| In the midst of a world marred with foolishness and disobedience, people hating and maligning one another, we were misled by others and slaves to evil desires. Our lives enthralled in wickedness
We hated others and they hated us. -emeka ofia |
A maiden who hails from some ghetto
Dingy and rusty with respect to civilization
Suddenly to her utter amazement
An inimitable noble man approaches her
I would like to marry you-he said
Her jaw drops and she mopes in absolute disbelief
Her thoughts traveled faster than a whirlwind
What does he see in me-she wondered?
Is it my beauty?
Is it my sophistication?
Is it my gorgeous outlook?
Is it my large pocket?
Is my exquisite display of good manners?
Is it my soignée cum debonair?
She summed up all her qualities and still amounted to a minus with respect to the guys qualities
Love at first sight my foot
He is obviously infatuated
I am sure he is one of those ritual killers
In fact how can he just say he wants to marry me…why?
He does not just stop there
He wields his influence
He finally reaches an agreement with her
He goes ahead to pay her bride price
Down the aisle they walked
For better for worse they signed as usual
They had a vow to be joined for eternity
This obviously blows the whims
It should be till death do them part?
This is just startling
The greatest marriage ever
Christ and the church…(Col.1: 21-22,Eph.5: 25-26&30)
– emeka ofia
Search for mind stretchers Bible Reading: II Corinthians 3
I once heard Joel Osteen tell a story about a dog that was caught up in an accident which resulted to a partial paralysis of its two hind limbs. This dog was given necessary treatment to keep it from dying. However, after the treatment, it could only walk with its forelimbs and kept dragging its hind limbs while walking. Some weeks later, the dog delivered some puppies and after a few days, they were able to walk normally. But as they continued to grow and develop, the puppies noticed that their mother always dragged its hind limbs. So they started doing the same while walking. The owner of the dog was surprised to suddenly see the puppies walking like their mother and decided to take them to a vet doctor for check up. After conducting several tests, the doctor explained that the puppies were all normal. But what went wrong? Why did they suddenly start to drag their hind limbs like their mother?
Simple! You become what you constantly behold. Even though the puppies had all the natural ability to walk normally, they have constantly been exposed to feet-dragging walking steps, and the ‘abnormal’ has become normal to them. Likewise, we all have the same spiritual ability to grow spiritually, but many of us are still engaged in a feet-dragging exercise because we are constantly exposed to feet-draggers. This comes in the form of messages we hear, books we read, movies we watch, companies we keep, etc.
Here’s how the bible elucidates it – “But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory” II Cor 3:18.
Yes! You do not need to tell us what/who you constantly expose yourself to, because your life is enough to tell us. Therefore, if we tend to become what we behold, what manner of people should we surround ourselves with?
Can we learn from Peter’s experience? He may never have walked on water if he did not see Jesus walking on water. Jesus’ action stretched his mind to the point where the impossible became possible to him. And you know what; it is not easy for the mind to return to its original state after it has been stretched. You need to be in the company of people who stretch your mind positively. “Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour” I Cor 15:33.
Do not be like Lot in the bible who was a good man but was encompassed by the evil people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Although we constantly live an evil world, we should be careful about the people we allow to be in our inner circle.
Who are your five closest friends? Do they appear to be progressing spiritually?
What are the last three books/materials you read? Did they cause a spark in you to become more like Jesus?
Why did you attend Church last 1 month? Is it because of what “they” will say if you did not attend or because you will receive information and fellowship that will make you re-read your bible and stretch your mind towards spiritual growth.
Beloved, let me stop here with one of my favorite statements – “you cannot fly with the eagles if you constantly scratch with the chickens”.
– tope aladenusi
Size up your head Bible Reading: Hebrews 5
My parents really wanted me to study medicine & surgery in the university, but I diligently fought against the idea. By the time I had spent some years in the university, I was already grateful to God I didn’t study surgery. Why? I realized that it would have been difficult for me to grow up in the profession. First, I saw my friends in medical class reading some giant textbooks on anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. Then later I noticed that they performed experiments using dead bodies (which they prefer to call cadaver). As the years went by, they introduced them to the clinic, and made them to have real life experiences with live patients. Though I know I may have found it difficult studying the course, I still appreciate the way my friends in medical class were taught. It reminds me of how God deals with Christians to enable them grow spiritually.
