A NEW SONG

   “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God” (Ps40:3a)

Read: 1 Samuel Chapter 1

The Prophet Moses was a man who stammered and did not seem to be very good with words. Yet when God drowned the enemies of the Israelites in the Red Sea, he broke out into a new song “I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea” (Ex15:1).

A new song comes from the heart of someone who has had a new experience, a fresh new encounter with the Most High God. The old song of despair, fear, pain, and so on have been taken away and replaced with joy, peace, and victory.

Let us examine the life of another person in the Bible who sang a new song. In 1 Sam chapter 1, Hannah’s old song was frustration, irritation, weeping and bitterness because she could not have children. All this changed when the Lord remembered her and gave her Samuel. She sang “My heart rejoices in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God“(1 Sam2:1-2).

If you are reading this and there is a seemingly impossible challenge facing you, please remember that “God is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb13:8). He is still in the business of trading beauty for ashes. He can beautify your life and use your life – yes, your life to display His Glory and Power to the world. You will sing a new song in this season in the name of Jesus. Amen.

ISOLATION – THE DEVIL’S POTENT WEAPON

Read Heb 10:25

In a documentary titled “planet earth”, a pride of hungry lions killed and devoured a large bull elephant. Lions are not known to attack elephants because elephants are big beasts that move in groups called herds and are well equipped to take care of themselves from any attack. How did the lions then kill the elephant? They simply managed to distract the bull elephant from the herd and made it chase them while the other elephants moved away. Once it was isolated from the herd, it was only a matter of time before the lions killed it.

Similarly the Bible says that the devil is “like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour” (1Pet 5:8). One of his most potent weapons for destroying the believer is by isolating him or her, albeit gradually from God (spiritual isolation) and other brethren (physical isolation), so that they can end up like the elephant in the story above.

Spiritual isolation is usually a gradual process whereby a Christian ceases to enjoy those things that make them to be on fire for God. A lot of  Christians  say that they no longer  pray, read the word of God, or share their faith like they used to when they first got born again. The writer of the book of Matthew said, “the love of many will wax cold” (Matt 24:12). These are some of the signs of Spiritual isolation.

Physical isolation on the other hand is a withdrawal from fellowshipping with other brethren. The Bible says “iron sharpeneth iron” (Prov 27:17). Although the word of God says we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling (which signifies our daily personal walk with God), we are also encouraged not to forsake the assembly of brethren. When a Christian does not regularly worship with other Christians, it is a sign of Pride-the precursor of spiritual isolation. Spiritual and physical isolation go hand in hand and ultimately they make a shipwreck of the faith of believers who do not check themselves.

As Christians therefore, we should constantly consider our ways (Hag1:5). Let us go back to our first love and become energized once again for the things of God. That way, we will not end up as food for the devil. Remember that popular saying- any river that forgets its source will dry up eventually. When we drift away from our maker, and/or forsake the assembly of believers, we are doing so at our own peril.

I WAS BARABAS

Before Christ came, whenever a man sinned, he would bring a sin offering (say a lamb) and place his hand on the head of the innocent animal. The animal was then slaughtered to atone for the sin of the man who then went home free (Lev 4:32-33). This was done over and over again because the blood of animals could not permanently wipe away sins. This was the old Testament.

God had a better plan for mankind. A new testament was in the works that would permanently reconcile man back to God without the continuous shedding of the blood of animals. It started with a man called Abraham and through his lineage, Jesus the only begotten son of God would come and lay down his life so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled, and anyone who believed on him would become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

On the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, Barabas a notorious criminal stood on one side and a sinless Jesus stood on the other. Barabas represented the whole of sinful mankind (i.e. you and I) while Jesus was the unblemished lamb of God about to be put to death instead of Barabas. Picture it in your mind – God’s final act to redeem us was on full display that Friday. And like the old testament, sinful mankind represented by Barabas went home free while the lamb of God was killed in his stead. No wonder Jesus last words were “it is finished”. Two days later, He rose from the dead in victory. The New Testament had began.