No Corners Cut, No Pacifying, No Round-About Way

By Lou Yeboah

Even though you are no longer with us… we, your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren thank you for your council, and the legacy you left behind, a legacy of glory. For you said unto us, “Know the God of your father and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” [1 Chronicles 28:9]. I urge you to remain true to your Savior. I have no doubt that you will. Love each other deeply in your marriages. Keep your family ties strong. Lay-up treasure in heaven because the stuff of earth is empty. Beware of sin and confess it as soon as you discover it in your life. And let the Spirits gift of joy color all your life. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God [1Colossians 10.31; Proverbs 4:19, 5:1, 6:20].

Oh, I tell you, my father, he was a humble man. He was a dependent man. He was a proven man. He was a focused man. He was a faithful man. He was a patient man. He was an obedient man. He did nothing on His own; He acted only as the Father desired and enabled because he knew that Jesus was the prototype, the pattern, and master copy for how we should live. [John 5:19-30]. I tell you; “Fatherhood” is Worth Celebrating!

Consider all God asks Fathers to do: Provide for their families [1 Timothy 5:8]. Love sacrificially [Ephesians 5:25-33]. Teach their children about the Lord [Ephesians 6:4]. Encourage their children [Colossians 3:21]. Talk about God’s Word, often [Deuteronomy 6:6-9]. Appreciate their children [Psalms 127:3-5]. Guide their families in serving the Lord [Joshua 24:15]. Set a good example [Proverbs 20:7]. Love their children enough to discipline them [Proverbs 13:24; 19:18]. Lead their families as Christ leads the church [Ephesians 5:23]. “Fatherhood” – Worth Celebrating!

That’s why on Sunday, June 20^th, America will celebrate “Father’s Day.” Take the opportunity to celebrate your father [Dad, grandfather, stepfather, foster father, uncle, brother] who was there for you. Let him know how much you love and appreciate him, EVEN IF, your relationship was not like you would have wanted it to be. Send him a gift and write him a card that will touch even the toughest man’s heart. He will appreciate your kind words and the fact that you took the time out of your day to write him a personal note. Don’t let the opportunity pass. Just like we celebrate many things. When we grow another year older, we celebrate. When we add another year to the length of our marriage, we celebrate. When our favorite team wins a championship, we celebrate. When we graduate – from kindergarten, from high school, from college – we celebrate. When our child is born, we celebrate. When we get a promotion, we celebrate. When we retire from our career, we celebrate. Clearly, we find and take many opportunities in life to celebrate victories, achievements, milestones, and joyous moments. Take the time to celebrate your dad, because I tell you, “Fatherhood is worth celebrating, and it doesn’t matter if he raised you from day one, barely saw you because he worked long hours to support your family, or you found him later in life – celebrate him. Just like God values you, God values fathers.

On that note, I pray, Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the “Fathers” in our lives. We know fatherhood does not come with a manual, and reality teaches us that some “Fathers” excel while others fail. We ask for Your blessings for them all, and forgiveness where it is needed. Bless them for the many times they reflected the love, strength, generosity, wisdom and mercy that You exemplify in your relationship with us. Granted not all “Fathers” lived up to these ideals. Give them the grace to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes in the same token, give us the grace to extend to them the same forgiveness that you offer us all. Help us to resist the urge to stay stuck in past bitterness, instead, moving forward with humility and peace of heart. Remember all those who have helped fill the void when fathers passed or were/are absent- [grandfathers and uncles, brothers and cousins, teachers, pastors and coaches], bless them who served as “Father” figures in lives when biological fathers weren’t able to do so. Give new and future fathers the guidance they need to raise happy and holy children, grounded in a love for You and other people. We ask Your generous blessings today and every day. In Jesus name. Amen!

Remembering, Honoring, and Celebrating – Fatherhood!

Happy Father’s Day!

By Lou Yeboah

“…What it will be like standing before the King? What it would be like to walk, by [His] side? I can only imagine, what my eyes would see, when [His] face is before me. I can only imagine, what it will be like to be surrounded by [His] glory. What will my heart feel? Will I dance for [Him], or in awe of [Him] be still? Will I stand in [His] presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Or will I be able to speak at all? Oh, I can only imagine, yeah, when that day comes… Can you imagine, just standing before the King, what it would be like…” [Song by Tamela Mann? I Can Only Imagine].

