against us, or when bad things happen to us, is wicked and shows folly and faithlessness. Job reacted in a dignified way when he rather praised God despite his predicament (Job 1:20-21). In addition, Satan asked for permission from God to make job’s life miserable. The devil used all kinds of evil devices, causing death, suffering and devastation (Job 1:1-22; 2:1-10). Briefly, Satan used evil, but God preserved and rebuilt Job’s life and fully restored him (Job 42:12-17). During King David's 40-year reign, he had many ups and downs, and he wrote many of his Psalms when he was under great distress. Instead of blaming God, he chose to humble himself and trust Him, finding comfort in God's goodness and praising Him in spite of the dire circumstances he was going through.  In the end he was blessed - "he died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor" (1 Chronicles 29:26-28).

Is There Evil in the World?

Without going into complex theological questions and debates, The Bible asserts that after the fall of man, evil became part of human nature and bad things followed as a result of that condition (Genesis 3:1-19; 6:5). As human beings, we conveniently only blame God when things are going against us, but when things are going well with us, we express our satisfaction through indulgent appreciation. We receive God's blessings without complaining, and celebrate these as "good fortunes" or "good luck". After the fall, God allowed evil into this world to exist alongside us so that in our distress we should long for His grace and deliverance (Genesis 3:22-24; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11). Humans share this planet with Satan and demonic spirits who come and go as they please (Job 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). It must also be recalled that Satan used people,  nature and his own evil powers to cause Job harm (Job 1:13-19; 2:1-9). Satan also requested a similar request to destroy Peter, but an intercessory prayer from the Lord Jesus rendered the devil's evil plans useless (Luke 22:31).

In addition, the Bible warned the inhabitants of the earth that Satan has come to the earth to steal, kill and destroy souls (John 10:10; Revelation 12:12). This prophetic passage is an account of what happened in the Heavens at the fall of Satan; he was hurled down to the earth together with his demonic host (Revelation 12:9; Luke 10:18). His work is to deceive and give God a bad name so that he can "cash in" on people's souls. Therefore, evil is decreed to operate on this earth until the final consummation (Matthew 13:27-30). Our relief and protection is in Christ alone against the unseen evil. WATCH OUT O' PEOPLE, EVIL IS OUR NEIGHBOR; JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ONLY HIDING PLACE! (Genesis 4:7; Colossians 1:15-20).

As it is, God having seen the evil that man brought upon himself through disobedience (Romans 5:12-21), He gave us Jesus Christ to rescue us from the effects of sin and all the evil resulting from this. The Lord God came with a message, saying that He loved the world and wants to save the human race from the coming evil (wages of sin) through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18; Matthew 3:7). By coming to Christ, we become children of God (John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:1a) and are guaranteed victory and a complete escape from all harm and evil, and lasting peace for the hereafter (Isaiah 57:2; Psalm 37:37; Matthew 25:21). In this age, however, we will have trouble, for the nature of evil is kindled against all mankind; but God gives comfort and hope (John 16:33; Romans 15:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Warning of Pending Trouble

In a short message recently, the Lord warned a sister (through Charis) that trouble was decreed against her and that she must "WATCH OUT for wicked people". The Lord warned her saying that Satan was using people to destroy her life in three messages. She disregarded the Lord's warning and she was trapped by evil and this led her to sin. The Lord in His Mercy granted her grace. This is reminiscent of trouble that was decreed against Paul; it still occurred, but God was glorified through his suffering (Acts 21:11). In a separate incident, my wife lost her cellphone and in comforting her, the Lord said that she had ignored the Holy Spirit who warned her to guard her phone. As a result of her ignoring the Holy Spirit her phone was stolen.

If we are constantly in prayer and have faith, the Lord will warn us of looming danger, otherwise if we are not vigilant in prayer and shun sin, we'll be trapped by evil (Luke 21:36). When we continue in sinful desires, such evil will catch up with us, for sin is generous - it pays a wages! (Romans 6:23). Therefore, when we sin the compensation for evil is just because we fail to heed warning.

There is earned evil as a consequence of our actions and our failure to heed warnings: for example the Lord allowed an evil Spirit to torment Saul (1 Samuel 19:9); David was promised calamity after the extramarital affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband (2 Samuel 12:9-14); after Solomon sinned, God raised adversaries against him (1 Kings 11:14-25); Some people were also struck with leprosy as in the case of Miriam when she spoke against Moses (Numbers 12:10), and King Uzziah who sinned in the temple of The Lord by trying to burn incense (2 Chronicles 26:20); King Josiah died in battle as a result of ignoring God's command through Necho king of Egypt (2 Chronicles 35:21-24); etc. Likewise, many people will ultimately inherit wrath in Hell for rejecting Jesus as their Savior (Matthew 25:46; John 5:27-29; Matthew 13:46-48; Hebrews 10:26-31; Hebrews 12:25; Revelation 20:12-15). The Bible also warns us against evil that is planned against us resulting in trials, and this is equally dangerous (Jeremiah 38:6; John 16:33); however, the Word of God encourages us to rejoice in such sufferings (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:6-9; James 1:2-4).

Remember, the Lord chastises those He loves, and He wants us to repent (Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19); we need not confuse God's judgement of his children against the consequences of sin. In the Old Testament sin was punished almost immediately, but when Jesus Christ came God allowed events to run the way they are, but set a day aside to finally judge all rebellion (2 Thessalonians 1:3-11). However, this marvelous act of God's grace should not be taken advantage of (2 Corinthians 6:1; 2 Peter 2:4-9); Sin still results in evil consequences (Galatians 6:8), the ultimate and severest of which is is death (Romans 6:23).

