Category: Christian Perspective

The Isaiah Chapter 58 Fast

Christian Blog GhanaIn our previous post, we established the importance of embarking on a fast as an individual or a group. Most churches embark on the collective fast like the International Central Gospel Church which fasts in the month of July.

Most Christians are aware of the benefits of embarking on a fast but there are a number of misconceptions that needs clarification, for instance:

1. Fasting is not a hunger strike, neither is it starvation.

2. The number of hours that you “starve” yourself does not guarantee an answered prayer.

3. Do not pack up your breakfast or lunch to eat later when you break the fast.

4. Do not keep unforgiveness or hatred in your heart while you fast.

5. Do not go through the fast as if it is a ritual.

If you are not too certain about what fasting is and how it is supposed to be observed, please read and mediate on Isaiah 58. Let me know what you discovered.

Fasting: Does it achieve any Results at all?

There are a lot of Christians who grumble whenever they hear they or the church is embarking on a fast. Why do they feel that way? They do feel like that because it is the period they will shed all the weight they have gained during the year. Another reason is that most Christians see fasting as another church ritual which they have to go through to avoid feeling guilty. As to whether they will achieve any results with the fast, they do not really know.

Why is it necessary to fast?

Fasting is important because Jesus Christ Himself observed it. He embarked on a dry fast for 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:2) and was able to resist the devil’s temptations.

Fasting brings about humility in believers (Psalm 69:10).

It also increases the level of self-control in the believer (1 Corinthians 7:5).

People fasted in the Bible and they got answers to their prayers (Ezra 8:23). These are a few reasons why Christians ought to fast and pray.

Are there special kinds of fast that an individual can select?

There is the dry fast which Jesus Christ Himself practiced.

Daniel in the Old Testament avoided delicacies, meat and red wine when he was fasting (Daniel 10:3). There is also the type of fast that individuals abstain from their favourite dishes.

What are the steps to take in order to have an effectual fast?

  1. It is important to have a focus and an aim for fasting. Before you embark on this spiritual exercise, note down the reason(s). If it is a collective fast, agree on the fast’s focus.
  2. Have some scripture to back what you will be praying for during the fast. Read the scripture, memorise and pray with it.
  3. Reflect on the scripture during the day. If you are employed, break from your schedule to meditate on the word and pray.
  4. When breaking the fast, find a quiet place to meditate on the verses you have read in the day and pray before you break the fast.

What should be avoided when fasting?

  1. Chatting unnecessarily – This is the time you need to read and meditate on the word of God.
  2. Announcing you are fasting – This is the period some Christians announce to the world they are fasting therefore they need to be excused and sympathized with but the Bible in Mathew 6:18 asks us to refrain from that.
  3. Making it a mere ritual – A number of Christians make fasting a ritual; something they are doing because the entire church is involved. Avoid this mistake. Have expectations!

What is the proper way of Fasting?

The Bible summarises that in Isaiah 58:3:9 –

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Dealing with Disappointments as a Believer

A few years after completing Senior High School, being the smart person that I was, I knew I had already made it into the University. I bought the forms, filled them out and I knew in September the next year, I was going there. The thought of going to live by myself and not be under strict rules like the way it was in senior high was exciting and I really looked forward to that.

Soon the selection process began and the admission list was released. When I went to check, my name was not on the list. I continued checking the list from time to time to see if my name had been omitted accidentally but to my disappointment, I never found my name on the list so I did not make it to the University in that particular year. I was disappointed, devastated and very sad.  That was the biggest blow of my life then.

I began questioning God because, in my mind, I was a good person; I never did the bad things people my age were engaging in so why didn’t I make it to the University? Almost a decade after that incident, I look back and realise that everything that happened to me was part of God’s plan for my life.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, where God says that He knows the plans that he thinks towards us – plans of good and not of evil, plans to give us hope and a future. When you claim that verse to yourself, you will be amazed that things will not be moving on as you are expecting but you’ll not be devastated.

Trials like what I faced, I believe also turned me into a stronger believer than I was. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 10:13 say,

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. 

I believe God provided me with the necessary ‘tools’ to overcome that disappointment. I began to see all the good things around me as gifts from God rather than things that I got through my own abilities.

