Category Archives: Health and Lifestyle

Here’s why you must avoid Pride!



If there’s one thing God hates so much, it’s pride.


So many great men have fallen down the ladder of success due to this. Pride is a disease that slowly eats one up without knowing.


Take Satan for example, He was once called Lucifer, one of the highest ranking angels then in God’s kingdom but then, pride set in.



Isaiah 14 vs 13;
For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north”


Going to verse 15, we see what God did to him.
“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit ”.


When pride sets in, God is moved to bring such a person down so as to make such person realize that he or she is actually nothing.



James 4 vs 6 says;

But he giveth more Grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grave unto the humble.



This shows us the extent to which God detests pride. People who are proud are hard to deal with. They feel above everyone and feel they are way too big to be corrected. They feel they know everything and therefore need not to learn from anyone, not even God.



Everyone has the tendency to be proud especially when something big happens in our life, like a major achievement or something. That proud instinct kicks and when such happens, that’s the Devil knocking on the doors of our heart.



The Bible says, resist the devil and he will flee. So as he keeps knocking, you keep resisting him but how do you resist him?



James 4 vs 7 says;

“ Submit yourself therefore to the Lord. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”.



God has given us a code there to fighting off pride.


To fight off pride, we must submit ourselves unto God, place your self, your ego, your will under him. Tell him to lead the easy while you follow.


Seeing this, God gives us the Grace needed to resist the devil until he flees.



Pride is a matter of the heart. Always place your heart on a constant check.
Only God knows the true intents of our hearts. Always ask him to look into your heart and if there be any wicked thoughts there, ask him to purge you of it.


Never allow pride to set in. No matter how big and influential you might be, always be humble.


Remember Nebuchadnezzar?

No matter how high you think you are, God is always capable of humbling you.



Pride goes before a fall.


Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

Rejoicing in Grief

Apart from the fact that depression eats its prey silently, it a way of subtly camouflaging itself as a seemingly peaceful state of mind, which is in reality, the exact opposite.



Romans 8:1 says ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’




Depression is not deep thinking, but meditating on the mistakes, ill-luck and unfortunate things that happened to one; not to spur one to positive response, but to bound such a one’s mind with the mind-set that he was born to fail.



Depression is a negative force. Like a magnet, it doesn’t come alone, it attracts negative results, output and circumstances to itself.



The way out?


Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord Always. Again, I will say, Rejoice”


Finding a reason to appreciate God is a sure way to escape from the fangs of depression. Depression cannot dwell in the heart of a grateful soul.


Instead of regretting and feeling like a failure, give thanks to God in faith and hope that things will get better.



2 Samuel 12:15: “After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord made Bathsheba’s baby deathly ill.”


2 Samuel 12:16: “David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.”


2 Samuel 12:17: “The leaders of the nation pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.”


2 Samuel 12:18: Then on the seventh day the baby died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He was so broken up about the baby being sick,” they said. “What will he do to himself when we tell him the child is dead?”



David committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and as a punishment, God struck the child of their cohabitation with a deadly sickness.



David wept, fasted and prayed for the healing of his child. He prayed that God would preserve the life of his child. Still, the child died.


Such an occurrence is capable of destabilising even the most hardened of hearts. David lost his precious baby to the sickness.



But my interest in this study isn’t that David lost his baby, but what David did after the loss.



2 Samuel 12:20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and ate.


Instead of weeping and cursing God for a child that was gone, David worshipped God and put on the garments of devotion to the sovereignty of God.


Thus, we learn that we might not be able to control everything that happens in our lives, but we can always determine our response to that situation.

There are certain things that our prayer might not have been able to prevent, such as the casualties from the Covid, or the Lockdown, but we can decide that in the midst of all these, we will remain grateful saints.


David never went into prolonged depression despite the loss of his child. Thereafter, God gave him another child who became richest and one of the wisest Kings of Israel.


Beloved, don’t be dismayed, because God will surely give you double of what you lost.



Instead of regretting, rise up, believe those wonderful things He has promised you and hold unto them.





Give thanks, rejoice, sing songs of worship and change your atmosphere from one of mourning, to one of rejoicing.

Featured Image: DepositPhotos

CATCH THEM YOUNG

Image Credit: https://www.adwoaadubianews.com


Take two plain sheets of paper, a black and a blue marker, and an eraser.



Now look, those two plain sheets of paper represent the heart of a child. When I say heart, I mean the mind and the soul.



The blank sheets are at their highest point of receptivity, waiting for anyone to write on them.


They lack the power to choose the color of the marker and the content of what would be written on them.


Now take the markers and paint one sheet black and the other blue. Once you’re done, try cleaning them off with the eraser with you.