After regular study of God’s word and prayers, it is expedient for us to express our knowledge in order to grow. Like medical students, sometimes some cadavers in the form of life challenges are presented to us so we can practice what we have learnt without the fear of mistakes. Later on, greater challenges are then introduced to us. Therefore, we should approach life challenges as an opportunity for growth. Being a doer of God’s word is vital to our spiritual growth, and that comes with every challenge we face. Like some of us may know, a medical student who doesn’t do well at the stage of handling cadavers may not be exposed to real life patients even in school. Consequently, no challenge of ours is insignificant and we should approach them with the right attitude.
I have never seen anyone who eats food in order to have a big stomach, but I have seen many Christians who read their bibles in order to have a big head. Their studies have improved their speeches and quoting ability, but their lives doesn’t reflect the practical side of what they read. That’s really dangerous to our spiritual health because it is synonymous to eating foods regularly that just ends up in the stomach and are not absorbed by the body tissues. We need to avoid such and engage in the godly exercise of living the word. Hebrews 5:14 (GW) – says “solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil”. There is a training/spiritual growth you receive by practice. Spiritual growth cannot be effective without the practice of the word just as my medical friends wouldn’t have advanced academically without passing many practical courses.
Therefore, when next you face a challenge, remember that it is an opportunity for you to grow spiritually. It has come to enable you practice what you have learnt. No challenge can be bigger than the learning you already have. I Cor 10:13 (MSG) says “God will never let you be pushed past your limit”. Always take that word from your head and inject it into your life. Sometimes I think we need to size up our heads to be sure it is not bigger than our lives. “Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within” Proverbs 20:5 (MSG). Be a wise Christian.
– tope aladenusi
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
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
Revolving the Word Bible Reading: Joshua 1
Apostle Paul once prescribed a principle to Timothy that would lead to his spiritual growth and maturity, and this principle has been effective in every generation:-
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (I Timothy 4:15 – KJV)
I really love the way The Message Translation described the effect that meditation will produce. It says “…The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!”
Do you want to see yourself mature spiritually? Then you cannot shy away from meditating on God’s word.
The root word for meditate in Greek and Hebrew language can also be translated as “to ponder”, “to imagine” or “to revolve in the mind”. When you revolve something, you can see how it looks like from different sides. You can appreciate the effect it can have when handled from different positions just like the earth experiences different effect when it revolves. Many believers read the bible, but they do not think about what they read. It’s like eating food without digesting food; you will not grow physically that way. Likewise, meditation on God’s word is to our life what digestion of food is to our body.
When you take in the word, you have to continuously revolve it in your mind. One way to do this is by asking the right questions and trying to answer them with scriptural proofs. I am really finding it difficult to explain meditation in few lines. So I want to try to simulate it, perhaps you may get a clearer picture of what I mean.
Let’s try to revolve Colossians 1:12-13 – Giving thanks unto the Father … Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
Okay, this is an instruction to Christians. Why? Because Verse 2 of the chapter says the book was written to saints and faithful brethren. We are expected to give thanks to the father. Who is this father that I should give thanks to? My earthly father; my father in church; or my father in heaven? Perhaps the preceding verses, subsequent verses or the remaining part of this verse can tell us. The later part of the verse tells us why we should give thanks. First; the father has delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath transferred us into the kingdom of his son. Whao! I have been delivered from the power of darkness. But what does it really mean to be delivered from the power of darkness? Does it mean that I was once subject to the direct influence of the devil and his cohorts and right now they do not have power over me? Which other verses of scripture is saying the same thing? But sometimes I am afraid when people talk about witches or cultist; isn’t that really wrong for a child of God? Yes! I remember one pastor once said that one Christian sister was a witch? Could that be true? How can she be delivered (free from evil) and yet be under the devil’s sway. Whose report should I believe? But that’s not all; the later part of this verse says we have been translated into the kingdom of God’s son. This sentence connotes a past tense and it talks about something that has already happened. That means right now I am in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. But I am still on earth. So what does this kingdom really mean? What is the effect of being in this kingdom and how should I conduct myself now that I reign in the kingdom of Christ?
