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Welcome to my blog,

I am Adwoba Addo-Boateng, a lover of Christ.

IF THE SHOE DOESN'T FIT, DON'T WEAR IT

There are times when we want to do things our own way because we feel that the way of God is not happening the way that we want it. However, we should not underplay the sovereignty of God. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?" "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?" For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33-36).

A young man wanted to go for a job interview at all cost. he had to go! he had stayed at home for ever and this was his chance to earn some money. He was so excited for the D-day. Unfortunately, on the D-day his shoe couldn’t fit. He tried and tried, his shoe couldn’t fit and that was the only shoe he had. Oh! No! it was such a huge disappointment. Sadly, he couldn’t go. The next day, he received the news that the company he was due to attend the interview had an unfortunate disaster. The roof caved in and everybody who was there at the time of the interview died. Sometimes, when things are not happening the way we want it, he is preventing something disastrous from happening. He is saving our lives!

Christianity is a lifestyle with Christ. Christianity is not a means of achieving our bucket list and it is not a means of achieving our goal. However, whatever you want you may ask God in prayer and he answers your prayer according to his will (Philippians 4).  When one is a Christian, there is a need to be totally submissive to God for his will to be done. We see things in a different way and we act accordingly but whatever happens to you as a Christian, you keep on holding on to Christ and your faith is built in Christ that whatever happens to you, God is good. He is the one driving, not you. He sees the final picture that you don't see. God is sovereign; allow his sovereignty over your life.

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SUBMISSION IN MARRIAGES

Submission stems out of mutual love and understanding for each other.  As a Christian, love should drive you. A Pharisee asked Jesus: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 36-39). Love is putting other people’s needs above yours unconditionally.  A Christian lady I met told me, my husband is so disrespectful to me, and how does he expect me to submit. The answer was pretty simple; submission should not be based on what he fails or fails not to do. Submission should be based on God’s word and know that as you are submitting to him, you are submitting to Christ. It is a requirement for you as a wife, to place the word of God first in your marriage. Submission and love works hand in hand. As you are submitting to your husband, he in turn will love you so much and you will be heirs together to the grace of life. If a wife submits to her husband and the husband loves the wife, marriage will be a blissful union with no turning back.

Pride goes before a fall

Every leader’s goal is to focus on Christ to make an impact in people’s life to the glory of God in order to magnify him. However, these days, most leaders' aim is to chase after social status and recognition from people.  For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19).

Furthermore, most leads compare their ministry to others and it breeds unhealthy competition forgetting that everyone has a distinct gift that God has deposited in him or her. For instance, Ministry A is organizing a church program and church attendance is low. He or she begins to compare his or her ministry to Ministry B. He or she then forces his or her church members to do things that they normally will not do to outperform the other Ministry. Christianity is never forcing people to do things out of their own will but rather freedom of worship in Christ Jesus. It is a wrong misconception that people have that the larger your congregation or building, the greater your ministry. Your ministry is greater when you have humbled yourself under God’s hands to serve others and he has used you to impact lives. Christ is our role model, we are supposed to imitate Christ and follow in his exemplary life.

BE YE THANKFUL

When the ten lepers were healed, it was only one leper a Samaritan who came back to thank Jesus. Jesus asked him were not all ten healed, where was the other nine? (Luke 17:11-19). Jesus wants us to thank him at all times irrespective of our circumstances. Most times we think that God is supposed to do things for us, so he does not need any appreciation from us. It is in the will of God to thank Him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When we thank him, he is pleased with us and we are in His will. When we do things according to His will, He always comes through for us.

Get Rich?

Money is a gift that is given to certain people to help others in need, for each one has its own gift. When we make money our goal, instead of making Christ our goal we fall into so many temptations . Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:9-11). If riches were a prerequisite for salvation, the rich man would have gone to heaven. (Luke 16). He was rich, but did not realize his money was a gift from God that has to be shared with the poor to attain eternal life. What can I do to inherit eternal life, a rich man asked Jesus? Go and sell all what you have and give to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19). No one can serve two masters, either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).

The widow who gave the coins gave the greatest according to Jesus. Jesus was not so pleased at the huge sums of money that others were giving. To Jesus the woman gave the greatest, because the woman gave out all she had and she gave from my heart. Therefore, Christianity is all about your heart and how you sacrifice your need for someone else’s need. Furthermore, it is the Christ in you that is the hope of glory. Christ is love so it is the love in your heart that is the hope of glory. Even when you have love in your heart, it is not going to be all rosy. You share in Christ’s sufferings as well as share in his glory. (Romans 8:17)

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I HAVE GIVEN MY LIFE TO CHRIST

This is a popular saying by Christians and we hear it each day. When someone is asked? Are you a Christian? The person replies Oh yes! And most of the time adds, I was born into a Christian home, I never miss church, and I am even in the church choir and so on. Wait a minute, is this what qualifies one as a Christian? Certainly not!

