Faith – The Christian Blog

Help! My Resolution to Get Married Never Materialises – Worried Lady

Hello CBG¹,

I am 34 years old, gainfully employed but tired of making new resolutions particularly in the area of settling down. In previous years, I made every conscious effort to get married. I have even written down what I would like to see in my dream man. I go through that list every day and I pray for him, but, it’s been six long unsuccessful years of searching for that ‘dream man.’ I am really tired and have decided not to make any resolutions regarding that subject this year. Since you’ve been preaching about planning and making resolutions, what do you advise I do? Should I still make resolutions and get disappointed or simply relax and see what God will do?
– A very worried lady

CBG’s Response

Hello Miss,

Marriage, as an institution, was created by God and His idea for the majority of people. Not everyone will get married, though, but as long as it is in your heart to be married then it is part of what grace has made available to you. The provisions that are given under grace does not work in isolation but work in tandem with faith. Faith is what causes you to receive the things that grace has already made available. Thus, if you say you made a resolution the previous year to be married and it didn’t materialise so you wouldn’t be deliberate about that subject anymore then I’m afraid you are never going to get married. What you need to do is to keep praying and remain visible to the circle of men in your various levels of socialization. Package yourself nicely while keeping the vision and desire alive. Once the vision and desire exist and as long as it is a provision under grace, then it means it is within your reach and you need to lay hold of it by faith. Faith is dead if it is not accomplished with works. The Bible says that if the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Keep doing what you are doing, remain visible, continue praying and eventually, you’ll find somebody.

Note: In case you were not deliberate about this subject previously, plan to be more visible this year. If your location does not necessarily get you exposed to meeting a man, then you need to go to places where you’ll meet them. Getting to those places will be influenced by your values and the idea of a man who’d like to get married to. It’s good to know you have a perception of who your dream man is but if you find yourself in the wrong places, you’d definitely meet the wrong people. Ensure you go to the right places and are in the right environment so you meet the person you want to be married to. Ruth was deliberate and she met Boaz (Ruth 2).

All the best and remember to invite us to your wedding. ☺️

Do you have any piece of advice to share with this lady? Post it in the comment box.

CBG¹: Christian Blog Ghana

Feature Image Source: Pixabay

The Faith Digest

If Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen and

It is what gives us the assurance about things we cannot see,

Then,

Faith is believing in Jesus Christ, His resurrection and second coming.

It is believing in every word that is written in the Bible.

Faith is the understanding that the worlds were framed by the word of God.

It is obedience and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Faith is believing in the word of God to the point that even when things are not going right, you’ll be hopeful.

It is trusting that whatever God has said about your life will come to pass.

Faith is walking away from that prayer meeting without any doubt that your heart desires will be fulfilled by your Father.

It is sowing seed with the last money in your wallet and trusting that God will pull a miracle.

Faith is starting that business and believing it will work even though everyone around you tells you otherwise.

It could mean packing items into your suitcase even though you have not received the visa to travel yet.

Faith could also mean purchasing those work clothes even though you have not been called for the job interview.

It is starting that church or fellowship even though you do not have the physical building or the members.

Faith is following the voice within to buy that plot of land in the neighbourhood where no one is building.

It is believing you are healed even though you do not feel it.

Faith is buying the wedding gown even though your beloved has not proposed to you.

It is refusing to have sex or get pregnant for that man you are not married to simply because you are almost 50.

Faith is preparing the nursery for the baby even though the pregnancy test hasn’t yielded positive results.

It is preparing for your graduation even though your examination results are not yet in.

Faith is not yielding to the pressure around you.

It is being convicted of what God has said about you.

Faith is smiling in challenging times.

It is not being doubtful.

Faith is walking in that vision that God has revealed to you.

It is simply putting your confidence in the one has created you and given you that purpose to fulfil.

Faith is simply trusting in God.

– This post is inspired by Hebrews 11

Like a Child

Babies are beautiful, delicate and adorable. Their process of formation through to their growth could simply be described as a miracle. Observing their growth process is a way of appreciating the perfect God that we serve. They also exhibit other traits which Christians must adopt.

This attractive feature about babies is their trusting nature, particularly in interacting, with their parents or caregivers. They tend to believe so much in the abilities of their parents or caregivers. In the presence of their caregivers/parents, they will not go hungry or thirsty or cold or experience any form of discomfort. Even when they are treading dangerously by moving on the edge of a couch or bed, they have smiles on their faces because they know with their parents or caregivers would protect them from any form of danger. They simply trust in the abilities of their caregivers making it possible to liken their behaviour to what Jesus Christ wants believers to portray in Matthew 6:25-30:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

Have you seen a baby getting worried about when or where their next meal is going to come from? They only think of the present – I am hungry, just feed me. After they are fed, they start to smile and jump about, not caring about what is going to happen to them in the next few hours.

