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

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- You fool! There are no guarantees about tomorrow! [Luke 12:16-21.] Life is short and uncertain. Fragile! [Psalms 39:4; James 4:13-17]. Talking ‘bout; “Tomorrow you’ll serve God!” Making plans without taking into account your own mortality and God’s sovereignty. What is your life? A vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears…. [James 4:14]. The only time you have is right now! Whatcha mean tomorrow! CHOOSE whom you will serve! Today!

As Martin Luther King, Jr., once preached “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity… but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.”

I tell you there are times in our life when we cannot afford to stay still; to not act on God’s will for our lives. That time is now. Scripture does not permit us to sit still, to wait for God to call to us a second time. Today is the day; this is the hour, the minute, when we say yes to God’s call to us to live. Now is the time. The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow…’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.” “You do not know what will happen tomorrow.” [James 4:13-14a].  You don’t even know what will happen ten minutes from now, let alone tomorrow! Arrogantly assuming that you would wake up tomorrow; presuming things about an unknown future that you have no control of and no guarantees about! Whatcha mean Tomorrow!

I want you to know that there are three passages in the [Book of Proverbs] that warns us that we are not to wait too late about making our decision of commitment to Christ and to receive forgiveness for our sins. [Proverbs 1:24-28] is God’s invitation to man to respond to God’s offer of mercy and grace. These verses tell, in part, what will happen to man if he refuses God’s invitation. [Proverbs 27:1] presents to us the man who thinks he has many “tomorrows” to get right with God, but does not realize that, for him, there may not be another “tomorrow.” [Proverbs 29:1] presents a picture of an oxen who has a yoke put about its neck so that the master can lead it in the direction that he wants it to go. But the ox is rebellious and will not go in the right direction. The yoke rubs on the neck until a callous is formed and the animal becomes insensitive to the pulling of the reins by the master. The only thing to do now is to destroy the animal; to put it to death, for it is of no further use to the master. Rather than the ox being useful, it becomes a burden and a problem because of its rebellious nature.

I tell you, God is saying something very important to us. We are not just beast. We are people that He loved, died for, and wants to bring control and direction to our lives. God is saying to us, “Don’t wait too late. Come to Jesus while there is still time.” Wehave known yesterday –the past –and we are experiencing the present, but we have no certainties of tomorrow. To count on tomorrow is to neglect the duty of today!

Listen, “Tomorrow” is the devil’s greatest tool; “Now” is God’s greatest weapon to defeat the devil. Today and not tomorrow is “THE ACCEPTED TIME. “Now” is Mercy’s offer. “Now” is the invitation from God, reaching down from heaven. Tomorrow you may find the door shut. This is your urgent day. [Proverbs 29:1] I tell you, whatever it is that is keeping you away from the Lord, it isn’t worth the price you will have to pay to keep it! Throw it down and cast yourself on Jesus for salvation. The day of grace has its limits. Now is the time to do something. Tomorrow may be too late!

 “I gave you cleanness of teeth by sending you famine and drought so that you would turn back to Me –yet you have not returned to me.  I withheld rain from you so you would return –yet you have not returned to me. I sent blight and mildew and locust –yet you have not returned.” Your young men were killed in battle with a sword –yet you did not return to me. Because you will not return to me, prepare to meet your God. And meet Him without ever turning to Him in life on earth. Meet Him –Condemned. [Amos 4:6-12]

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Thus saith the Lord, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish!” [Luke13:3]. Loud and clear, Jesus declares: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish!” It is a call for radical inward change toward God and man.  None is excluded! All need repentance! And the need is urgent! Jesus, the Son of God, is warning us of the judgment to come, and offering escape if we will repent. If we will not repent, Jesus has one word for us, “Woe, to you” [Matthew 11:21].

You know, God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore, hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” [Ezekiel 3:17]. This demand of Jesus to repent goes to all the nations. It comes to you, whoever you are and wherever you are. This is the demand of Jesus to every soul: Repent! Be changed deep within. Do not sit idle and wait for His wrath. The hour is urgent! Return to the Lord with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your hearts. Do not delay your decision. Do not think about this message overnight. Immediate action is required! Repent Now; and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” [Acts 3:19]. For “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” [2 Corinthians 6:2].

