Recently, I was invited to minister to a group of Christians. I taught on the subject of the power of God. I emphasized the basics i.e. God’s power has been given to all believers (Acts 1:8) in equal measure (John 3:34). Furthermore, since God’s power is a spiritual blessing, Ephesians 1:3 lets us understand that all believers have been blessed with all spiritual blessings from the moment they got born again. Therefore, no Christian lacks His power and we should never ask God for power (as this will mean unbelief). I pointed out that it is our responsibility to understand and express the power we have received from God. Finally, I gave some guidance on expressing the power.
To my surprise, Brother Jack came to round off the meeting and prayed – “We ask Oh God that you release your power unto us afresh this moment in Jesus name”. Guess what? There was a resounding “Amen” across the congregation. I felt gutted. What could have gone wrong, I asked myself. Was I such a terrible teacher that I could not communicate the message with clarity? Why were they asking God for something they already possessed? I had just shown that from the scriptures? Even if they had not fully grasped the truth, surely they should have remained in neutral gear pending further personal study like the Berean Christians in Acts 17:11? As I pondered on the possible cause of this error, my mind flashed back to what occurred the last time I visited Jack some years ago.
He took me to his private library filled with a staggering number of books – over 1500. He seemed delighted at the fact that he had read all those books, most of which, I must admit, had changed my life. But Jack’s life appeared to be at variance with the teachings in those books – and he is not alone! Many Christians, perhaps you are one of them, have sat under great teachings and read great books, including the greatest of them all – the Bible. But their lifestyles contradict these great messages. So today, I’d like to share 3 things you must consciously amend in your life immediately you listen to any gospel message or read the bible / any gospel book. Let’s use the acronym P.U.T (Prayer. Utterance. Thoughts) to remind you of the immediate necessary action:
- Prayer: Your “prayer points” should change immediately. Ask yourself, how do I pray concerning things relating to this subject and what change is necessary based on this message? For instance, I expect that over time, Jack’s prayer regarding God’s power will change to “Lord, thank you for your power at work in me”.
- Utterance: Ask yourself how you have spoken in the past concerning the subject and what changes are required in your utterances? For instance, if your last discussion with your friends, everyone said things like – “If only God would give us power like he gave the church general overseer”. Next time such a conversation comes up, you should be saying – we all need to work on expressing the power of God just like our general overseer has been able to do.
- Thoughts: This is the bedrock and it affects your prayers and utterances. You have to consciously put all the previous thoughts you had concerning that subject on the table including scriptures you had wrongly misinterpreted. Evaluate them one by one on the basis of the insight you now have. It is better to do it on paper. If you get confused at any point, do further research. By so doing, you turn on the lights in every dark area of your life.
Please let’s not be like Jack who found it difficult to change probably because he made the word of God of no effect by his traditional prayers, utterances and thoughts. We must start practicing P.U.T founded on the truth of the Word, and then we will be changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of God.
“Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think.” – Romans 12:2 (GW)
– Tope S. Aladenusi
We want to have a marriage where the relationship is based on friendship, yet he wants to be KING and she wants to be QUEEN.
For a lot of my African readers, you will agree with me that the African culture tells the man he is superior. Some cultures emphasize the man’s Lordship more than ever others.
The man believes the wife should be submissive to him as the Bible demands, and the woman expects to be loved by her man.
What does this mean in practical terms and what price will be paid to attain?
Today we live in a world where man and woman work in partnership to get the home running. In some cases, the woman is as busy as the man or busier, yet the challenge of running the home lies on her. She is under so much pressure to deliver both at home and at work.
Sometime ago I was at a meeting organized for women, all the women in the group had one thing in common; STRESS! She gets up earlier, rushes to prepare the home for the day, gets to work and rushes back home to be there for the children, works till late in the night to prepare for the next day and the cycle continues. So the average woman needs so much make up to cover her stress or spoil herself so much to help her self-esteem and get herself to believe she is getting something for her labour.
The average woman believes she was not just meant to be a mother, so she wants to work and grow as fast as her male counterpart, have multiple streams of income, yet be the mother that holds it together and the wife that makes coming home the high point of the day for her husband.
This is a great dream with a very high PRICE, which is being ready to accept the challenges that come with this choice.
