Something that worked before in your relationship, can fail when tried another time
Have you ever tried practicing something you read from a book in your relationship and it worked, and then you tried the same thing another time and it flops?
Relationships are very dynamic in nature, because it involves two people who are constantly changing too. Sometimes the change is positive and sometimes negative, so we need to depend on the Holy Spirit on a per second basis.
Every relationship is constantly evolving.
Change is constant, just as your partner is changing for better or worse, so are you. Sometimes while you are thinking your partner is the problem, you actually are the problem. Our relationship takes a different dimension every time we go through some change of any sort. Jesus Christ tells us about taking care of the log in our own eyes first. Once you have a log in your eyes, your vision will be blurred and you’ll misinterpret situations. Keep working on becoming a better you and rub it off on your partner, then your relationship will evolve for the better. A better you will handle changes better.
Your relationship will become what you want after you have given it time to grow.
Many people especially women believe in the happily ever after story and so after the wedding they look forward to an unending honeymoon. Please don’t get me wrong I believe in the honeymoon lasting forever concept but before then there’s a price to pay.
The Honeymoon experience is one that everyone must have and like I say to my friends you must try to bring some stars back from the moon. After the honeymoon period is over and life is returning to normal gradually (not like it would ever be normal again), you begin to see that your marriage is not perfect, reality begins to set in.
You need to always remember that your relationship with your partner will eventually become what you want it to be, after you have sown seeds and given it time to grow.
Nobody knows you and your spouse more than the one who created you two in the first place. Only God can tell what your partner’s line of thought and reasoning is, therefore only Him can give adequate direction on what to do per time. God is even able to tell you your partner’s expectations so you can step up to meet them if you don’t allow flesh get in your way.
Therefore only the Father himself can guide you through His Spirit on how to apply all you have learnt. Sometimes information come tailor made for you and sometimes customization is required from your part when applying knowledge. Whatever the case may be, trust the Lord to lead you through His Spirit to apply knowledge.
Finally my brethren.. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all you ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Proverb 20:5
Love,
omolola ezeifeoma
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10.
I always got jitters whenever I came across this verse of the Bible or remembered it. Where would I start and where would I end? How would I be able to keep all these laws in my everyday life? I wondered if I would be able to make it.
But when I remember that: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8), my heart is gladdened. A quick word count in my Bible revealed to me that the word “grace” is used about 122 times in the New Testament compared with about 37 times used in the Old Testament.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin
My joy is no longer on how many of the laws I am able to keep in a particular day.
The peace of my heart is no longer based on the amount of good works I am able to do each day. Following the words of an American preacher, Paul Washer, my everyday joy comes whenever I remember the finished work of Christ on Calvary; whenever I remember that by that act of grace, my sins were washed away.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe;
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Why not join me float in grace!
– okenna obi-igbokwe
How You Must Not Read the Bible – 2 Bible Reading: I John 1
As a teacher of God’s word, most times when I pick up my bible to read, I remember the difference between a water tank and a water pipe, and this has helped me a lot in my spiritual growth. What do I mean? A water tank is a vessel for storing water while a water pipe is a tube that just allows large volumes of water to pass through it but only stores water in drops and droplets. One reason why many believers, especially pastors and teachers are not growing spiritually is because they act as water pipes whenever they read their bibles. Their focus is on how to dish out the doctrine to other believers in Christian meetings. Whenever they pick up their bibles, they utter a prayer that is similar to – “Lord, give me a word for your people”. They never receive a word for their own lives. They are like mere pipes. Many words pass through them but they don’t retain any. You get close to them and you are confused because you cannot match their words with their deeds. I have handled my bible as though I was a pipe so many times. Occasionally, I still do so and I know it is a dangerous spot to stay.