Pause for a moment to let that image settle in your mind, because I can only think of one thing worse than going to Hell, and that would be to go to Hell with Heaven on your mind. Listen, the Bible gives us several vivid examples of this phenomenon. Consider the following people and their rejection of the Savior. Judas Iscariot – He kissed the gates of Heaven and went to Hell – [Matt. 26:49; Acts 1:25]. Felix – He looked into salvation, but he wanted to wait to a more convenient time – [Acts 24:25]. Herod Agrippa – He stepped up to the very door of Heaven and turned away – [Acts 26:28]. Festus – He heard the claims of the Gospel and called them the ravings of a mad man – [Acts 26:24].  Tell me, how shall you escape, if you ignore God’s provision for your soul’s salvation, how will you escape the consequences of such neglect? [Matthew 10:32-33]. How will you escape His wrath? [John 3:36]; His condemnation? [John 3:18]; His word of banishment? [Matthew 26:41].

Listen, the Bible declares it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. [Hebrews 9:27]. I tell you, nothing in your entire life could be more important than being ready for that day, because it will determine whether you will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. You shouldn’t think twice about it. Understand the present time. For as [Romans 13:11-12]] says, the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. The Bible says “Now is the acceptable time. Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation….” Please do not cast aside God’s offer. I want you to know that through visions, prophecies, visitations and signs, Jesus have given many warnings to the world that there was little time left and that after the trumpet call, it will be too late! Don’t wait until its too late! Can you imagine standing before the King, what it will be like for you?

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thundering, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. Hallelujah all Praises to the Most High God! [Revelation chapter 4]. I Can Only Imagine!

By Lou Yeboah

The prescription Jesus gives us is to stay awake at all times and pray. Watch and pray! Stay in step with the Holy Spirit, because a day is coming suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [Luke 21:34-36]. I tell you, there will not be time, as in the past, to get ready. If you do not respond swiftly and fiercely by repenting now, and receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will suffer massive loss of life. You see, a major war is coming soon, and it will be massive. The players are in place and this coming war will be the birth pangs of the Gog-Magog Wars as foretold by God to the prophet Ezekiel. I tell you, you must prepare and prepare NOW! The ‘End Times’ are here and you must choose a side: heaven or hell. Above all, understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” “But do not forget this one thing: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. I say, and I say again, don’t be caught off guard!

I want you to know that the “End-Time Prophecies” intends to serve as a warning to all of humanity that things are about to end. It urges us to get out of denial, to wake up to the truth, and to look at our spiritual relations and actions. Speaking of this time, which is soon to take place, Jesus said, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” [Matthew 24:22].

I want you to know that God’s chosen nation is now back in the land of promise. Understanding that country’s position in the arena of the Middle East and world affairs is critical to understanding all other geopolitical realities. [Zechariah 12:2-3]. Yeah, I know, some people think we should avoid the frightening images of what the Bible says will take place in the last days, yet how can we ignore such an important element of the Bible, and the need to be prepared? We cannot ignore the truths about the future as Jesus tells us.

This is a time to stay tuned and watch current events ever more closely. We have entered a different world. Peace and security will never be quite the same. As the apostle Paul tells us in [Romans 13:11], “now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

As [Matthew 24:32-39] tells us, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come. I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living. Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed. When Will Jesus Come Again? “No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them.  I tell you, don’t be caught off guard! The prescription, stay awake and pray!

By Lou Yeboah

As ‘Mother’s Day’ approaches, words cannot begin to express the gratefulness and appreciation I feel for you, neither can they define the thanks that I would love to give you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for being the first and most influential role model in my life. Thank you for your selfless sacrifice, and your pure, unconditional and eternal love. Your affection, your protection, your maternal kindness and your daily love rocked my life, a treasure of inestimable value. By your life you taught me to trust God with everything. You confirm for me that no matter how big the problem may be, God is bigger. You live a life of trust, a trust that holds firm during the darkest night, a trust that hangs on in the roughest storm, a trust that keep climbing up the steepest mountain, a trust that refuses to give up, a trust that rejects defeat, and relishes a challenge, a trust that rushes to do God’s will, and a trust that replies on the Holy Spirit and rest in Jesus Christ. And for this example of trust, we, your children, and grandchildren, thank you. We thank you for your unshakable example of trust and devotion. A devotion we hope to live out.  Happy ‘Mother’s Day’ to you my dear, sweet, amazing mother, I will always admire, appreciate, and love you!

