7/27/2023 0 Comments The Coat of More.It's never about the obstacles you face. No. Joseph had every kind of obstacle in his path. He was hated by his brothers. For GOD to say that, it must be true. Imagine living with ten adults who HATE you. Seeing them day in, day out. And loving on them. That's hard. We don't know if the Coat of many colors his father, Jacob gave Joseph was a measure of GOD's comfort. We don't know if Joseph wept into it each night after surviving another loveless day with his brothers. We don't know why GOD gave him a special gift. You see Jacob, I see GOD. Every gift someone receives comes from our loving Heavenly FATHER. HE gives good gifts. GOD gave Joseph the coat of many colors as a 'hold on to this for the meantime. I've got more in stock for you, son'. There was only one way his brothers could've ripped his promise and it wasn't by ripping the coat of him. They could not rip GOD of Joseph, nor rip GOD off Joseph. See, you can do whatever but you cannot make GOD hate someone! Amen? Once GOD loves someone, HE loves someone. GOD says in Scripture, "Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated". What do you do if you were Esau, or Joseph's brothers? Hating the one GOD loves is not the way. It only opens the door for the enemy to use you to destroy you. But when you realize GOD's love is limitless and non-discriminatory, you can always enter GOD's love! If GOD rejects your offering, HIS heart is too good not to give you a chance to offer a better offering. Cain could've gone back, farmed another year, and brought GOD his best which GOD will accept this time. He didn't. He chose to kill his brother. By the way, murder had never happened so how did Cain know he could kill Abel? Scripture says lucifer was a murderer from the beginning. So, when one hates their brother, they open a door for satan to enter them and the next thing they're thinking about is murder. And GOD hates murder. Again, what does one who feels they are outside GOD's acceptance do? First step, is repentance. Before GOD rejects someone, their heart's not pure. Simple. Then, purify your heart. Ask GOD to help you. If that's not enough, ask GOD to change your heart, if not enough, ask GOD to give you a new heart. I have done it. When I struggle with something that keeps polluting my heart, I ask GOD for a brand new heart. And the beauty of it is I never know the second GOD answers; I just notice I've begun to walk in the new! GOD doesn't reject people because they're imperfect but because they are unwilling to change in the right direction. Be willing to change and walk in the new even if you struggle at first. Joseph's coat is not for people GOD blesses evidently only, but for everyone. GOD accepts everyone who comes to HIM. If you will strip off the coat of jealousy, hate, anger, masturbation and every sexual sin, gossip, racism and every form of bigotry and prejudice, ingratitude to GOD and man, people pleasing, etc and present yourself to GOD. GOD will give you the coat of more! If you are Joseph, and today, you feel like it goes from the hatred to the pit, like things descend from bad to worse to unimaginable. If you are struggling to find the love of GOD in the midst of being hurt by the ones you love, and can't help loving, I want to encourage you. The pit is not the end. Potiphar's house is not the end. The prison is not the end. GOD does not write bad endings. If it's not good yet, do not give up. GOD is still writing your story. Wait. Wait. WAIT. Wait for GOD to turn the page. Because the day you choose to give up, might be one night left in prison. You owe GOD a chance to show you what the end HE wrote for you looks like! Keep breathing. Until GOD turns things around. Keep your heart pure. Keep your hope up. Pump your heart full of GOD's promises. And you are sure to smile when Pharoah proclaims, "No one will raise a hand or foot in Egypt except at your word." Your good end is worth the wait! GOD will come through for you! I promise. Finally, everybody has a chance to walk and live in GOD's love. There is no better place to live out of. Offense cannot live there. Forgiveness is key. GOD graces you during hard seasons. You trust GOD when you do not understand and at HIS time, GOD makes everything beautiful. And you too can stand and say to the haters, "you meant it for evil but GOD meant it for good." GOD has a blessing, a coat of more, with your name on it. Don't miss out!
