
China is top of all the Human Rights watch lists at the moment, because of their treatment of the people of Tibet. Their stubbornness in the face of so much opposition would be risible if one did not consider the fact that they have been around a long, long time and survived much more difficult tests. The history of China extends back about 5,000 years, with archaeological records dating back to the 16th century BC, making it one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Even Christianity in China has developed since at least the 7th century AD, and recent discoveries seem to put the first diffusion of Christianity in China during the 1st century AD. Many years of war and peace, strife and reconciliation, have led to a wonderful collection of proverbs, a number of which reminded me of our theme for this month. I share them with you below.
If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions.
If you want to know your future, look into your present actions. It’s called coming full circle, and as the Preacher says in Ecclesiastes 1 vs.9, History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. (NLT) Some soul-searching and investigating will reveal patterns that cannot be ignored, but that can be changed.
Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
A man grows most tired while standing still.
You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. Keep praying. Keep interceding. Keep evangelising. Keep teaching. Keep counselling. Keep doing whatever it is you do best for God because the moment you stop, the enemy steps into that pause – however slight – and you become weary and disillusioned. Bad times will come to those with bright futures. Ask Joseph and Daniel. In fact, ask Job too. Even though he was well-to-do before catastrophe befell him, he was even better off when God recompensed him. However, there was a lot of faith involved in all these stories, which is what ultimately kept them looking to God rather than losing hope.
Don’t curse the darkness – light a candle. There is reason why day follows night. Don’t spend all your time praying to get rid of your enemies. Spend time with the Light of the World, Who can single-handedly do so on your behalf.
Fierce fire reveals true gold. Any prospector will tell you that finding any reasonable quantity of gold takes time and perseverance. It occurs naturally at times only in slivers, and quite often embedded in dross. Only a period in the furnace can show the metal in all its glory. Your battles will not be mild ones, and at times the heat will singe you, but it is the only way to get to your treasure. Pure gold does not fear the furnace. The metal almost instinctively ‘takes’ to the fire, as if it knows that it is only here that it can be moulded into a shape pleasing to the Owner. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Revelation 3:18 NASB
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time.
God cannot help those who do not seize opportunities. A prophet can only pass on to you what the Holy Spirit tells him too. He may pray with you about the matter, but it is left up to you make it a reality. Look around you. See, hear, do. The hand of God really is everywhere you look.
He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician.
Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one. Any word or prophecy you receive comes with an unuttered, unwritten proviso – you need to work it through until you achieve the desired result. If you do not fast and pray, that word falls useless to the ground. The great thing about fasting is that there are no hard and fast rules, unless we are expressly instructed otherwise. The liquid-only fast is a gift from God; seize it!
It is good to strike the serpent’s head with your enemy’s hand. Reverse that curse, so that the evil that has been sent to destroy you, will instead be visited upon those who wished it on you.
If you are planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for 20 years, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men. In Ophthalmology, the Greek word myopia, also called near- or short-sightedness, is a refractive defect of the eye in which patients see nearby objects clearly but distant objects appear blurred. It is very important to be able to see the ‘big picture’, so to speak. If you concentrate your prayers on your present problems, they will cease, but then, what next? If you concentrate your prayers on your family and friends, what happens when a situation arises involving a neighbour or colleague? If you concentrate your prayers on those you know, what happens to the souls you were meant to save?
If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. We need to be attentive. A man will usually reveal himself, good or bad, leaving no-one but ourselves to blame when we are ranked by the company we keep.
In the struggle between the stone and the water, in time, the water wins. This is doubly interesting because of the current fierce debate about bottled water. Mineral water actually seeps out of rock, and it is this strange process, the purity of the source, and its unique taste that makes it so appealing. After all, it’s hard to believe that such an element could produce water. Moses went one step further, God enabling him to better that trickle… “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:6 NASB
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Those perfect stones we see nestling in gold or silver settings once looked like little pebbles; rough, and not very attractive. But by the time a diamond cutter has finished with them, they are objects of great beauty; shining in the light, each facet more brilliant than the last.
Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all must be tasted. If you have never had anything sweet, how do you know what is bitter? And vice versa? Only after experiencing each will you know which is the one to savour most.
Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu.
A cat that catches mice does not meow. It is not unusual to confront our enemies in both realms, physical and spiritual. The physical entails an understanding of the complexities of demonic possession, and therefore correctly, a tendency towards leniency. Many spiritual battles, however, are to the death. To make sure that it is your enemy that is the one perishing, be consistent. Be bold, be fierce. Make no mistake, this is not a game for him, so when he hears your voice, let it be a growl.
Think of your own faults the first part of the night when you are awake, and of the faults of others the latter part of the night when you are asleep.
Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking… We need to get right with God, worshiping Him as we should – in righteousness and truth, so that in the day of evil, there is nothing to fear. It is only the doors we leave open that the devil is able to take advantage of…
No wind, no waves. This spoke to me, but I’m not sure exactly why. Was it some veiled reference to Jesus in the boat? Or is it because I know that it is only a large wave that washes ashore whatever the sea has swallowed? Or is it simply that the wind and waves are a perfect example of Gods complete mastery over the elements and therefore over everything that concerns us? You choose! One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass. Luke 8:22 The Message
The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be. You may recall that Pastor Dan Asante mentioned this in his sermon Weeping May Endure for the Night, during which he said the advantage of the Night Life was that dreams and revelations come thick and fast, as opposed to when you enter your Day Life and they are not as necessary. Only the man who crosses the river at night knows the value of the light of day. The peace that the Day Life brings can only be appreciated after the struggles of the Night.
When we have nothing to worry about we are not doing much, and not doing much may supply us with plenty of future worries.
The more you sweat in Peacetime, the less you bleed during War. As Pastor Dele says, you pray now so that you can rest later. All the great stories we hear of men of God who are fearless before their foes are only fact because of the sleepless nights they had and sacrifices they made to give themselves a sound footing.
The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. When Jesus spoke of faith moving mountains, was He speaking of this man? Is it people who have been tested over the years that build up their faith and then move mountains, or is it a done deal the minute you believe? “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. ” Matthew 17:20 NLT
Crows everywhere are equally black. Just because the enemy you faced at home looks different from the ones you face here, make no mistake, they are simply sheep in wolves clothing, and their mission is the same. The same levels of wickedness are possible and the same outcomes are sought.
A book holds a house of gold. The Bible. Enough said.
A proverb is variously described as a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought, a wise saying or precept and, Biblically, a profound saying, maxim, or oracular utterance requiring interpretation. Whatever its origin, it remains a useful and illustrative tool. In this instance, hopefully, a helpful one too.
‘Yemi Akinbulumo, 06 April 2008