To mothers, both biological and adopted, connected by blood and by experience, torn apart by circumstance and sometimes by choice. To those who have given life both in birth and in formation, to those who have lost life before birth and before old age, to those who have done what only mother’s can do, to those who have been “the perfect mother,” and to those who live with regrets. To those who are close to their children, and to those who feel like they are a million miles away, we bless you always, not just on “Mother’s Day.” We would not be who we are and where we are if it was not for you. No, we haven’t always done a good job of honoring you, thanking you, appreciating you. We haven’t always loved you as you have loved us. For that we ask for your forgiveness and grace. But may we be people to honor and encourage and bless you from this day forward for whom God has made you. For “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” [Proverbs 31:10-29].

A woman of worth, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household. Her hands hold the spindle, and all her household are clothed in crimson. She reaches out her hands to the needy. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness her children rise up and call her happy. Her husband, too, and he praises her. [Proverbs 31:25- 27].

Echoing the incredible words of Helen Steiner Rice and Abraham Lincoln ?

“A Mother’s love is something that no one can explain. It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain, It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may for nothing can destroy it or take that love away. [Helen Steiner Rice]. ?

“All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” [Abraham Lincoln].

For these reasons I pray, Lord God, bless every mother with the finest of your spiritual blessings today. Bless them with the grace of Your presence, and the honor they deserve for their tireless work and love. Fill them with your peace and mercy. Grant forgiveness for mistakes, for we all make them. But let love cover all our memories with a blanket of compassion and joy. Confirm in her heart and spirit the work of her hands and the love that she has freely given to the children under her care.  Let her rest in knowing that she has done all she can and that those she loves truly belong to you. Let her joy be contagious; let her passion be pure; and let her life overflow with all the blessings she deserves—not just on special days, but every day of her life. In Jesus’ name. Amen and Amen!

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL Mothers!

By Lou Yeboah

Don’t you fall for Satan lies! The Devil is a liar! Telling you that you can wait to get save. Telling you that you can serve God tomorrow. Satan is “a liar and the father of all liars! [John 8:44].  He is deceptive, cunning, crafty, and sneaky. [Genesis 3:1-6].” Don’t you fall for Satan lies! Don’t you do it! “Be sober-minded; be watchful, because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”[1 Peter 5:8]. Satan’s default mode is deception [2 Corinthians 11:14]. He pretends to have our best interest in mind, but in reality, he comes to seek, kill, and destroy. [John 10:10].  “Oh, I say and I say it again, Ya been had! Ya been took! Ya been hoodwink! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok!” [Malcolm X 1992]. Stop believing the Devil lies. The bounty he collects is eternal damnation. Don’t you do it! Don’t you fall for Satan lies. The Devil is a liar!

Biblical descriptions of him include everything from an angel of light to a ravenous beast. Anyone is a welcome challenge to him, from Adam to Jesus himself. Nobody is too good or powerful for his advances. He can provoke, tempt, enter into, transform himself, and vex. He is a cunning trap-setter, and his prey is man. He loves to manipulate and control, and his most dreaded weapon is death. Don’t you do it! Don’t you fall for Satan lies! You must learn to recognize the devil’s lies, reject those lies and replace them with the Truth of God’s Word. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” [John 8:32]. Satan has been seducing for years and the results have always been the same. He seduced Adam and Eve and the result was the fall of mankind [Genesis 3: 1-6]. He seduced King David and the result was the death of his son and the division of his kingdom [2 Samuel 11-12]. He seduced Judas Iscariot and the result was the betrayal of Jesus and Judas committing suicide [John 13:21-30; Matthew 27:3-5]. He seduced Ananias and Sapphira and the result was that they dropped dead [Acts 5:1-11]. He tried to seduce Jesus and the result was the destruction of the Devil himself. Jesus forever proved that Satan could be defeated and that man did not have to bow down to his seduction. Stop cuddling with the devil, and submit yourself, to God.  Because, sooner or later, sin’s consequences will catch up with you. [Luke 8:17; 12:2-3; Numbers 32:23].  Realize that you have an enemy and his number one weapon against you is a lie. Stop believing the Devil lies and REPENT NOW! If you don’t, how shall you escape? [Hebrews 2:3].