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7/13/2023 1 Comment Welcome to the GOOD News!
Hello and welcome to the GOOD News! I'm Joy Ohagwu, the team lead, and I am a USA Today Bestselling Author of Christian fiction with more than 40 titles published, including an awesome children's Christian fiction story titled Overcomers.
The GOOD News is a blog where we explore the WORD of GOD, and share good things happening in the kingdom of GOD. For starters, let me tell you this is a complete package. We'll discuss things you think would belong to the altar, to the academia, to arts, to fashion, to the environment, to education, to spiritual growth, prayer requests, Christian concerts & events coming up, etc. I want to thank you for visiting us amid your busy schedule. We're sure you will love it here! Please share a link to the blog with your friends. This is a maiden edition. There will always be something good for you to take with you, especially hope. Ready? Let's go. YOU WILL RISE AGAIN.
YOU WILL RISE AGAIN. These words etched deep in my soul at a down moment. I'd lost my apartment, lived with so much physical uncertainty but with one spiritual certainty: GOD is with me. The moment I realized my physical reality did not match my physical challenges, it was time to write what brought the spiritual faithfulness of GOD to my physical circumstances.
I was at a road, and as I looked, I said to myself, "Pastor Jerry will not die here." I was certain. Who is Pastor Jerry? Pastor Jerry Eze, the lead pastor of Streams of Joy Int'l churches, leads an online daily prayer platform. I tune in regularly. I remember knowing with certainty that if that man stood exactly where I stood, facing the same odds I was facing, he would not give into defeat. So, I asked myself, what would pastor Jerry do? It wasn't enough to say he wouldn't die here. Both my checking accounts were overdrawn. All my cards were maxed out, including my checking lines of credit. I didn't have but forty dollars to my name, twenty of which I was about to spend on food. Creditors were calling. Storage facilities for my books sent warning reminders of due notices. I needed $500,000 to get debtfree, and grow my mailing list, and promote my books sustainably. No bank was willing to lend to me. I had a warehouse with 10,000 copies of Overcomers worth a gross $100,000 when every last copy was sold, but no money to market them. Spiritual attacks against me were still happening. Hell and the kingdom of darkness was still hunting me with desperation, and attacking me with physical proof of the attacks. I had one test to pass with GOD. Hell wanted to put everything between me and that victory because that will overturn everything in my favor. This had beat the generations before me. I had to be the final fighter of this battle. I had to win. I was at a desperate place. GOD had to intervene. The question again was, if pastor Jerry would not die here, what would he do? I answered, He would pray in tongues until the situation stopped regressing. He would pray, through tears, until they started looking up. If you are at the end of your rope today, hear me loud and clear, I understand. GOD does too. HE will make a way out. You will not die there. You will rise again, live again, laugh again, love again, rejoice again. I know because I am living proof of how GOD turns things around when nobody else can. Step One: I believed GOD. I made a determination that whatever it took, I will obey GOD. I knew only GOD could help me. I was sure HE would. HE did. I went to Walmart, changed clothes, spent that twenty and some change and bought food & necessities, taped my broken glasses together. I went to the library. I got writing on this blog. Step Two: GOD taught me to love all humanity, not only Christians. I was to see all human beings as loved by GOD. I could not preach until I loved them. All of them. Rather, all of us. Step Three: I wrote this first blog. Because we are coming out of every form of darkness together. JESUS didn't leave even one of us behind on the cross. Neither will I leave my brethren. No matter what challenge you are facing today, we are rooting for you to take the next step. You can do it. You will not die here. Did you hear me? Say it aloud: I will not die here! I will rise again. Then, look and see what GOD will do. PRAYER: Our Heavenly Father, we thank YOU for YOUR Love which binds us together. We can do all things through CHRIST. We love YOU SIR, GOD. We believe the depth of Love YOU have for us. May YOUR Love in CHRIST bind us together in righteousness forever. In JESUS' Name Amen. |
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