That statement “I have given my life to Christ is a very huge statement” which means you are walking in the footsteps of Christ and he is in charge of your whole life. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we intend to submit to Christ’s ruling in our lives that is submitting to the Holy Spirit. You live according to the spirit not according to the flesh. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). When we are comfortable in the body that is engaging in the flesh .The Apostle Paul mentioned the acts of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-20. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, the more the flesh is crucified, the closer we get to God, for the flesh kills but the spirit gives life.

Christianity is not about you, but it is about living selflessly by putting other people’s needs before yours. The greatest commandment that Jesus gave was love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40)

How can you say you love God when you do not love your brother or sister? You bear grudges against people; you don’t want to be friends with your neighbor who reported you to child services for not treating your child well and among others. If we love only those who have been good to us, then we have not done anything. (Luke 6:32-36). Jesus emphasized in Luke 6:35-36 that “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”. Therefore we need to let go and let God in our lives.

THE DILEMMA

A mother was nearing pension and she had nothing to show for all the number of years in service, then she managed to rent a house to use as a preschool. However, her daughter was struggling. She and her husband had hit a low point in their lives. Taking care of the home had become so difficult, like a whirlwind, the landlady was evicting them from where they lived. Here the mother wanted to use her house for a business entity to survive and there was her daughter needing the house to shelter her family. She was adamant at first, not wanting to give the house but eventually she let it out. She did not think of her pension plan anymore but she was thinking of the need of her daughter. She put her daughter’s needs above hers and her daughter lived there with her family. After a while, someone she never fathomed help from bought her a house even bigger than what she gave out. She lost it all for the sake of Christ, she wasn’t even thinking about gaining. However, she was able to find her life after losing it all to fulfill a need of someone. The story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told, lays emphasis on helping people in need, irrespective of the assumptions, values and belief we may hold. The Jews were not on good terms with the Samaritans, but this man, “deviated” from the norm to fulfill a need.

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay its head. (Matthew 8:20-21). Jesus stressed on the need for selflessness in order to follow him and that is the essence of Christianity.

In Matthew 10:39 Jesus said whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

TOPSY TURVY

Ohemaa lived in an affluent neighbourhood, she had it all. She was a writer and a student, when she dropped her kids off at a very prestigious school every morning, she will quickly go to school and at her leisure time, she will write her books. This was her routine and everything was going on well. On the other hand, her husband worked in a reputable organization where he headed the marketing division. Like a whirlwind, everything started falling apart, her husband lost his job, they could no longer afford that school for their kids, they could not pay their rent and they were served with an eviction notice.  All of a sudden their lives changed, they had no place to go to. Ohemaa prayed to God for a solution to their predicament. God answered her prayer. Her mum offered her a cottage on a farm house where they could live in until they get their acts organized. She has never lived in such a house, it was way too small and archaic. Besides, she has lived in a city all her life, how could she cope with life in the suburbs. She started seeking her own solutions but it was to no avail. She definitely had no choice and she said to herself, may be that is where God wanted me to live.  Although adamant from the beginning, she began to trust the process of letting God reign. She went there with her family; her husband found another job and hope was revived. Since the neighbourhood was deprived, she set up a not for profit organization to affect lives. She started by donating items to people living in extreme poverty and it metamorphosed into a very big organization with about 20, 000 workers across the globe. God redirected her path into her destiny. Initially, she felt it was a demotion but it was a promotion.

Humble yourselves and God will lift you up in due time.

FORGIVENESS

The Lord’s Prayer mentioned that God should forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others. We cannot hold on to the sins of others and expect God to forgive us of our sins. It works hand in hand. The story of the parable of the unmerciful servant explores further how we should forgive people of their sins so that God will also forgive us of our sins. A servant owed his master 10,000 bags of gold. He pleaded for mercy, the master had pity on him and forgave cancelled his debts. As he was going home, he saw a fellow servant who owed him 100 silver coins, he grabbed him and begun to choke him. He wanted his money back at all cost. The master heard the information of what had happened. He called him a wicked servant, and said; I had pity on you and cancelled your sins, shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow brother as I had on you?  He called the jailers to come for him and torture him until he pays his money back. Jesus concluded, this is how your heavenly father will treat each of you if you do not forgive each other from your heart. (Matthew 18:21-25).

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

A man’s kids were sacked from school for non- payment of fees. He didn’t know where to turn to. He prayed to God to settle the school fees for the kids. The money for the fees was not coming. He felt God has unanswered his prayer. His kids could not go to school for three weeks. He unexpectedly had money to pay the fees. The duration of not getting the money was so long that he had already started homeschooling the kids. That was the birth of a great school. When he wanted money to pay fees, the money delayed and his talent that was hiding was unearthed. God gave him a better option.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21).