Notwithstanding, I am particularly thrilled by the sequence of the effect bible reading should have in our lives. I deduced it from I John 1:1-2 (GW) which reads “The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. Weobserved and touched it … We are reporting to you about this eternal life”. I love the way John listed how they handled the word. First, they heard it, saw it, and later they experienced it (observed and touched it) in their lives. Thereafter, they reported their experience to us. They reported it after they had heard, seen and observed it. Many of us are reporters of the word without being observers of the same word. Being a reporter alone cannot make you grow spiritually. You have to be an observer of the word. You have to consciously ensure that you experience and live out all you read in the bible that pertains to you. What belongs to you potentially by the acceptance of Jesus should become yours experientially, and then you will be able to distribute it effectively. That reminds me of a water tank, it can store volumes of water and also distribute to others.
In addition, you will experience spiritual growth if you humble yourself when you read the bible. Matt 23:12 says “… whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted”. Many believers are not growing spiritually because they approach the bible with a proud outlook. When they pick up their bibles, you see them saying “oh, I know this already” or “My Pastor said this”. Some are just flipping through the bible in order to rubber stamp what Pastor said. They esteem their ideas and Pastor’s statement above whatever they read. They find it difficult to make adjustments in their lives and accept what the bibles says if it contradicts their personal philosophies. I Tim 6:3-4 “Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn’t agree with the accurate words of our Lord Jesus Christ … is a proud person”. Do you always agree with the word of Jesus? Are you a proud reader of the bible?
In our next edition, we will discuss some of the right motives to have when reading the bible so that you can be sure it will lead to your spiritual growth.
– tope aladenusi
The speech that facilitates your growth Bible Reading: I Corinthians 14
For most of us who grew up attending church, we must have been taught that in order to grow spiritually, we should read our bible and pray everyday. Surprisingly, many Christians could attest that they read their bible and prayed everyday, but they did not seem to be maturing spiritually even though they have been doing so for years. Sometime I do not blame such people. This is because I noticed that most times we are usually taught “what we ought to do” but less emphasis is placed on “how we ought to do it”. That is why in my previous edition of this subject, I made attempt to explain how we ought to read our bibles in a way that will help us to grow spiritually.
In like manner, if you have ever been taught to pray everyday in order to grow, did you bother to ask the question – which kind of prayer?; what do I say to God?; Does it require that I tell God 77 times everyday that “Lord, help me to grow spiritually”?; which position should I maintain during such prayer?; what about the location – mountain, valley or bedroom? It is amazing that when some Christians visit Doctors and complain about their physique, they are advised to watch their diet. Most times, they inquire further “what kind of foods should I eat? How often should I eat? Etc.” But when they come to church, they throw away their inquisitive mind. If they are told “pray everyday”, they just rush out and start praying whatever they like, inventing prayer points with effects that doesn’t rise beyond their ceilings.
Beloved, at every point in our lives, the bible gives us detailed answer to every question we have. Sometimes we see these answers only if we are willing to make further inquires. So let’s see how we are told to pray in order to grow spiritually.
“When a person speaks in tongues, he helps himself grow”. I Corinthians 14:4
“Dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by prayingin the Holy Spirit” Jude 1:20
Do you read your bible effectively and you do not pray in tongues? If yes, then you are like a bird attempting to fly with just one wing. Rising high and maintaining balance may not be easy. The verses above are so clear. You help yourself grow spiritually by praying in the spirit. Every believer should endeavor to pray in tongues everyday. I Corinthians 14:5 says “I desire that ye should all speak with tongues”. Praying in tongues should not be for some of us but for all of us because spiritual growth is expected from all of us.
Many people wonder why Paul grew rapidly and did many great things on earth. Apart from his in-depth study of scriptures, he also showed us one sure secret to his success. He said in 1 Corinthians 14:18 “I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all”. Sometimes I wonder what made him so sure that he spoke in tongues more than all the early Corinthian Christians. It must have been that he spoke in tongues everywhere at every time. It must be that when he wasn’t talking to others, he must be praying in the spirit. It must be that he did it several hours in a day – while walking, while on a journey, while praying, etc. Have you ever desired to perform exploits like Paul, then you should have also desire to speak in tongues more than us all, or else, the equation is incomplete. You only desire an output without a corresponding input.
