This Lent:Not Blinded by the Immediate

"We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God"-Hebrews 12:6 God's Word Translation

Yesterday a friend of mine came to pick her daughter from my place . I offered her some food that I had prepared but she declined saying that she had the urge to eat pancakes which she intended to make when she got home,Although she loved what I had prepared, she knew that if she did take my offer,she would  not be able to enjoy  her pancakes. Jokingly but persuasively, I told her that her  craving for pancake  was a little bit late as  the day before was pancake Tuesday.As you know,  yesterday was Ash Wednesday which marks 40 days before Easter.  She finally gave in but stopped halfway sticking to her original decision. I woke up this morning and thought about how my friend practised the law of delayed gratification to an extent yesterday.We however see this exhibited completely  in the life of Jesus as we begin to prepare for Easter.

 He very much could have given in to the devils' temptation of collecting the whole world without going to the cross .That was the short cut that was presented to him during his temptations(Matthew 4:1-11) .But Jesus was not dissuaded, he did not come to do his will but his Fathers' and he knew that the cross was part of the whole package.The cost was self-denial which he painfully did..How so much like Joseph who is deemed by any scholars to be a prototype of  Christ. He also as a full-blooded young man refused the advances of the wife of his master, Mrs Potiphar(Genesis 39:1-29). No one would have known about it and probably he may have had some  kind of backyard favour now,serving as a sexual partner for Mrs.Potiphar. but he vehemently  refused all this.He had a dream(Genesis 37:5-11) and knew that God was able to establish him without compromise.It is not always that the option we have is bad,sometimes it may be  good but as is often said,the "good" can sometimes be the enemy of "better".

As we begin this Lent, let us remember  Jesus as an example of complete delayed gratification. Perhaps this season could serve as one that will enable us put things/people in our life  in the proper perspective,We would need to ask ourselves on a continuous basis   how an activity  contributes to our overall purpose.Just as the cross meant self denial to Jesus then, he still demands a daily life of  self denial of his followers(Luke 9:23).He had the Cross before him and the salvation of man was dear to his heart.Every other thing was looked through the lens of his purpose.He was not blinded by the immediate  rather had his driving passion and   purpose to do  the Father's will.
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It is my prayer that in this Lent season ,we will be moire aligned to the Father's will.

In His Service ,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A Look at Blindness 5 ;blinded by Spiritual Lust

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.Psalms 138:8 English Standard Version
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.Psalms 57:2 New Living Translation 


Sometime last year, there was a flyer of a programme which circulated via whatsapp and Facebook that I eventually  got to see. It was supposed to be a night of prayers or deliverance but the title was both humorous and amazing.It was titled "Give me a husband or I die".While I may not be able to judge what the intent of the organizers were, the caption probably connoted the feeling of desperation we sometimes have (trust me , I have had my times of desperation )when we are seeking something from the Lord  and while I am not against earnestly   stating specific requests before God,there is a line we  can cross when we become so consumed by our requests. We  then become guilty of Spiritual lust which is  best described by Oswald Chambers.

According to Oswald Chambers, Spiritual lust is the demand that God does it now. Somehow we manage to keep our lives on  hold, all in anticipation of the answering of a request, while everything else revolves around it.We pout and fret and refuse to see anything further apart from the need for God to answer immediately. This is not to condemn a bit of frustration    which may sometimes be  inevitable especially as  some of these desires are legitimate but when it becomes an overriding passion, then we are apt to be denied   peace and contentment.
Spiritual lust also has pride in its roots as we think this ought to  have been  done by now but the truth is that as human beings ,we are all  afflicted with a degree of blindness and cannot say for certain what will happen next. This pride takes the responsibility of wanting to run God's timetable and denies him he freedom to act at his own timing.

If life has narrowed down to one thing that we fail to recognize others or even be grateful for what we already have , then it is possible that we are being consumed by Spiritual lust which can be likened to physical lust.This usually leads to a sense of desperation that makes us do things we ought not to as  seen in the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:5-17) which is unfortunately repeated with a twist   when one of his sons, Ammon  in the name of love raped his  very beautiful half sister,Tamar.(2 Samuel 13:1-22).

But God is not consumed or moved by our desperation.Rather his one consuming desire is that we be conformed to the image of his son (Romans 8:29)who was so sold out to his father's will. One of such times  just before the cross at the Garden of Gethesamane. He cried"..not my will but yours be done"( Luke 22:42).Sometimes to achieve his purpose, there might be circumstances and things we have to go through which would bring us closer to God and enhance our dependency on him.