God our Comforter

In this evil world, bad things happen to the righteous and the ungodly alike (Ecclesiastes 9:2-3). However, for the righteous, God stands ready to provide us with help we need, if we wholly trust Him (Psalm 50:15; 91:15; 121:1-2). The Lord promised that He would never leave those who trust in Him, nor forsake those whose faith is in Him (Hebrews 13:5). These are familiar Scriptures and I know when trouble hits us we usually don’t appreciate the value of such comfort from the Lord.

The most discomforting thing in life is trouble that comes against us. Sometimes, we are directly responsible for the trouble, and sometimes we are just innocent victims. The point we are making is this: if we face trouble, we have God to comfort us and to deliver us from such discomfort, as He did with Job, Naomi, Daniel, and many others. Trouble is therefore unavoidable in this life and an evil day is reserved for all of us (Ecclesiastes 9:12). Scripturally, we know God uses the evil that was intended and turns it into comfort for us and for His glory (Genesis 50:20). God does not bring evil, He works against evil for our good (Isaiah 9:6; Romans 8:28).

Finally, throughout the Bible, God promises deliverance (Psalm 91:1-16; Isaiah 43:2; Job 5:19). Therefore, brace yourself for deliverance when you trust in God in the day of trouble! It is not right to blame God when we are trapped by bad things. The Lord warns us that bad things are bound to happen, through temptations or otherwise (Matthew 18:7), but the one causing it will be held responsible. While trouble is inevitable, it might be an opportunity for us to reach to God for help and apply His grace to obedient living (John 5:14; 8:10-11).

I would like to conclude by saying that serving the Lord is NOT a guarantee that we would be trouble-free. In their address to Christians, Paul, Peter, James and the Lord Jesus Christ acknowledged that suffering would be part of the salvation package (Romans 5:3; 1 Peter 4:12-19; James 1:2; John 15:20). It is our response, through faith and obedience, that would determine if we trusted in the Lord, rather than blaming Him.

Let us therefore stop blaming God when bad things happen to us and in the world; this heaps up judgement against us. Is our situation blinding us to make God our scape-goat when He promises to help us? Do you think God genuinely intends to cause us pain, trouble and conflict when He commands us to come to Him for comfort (Matthew 11:28-29)? Brethren, we must acknowledge the existence of evil and that bad things are as a result of evil. God plays no malicious role; His intention is to genuinely rescue us from all evil and things that troubles us.  That is why He will create a new heaven and a new earth as a new beginning and also wipe away all our tears (Revelation 21:1-4).

Being a parent, I would not like to cause pain to any of my children; do you genuinely believe God delights in our troubles? The Lord Himself says: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”; He urgently pleads with us to “Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?” (Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11)? The Lord Jesus encourages us to be "faithful servants" who are always prepared (Matthew 24:45-51; Matthew 25:19-23). He has already forewarned us that things will only get progressively worse as His second coming nears (Matthew 24:1-35; 2 Timothy 3:5; Revelation 8:13).

Have you been blaming God for all your troubles and growing further away from Him? Have you been under attack from the enemy and feel that God is far from you? Do you want to become a child of God who will overcome evil? Our Heavenly Father has reserved just love for the entire human race; repent now and escape to Him for deliverance! Here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started in a renewed relationship with Him. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace,
Brother Glenn.
PS: You may read Part II here Blaming God When Bad Things Happen – Part II.

Duties of a True Born-Again Christian

Note: At the end of this article we share a short, but powerful, rapture warning.

The Lord has given us this message to encourage and remind us of our duties as Christians. Being our Master and Lord, the Lord Jesus requires all Christians to OBEY and submit to Him (John 14:23; James 4:7). Please don’t be tired if we keep repeating or emphasizing some points; this is for your benefit (Philippians 3:1). The duties we will consider here are by no means exhaustive as revealed in the Scriptures. For practical purposes, we will consider the most basic Christian duties, especially in the light of what the Lord has repeatedly revealed to us as a family and ministry. As born-again Christians, we must live to care about the things the Lord cares about, thus doing good deeds in obedience to God (James 2:14-17).

Being Born Again to Worship the Lord

From what we read in the Scriptures, the Lord expects every one of us who are truly born-again Christian to serve and follow Him faithfully every second of our existence (Matthew 25:4, 10). After we become born again and accept the gift of salvation, in God’s eyes we became a new creation and we are told to “take off the old man corrupted by evil desires” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-25). The ‘old man’, referring to our former way of living, was corrupted by worldliness and the desires onto which our carnal nature fed (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:17-26). The first step towards reunification with God is to confess our sins and pledge obedience to Christ Jesus (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9). In doing this, we simply confess our faith in His redemptive work, acknowledging that we cannot be saved by any other means except through the Cross. In our allegiance to obedience, we declare that we will follow Him faithfully through the teachings of His word, no matter what obstacles we may face. In other words, we declare unity and co-existence with Him, like in a marital vow (1 Corinthians 6:17), whereby a husband and wife promised before God to remain together no matter what! We confess our sins to one another, forgive, and ask for forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16).

As challenging as it is to maintain a solid marriage, we learn to grow in patience for the benefit of the other person; considering that when we do good, it is for our encouragement (Philippians 2:3). So then, when we allow our love for the other person in the marriage to control us, this experience will change us to the benefit of our spouse. In similar fashion, our love for Christ must compel us to obey and honor Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). We surrendered the “old self” and put on the ‘new self’, which is being created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22, 24; Colossians 3:10).

The Bible also encourages to worship the Lord (Exodus 23:25; John 4:24). Whether we meet as a group to fellowship together or when we do so alone, we are expected to worship our God and adore Him for the great and wondrous things He has done and for Who He Is (Psalm 66:1-20). Like David, our lifestyle must be one of worship and giving glory to our Heavenly Father (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Obedience to Christ

The Bible warns us against sinning deliberately (Hebrews 10:26). We learned this first hand when the Lord, in a gesture of love, punished a sister in our ministry who was willfully sinning by smoking cigarettes in private and engaging in immorality. The Lord barred her from praying with the ministry intercessory team for five weeks and from witnessing with the team. She could attend normal services but was not allowed to do ministry work. People need to realize that the Lord does not allow people guilty of sexual sins to pray for others in the assembly of intercessors. The Lord is Holy! Another sister who committed a serious sexual sin was denied blessings. She was unrepentant after sinning and employment opportunities were closed for her. She lost her job and is still unemployed.