Beloved, let’s start small and God will help us to improve. If you have not been serious about it, you should make a change today. You can decide to speak in tongues 30 minutes or 1 hour everyday for the next one month, and increase the tempo as the days go by.
NB: If you do not speak in tongues and you don’t know how to go about it, you can read articles on ourPrayer page in www.christlifeline.org or send a mail to info@christlifeline.org and a counselor will attend to you.
– tope aladenusi
Leading a set of people Moses called “rebels” would not be easy. Joshua really needed encouragement:
“Be strong and of a good courage” Joshua 1:6. The Lord told him.
He knew what he went through: wars, flight for his life, temptations, pestilence…
He did not forget to leak the secret to his son, who was to take over the kingship.
“And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage”
I Chronicles 28:20
What other encouragement do we need in this life of warfare?
When you are in need…
When trials and temptations abound…
Persecution keep coming left and right…
No child yet, mockery from friends and relatives…
No job, no food, poverty seems to be enveloping you day by day…
Just lost your loved ones, life seems to have no meaning anymore…
Earthquake, fire engulfed all you have in life, seems like there is no hope for tomorrow…
Only be thou strong and very courageous… for… If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Joshua 1:7, Matthew 7:11
okenna obi-igbokwe
Why expected results can’t fail
If we are given two similar things but with one having a better function or greater advantage compared to the other, I know we will go for the better one. Likewise in our relationship with God, we are offered a seemingly automated way of getting to the father’s heart fast, better and always sure, compared to another way that does not really have assurance of getting it right all the time.
I Corinthians 2: 11 amazes me each time I read it – “For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man within him? So also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” For the singular reason that only the spirit of God knows the things or mind of God should build confidence in us to always desire to follow after the admonition in Romans 8: 26. At the place of prayer, God searches and rather looks out for the intention of the heart. The first thing which is of interest to Him is to discover in such a heart if there is a spirit that looks like that of His i.e. the spirit that has been given life by His own Holy Spirit (born after His own Spirit). Upon finding this, God analyses and understands what is in the mind of the spirit, though this is only made possible because it is only such spirit born after Him that has a resemblance, link or flow with God.
I so much love how the sentence was concluded in verse 27 of Romans 8, “…because he maketh intercessions for the saints according to the will of God.” Are you still wondering why God will just understand what your spirit born after His own spirit is saying when you pray in other tongues? It’s simply because he surely must pray in accordance to God’s will. Since that spirit is no longer a dead spirit as it used to be, you need not worry because it is now redeemed and belongs to God alone. It has been eternally imparted by God and it has a full understanding of God even the mind of God.
It is certain that whenever you pray in the spirit or in tongues, you surely will pray in accordance to God’s will, you can never miss it. It is a spiritual exercise that involves His spirit who knows and understands His mind, and surely knows what God’s will is.
In no doubt, you are like God here on earth and you know all things because your spirit is born after God (I John 2: 20, I John 4: 17). I wish you fruitful and result oriented prayer as you take your place and exercise your privileges in prayer.
– adeyiga awomuti
| Life is becoming increasingly ever more competitive and dynamic. The different ventures open to men to trade has increased alarmingly. There was a time when you were either a farmer or hunter. Choosing a business then will be a simple choice.
Today, things are different. Businesses of different forms and concepts spring up daily. The different investment options open to us is definitely mind boggling. Population increase has also had its impact. More and more people are struggling to make it on limited ground and opportunity. Millions strive to make millions from the same business. The result is a fierce competition and one that is keenly contested.
People have therefore resulted to different means to make profit or make the most profit. They try to kill competition using various means from outright murder to industrial espionage and blackmail. However some take profit through superior understanding of the business and employing a blessed approach.
You belong to this class. We make profit and succeed because “the lord our God teaches us to profit and leads us in the way we should go”. Is 48:17. Hallelujah. Child of God, understand that we don’t compete with the world and we don’t struggle with it either. We dominate by reason of greater insight and superior leading.