Jesus says in [Revelation 3:3] remember then, what you were taught and what you heard, obey it and turn from your sins. If you do not… I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not even know the time when I will come.” Unless you repent, you too will perish. [Luke 13:3]. “Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” [Isaiah 1:18]. My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” [Genesis 6:3].

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Realize that we are still living in a time where Grace and Mercy is being extended. Run to His Mercy while there is still time. [Psalms 2:8]. “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near” [Isaiah 55:6]. God has conveyed that He is finished with our disobedience and hard hearts. Enough is Enough! And He is ready to judge and punish His people for their rebellious spirit and actions.

I want you to know that God gave Ezekiel three specific prophecies regarding how the people will be punished—one-third will die by plagues or famine; one-third will fall by the sword; one-third will be scatted to every wind. Ezekiel was told to denounce idolatry and tell the people of upcoming famines and diseases. He was obedient although up against calloused people who had no interest in hearing the word of God or prophecies of disaster even though he reminded them that God will leave a remnant of His people. The people could not believe God would punish or hurt them. The people of Judah were so involved in their own pursuits they ignored the prophecies which instructed them to repent. Ezekiel message went in one ear and out the other. Because of it, God’s patience was all used up and the penalty for their disobedience was coming NO MATTER WHAT. He was ready to unleash his anger and judge them for their conduct. [Ezekiel 5:10].  God was not going to spare the people or look at them with pity. God was going to withdraw from them. He was not going to have any more pity on them. [Isaiah 1:11;Ezekiel 23:35; Daniel 5:1-31]. Don’t take the Grace of God in vain. Repent and live. Because I tell you the Devil is a liar!

To you who are believing Satan lies and delaying the time of repentance. To those of you who have backslidden, and those of you who are opposing the gospel, I want you to know that, “The Word of the Lord is against you.” For thus saith the Lord, “I will destroy you, and none will be left.” [Zephaniah 2:5]. There it stands, bearing testimony against you, who, in due time, unless you become partakers of the grace of the Lord, shall be overwhelmed, and destroyed without remedy.

As the Bible record, one day, the Son is going to look over at His Father and say, “Let me have them Father.” The Father will grant the request of His Son. Judgment will be unleashed on the Earth. Sin will be dealt with. [Deuteronomy 32:41; Isaiah 47:3; Ezekiel 25:17; and Micah 5:15]. Stop believing the Devil lies! Repent and live! [James 4:13-15].

Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” [Acts 24:25]. So far as the Bible records and early history go, Felix never called for Paul. Felix is suffering the torments of Hell, not because he wanted to go there, but because he waited for “a convenient season.” Don’t you do it. The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. [Acts 17:30].

By Lou Yeboah

Thus says the Lord God: ‘A disaster, a singular disaster; behold, it has come! An end has come, the end has come; it has dawned for you; behold, it has come! Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains. Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury, and spend My anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord who strikes” [Ezekiel 7:2–9].

Nevertheless, speaking of that woeful time of trouble, I will not make a complete end of you [Jeremiah 30:11]. I will not utterly destroy you, but I will punish you severely—to shake you to the root of your very being in order to wake you up. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days are shortened by Me, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake [for the sake of God’s repentant, obedient people] those days will be shortened.” [Matthew 24:21–22].

Listen, when Noah prophesied that a great destruction was coming, he was mocked by his generation. Throughout biblical history, watchmen walked the streets warning of coming judgments, prophesying to God’s people, but often the people shut their ears and gave themselves over to pleasures, to food and wine, to buying, selling and building. But, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts… to whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear?

Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it….But, I set a watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But you said, you will not hearken” [Jeremiah 6:9–10, 17; Jeremiah 7:27-28]. Therefore,  I indeed will deal with you in anger. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though you cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to you. [Ezekiel 8:18].