You will notice that the eraser will not be able to wipe them out, rather the color of the eraser turns to either blue or black depending on which paper you try erasing.


The color on the papers becomes permanent and unable to get cleaned off.


The already blue sheet symbolizes a child who has been brought up in God’s way while the black sheet depicts a child that was brought up without God.


Both hearts were once blank but as they grew up, some changes took place which led to generating two entirely different children.



The eraser there represents the people around.


Once the heart has been filled up with either good or bad, it would be difficult for an outsider to change that which has been etched in the heart of such a child.


One of the mistakes many people make as guardians and adults is their failure in giving out quality time to train and build up their children in the way of the Lord.


They have left the spiritual lives of these youngsters unattended, solely focusing on their academic and physical welfare.


The bible says in Proverbs 22 vs 6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.



Today, we see sound children with so much knowledge about the Internet and books, but with little or no understanding about Godly living.


The intellectual and emotional intelligence are all reasonable but if the spiritual aspect is left with a void, their lives would be left lopsided.


As we inculcate into our children academic knowledge, let us also learn to balance it up with the knowledge about God and morality.


These simple tips might help:


– Have a morning and night devotion with them.


– Take time to go on a Bible study with them.


– Compose Godly poems for them.


– Teach your children how to pray and when they are old, they shall not depart from it.



Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

Forgiveness

Image Copyright: PeopleImages

Some time ago, Sissy got offended by a brother. There was a misunderstanding and then she got accused by him.

At first, Sissy thought that the young man would come around, realize his wrongs and ask for forgiveness, but he didn’t.




She tried to ignore the slander coming from the young man but it was a difficult thing to do.


Her pain was procured from the fact that such a mature Christian as that would make such statements. 


As a godly woman, Sissy tried not to engage in a heated argument with him.


The little she did was to calmly try to clear up the misunderstanding.


Yet, it  was as if her calmness escalated the young man’s anger as he continued to pour out his rage on her.



Some weeks passed and everything returned to normal. Sissy continued with her life. She did not want to remember the incidence that had happened.

Her silence in the face of the slander showed that she overcame the temptation. There was no need to remember what transpired.


Some time later, in church, Sissy listened attentively as the preacher exhorted the congregation on the need to forgive and forget one another’s offenses.

The preacher went ahead to quote a verse from the scripture that says “… love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44



At that moment, the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of Sissy to what she didn’t know!



He unfolded her heart and made it bare before her. There were still traces of grudge within her. All along, she had borne grudges towards her offender. It was subtly hidden in the innermost part of her heart.



After the church service, Sissy resolved to call her offender and boldly affirmed her forgiveness.



Grudge is a paramount issue in the body of Christ. 


Sometimes we get so offended by people that we feel we should knock them down or throw them over the fence.


Other times, we feel we have truly forgiven our offender but when a proper heart check is done, traces of grudge would be found in our hearts.


The devil may lay grievances in one’s heart in such a tricky way that one may not easily detect. 



That is why a heart check carried out by the Omniscient Holy Spirit is important. On our own, we may never get to find out. 


The Psalmist understood this and said in Psalm 139:23-24:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”



One way to discover that you hold grudges towards your offenders is that you try to withhold help from them when you are in a position to. Or you get dissatisfied while helping them and constantly refer to their wrong towards you. 



That is not the life Christ mapped out for us. We are to truly forgive our offenders. When it seems difficult to do, we must give up our will and ask God for his power to let go.


When we forgive thoroughly, it shows we carry the nature of God. He forgives us when we err and remembers those offenses no more.



True forgiveness brings peace of mind. It is even a prerequisite for us to be forgiven by God.



Matt. 6:14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matt. 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.




It is essential that believers ask the Holy Spirit to teach them how to not give or take offenses.

That way, we get more tolerating towards others and our environment filled with love and stability.

About The Author. Ada Mbamalu hails from the Eastern part of Nigeria. She is a student of English Language and Literature, and is a highly prolific writer.

Q/A: Is it right for a believer to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Is it right for a believer to celebrate Valentine’s Day?



This is a question which is frequently asked among believers. Some are of the opinion that due to the sinful acts that are carried out on Valentine, it is not worth celebrating in Church.


For this to be clarified, one has to understand the etymology of the word “Valentine’s Day” and the purpose for which it was intended.


Far back in 270 AD, Emperor Claudius II Gothicus concluded that single men were more useful in battles than the married counterparts. On that note, he vetoed marriages for every single man in Rome.


Valentine, a Christian priest around the time realizing the injustice of the decree decided to help the unmarried men escape the unjust laws made by the Emperor, by secretly joining them in marriage with their lovers.