Please don’t get me wrong: the Lord forgives us when we have done wrong. However, He is not pleased when we sin willfully; this is being disobedient (Hebrews 12:6). Love does not cause harm to others (Romans 13:10), so if we say that we love the Lord, we must act in obedience; this is our Christian duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13; John 14:15, 23).

Daily Bible Reading and Witnessing are Christian Duties

When we go to our various places of work every day, don’t we show commitment and love for our work? Similarly, we show our commitment and love to God by obeying His commands, witnessing, Bible reading, praying, doing good to others, and abstaining from conforming to worldly standards (Mark 16:15; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 55:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:10; 12:1-2). During the Lord’s first visitation to us, the first thing He commanded us to do was to read our Bibles every day and “not to take a holiday away from the WORD OF GOD.” We were not in the habit of reading the Bible consistently, but read every other day or as we felt. Truly this kind of behavior does not reflect obedience to Scriptural command, nor does it show commitment to what is supposed to be our passion. I can tell you, the many people who got messages from the Lord through this ministry, almost all of them were commanded to build their relationship with God through reading their Bibles every day. In my experience, and having observed the behavior of my own family, our daily Bible reading did not just increase our knowledge about God and His works; we have also experienced a change in our attitudes and behaviors. This has also resulted in our faith increasing in the Lord, and our relationship with Him has grown closer (Romans 10:17). Consequently, this has led us to trust in Him completely, knowing that He hears and meets our various prayer requests (John 15:7). Furthermore, in addition to the above, another benefit of seeking God through prayer and Bible reading is that our fear for Him increases. This fear is one of appreciating His Authority as our Heavenly Father, and with this comes His many blessings, including the outpouring of His Spirit upon us. When we receive His Spirit, we also receive some Fruit of the Holy Spirit and gifts for ministry work (John 15:4-8).

Even though being corrected by others may embarrass us or cause us to become defensive, when we read the Word of God the precious Holy Spirit convicts us and creates a humble submission and appreciation of God’s love for us. This ensures we have a peaceful relationship with Him based on love. To achieve this, the Lord encourages us to be wise men and women of God by not just being hearers only but also being doers of the Word (James 1:22; Matthew 7:24-27). Let us keep seeking the Lord so that like King David we may have a heart full of joy and appreciation to delight ourselves in the transforming power of the Holy Word of God (Psalm 19:7-11). To God alone through Christ Jesus be the Glory forever, Amen!

Our Duty to Pray Daily Expresses God’s Sovereignty

While we briefly discussed the topic of prayer above, it is necessary to discuss further. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to “…pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Brethren, let me be straight forward with you here: a Christian who does not pray is lukewarm, spiritually dead, and lazy; this is essentially expressing an attitude of “I don’t need God”. As it is, if we don’t pray, we show no care about our own salvation, that of others, and neither do we operate in obedience to Christ (Philippians 2:21). Indeed, such an attitude clearly shows that we don’t gather with Him, so neither do we intercede with Him to save and deliver others (Luke 11:23; Ezekiel 22:30).

In a further warning, the Lord warned His disciples to pray and be watchful (Luke 21:36). The Lord, having being in the world, knew the afflictions and sufferings that Satan can bring upon us (Isaiah 53:3-5), and the curse that God pronounced on the earth which does not work or our good (Genesis 3:17). He, therefore, encourages us to pray and set an example for us (Hebrews 5:7-10). When praying, we literally take stock of the conditions around us and in us and surrender these stressful situations to God to resolve so that it may go well with us (1 Timothy 2:2). Only God holds the answers to all the problems we have in this troubled world, and He has called us, as Christians, to stand before Him on behalf of others. In prayer, especially doing so by faith, we express our limitations, problems and our desire for God’s intervention. In acknowledging our helplessness, God intervenes. Our duty as Christians is to pray by faith, and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Sharing the Gospel is our Christian Duty

In the words of the Lord, a true born-again, Christ-loving, and God-fearing person will seek to share the Word of God with others (2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 9:16). The Lord says that all born-again Christian must be witnesses to the gospel and their lives testify of the working of God’s power (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15-18). The Bible further reminds us that we all received the gift of the Holy Spirit when we first came to Him, even though many people doubt this. The evidence is when the Holy Spirit convicts us, leading to repentance and doing works of obedience (John 6:44; 16:8; Colossians 1:10).

We have heard how some churches teach that the evidence of speaking in tongues is the only sign of one having been filled with the Holy Spirit. Such a teaching is contrary to what the Bible actually says (1 Corinthians 12:30). What we read in the Bible is that speaking in tongues is a visible manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6; 1 Corinthians 14:22). However, the Bible does not say that speaking in tongues is the only proof that a person has the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, there are many examples of people believing in Jesus without mention of them speaking in tongues (Acts 2:41, 8:5-25, 16:31-34, 21:20). As we read in the Bible, the Holy Spirit was given for empowering witnessing activities (Acts 1:8), for fruit bearing (Galatians 5:22-23), and for enabling and supporting the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Through careful study of the Bible, and given my own experiences, any gift from the Spirit requires us to have faith to receive, whether its tongues or the gift of prophecy. As it is, we receive gifts from the Lord as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), not as we will. There are some Christians who cannot speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30) but they have received the Holy Spirit. We even had some people who were part of this ministry who couldn’t speak in tongues, and yet the Lord sent them out to share Gospel with us. They were part of our witnessing team, meaning they have received power to preach the word (Acts 1:8).

