The Circle of Ingratitude

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!

For the Lord has spoken:

“I have nourished and brought up children,

And they have rebelled against Me;" Isaiah 1:2.

"Hath God said..."( Genesis 3:1) is the seed of rebellion planted by the enemy in the minds of people.
This seed produces the fruit of rebellion and ingratitude towards God.

 Right from the beginning  of human existence, the rebellious souls have been quick to accuse God and to question God's mercy and goodness.

Adam : " Dear God,  Why did you give me  this woman?" True , I was alone  but definitely , I was not lonely. 
Do You see the  upheavals and chaos Eve has caused  now?

Eve :"Dear God,  it wasn't me ! Someone  created  this wicked  being called the Devil .  That someone was not me . 
Instead of locking Satan up and throwing away the key , why was he allowed  to roam about freely , even to enter inside our beautiful  garden ?!

 And by the way, what was the tempting, delicious  fruit  doing on the Tree ? "

How easily and how quickly human beings choose to forget the goodness and mercies of  God!
The children of Israel  went on a futile journey to the Promised Land , going round and round , back and forward and then back to their starting point ; they roamed in a pathetic circle for 40 years in the wilderness ,because they rebelled against   their God.

One would expect people who had witnessed first-hand miracles and the awesome deliverance of Jehovah ; to appreciate the difference between Heaven-sent manna  and quails and the flesh pots of Egypt !

"And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:3.

Rebellion in the face of challenges is vintage Homo Sapient  behaviour.

Even today FOOD and the search for it is big "politics" with some people.

At the slightest sign of  challenges and obstacles , ungrateful souls are very quick  to rebel , to jump ship , abandon God and go seeking  for help from all kinds of gods.

Accusations of incompetence  flow from the lips of the ungrateful soul who in the thick of life's afflictions chose to forget that the same God who delivered yesterday  has not changed .

He is the same , yesterday , even today and tomorrow.

"Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?" Exodus 14:11.

^" For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." Exodus 32: 23.

One has to first  recognise  the mercy of God , before  being able  to appreciate the joy of  being alive;  healthy and bubbling with zeal and zest .

MInds filled with  gratitude would give praise and thanksgiving  to God. 

Rebellion warps the human mind and clouds the reasoning faculties.                                 

Eyes blinded by grief and hearts numbed by pain and disappointments cannot  see  anything good and cannot  meditate on the mercy of God .
Ingratitude  causes  an unending circle of woe .
‘Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter “What are you making?
”Does your work say,   “The potter has no hands”? Isaiah 45:9 ( NIV )
Life for such persons is one continuous self-defeatist  cycle of  Ingratitude which begins with  Bitterness then unto  Rebellion - Blasphemy - Sin - Sorrow - Despair- Defeat ; and then back to more bitterness and  the circle goes on and on. 
As it was in the  past , so it is  today. 
Instead of appreciating the mercy of God , millions of rebellious people are blaming God for every evil under the sun.
Some  people speak out rebellious words ;but others keep their  rebellious questions inaudible ;harboured and hidden in the secret recesses of  their minds .

Questions are seething even in the minds of those who have had close fellowship with God and have tasted of the goodness of the Lord,
It is not unusual  to hear questions like these from  some people ;

"  Lies travel faster than the truth. Why?"

" Why did God create this world when He knew that things would become very bad and that  humans  would become very wicked , to this extent? "

"Why do wicked people  escape justice and innocent people suffer unjustly?

Why do the  unrighteous rich continue to  get richer and to live long  ?

Who allowed  tsunamis, tornadoes, fires , earthquakes , famines, pestilence and epidemics to take place? Where was God when thousands of people were killed?"

" Why did God allow  the apostle of Satan and founder of the evil religion which spreads hate , murder and chaos worldwide,  to be born into this world. Why didn't he and his present day disciples die in their mothers' wombs?!"