You need to be able to classify every matter as SOLID, LIQUID and GAS. SOLID relates to the essentials, LIQUID important yet not so essential and GAS what you can do without; the vanities of life.
I am like that woman and I know the price is very high. Sometimes the price is your spiritual or physical health, or being misunderstood by people around, even your spouse, or even your purpose for setting out into the this cycle in the first place. Being this hyper active woman might mean not being there for your children all the time, so you want to give quality to every time you spend with them. You want to stamp in them the fact that you love them even while apart, you need to review your VALUE system and say to yourself, what is that one thing I need this children to know even if I do not teach them anything and set out to achieving it.
Above all, to be treated as a Queen, you need to make your husband feel like a king. This is very difficult when you are so stressed all the time or you are not getting the right treatment from your spouse but then you need to realize that this is a SOLID part of the matter. You need to be at peace with your husband to function optimally even within the home. You need to evaluate the price of peaceful co-existence with your spouse and pay it. You may need a loan from the Holy Spirit to do this. Remember: a wise woman builds her home. She is wise because she does things at the right time and when she fails to, she can admit her mistakes and get better.
Finally, as Christian woman whatever takes us away from God is really not worth it. We need Christ at the centre of our being to get things really working. We cannot afford to be too busy for the kingdom.
The scripture remains the same yesterday, today and forever. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God …..Matt 6:33
As we seek him, my prayer is that we find Him and the Peace He promised us.
Have a week full of new discoveries of God’s Love, Peace and Joy!
-OmololaEzeifeoma
Our mentality is the building block of our lives. When your mentality is wrong, everything that comes from you would definitely be wrong. Overcoming the gluey temptation is basically achievable for someone who has the right mentality that temptation is resistible. God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above that which ye are able but will with the temptation also make the way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:3). In every temptation, there is always a way out. Note it. Temptation is prepared in a way that is porous. It is prepared in a way that leaves an exit so that you can escape. God knows about every temptation that comes your way. The Devil may prepare it though, but God weighs it that, ‘Is this not too much than you can bear?’ Every temptation comes your way with the approval from God. But the good news is: you can overcome it!
The main point is that Christians are not meant to see temptation as an element of depression but an element of elevation because at the end of every temptation that is overcome, there is always a reward from God and it starts from peace reigning in our hearts. ‘I the LORD searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve’ Jeremiah 17: 10
If fire that destroys some people, also cooks for some people to eat, if the wind that depresses is used as an elevator for a kite, if the key that locks is the same key that opens, so don’t have an absolutely wrong mentality about temptation that it has come to destroy you as a Christian. Though the devil brings it for destruction but who is the devil to make a decision of destroying you when he wasn’t there when your GOD was moulding you?
This is the conclusion worth making: as temptation is an instrument for destruction in the hands of the devil, so is temptation an instrument to increase the level of faith, courage and purity in the hands of Christians. Therefore, we as Christians can also choose to view the purity side of the coin that temptation tosses. Because no matter how tough or how tight the temptation seems like, there is always a way out. Always there is! That’s why it is called temptation. Temptation is when you are left with choices to make: either to stay or to leave. So I want you to eradicate the wrong mentality that temptation is irresistible. The only thing that can encumber you in overcoming the gluey temptation is when your mentality about temptation is wrong.
Now, this is the good news: ‘God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above which ye are able but will with the temptation also make the way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:3)
BOTTOM LINE: YOU CAN WIN!
Stay blessed!
– A.O.D. Oluwafemi
| How would you feel if you received an e-mail informing you that you have been chosen to be the personal assistant to Bill gates or better still Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook (be sure it is not “yahoo boys” anyway lol)? I am sure you would be filled with joy. You would be working with one of the richest people in the whole world. You would go about shoulders high, with an extra bounce to your walk, looking forward to when you are to resume and discharge your duties.