As a final encouragement on this subject, if we don’t witness to others, how do we explain to them the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15)? Do we hide the lamp under the bed and not light it up for those in darkness (Matthew 5:15)?If you, as a Christian, do not witness to others, you are either afraid or ashamed of Christ. From my experience, I know such people are full of excuses and they normally struggle with their own faith. In witnessing, you are required to exercise your faith and obedience to Christ. Therefore, sharing the Gospel is faith in action! (2 Timothy 1:7). My brother and sister, in Christ Jesus, I encourage you: come out and be seen and heard and don’t let fear of man hinder you from your heavenly reward (Matthew 10:32-33; Acts 5:29).

Rapture Warning: Jesus' Glorious Coming

In a very short, yet powerful vision, on Saturday, August 16, 2014, around 1:00 AM, the Lord showed Charis His glorious coming. In this vision, she was shown the joy and glory that day would hold for those who are prepared. She was simultaneously shown the terror, fear, shame, and hurt that will fall upon many, many unprepared Christians and those in the world. The specific details of this vision and the exact events shown to her were removed from her mind and spirit. She was only allowed to experience an intense fear of God’s power and His majesty. She was awakened by her own terrified screaming when she yelled, “Lord please don’t make the Rapture happen now; I am scared!” Jaydeen confirmed hearing Charis scream. As soon after this vision ended, Charis woke up crying uncontrollably while closing her face with both hands.

Brethren, we do not commit to a date of Jesus’ return, but be warned and fulfill your duties to God (Matthew 24:36; 2 Timothy 4:5).

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please pray this Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace in Christ’s service,

Brother Glenn.

How This Ministry Started

The Church historian and fellow witness of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luke, wrote to Theophilus saying, “it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3 NKJV). In the same manner, God intended to preserve a record of His interaction with the human race for the benefit of present and future generations without having to repeat Himself over and over again. He, therefore, commanded Moses to ‘write’ what He said (Exodus 17:14; 34:27). The Lord also commanded Moses to record their journey from Egypt into the Land of Canaan (Numbers 33:2-51).

As a ministry, we have also traveled a journey with the Lord, and He has commanded us to write an orderly account of our journey with Him. This will be a rather brief account, and for the sake of clarity, please forgive us if we reiterate this information elsewhere in the website.

The Appearance of the Lord Jesus

In 2009, my wife and I, along with our daughter Charis, who was eight years’ old at the time, decided to establish a home fellowship. As a custom, every night before bedtime we would read from the Bible and pray, with each one of us reading a portion of Scripture and expounding where necessary. Even at such a tender age, Charis enjoyed these sessions very much, and she would always remind us when it was time to meet.

As a family, we have faithfully continued this home fellowship, meeting daily, and this practice has become the hallmark of our home, just as Joshua declared "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

The Lord’s First Visit to Charis

During the Sunday church service of January 24, 2010, our then-pastor announced a seven-day fast, encouraging us to pray for the needs of the local church as well as ours. Since we were plagued with financial debt and worries at the time and the fact that I had been unemployed for a full year, my wife and I decided to join our local church in this seven-day fast. As it is, we had been unable to pay our home mortgage (bond) for almost a full year.

During that time, I submitted applications for various jobs and attended countless interviews, yet all doors to employment were closed. These were very frustrating and trying times for us as a family. As a father, I was unable to fulfill my responsibility to provide for my family, and this led to severe tensions and quarrels at home. In my desperation, I started making plans to put up our house for rent and move back to my parents’ house, while my wife was to move in with her parents along with our two daughters. In the midst of all of our problems, we still continued praying and trusting the Lord for a miracle.

Amazingly, and completely unexpected, on the night of January 25, 2010, the Lord appeared to my daughter Charis for the first time. He gently told her, “I love My children. My daughter Charis, I am your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am going to talk to you and show you visions, and you must tell your father to keep a record of all that I will show to you." This visit from the Lord rejuvenated our spirits and marked a new beginning in our relationship with Him. True to His promise, this would not be the last visit.

We have compiled several teachings and experiences from the Lord, and we are pleased to share them with you to encourage you in your faith as you continue seeking and trusting Him.

How Does Jesus Look Like?

Some of you may be wondering how Jesus looks like. When Charis saw the Lord, He was standing on a pure white cloud (Nahum 1:3b; Revelation 14:14), wearing a shiny, white robe lined with golden stripes (Revelation 1:13). Across His robe, from shoulder to hip, was written “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). She could not see the Lord’s face; it was covered with brilliant light, but she could see that He was wearing a golden crown on His head (Revelation 14:14).

During another visit, Charis asked the Lord to show her His hands and feet. She saw the nail marks on his feet and when He opened His hand she saw the scars of the cross (Luke 24:40; John 20:27). Because the Lord’s face is not visible but concealed in brilliant light, she could not see His hair. When she asked Him, He slightly bent forward and showed her His hair; it was pure white like wool (Revelation 1:14).

A Foundation of Prayer

In March 2010, after the Lord had given us (my wife, Charis and me) spiritual gifts for the work of service in this ministry, He commanded me to look for five willing, born-again Christians to pray with us every Saturday morning for eight weeks. Soon after we completed the eight weeks of prayer, the Lord blessed all the five people who prayed with me with what they needed at the time. For being obedient and making an effort to participate in the prayers, a brother who had been unemployed for over 3 years was blessed with a good job; he is currently still employed in the same place and was promoted to a higher position. Also, a sister who desired the gift of tongues received this gift on our last day of the eight weeks of prayer. In addition, the Lord answered the desperate pleas of a mother who prayed with us interceding for her drug-addicted son; He delivered the son from drug addiction and demons on December 15, 2010. Five years after being delivered, this brother is still saved—Glory to God! Furthermore, the Lord also answered the prayers of a woman who was interceding for the healing of one of the children in her family. The Lord faithfully answered many other prayer requests that we brought before Him during this eight weeks of prayers. The Lord taught us and confirmed to us through this test, that when we are committed to praying consistently, He answers our prayers.