 “Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us. It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them. Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses. Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops. Listen to the noise they make — like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble, or like a mighty army moving into battle. Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with terror. The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step. They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.  The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive?” [Joel 2:1-11].

Yet even now, declares the Lord, “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?” [Joel 2:12-17].

I can almost hear the tears in Joel’s voice as he pleads… “Repent and return to God. Repent and plead for God’s mercy. Change the direction you are going. Stop walking away from God and start walking toward God. Turn to God with your whole heart. Change your mind, reconsider your actions, and orient yourself entirely toward God.  For NOW is the accepted time, NOW is the day of salvation. [Isaiah 49:8; 2 Corinthians 6:2]. REPENT! REPENT! REPENT!

By Lou Yeboah

How it will be worst than what we are experiencing now. Well I tell you they are certainly right about one thing, what is to come cannot be compared to any other thing in the history of mankind. The Bible speaks of these days. [2 Timothy 3:1] warns us that “in the LAST DAYS perilous times will come.” Jesus himself spoke of a time that will be so frightening that men would faint from fear and foreboding because of what is coming upon the world. [Luke 21:26]. that they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us’ and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. [Isaiah 2:10; Hosea 10:8; Luke 23:30; Revelation 6:16]. And when the ordeal end, those who have not repented would have just one thought: What must I do to be saved? [Malachi 4:1-3, 5].”

I tell you, I tremble as I try to speak of this “coming wrath” because, divinity enters into the essence of it. God’s wrath conceived in heaven, confirmed through man, [it will be worst than], final result, reaped through judgment. [Romans 1:18-32]. I tell you, there has already been judgments that could be called the wrath of God, but what is to come is the great day of wrath. [Zephaniah 1:14-16]. This day, the great day of the Lord which is near and hastens quickly is a day of wrath, a day of trouble, distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of fury and judgment all in one as the prophets have warned and the New Testament writers have warned. [Joel 2:1; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 3:14; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7 Revelation 6].

Although this great wrath to come is delayed for a time; it will not always be delayed. The floodgates of God’s wrath will one day be opened, and the awful torrents will come pouring out, and will utterly overwhelm everyone exposed to their fury.  For thus saith the Lord, “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth. I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will overthrow the wicked; I will bring distress on men, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. [Zephaniah 1:17-18].  Behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble, says the Lord of hosts. So that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. But behold, before that great and awesome day come, I will send My prophets to warn you. [Malachi 4:1–3, 5]. Take heed to the warnings. Flee from the wrath to come. For the end of all things is at hand.” [1 Peter 4:7]; Behold, I am coming soon. [Revelation 22:7]. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door. [James 5:8–9].

Listen! God is trying to get our attention! These SOON-COMING events are real. They will happen. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” [John 8:45]. But, God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.” [Psalm 7:11].  And, whoever does not believe stands condemned already [John 3:18, 36]. I tell you, you must “flee from the coming wrath;” or else, as surely as you are living, the wrath would come upon you, and you will perish under it, and there is only one means of escape from the wrath to come, and that is through Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 1:10]. 

I want you to know that just as John did not come to say what men wished him to say, but came to discharge the burden of the Lord, and to speak out plainly what was best for men’s eternal and immortal interests, so do I. Necessity is laid upon every person that has been called by God to preach the WHOLE COUNSEL of God and that includes preaching on judgment to come. For I have never spoken on My own initiative or authority, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment regarding what to say and what to speak. [John 12:49]. As God’s servants, this is, in a nutshell, what we’re all called to do. We’re called to do whatever God tells us. There are no ifs, ands, or buts here; there are no conditions for our obedience.

Therefore, I plea to you with tears in my eyes, “Flee from the wrath to come and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” For a voice from heaven tells seven angels, to “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” These bowls contain plagues, reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt in the book of Exodus. But just like those plagues were designed to get Pharaoh and the Egyptians to repent, to worship God, and let God’s people go, the seven bowls of wrath are designed to get those perpetrating evil in the world to turn and acknowledge God as Lord.

