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

By Lou Yeboah

Why? Don’t you know that if you want to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat. Forward is a fight. On the road to moving forward are many obstacles. It’s not the easy road of the least resistance but the hard road of great resistance. Why? Because Satan does all he can to prevent our growth and development. He knows how great that path is so he resists every step forward we take. But I want you to know that you have all the weapons of warfare you need to carry on for, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” [Isaiah 54:17] “If God be for you who can be against you?” [Romans 8:31]. I tell you, don’t let anything get in the way of you moving forward. God wants to do more than you can ever imagine. Move out and move forward!

You see, there is only one way to move in the Kingdom: Move Forward! When we ‘Move Forward’ the Lord will open the door! Be dissatisfied with your position. As Paul said in [Philippians 3:12] “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” I tell you, God has created an open place for you to walk in. If you would just believe and move forward into the things of God, “He would supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” It’s time to ‘Move Forward! Don’t wander in wilderness – move out and move forward. The command given is, “Forward!”

As [Deut. 1:7] says, “Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers – to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and to their descendans after them.” [Deut. 1:7-8]. You have stayed long enough in this mountain…now set up your journey. Go up and possess the land.” Forward March!

I want you to know that the purpose of my thought and intention today is to convey the significance of the moment or occasion we as a people of God have embarked upon. It is an occasion of opportunity, a point of entering, a moment of possessing.  Now is the time we must move. “For a great door and effectual is opened unto (us).” For God desires to take us places that “eyes have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Shake yourself off from the things that inhibit or obstruct your mobility and progression from entering into the things God has prepared for you. Forward March!

By Lou Yeboah

That’s right! Why? Because one day is not long enough to thank God for all that He’s given us. His blessings come daily. [Psalm 68:19] says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who DAILY loadeth us with benefits….” Every day God has new blessings for us, and every day ought to find us thanking Him. I tell you, we must never be guilty of allowing our thanks to wait until Thanksgiving to be expressed. We are to be thankful to the Lord EVERY DAY of our lives, because “Thanksgiving” is like breathing – how could we survive if we only breathed just once in a while? We can’t.

I want you to know that instead of setting aside only one day for Thanksgiving the Bible actually designated several times during the year for God’s people to celebrate His goodness and thank Him for His blessings!” Each year at the beginning of the harvest season, for example, God’s people were called to come together to give thanks for His goodness in supplying their needs. This festival took place in late spring, fifty days after the annual Passover celebration. As the harvest season ended in the fall, God’s people celebrated another time of thanksgiving, lasting seven days. Other times of thanksgiving during the year also recalled God’s mercy and goodness. But more than that, people were urged to remember God’s goodness EVERY DAY of the year—and that should be true for us as well.

So, as you prepare to go through the traditions of Thanksgiving, may you not get so caught up with the turkey and the trimmings that you forget about the God who gives us all things, and the Savior to whom we owe all our praise! Don’t just relegate Thanksgiving to one day a year—or make November the only month you count your blessings. Make it a lifestyle!  Continually thank God for all He has done for you.  As [1Thessalonians 5:16-18] says, “Rejoice ALWAYS; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Wishing you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

By Lou Yeboah

Listen, nobody told you to go do what you did. You knew better but you wanted to prove to your homeboys that you were down. Now you crying woof? Well ain’t no need of crying now. You should have cried before you did what you did. Stop your crying!

You know my mama used to tell me that I was a hard headed kid. That was her way of telling me that I was stubborn. And she was right, I’ve learned a number of hard lessons in life because I did things my way. When we are young, we see ourselves as masters of our own future. We tend to be impatient with advice from others older and more experienced than us. We naively think that everything will go smoothly and easily. But one of the realities of life is that sooner or later we will run into things that are neither of our choosing nor to our liking. Many times, we learn lessons the hard way. So many lessons come from mistakes, poor choices and, dare I say it, sin. 

The problem I earnestly believe is that we do not know how powerful sin is.  We do not know, we have no idea, it’s a term we toss around and we talk about it in a gleeful tone.  But let me say something to you, we have under estimated its power, its grip, and its hold on us.  I submit to you, that we have been bamboozled, fooled, brain washed, and beguiled. Sin is a cruel taskmaster. It robs one of much and provides him with nothing. And like the old saying says, “Sin always takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you are willing to pay.” It is extremely important that we understand sin and its all-consuming power.