" Why do people who do not attend church or pay any tithes and offerings , get  financial miracles and the best jobs in the country?!"
"This world is not our home ; we belong to a higher realm ? Then why are we living here? "

" Why did a minister of God who was on an inter-city preaching mission die in a horrific plane crash; but the lives of many evil people in that same ill-fated aircraft  were spared?" 

"Why are people who do not desire children ; couples who have aborted several
pregnancies  blessed with repeated unwanted pregnancies ; but childless married couples who have been waiting on the Lord for many years ; are yet to be blessed  with even one child?"

"Why are millions of  people starving  and lacking the good things of life , on the same planet  Earth where others  have more of everything than they need and so  they waste tonnes  of food and  waste millions of cash on unnecessary  luxuries ?

"Why does excess rain fall , flooding those  countries where too much rain is not needed  , yet the areas of the world where millions of peasant farmers are struggling to survive get no rain for years on end ? "

The pit of Hell is the place from where all  rebellious  words issue from.

The Devil  is a liar and is the father of all liars and he is the source of  all  accusations against God. 

 Ignorance of who God is , is  the  fuel which  cooks  the anger and bitterness  against God .

The "beauty" of rebellion and ingratitude against God is that these two evils are unfailing paymasters , yielding well-deserved dividends. 
Those who ridicule and question the mercy and wisdom of God would one day, ultimately, remember God and acknowledge His mercy. 

There are two ways to it.

People would appreciate God's mercy either by the easy way of accepting the salvation of God or by the hard way of receiving the rod of affliction from the Devil ; which would make them to repent and embrace the merciful  God who has loved all men unconditionally.

Asking  "Why , why , why"? does not change the nature of God . 

My take on  all such questions  is :if rebellious human beings can question the mercy and goodness of God , God too is questioning Man's rebellion  against God and  Man's inhumanity to Man .
"What could have been done more in my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? ..." Isaiah 5:4.
While rebellious humans point their one finger against God , their other four fingers are pointing back to themselves. 
 People who question the power  and mercy of  God  should also reflect on the following points:

Why did God hand over the dominion of planet  Earth to Man and not to angels and to the  animals who were living on Earth before Man ?"

What did  Man do  to show gratitude to God ?  Man lost his dominion  to Satan.

The resources created by God on Earth are enough to go round every living soul and to make life meaningful for all humanity . But a small minority of very selfish men and women have  taken control of the world's resources for themselves and their generations unborn.  Why?
Who polluted the fresh air,  the rivers and oceans and stripped the forests of the earth bare ? 

Mankind has abused  the beautiful environment  and destroyed the Ozone layer which God put in place in the beginning ,to protect life on earth .

 These abuses by Mankind have led  to climate change , floods and other natural disasters.

 God has given all living souls the gift of life ; to glorify God during their life time.
Human beings could decide to use  their God-given freewill to choose between good and evil ; people could  choose to be vessels of peace and progress on earth or they are free to choose to  be deceived by Satan and be used as his messengers of  world-wide terror and death .
Whatsoever human beings sow, unfailingly ,  they will reap the judgement from God.
If there were no places on earth where people are living under the terrorizing reign of evil religions , how would Christians be able to appreciate what Jesus  Christ has done in their lives and to say , "Thank God  for Jesus Christ  and thank God I am a Christian ! " ?

 God sent His Son Jesus, to die  not  for "good" men only , but  for ALL men .

And what did mankind do  to Jesus Christ  when He lived on earth ?

Why  did mankind reject Jesus Christ and millions are still rejecting Him today ?
Those who have rejected  the salvation of God , have they not heard the words of the Lord Jesus in John 3 :16 - 18 , and have they not  heard  that : 
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved ". Acts 4:12.

Yes they have heard .
 Billions  of human souls have heard the Gospel preached several times , out of which  millions have chosen to ridicule and reject the Gospel of JesusChrist.

Why has God  not sent down His fire to destroy all those who blaspheme against God's Son and who  reject  the fullness of  God's mercy and grace expressed in Christ Jesus ?
God has not done so because He is merciful , loving and compassionate and does not desire the death of  the sinner but  God calls all men to repentance. 2 Peter 3: 9. 