I do not know what you have gone through or what you are going through now but what I learned through my experience was, if you trust in God, everything including the bitter pill you are swallowing now, will turn to something sweet for you.

Why don’t you surrender everything to Him now?

Faith: Why it is important to have it

Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not yet seen – Hebrews 11:1.

Christianity has got everything to do about having faith. Believing that the world was created by God is faith. The fact that we have a book called the Bible which guides our belief is faith.  Trusting in God and His promises and the fact that He makes everything possible for His children is also faith.

There are so many theories in the world which has the ability to shake the very foundation of our faith that is why it is important to be grounded in the word. I shared a testimony about how my philosophy class at the University of Ghana made us argue only through the things that we felt. There were classes that I sat through that took us through how the world was created and according to my lectures, it can only be proven through our senses and an example is how scientists prove how the world came into being through the Big Bang Theory. These were confusing and if care not taken will sway you from the faith. No wonder people go to the universities and colleges, and come back without their faith.  If you are looking to prove the existence of God only through your senses then, my brother or sister, you are in the wrong faith.

Faith is very important for your prayers to be answered. The Bible says that with faith as a little as a mustard seed, we can tell a mountain to move into the sea. The question therefore is why we don’t have our prayers answered. Perhaps, our faith is too small; smaller that mustard seeds.  That explains why our prayers are not reaching anywhere.

Ability to speak in tongues requires you to have faith. A number of us have been Christians  for so long but we still do not speak in the language of the spirit just because we are doubtful. The Book of James records that anyone who is doubtful will not receive anything from God – James 1:7

What kind of thoughts are you entertaining? Do you always doubt God and His power yet you say you are a Christian? Why don’t you spend today praying to God to increase your faith?

The ‘Trotro’ Prophets and Evangelists

Sometimes they are the first people you meet when you board a “trotro” or bus but mostly they wait till the bus gets full and perch by the “mate” or the bus conductor. A number of them wait till the bus starts moving before starting the church service.

“Close your eyes and let’s pray.” That is how they start the service.  Some of them raise songs which they expect people on the bus to respond to. They then pick a verse in the Bible and start to preach. They shout “Amen” and expect everyone on the bus to respond “Amen”. Woe unto you if they discover you are not taking part in the service, or you have your ear phones stuck in your ear and looking through the window unconcerned. If you are fortunate they may let you go but you are likely to turn into the subject of their sermon.

“Some of you feel you are too big to respond to my sermon huh?” they will begin, “I remember I was ministering on a bus and there were a group of men who refused to respond when I screamed ‘Amen.’ Do you know what happened to them? The car had an accident, I didn’t die, those who responded ‘Amen’ didn’t die but the group of men who refused to respond died and were burnt to ashes, so if you ignore me, you are likely to suffer a similar fate.” They will conclude.

We know a number of them are genuine Christians who are responding to our core mandate and following the Scripture in Mark 16:15, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Christian Blog Ghana therefore sampled a few opinions of Believers to ascertain how they felt about  bus evangelism –

“Personally, I don’t have any problem with it. There are televisions in some of these buses so why can’t we have preachers on them as well,” one of them responded.

“I really cannot stand them. I think they can preach when the bus is stationary but they can sometimes distract the driver. “

“Some of them really deceive the passengers. You do not even know where they get the sermons from.”

“I know genuine people who preach on buses. Such people are professionals in their uniforms. I remember a man working with the Forestry Commission who preached on a bus but some of them, I think they are doing it because of the coins they will get from the passengers.”

What are your views about these people who preach on buses?  Have you shared the word of God with other passengers on a bus? Is that something you will ever consider or are considering to do? We would love to know what your thoughts..

Why I Refuse to Join a Group in Church

At one point in every church, the pastor will advise members of the congregation to join groups or departments. Some of these groups include the choir, ushering, protocol, media and evangelism teams and the famous prayer warriors.

I have changed churches a number of times but whenever I hear the call that God does not like pew warmers, my heart skips a beat and I start thinking of which group to join in order to make a difference in the church.

I am a bit skeptical about joining groups at church for several reasons: One of them includes the fact that most church workers get so used to the work they do that they forget about God Himself. They get so busy that they do not pay attention to what God has for them during the service.