After we completed the eight weeks of prayer, the Lord commanded my wife to find five people to pray with her every Saturday morning. This fellowship still continues today as a women’s prayer meeting. We can testify that through this prayer group, some people whom they prayed for and who had faith confirmed that they received jobs, healing, deliverance, and salvation. In addition, for their work of intercessory prayers, the Lord has granted peace, health, and providence to these women, and this has further contributed to their faith and dependence on the Lord as their Source of strength.

From Evening Prayer Meetings to Street Ministry

In August 2010, the Lord commanded me and my wife to find ten people to pray with and start a separate intercessory prayer group. He gave us a timeframe to find additional people, and this number gradually increased to twenty. Some of the people who promised to join us never showed up, but we continued our prayer sessions with the few committed ones who came.

After praying with ten people every Friday evening for five weeks, the Lord commanded us to change the weekly intercessory prayer time to Saturday evening, and this continues to this day. Through these experiences, the Lord taught us that corporate prayer is important, and each church should have an intercessory prayer group (Acts 4:31; Acts 6:4).

In establishing our witnessing or evangelism ministry, the Lord commanded that we, along with members of our prayer group, go out witnessing in our local community and lay hands on the sick and those who needed deliverance from demonic oppression (Luke 10:1-23). This witnessing work has resulted in the salvation, healing, and deliverance of many people, as we continue going out in the name of Jesus (Mark 16:15-18). The Lord established every Friday evening as the time for us to go out and witness.

The Lord is caring and He does not want His work to be burdensome (Matthew 11:30). After many weeks of witnessing, the Lord would give us breaks during very cold and rainy days. As individual members of this ministry, we have also developed the habit of daily witnessing to families, friends, colleagues, and whomsoever we would come across during our daily routines.

Home Church Services that are Pleasing to God

Most local churches in our community are accustomed to holding Wednesday evening services. We initially followed this tradition and opened our home living room as a place for our Wednesday evening services, but having the honor of the Lord as our Leader, He set our service and meeting times. We strongly encourage Brethren who meet to fellowship at home to surrender the service to the Lord and have Him as their Leader, instead of fighting for control. Having mentioned meeting days, we are not suggesting that the days we choose to worship should generally apply to everyone. Surely, worship times and days are normally set by local congregants within a given community. Insisting on Sunday or Saturday as days of worship promotes sectarianism, not Christ (Romans 14:5).

Unfortunately, Home Church services can serve as means to control individual believers, instead of focusing on Christ. For example, most Home/cell church services happening on Wednesday evenings in Pentecostal and charismatic churches, particularly here in South Africa, involve a discussion of a pastor’s sermon or Sunday message. Having been part of this system, and being eager to grow, I found this gathering to be more of a social event than a prayer gathering. Under this system, I understand that pastors are careful not to expose their flock to wrong teachings, and the small group mechanism serves to control and protect the members. However, this system often neither stimulates growth nor allows room for the Holy Spirit to work and use individual believers. I personally believe that these kinds of gatherings could be used to more effectively develop and mold individuals into God-fearing leaders.

I strongly believe that instead of pastors exerting stringent controls, Home Church leaders should be allowed to exercise their faith so that the Holy Spirit can work through them for the benefit of the rest of the group (Titus 2:1-2). The Apostle Paul did not dictate to Timothy or Titus, but he encouraged them to stick to Scriptural teachings and sound doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16; 4:2). In countless messages to many individuals in our ministry and outside, the Lord encouraged believers to read the Bible from cover to cover. This approach to Bible reading undoubtedly gives us a holistic understanding of the Bible message, instead of just picking on individual verses. As it is, many Christians today base their faith on specific Bible verses that suit their selfish interest, while disregarding the rest of the Scriptures. This has led to widespread confusion, division and deception in the body of Christ. With this narrow system, we see people following men or their leaders for their particular teachings and doctrines (for example prosperity or certain spiritual/supernatural manifestations), instead of being followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and fully embracing His truth (1 Timothy 4:6; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13).

The Lord provides the weekly messages that we share, and He also gave me word through Charis on what I should preach about. The messages that the Lord would give me to preach would often be based on people’s current situations; for example, when we had sick people, I would be asked to preach about healing in Christ. Those who were going through a crisis of any kind found answers and encouragement in the message the Lord gave. Where sinful behavior played a role in those circumstances, the Lord would issue a rebuke to the individual concerned, and give a word to me to write or preach as a warning to others. In an effort to share the gospel with the households of brethren who are part of our ministry, the Lord directed that we take turns having church services at member’s homes, and we rotated services for almost two years. Brethren, during this time of directing our ministry activity, like His disciples we did not understand what the Lord was doing (John 12:16). As we look back and see the fruit of our work accomplished by His grace, we can only bow down in worship, praise and thanksgiving to our Savior for His involvement in our lives.

Following a two-year period of preaching, the Lord gave each member of the ministry personal messages, commanding us to all concentrate on reading our Bibles every day and praying three or more times daily in our fellowship with Him (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10; 2 Corinthians 12:8). When we failed to obey, the Lord taught us His Word by rebuking us strongly for our sins, in order to ensure that we keep growing in His will (Job 42:7; Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:6). In April 2012, after noticing our obedience and growth in our personal fellowship with Him, the Lord changed our traditional Wednesday preaching services to praise and worship sessions. Before commencing our worship services, as a custom, we regularly open our services with prayer and a word of encouragement from the Bible (1 Corinthians 14:26). The Lord uses these praise and worship services to heal the broken hearted and sick and deliver those bound or oppressed by demons. At the same time, He draws each one of us closer to Him in a fellowship of solemn unity with His Holy Spirit.