You who have been questioning  the  love and  mercy of God ; it is time to face reality.
 What are you doing with  your God-given  life and freewill ?
Are you one of those  who have been blinded by  Satan from acknowledging and receiving the Salvation plan of God for mankind? 2 Corinthians 4 : 3 - 4 
 If you die today and stand before God , what will your life record of activities show ?

You cannot stand before God and question Him. 

Come out of that Satanic web of lies and deceit  and accept  the mercy and righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.

The life which Jesus  Christ gives is the only way out of the miserable circle of ingratitude.

"Let God be true  but  every man a liar...." Romans 3: 4.

 God is not a liar. Believe His Word while you still have breath in you and LIVE  by it. 

When life's challenges and afflictions come knocking , the way out of them and the way forward is  not  to become  bitter and  rebellious and it is not by railing accusations and curses against God .

The way forward is to remember that God is good and there is no turning or changing from goodness in Him.

What to do is trust God , that He is good and faithful ; accept that God knows what  He is doing , that He is omniscient ; God sees and  knows about our all challenges .
Standing on God's word concerning the challenges of life  gives peace to every mind troubled  and perplexed by  rebellious questions .

This is your year of  glorious testimonies of the goodness of God . 

Happy New Year and be blessed indeed. Amen.

Utter the memory of His Goodness

" For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

Psalms 18:31.

During this season of  the beginning of a new year  , whatever your refrain  or your  song , have  you paused to appreciate the gift of life which is your gift of  getting a second chance; of  "going for it" and achieving those elusive dreams?

For some people, this is the time to lift up their faces , their hearts and their hands in praises , worship and thanksgiving to God.

But for others , it is the time for bitter  reflections , time to regret the missed opportunities and to declare that : "Phew! Never again! That was a very bad year! Why me?"

Yes  maybe the facts  of your situation indicate it was a (very) bad year , even  your  worst year so far.

The lie of the matter is saying or  even believing that going through bad times are a sign that you and anyone who are the victims of such challenges were punished because God forsook them because they did something  wrong ;or  that they did not  speak or practise "enough faith" 

But the TRUTH of the matter is :
God did not say  righteous  people would not pass through afflictions. He said :

^" Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 

Psalms 34: 19.
* You still are standing  AND you saw the back of  it  all and so you are the VICTOR !

The bad times are mirages which have passed on ; they  passed with their intentions of flooring you. The bad times  bowed out of the boxing arena as defeated foes  : and so you are standing as  the winner !.

^"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance  ".  Psalm 42: 5.

The shout of a king is in the camp of  favoured people! Numbers 23: 21

In the camp of  praise , there is vibrant  life , there is Hope unto Faith and Faith gets God's attention .

Which camp are you in , on whose side are you ?
Just in case you have forgotten how to praise God or  you do not even know what you should praise God for and why you should praise God , let me remind you of why and how to praise Him. 
Join me  to praise this wonderful God  and by the time you're  half way through this my  write-up , you will get up , and

Acknowledge God's Mercy ©

" God's mercy and grace give me hope - for myself, and for our world".  Billy Graham 

Everybody loves to receive good news  or to be the recipient of something unusually wonderful ,
 especially when  the  good news , events or gifts  prevent something unpleasant or provide relief from suffering. 
The bigger the good news , the blessing or the event , the better.

There are marked differences between the facial expressions , the  gait , the speech , the body language and indeed the whole being of the  persons who are recipients of  bad news  and the persons who have received  mercy which brings shouts of victory.
 ^" Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee " Isaiah 12:6.

Mercy is a journey or mission or an act   performed out of a desire to relieve suffering; motivated by compassion. 

