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

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Now that the celebration of Black History Month is coming to a close; how can we honor our history, respond to the present, and build a viable, vibrant future for our people? I’ll tell you how…. We can honor their memory by rediscovering the “Faith” that allowed them to survive. The Faith, that enabled our forefathers to endure trials and hardships that we can only imagine. The Faith, that inspired leaders to respond courageously to the problems of our people. We can build on the legacy they have left us by carefully following the One they followed – Jesus. It is not too late! We can still return to the God of our fathers. For we have an extraordinarily rich spiritual heritage and there is victory in our bloodline. We belong to the family of God, and being engrafted into His family means that we are over-comers through the Blood of Jesus; the Blood of the Lamb, the Conquering Weapon.

Therefore, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the pioneer and perfecta of our Faith. For it wasn’t by power nor by might, but by the Spirit of God—the wisdom, authority, power, and presence of the Most High God—that freedom, equality, and justice was and will continue to be.   Let us learn from the stories of the great cloud of witnesses.  “Though beaten, they were not beaten down by life because they looked to Christ. Though enslaved physically, they were not enslaved spiritually because they were free in Christ. For a people in bondage for 400 years— it is a sustaining and comforting reminder to know that God has not forgotten. “He has seen!” our afflictions, and heard our cries: every tear shed was preserved, and every groan uttered was being recorded, in order to testify at a future day, against the authors of the oppressors.”

Understand this truth…. God has chosen us for Greatness…. And there’s nobody, there’s nothing, and there is no circumstance, under the Sun that can keep God from doing exactly what He wants in us for His Glory! We have victory through Jesus Christ, the Risen Savior who lives and Reigns in our heart…. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” So, if God be for us, who can defeat us? If God be for us, who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  If God be for us, is there anything that we can’t do? If God be for us, is there anything our families can’t overcome? If God be for us, is there anything that the world can do to stop us? I hear our slave ancestors answering, “No!” I hear the civil right marchers, answering, “No!” Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same Jesus who heard the songs of the slaves and the chants of the civil rights marchers will hear the prayers of those who now cry out for justice throughout our country. With God’s help, we shall overcome.

Oh, what an amazing future it is! Living moment by moment looking back with thankfulness on all that God has done for us, and looking forward at all God promises to do for us because of Christ. Let us rejoice in God’s great faithfulness consistently displayed through our great struggles and great strides. For empowered by God as they were, we can continue their work and likewise pass down legacies of strength, perseverance, faith, and victory to future generations. [Psalm145:41].

As it is written: “For our sake [they] were killed all day long; [they] were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in ALL THESE THINGS [they] were MORE than CONQUERORS through Him who loved us. They were 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 them from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:35-39].

Thanksgiving toward the Past, Faith toward the Future!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

I want to encourage you to NEVER lose hope.  Why? Because, hope is the anchor of the soul.  Our ancestors held on to hope when facts, circumstances, and actions of others said otherwise. They had no evidence and no reason to believe things would get better, so they held desperately to hope. Hope, that was based on the fact that: God will continue being what He has always been – faithful.  Hope that was based on the fact that:  God will successfully complete whatever He has begun.  Hope, that was based on the fact that: God would keep all His Promises. Hope, that was based on the fact that: There would be justice and equity. Hope, that was based on the fact that: All things would work together for good to them that love God.   What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

According to the Bible, “Hope,” is about a promise. Hope is a confident expectation regarding the unseen and future [Hebrews 11:1-2; Colossians 1:27]. That’s why Paul said in [Romans 5:3-5], we can rejoice in our sufferings because we are a people of Hope. Not only that, but that our suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” [Romans 5:3–5]. So as you hold on through the storms, know that there is a proven-ness in regard to your character.

Never lose hope. Hold on, for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Because the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish usu. [I Peter 5:10]. And this is the hope we have as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure, says the Scripture.