Unbelieving and Doubtful Brethren

Many brothers and sisters who first heard about the Lord’s dealing with this family believed our testimony due to the blessings He imparted on us and the fruit of our work in Him. However, some of these people broke faith with us as a result of their insistence on us getting a Word for them from the Lord. Many of those who asked us to inquire of the Lord for them did not anticipate the kind of message they would receive. Often they expected to receive a “good fortune”, “prosperity” or “feel good” message from the Lord which corresponded with their worldly lifestyles. However, the Word from the Lord would often be a message of rebuke, exposing their wrong habits and lifestyle. Those who faithfully served Him would receive a message of encouragement. Some people were so embarrassed that they chose to leave our fellowship and dissociate with us.

In a number of visions, the Lord warned the people of the world that they have received and believed another gospel. This false gospel is not one that encourages holy and righteous living, which involves leading a witnessing lifestyle with Christ-like attitude daily, to the annoyance of the devil and those who hate the truth! Given the current state of the Church, the Lord Jesus has declared judgment against the worldly gospel, which promotes individual needs more than godly living. This false gospel also promotes the adoration and idolization of “servants of God.” These preachers often preach a people-pleasing, motivational, prosperity-focused message. They avoid persecution by not speaking out against sinful conduct and encourage believers to embrace a worldly lifestyle of materialism.

Our Testimony is a Witness to Bible Message

In sharing this account on how this ministry started, we just wanted to share how the Lord Jesus established and commanded the activities of our Ministry. The Lord has also provided a global platform via a website (preparingforthekingdom.com) as a channel to reach our brothers and sisters far away with His Word and our testimony. This, He truthfully told us, is to prepare many people for His imminent return, which He promised us through many visions and messages, would occur in our lifetime. Our aim is therefore not to promote ourselves, but to share our testimony as a witness to what the Bible teaches and encourage you to be ready.

If you are not yet born again, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

The Lord bless you in His rich love!

Your fellow brethren in the Lord's service,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Spiritual Gifts

Important: We are sharing a powerful vision from the Lord at the end of this article, and have also added it under our Visions Section.

Commonly, the expressions 'gifts of the Spirit' and 'spiritual gifts' refer to those abilities that God gives to believers for use in His service. It is my personal belief that every Christian has received some spiritual gift from God. These gifts are “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12 NASB). Gifts are not given to attract attention to ourselves, nor should they be used to display how powerful we are; they are essentially to build up or edify believers and to Glorify the Lord (John 16:14).

Various Kinds of Gifts

This article, however, will not exhaustively examine each one of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, for time and space would not permit us. We will rather present this work so as to express the influence the gifts would have on our lives and ministry. In addition, spiritual gifts are not necessarily referring to the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are other gifts separately grouped as "ministry or service gifts".

Therefore for the purpose of clarity we would like to reference those gifts here: “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11 HCSB). In the book to the Romans we also have the following gifts: “If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:7-8 HCSB).

Additionally, in the book of Corinthians we find first the gifts of the Holy Spirit, “to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages” (1 Corinthians 12:8-10 HCSB) and further down the apostle Paul mentions more additional gifts, some already mentioned elsewhere. “First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, managing, various kinds of languages. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in other languages? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:28-30 HCSB).

Similarly, Peter briefly mentioned some gifts: “If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything” (1 Peter 4:11 HCSB).

Levels of Authority

In the light of these various gifts and different levels of service, it must be remembered that these do not indicate different levels of spirituality or authority in the church. Briefly, the various levels of authority in the world have undoubtedly been accepted by the church today. The titles used in the world describe the authority an individual has to exercise their duties. I don’t have a problem with that because it creates some order. In contrast, in the body of Christ we are called to serve one another (Luke 22:24-27) and not to control the conscience of people into submission to our ungodly teachings. God never called any minister to ‘lord it over those entrusted in your care’ (1 Peter 5:3 NIV). Instead, our leading must be by example (following the example of Christ) and the flock must imitate the Christ-like lifestyle of the overseers (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Brethren, I am not teaching rebelliousness against ministers of the Word of God; that would be undermining the Scriptures that clearly says we must submit to those who are over us (Hebrews 13:17). It must be understood that the Bible does not say we must submit to our leaders’ every teaching; our salvation is personal and God will judge us for the choices we subjected ourselves to. Paul said, we must test all things and hold onto what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Therefore, we owe it to our salvation to check what we are taught (Acts 17:11).

Personal Experiences

Someone once said, “An ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory”. Paul also gave his personal testimony when presented with an opportunity (see Acts 22:1-30, 26:1-32; Galatians 1:1-24). I will also recall on some of our own experiences as well as some from people in the Bible. As a word of caution: while an experience with God makes our salvation real, at the same time no one’s experience with God should be used as a ‘mould’ or template for everyone else. Throughout the Bible, God used different people who expressed their faith and convictions to Him in different ways; the only thing they had in common was their love for God and their obedience (Daniel 6:10; Psalm 116:1-19; Jeremiah 9:24; Acts 21:13).

Scripturally, one of the principal reasons we serve God is not just to escape His Judgement, but that we should LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING OR ANY ONE INCLUDING OURSELVES (Luke 10:27; Matthew 10:37). You might say, Brother Glenn this has nothing to do with spiritual gifts! Yes, it has everything to do with it, for the Bible says: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I AM NOTHING” (emphasis mine) (1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV). In the beginning of my walk with God, I asked Him to help me love Him more than just His gifts and blessings. He listened to my prayer and answered me. While the sufferings and hardships I endured for the sake of the gospel cannot compare to those of Paul, Job, Daniel and David, our Lord Jesus tested me through trials to prove the love I professed to have for Him, and in a spirit of humility, He counted me worthy to serve my brethren by bestowing me with gifts. Also, as part of the gifts the Lord gave my daughter Charis and I, He bestowed the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) upon us and said they were spiritual gifts from Him. We received it by faith, and we know those gifts are present in us, for it made us serve Him better and with greater confidence.