It is Unusual Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within ones power to punish or harm. 
 Mercy is forgiving and easily  entreated whereas evil  carnal nature demands "an eye for an eye ".
Mercy  gives relief , like oil to the bones, balm to pains and sorrow . It brings joy, hope and encouragement, 

Mercy is one of God's numerous  attributes ; it is His very nature . His Throne and His reputation  are built on Mercy.
"Justice and judgement are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face ". Psalms 89:14.
 Mercy and Compassion are on God's "calling - card"  by  which  He  describes Himself.
 ^"And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth," Exodus 34:6.

God's mercy is His unending mission of intervention to bring all - round reliefs.When His mercy intervenes in lives and situations , there is transformation.

In the beginning , God intervened and then the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the waters . Darkness was changed into Light, emptiness and chaos were transformed into beauty and order. Genesis 1: 1-2.
God 's mercy is still the same today. It is the intervention of God's Mercy  which can fill our  mouths with the shout of a king! Numbers 23:21.
"In their camp there is sorrow and weeping  but in ours are shouts of joy!"


To question the goodness of God is to deny that God is rich in mercy and compassion.
This is an act and attitude of ingratitude. 
All around us we can see His good works. The creations of God's hand  all declare that God's mercies endure forever. 

Gratitude is thankfulness or appreciation,  for gifts or favours received .
 That , for me , is putting it , simply basically .
I believe it , I practise it and I preach it : that the higher level of appreciation is when Gratitude is expressed  for things NOT seen  but which are believed  as " ALREADY RECEIVED" .
God , because He is merciful, is the Giver of all good things.
 God sees the end of a thing  , an event or the end of a person's intentions from their beginnings. 
He will not give sugar-coated poisons , wolves in sheep clothing  and ticking time-bombs to those who trust  and wait on His mercy.
God's  blessings add no sorrow. They are perfect and they arrive at the right time .
Over the years , I have  seen the assurance that when and if I desire something which I THINK  is the best for me and it does not  arrive when and how I expected it ; then it means God is saying to me , "No, my daughter,  THAT , definitely is not the best for you ; I have something much greater and better  than all that  for you.
 Trust me . You just wait and see!"
And surely , as sure as there is  Night and Day, I have seen the Lord's goodness.
God has been faithful to His promises  in my life.

Have you desired thing(s) , you have  pleaded and "wrestled " with God for  them , but they  seem not forth coming? 
Be confident that the mercy of God is at work in your life . 
Watch it. God could even have given you the best answer to your prayers but you failed to recognise the perfect answer  of peace , because you were looking for it elsewhere !
 Be sensitive in the Spirit .
Or else you will be like  one of those who are still knocking their heads on the wall  praying  for the coming  to earth of the Messiah , even  over two thousand years after He had come and gone back to  Heaven !
Do not base your  expectations on the worldly systems ,  on their  cultural values , traditions and definitions of what should be classified as  "blessings and miracles".
If you are walking on that level, then , what you perceive as the ULTIMATE BLESSING " may be like mud, like costume jewellery when compared to the gold and diamond cache which God has  prepared  for you, not only in Heaven , but right here , during your life time on earth.

Maybe you think  trusting God to give you the best  of everything is "self- consolatory ". 
 " After all , you say , God  has promised that He would grant us the desires of our heart " ?
Yeah , God promised to grant us the desires of our hearts.
God , also , is able  to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power  that works in us".   ( Ephesians 3:20 ). 
Think back and you will agree that  weeping  may endure for a night , for a season , even for years on end ; BUT God brings JOY and relief in the morning .
For where you and I are today, are glorious testimonies  of  God's answers to our prayers of  many years ago .
The glorious promotion , open doors and  the wonderful benefits which  we  have received as at today , are far above what  we were thinking of , targeting and believing God for. 
The Mercy of God has made it possible so that even the sky is not the limit for  those who believe.  