 I implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” [2 Corinthians 5:20]. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ [2 Corinthians 5:10]. Ezekiel said, “Repent and turn from your transgressions” [Ezek. 18:30].  John the Baptist said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” [Matt. 3:2]. Jesus said “Repent and believe in the gospel” [Mark 1:15].  Peter said “Repent and be baptized” [Acts 2:38].  Joel calls for deep and thorough repentance [Joel 2:13–17]. The Old Testament thunders, “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin” [Ezekiel 18:30]. The New Testament vigorously exhorts men and women to repent. “Repent … and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,” said the Apostle Peter [Acts 3:19]. The Apostle Paul said, “Now [God] commands all men everywhere to repent” [Acts 17:30]. The Bible commands it, your wickedness demands it, justice requires it, Christ preached it and God expects it.

The signpost reads, “Stop! Look! Listen! Danger ahead!” The Spirit of God, your conscience and your better judgment all join to warn, “Detour! Change! You’re on the wrong road!” God is waving the red flag. His patience is coming to an end. Do not take God’s patience for granted or think lightly of it. Will you repent now? Will you receive Him as your Savior? Christ demands an immediate and unquestioning response. Not an answer, but an action. Not a saying, but a doing. Christ’s call is clear and simple. “Follow Me,” he says. Be changed forever. Not just made a better person, but made new.

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” [Isaiah 55:6-7]

The prophet had the duty to deliver the sobering message: Unless the citizens of Israel and Judah acknowledged their sins, turned from them, repented and began again to obey God’s law, they would die in their sins. Regardless of how individuals responded to the warning, if they heard the message, the prophet had done his job and was no longer responsible. Only if the prophet did not deliver the admonition would he be judged along with the wicked. [Ezekiel 3:18-19].

You have been warned to repent, in advance of God’s judgment to come, through this article. It is now your move.

“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, that both thou and thy seed may live:That thou mayest love the Lordthy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lordsware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them [Deuteronomy 30:15-20].

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- … Was the best thing I’ve ever done!  You see, I used to think that love was just a fairy tale until I experienced God’s love; and then suddenly life had new meaning to me. When you fall in love with Jesus, everything changes. You come to know what it is to treasure Him, delight in Him, and be satisfied in Him. When you fall in love with Jesus, it’s a groaning of the Holy Spirit deep inside of your heart. It is an emotion that is so profound there are no words to express it. When you fall in love with Jesus, it is a yearning that says I long for more of You. It’s a love that expresses that Jesus is the only happiness there is in this world. It’s the kind of love that says, I want all of You and I want You to have all of me. Walk with me – take control of my life. Empty me of all selfishness and fill me with Yourself. For You are all I need and there’s no place I’d rather be.

I’m talking about when you fall in love with Jesus. A love that is immeasurable, unmistakable, and unending. A love that can’t be understood until you experience it! A love that can’t be understood until you actually possess it! A love that no one can fully describe the wonders of! I tell you, I woke up and suddenly I was in love. Because when you love God, He responds in a beautiful way. In [Psalms 91:14-16], the writer says that, “Because I have loved Him [Jesus], therefore He will deliver me; He will set me securely on high, because I have known His name. He says, I will call upon Him, and He will answer me; He says, that He will be with me in trouble and that He will rescue me, and honor me. With a long life He will satisfy me, and let me behold His salvation.” I tell you, falling in love with Jesus was the best thing I’ve ever done!

Now, if you understand the Old Testament, the great commandment was to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the sum of all that God requires, and your neighbor as yourself. But it starts with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; loving God comprehensively, totally, completely. Now if that’s the sum of the law, then that has to be the sum of the relationship. That can’t be altered when it comes to loving Him. It is still the purpose of God that we would love the Lord, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Loving Him so much that you we would want to know him, exalt him, please him, serve him, be with him, and tell others about Him. I tell you, falling in love with Jesus was the best thing I’ve ever done!

Go back to that moment when you first met Jesus. Remember the love you felt, the stirring in your heart, the adoration you had for the Savior? Do you remember how grateful you were for the forgiveness of sins? Do you remember how at that moment nothing else mattered, only Jesus?

Today, God wants you to go back and remember that moment in time. And having that in your memory He wants you to return. He wants you to come back to Him; to come back to your first love, to the place and time in your life to where He was everything to you.