This image of God’s judgment at the end of the Bible is just a snapshot of what the text has been saying all along since Genesis. “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. [Mark 1:15]. Because what is to come cannot be compared to any other thing in the history of mankind!

By Lou Yeboah

“ I am doing a new thing, says the Lord. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. [Isaiah 43:19]. It is right before you. Can you not see it?” I am breaking down strongholds, transforming dark places into light places, so look back, celebrate, but move forward! You cannot be content to sit back and do business as usual. You cannot rest on past victories or be paralyzed by past defeats. You are to move forward in faith personally and corporately. Forward from the past to the future. Forward from indulgence to commitment. Forward from me to we. Forward from brokenness to wholeness. Forward from comfortable to awakened.  What’s your “Tell”? Your Song? Your Story? It’s the same one as Joshua and the Israelites – but with some additions. Prophets have been added, like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Kings have joined the story, like David and Solomon. And of course, there’s Me, Jesus, the very center of your identity. So look back, celebrate, but move forward! Because you are people of story. And your stories give your lives context and purpose. Your stories connect you to something beyond the present moment. Your stories bind you to the ancestors and give you glimpses of destinies still beyond the horizon.

I hear the story of the hunter – and Yes, there is good in that story. Yes, there is virtue in that story. Yes, there is hope and wonder and deep gospel truth in that story AND the lion still has a story to tell. Right here, right now, make your own declaration that you will strive to be a people of hunters no more. That you will never stop resisting and working to overthrow the systems that provide for the thriving of some through the oppression of others. That you will never stop working to end the hunt forever.  Commit to telling the stories and praying the prayers and singing the songs of the lion. To promise that they will never be forgotten. And to work for the day when the hunt finally is over. Let this celebration be one of new normals, greater territory, higher heights and deeper depths for us by looking back, celebrating, but moving forward.

I tell you, we cannot underestimate the seriousness of these times right now. Our nation is being torn apart by political Armageddon, civil unrest, social violence, an international pandemic, and economic meltdown.  I am not a prophetess, but I see patterns in God’s Word, adding:  We cannot let the world shut us up, shut us down, shut us out, or shut us in. God created, called, and commissioned us to take our place in this divine intersection. All the days of our life “were written in [his] book before one of them came to be” [Psalm 139:16]. Yes, we have a rendezvous with destiny, and we are God’s people for the moment. Like Esther of old, “We have come to [the kingdom] for such a time as this” [Esther 4:14]—before adding, “Like Israel in the wake of a national, political, and social crisis, we will need men and women like the sons of Issachar “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” [1 Chronicles 12:32].” Therefore, let as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 

From Adam to Jesus, from Jesus to us, imagine the decisions that were made. Decisions that effected the entire human race, decisions of life and death, condemnation and reconciliation, the very fabric of life hung in the balance. And here we sit trying to make up our mind whether to move or not. We read and we study and we marvel at the old and new testament saints of what they did, but didn’t Jesus declare that we could do the same as he and even greater works shall we do. Well, we aren’t going to do anything sitting in Haran. All God is waiting on is us. Our blessings are just in reach, lets get out of Haran, lets get out of Cherith, lets look up, pack up cause we about to move up, to a brighter day a more secure future, in the land where God wants us to be. Look back, celebrate, but move forward!

Celebrating Black History Month!

By Lou Yeboah

“I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” [Martin Luther King, Jr.]. God has chosen us out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on us and chose us, because we were more numerous than other peoples, for we were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved us and is keeping the oath He swore to our forefathers that He brought out with a mighty hand and redeemed from the land of slavery. [Deuteronomy 7:6-8]. We have been elected. He chose us. Let that continue to encourage you and give you confidence that He will keep you until the end.

Yes, we are the peculiar people of God; all His own, closest to His affections, under His protection, the recipients of all needed. I tell you, don’t you worry about a thing, because God got you! I’m reminded of when the Children of Israel who had come to what seemed like the end of their journey on the banks of Jordan, Moses told them to go on ahead. They began to wonder what would happen to them next, and the Lord said tell them… “Be strong and of a good courage, do not fear, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you… [Deuteronomy 31:6]. My people, “I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”  We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s possession.” [1 Peter 2:9].