“All the promises in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” [2 Corinthians 1:20].Never lose hope. The Anchor of the Soul!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

You see, the phrase “United We Stand… Divided We Fall” has a lot of truth and merit to it! Christ gave us even greater insight when He said in [Matthew 12:25] a house divided, a city divided and a nation divided cannot stand. The reality is that God shows us a powerful principle concerning this truth. It is found in [Genesis 11:6] concerning the Tower of Babel. God said because of their “Unity” there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish if they put their minds to it. Now, if these were ungodly people without the prophetic purpose of God at heart, what could this mean to a people fulfilling the call of God on their lives and pursuing the purposes of God’s Kingdom. Ahh!

Unity a wonderful word, but requires deliberate action. That’s why I appeal to you today as Paul did in [1 Corinthians 1:10] when he said, “let us all agree with one another in what we say and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Paul exhort us to unite and conquer by majoring on the majors. You see, when we walk in unity we can accomplish supernatural achievements. We can walk on Water together. It’s a beautiful and powerful thing.

Unity: being one; combining into one; something that is whole; harmony [Psalm 133]. It is only when we come together in one mind and one accord in Jesus that we will have power and will be able to move in Spirit and Truth toward using our spiritual authority that God gave us—that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.  Unity the key to seeing souls saved… Unity the key to living in the Power of God… Unity the key to being used by God…

Let’s make the right choice based on an understanding of truth. Disunity causes great threat to our survival as a people. Without unity everything begins to crumble, becomes weakened, paralyzed, and ineffective. We are called to divide and conquer. This will only happen when we major on the majors, “We as a people.” We must be unified. We must strive and remain as one. There is Power in Unity!

Black History Month!  “All For One and One For All”.

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Yes, we need to remember the importance of what we believe. We need to be stirred up, and gripped by the reality of it. For we should never, no never! Forget the toils and dangers. We should always cherish them and tell the history of our suffering in the cause of freedom. For if we have no memory, we are adrift because memory anchors us to the past, interprets the present, and charts a course for the future. And so, being reminded of the truth is critical. Don’t let the deceitfulness choke your life so as to forget where you came from. Remember what you know. Remember the day we came out of Egypt. [Matthew 13:22]. It’s in the Word [Deuteronomy Chapter 8]. Moses was having a little talk with the Israelites, they were getting ready to come up, out of 40 years of being in the wilderness, yeah, 40 years of trials, tribulations, and hardships and they were getting ready, to enter the blessed land of Canaan, but before it was time to go, God wanted them to be reminded of a few things, Moses says, first of all, that thou shall remember, the long way that God has bought thee, remember, where you came from, and he says that it was to test thee, to humble thee, to prove what was in thine heart, whether thou would keep thy commandments or not, as God’s chosen people. We are to remember…lest we become tempted to return back to our old way of life. You see, every time Israel forgot what Egypt was really like, they got the itch to go back. For this reason God asked them to have an annual event to “remember the day they came out of Egypt!  The importance of remembering and being reminded of truth – BLACK HISTORY! 

Without remembering the past we have no future, and present comes meaningless. Past victories gives us hope for the future when we need it in the present! Don’t forget to Remember! You see, the Bible commands that one generation should praise the Lord’s works to another [Psalm 145:4] The Bible commands that fathers should teach the history of Israel and the wonderful works of God to the children, so that future generations would know God’s acts in history, and “set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God” [Psalm 78:1-70]. The Bible commands believers to “Remember the days of old” and what took place in previous generations, so that it might inform our current realities [ Deuteronomy 32:7]. This generation and future generations need to understand what God has done in previous generations to deliver His people from darkness and bring them into the light. The Christian slaves understood that they were grafted into the family of Abraham and they made Israel’s story, their story. How did the slaves endure, overcome, and find hope while being in physical bondage for over 200 years? They learned the story of Israel having been delivered from Egyptian slavery. They heard sermons based on the story. They originated songs based on the story. Don’t forget to remember – BLACK HISTORY!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, extortioners, liars , lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, disobedient, arrogant, revilers. [1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-5]. Don’t you know that the Day of the Lord is at hand?” [Joel 1:15; 2:1]. Wake up! Stir yourself and don’t be slothful. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Walk properly, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. [Romans 13:11-14]. Be zealous and repent! [Revelation 3:19]. If you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. [Isaiah 1:20].