Do you know you have been called to a greater work than being the personal assistant to billionaires? 2 Cor 6:1 says we as co-labourers with God. Wow!!! What an awesome privilege to be a co-labourer with God. Also 2 Cor 4:1 says it was when we received mercy (salvation) that we were given the ministry. Every single believer has been called into ministry. It reads, ‘Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.’ 2 Cor 5:17 is a very popular verse talking about whosoever is in Christ is a new creature (i.e. salvation) but verses 18 and verse 19 are as important as 17. It says in verse 18: ‘Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, AND HAS GIVEN US the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 19: that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and HAS COMMITTED TO US the word of reconciliation. With the salvation package comes ministry which is a partnership business between yourself and God. No wonder Jesus said, ‘Don’t you know I have to be at my Father’s business?’ In Matt 9:35-38 Jesus told his disciples to pray the father that he might send labourers into his vineyard for the harvest is plenty. Friends, that prayer was answered in redemption. We believers (every single one of us) have been made able ministers of the new covenant, able to work in the vineyard of God. Don’t wait till you are “called”. If you are a Christian at all, then you are called. In fact, the meaning of church is ‘the called-out ones’. So, why do you think you are not called? Eph 4:11-12 clearly states that the job of the pastors, evangelists, etc is to prepare the church for the WORK OF THE MINISTRY. So I say unto you: just as you would be so excited and quickly get working with Bill Gates or Zuckerberg, so also get working with the greatest being in the universe, the one who created all things, including the billionaires. Resume your duty today by reconciling men back to God because He reconciled you in Christ back unto Himself. YOU ARE CALLED! -Awoyemi Olutosin |
One of the difficult things to say is ‘No’. God….!! It is heart-wrenching at times to utter the word. But as a Christian I am steadily realizing that I cannot afford to be all – patronizing. If you and I do not learn to say ‘NO’, our life is headed for destruction. Let him be hurt. But compromising my stand/destiny for the sake of your comfort/emotions is something we must refuse strongly. The man Paul struck me as one who is not scared to say ‘NO’.
A point came in his life when he could have remained silent on just a seemingly-simple matter as eating with other gentiles or fellow Jews as an outward show of observance of the law. But rather than be swept by the deceit and hypocrisy of the time; as painful as it was to stand against a friend, he stated the obvious and here we are enjoying that benefit. Reference: Galatians 2: 11-14.
There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak up for the truth. Learn to do this and protect yourself. The Bible says in Jude that ‘Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.’ (Jude 1:22-23). The KingJames Version says ‘..hating even the garment spotted by the flesh’. I can imagine these were not the ‘all – patronizing’, ‘let-us-just-be-a-little-more–accommodating kind of Christians’. They stood for the truth in word and in deed. Let’s learn to realize that as Christians, the filthiness of the world is not an excuse for the stench we choose to carry. We ought always to be a sweet- smelling fragrance of Christ’s death and resurrection.
– Dr. Bolaji Akanni
Imagine an attempt to classify the people in the world by their love for God. Maybe that stretches your imagination a bit with over 6 billion people on earth. Why don’t you try to classify the people in your work-place, business or school into those that would likely say they love God and those that do not share such sentiments? Have you ever wondered how Christianity does not have exclusive preserve to the concept of God or a supreme being with supernatural powers? Most world religions claim there is a god somewhere who desires loyal subjects. The enthusiasts of these religions show their convictions by affirming love for their supreme being.
Love makes people act in certain ways; it determines what they do and draws the boundaries on what they choose not to do. This is more so, when there are negative repercussions for actions not in accordance with the wishes of the loved one. However, despite the fact that most Christians claim love for God, we find people called by this very honorable name doing things which they know He will clearly not approve. Certain complacency seems to have set in with the church in which the grace of God is taken for granted. We frustrate the grace of God!
Rather than utilize the grace which God has given us to fulfill His purpose, many believers are taking this grace for a ride. But this should not be the case as Titus 2: 11, 12 states “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”.
Our God loved us enough to take our place and die the death we deserved. Yet, He seems to be the most ignored one from the actions of the people who claim to believe that the death He died was to rescue and restore them. The magnitude of Apostle Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5: 14, 15 sends shivers down my spine—“ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
True love for God is displayed when we willingly let go of our own best formulated plans for his ultimate plan which is ultimately far better than ours. He knows the end from the beginning and can order your steps to that expected end which He has planned for those who love Him. The hope of eternal life which we have should lead us to live purposeful lives here on earth. Sometimes this means giving up comfort, friends or family, but the rewards we get from God are eternal. (See Matthew 10:37-39). I read about the killing of some Christian aid workers in Afghanistan last week, yet the organization they work for plans to stay on in the country to minister. A knowledge that life doesn’t end with the temporary enjoyments which we see around us should motivate godly living based on our reciprocal love for the One who laid His life down for us. I have heard it rightly said that one ought to live only for something that is worth dying for.