TURN YOUR SHAME INTO A NAME

You had a sexual affair with your friend’s wife and everyone thinks you are a bad person. You made a mistake and you cannot let go of that past and you feel so ashamed. There are issues in life, which are weighing you down. You do not understand why you are not getting pregnant after ten years of marriage. Has the good Lord that you serve left you barren? The promotion at work that will lead you to your big financial break is not forthcoming, you begin to wonder why.

When you are ashamed of your past or worried about your unknown future that is when you can find God. In that moment, where nothing seems to work for you, you sit in a quiet mood most often. It is in that quietness, that you can hear the spirit of God which is gentle and true.

When we cling to God through those trying moments, we find our purpose in life. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 We are all uniquely created and our journeys may be different. One thing for sure, we are all partakers of God’s grace, if we let ourselves go and let God in. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it”. (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus has already taken your shame and pain away by nailing it on the cross. When you embrace the cross, He gives you a new identity. You are now a new creation, old things have become new. You begin to live the life that God predestined for you to live.

WILL YOUR OIL RUN OUT?

The parable of the ten virgins signifies that when God gives you a task you are supposed to put your all into it. When you are faithful with a few things God entrusts you with. He entrusts you with more things and you share in his happiness. He again offers you rich rewards freely because you have done your part.

When the bridegroom that is Jesus appears, will your oil run out? Or you will have enough oil to wait for his arrival? How do we make sure our oil does not run out? The answer lies in 2 peter 1:5-8 to confirm our calling and election . For this reason, we should make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

LA CASA DE DIOS

When you are in a house, you are protected against all kinds of weather; rain, storms, snow, sunshine. When you leave the house, you are weather beaten. The weather affects you badly and you suffer the consequences of leaving the house. Being in the house is like being under God’s care, where you are protected from all kinds of evil. How can we stay in God’s house to secure our protection? When we put other’s needs before ours and keep His commandments, we love God. When we love God, He rescues us from the weather and we are safe in God’s house.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
  I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name”. (Psalm 91:14)

THE SERVANT IS THE GREATEST

Jesus washing the feet of the disciples was a pure act of humility, which as servants of God; we should all emulate this great act. Jesus is Lord and Master, He never lewd His authority over His disciples but rather demonstrated a great act of lowliness.

A lady lived near a man who was sick and had been shunned by his family and friends. She willingly took care of this man who had a nauseating and stinky smell. Eventually the man was healed of whatever sickness it was. The man in return gave her a house in an urban area that she never asked off and was not even expecting. This lady was humble enough to engage in this act of compassion. Her deeds paid off in a surprising way. Her house was in foreclosure and that was exactly what she needed. An act of humility and kindness was the way to go for her.

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

VOILA!!!

Whilst studying for my PhD degree, I had an assignment to submit and the deadline was approaching. I needed to read a book to be able to do the assignment. My funds were so low so I could not buy the book. Hey! I had an alternative, I was going to surf the net whether I could get a free copy to download. I searched fruitlessly! I could not get it. Then, I remembered I had a father in heaven. So I decided to tell my father about it in prayer. The next day, I lay on the couch in the hall. “Something” prompted me to search the book on my phone again. The first search I did, there it was, and how it got there I have no idea. Finally, I could do my assignment. The lyrics of the song “What a friend we have in Jesus” make more meaning to me now.

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear,

What a privilege to carry,

Everything to God in prayer,

Oh what peace we often forfeit,

Oh what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in Prayer.

When we do not carry EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER, WE BEAR NEEDLESS PAIN and we do not have peace.

THY KINGDOM COME

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17: 20- 21). But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ( John 14: 26).

Are we ready to let ourselves go for God’s kingdom to take over our lives? By praying thy kingdom come in the Lord’s Prayer then we are ready to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, by giving up our will for His will to be made perfect in our lives.  Ephesians 6: 12 says that; for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Even though there are other rulers, authorities and powers, God’s kingdom is all you need.   We need to submit to God’s rule for us to be under His reign that is by submitting to the Holy Spirit in our midst.

A WONDERFUL ESCAPE

A friend’s wife was critically ill whilst pregnant. We prayed about it all the time. Somehow we were scared that she would not make it but we kept hope alive. For in Christ our hope is always renewed and we are also strengthened. A week before her due date, she was induced and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. A baby girl she has always dreamed of having. We were all so happy and she was overjoyed. We were all relieved and happy that she made it. In a sudden twist of events, she got critically ill again three days after giving birth. .She was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance our hopes were dashed again. What went wrong we asked ourselves? Did we not pray enough? Is there something we should have done that we did not do? We were filled with questions, obviously without getting answers. Her health deteriorated and she was on life support for two days. She passed away sadly and left a week old baby behind. The post morterm report stated that she died of hepatitis B. The husband was so devastated; he thought God has not been fair to him. Sometimes, death is an answer to our prayer. The answer to our prayer lies solely with God for just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life; even so the son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it. (John 5:21).

The righteous perish ,and  no one takes it to heart ;the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. (Isaiah 57:1)