Therefore, “Do not think its strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. [1 Peter 4:12-14]. For we’ve come “Out of Africa” now into the wilderness.  But God has promised to be with us every step of the way.  I tell you, don’t you worry about a thing, God got you!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written: “… we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:31-39].

Take this confident assurance forward with you through whatever trial or hazard besets you, and faithfully prepare to cross the Jordan, into the land that Christ has giving unto us as He promised to Moses.  From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be our territory. Moving forward knowing that no one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As God was with Moses, so He will be with you; For He said, “I will not fail you or forsake you.  Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that His servant Moses commanded us, Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go.  [Joshua 1:1-11]. For, He said, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. [Joshua 3:7-8].

I tell you, having monuments to God’s faithfulness that we can look back on can encourage our faith for the future. [Joshua chapter 4]. Even when it seems like we’re not making any progress, the Lord’s command is: “FORWARD MARCH!” [Exodus 14].  

Advancing with confidence to that promised inheritance as we celebrate Black History Month!

“Lift every voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of Liberty. Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies, let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun. Let us march on till victory is won..” [Lift Every Voice and Sing – often called “The Black National Anthem” – was written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) and then set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) in 1899.]

By Lou Yeboah

You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” [Acts 7:51].  Tell me, if you refuse to obey the law of the land, what will happen to you? You will be punished! Then what do you think will happen when you refuse to obey My Laws? When those in authority command you to do something, you do it, and rightly so, because the Word of God tells you in [Romans 13:1-2] “Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there.  Now since I am sovereignty over all things and persons, tell me, what do you think will happen when you refuse to obey My laws and commands?

I will tell you want will happen. “If you refuse to obey My laws and commands and break the covenant I have made with you, I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you—incurable diseases and fevers that will make you blind and cause your life to waste away. I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated, and those who hate you will rule over you; you will be so terrified that you will run when no one is chasing you.

“If even after all of this you still do not obey me, I will increase your punishment seven times.  I will break your stubborn pride; there will be no rain, and your land will be dry and as hard as iron. “If you still continue to resist me and refuse to obey me, I will again increase your punishment seven times. I will send dangerous animals among you, and they will kill your children, destroy your livestock, and leave so few of you that your roads will be deserted.

“If after all of this you still do not listen to me, but continue to defy me, then I will turn on you and punish you seven times harder than before. I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant.  I will cut off your food supply, so that ten women will need only one oven to bake all the bread they have. They will ration it out, and when you have eaten it all, you will still be hungry.

“If after all of this you still continue to defy me and refuse to obey me,  then in my anger I will turn on you and again make your punishment seven times worse than before. I will destroy your places of worship on the hills, tear down your incense altars, and throw your dead bodies on your fallen idols. I will make those of you who are in exile so terrified that the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will make you run. You will run as if you were being pursued in battle, and you will fall when there is no enemy near you.  You will die in exile, swallowed up by the land of your enemies.  The few of you who survive in the land of your enemies will waste away because of your own sin and the sin of your ancestors.”  [Leviticus 26:14-46]

Lesson for Life — Take God At His Word.

What more does God have to do to get your attention, for you to take Him at His Word and do what He wants you to do? If you do not repent and surrender your life unto the Lord, if you don’t get right with God, you are going to Hell! Fear who can cast both soul and body into hell” [Luke 12:4–5]. For God says, He will send His anger against you; He will judge you according to your ways, and He will repay you for all your abominations. For His eye will not spare you, nor will He have pity..” [Ezekiel 7:2-9].

I tell you a day of trouble is near [Isaiah 22:5]. I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. [Habakkuk 3:16]. The Bible reveals that the worst, most indescribably terrifying time in the entire history of this planet is soon to occur. What are you waiting for?

From the very beginning, God has shown patience, grace and mercy towards us. But there will comes a time when His patience will run out. [Romans 2:4–5? 2 Peter 3:8–10]. Right now He is offering relief from His judgment for the repentant. Don’t wait! Don’t delay! The whole Bible story leads to a day when God will deal with all sin fully, finally, and forever. This will be the day of wrath, when God will recompense every evil and bring to judgment every sin.

You are given a second chance by God, do not waste time to cease the opportunity and act on it immediately!

“And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” [2 Chronicles 36:15-20].