Joel Kwesi Baidoo

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) The above Scripture is mostly interpreted in terms of marriage to unbelievers, but its actual meaning goes beyond just marriage. A yoke is a wooden bar or frame by which two animals, usually of similar size and weight, are fastened together to enable them to pull a cart or a plough. This means the animals so joined together now necessarily have the same direction and purpose. None independently influences the other. Here is where the problem lies. We are not saying that a Christian cannot relate with or befriend unbelievers. However, a Christian who is yoked is one who relates with unbelievers in such a way that he/she loses the moral strength to choose their own paths and actions. It's a form of spiritual bondage through association. In your company with unbelievers, can we see your clear influence as

It is a good thing to praise the Lord. The Lord is good and worthy to be praised. The more we praise Him, the more He is exalted in our lives, for God inhabits the praises of His people. No matter what you may be going through right now, take your time, and with the help of the following psalm by George William Conder, let's praise God. 1. All things praise Thee,  Lord most high Heaven and earth and sea and  sky, All were for Thy glory made That Thy greatness thus  displayed Should all worship bring to  Thee; All things praise thee: Lord may  we 2. All things praise Thee:  night to night Sings in silent hymns of light; All things praise thee: day to  day Chants Thy power, in burning  ray; Time and space are  praisingThee, All things praise Thee Lord  may we. 3. All things praise thee;  round her zones Earth, with her ten thousand  tones Rolls a ceaseless choral  strain; Roaring wind and deep￾voiced main, Rustling leaf and humming  bee, All things praise thee; Lord,  may we. 4. All

"As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1) We are co-workers with God, in that God is partnering with us, as it were, to accomplish His will on earth. In order to effectively play this privileged role, God gives us His grace - an unmerited favour and a supernatural ability to perform.  The gifts, talents, abilities and the unique opportunities God grants us is to enable us to discharge the task at hand. If we do not put these gifts to work and we allow all the opportunities to slide by, we are wasting God's grace. The Apostle Paul is therefore admonishing us not to receive God's grace in vain. Jackson Brown once said, "Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." Someone put it this way, “Excuses will always be there for you. Opportunity won’t.” You must always remember that your talents and opportunities are God's gift to you, and what you do with them is your gift back to God. "Now it is requ

On this day in 1984, Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya, a Russian cosmonaut (currently 74 years and still alive), became the first woman to walk in space. Her story is an interesting one. She started by parachuting. At the age of 16, she had begun parachuting whilst her parents were unaware. By the time she turned 22, she had over 400 parachute jumps to her credit. Eventually, she began to participate and win in the World Aerobatic Championships. Svet went on to grab an engineering degree from Moscow Aviation Institute and, at last, qualified to fly. She kept on excelling in her role and setting new records in speed and altitude. Her bravery and excellence paved many ways for her until she got selected to join the Soviet space program in 1980. In total, Svet has spent 19 days, 17 hours and 6 minutes in space throughout her career. The lesson here is that if you master the discipline of doing the seemingly small things very well,the small opportunities will eventually grow into bigger one

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10) This is a solemn reminder that our lives on this earth is like an examination. It will soon be over, and the scripts are going to be marked according to the ultimate marking scheme, the word of God. The judgment seat of Christ does not determine who makes it to heaven or not. That one is decided at the white throne judgment where those whose names are not found in the Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). The judgment seat of Christ is to judge Christians and reward them according to their works. Paul, writing to the Corinthian Church, is admonishing them that WE MUST ALL appear before this judgment seat. "We" refers to those of us who belong to the household of Christ. "Must" means it's not optional. "All" implies that there wil

Edward Perronel (1726-1792) was born in Sundridge, England, and died in Canterbury. He was known to be closely associated with the Wesleys. One of his greatest works is the following hymn. May you be inspired by its soul-soothing words to extol Jesus above all others. 1 All hail the power of Jesus'  name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem And crown Him Lord of all. 2. Crown Him, ye martyrs of  our God, Who from His altar call; Extol the stem of Jesse's rod, And crown him Lord of all. 3. Ye chosen seed of Israel's  race, And remnant weak and small, Hail Him who saves you by  His grace And crown Him Lord of all. 4. Ye Gentile sinners, ne'er  forget The wormwood and the gall; Go, spread your trophies at  His feet, And crown Him Lord of all. 5. Let every kindred, every tribe On this terrestrial ball, To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all 6. O that with yonder sacred  throng We at His feet may fall, Join in the everlasting song, And crow

" You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) The seventh commandment places the responsibility on us to ensure that we avoid sexual immorality. The bible is clear that God will judge the sexually immoral.  "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." (Hebrews 13:4) The formula for winning this battle is by avoiding it. Sexual sins are hardly accidental. They are often the result of many little careless steps taken over time. Therefore, a good amount of vigilance and self control is what it takes to triumph. Vigilance means setting boundaries and quickly noticing when you are crossing them. Self control is the disciple to withdraw when you find yourself in a tempting situation. Always remember the key word for winning this war: FLEE! To flee is to run away, to escape, or to quickly disappear. Therefore anytime you sense danger, don't negotiate, don't bargain, don't

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." (2 Corinthians 3:5) Competence refers to the state of having the required skill set and being suitable for a particular task. It is therefore task-specific. Being competent in a particular role doesn't automatically make you competent for a different role unless you have been specifically equipped for that role as well. Here, the famous Apostle Paul, after describing the church in Corinth as being the result of their (together with Timothy) ministry, was quick to add that their competence was from God. Competence to be a banker may come from an educational institution. Competence to be a carpenter may come from a carpentry shop. But competence to do the work of God comes from God. This explains why after Jesus commissioned His disciples, He told them to wait until they receive the promise of the Father. At last, on the day of Pentecost, they were empowered for serv

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." (1 John 2:20) The Holy Spirit is God's anointing. The purpose of the anointing is to supernaturally equip us for our divine assignment. Without Him, we cannot accomplish God's will, though we can be busy doing a lot of things. It's one thing to have the anointing. It's another thing to abide in it. To Abide in the anointing takes time in prayer, fasting, seeking the Lord and feeding on God's word as well as walking in holiness. May you be inspired by the following Pentecostal hymn to abide under His anointing to accomplish God's will for your life. Abide under his anointing, Abide under his control, Abide under his anointing, His presence upon your soul; Just stay in the arms of Jesus And thou shall be fully  whole; Abide under his anointing, Abide under his control. "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you…

"Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." (2 Corinthians 1:4) If you have not faced misery before, you will hardly understand the value of comfort. It is deeply refreshing and satisfying when someone who has faced and overcome a similar challenge as you are going through offers you words of exhortation and comfort. It revives your soul, knowing for sure that you are not alone in your struggle, and that you can equally make it. This is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in the above Scripture. He had suffered many hardships himself. But at the end, he feels God had comforted him through it all, and most especially, he feels equipped to comfort all those in similar situations. A certain character forms in us only by experiencing certain things in life. Sometimes, God shields us from all the troubles of life. Other times, when He allows unpleasant and ill moments in our walk with Him, He