I ask you, “How much do [you] owe for all the things, [Christ] have done and for every victory, that [you] have won. How much do [you] owe the Lord, for the price He paid on the cross so that you wouldn’t be lost? How much do [you] owe, somebody tell me, how much do [you] owe….?  [You] owe Him [your] life.  [You] owe Him [your] praise. [You] owe Him your service for the rest of [your] days. [You] owe Him all, for waking [you] up, early this morning. [You] owe, Him for letting [you] see, a brand new dawning. [You] owe Him for holding [you], in the heart of [His] hand.  [You] owe, Him all, and all…” [Georgia Mass Choir – How Much Do I Owe lyrics – emphasis mine].

Yes, we all need a greater revelation of God’s unconditional love for us! A revelation of God’s unconditional love for me is what turned my life around years ago and it’s still impacting me today. These teachings reveal the things God showed me about His love. I believe that if you open up your heart, the Lord will grant you at least as much revelation on this as He has granted me, and it will change your life. I tell you, falling in love with Jesus was the best thing I’ve ever done!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Wonderful, tired, worn-out Mama… Sit down… Relax… Clear your mind of all thoughts… Forget the morning drama… Forget the battle cries… Let go of today’s worries and stresses…. Throw your cares on the Lord… and just rest… Mama…  Amazing Woman!

You are incredibly strong. You balance work, home, children, husband, cleaning, finances, cooking, shopping, planning, appointments… all these and many more. You work hard. You are relentless! Sit down and relax, mama! Yes, you can do it all!” is the message we hear and see. But underneath “doing it all” is a woman who I know sometimes feels like she’s crumbling under the weight of it all. Let yourself off the hook!  Breathe! Exhale!

“O if I had wings like a dove! I would surely fly away and be at rest; Truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness. I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest …. [Psalms 55]. 

Oh mother, I thank God for the caring you’ve shown me through the years. I thank God for a mother who sacrificed many things, behind the scenes, unbeknownst to her children who never wanted for anything. I thank God for a mother who led by example and put others before herself. I thank God for a mother who forgave when others caused her pain. I thank God for a mother that persevered and handled set-backs with grace. I thank God for a mother that prayed for her children to find their way back, instead of pushing them further away. But most of all, I thank God for blessing me with a mother who introduced me to Him when I was old enough to talk. For without Him, I’d be lost and certainly wouldn’t appreciate the mother he gave me. Oh mother, I am forever grateful for all that you are and who you have taught me to be. The gratitude I have for you can hardly be expressed by words. Thank you for everything Mother!

 “All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all of my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her” [George Washington].

“All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother. I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life” [Abraham Lincoln].

I encourage you, if your mother is still a live; appreciate her because she is irreplaceable. If she is no longer here, may her soul rest in peace. I know God has made a perfect home for her in heaven.

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL Mothers!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Why want you, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye [Matthew 7:5]. That’s right, deal with your own sin, and then you can help someone else. Otherwise, don’t judge others because they sin differently than you do. For as [Romans 2] states, “Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest does the same things.” YOU ARE A SINNER YOURSELF! How you going to call the kettle black? The next time you’re tempted to run down someone, remember James’ pointed question, “But who are you who judge your neighbor?” Judge yourself instead! [James 4:11-12]

I tell you, you remind me of the group of Pharisees and teachers of law, who brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. They use her as a test case to trap Jesus. It was a clever trap. Yet Jesus did not step into it. Instead, He turned the trap on them. He said to them, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” [John 8:1-11]. He makes them judge themselves. Imagine that! “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone…” Can I tell you that after what Jesus said penetrated, one  by  one they  drop  their stones  and  walked away  until  Jesus was  left  alone with  the frightened and disheveled woman. That’s right. They were gone, “poof” nowhere to be found… And when they were all gone, Jesus straighten up from writing in the sand, looked at her and said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she says. Then He went on to say, well there is one who is without sin.  There is one who has the right and authority to judge and condemn you. And then He pronounced His judgment: “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. ‘“Go and leave your life of sin,” he concluded.

 Understood rather than condemned. Saved rather than stoned. Sin exposed yet covered in His love. This story does not condemn the sinner, but calls the sinner to change, to be saved. Grace ushered in forgiveness.