You know, the Bible – God’s Word always deals with realities. Among these is the fact that we get things wrong and do stupid things. Another is the fact that troubles will often come into our lives whether we go looking for them or not. I tell you, life is hard, but GOD IS GOOD! He doesn’t give us what we deserve because of our stubborness, or our pride. I want you to know that just like God tried ever so gently to reason with Cain, He is ever so gently trying to reason with us. Know that there is no substitute for self-control and alertness when it comes to sin. God says, sin is standing at the door desiring to come in as master. Because sin is not satisfied with living in one room in your heart. It wants full run of the house. It wants in the closets, attics and basements and the whole nine yards. Sin is not satisfied until it completely masters the whole of your life. You better know that you know.

Some of the hardest life lessons repeat themselves over and over again, and it’s on each and every one of us to be reflective enough to witness them happening in the moment — so that this time around, a different decision can be made. Making the same mistakes over and over can be costly in more ways than one. Grasp the lessons life is trying to teach you. And know that God is reaching out to you again to give you another chance to repent.  God will forgive you and restore you again. But if you continue to disobey and live in sin, God’s anger will descend on you like king Manasseh. That could be fatal. Don’t take God’s grace for granted. Galatians 6:7-8 tells us: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Listen, as the quote says, “Life is a school, learn your lesson quickly so that you would not have to repeat it!”

By Lou Yeboah

As believers we’ve all been there. We pray, and we pray, and we pray some more, but in return our prayers are not answered, atleast when we want them. And this silence can be difficult, frustrating even excruciating. Well I want you to know that you are not the only one where, whom have experience, “The Silent Treatment,” so to speak. The Bible tells the story of a man named Job, who was well acquainted with God’s silence. In his pain and suffering, he cried out to God. He asked for answers. And he kept asking. But for the first 37 chapters of the Book of Job, his cries for God’s help and relief were met only by God’s deafening silence.

I want you to know that as Christians, we are not always going to hear God’s voice, but from Job we can learn a few practical things to do when God seems silent. Examine our lives. Begin by asking ourself the question, is there any unconfessed sin in my life? And make sure nothing is blocking you from being able to hear God’s voice. [Psalm 66:18] Accept God’s Sovereignty. Recognize that God can be silent. There is no obligation for God to answer you, inform you or let you know anything. He is able to do as He pleases always, everywhere, forever.

 You know the Gospel of John tells a story about Jesus’ friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha. When Jesus found out that Lazarus was ill, he didn’t rush to Lazarus’ house to heal him. Instead, Jesus stayed where he was for two more days [John 11:6]. And before Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus died. To Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, Jesus’ silence could have been interpreted as neglect — that Jesus didn’t care or didn’t want to help them. This mirrors many of the emotions we feel when God doesn’t immediately answer our cries for help.

Listen, just because God seems silent doesn’t mean you should doubt Him or stop praying. God’s silence isn’t a license for you to turn your back on Him. Instead, it’s an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently. The psalmists modeled crying out to God. David said, “Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest” (Psalm 22:2). Job also continually cries out to God, asking Him to answer. For pages of the Book of Job, God is silent. But in chapter 38, God answers — and questions Job. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” asks God. “Tell Me, if you have understanding” (38:4). Job was reminded….God answers prayer in His time and not our….. on that note, I encourage you to “Keep Hope Alive!”

By Lou Yeboah

Ain’t that ’bout a pickle! The point being that a dog is no more revolted by its own vomit than a fool by his own folly; they both go back to that which is vile and disgusting.  Why? Because the dog doesn’t have any sense and neither does the fool. The point Solomon makes is simple: Fools keep on returning to their dirty old habits, no matter how disgusting they are. [Proverbs 26:11].  I urge you though, to hear the warning of the Lord to a lame man that He healed, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” [John 5:14]. I tell you, it’s time to stop going around and around the “mountain” in your life and be the “overcomer” God has created you to be. Choose to “put off your old self” and “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God …” [Ephesians 4:22, 24].

Granted, so many times people, not knowing any better, just live the way they have always lived…  suffering from the outcome of broken lives and wounded souls.  Overwhelmed by the sins of their past and the sins committed against them. The truth is though, you do not have to be broken anymore!  You don’t have to be overcome by those sins that have so easily ensnared you. Instead you can be the overcomer God wants you to be.  I assure you: If you would say to your mountain that continue to ensare you, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will happen, it will be done for you. Can you believe today?  Are you ready to be an overcomer?

I’m telling you, you don’t have to go around that mountain anymore. You don’t have to continue in sin.   Whatever the mountain is today is your day to cast it into the sea.  If only you would face your mountain by faith in the name of Jesus and declare, “Get behind me, Satan!” It is finish! No more, in the name of Jesus! For there is absolutely nothing that the power and grace of God cannot set you completely free from. So declare and decree that, “sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace.”