Lust is best combated by love, a need for understanding again that God loves us .King David had so many troubles following his anointing and ascension  to  the throne. He  sometimes  had to become a fugitive but  he still held on, assured of God's love and thoughts towards him.(Psalms 139:17-18;8:4).It is our responsibility not to allow ourselves to be seperated from the love of God. It is God's personal love for us that should keep us going .So many times we quote the great chapter of faith but forget that it is through faith and patience these people received the promises ( Hebrews 6 :12) and  that some of them did not even still receive the promise(Hebrews 11:37,39) but continued to believe God.And that is what God expects as we mature. It is what differentiates children from grown ups.That rather than being consumed by lust, we have to come to the point of realization that he is all powerful and all knowing, that what we are asking him to do, he sure is able to do it  but he has his own timing and he would do it at the right time.

I must confess that I am not fully free of spiritual lust   but I have gradually learnt that God is  good and is able to do it and that at his own time to suit his purposes best and then it will be beautiful(Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

So today, just as a little reflection is there any prayer request you have that has  now turned into spiritual lust, making you not to function, it could be prayer for healing (how many turn away from God just because he has not healed  them or a loved one) or for a child, a better job or even a partner.Trust me if it is going to enhance God's purpose he will eventually bring it to pass.He is big enough to be concerned about his purpose  and sees the bigger picture.This season of love we should do a house check and make sure we are not blinded to the love of God by spiritual lust .


Happy Valentine
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A matter of hearts

This month in America has been declared the month of the heart in order to raise awareness of heart disease which is one of the major causes of death in women. But on a more global scale,this month  is also special as there is the commemoration of the  St.Valentine's  Day in  which many couples along with  those who have a romantic relationship celebrate their significant other. However for some others it could inadvertently be a  painful reminder of the absence of  that special person in their life due to death ,divorce, separation, death or disease to mention a few.

Apart from physical diseases that affect the heart, our hearts can also be affected psychologically and the fruitfulness of the Word of God in our lives is dependent on the state of our hearts. Jesus described different types of hearts in the Parable of the sower and later conveyed the meaning to his disciples in private( Matthew 13:1-23).Unfortunately , most people are not as concerned  about the spiritual state of their heart as compared to the physical or the emotional state. The pendulum is far towards the emotional state and in a month like this, when love is celebrated, the probability of needless heartaches is certain.

For those who are actually enjoying the love in the air, this is  yet another opportunity to let the people in our lives know how much we appreciate them.If you are are still shopping for gifts for your loved ones, it may be a bit difficult to imagine fully the longing of another friend who desires to just receive a card but this  is surely a good time to be sensitive to their feelings as the Bible urges us to identify with our brethren.

And for those whom this season approaches and they are yet alone, there are several things not to do. It is not  a time to quickly say yes to a last minute date whom has previously been told No severally for reasons true to one's convictions. Neither is it a time to have  another pity party for me, myself and I, where a moaning  about singleness is done .Truth be told embedded in that attitude are  pride and  ingratitude.

Pride here comes subtly as there is a reasoning  that by this time, this ought to be happening to me and I know more than God on how my life should run and secondly, ingratitude  which readily blinds us to the fact that there are many more blessings that God has given which we should acknowledge and be thankful for, starting with the gift of life .There is more to life than being in love  and if all of our self worth is measured by who loves us or if we are in love, then there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Still unsure of how to spend the day? Well I would like to suggest that if you are the stay home type of person, by all means do so, as long as you engage in fruitful activities. This might be a good time to sow a seed of babysitting so one of your friends can actually enjoy their evening. And if you are the outdoor kind of person, it might just be time for you to take yourself out to a treat and celebrate yourself well .You have the full backing of heaven with a mandate to be the president of your fan club. There is no need waiting for someone else to do what you are unwilling to do.

So wherever this season finds you emotionally, celebrate it with gratitude and use it as another occasion to examine and guard your heart diligently , for out of it springs all the issues of life.

In His Love,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A Look at Blindness 4:Blinded by Greed

"But the leprosy of Naaman shall fasten upon thee,and upon thy seed for ever.And he went out from his presence leprous as snow".-2 Kings 5:27
"He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house ,but he that hateth gifts shall live".- Proverbs 15:27

This week,the World remembered one of its oldest and most stigmatized diseases,Leprosy.Although advances in Science have made some beneficial changes, it is still a cause of concern especially in India.In the Old Testament times, the priest usually pronounced the diagnosis(Leviticus 13:3,44) and lepers were isolated.The mode of transmission is still repeated contact with infected individuals however some particular individuals  in the Bible contracted Leprosy through unusual means.One of them is Gehazi,the armour bearer of Prophet Elisha(2 Kings 4:12,8:14).