This level of trust or faith that babies have in their parents/caregivers is what every believer should have in God. The point where we totally rely on Him for all our needs and supply. When we have no cause to fear or worry. When we know our daily bread would be provided by Him.

As we grow, life seemingly does a number of things to us and our level of trust in God simply depreciates. We begin to look everywhere for assistance except God. A situation which keeps filling us with more fear, worry and anxiety.

Worrying has never added anything to anyone’s life. Praying and listening to the Holy Ghost is the best way to battle everything. Is it barrenness, a disease or poverty – what are you battling with? Is anything too hard for the Lord (Genesis 18:14)?

Let’s take this simple exercise – find a child, preferably below two years and spend a full day with him/her in the presence of their caregivers. It would be a lesson which would greatly impact on your faith.

Do you have questions bothering on your Christian walk or are in need of someone to speak? Are you looking for prayer partners, reach out to us via our email christianblogghana@gmail.com or on any of our social media channels. We’ll be glad to assist.

Be Encouraged!

Whenever the enemy pursues us,
He thinks mischief but The Good Lord works it for our good.

The more speedily, he pursues us,

the more speedily our miracles are manifested because of our love for our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Egyptians started killing the babies during Moses’ birth,

the quicker God grew him to become a deliverer of Israel through Christ.

The Egyptians pursued Israel speedily to the red sea,

the quicker their salvation. Egyptians sped quickly into self destruction.

The fear of The Lord is the epiphany of wisdom.

But Pharoah never knew the mystery of Our God.

Trust not in chariots and horses,

trust in the invisible, invincible God who created you, I and even the devil himself.

Every calamity is an opportunity for God to perform eternal miracles.

Joseph will not value kingdom rulership without his past.

He will not value liberty had he not been imprisoned.

He will not have valued his wife had he not encountered Potiphar’s wife.

But the good news is even at the most bottom of your life will give you a reminder of how you are going to value the topmost of your life.

Faith works with Love and Faith is tried through patience.

Patience is not giving up but action that meets the manifestation of our miracles.

You might be known now but your not being known is going to be the reason why others will be known.

Potiphar will never have appeared in The Bible had it not been for the unknown Joseph.

Just imagine even as a slave we knew his name as Joseph.

Can you please tell me the name of Potiphar’s wife.

There is no Potiphar without Joseph.

Trust in The Lord with all your heart.

You are greater than great.
Every calamity is calling for a testimony through Christ Jesus.

Amen.

This piece was written by Kwabena ‘Nyameba‘ Bediako. Kwabena is a poet and author from Ghana who travels the world sharing the love of Christ through his poems and writings

Personal Dev’t: What the Modern Christian Needs

Christians are supposed to pray for things happen in their lives, right? The Bible even says we should pray without ceasing. It also admonishes us to ask whatever we want in Jesus’ name and things will happen. If that is the case, then why do we keep spending days, months and years on one particular prayer topic?

Christians are supposed to pray for things to happen in their lives, right? The Bible even says we should pray without ceasing. It also admonishes us to ask whatever we want in Jesus’ name and things will happen. If that is the case, then why do we keep spending days, months and years on one particular prayer topic? What are we doing wrong as Christians that the results of our prayers keep prolonging?

Don’t you wish prayer meetings would be praise sessions because the Lord has granted us everything that we need to help build His kingdom? Such prayer meetings will be ones where we come to thank God for all the souls we have won instead of asking God to fix our finances, help us find jobs and scholarship and contracts.

From my little experience in this life and observing trends, I think the modern Christian should find ways of building himself/herself up too. Let’s depend on God, yes but let’s also build ourselves. You want a new job but what extra skill have you learnt that you can boast of in the past ten years. You have been praying for a child but have you visited the fertility clinic to set is wrong with you and what you can do differently? You are searching for a job, how many applications have you written and sent out? Miracles do happen but applying some effort can push miracles to happen faster on our parts. The woman with the issue of the blood had to make an effort to touch Jesus’ garment (Luke 8:40-56).

We have left a lot of good and important things for the unbelievers for too long. We love to sit in our small corners and wait for miracles to find us. Let’s make an effort to be better in whichever fields that we find ourselves. Let us push God to speed our miracles.

What about educating ourselves to the highest point and getting to that point that we will be indispensable? What about us Christians targeting the top position? The parliaments, courts and even the entire nation?

I can imagine how great the world will be when Christians take over important leadership roles because they have developed themselves. Let us start by seeing ourselves as the light of the world and finding ways of spreading our influences throughout the entire universe.

I am waiting for your testimony!

3 Deceptions about Christianity Most People are Not Told

There are some truths about the faith that are hidden from most people. They begin to worship God and after some time they get frustrated because they feel Christianity is difficult. These lies are simple but yet, they can cause people to backslide. Below are examples of such misconceptions.