For “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [[Matthew 6:14-15]

 “What shall you say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” [Romans 6:14-15]. Don’t let the power of sin hold you hostage. Realize sin’s power is broken and you are free in Jesus Name. No more bondage. Amen and Amen.

By Lou Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— What’s wrong with you? Vengenance is mine saith the Lord! “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;  and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.   Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Matthew 5:28-38]

Yes, it is hard not to desire retaliation when someone has wronged you. It is hard to “let it go” and move on or “forgive and forget.” But you have Me [Jesus] as your example. When I was “reviled, I did not revile in return; when I suffered, I did not threaten” because I trusted completely in My Father, [God], who is the One that can righteously seek vengeance [1 Peter 2:23]. Therefore, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. And if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” [Romans 12:17-21]. No more Tic for Tac! Because violence that begets more violence will not eventually end in peace. It will ultimately end in full destruction of all parties involved. 

So, the next time the serpent’s seed of revenge tries to implant itself in your soul, rebuke it in My name J[esus’] and pray for the one who is persecuting you. It will be healing to your soul, a balm to your heart, and a light to the world. No more Tic for Tac! Vengenance is Mine!

By Lou Yeboah

Naw Boo Boo! It’s either this or that! You can’t have both! You got to choose one or the other! You see Jesus said, “I wish you were either Hot or Cold, but because you are Lukewarm, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.” Talking ’bout you’ll take a little bit of this, and a little bit of that!”

I tell you, this is an indicative of the attitude of many so-called-Christians. They want the blessings of Christ, but yet they want to be able to indulge in all the worldly pleasures too. Naw, Boo, Boo! You got to choose. God uses the term adultery for a reason. We cannot participate in communion one day, then flirt with idolatry the next. Jesus said in [Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13], “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. “A little bit of this, and a little bit of that!” You can’t have the best of both worlds. You got to choose! It’s either this or that!  “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eight person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly.” [2 Peter 2:4-6].  Do you see what the Lord is telling us here. It is a warning that we should not follow in their footsteps by practicing the same sins. ‘A little bit of this and a little bit of that!”

How long will you be caught between two opinions, two lifestyles, two beliefs, two directions, two mindsets, two masters, two desires. “If it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, then choose you this day Whom ye will serve…” [Joshua 24:15]. Because it’s all or nothing! You can’t be 50% Christian and 50% worldly. It doesn’t work that way. Jesus stated: “He that is not with Me is against Me” [Matthew 12:30]. Not only is indecision a dangerous thing. It is repugnant to God mouth. [James 4:4] says, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  “What shall [you] say then? Shall [you] continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid… [Romans 6:1-2].

Listen, throughout the Bible we find that God holds up choices to people – life or death, righteousness or sin, justice or deceit – and He does not force us to live the good life. It is a choice. It is your choice. I tell you, what was true of Moses day is true of today. You have got to choose! What way will you live: Godly or Worldly? Time to decide.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life…..” [Deuteronomy 30:19]

By Lou Yeboah

Listen, only God can satisfy our inner hunger. God put a longing in our hearts that was intended to lead us back to Him. The problem is that instead of turning to God and letting Him fill our souls, we turn to other things — alcohol, drugs, sex, money, pleasure, work; knowing doggone well that the satisfaction they bring is ony temporary. Now I know some of you may say, well something is better than nothing. But why settle for sometime love when you can have everlasting love. The love of God. A love that is eternal, unconditional, incomprehensible, and immeasurable! Trying to fill a void that only God can!  Until God’s love and acceptance is enough, NOTHING EVER will satisfy. You better know that you know! God is the source of our satisfation.

Think about King Solomon and his quest to find satisfaction for the deep longings of his heart. King Solomon had eveything.  He wrote in [Ecclesiastes 2:10], “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure.” He had it all.  But listen to what he eventually confessed—”Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” [Ecclesiastes 2:11]. Meaningless! Meaningless!  Utterly meaningless! Everything  was meaningless!  “So I hated life.” Kiing Solomon, the guy who had everything, ends up hating life. Why? Because nothing in this life can satsify our inner hunger but God. The deepest thirst of our souls can only be quenched by Him.

“Nothing can satisfy but Jesus. “For He satsifies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” [Psalms 107:9].

What was true for King Solomon is true for us. When we try to make things in this life fill the void we sense, we end up hating those things that we poured all our hopes into, because they ultimately fall short of satisfying us. Why? Because only God can fill the void.

