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I know it sounds corny, yes, a line from a poor-quality cover of a classic pop song. If that was the only thing I felt or that went through my mind, then it wouldn’t have been memorable. The person that literarily rocked my mental world, opened their mouth and sang a line of a song in Yoruba language. Before I translate the offending, abominable, evil, depraved and damned utterance, I should provide context. The person is a member of a sect or cult that practises religious brainwashing, not only do they twist the word of God, the scriptures, they ignore substantial portions of it that do not suit their purposes. They also practice divination; during their divination sessions, their prophecies often come in the form of songs, during the sessions, both the “prophet” or to be more precise, the vessel temporarily inhabited by the “spirit” or evil, and a “scribe” that is somebody who writes down the often times rubbish (sometimes little glimpses of the future, which is a gift from God to both the evil and the good souls), that they spout from the acchole (pardon my language) located below their noses. Apparently, they revere their songs more than the scriptures. Anyway, the translated line goes as such: “salvation is by worship”, when I heard this, I said and quoted Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

You could knock me over with a feather, 20 hours after hearing this, I am still in a shock, when the person said it, I said to them “Can you Google that statement and if you can find it, in the Bible, then I know that God has used you to reveal something to me, that is in His word, that I did not know before. Of course, they could not find it in the Bible that Salvation is by worship, which means that probably the devil used the mouth of the person to reveal himself and his control over the sect that the person belongs to. The battleground is the mind, and the devil knows the word of God more than the average Christian, he can only twist the word and give false interpretation, but he cannot add to it or take from it. The sects that add to it or take from it, have a special place in hell reserved for them.

The Bible says in Hosea 4 v 6:  my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.

The members of the sect know themselves, and if you translate the line of the song I mentioned from English to Yoruba and recognize it, and you identify it, and still don’t understand the mess or the place you’re in, then remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 8 v 17-18:  Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? When the psalmist under the spirit of the Lord said in Psalm 135 verses 15-18; The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
¹⁸ Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

When you put your trust in a sect or cult that says salvation is by worship, may the Lord have mercy on your soul. This is an offense against the Holy Spirit, all sins can be forgiven, except sin against the Holy Spirit, by perverting the word of God and claiming that salvation is by worship, you’re truly committing a sin against the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, according to our Lord Jesus Christ in John 14 v 15-17: “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[c] in you.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. – Hebrews 10:36

Lord, don’t let me give up today. Help me to look to You as the source of my power when I can’t go on. Get me back on my feet and enable me to take the next step.
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4
Some days you wake up and wonder how you ended up where you are in your life. You remember when you were younger and had a dream. You always thought, “One day I’m going to pursue that dream and I’m going to go for it and I’m going to take the chance.” You may have believed God gave you this dream and that He would provide the path you needed to reach this divinely appointed destination.

But when you look at your life now, it feels like you went off road and into a wilderness of distractions and diversions. Now you’re in a place where it seems like the ability to pursue that dream has passed you, and you feel like a failure because you thought by this point in your life you would be doing something different, something better, something more significant, something more meaningful. Then one day you just looked up and you were nowhere close to where you thought you would be, where you thought God would lead you.

No matter how disappointed you feel, or how far away you seem from your expectations from long ago, don’t give up on your dream. If God has planted it in your heart, then He will lead you there, blazing a trail marked by His glory.

No matter how painful or impossible it seems, keep walking by faith.
Power Lift

Today, Lord, I will take the next step and trust You for where we’re going and how I’ll get there.

Excerpted with permission from Daily Power by Craig Groeschel, copyright Craig Groeschel.

Our enemies are not flesh and blood, the Bible says, but principalities and powers. And they cannot be defeated by ordinary measures. Far too often we take things into our own hands and try to assist God, to sort of help Him out a little. And far too often we do not pull out the most powerful weapon in our arsenal, which is prayer, and use it in these times of battle.

As Christians, we are too quick to protest and not quick enough to pray. We are too quick to picket and not quick enough to preach and focus on what God has primarily called us to do. We need to realize that we are fighting a spiritual battle. Therefore, we need to use spiritual weaponry.

Heavenly father, we are all your children, and you love us in a way we can hardly fathom. Help us to see past the issues that divide us and see one another with eyes free of hate. We have sinned. We have struck at our brothers and sisters with malice in our heart. We have made enemies of others while claiming to be your disciples. Help us to atone for these sins and remember to love our neighbours and we love ourselves. Amen.

Psalm 119 v 27-28

Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.

Isaiah 41 v 10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Has there been an event in your life, which looking back upon, you’re able to say, “It happened for my own good?”

How has God used the varied circumstances of your life to improve and to change you?

“Every disappointment is a trial of our faith…a test that proves the genuineness of your relationship with your God and His Word.”

Kay Arthur
As Silver Refined
1998

“If your relationship with God is only powerful enough to carry you through sunny days and overflowing bank accounts, it cannot and will not be a beacon of hope to a hopeless and hurting world.”

Rebecca Lusignolo
Adversity
2007

Prophet Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 24  that God, said that He sent His children into the land of Babylon and He did it “for their own good!” the Bible commentator Matthew Henry said about what God did to His children. “Even this disgraceful uncomfortable captivity God intended for their benefit; and we are sure that His intentions are never frustrated: ‘I have sent them into the land of the Chaldeans for their good’.  It seemed in every way for their hurt, not only as it was the ruin of their estates, honours, and liberties, separated them from their relations and friends, and put them under the power of their enemies and oppressors, as it sunk their spirits, discouraged their faith, deprived them of the benefit of God’s oracles and ordinances, and exposed them to temptations; yet it was designed for their good.”

It sounds ludicrous. Even crazy! To think that all the trials and tribulations that smack us in the face are meant for our good seems like a bad joke. And yet, this is what God told His friend and prophet, Jeremiah. No wonder Jeremiah was called the “Weeping Prophet.” He lived at a time in the history of God’s children when he had a whole lot to cry about. Jeremiah Chapter 20 is “a dilly” – or what the dictionary defines as “remarkably extraordinary.” Why? Because Jeremiah had enough. And for all of you who feel you have had enough too here are the words God’s prophet directed to his Creator:

“Jeremiah said: ‘O Lord, You have deceived me…You are stronger than I am and You have prevailed. I am a laughing stock all the day; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out and complain; I shout, violence and destruction! For the word of the Lord has become to me a reproach and derision and has brought me insult all day long. If I say, I will not make mention of the Lord or speak any more in His name, in my mind and heart it is as if there were a burning fire shut up in my bones. And I am weary of enduring and holding it in. I cannot contain it any longer. For I have heard many whispering and defaming. There is terror on every side. Denounce Him. Let us denounce Him! Say all my familiar friends, they who watch for my fall.”

Jeremiah 20: 7-10
Amplified Bible

Our Father in heaven can take our frustration and fury. He let Jeremiah talk to Him as friends would speak to one another, “Why, oh why God are you letting me be mocked? Why did you ask me to be a prophet and then leave me to be battered even by people who referred to me as their friends? People I care about demean and denigrate me. They scoff at me and frankly You as well.” Matthew Henry commenting on this passage observes that, “Here is an account of the temptation Jeremiah was in under this affliction. And this is that which is most to be dreaded in affliction…Jeremiah was tempted to quarrel with God for making him a prophet.” He was ready to give up on God! Has that happened to you? And God didn’t get mad at Him. In fact, God understood! Maybe your trials are so great and so painful that you have considered giving up on what God has called you to do for Him? Hang on a little longer is all I ask for we are going to find out that our Father loves us in ways we can’t imagine, what’s more His purpose for our lives is so fantastic!