So what’s the point? Jesus was above reproach in a way none of us could ever be, and yet He showed only compassion, not accepting sinful behavior but never rejecting the person who sinned.  Maybe if we showed that same kind of love toward other sinners, we’d have more power and influence for good in the world and appear less like the hypocritical Pharisees.  It’s His kindness that led us to repentance after all [Romans 2:4].  So, the next time you hear of someone struggling with sin, try resisting the urge to “pile on” and think to yourself, “There but for the grace of God go I.”  Ask the Lord to forgive him or her as [1 John 5:16] instructs us to do, and if you get a chance, offer a word of encouragement.  You don’t have to condemn the believer to prove that you don’t condone the behavior.

God’s grace, receive it and then go and sin no more. Frame these words and hang them on the wall. Read them.  Ponder them.  Bathe in them. Drink them.  Stand below them and let them wash over your soul. 

“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls” [1 Cor. 10:12].

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- “A hardhead makes a soft behind.”  Now, if you don’t know what that means, you just keep on doing you. Keep on doing what you want, when you want. You will find out sooner than later what it means.  Talking ‘bout it’s your thang, you do what you want to do.”  Hmm mhmm… keep on Mr. “My Prerogative,” you will soon find out that it’s really “God’s Prerogative” not yours!

You know in [Genesis Chapter 27] four people song the same song that you are singing, “I Did It My Way,” Esau, Jacob, Isaac and Rebecca. But in the end they all came up empty and paid a high price for their selfishness. Saul who was the Lord’s chosen king for the Israelites.  Rather than trusting that God knew best, Saul’s ego took first place in his heart. When it did, “Doing Things His Way”—became his undoing. I tell you, there is a real danger in the “I Did It My Way” philosophy. Do not be deceived, God will not be mocked.  What you sow is what you will reap.

Listen, in the book of Judges the last thing Joshua did was told the people, ‘You choose how you are going to live your life. And they choose to do it “their way.”  And what a mess they made of it.  Over a 350 year period, they went through seven cycles.  Each cycle was worse than the one before.  The Israelites main problem was they always thought they knew better.   “Everyone did as they saw fit.” Each person saw themselves as being in charge. Each one said, “I am in charge. It is my life. It is my decision. I am the boss. I am in control.”Israel, lived like she had no king. She lived like there was no one to whom she was responsible. That was the problem. God was not acknowledged as King. He was not served as King. He was not worshiped as King. He was not obeyed as King, and because of thatthe result was anarchy, tragedy. Mama always did say, “A hardhead makes a soft behind!”

The conclusion of the whole matter: God says, “He will not tolerate blatant ungodliness. He will not tolerate stubborn, hardhead stiff-necked spirits any longer. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” [Isaiah 1:18]. Return .O backsliding children, for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you a shepherd [Jeremiah 3:14-15].

I tell you, wisdom is the principal thing, but in all your getting get an understanding.” [Proverbs 4:7]. Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will bring you honor.” [Proverbs 4:7-8]. “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” [Proverbs 15:22-32]. For the Bible says it is of God’s mercy that we are not consumed. It is by His goodness that we are led to repentance. It is by His intercession that we are delivered. It is by His grace that we are sustained. It is of His love that we have been drawn to Him. It is because of His everlasting arms being under us that we are kept. It is by His faith that we are saved. It is by His blood that we are cleansed. It is by His righteousness that we are clothed and it is by His indwelling Spirit that we are filled and by His power that we are kept.

“If you listen to advice and are willing to learn, one day you will be wise.” [Proverbs 19:20]

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Talking ‘bout you sorry, and you ain’t going to do it no more!  Just be honest. You like getting high. You like drinking. You like fornicating; committing adultery. You like the way Sin makes you feel. Going around singing, “Ooh, baby, baby…  The way you make me feel, you really turn me on. You knock me off of my feet.  I’m in ecstasy. I bet you are! But I got news for you Mr. Feel Good. “Thus saith the Lord, ye have sold yourself for nought” [Isaiah 52:3]. You have traded your soul for nothing!  You have come up empty! “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]

You know when Lysimachus, king of Thrace, was very thirsty he offered his kingdom to the Getae for a drink of water. After he had drunk he said, “Ah! Wretched me, who for such a momentary gratification, have lost so great a kingdom.”  Esau who traded his soul for fleeting pleasure, sold his birthright, which included not only material benefits and family privileges, but spiritual blessings as well, for a bowl of soup. It says that “he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way” [Genesis 25: 29-34; Hebrew 12: 16-17]. He didn’t have a second thought about what he had done. He did it, it felt good, and only much later did he come to regret it.

