Undoubtedly, Infant jaundice remains one of the main killers of newborns in Nigeria. It is a medical condition associated with yellow discoloration of a new born baby’s skin and eyes. It is a common finding in the first week of life. It occurs in about 80% of preterm and 60% of term babies.
It occurs because the baby’s blood contains excess bilirubin, a yellow-coloured pigment of red blood cells which adversely affects the brain. The prevalence of jaundice in the newborn is variable (7-75%) in Nigeria.
Causes/Risk factors
At birth, babies have plenty of red blood cells which are in excess of what is needed in the outside world. The body therefore destroys the excess cells. Another factor that contributes to rapid red cell destruction is the relatively short life span of the red blood cells found in newborn (80 days instead of 120 days). Some factors like breastfeeding, breast milk itself, prematurity, low birth weight and blood group have also been implicated in the development of jaundice.
For the purpose of clarity, jaundice has been classified into physiological and pathological jaundice. Physiological jaundice arises in the setting of normal functioning of the body of the newborn. In other words, it is the jaundice that occurs in the absence of any infection/disease. Pathological jaundice, on the other hand, is jaundice arising from infection/disease.
Physiological jaundice becomes evident on the 2nd to 3rd day of life. It arises from excess red blood cells, short life span of red blood cells and immature handling of bilirubin by the body especially the liver.
Pathological jaundice usually begins within the first 24 hours of life. It persists more than a week. The bilirubin level rises rapidly. The baby may be pale (i.e. with low blood level). It may arise from the following:
Blood group incompatibility/iso-immunization, prematurity/low birth weight, inborn red blood cell diseases, glucose-6-phosphate dehygrogenase deficiency (G6PD).
Attack of red blood cell destruction can also be due to common household materials such as camphor, mentholatum, methylated dusting powder, heatol, robb and other balms, insecticides, salicylates, herbs e.t.c.
Conditions such as sepsis, infections, hepatitis, intestinal obstruction, bleeding into any part of the body e.g. birth injury resulting in blood collection in the baby’s scalp or into the brain, biliary atresia, choledochal cyst.
Breastfeeding and breast milk jaundice deserve some mention. Breastfeeding Jaundice is a mild form of jaundice seen in about 12% of breastfed babies. It arises around the 3rd day of life and resolves in less than 3 weeks. It is believed to be a result of dehydration from inadequate milk intake during this period.
If older sibling had jaundice or received phototherapy, the risk of jaundice is increased in the baby.
How can I tell if my baby has jaundice?
Try this quick test to check for jaundice. In a well-lit room, gently press your fingers on your baby’s nose or forehead. If there’s a yellow tinge to her skin as the pressure is released, tell your midwife or doctor. If your baby has dark skin, check for yellowness in the whites of her eyes or gums. You may also notice that your baby discharges very pale poos. Your baby’s poo is pale because no bilirubin is reaching her digestive system.
Fever, poor food intake, vomiting, pale stool and dark urine, generalized tiredness and high-pitch cry are warning signs in a baby with jaundice.
Most importantly check with your pediatrician who would carry out bilirubin test, infection screening, complete blood count, urine tests and liver function tests, blood group, hepatitis B surface antigen test and blood sugar test and others to establish the cause of the jaundice.
Complications
At a high level, unprocessed bilirubin can damage the brain. This is called kernicterus. The child is unable to suck or sucks poorly, cries with a high-pitch voice, vomits, gets tired, moves abnormally, and is irritable or become floppy or stiff. He/she may go on to convulse. Fever is also a symptom of high bilirubin level. It can result in death, deafness/hearing loss, mental retardation or cerebral palsy.
Management
In mild jaundice, the baby is carefully observed after clinical examination. In addition, laboratory follow-up is employed.
Increasing the frequency/number of feeds has been found to be helpful in increasing the rate of bilirubin removal from the body. Hence, mothers should not stop breastfeeding unless advised by the doctor.
