Joel Kwesi Baidoo

"... for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44) Jesus, addressing a section of the Jews, revealed a very important attribute of the devil - the father of lies. Deception is his greatest weapon - a potent one of course. Jesus says, there is no truth in him. With this weapon, he succeeded against Adam and Eve. Indeed, with this same weapon, he has succeeded against many erstwhile spiritually stable children of God. Beware of what you believe and act on because your enemy, the devil, lurks around, constantly looking for opportunities to throw lies at you. He will lie to you about your real identity in Christ and lure you gradually out of your secret place in God. He will lie to you about what people think about you. He will try to convince you that your loved ones actually hate and despise you. He will lie to you that every good thing you're trying to do to glorify God isn't worth it. H

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24) The Christian life is often compared to a race. In a race, you only get a prize based on how you finish and not how you start. If you do not finish the race, you are not considered for a prize at all. This race lasts throughout our lives on earth. The race only ends for you the day you exit this life. This makes it more like a marathon than a sprint. In a sprint, your strength is in your speed, but in a marathon, your strength is in your endurance and self discipline. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1) Our focus in this race is to become more like Christ each day. This focus is very important because if we run in the wrong direction, it

One of the most comforting phrases in Scripture is "It came to pass." It occurs over  400 times in the entire Bible. "It came to pass" means that no situation is permanent, and new things are always ahead. Just think back to where you were some time ago, and you will realize that circumstances hardly remain the same. Life consists of series of changes, and the wise in heart understand that they can hardly hold on to people, possessions, situations, or places forever. Everything will come to pass, whether you like it or not. This wisdom teaches us not to make permanent decisions based on temporary situations. Be careful what you do or say to people when you consider yourself to be in a superior position. Allso be wary of your decisions when you feel things are not moving in your favor because whatever is your circumstance now will come to pass. Johann Wolfgang made this interesting statement: "Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for cha

It is a good thing to look back on our lives and thank God for all the evidence of His grace and mercy.  As my birthday is two days away, I'm inspired to share this song by Aps. Prof. Opoku Onyinah with you. Join me in offering a sacrifice of praise to God as you meditate on this song. 1 What can I offer to you, oh Lord For Your grace has taken me through. I bring my sacrifice of praise For Your grace has done it again. Your grace has taken me through, oh Lord Your grace has done it again, Oh Lord Gracious One, I bow down to you Gracious One, I bow down to you 2. What can we offer to you, oh Lord For Your grace has taken us through. We bring our sacrifice of praise For Your grace has done it again. Your grace has taken us through, oh Lord Your grace has done it again, Oh Lord Gracious One, we bow down to you Gracious One, we bow down to you "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name." (Hebrews 1

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8) Today, we continue our lessons on the fourth commandment. Last week, we expounded the spiritual principle of Sabbath and established that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath - our ultimate place of rest from our dead works. In Him, we rest from our fruitless efforts in trying to please God. This is possible because Jesus paid the price on the cross for our redemption. By faith in Him, we earn the right to become children of God.  "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12) To observe the Sabbath day, therefore, means to place ones faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to enter into God's rest. Now, let's switch to the physical principle behind the observance of the Sabbath. God instituted the Sabbath day of rest to teach us the importance of recreational rest. God knows that our world will become increasingly fast-paced and the

" Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7) This life has been designed to behave like a fine machine that accepts inputs of all kinds and churns out their corresponding outputs at their due time. Just as someone said, “Everything you do, everything you say, every choice you make, sooner or later comes back around.” "You reap what you sow" is a proverb that exists in almost all languages of men. Its lesson is straightforward but almost always practically forgotten. The opportunity to sow always lies in the present. Today is the day you can sow the kind of seeds you will like to reap their fruit. Whatever you do today, how you treat people, the words that come out of your mouth or whatever you post on social media are all seeds. You will soon be forced to eat their fruits. Grant M. Bright put it beautifully: "Life is like a boomerang. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.”

The comfort of spirituality is to rest assured that God is with you. In the midst of the storms of life, you can whisper to your soul, "Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side." May this hymn written by Katharina Von Schlegel in 1697 minister strength and comfort to your soul. 1 Be still, my soul; the Lord  is on thy side Bear patiently the cross of  grief or pain; Leave to thy God to order and  provide; In every change he faithful  will remain; Be still, my soul: thy best, thy  heavenly friend Through thorny way leads to  a joyful end 2. Be still, my soul, thy God  doth undertake To guide the future as he has  the past Thy hope, thy confidence let  nothing shake All now mysterious shall be  bright at last Be still, my soul; the waves  and winds still know His voice who ruled them  while he dwelt below 3. Be still, my soul; when  dearest friend depart And all is darkened in the  vale of tears Then shalt thou better know  his love, his heart Who comes to soothe thy  sorrow

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8) The Sabbath day observance finds its origin in the creation week. Any commandment whose origin predates the Law carries a principle that goes beyond the mere observance of rules. "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:2-3) The Sabbath day carries two principles - one spiritual, the other physical. Let's start with the spiritual one. On the seventh day, the day of perfection, God rested from His work. This seventh day symbolized the end of the work. This is purely prophetic. Before God started the work, the earth was without form, and was dark and void. This is itself a symbol of the helpless and deplorable state of humanity without God. It was on the seventh day that God decl