Can you imagine the hurt Jesus felt when Peter and the other disciples went back to fishing soon after his death? They toiled all night and did not catch any fish however, as they were working in their own strengths. People who had been chosen to be fishers of men were fishing for measly fish again in despair. Extraordinary miracle workers were back to being ordinary fisher men! Oh what shame! Many of us used to be firebrands at some point especially at the beginning of our walk with Christ; we were drunk with the wine of new love. “I will always love You” was our song… but now, a few years down the line, we have turned cold, we have forgotten the love songs we sang and the promises we made to God. Jesus is however reaching back to you in forgiveness and expectation with the question: “Do you love me more than these?”
– Dr. Ifelayo Peter Ojo
*All scriptures from New International Version of the Bible
Next week we will discuss ‘Trusting God’. This series will continue our discussion of purposeful living in our earth-walk as citizens of the heavenly kingdom here to make a difference.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost,
whether he has sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold itbegin
to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth
whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty
thousand?
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions
of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:28-33
As years pass by and I think more about this life, I come to realize that nothing just happens, we make things happen. Positive and negative things happen because of the choices we make or decide not to make. Our seeming inaction speaks of a choice we have made and they all come with their consequences.
This life principle also applies to our marriage. Dreams of a successful marriage don’t make a successful marriage, rather deliberate actions towards making our dream come to pass, does. After much dreaming should come costing. There is a cost for our dream home, as it applies to other aspects of life, nothing good comes cheap. Our salvation did not come cheap at all, neither does our remaining in faith cost less.
A lot of Christian marriages are in trouble today because of this. We dream big about the ideal home and won’t pay the price.
We start out as couples who want to serve God with all our might but take jobs that keep us too busy to serve God.
We are too busy individually to spend time even as a couple.
We want to have quality time with our children but we are caught up with the rat race to pay bills. We have bought the multiple streams idea and that is keeping us too busy. We are too busy to be our children’s first examples.
We want to build houses that will not remain after the coming of Christ, so much that the sacrifices for this are eternal things.
We have found ourselves in the life’s washing machine, and we keep spinning around.
It’s time to stop to ask ourselves the question,’what really is important’? This is a question I started asking myself after my father passed on. He worked so hard and left so suddenly. And it really got me thinking and revisiting my life principles.
What is important? How important will be my conflicts with my spouse if the final whistle is blown today? How important will be the things that keep me away from home so much? What is the eternal value of the things I invest my time in?
How would I have preferred to live my life? What is the cost of my preferred life pattern?
I will leave you with these thoughts for this week. Next week we will reason more along these lines in details.
God Bless!
-OmololaEzeifeoma
| Temptation never comes out of our dislikes. My own definition for temptation is ‘desired but unrighteous’. You can never be tempted by what you dislike. The Devil makes a usual visit to view the zeal we place on the things of the world before he sets before us temptation. Temptation doesn’t just come, it comes when we place our interest on the things desired but unrighteous. He entices us with the things he knows we hardly do away with.