In severe jaundice, light therapy (phototherapy) is used. A special kind of light converts the bilirubin to easily expellable/removable products. In the past, jaundiced children were placed in the sun to achieve this purpose. If life-threatening, jaundice is managed with exchange blood transfusion. The jaundiced blood is taken from the baby and replaced with new blood.
Prevention
Health education is very important, pregnant mothers should avoid over-the-counter drugs and commonly used household items or baby-care materials that can cause jaundice (listed above).
Screening is vital; blood group and rhesus type of parents should be checked to prevent ABO or rhesus incompatibility and mothers who need to be given rhogam should be educated on its importance.
Regular breastfeeding should be commenced on the day of birth. 8 to 12 feedings per day is ideal. This helps by increasing the excretion/removal rate of bilirubin. There is no need to offer water to breastfed babies. For those who cannot be breastfed, adequate formula should be given.
Monitoring of all newborns for the earliest sign of jaundice in the hospital and at home should be ensured. While it is possible to detect jaundice with the eyes, laboratory test for bilirubin is more accurate and reliable. Blood test is the routine in Nigeria. However, a device placed near the skin gives results as accurate as the blood test. It is known as the transcutaneous bilirubinometer, which measures the reflection of a special light shone through the skin.
Mild infant jaundice often disappears on its own within two or three weeks. For moderate or severe jaundice, your baby may need to stay longer in the newborn nursery or be readmitted to the hospital.
The good news however is that God not only desires that we be fruitful but also wants us to have healthy babies. Remember 3 John verse 2.
-Funke Adewoye
World Kidney Day was recently celebrated on 10th March, 2016 with the theme ‘Kidney Disease and Children; ‘Act early to prevent it’. Kidney disease affects millions of people worldwide; not only adults but can also affect children who may be at risk at an early age. It is therefore crucial that we understand the importance of early detection and a healthy life style in children. Parents need to be aware of this increased prevalence in children and move towards averting such in their kids.
What do the kidneys do?
The kidneys filter your blood, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. They also help control blood pressure and make hormones that your body needs to stay healthy. When the kidneys are damaged, wastes can build up in the body. [1]
How common is kidney failure in children?
National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2006 estimated the incidence of CKD among adults at 26,000,000 of a population base of 200 million, with millions more at risk. The prevalence of CKD in children is unknown, but it is estimated at 82 cases per million per year.[2]. Although the risk of kidney failure rises with age, kidney failure affects 1-2 kids in every 100,000 aged 19 years and below in the United States. In Nigeria, there is a paucity of materials on the prevalence of CKD in children but it is touted to be about 8% locally and increasing over the years.
Types of kidney failure
There are two types; acute and chronic kidney failure.
Acute kidney injury/failure occurs within a few hours, days or weeks whilechronic kidney failure occurs after 3 months of assault and it is irreversible. Most times requires dialysis or a transplant.
Causes of kidney failure in children
Most times it is caused by birth defects, inherited disorders, infection, tumors or assaults to the kidneys. Obesity is becoming common in children and increases their risk of hypertension and diabetes which are two risk factors. Similarly,the careless use of chemicals/insecticides/pesticides poses a serious threat to the kidneys of our children.
Symptoms you need to check out for and report immediately to your family physician include:
- unresolved pain in the back, side, or lower belly
- complaints of burning sensation or pain when urinating, changes in the urine, or often wets his or her pants
- has unexplained fever
- has swelling in the feet, ankles, or legs
- wakes up with swollen eyelids
- becomes dehydrated often
- has a family member with kidney disease
Preventing kidney failure
To prevent your children from becoming preys or culprits to this monster, it is important to observe and do the following;
Start from the womb.
A simple ultrasound scan can detect abnormal development going on with the kidneys such as urine pipe blockage, backward flow of urine, water in the kidneys, presence of abnormal sacs and growths. Most of these conditions can lead to kidney failure later but if detected early, surgery can help.
Take your child for regular checks.