One other thing is that members of the groups get so used to each other too. They resolve to chat while the preacher has mounted the stage and do not even take away any message from the service.

And the meeting times – some groups in the church keep having meetings from Sundays to Saturdays. No wonder people in such groups get so used to each other they forget they are working for God.

Working for God in whatever capacity that you choose is very important. Do you remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 23:14-30? Where the master took the talents away from the servant who refused to use it? But before you join any department in your church, just remember these-

  1. You are working for God and not for any man. God is the only one who can reward you, therefore do the work as if you are doing to Him.
  2. If you are joining a group that works during service, find a way of pausing your activities especially when the sermon is being delivered. If you try that and you still cannot hear the sermon, make sure you get a recording to listen to after the service.
  3. Take into account the things you do quite easily before joining any department. I know the Bible says in Philippians 2:13, ESV For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure but there is nothing more joyous than doing the things you love to do for God.
  4. Remember the meeting days. Will it favour you? Do not just jump into a group because you like their attire. Have the mindset that you are going to sacrifice your personal comfort to make the group more effective to the church and for God.

And to all church workers, May He equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Hebrews 13:21, NLT 

Women, Powerful Men of God and Miracles

There are so many churches springing up in the country especially in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions but amazingly, when you move further into the country their numbers reduce drastically.  In recent times too, many radio and television stations especially here in Accra are providing airtime to churches for soul winning and, to advertise their services and programmes.

It is also an open secret that when you watch these churches on television that women form the majority of the congregation and many people attribute this to the fact that women are the intercessors for their families. Even in the time of Jesus, He had numerous encounters with women and that makes them special in the house of God.

As it is a good thing to intercede for their families, women are also  the ones who easily fall prey to the “powerful” men of God and churches that are springing up these days. They jump from one miracle service to the other not because of the fellowship they receive but because they are searching for miracles that their pastors have not been able to provide yet.

It is possible to get a little confused these days while searching for a place to worship since there are so many of them and the good book in Hebrews 10:25  say “ …..not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” Also, let us be wary of the places we go for to pray and for “miracles” as the Bible has even prophesied in Mathew 24:11… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Seeing a pastor to share your problems and for miracles is not a bad practice in itself but as much as possible, let us learn the scripture for ourselves in order to be knowledgeable and discerning Christians. The Bible in 1 John 4:1 has ordered us to test all Spirits and one way of doing that is with our knowledge of the scripture. Are the pastors we are visiting going according to the word of God?

As much as possible, let us discover for ourselves what the Bible says about the kind of situation that we find ourselves in, look for scriptures to back the prayers and mix that with a little faith (mustard seed). That is the formula for getting a miracle.

In John 15:7 Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  Are His words even in us? Let us not forget that God Himself has told us that nothing is impossible to them who believe. All He requires of us is faith which as little as a mustard seed – Matthew 17:20.

If you have any interesting perspective to share about the faith with us, you can send it to christianblogghana@gmail.com

The Miracle of a 100GHS Offering

I went to church that morning and there was a guest speaker from a neighbouring church delivering the sermon. This was about three years ago when I had completed College. I sat through the service and I remember his sermon was on the power of the Holy Spirit.

When he finished his sermon, he asked us to give an offering; something that we had not given to God before. Personally, I had never given any money to the church except the regular church offerings that I often put in the bowl. As the preacher started mentioning some amounts I sat and stared but immediately he mentioned a hundred cedis, I felt a thud in my heart; it was as if something was pulling me to stand.

I know you might be wondering why I am making a fuss over a 100GHS. This was because I had just completed college and I had no money in my account except that 100GHS that was given to me by a firm I was working for and the 100 GHS was their ex gratia. Apart from that I had nothing else in my account.

I could not sit down comfortably anymore because the prompting in my heart had increased. I joined the members of the congregation that had taken the bold step of faith. Before we made our pledges, we were asked to say a prayer and mine was that I needed a good place to offer my National Service and a better job afterwards.

At the time I stood at the altar, I had no idea of the scripture in 2 Samuel 24:24 where David replied King Aranuah saying, No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing …..