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18) The range of sexual perversion is practically endless in our day. From sex before and outside marriage to sexual relations with the same sex and even animals, our world keeps sinking deeper into the abyss of immorality. As immortality becomes normal, we lose touch with the voice of our conscience and the Holy Spirit's promptings fall on hardened and deafened ears. At this point, we rationalize our sins and excuse ourselves with the anti-biblical philosophies of this world. We can't help it because we have fallen too deep and to make matters worse, "everyone" seems to be doing it. Our only hope is to find our way back to the only time-tested, universal life guide for humanity which is God's word. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." (Psalm 119:9) Th

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." (1 Corinthians 5:9‭, ‬11) Believe it or not, you are the way you are because of the kind of people you have associated with. Peer influence is so powerful you can hardly avoid its impact on your life. Your worldview is continuously shaped by the frequent conversations you have. Your principles are bound to be influenced by the principles of the people you spend most of your time with. It's important to be aware of this because if we deliberately look out for and associate with the right people, our destiny will be secure. When God wants to bless you, He sends people into your life. Similarly, when the devil wants to destroy you, he also sends people into your life. This is bec

"Therefore I urge you to imitate me." (1 Corinthians 4:16) Our world is full of leaders who are preoccupied with the enjoyment of big titles and the privileges of occupying big positions but shy away from their ultimate mandate of leading by example. The test of any credible leadership is the ability to say, "Imitate me." It is the ultimate testimony of the character and authenticity of a true leader. Only a leader who goes the way and leads by example can invite their followers to imitate them. This inspiring example is the bedrock of successful and impactful leadership. This wasn't the first time the Apostle Paul was making such an invitation. He made a similar invitation to the Philippian Church as well. "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9) Israelmore Ayivor, a leadership and personal development expert, put it this way: "Leaders de

Richard Wayne Mullins (1955-1997) was an American songwriter and singer who composed the contemporary worship song, "Awesome God" and released it in 1988. Sometimes, we have to pause and ponder over how awesome God is and most especially, how awesome He has been to us. Be blessed by this inspiring piece. 1 When He rolls up His sleeves He ain't just putting on the ritz (Our God is an awesome God) There's thunder in His footsteps And lightning in His fists (Our God is an awesome God) And the Lord wasn't joking When He kicked 'em out of Eden It wasn't for no reason That He shed His blood His return is very close And so you better be believing that Our God is an awesome God Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom, power, and love Our God is an awesome God Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom, power, and love Our God is an awesome God 2 And when the sky was starless In the void of the night (Our God is an a

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7) The third commandment emphasizes the sanctity and sacredness of God's name. King James puts it this way: "Thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." How is God's name misused or taken in vain? Taken literally, the name of the Lord is not to be carelessly or profanely used. Any trifling reference to God bereft of reverence to Him is tantamount to blasphemy.  Including the name of God in silly statements and dirty jokes must be avoided. There are people who swear or make promises under an oath to God and still lie or break their promises. This is a blatant misuse of God's name. But it goes beyond that. As God's children, He has placed His name on us. How we conduct ourselves affects His name. "...He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalms 23:3) Any misbehavior, careless act

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care." (1 Corinthians 3:10) Our lives and deeds on this earth are like a building. The quality of your deeds determines how durable your building is. When we live in accordance with God's word, we are building solid houses which can stand the test of time. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24) A wise builder builds with care. A wise builder builds with quality materials and employs time-tested principles in building. It's important to note that everyone's building will be tested. "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the qu

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9) So long as you remain in God's love, He is going to surprise the world with what He does in you and through you. Exclusive to those who love God, He is able to surprise them with things they have never experienced before or ever imagined. In fact, the context of the Scripture above refers to the hidden wisdom of God which manifested in the death and resurrection of Christ which has brought salvation to mankind. The rulers of this world could not guess what God was up to. "None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8) Neither the world nor the rulers of darkness could predict nor obstruct the agenda of God that was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. This is a clear demonstration of how unsearchable God

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are." (1 Corinthians 1:26‭-‬28) God specializes in turning hopeless people with hopeless circumstances into champions. The message of the cross itself is such that humble people and those of lowly background more easily embrace it. Pompous people are automatically cut off by their pride. Therefore no one through their human wisdom and status in life can achieve intimacy with God. "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthian

The famous Apostle Paul, arguably the most impactful Apostle of his time, did not make it in life and ministry all by himself.  In the last chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans, he took his time to mention twenty-nine names of people who have helped him in his ministry in diverse ways. Paul could not have made it that far if he had not enjoyed such support from these men and women of God. He therefore afforded the time and space in his letter to let the Church know all the people who have helped him. God's greatest blessings to you are often in human form. If you recognize and appreciate these people, your life will be greatly blessed. Paul made special mention even of those who had worked very hard in the Lord because their hard work made his ministry successful. "Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord." (Romans 16:12) May God bless you with good people who