With improved technology, 3D ultrasound scan, CT scan and MRI can detect some other hidden conditions such as horse-shoe kidneys, complete absence of kidneys, duplication of ureters. Alport disease and Batten disease are inherited diseases.
Watch their weights.
Mind what goes into their mouth, whether food, drugs or other ingestible items. Obesity is at fault, so stop pumping your kids with unhealthy pastries and other junks. Never give aspirin to children as it can lead to reye’s syndrome ‘damage to the Liver’, which can have a rebound effect on the kidneys.
Keep children away from bad air: There is so much pollutants in the air, car exhausts, fire wood smoke, especially that from tobacco. A study showed 50% of children who passive-smoked (stayed in smoking zones) ended up with chronic kidney disease.
Demystify traditions: Herbs, herbs and herbs! In our society, many parents still believe in the power of herbs (Agbo). Even from birth, Infants are given ‘agbo’ to drink, bath with and rub on the body. Most times these herbs contain toxic chemicals that destroy kidney tissues.
Minimize exposure to pesticides/insecticides: Some aerosol sprays (insecticides) were originally designed as pesticides especially in developing countries and constant exposure to this chemical actually affects the body. Check the labels properly.
Treat illnesses on time: Urinary tract infections, diabetes and sickle cell anaemia, if not managed on time, can lead to dehydration, shock, chronic kidney disease and even death. Diarrhoea/excessive stooling in infants which sometimes is related to teething, if allowed to take hold of the children can lead to severe dehydration and cause renal shut down.
Seek early referral and treatment
Once you notice 2 or more of these symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, frequent headache, tiredness, blood in urine and infections to mention a few, seek a nephrologist (a kidney doctor). They can manage the condition with diet modifications, drugs, dialysis and transplant as a final option.
Most importantly we should remember that “if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself. When God lives and breathes in you, you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Romans 8:11). However live wisely and eat right.
You can also visit the following for more information
www.niddk.nih.gov/…/kidney–disease/
www.pedsinreview.aappublications.org/
-Funke Adewoye
The number of people being diagnosed with diabetes and those living with diabetes has increased dramatically in the last 10 years! The World Health Organization estimated that 171million people had diabetes in the year 2000, and this number is expected to more than double to 366 million by 2030[i]. A recent research study also corroborates this rapid increase in the number of people with diabetes. The researchers estimated that amongst adults worldwide between 20 and 79 years old, about 6 out of every 100 had diabetes in 2010, and the estimate for 2030 increased to almost 8 out of every 100 adults[ii]. The increase is attributed to decreased exercise, eating more high carbohydrate foods, and increased obesity, and is expected to be much greater among adults in developing countries than developed countries.
It is concerning that the number of people with diabetes is increasing because diabetes can affect a person’s body in many ways; for example it can cause people to have low energy, and damage the eyes, kidneys, heart and the nerves in the feet. This can cause a person to go blind, develop kidney failure, heart attack, or chronic wounds in the feet leading to amputation of part of the leg.
The good news is that the type of diabetes that is increasing more rapidly is one that can be prevented or kept in check by some changes in lifestyle. I will describe the types of diabetes in more detail later because there is a type of diabetes that usually starts in childhood whose cause is unknown; hence cannot be prevented. It is difficult for me to hear people say things like“Diabetes runs in my family, I will develop the disease when I get older,” because something can be done to avoid this disease. Many children are also now developing the type of diabetes that used to be common only in adults. And adults who don’t have family members with diabetes are being diagnosed with it as well.
Did you know that you can make some lifestyle changes which can reduce the likelihood that you will become diabetic even if you have a family history of the disease? That is the focus of this article, and we will discuss some of the symptoms of diabetes in this edition of health ethics; as well as what we can do to avoid the most common form of diabetes which affects about 90% of the people with the disease.