Using the Gifts Through the Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The Bible says that as individual Christians we should desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1) and we should pray for gifts (1 Corinthians 14:13). If our motive is to attract people to us and display our ‘glory’ to others, then our motives are wrong in seeking gifts from the Lord (Acts 8:18-23). Like I mentioned above, gifts are to glorify the Lord and to equip the saints for works of service (Ephesians 4:11-13).

In conclusion, many people overlook the values that make up a Christian’s personality - the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Brethren, the Lord told us that no gift, no matter how powerful, can operate if love and the rest of the fruits are absent. Also, the Lord told us that the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit are gifts, because they do not grow automatically into believers' hearts; He prunes us to bear fruit (John 15:4-5). We might pursue the spiritual gifts that show our ‘power’ to others, but have we asked God for the fruit that magnifies the gifts (Acts 4:13)?

Furthermore, if we exercise a spiritual gift with the wrong attitude, we may cause spiritual harm (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). The Lord has given gifts to build up the church and not to satisfy our pride and selfishness. As an indication of the Holy Spirit’s work in us, it is not just the spiritual gift that we must exercise, but the spiritual fruit that we must produce (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Finally, the gifts identify the authority of the Lord over all natural things, sicknesses and death (Mark 16:18; Acts 3:16; Acts 5:16; Acts 28:3-6; Galatians 3:5). His promised gifts are as sure as His promised return for His children (John 14:15-21, 25-26).

Rapture Vision - Saved by One Minute

This short vision was given to Charis after her early morning 06:30 AM prayers.

“The Lord gave me a vision on July 9, 2014. In the vision, I saw my mother, father and one of the sisters in the ministry, sitting outside in the car discussing something. My father and mother were sitting on the back passenger seats, while this sister was seated in the front passenger seat. On the driver’s seat was a Black Figure with his head on the steering wheel; his head was covered like someone who has a hoodie jacket. I came outside the house and went to them, sitting next to my mother while laying my head on her lap. It appeared to be very late at night and it was very cold. While I was laying my head on my mother’s lap, I heard my father swearing and as he did so, my right eye’s focus was sharpened and I saw a pair of black cards with time on it, and it was 11:59.

Being prompted by the Holy Spirit, I told my father: repent, repent! My father prayed in repentance and suddenly everything became silent and I heard the final seconds ticking by with the last SECONDS being very LOUD and the clock showed 12:00. While I was looking at the time, I noticed black clouds in the sky and I saw our family (my father, mother, Claudia, Jaydeen, Cailin and myself) being caught up in the sky into Heaven. The sister who was sitting with my parents in the car was not raptured; she threw her head back and she cried uncontrollably in a loud demonic voice, “I am left behind!” with the Black Figure next to her! The next moment I heard the Lord’s VOICE saying to my father, “You were saved by one minute!”

Interpretation of Vision

The Lord said that the RAPTURE will happen soon, but that many people are not ready! (Revelation 22:12, 20) People don’t know when the last minute is, but many risk missing the rapture by living sinfully. The Lord said that the sister in the above vision was left behind because she did not repent and her heart was still in the world and not on Him. The Black Figure (Satan) was with this sister in front to show that he has been deceiving her. My wife and I, with Charis later joining, shows that we are there to intercede for her and as witnesses. The Lord also said that He used me as an example and saved me at the last minute to illustrate that only those who have lived holy lives and repented of their sins will be saved. Our years of service will not count in our favour when the Rapture takes place, “but only those who are faithful till the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). The Lord is warning Christians to be READY and live Holy every minute of our service to Him; only then will we be READY and worthy to see His face. Live a repentant life, brethren, for sinful living will expose your hypocrisy on that DAY, like our sister and myself were made to find out. Praise God for His grace that one minute makes all the difference; I bless the LORD!!!

Blessed Love,
Brother Glenn.

Having a Favourite Between Your Children

Note: In our opening to this article, the Lord told me use the words He gave Charis when He transferred her in the spirit to the Statue of Liberty in America (see Pastor’s Repent article). From the pinnacle of the free world’s symbol of freedom, the Lord Jesus Christ made her say these words to all peoples everywhere: “People, this Word (waving the Bible) is for children, adults and older people, and for all generations. People, this is a teaching from the Lord but you don’t seem to care!” Please do not despise the Word of God and the message He gave us to proclaim to you; it is for your edification, salvation and for the future Heavenly heritage of your children.

Important! To emphasize the importance of practicing equal love and not showing favouritism amongst our children, the Lord had me write again on this subject. I have therefore partially reworked the Love Your Children Equally article. Like I said below and experienced myself, favouring one child over another leads to bigger problems in the home and society.

“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant [Annoyed at an unfair treatment of children]. He said to them, let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:13-14).

The above Scripture is prominently quoted, but with no action! The Lord was visibly annoyed with His disciples for denying children access to Him. This led Him to make the most powerful statement about children and their role in the kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom is theirs by God’s Sovereign choice. I am referring to children who are under the age of accountability, which according to our Lord Jesus Christ is eight (8) years. This is what He confirmed twice to us through Charis when He rebuked an eight year old girl for deliberate sinful behaviour and He said: “Joan must stop doing wrong things because eight year olds can also go to Hell”.

In a vision, the Lord showed Charis a woman standing in her kitchen with three children. One child was her daughter and the other two children were not hers. These children were all standing one after the other when the woman in the vision suddenly gave sweets to one child while ignoring the other two children. Then someone came in from outside entering the kitchen door and said: “That is unequal treatment of children”. Immediately, after this vision Charis was shown another vision; this time she saw a mother with four of her own children, two boys and two girls. The children were between 10 and 12 years old. In the vision, the Lord made her feel this mother’s strong hatred for her two girls and her favouring love towards her two boys. After these visions, she heard the voice of the Lord saying to a mother in our ministry who was favouring one child above the others: “My daughter W must love her children equally”. This was a similar warning the Lord gave my wife not to have a favourite between our children.