Hmn! Based on this my understanding, henceforth I will no longer be afraid of the devil and his cohorts. In fact I am on the offensive side and not on the defensive. When evil spirits saw Jesus, they ran away and sometime negotiated with him that he should cast them into swine. I am now in the Kingdom of Jesus and in this empire; all powers are subject to us … and so on … and so forth.
Beloved, by the time you go through such spiritual exercise of revolving the word in your mind, you will be amazed at the changes that are happening gradually in your life. There are times that I feel charged up after meditation and it is as though I should strike my head on the wall. You may also come to that point. But at such times, take it cool and don’t smash your head! The body of Christ needs that head. From experience, the next day may present you with a challenge to test whether you really believed what you read.
I desire you make a decision that henceforth, you will give yourself over to meditation on God’s word. It has a 100% success rate. It will inevitably lead to your spiritual growth. “I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people” Acts 20:32 (GW)
– tope aladenusi
…It’s a beautiful morning of wonderful brightness!
The breaking of the new day as the cloud starts to clear out!
The long existing darkness has to give way for the dawn!
So the sailors in the boats can now rejoice in the clear sky!
Because they have been troubled by winds all the night long!
Though the gentle breeze on the lake has been interesting…..
But the wind is almost capsizing the boat!
…Now! They have to cross the lake to the other side!
Expected to get there before their master would!
They would not have been so disturbed by the wind, if he was on board! But alas! Here is he walking on the lake…
Incredible, how can he have been walking so confidently as if undisturbed by the wind!
What! He’s walking on the water……against the law of nature…!
What an authority he has even in spite of the blowing wind?
And soon, one of the disciples too feels “I can do the same”
So he has stepped on the waters too, yes fearlessly he could walk too
No, he can’t sink! He saw the master! He has his approval also!
He believed so much in the master, he can’t even fall. It’s the master he saw.
Yes! With Christ present he can prove the Archimedes’s principle to be false!
No! The wind doesn’t matter……!
But what; just in couple of minutes, he has started to sink!
Why? What’s wrong? Has the master left him? Or has he sunk too?
No! Not at all … Peter forgot to keep the rule!
The rule! What rule? Yes it’s the law of faith!
IF YOU DOUBT, YOU WILL SINK! That is the rule!
So peter started to sink because he doubted!
But thank God the trustworthy Promiser!
Friend! Where is your faith?
Verily speaking! The road of life could sometimes be calm!
Sometimes could be sunny or heavily rainy…
While sometimes we are challenged to sail on windy/stormy seas of life.
Where some lives have been crushed and destinies shipwrecked!
And why? Probably because they know not their lord!
Or may be because they doubted…
Because whoever doubts sinks- and that’s the rule of faith?
But why would we sink on the sea of challenges?
Since the father is rightly by our side?
We will only sink when we take cognizance of what is challenging us!
Peter walked confidently when he noticed the master presence, while he could but sink when he noticed the wind.
Friends, how often we feel more of the pains of our trials than we sense the goodness of the lord?
Of course anxiety will kill a man ten times before his death comes,
And fear will put him in grave before he dies!
Yes! Whoever doubt, sinks! The law of faith!
And of course we must not shy away from little doubts that tend to weary our souls, but such fears are balanced by the strong persuasion we received of his promises…!
What an ever present, ever-guiding, ever watching and ever-committed father we do have. The lord of hosts!
So in the face of trials let’s take cognizance of his love and cares than the prevailing circumstances that we do not sink in the rivers of depression and confusions. Ultimately considering to giving up!
Please always remember that whoever doubts will sink!
So Jesus I learn to see when raging storm of life opens their eyes wild against me and him I learn to trust, that I may not sink!
FOR WHOEVER DOUBTS SINK – DON’T DOUBT GOD’S WORD.
– raphael aworinde