Diabetes is a condition in which there is an excessive amount of glucose in the blood due to a problem with the way the body responds to insulin, or a reduction in the amount of insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, and it helps to regulate the amount of glucose in our blood by signaling to the body cells when to store glucose. Our body requires glucose to form the energy that powers all the body processes. Our brain cells depend mostly on glucose as its source of energy except during starvation, and the brain accounts for about 60% of the glucose utilization of the entire body while in a state of rest[iii].
Now that we know how important glucose is to the body, we also need to note that too much glucose is not good for the body (or the brain). For instance, very high blood glucose levels can cause a person to become unconscious and die. The amount of glucose in the blood is regulated by different chemicals produced in the body known as hormones, and insulin is the most important of these hormones. Insulin is usually released after foods containing carbohydrates are digested to form glucose, and the glucose is absorbed into the blood. The insulin is responsible for signaling to our body cells that they should take glucose from the blood, either to be converted immediately to energy or to be stored for future use.
Types of Diabetes
There are three main types of diabetes:
- In Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas fails to produce insulin to drive the glucose into the body cells. So, the amount of glucose in the blood is high and the body is unable to do anything about it because the pancreas is not producing insulin. This type of diabetes occurs mostly in younger people, and is caused by destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The reason the pancreatic cells are destroyed is unknown.
- Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body cells do not respond to insulin by taking in glucose. When a person has Type 2 diabetes, although insulin is being produced, their body cells fail to respond to the insulin. Most of the people with Type 2 diabetes are older than 30 years and are overweight. It was previously thought to be a disease of the affluent countries, but the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes is increasing in developing countries. Studies performed in different African countries revealed that from 3 to 10 out of every 100 people had Type 2 diabetes.
- Gestational Diabetes is the third main type of Diabetes and it can affect up to 1 out of every 5 women during pregnancy. The cause of this form of diabetes is unknown, but it is thought to be related to the action of placenta hormones against insulin which causes the pregnant woman’s body cells not to respond properly to insulin by taking in glucose from the blood. Gestational diabetes does not mean a woman will have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy, but a woman that has had gestational diabetes is more likely to have Type 2 diabetes when she is older.
Symptoms of Diabetes
It is important for anyone who has a combination of the symptoms below to see a doctor for tests to check if they have diabetes in order to avoid complications. Some people with Type 2 diabetes may have very mild symptoms, so everyone over the age of 30 should have their blood glucose checked at least once a year. Many people are walking around with undiagnosed diabetes, and some of them end up at the hospital with complications, or die from the disease. These complications could have been avoided if they had sought medical help earlier. Moreover, if an increase in blood glucose is detected early, modifications in diet and exercise may prevent diabetes. And if a person is found to already have diabetes, early detection helps to prevent the complications I mentioned earlier such as kidney disease and blindness. 
The symptoms of diabetes include the following:
- Urinating often
- Feeling very thirsty
- Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts or bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss – even though you are eating more (Type 1)
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (Type 2)
- Frequent infections, such as gum or skin infections and vaginal or bladder infections
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
Since approximately 90% of the people with diabetes have Type 2, it is good that there are things that can be done to prevent this form of diabetes. Many young people who do not have a family history of the disease have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, probably due to poor lifestyle choices. Even people who have parents or family members with diabetes may be able to avoid the disease, or delay its onset by following some of the guidance below. The three main things that can help against diabetes are:
- increased physical activity and exercise;
- eating healthy meals that do not contain a lot of carbohydrate; and
- maintaining a healthy weight.
If you keep an eye on these three aspects of healthy living, you can reduce your risk of diabetes. It might appear easy to do these three simple things, but I know from experience how difficult it can be to maintain an exercise routine in the midst of a busy lifestyle. Just being active or busy does not mean that you have given your body, especially your heart the exercise that it needs to stay healthy. The minimum requirement of exercise for all adults that want to have a healthy heart and keep diabetes away is 30 minutes of regular and rhythmic motion at least 4 days a week.