End time business empires will be built by Christians; Christians who have been taught by God to profit. They will make amazing business decisions and men will wonder with what wisdom they acted. They will take full advantage of the mind of Christ they possess. They won’t require charts or graphs of any kind to make decisions. They will know the outcomes before they begin.
That’s the class we belong to. Let God teach you to profit. Listen to Him before you decide, hear His voice and change that business.
Learn from Peter’s experience. Years of experience and wisdom of this age won’t give you the edge. It won’t turn the business around. But one word from the master will give you a catch of a life time. You have toiled all night, done all you know but you can’t break even, don’t give up. Listen for his command. Dust up that business plan; take a look at your business again-but this time do so through the eyes of the spirit.
– emmanuel aladenusi
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A Lesson From The Parrots Bible Reading: Romans 12
If you have ever seen where parrots are raised, you must have noticed that they are able to easily mimic the sounds they hear. Let’s assume we have three parrots and one was raised by an Asian, another by an African while the third was raised by a Briton. If the only sound these parrots learnt in their lifetime was the sound of “good morning”, you will realize that these parrots will all be able to echo “good morning” but in a different intonation. This is simply because their coaches have different accent. Human beings most times behave in a similar way – Most things that echo out of our lives are a result of what we have been exposed to. At every time in our lives, we are mimicking something or someone.
You know many times we hear or read a good message and we are quick to say “Oh! I will never do that bad thing again. The things I used to do, I will do them no more”. But as the events of life unfold, we see our actions constantly contradicting our intentions. Why? Intention alone is not enough. If the parrot raised by a Briton have the intention of pronouncing “good morning” like the one raised by an African, it may never be able to do so unless it is exposed to the same coaching. Likewise, despite our best intentions to grow spiritually, if we do not expose ourselves to the right “sounds”, we cannot produce the desired sound (growth). If all the ideas we are exposed to were gotten from mere men, we will naturally produce the sounds of mere men. So here’s the way out prescribed by God:-
Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transformyou inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Rom 12:2 (GNB)
Did you catch that? If you do not want to conform to the sounds echoed by the world, you have to pick up coaching of the kind of sounds you wanna produce. God has to transform you by a complete change of your mind. Imagine if those parrots desire to echo “good morning” like God will do, what sounds should they be exposed to? God’s of course! That’s the formula. Ephesians 5:1 (MSG) says it clearly – “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents”. Go listen to God’s sound. If you must let God transform you, you have to expose yourself constantly to the thoughts of God. God has declared in Isaiah 55:8 – “my thoughts are not your (men’s) thoughts”. So every believer should also gravitate to a point where they also say “my thoughts are not the thoughts of men” just like a parrot can say “my sound is not like that of other parrots”.
How will this happen? Will God come to you every minute to whisper into your mind? Yes and No. I say “No” if you are expecting a mighty rushing wind and a voice that starts with “My son, my son” or “my daughter, my daughter”. I say “Yes” because his word is already near us and reading or hearing it regularly is as potent as his live whisper. Psalm 1 says “Blessed is the man whose delight is in God’s law and he meditate on it day and night”. We have to expose our minds to the thoughts of God constantly. Technology has even helped us to have all the verses of the Bible in an audio CD. Play it in your car while you drive or in your house while you do other things. Have audio Bible in your iPod and always listen to it. If you are not busy talking with anyone, you should be busy allowing God talk to you; you should be busy listening to the sound you want to produce in your life. Saturate your environment with the word. Do not be moved if you are called an extremist because you constantly allow God to transform you inwardly by a complete change of mind. Get excited about it and you will see yourself experience spiritual growth.
– tope aladenusi
There are quite a number of things which we have reserved for the few but which ironically is the legitimate right of any one born of God i.e. anyone who has believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
One of such is the fact that we are anointed by God with the Holy Spirit.