God Loves and Upholds Equality

I am careful not to deviate from our message, but it won’t hurt to mention the following as an encouragement. The Bible categorically associates the Lord with virtues such as justice, righteousness and faithfulness to mention but a few of God’s attributes (Psalm 7:8-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Isaiah 45:18-21). This should undeniably be His children’s desire to be like Him. The Bible makes a loud appeal to people and leaders everywhere to exercise justice and righteousness (Matthew 7:12; Exodus 23:1-9; Colossians 4:1).

When God placed humanity on the earth, He gave them social laws to foster co-existence (Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:9-10; Jeremiah 22: 3; Matthew 7:12; 1 John 3:17-18). These and many other Scriptures echo the same message of fairness. The result of wars and conflict in the world are based on two powerful pillars of evil, namely GREED and Injustice. As it is, peace is denied an entry into human society because man is possessed by these evils and all we see in this world is greed, hurt and death!

Where Did We First Learn to be Unequal?

As children, we have all learned to practice selfishness at home. While I do recognize that selfishness is innate and part of our human nature, we as parents must not encourage this kind of behaviour in our children. Our responsibility is to teach our children to unlearn selfishness. Sadly, today’s message to our children from the mass media portrays selfishness as a way of life. The Word of God says: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7). Our refuge and escape from sin is obedience to God. We have been given the tools to master sin and do right. We have the Bible as our rule of living, the spirit of faith, obedience, prayer and the Holy Spirit who guides and convicts us (John 16:8). These are potent weapons that mightily attack ‘self’ which is feeding onto worldly desires (1 John 2:15-17). Remember, Satan likes to inflate our egos to show us our self-importance – let us therefore guard against this evil (Genesis 3:4-5).

Furthermore, as a parent myself, I had to learn to respect my children as human beings with feelings and not just to demand respect and compliance from them. My wife and I have been repeatedly rebuked by the Lord for infuriating our children. In addition, I strive daily to bring my children up in the ways of the Lord and I teach them to fear God more than us their parents (Ephesians 6:4). If we practice favourite love at home, our children will also practice favourite love to a parent. This inevitably leads to strife between mom, dad and the other children. Lord Jesus, please save us from houses with no peace and discipline!

It is easy to love when we have only one child, but the more children one has the greater the challenge and responsibility. Children compete against one another for our attention, and as parents instead of favouring one, which leads to spoilt brat status, we should encourage them to love and support one another, because “a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17: 17b NIV).

It is considered a blessing to have more children (Psalm 127:3); we must also therefore guard against loving one child more than the other(s), like Jacob did (Genesis 37:3). Jacob loved Joseph more than his other children and this led to Joseph being ill-treated and hated by his brothers. Equally, I have seen how favoured children are abused by others. Therefore, the home, and not the school or church, is the place where we should teach and practice to teach our children fairness and respect for others. We are called to treat others as we desire to be treated (Matthew 7:12); this is equality which cancels out favouritism. If we favour or love one child more than our other children, are we not sinning? Yes we are! Now, not only are we sinning, but also we are preparing children who will transfer this behaviour into society. In return, this unequal treatment of others, which our children adopted from us, will become a well-accepted practice in society.

How to Practice Equal Parenting

Our success in equal parenting is dependent on our personal sense of fairness or justice. When we lack integrity and honesty, we will make poor parenting choices and this will result in many troubles for us with other people and God. I’d rather teach my children how to live with others in society than have society as my enemy because of being biased. I tell you this; prudent and discerning children will blame you later in life for the poor example you set for them. Kindly allow me to state this, when you do not treat children equally you are preparing your children for HELL because you are working against God’s model for raising Godly children (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). In addition, my beloved brethren, we must remember that it is not about us or how we feel, but what is important to God and how it will affect our children’s future and destiny.

Before I turn to testimonies, I would like to add the following for your encouragement. It is our Biblical duty as parents to instruct our children in the fear of the Lord as the above Scripture (Ephesians 6:4) says. It is also our duty as parents to listen to them when they relate their failures and experiences with others. This is invaluable feedback to you to impart or encourage more corrective behaviour.

In the home, children must all feel equally loved. When a child comes to us, as parents, to complain about someone else’s behaviour towards them, we must act to help rectify the problem. It might be some misunderstanding or a problem that requires a just recourse. Failure to intervene when children bring a dispute to us may lead to rejection and some children will get the impression that you do not care about them.

I will use my own upbringing as an example of this. As a child, I grew up with my four sisters and our parents. I was about seven years when my father left home to live with another woman. This badly affected us and especially my mother who resorted to drinking. She became negligent and one of our aunts took care of us. My aunt had children of her own (my cousins) and she practiced gross inequality. Consequently, we suffered unfair verbal and physical abuse. I am not saying this so as to be pitied; I have heartily forgiven and love everybody who made our lives hell.

Sadly, the treatment we received inevitably made me very stubborn, rebellious and hateful. During this ordeal I desired a normal childhood like other children who had their parents. This abuse resulted in me withdrawing from others and it badly affected my relationship with others. I lost my self-confidence and this led to more trouble for me from my peers. In short, I became their scapegoat and laughing stock. This unlovingness I received at home and among my peers generated bitterness in me. I became more defensive and as a result, I transferred it to others, and despite my being saved now, they are still carrying that wicked behaviour today in society. This is the short story of unfavourable love.

It took the GRACE and the LOVE of the Lord Jesus Christ to CHANGE me from this destructive way of life. I am not asserting that all abused or unequally treated children end up like I did; mine has a happy ending in Christ Jesus, and for this I am eternally grateful.

Parents, do you love one child more than the rest? Are you willing to repent from your sins and start loving your children equally? If you are willing, please pray this Prayer of Sincere Repentance.

For questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed love,

Brother Glenn.