This means you can either walk briskly, jog, run, cycle, swim, or do something else that is enjoyable to you like dancing continuously for 30 minutes in order to fulfil the exercise requirement. We have discussed healthy eating and how to avoid obesity in a previous edition of health ethics (See Volume 3 No. 2); so I will not say much about those here; except to reiterate the fact that this is also not something that comes easily. It is much easier to gain weight than to lose it, so watching what you eat is very important.
Try and eat five different fruits and vegetables every day. Your body will thank you for it! If you are overweight or obese already, you can see your doctor or dietitian, so they can help you develop a meal plan that will help you lose weight. This will most likely involve cutting down your carbohydrates drastically, and eating a salad of green leafy vegetables (with a light vinaigrette dressing, not the fatty dressing) for at least one of your meals. You will be surprised how much weight you can lose by simply changing the way you eat, and exercising moderately for 30 minutes every day as described above.
I wish above all things that you prosper and enjoy health even as your soul prospers. Please feel free to send me your questions or comments.
You can also learn more about diabetes on this website: www.diabetes.org; or you can play the video tutorials at http://web.diabetes.org/link/link_for_life/main.html?loc=facts-about-type2
[i] World Health Organization. Country and regional data on Diabetes. Available from: http://www.who.int/diabetes/facts/world_figures/en/
[ii]Shaw, J. E., Sicree, R. A., &Zimmet, P. Z. (2010). Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 87(1), 4-14.
[iii]Berg JM, Tymoczko JL, Stryer L. Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman; 2002. Section 30.2, Each Organ Has a Unique Metabolic Profile. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/
Dr. Ifelayo Ojo
| “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple: and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, the water was flowing from the right side of the temple, south of the alter … And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish because these waters go there; for THEY WILL BE HEALED and EVERYTHING WILL LIVE WHEREVER THE RIVER GOES.” NKJV Ezekiel 47: 1 & 9
Just reading the above scripture gives me goose bumps and sends cold chills down my spine because it brings to my remembrance again the tremendous healing power that is available to me as a child of God. The good thing is, not only is this power available to you, it can be available to others through you. If you are a child of God, you’ve got healing waters in you. In the above passage the Spirit of God was busy revealing to the prophet Ezekiel the glory of the temple to come. A temple that was going to be an epitome of perfection and beauty; a temple that will be built according to God’s original design. This temple of Ezekiel, contrary to the beliefs of some is not referring to some futuristic temple that will be built in Jerusalem when Jesus comes again. How do I know that? Because the Bible categorically states that God does not dwell in temples made with hands. (Acts7:48). The Bible also categorically states that WE (The body of Christ both individually and collectively) are the temple of God. (I Cor 3:16, II Cor 6:16).
I therefore submit to you that the temple that Ezekiel saw was directly (not indirectly) pointing to the church of Jesus Christ and to you as an individual believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, it was this scripture in particular that Jesus was referring to when he gave his invitation to all who were thirsty. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, AS THE SCRIPTURE HAS SAID, out of his heart will flow rivers of LIVING WATER.” NKJV John 7:37-38. There are many references in the Old Testament to ‘water’, but the only reference to ‘living water’ was the scripture we quoted from Ezekiel 47. So, in essence, Jesus interpreted that scripture for us and said that the temple that Ezekiel saw represented those that believe in him and the rivers of living waters flowing out from beneath the altar represented the living waters that would flow out of the hearts or spirits of those who believe in him. Now that we have this background, we can better understand the message of Ezekiel 47. Within you, child of God, is a mighty river and this river flows out to bring healing wherever it goes. The Bible says, ‘EVERYTHING WILL LIVE WHEREVER THE RIVER GOES.’ This is a sovereign declaration of Almighty God. This is the word of God that cannot fail. Have you received the life of Jesus into you? Do you have the Holy Spirit living in you? Then, my brother, my sister, you have all the healing in the world that you will ever need waiting to burst out not from heaven, but from within your own spirit. The healing waters of God will flow out from your spirit and bring healing to you. I don’t care what the sickness is. There’s healing for you today in God’s mighty river of healing power. It’s in you! – Dr. Daniel Oyebamiji |
Now then WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
II Cor5:20
Traditional Christianity teaches that we are poor citizens of the earth hoping to someday somehow qualify to become esteemed citizens of heaven. It paints the Christian race as a hurried escape from a sinful world to a holy heaven and it doesn’t matter how beaten and battered you are along the way, as long as you make it to heaven, that’s O.K.