How applicable this is to him who, for some earthly pleasure, loses conviction of sin, conversion, and the Kingdom of Heaven! Selling your soul for very little, for mere trifles, for nothing of value! For one bowl of pottage, a momentary gratification, a few moments of pleasure. The truth of the Bible is that sin may bring short-term pleasure, but it always brings long-term misery and pain. What great consequences are sometimes connected with little actions. For one morsel of meat, for one sin, under certain circumstances, Heaven is given away, and the soul is forever lost in the bargain.

Listen, every day you’re trading your life, your soul, for something. The question is, For what?When it’s all over and you’ve cashed in all the time and abilities which have been allotted to you, what will you have to show for it? If you trade it in for fleeting pleasure, to gratify your immediate needs, you’ll come up empty. But if you trade your life for God’s kingdom and righteousness, to fulfill His purpose, you’ll be satisfied with that which no one can take from you.

Paul reminds us that the stories God includes in the Old Testament are there to help us avoid making the same mistakes (I Corinthians 10:11-12). No matter how temporarily enjoyable and satisfying any sin is in that moment, it cannot begin to measure up to the eternal rewards of God’s birthright promises. Sin is pleasurable but only for a time and that time is passing.  What then? “The wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23]

Trading your soul for what? Don’t do it!

^” For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [2 Timothy 3:2-7]

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

You hypocrite! The Bible teaches us that it is vital to our witness of the Gospel to live what we preach, or we will bring reproach on the Word of God! You ought to know that God takes seriously the call to practice what we preach! Instead of just talking the talk, why won’t you walk the walk! Pretending to be something that you are not! Saying one thing and then doing the opposite. Acting one way in a certain setting and then acting another way in a different setting! I tell you, before you practice preaching, you had better practice what you preach.  

We are the body of Christ for the world and our integrity of faith is on the line. Therefore, it is very important that as Christians, we follow the example of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter where we are or who we are with. The words we speak and the things we do should always reflect our faith.  But naw, you are good at telling other people what they should do and how they should live, but you fail to follow your own instructions. No wonder Jesus told the crowds and his disciples to do what the Pharisees and the scribes teach them to do, “but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach” [Matthew 23:3]. I want you to know that nothing kills credibility faster than not practicing what is preached.

But this is nothing new. A long time ago, in the nation of Israel, the priests of the old covenant were under the same obligation, to practice what they preached. When they failed to live up to the message they were teaching, God sent the prophet Malachi to “remind” them. “You have turned aside from the way and have caused many to falter by your instruction” [Malachi 2:8]. They were not practicing what they preached, and God was watching. He warned them to return to their faith, lest He should turn their blessing into a curse! It is a very strong message. Not only to priest, preachers, deacons, teachers and their families; it applies to every Christian alike.

Listen, Christ as the master teacher taught his disciples not only by Word but by example [John 13:15]. He demonstrated by His living how we should live before our heavenly Father. To understand the importance of learning to practice what you preach, British-born American writer Edgar A. Guest wrote: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day, I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way. The eye’s a better pupil and more willing that the ear; Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear; and the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds, for to see the good in action is what everybody needs. I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done. I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true; but I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do. For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give, but there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.” Practice what you preach! “We are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” [Matthew 5:14]. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! [James 1:22]

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

“Not; Says the Lord!” I meant what I said and said what I meant! I am a compassionate God and I am not slack concerning My promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [2Peter 3:9]. But when the rubber meet the road, don’t get it twisted, I will not be a loving God at the expense of My holiness. Besides, how many times have I bowed to your pleas for mercy?  “Please Lord, give me one more chance. I love you. I’m sorry. Please Lord, please!  All right,” I said. “I’ll give you a break this time. Once more I relented. I said, “Okay, but this is the last time. If you don’t return back, I will become a consuming fire towards you. No excuses, no whining. Is that clear?” “Oh, yes, thank you Lord. I love you” you said.  Profuse in your gratitude, and filling the air with solemn promises of loving me. What happened? What went wrong?  Instead of loving and honoring me, you profane me.