It was Captain  Naaman's best kept secret(2 Kings 5:1) until his wife's maid mentioned that healing was possible in Israel for his Leprosy(2 Kings 5:3).His belief made him travel several miles to meet Elisha.He also took several gifts which he urged him to receive after he received his healing but Elisha declined (2 Kings 5:16).It is not every gift we should accept as depicted here and with Abraham and the King of Sodom (Genesis 14:21-24).Gehazi his assistant however thought otherwise.Without permission,he intercepted Naaman and collected the things his master refused deceitfully.He returned after hiding these items to his master,who unknowingly had followed him in the spirit.He got rebuked and because of his greed,Leprosy was pronounced upon him and his family(2 Kings 5:9-27).

Leprosy may have some spiritual undertone as it can also  be compared to Sin in several ways.Sin is the world's oldest  and most problematic issue.Just like Leprosy is caused by microscopic bacteria,Sin is caused by our invisible human nature.They both can be contracted through repeated contact.No wonder the Bible warns  that "evil communication corrupts good manners"(1 Corinthians 15:33).There are several presentations of Leprosy as well as several manifestations of the sinful nature(Galatians 5:19-21)
The hallmark signs of leprosy are hypothesia(an abnormally weak sense of pain,cold,heat or touch),skin lesions and peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation in the extremities) with a pronenesss  to inability to blink the  eyes which may result in blindness.How much like sin which can begin to dull our senses spiritually and cause spiritual blindness.

Thankfully,these days free  drugs  for the treatment of Leprosy are  available and distributed to those in need via the support of several organizations.But greater still is the fact the Blood of Jesus(Hebrews 9:22) has the efficacy to cure the problem of sin and this blood is free(Hebrews 10:10-20).Leprosy and Sin both bring isolation with the latter being more severe with  separation from God, but we have been made closer by the Blood of Jesus(Ephesians 2:13).Its power is still as powerful  today as it was 2000 years ago to pronounce cleansing(Romans 5:9, 1 John 1:7;Revelation 1:5).

Nowhere in Scriptures is greed commended (Proverbs 12:9;1 Timothy 6:6).Unfortunately,it is one of the most glorified vices of the 21st Century and  has robbed many of the ability to live contently.We should therefore take  heed as in  its pursuit,there is a tendency to  become dulled and blinded to the things that really matter. Gehazi was more concerned about acquiring those items that he was ready to leave the presence of his master forfeiting the  benefits.No wonder Jesus warns that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).As we make the Kingdom business our business and seek to remain in the presence of God(Matthew 6:33), we are unlikely to be blinded by greed.

Yours in Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.

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Not for Prayer

This past last week marked the National week of Prayer

One of my friend's six year old son walked up to her room in the morning claiming he had had a very bad dream.She being a woman of prayer wanted to know what the nightmare was about so as to tackle the demons! Her son however replied that he dreamt his father became his teacher.She managed to give appropriate words of wisdom without laughing but you would certainly agree that that was not a case for prayer.

Just as the young child's request sounded funny,there are some times that we actually pray about something when we ought to be doing something about it.There are somethings prayer will not do and it will be irresponsible for us to expect it to.

One of the first things is that prayer will not offer an apology to people.It is alright to offer an apology to God in prayer but it is foolish to think that the place of prayer is where apology to our
fellow o men should be offered.Pride usually hinders us from apologizing wholeheartedly.It is an act of greatness to apologize genuinely without apportioning blame to others.

Another thing prayer will not do is it will not say hello to others.It is amazing how we can be praying for others and never even acknowledge them with a word of greeting for various reasons ranging from being in the spirit or too spiritual to be bothered about such carnal things in quote.Although Apostle Paul was a busy minister and prayed a lot in his Epistles, he always seemed to have time to extend greetings to others  and this leaves us in no doubt that when he was with them physically, he greeted them.Sometimes we could just be hiding under a cloak of maliciousness by saying we are praying about somebody/something and refuse to associate with them .People may never know how much we labor for them in prayer but might be able to appreciate our God better if his children are nice enough to just say hello.