Brothers and sisters, THAT’S NOT O.K! Its not O.K. for Satan to come dump some cancer on you to speed up your journey to heaven. It’s not O.K. for him to inflict you with Tuberculosis, Liver Cirrhosis, and Diabetes or immobilize you with a stroke. Jesus died and paid not only for your sins but also for your sicknesses. So if it’s not O.K. to sin, then it’s not O.K. to be sick either.
True Christianity does not paint us as the poor citizens of earth trying to make our way to heaven. True Christianity presents us as the esteemed citizens of heaven who have been sent by God to establish his kingdom upon the earth as his ambassadors.
It therefore follows that only spiritually lazy Christians are in a hurry to escape to heaven. Those who know who they are and why they are here are busy establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth in the hearts and lives of men all around.
What kind of Kingdom is it? It is a kingdom of Righteousness , Health, Prosperity, Divine Security, Peace, Joy and all-round Wholeness. When you begin to take your place as an ambassador of this Kingdom, not only will you experience it in your life, but through you many more people will come into the glorious experience of the Kingdom of God in their own lives as well. Hallelujah!
Dr dan oyebamiji
The first man is of the earth, earth: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is THE EARTHY, SUCH ARE THEY ALSO THAT ARE EARTHY: and AS IS THE HEAVENLY, such are they also that are heavenly.
1 Cor15:47-48
There are two races of men on the face of the earth today:
- The Earthy race.
- The Heavenly race.
These two races of men have two different origins, two different destinations and two different sets of principles for living.
The Earthy race originates from the first man, the fallen Adam. They haveSatan as their father, the lake of fire as their destination and living by the senses as their principle for living. You will hear such people say things like: ‘I live my life the way I FEEL’ or ‘I can’t believe anything that I cannot SEE.’ They are slaves of their senses.
The Heavenly race originates from the second man: the risen Christ. They have God Almighty as their father, the new heaven, the new earth and the New Jerusalem as their destination and walking by faith in every word that comes out of the mouth of God as their principle for living.
The question now is: ‘which of these two races do you belong to?’ ‘The Earthly’ or ‘the Heavenly?’ If you belong to the Heavenly, then live like the one whom you resemble. Walk by the heavenly principles of faith and stop being a slave to the testimony of your senses.
When faith sees sickness, faith does not look at what it is; faith declares what it should be and it is so! Walk by faith and live a life above sickness and disease.
Dr dan oyebamiji
HE THAT COMETH FROM ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL AND WHAT HE HATH SEEN AND HEARD THAT HE TESTIFIETH; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. John3:31-33
A lot of us believers today do not fully appreciate the things that we have in common with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. We often tend to think that though we are the Sons of God, we are not really Sons of God in the same sense in which Jesus is the Son of God.
The Bible however teaches to the contrary. The Bible teaches clearly that we are Sons of God in the same way and to the same degree to which Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4:17) and it therefore follows that whatever applies to him equally applies to us.
Therefore, the above quoted portion of scripture applies both to Christ and tothe Christian for through the cross, the grave, the empty tomb and now the glorious throne, Christ and the Christian have become one (1 Cor6:17).
So not only is Christ from above, the Christian is from above as well and like Christ he testifies of the things he has seen and heard from above. Like Christ also, men do not receive his testimony, but the few who do declare plainly that God is true irrespective of what they may see, hear, smell, taste or feel in this earth realm.
What am I saying? He that is from above never talk’s sickness for there is no sickness above. He speaks of the things he has seen and heard above and all that can be seen and heard above is THE GLORY OF GOD. And though men do not receive his testimony, the more he testifies to that glory the more that glory begins to manifest in his earthly life. Hallelujah!