I tell you we are seeing the signs that will precede Christ’s return. We are experiencing the birth pangs that will come before Christ’s return. We are being shaken, as prophecy warned. And even though we don’t know the day or the hour, Jesus said we would know the season and we should be living as though His hand is on the door ready to come back. [Matthew 24:42-44.] Repent now while it is still day! For, “He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” [Revelation 21: 6-8].  Don’t wait too late!

“Repent Now Every One of His Evil Ways and Evil Doing…” [Jeremiah 25:5].

“For the Kingdom of God is at Hand!” [Matthew 3:2].

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…” [Deuteronomy 31: 19}

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

I don’t know who I’m talking too, but God says, “NOW,” “TODAY,” “NOT TOMORROW!” Time is not on your side! 

Whoever you are, you have heard the Gospel many, many times in the past, and you’ve been spoken to by the Holy Spirit, but you have not heeded the warnings.” I beg you today, please, do not trifle with your soul’s salvation, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” [James 4:14].  The Urgency of Today [Proverbs 29:1]. The Insistence of God – [Proverbs 1: 24-28]. Know that “TODAY” may be the very last time you may be exposed to the Gospel of the grace of God. Don’t blow it! “NOW,” “TODAY,” repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior. For the Bible declares, “Behold, “NOW” is the acceptable time; behold, “NOW” is the day of salvation.” “NOW” is Mercy’s offer. “NOW” is the invitation from God, reaching down from Heaven. Know that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]. “TOMORROW” you may find the door shut. “TOMORROW” may be too late. NOW, NOW, NOW! Repent of your sins, and be forgiven.

You know three passages in the [Book of Proverbs- 1:24-28; 27:1; 29:1] warns us that we are not to wait too late about making our decision of commitment to trust Christ as our Savior and Lord and to receive forgiveness for our sins. Don’t take a chance and think that you will have time to get saved or repent later on in life. For Hell is filling up fast with people who thought that they would repent later on in their life. Some of them, like you, had heard the Gospel: were convicted by the Holy Spirit and Word of God; and had expected to get saved “SOMEDAY.” Unfortunately, for them, their “SOMEDAY” never came. Case in point, Governor Felix, who in [Acts 24: 24-25], was privileged to hear the Gospel, and was so convicted of his need for a Savior that he actually “trembled” but what did he do? He procrastinated, he put it off. He told the Apostle Paul, “Go thy way; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” Well, his convenient season never came. His tomorrow never arrived. He died, lost; his chance had come and gone. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent… [Acts 17:30]. Please, be reconciled to God “NOW” before it’s too late!

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that “I have set before you life and death…; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him for He is your life and the length of your days… [Deuteronomy 30:19-20].  

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

“Well I got news for you, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Glory, Glory! “[Lyrics Kirk Franklin-Stomp]. I tell you, Jesus loves you so much that He sent a messenger to warn you, that you are heading down the wrong path. But naw, you find Sin so pleasurable that you want to be mad at the messenger. Well Boo, Boo, the message is and always will be a straightforward command to repent. A call for a radical, 180 degree turning from Sin. That is repentance. Instead of getting mad you ought to be like the people who heard Peter in [Acts 2] and ask what response was expected of them. Plainly, Peter told them…Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin… [Acts 2:38]. So what’s your problem? No one is excluded from Jesus demand to repent. [Luke 13:3].