Everyone has their conception of what Christianity is or what it ought to be. We believe Christianity is not just any religion but a relationship with the creator which needs to be built over time. It is believing your life is not yours to live but you being accountable to your creator. It is consciously renewing this belief and building your relationship with the Holy Spirit as well.

There are some truths about the faith that are hidden from most people. Such people accept the faith, they begin to worship God and after some time they get frustrated because they feel Christianity is difficult. These deceptions are simple but yet, they have the ability to cause people to backslide. Below are examples of such misconceptions:

Christianity means your life is free of challenges

This is one of the first misconceptions about the faith. The Bible in James 1: 2 mentions that we should count it joy when we meet trials of various kinds for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. This implies that our Christian walk is not trial-free. Each day comes with a new challenge but if we know that God’s mercies are new each day, we will not be afraid when dawn breaks but rather we would be excited knowing that our God has everything under control. Even when the challenges come we will smile at them, like Jesus in the boat with his disciples during the storm, we will only speak and the storm will be calm – Matthew 8:23.

Christianity means you should not work hard

Jesus Christ performed miracles in his ministry. The woman with the issue of the blood had to make an effort to touch the garment of Jesus and that was when power was released from him to heal the woman – Matthew 9:20.

Even for a miracle to take place, there had to be an effort on the part of the woman. This proves that miracles can happen when we also make an effort. Do not sleep and expect to be rich. Unbelievers will keep running the affairs of the world if we pray without working hard. Spend some time to pray and also some time to work hard; this is the only way we can succeed in the faith.

Christianity means it is easy to have faith

This is one of the easiest means of getting hold of our miracles – having faith. The Bible mentions that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can say to a mountain that it should move into the sea and that mountain will obey our voice (Luke 11:6). There are challenges that we see each day, the only thing we need to do is to speak to them and they will obey but why haven’t we been able to do that? This is because building faith is something we need to do each day. It does not come easily but it is possible. We can start with the little things in our lives, soon we will be able to tell the huge things to vanish and yes, they will obey us.

Are there any misconceptions you knew before becoming a Christian? Share them with us.

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?

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

Winning Souls at the Drinking Bar

Who do you evangelize to? Are there specific people you should be targeting when evangelizing? Will you evangelize in a drinking bar or to prostitutes on the streets?

Who do you evangelize to? Are there specific people you should be targeting when evangelizing? Will you evangelize in a drinking bar or to prostitutes on the streets?

In the previous post, I mentioned how I broke my “evangelism silence” and ended up speaking to more people than I had ever imagined. Today, I hope I get readers like you to help me answer the questions a number of questions which will clear certain doubts on the believers’ minds.

I was faced with these problems when a group of us went out last Sunday to evangelize. We passed in front of a drinking bar when we were suddenly approached by a group of men in the bar. They invited us into the bar and asked us to share the word of God with them. They provided us with a time limit of 5 minutes. We prayed and started sharing the word about the love of God based on John 3:16.

The men were silent and receptive until we concluded the message. They asked us if they could ask us questions and probably have a discussion with us based on the word we had shared with them. We told them they could ask us questions but whether we can sit down for the kind of discussion they want to have with us is something we would have to postpone till a later date. These innocent words got the men infuriated. They started using all sort of words to describe us, accusing us of choosing the easier aspect of Christianity. We were not bothered by their words though because we knew they were under the influence of alcohol but my mind started to wander if as Christians we choose the “easier” route as these men described it.

We know Jesus Christ came for the lost sheep (Matthew 15: 24) so as Christians are we limiting ourselves when it comes to evangelism? Do you suggest specific times and venues go out and win souls? What are your experiences? Let us know your thoughts via Email, Facebook or Twitter.

Evangelism and the Faith

One of our mandates as Christians is to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit – Mathew 28:19. This is also known as the Great Commission. The Great Commission or evangelism is not only speaking to people about God but another way of doing that is through our actions and our words. People should have a change of hearts by observing your actions.

As we know, we have been mandated to win souls and it is a fact that most of us shy away from this duty that has been bestowed on us. We shy away from this basically because we are afraid people will turn us away or they will not want to listen to what we have for them or they may ask us difficult questions that we may not have answers to.

Personally, I had never evangelized to anyone until it was added to a course I was reading at church. It was not as difficult as I had imagined it. The people I spoke to were much more receptive. Within an hour, we had spoken to over 15 people and we believed they were going to be saved. I have taken part in three separate evangelism programmes in my church after I was able to break the barrier.

I also believe in what the Bible says Romans 8:30 which says, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

You may not feel qualified to speak about the goodness of God with other people but bear in mind that God used Moses who stammered, Jeremiah, Gideon, and others back in the day so if we avail ourselves, God is ready to use us. As my one of the teachers in my church puts it, “this is the work that brings the most blessing to us Christians.”

Have you taken it upon yourself to evangelize to people? How were you able to break the “silence” the first time? We want to hear what you have to say on Twitter and Facebook.