Just like the woman at the well, God put a longing in our hearts that was intended to lead us back to Him. Only His unconditional acceptance, approval, and affirmation can fill the empty places in our hearts-the deepest thirst of our souls.

Run to Jesus and ask Him to fill the void with His saving love and eternal life. That’s the only thing that will satisfy your greatest need. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”  [Colossians 1:16-17]

You are invited to the Banquet…. Will you go?

By Lou Yeboah

For thus saith the Lord, “My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. LET IT GO – NOW!  “See I am doing a new thing! 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]. “For I am the LORD your God, the one who takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.” [Isaiah 41:13]. LET IT GO – NOW!

 I tell you, the joy of leaving everything in the Lord’s hands is seeing the Lord’s hand in everything. Listen, God will never take something away from you without the intention of replacing it with something much better! The crucial thing for us to remember is that all that God does for us as his children is for our good. He is blessed in both the giving and the taking away because both are for the sake of our joy. [Ephesians 3:20] tells us that He wants to do abundantly above and beyond ALL that we could ever ask or think. And if we trust Him enough to take Him at His Word, we will find ourselves on a journey toward the fulfillment of whatever we need. Therefore, humble yourself and seek to understand what the Lord is doing around you.  For God has written a destiny over your lilfe, and if you trust Him enough to take Him at His Word, you will find yourself on a journey toward the fulfillment of that destiny. Take your hands off the wheel and let God have His way in your life. LET IT GO! Total surrender everything to Him. For now is the time to release all control of your destination over to Jesus -whether you understand or not. Because as long as you hold on and try making sense of everything and of where He is leading you His will can’t prevail. LET IT GO – NOW!

You see, when you finally put your complete trust in Him -blinded by faith- Jesus will bring you beyond the troublesome and cumbersome same old same old and thrust you into a bright new place. So close your eyes and release it all into the hands of God. Get out of the driver’s seat and stop trying to find your own way. Stop trying to understand the path that He’s taking you. He will restore what has been lost. He will resurrect what has died. He will give beauty for ashes. Just give up and let Him take over. LET IT GO – NOW! And let Jesus take the wheel.

“In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.  [Proverbs 3:6]

By Lou Yeboah

Oh, how we so hate it, but, boy do we forever need it! Tough Love! Although difficult to give and difficult to receive, when we acknowledge the serious and eternal implications of our choices, we come to understand why tough love is so important. Case in point: When King David committed adultery and had his lover’s husband killed, the prophet Nathan was the only one who confronted him about his sin [2 Samuuel 12}. Nathan spoke the truth to David in such a way that David became immediately repentant. I tell you, one of the great characteristics of the Ephesian church was the fact that they were, in one very important way, intolerant. Much of the professing Christian church today has forgotten that Jesus wants His church to be pure. It has forgotten that God has commanded His people to be holy. The world today wants the church to turn the Bible’s teaching upside down. It wants us to call what is evil, good, and to call what is good, evil. But as the prophet Isaiah wrote, [Isaiah 5:20] “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” No matter how difficult tough love is to give or receive, people who are going astray need to be told that they are on the path to destruction. They need to be told that they need to change. They need to be dealt with with tough love.

You see, Jesus who taught us to love one another is the same Jesus who made whips and used them to whip the merchants who had set up shops in the temple. He is the same one who openly rebuked the religious leaders of his day, calling them snakes and vipers.  Jesus showed us many examples of tough love. He never backed away from saying exactly what his Father told him to say, even if it caused people to stop following him. He knew he was acting in love because he was offering them exactly what they needed to hear, whether they liked it or not. The message He preached was not negotiable, not on the table for compromise, not up for a vote.

I tell you, there are times in life when we “need”  tough love. There are times in life when we “need” to be warned that we are in a dangerous situation and that we “need” to listen up or face some pretty devastating consequences. Instead of being hateful or take offense, we should be grateful and thankful that God loves us so much that He will send a messenger with a message for our mess instead of wrath. Tough love –  embrace it, love it, welcome it. Why? Because, ‘Tough Love’ is a love that doesn’t let evil get the upper hand. Because, ‘Tough Love is Real Love!”

In concluding, to those who have chosen to allow the Lord to use you as His mouthpiece, as God warned the prophet Ezekiel in regards to his vocation as messenger and mouthpiece of God. Know that there are no variables when it comes to being God’s faithful messenger. Speak the words that God gives. He gives them for a reason and they need to be heard.  “If you don’t tell them what He gives you to say: if you choose to try and play nice they will still suffer the eternal death of Hell only now you will be held accountable for it.

Biblical tough love, based on eternal truth.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby; wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees… [Hebrews 12:11-12]