Listen, you can ignore the call of repentance if you want to, but God will not be mocked. The wages of Sin is death. Cleanse your hands, you sinner, and purify your heart, you double-minded. And know that if you continually refuse the salvation call of Christ, one day you will die and end up in Hell.  “Submit therefore to God. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Otherwise, be miserable and mourn and wept; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. The danger of knowing, but not obeying. Tragic!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

“Although I should have vomit you out of My mouth, because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked [Revelation 3:16], and because of your sinfulness and disobedience, know that I have loved you with an Everlasting Love, and because of My Love for you, welcome to the New Year, 2018. But, hear me and hear me good; DO NOT continue to take My Grace for granted, for there will come a time when I will not hear you, and it will be too late! You better ask Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. [Hebrew 12:16-17]. Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds. [Zechariah 2:4]. Return to Me and I will return to you. [Malachi 3:7]. For it’s time to make up your mind, “Choose Whom you will serve this day…” Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away…” [James 4:14]. Repent NOW I tell you, for tomorrow may be too late!

You know in the [Book of Hosea], Hosea didn’t try to hang on to Gomer by overlooking her affairs, manipulating her with guilt, or making empty threats. He simply said to her, “If you want to stay, I want you to stay, but with the understanding that you take whatever steps are necessary to end these affairs. If you want to go, you may go, but things cannot continue as they are. I want you to know that I’m not giving up on you, but I am willing to give you up if that is what you want.”

Hosea, after the manner of God, was to show Gomer that a relationship was still possible, not on the terms of her character, but on the terms of his commitment, “According to the love of the Lord.” Hosea’s solution to Gomer’s shameful past was to give her a brand new, secure start in their marriage. He was telling her that the past didn’t matter. They were going to begin working on their future, and there was only one rule – she had to let Hosea love her exclusively. She had to depend upon him for ALL her love needs. He ALONE was to be the source of her security in their relationship. That is God’s desire for all His people.  

Don’t be like the foolish virgins who when Christ came like a thief in the night, they were not ready. This is a call to repentance. “Now therefore, says the LORD, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and He relents from doing harm.” [Joel 2:12-13].

I set before you today the choice of Life or Death: “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statues, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.” [Deuteronomy 30: 11-18].

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

“Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” [Ecclesiastes 12:13-14]. So get rid of all evil, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all slander. For the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance [2 Peter 3:9]. 

Just imagine…. dying lost, without repentance and facing eternal sentence to the pits of Hell, and all because the plan of salvation had been given to you and you rejected it. You crossed over that spiritual deadline and took “one more chance” for the last time and found yourself facing God’s eternal judgment. I tell you, repent now while it is still day! For a decision to live outside the fear of the Lord, that is, living as you please and for yourself, will bring not the blessings of God, but His judgment to bear in your life. And trust me; you don’t want that to happen.

Because according to [Deuteronomy 28: 12-68; Leviticus 26:14-46] there are Curses on Disobedience. “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statues which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Curse shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess The LORD will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth and no one shall frighten them away…. Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever…..” [Deuteronomy 28: 12-68].

But on the other hand if you decide to obey the voice of the Lord there are Blessings on Obedience. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you…The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens; to give you rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend too many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” [Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Leviticus 26:1-13; Deuteronomy 7:12-24].

Now, it’s all up to you…. Whatcha gonna do?

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live…” [Deuteronomy 30: 19].

May God mercies be anew to you in 2018!

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

How is it that “whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, rain is coming, and so it is? And when you see the south wind blow, you say there will be hot weather; and there is. You hypocrite! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but you cannot discern what time it is?” [Luke 12:54-56; Matthew 16:1-4]. Repent now, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! And know that if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chain of darkness, to be reserved for judgment, [2 Peter 2:4-8]  if you continue in your sin, you too will be cast down to Hell!

Again, this message is a warning from God’s Word for everyone to repent of their sins and begin to live Godly lives in the light of the scriptures and to begin to seek God with great intensity, honesty, sincerity and urgency. The Bible says, “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14].

The time is now for you to discern this time, this age and period in which we live, and understand what God is doing among the nations. His purpose is being fulfilled according to plan, and His Kingdom is coming. Do not be deceived!  God is not mocked. “Unless ye REPENT ye shall likewise perish” [Acts 2:39]. 

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him.  And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword [war], and with hunger [famine], and with death and with the beasts of the earth [Revelation 6:8]

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live ; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which LORD Swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to live.” [Deuteronomy 30:19-20]