Thirdly,prayer will not stop the process.Most things in life take time and the spectacular is usually the norm.Not matter how much we pray,a pregnancy will still take nine months.Being in a haste is not a sign of spiritual maturity or of our trust in God(Isaiah 28:16).God will not shortchange the process just because we prayed and the Bible rightly states that it is the steps of a good man that are ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23).Bishop T.D. Jakes in support  has rightly said "God does not order elevators".

It is true that we have been told to pray about everything but there are some things that prayer will not do.It may be that in addition to our prayer, we need to add an apology, be more friendly and actually say hello to someone.Prayer will not overthrow the process.So before we start to pray about anything,let us be sure to ask ourselves sincerely if our request   is for prayer alone,prayer and deeds  or not for prayer.

Yours in Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A Look at Blindness 3:Blinded by Religion

In an era where suicide bombings and the activities of terrorist groups such as the Boko Haram are rampant, the killings of the cartoonists in their office by some Muslims in Paris two weeks ago still astonished many.These extremists  were furious at the portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed  by the cartoonists and decided to inflict punishments themselves.Fortunately even fellow Muslims have condemned their act and dissociated themselves from such inhumane behaviour. Nevertheless,it is important to realize that  these extremists may not have started out with murder in mind.Gradually and with increasing degree their intolerance for others built up  until murder became an option to support their cause.They are a modern day warning of the dangers of religious blindness.

This is what happened to the Apostle Paul, who did not start out killing Christians.Being a Pharisee he was so consumed with keeping the Law that when the Church started, he opposed it so vehemently.The first time we see him in Scriptures he is holding the coats of those who were stoning Stephen, the first martyr to death(Acts 7:58)  and he progressed from a supportive role(Acts 8:1), to a leadership role(Acts 8:3). In this later role, we find him  on his way to Damascus(Acts 9:1-3)having collected  letters  from the High priest so that he could arrest Christians there.Luckily a dramatic conversion  led to a change.

It is also possible that  as Christians we may become blinded by religion and  religious ways and thus refuse to change ineffective previous  patterns  or embrace novelty.Sometimes it may be our own preference or denominational  style of doing things that we have turned to a law and  a standard by which we  judge others.People who are not following our self imposed laws are then likely to be condemned with their reputation at stake.Sadly,it is not sin that is their offence.They have not just followed our own set of rules,feeding our egos while we are bereft of our blindness.

Religious convictions are so strong that sometimes in a bid to follow them,there is a tendency of being blinded.Paul had this problem with some of the churches(Romans 14:18-23 ,Colossians 2:16) and he used the Scriptures to convey the truth to them.Other spiritual disciplines such as prayer and being led by the Spirit are aides  to the recovery of sight from religious blindness.

Yours in Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A Look at Blindness 2

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me.He has chosen me to tell good news to the poor.He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again.He sent me to free those who have been treated badly".-Luke 4:18 ERV Easy to Read Version

"When there is no vision,the people get out of control ".Prov 28:19a CEB Common English Bible


One of the effects of the anointing is recovery of sight to the blind.The sight of the inner eye or the mind is more powerful than that of the physical eyes.The Spirit of the Lord is able to open the eyes of our minds also to see as God wants us to see.This sometimes comes through the ministry of the word(John 17:17,Romans 12:2,2 Corinthians 3:18)

Helen Keller  was  a famous lecturer ,political activist and author who became blind and deaf at the age of 19 months.She was once asked what was worse than being blind and her response was: "The only thing worse than being blind is to have eyes but no vision".How sad but how true that the presence of sight in  physical eyes alone does not automatically translate to sight of the mind; vision.

With vision comes  direction and a sense of purpose towards a goal.According to Proverbs 28:19,absence of vision causes people to get out of control.This means that vision brings boundaries of what we can  and cannot do thus allowing us to focus our energy on profitable activities.Fortunately,these days we have teachers in the church who  are gifted in the practicalities and there is better emphasis on the "how to do it". We are no longer just shouting and claiming it , rather we are now at a "see it, write it and work towards it"( 1Corinthians 15:10,Habakkuk 2:2).

Even the Bible encourages us to write the vision(Habakkuk 2:2) So if you have not written anything,now is the time to do so.If it is not written down, the chances of achieving it is slim.Also  writing  it down makes it easier to identify things that are not in line with it and we should never be afraid to say No to such things.The next step after writing down is to take practical steps towards it.Failure to do this only leads to deception(James 1:22).God blesses what we do(Psalms 1:3),not what we are planning to do.

Yours Sincerely,
Grace Tom-Lawyer