I tell you, “After all the things that we’ve been through you should understand me like I understand you. To love and be loved in return, it’s the only thing that my heart desires. Just appreciate the little things I do… we can build a world of love, a life of joy make our goal each other happiness. I will do everything for you. Every day I want to do a little bit more….” [Teddy Pendergrass – When Someone Loves You Back].  What more can I do? “I gave my heart, soul and Spirit to you, didn’t I; didn’t I do it. I gave you the love you never knew. Didn’t I?  I thought that heart of yours was true.” “Silly of me to think that I could ever have you for myself; Silly of me to think that you could ever know the things I do are all done for you [Silly –The Delfonics]. It’s obvious; you don’t love me as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! [Revelation 2:4-5]. You have abandoned the love you had at first”–the love that caused you to drop everything and to follow me into the desert. This is the love that captures my heart and colors every moment of every day. Turn back to me “… or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place …” [Revelation 2:5].

Oh, how God longs to have a relationship with us. The Bible tells us that what God desires, what He really wants, is a meaningful relationship. “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” [Mark 12:30]. I tell you, the greatest investment we can make in this life is a wholehearted pursuit of a deep personal relationship with God. Think about the time in your life when your love for Christ burned more strongly than ever. Think back to what it was like when you first came to know the Lord. Remember how you felt? What you did? How often you prayed or read the scriptures? Remember how you responded to tough situations? It is easy to slip, to get busy and to fall away from that strong relationship with Christ. But, [Revelation 2] says to remember what it was like, to remember that spiritual infatuation you had with the Lord at the start. Go back and do the things you did at first.  Return to your first love, renew your devotion. Because, nothing could be more important than living your life on the foundation of God’s greatest commandment: to love him. Let Him be your center, your focus, your everything.

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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:38].

I tell you, “ I have never been so much in love before, what a difference a true love made in my life, so nice so right, loving Him [Jesus]. He gave me something new that I’ve never felt, never dreamed of, something’s changed, and no it’s not the feeling I had before, ooh, it’s much much more.  A love I never knew that it’s touch could mean so much… and when we walk hand in hand, I feel so real, lovers come and then lovers go that’s what folks say, but not my lover. What we have is much more than they could see, yeah so much more…” [L.T.D. – Love Ballad].

Are you prepared to let the one who loves you more than anything else in the world lavish His love on you? If so, Shhhh. Listen. Receive. Drink it in:  Precious one, you might not know me, but I know you like none other.  [Psalm 139:2] I am your most beloved companion.  [Psalm 119:63] It is my desire to overwhelm you in my love. [1John 3:1]  I chose you when I planned creation.  [Ephesians 1:11-12] Nothing you have even done can separate you from my love.  [Romans 8:38-39] You are not a mistake.  [Psalm 139:15-16] I am healing all wounds and brokenness of heart.  [Psalm 147:3] I will never stop doing good for you.  [Jeremiah 32:40] I will never, no never, leave you nor forsake you. [Hebrews 13:5] You are my treasured possession. No one loves you like me.  [Exodus 19:5].

Can you feel His lavish love? Go ahead. Do something outrageous and incredibly silly. Embrace His courtship and gentle wooing. Jesus loves you this I know!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

You have the right to remain silent.  Anything you say or do can and WILL be used against you in a court of law. You who are living in sin, you who are refusing the Savior, you who are delaying the time of repentance, you who have backslidden, and those of you who are opposing the gospel: “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.  Oh, that God may help me to speak so that your life may be changed, and that the Word of God may be against you no longer!

O sinner man! Consider the fearful danger you are in!  You have made God your enemy, what a terrible thing this is. For thus saith the Lord, “Therefore will I also deal in fury; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them” [Ezekiel 8:18]. Talking about the wrath of God, there is no other way to put it, it is infinitely dreadful.  

Listen, God stands ready to pity you. This is a day of mercy; but once the day of mercy is past, your most pitiful and sad cries and screams will be in vain. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only “laugh and mock, [Proverbs 1:25-26]. Today however, you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice therefore, let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. Let everyone fly out of Sodom: “Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. [2 Corinthians 6:2] Don’t wait until it’s too late. Tomorrow isn’t promised. The only time you have is right now. God says, “Now”, “Today”, not “Tomorrow.”

“Come NOW, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” [Isaiah 1:18].  “TODAY if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” [Hebrews 4:7(b)].  “Boast not thyself of TOMORROW; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” [Proverbs 27:1].

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 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, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them [Deuteronomy 30:15-20].