– Dr deji oyebamiji
HE THAT COMETH FROM ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. John 3:31 (KJV)
Where do we come from? Wherein lays our root? Who are we and how does that knowledge affect our lives today?
Scripturally speaking, there are only 2 races of men on the face of the earth today.
1. Those who come from above i.e. the citizens of heaven.
2. Those who come from beneath i.e. the citizens of the earth.
Where you come from will determine how you live and the principles by which you live your life. Put an American in any city on the face of the earth and within a short time without announcing himself he’ll betray the fact that he is an American. How? By the way he thinks, by the way he talks, by the way he dresses, by what he eats and so on. Every action of his betrays his origin. So also ought it to be with the citizens of heaven. The way we live our lives must betray who we are and where we come from.
One trait that the above quoted scripture presents as a mark of those who come from above is that THEY ARE ABOVE ALL!
This is the supernatural life of the believer. This is what Jesus brought to us: ‘A life that is ABOVE ALL.’ A life above sickness, Disease, pain, weakness and even death. A life above everything that has a knee and everything that has a name. Embrace this life today and begin to live ABOVE ALL. It’s your life, live it!
– Dr deji oyebamiji
…for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in him. II Cor5:21
There is hardly any other subject so misunderstood in the body of Christ today as the subject of Righteousness. I have been a Christian for a while and in my own opinion the subject of Righteousness seems to be the least popular subject on most of our pulpits.
Of course our preachers do talk about Righteousness in a thousand and one ways but what I’m referring to is that Righteousness which was purchased for us at the expense of the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.I’m not talking about the Righteousness which is simply the gross total of a man’s goody-goody works. No! I’m talking about that Righteousness which is made available by grace and received through faith. Knowledge or ignorance of this Righteousness WILL AFFECT every area of your Christian life. I recommend an in dept study of Rom3:19–28 for a better understanding of this Righteousness.
Why am I talking about Righteousness? Because of what it entails.Righteousness means TO HAVE RIGHTS WITH GOD. It entails the Right to stand in the presence of God without a sense of shame, guilt or inferiority. It also entails the Right to receive from God by faith whatever he has made available through grace. That includes healing!
So if you do not know that by the shed blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son you have Rights with God, then you’ll keep having problems receiving your healing. Butwhen you know you have Rights with God then all you need to do is EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT! How? By Faith! Open your mouth and proclaim: I receive my healing now in the name of Jesus and don’t wait for your senses to comply, begin to act out your faith and things will change. Hallelujah!
Dr deji oyebamiji
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond ON THE SABBATH DAY? Luke13:16
Religion and men’s traditions can rob you of your healing if you let them.Religion does nothing other than provide you with excuses why you should not be healed. With religion, something is always wrong. It’s either you’rethe wrong person or it’s the wrong day or you’re seeking your healing the wrong way.
The prostitute that wiped Jesus feet with her hair was the wrong person.The woman healed from her infirmity of eighteen years was healed on the wrong day. Blind Bartimeus who screamed at the top of his voice to get the attention of Jesus who was shielded away from him by the crowd was seeking his healing the wrong way. Nothing is right with religion, everything is wrong with it. If you listen to the voice of religion, you will not be healed!
There are thousands of believers today all over the world who are dying on their sick beds from one infirmity or the other because they accepted one or more of the many ‘religious excuses’ handed over to them why they should not expect to be healed.
Though these ‘excuses’ are many and varied ranging from ‘God no longer heals today’ to ‘God heals who he wants, when he wants,’ the answer to these many excuses can be summarized in one sentence. HEALING IS THE RIGHT OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF ABRAHAM AND THAT’S WHO WE ARE! (Gal 3:6-7)
You don’t need to be a special person, have a special qualification or use a special method before you can exercise your Right. A Right can be exercisedanytime, any day and any where. Healing is your Right. Exercise that right TODAY!
Dr deji oyebamiji