KING SOLOMON MISSED A POINT

Have you ever asked “Why did God create me?”
God created us for fellowship and to show forth His glory, He created us for His pleasure. But do you know, the wisest king on earth seemed to miss a very important point related to this? Wow! I hear someone saying “Who are you to say that about the King Solomon?” I’m sorry, but he did miss a point. Let’s look at it together.

2Chronicles 6:2- “But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling forever".

This is where King Solomon missed the point.  Though dwelling in a physical temple wasn’t God’s ultimate plan, God was willing to show forth occasionally in these physical tabernacles; But then Solomon added “forever” in his dedication prayer. This showed that even if he had great wisdom, he was still a man and was limited in knowledge of God’s grand plan.

God’s ultimate plan was to dwell in man, but in 2Chronicles 6:18, King Solomon even doubted this- “but will God in very deed dwell with men on earth?” YES! God not only wanted to dwell with men, but in men, and He has achieved that today. Hallelujah! He dwells in me. “Christ in me, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:21).

Note that in 2Chronicles 7:1. God responded positively to Solomon’s prayer, with fire from heaven and glory filling the house.

God responded despite the fact that He knew He was not going to dwell there “forever” (John 4:21-24).

God did not hush Solomon at that statement, but accepted him and favoured him. That didn’t mean that God would now dwell in a physical temple at Jerusalem built by King Solomon, forever.

Likewise when we see the errors made by some patriarchs, we should not just take them as God’s will because he did not react negatively to them. God has a perfect will and it is stated clearly in scriptures. Study the scriptures, renew your mind and you will know what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

See God’s response when he talked to Solomon after the prayer in 2Chronicles 7:12- “And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard they prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice”.

God chose it for a house of sacrifice, not even for dwelling. He chose it anyway, but then “forever” was totally out of it. The place God desires to dwell in forever, is in YOU. Don't close the door of your heart. Let Jesus in.

Ikpa Onwuka.

THE VALLEY OF DECISION

Many of us have been in situations where we needed to make one decision or the other; decisions capable of changing our lives forever, but we came through, we were able to choose rightly. There is one decision many still need to make, which is a matter of life and death…

Joel 3:12-15 “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about”.

There is a call to ‘come up’. Come up from where? It definitely will be a lower place, a place of gloom and doom, a place without light. There is also a command to those who are already up to reap from this lower place, and bring as many as possible up out of this lower place. This lower place is full of wickedness, great wickedness. “…Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision”. I call this lower place the “Valley of Decision”.

Inhabitants of this valley are in utter darkness, they have their eyes covered with a veil of darkness (2Cor.4:4). Inhabitants of this valley must make a smart and quick decision to come out because the day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision. This is a valley of sin and iniquity; it is a place where immorality and wickedness prevails. Satan reigns there.

Don’t remain there, don’t remain in the Valley of Decision; decide quick and come to Christ today, He shall give you light. God doesn’t want to destroy anyone, He has been and is still waiting for as many as are still in this valley of decision to make up their minds and decide to be on the Lord’s side (2Peter 3:9).

Do you know anyone in the Valley of Decision?  Or are you in the Valley of Decision? Come up unto the Higher Grounds. Come out of Babylon (Isaiah 52:11) and be separate. The Lord still calls us into the Ark of Salvation. Let us respond positively before it’s too late. 

The clock is ticking and we are at the eleventh hour, no, we are at the extra time.

Ikpa Onwuka.

ASKING GOD WHY

Is it bad to ask God questions when things go wrong? You know some folks have seen it as a sign of ingratitude, they say ‘give God the benefit of doubt’. But the truth is if we don’t know why a thing happened, we are bound to suffer afflictions from that occurrence again and again until we have asked God ‘why’, the right way. Yes, I said, the right way.

When inquiring from God about certain issues or occurrence, we shouldn’t do it complaining, because God does not like that. We should ask to learn, in openness of heart. Just like the disciples asked Jesus why the three could not cast out the devil, they learnt something new that day. I have a feeling there would have been no answer if they came that day complaining, but a rebuke to stop complaining. Imagine if they came to Jesus accusing him of giving them power that failed to work?

This is what most of us do when things go wrong, we either fail to inquire of the Lord as to why it happened, or we go to him complaining and pouring out accusations.

In Joshua 7:7-9 after the people of Ai had smitten about thirty six of the Israelites; Joshua asked God why it happened. In verses 10-13, God answered him. If Joshua did not ask, he would not have known where they went wrong.

Believe me, life will be much more beautiful if we inquire the right way and demand to know why certain things happen. God hears and answers us.
Don’t keep quiet, ask why!

Ikpa Onwuka