I have come across so many Christians who are said to have repented but still find themselves doing that which is desired but unrighteous within a wink of an eye. The fact that we are tired of sin doesn’t grant us an exit from the sinful world. Although we can be tired westill find ourselves doing it. Overcoming the gluey temptation requires strategies that negate the wishes of the flesh. ‘…make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof’ (Romans 13:14) We can’t place the mirror before the sun and expect it to reflect the moon. And in the same cline, we can’t live in the dome of impurity and expect our thoughts to portray purity. There are gatherings meant for sinners and there are gatherings meant for saints. If not, the Psalmist won’t tell us to ‘walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of the sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful’. The nature of our body is being synthesized in a way that is sensitive to whatever we are surrounded with, that’s why we need to be very careful when it comes to people we commune with. The scripture says ‘as iron sharpeneth iron, so as man sharpeneth another’. The shape of our thoughts is sometimes distorted by the things fed into our sight, ear and to our feelings. ‘do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits’ 1 Corinthians 15:33 Perhaps you are still confused about falling into the same temptation over and over again after so much counseling and deliverance. Overcoming the gluey temptation is not only the effort of counseling and deliverance but it is the accomplishment of strategies crowned and governed by divine grace. GRACE can be simply defined as the ACQUISITION of a POSITION that even your QUALIFICATION does not meet in all RAMIFICATION. So when your strategies are seasoned with divine grace, then the gluey temptation becomes history. Martin Luther said ‘you can’t keep the birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair’ YES! You can’t shut your eyes while walking in town but you can shut your mind from cogitating on what your eyes see. It’s all about principle! It’s a principle sprung up by a heart that truly hates sin. LOOK AT THESE: ‘a man who is truly tired of masturbating is not expected to keep the record of porn sites’ what for? ‘a just-repented harlot doesn’t have any excuse for exposing her cleavage’ what for? ‘a man who is truly tired of adultery is not expected to fill ‘single’ in any form’ what for? It’s all about principle crowned and governed by divine grace. ‘Temptation ceases to be overcome except our zeal reflects nil’. Now the question is ‘are you truly tired of that sin’? If yes ‘are you ready to negate the wishes of your flesh’? If yes ‘stay tunned till next week’ BOTTOM LINE: Ask God to make you a spirit-driven soul and not a flesh- driven soul. You are blessed! -A.O.D. Oluwafemi |
I have always wondered when he had such time when Paul said ‘I pray in tongues more than ye all.’ (1 Corinthians 14:18).
Don’t get me wrong but this was a man who did not seem to have any spare time. He was obviously not referring to prayers made in the church ‘corporately’ or ‘individually’ as he obviously did not have time to be in churches all day. This was a man on the move at a great deal of the time. I am convinced Paul had seen prayer as a lifestyle which it really was. No wonder he says ‘Pray without ceasing’. It came natural to him as breathing. He found it so easy to pray that chances are you would find him praying at various times, in all kinds of location and in various kinds of situations and positions. A common phrase in his letters (most written in uncomfortable situations) was ‘I have not ceased to pray for you…’
I work in an environment that entails we start a conversation no matter how gloomy the client or offensive he may seem. I mean we must just start a conversation. I must be frank that despite all the skills in communicating with a client, I am many times far in a conversation before recalling some.
Can’t recall ever being so conscious of communication skills when discussing with my dad or my sister or say my mom. So also should it be with God. He desires we break down the boundaries we have created with our own hands and simply converse as father to son/daughter.
In spite of the awesomeness of our God he has broken boundaries through Christ Jesus to bring us closer than we can imagine.
No tasking routine; no need for an environment or atmosphere, for He is greater and more real to us than all the effects we put in place. Reminds me of a kid doing all he could to prepare for the arrival of his dad but never realizing his father had all the while been watching closely.
I really want to bask more in the reality of sonship. I sometimes have to pinch myself and read the scriptures again to remind myself that it is that simple. Before I am through with the preparations to pray he is there already as always. Before I am through dwelling on what phrase to start with He is with me already as always. He says again that ‘it is in him we live, and move, and have our being’. He is the same person who says this is how we know that we are in Him and He in us; by His spirit which He has given unto us. An ever- present reality that cannot be changed by times, season, our mood or our wishes.
Let’s enjoy this for it is truly a delight.
Cheers!
-Dr. Bolaji Akanni
One key thing to our NEW LIFE is stating from the onset your aspirations and your beliefs. I see this evident in the life of the man, Paul. Whenever they entered a city, they were not so much carried away by the art nor did they necessarily search out a pub or the market square. No!!! They went looking for the church.
If you were to host a friend who on coming to your house asks you when the next church service would be and directions to such a place, it speaks a lot about such an individual. Is it just attending church then? Not really, but his interest makes you draw certain conclusions about him.
Most times people rarely have the time to listen to what you have to say. Few of us might ever make it to the pulpit to say a word or two about our belief(s) but people would have drawn up their conclusions long after you are gone.
It is pertinent to us as Christians to declare our stand from the onset otherwise we might just be drawn into what we did not bargain for. As we exercise ourselves in this regard we would not find it strange or cumbersome to walk in the light of who we have been originally called to be i.e. Christians.
It is important to realize that we might never really get to a ‘religious’ discussion to point out our view but the life we have received in Christ Jesus speaks every moment and it is this we should attest to always in our actions.
-Dr. Bolaji Akanni