It is not  a "self- consolatory" attitude to trust God's mercy  when expecting  the very best and  excellent blessings from God. 
This is the  wise choice of  waiting on the Lord  to receive strength  and guidance; to soar on eagles wings ; far above our peers, our competitors ; above our friends , our age mates and  colleagues .
It is the place to receive  power to be lifted up , far above our enemies and their weapons and and above all those who have despised , mocked and written  us off  as "Hopeless Cases! "
God's mercy brings relief to every dry, barren and waste land.
Mercy uplifts the beggar from the dung hill and delivers the prisoners from their dungeons.
The place of God's Mercy is the table , which the Lord sets for you before your enemies ; where you sit and feast on the good of the land , peacefully. 

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion fail not.

 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him ".

Lamentations 3: 22-24.

In hearts and mouths where there is acknowledgement  of God's mercy , there  must issue forth gratitude , praise and thanksgiving  and this would result to the manifesting of greater mercies .
But  refusal to acknowledge God's mercy  is ingratitude which  births bitterness and rebellion 
This is not the portion of the believer.
May the Lord fill our mouths with his praise and honour  and our hearts with thanksgiving every day. Amen 

"All Flesh is as Grass"

" For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. 
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away ": 1 Peter 1:24.
God gives Man the power to get wealth  Psalms 62 :11; and "good success". Joshua 1:8.

"Success" means prosperity , victory , triumph, achievement, fame , and eminence . 
It is the will of God that men should succeed and prosper by righteous means, in all their undertakings  on earth .

Pride is self- esteem, self-worth  or ego , self-respect ; it is the pleasure  and  satisfaction derived from personal qualities , achievements or possessions. 

People could be proud of their good fortune, educational and career success, of their exceptionally good looks, well-to-do families  and friends and proud of a host of other blessings;  which  the human beings would desire to possess. 
Taking pride in one's appearance and taking pride in one's duties and responsibilities  are the qualities of  emotionally sound persons.
Pride in oneself is positive assertion. This is Pride as in refusing to accept fear , intimidation, defeat and failure. Positive self-pride is rejecting rudeness , aggression , disrespect,  cheating , "put-downs", evil influences and manipulations from any body. 

It is proper to exhibit self-esteem or self-pride when presenting  one's achievements and assets , when necessary; like during  job interviews. 
 If you've got it, flaunt it. Sometimes , if you do not blow your own trumpet , nobody would  blow it for you..

The other side of the coin are the unpleasant  forms of pride which are egotism , self-conceit , arrogance, vanity , obstinacy ,  big-headedness ; to mention just a few .
Human beings could forget that it is God who exalts and upholds  a man and that God rules and reigns in the affairs of men. 

 When a  person 's mind is full of pride, he  would  give  the credit  for his success , not  to God , but to  his own  strength  and talents .

Also, pride would make successful persons to begin to see themselves as "superior " to  persons who do not  posses their admirable  qualities and who have not attained their height of success. 
There are persons who do not have anything  worthwhile to show for their  arrogance , but they derive satisfaction from their own delusions.

Such deluded persons are full of fantasies about their own worth ; like  deluding themselves that  they are indispensable king-pins and without them , nothing would work , or that without their presence , life would be unpleasant for  people . 
Arrogance would make some husbands and wives disrespect their spouses, thinking they are doing their wives or husbands a huge favour  by remaining  married to them .  

Misplaced pride  says, "This is awesome ME! I am the best and THEY are all chasing after me!"
Awesome you who has achieved awesome what?

Pride causes delusion which makes some people think that they are " too hot and too desirable" and so everybody is  falling over themselves , to "seduce" them and win their love for  dating and marriage!

Acquisition of knowledge is essential because ignorance could be destructive. 
Pride has bred perversion of the benefits of knowledge, especially scientific knowledge ; whereby atheists  have  tried to hijack all scientific knowledge and "discoveries " and present them as "proof that there is no Creator up there!"

It is preposterous  to attempt to use things that have been created  to disprove the existence of the Creator.

" He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Psalm 2:4.

Scientific knowledge and scientific "discoveries"  or inventions are  useful  for  modern living .
Science is not anti - God , contrary  to what  some people  think .
Science , actually,  reveals to Man  the awesomeness