The 100 cedis that I offered the church did cost me much. I did not feel the pain till I stood in front of the ATM to withdraw the money. When I put it in the envelope, I knew this was a very big sacrifice I was making because it was going to cost me even money for transportation.

Although, I felt the pain when I made my sacrifice I knew God was going to bless me and indeed,  He has. I had a great place right here in Accra to offer my National Service and I did not even complete it because I had another wonderful job offer. There have been several employments after that National Service and I know it was because if that sacrifice I made at the altar on that fateful day.

What have you given to God which cost you so but after a while you saw some amazing results? Let’s hear your story. Our email address is christianblogghana@gmail.com

How He has empowered me…

In the previous post, I mentioned how I received the Holy Spirit and how my language changed because I believe in what Acts 2:4 say, “And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” In this post, I wish to share my experience on how I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit ever since I gave him that authority over my life.

Before I received the Holy Spirit a few years back even though I been a Christian for all these years, I was easily swayed away by people in the world. Whenever someone confused me a little with logic about the existence of God and His power I followed them and doubted my belief.  For instance, there were Sundays that I refused to go to church simply because someone convinced me that church service wasn’t that important but the Bible says in Hebrews 10: 25, “Do not forsake the assembly of saint.”  And I can say to the glory of the Lord that since then I haven’t doubted the power of God in my life and the assembly.

In the book of Acts 1:8 which also says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” I am a living testimony to that because previously, I was shy to let people know I was a Christian. I found it very hard to even stand before anyone to tell them about the goodness of the Lord but now, I can stand in front of a class and witness to them.

The Holy Spirit empowers and your prayer life becomes better. Romans 8:26 which says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit Himself speaks to God for us with deep feeling that words cannot explain.” This scripture comes alive when you start speaking in the language of the Spirit. There have been periods in my prayer times that I have only wept not because I am sad but because my spirit is overwhelmed.

There are a lot of testimonies that I can share with you but I also want to give you an opportunity to share your testimony with other believers. Send your stories to christianblogghana@gmail.com

When I received the Holy Spirit…

Whenever I heard these stories, I began questioning if I really had the spirit like the people of old. I had been in church for over 20 years but I was not certain if I had the Spirit dwelling in me but I was told by new “teacher –friend” was that one way of being certain that the Spiirit dwelt in you was by speaking in tongues but at that time I was not doing that (Mark 16:17).

I grew up in the Catholic Church and through a number of family members; I got exposed to the teachings of the Methodist Church too.

Until I went to the Senior High, I had never had any other teaching but the two that mentioned above. I met a friend who introduced me to the Charismatic church and their way of worshiping.

Now, where am I heading to with all of these? Fast forward to college days, I was attending the Charismatic Church my friend introduced me to back in Senior High.

In my third year at the university, I met a friend who kept telling me about the Holy Spirit and the kind of power he gave believers.

He referred to Peter and the other disciples who were able to stand before Kings to defend the gospel in Acts 4: 8.

Not forgetting Paul who was persecuting other believers of the gospel until he encountered the spirit in Acts 9.

When I heard these stories, I began questioning if I really had the spirit like the people in the bible.

I had been in church for over 20 years but I was not certain if I had the Spirit dwelling in me but I was told by my new ‘teacher–friend’ was that one way of being certain that the Spirit dwelt in you was by speaking in tongues and at that time I was not doing that (Mark 16:17).

I started yearning for the Holy Spirit because I wanted to be as fearless as the church in the book of Acts.

I wanted to proclaim God’s word like the disciples and not be shy of my faith so when school went on recess, I started fasting and praying for the ability to speak in an unknown tongue.

I was all by myself and listening to a preacher who was speaking about this subject on the radio. He started praying for people to speak in other tongues and all I realised was that I was speaking in the language of the Spirit.

It came out only as a few words but I knew that was it. I was really excited to know I had received something I was really yearning for and I couldn’t wait to tell people about it.

How did you receive the Holy Spirit? What is your experience? Share them with us.

Do not forget we are accepting your testimonies on Twitter (@christianblogh) and Facebook (The Christian Blog Ghana).

You can also send us an email (christianblogghana@gmail.com) and share how you received the Holy Spirit. 

Stay Blessed!