2nd Corinthians 1:21 – 22 states “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
The Christian is the anointed one. His anointing did not come through some cheap means. No! It was God that anointed Him. Realise that contrary to the old testament times, as many as simply believe in Christ Jesus have actually been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit. Now this speaks of you.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified) John 7: 37 – 39
This is remarkable because even early in the ministry of Jesus he identified the fact that it is mere faith on his death and resurrection that guarantees this, and not our zealousness or the works of our hands.
Now let’s see Acts 2:32 – 33
“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
In the eyes of men, we are prone to excluding or including ourselves in some fair show of humility but God does not know such. What he has done for one, He has done for all. No man can be more anointed than the other.
Why is this so? This is because the object of our anointing is the Holy Spirit of God who is a person and not some measurable entity. If it were some other inanimate material we may understand but the scripture above says God has given the earnest of the spirit into our hearts. John 3:34; 1st John2:20,27
Let us read Ephesians 1: 13 – 14 together “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
See also John 14: 16 – 18 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
I get dismayed when Christians lose sight of what God has done. The Christian is anointed. If you deny your anointing then you are not born again. Then you can’t see the Kingdom of God which means you are still hell bound. This is the pitiable reality.
You have received this anointing from God.
Again we fail to realize that our anointing is not a ‘once in a while’ thing. Appreciate the expression “till the day of redemption”; see another one “forever”; or can you fathom “dwell”.
Reminds me of some friends of mine who love to travel light because they know they won’t be long where they are going to. But God didn’t come to stay awhile. The bible says He dwells in you by virtue of this same anointing.
I bring you Good news friends we have been anointed of God. You have God resident on your inside. His Spirit is at work in you even as we speak. You are not destitute of the presence of God neither are you of His power. You have His ability resident within you.
I leave you with these words from 1st Corinthians 3:21 – 23
“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
I am tempted to add to the list above “that great man of God” and “that anointed man of God”. But you see the truth is – all things are yours.
God is at work within you my brother and sister. Paul understood this early when he said in Galatians 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:). Not another one or another anointing, it was the same. We all have been made to drink of the same spirit.
Never look down upon your Christianity. God is at work in you.
Brother, sister, continue basking in the anointing you have received already.
– Dr. bolaji akanni
| Getting results from groaning in prayer
It is not uncommon to hear varying types of deep sighs of agony and displeasure of heart in prayer rooms especially when we suddenly run short of words. And most times, we assume that God understands what we are unable to say in words, which is very true. But this does not imply that Paul was referring to such sighs when he wrote to the Roman church. Whenever someone make low inarticulate sound as e.g. of pain or sorrow; or indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure, they are still utterances and expressions. But Romans 8: 26 speaks of groaning which can not be uttered or too deep for words. Could it be that it is referring to something else? Yes it is. Contextually, it suggest that the second phrase in verse 26 of Romans 8, speaks of praying in a way or form that human words can express and understand; and we have rightly discussed in previ0us editions of this topic, that the best of our articulation in prayer is still not the best way we ought to pray. Therefore, the third phrase reveals what the groaning of the Holy Spirit means; that is to express oneself in a language which can not be understood by the human mind. In essence, human grammatical constructions, word phrases and articulation does not play any part in this. This must be praying in another language which is different from that of men. It surely must be a language that is heavenly not earthly. When a Christian prays in other language or other tongue as it is popularly referred to, it is not an expressible exercise in human understanding. I do not mean praying in another tribe language, but in the heavenly language. I Corinthians 14, “for if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful”. It is my spirit born after the spirit of God, and given life by the Spirit of God that prays. In as much as this is not like the initial dead spirit, then it means it has been given what it needs to fellowship with God Himself. The understanding that is unfruitful describe the inability of the human mind or sense of reasoning to be able to grasp the idea of what is being said when praying in other tongues. As a matter of fact, when praying in other tongues, you most likely will pray about some issues that ordinarily you would not have mentioned if you were to pray in your known language. This is purely as the Spirit wills, and we will find out in the next edition about the “spiritual background” operations that makes this possible. – adeyiga awomuti |