However, the outcome of this sacrifice was fatal for St. Valentine when the emperor, Claudius II learned of his actions, as he was later clubbed to death.


Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on 14th February, to commemorate the martyrdom of the 3rd Century Christian priest, Valentine.


Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is closely linked to expressing romantic love, but there’s no definite association between romantic love and the ancient figure, St. Valentine.


However, it is believed that mid-February shows the first whiffs of Spring. Spring represents a new beginning and pleasance in life. It is also known to be the copulation season for most bird species.


Hence, St Valentine’s Day became closely associated with romantic love through its coincidence with Spring season.


Today, we commemorate Saint Valentine’s selfless sacrifice for the Romans.


With this in mind, celebrate this year’s Valentine differently. Celebrate it, not only with love but also with the consciousness that sacrifices are elements of love.


Note that your first sacrifice must be presenting your body as holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.



Love God with all your heart, remembering that we love Him because He first loved us.



Likewise, love your neighbour as yourself. These are the greatest commandments. It is upon them that the Law and The Prophets are built.


Finally, love is not a thing to be emphasized only on Valentine’s Day.


Rather, always plant the seed of affection and kindness in every place you find yourself.



Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Written by Ada Mbamalu

The Power of Confidence



Confidence is trust in your abilities and skills. It is the quality of having value and esteem in yourself.

Cicero defines it as, ‘that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honourable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself.’

Confidence is the mind-set of winning before the battle begins. It is the ability to pull energy from what you believe to achieve what is higher than you.

Confidence in the ‘Greek’ is ‘Peitho’ which means to agree or to be assured.

Confidence is the ability to face challenges and situations and use them as opportunities for your lifting.


Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ Philippians 1:6



God has begun something in you ever since the day you were Born. He is perfecting every step of your destiny.


Confidence is that energy drawn from within that causes you to react differently in situations and brings out your boldness in times of challenges.


Our confidence must be in God not only in our abilities.


‘Confidence and strength flood the hearts of the lovers of God who live in awe of him, and their devotion provides their children with a place of shelter and security. To worship God in wonder and awe.’ – Proverbs 14:26.



Confidence in God gives us the strength to achieve mighty things in God. It is only those who love God and go through the scriptures that receive confidence.

Gideon was the least in his family and his tribe was the least In Israel. With confidence in God, He liberated his family from oppression and got the Israelites back to the free worship of God.

King David placed his confidence in God. And he won all the battles. Trough his confidence in God, God made him defeat Goliath and he became the greatest king in Israel.
Confidence in God is the cure to depression.
The cause of depression is a lack of faith in God. Lovers of God draw confidence by studying the words of Christ and applying them.

Incorporate yourself with those who believe in you. In every organization, the staff believes in the vision of the leader. Surround yourself with people who believe what you can offer and how valuable you are.

Destiny is not fulfilled in isolation, you need people to help you achieve your goals and targets. The purpose is for people not for you, you need to have people who have confidence in your capability. We draw inspiration from God, we receive motivation from men.

Whoever drags your spirit down is not meant to be your friend. Every David needs a Jonathan. Every Saint needs a fellow believer to uphold his arm in moments of uncertainty.


Build your confidence in God and surround yourself with the people who have confidence in you.


Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

The Power of Love

The outstanding characteristic of natural man is Selfishness. It has given to us every one of the major sins that are destroying the human race.

Selfishness is the parent of the liquor traffic, gambling, and every other sin.
The husband who comes home h

The outstanding characteristic of natural man is Selfishness. It has given to us every one of the major sins that are destroying the human race.

Selfishness is the parent of the liquor traffic, gambling, and every other sin. The husband who comes home half drunk doesn’t love his family as much as he loves himself. The mother who has taken on the unhappy habits of modern society, and dares display these habits in the presence of her growing children, loves herself and her appetites more than she loves her children .

The natural man cannot love his children as much as he loves himself. He cannot love his wife as much as he loves himself.

The natural human heart is a partaker of the Satanic nature, Selfishness; and when that Selfishness gains the ascendancy it makes the man a despot in his home, filling it with the spirit of tyranny.

I saw a couple who had lived very unhappily and had thought much about separating, but there were little children. The father had a godly background, and so had the mother, but neither of them had ever received Eternal Life.

After the children came along, the wife began to feel the irritations of bondage and said, “These children just rob me of my liberty.” The husband began to feel the same limitations. Selfishness began to grow apace.

The home was not a home. It was just a place where they quarreled and made up, found fault, and cursed the children.

Then one day my little book, “The New Kind of Love,” fell into the hands of the husband. He brought it home and started to read it. He became so engrossed in it that his wife wanted to know what he was reading.

You see, Selfishness is always jealous. The keener and richer your Selfishness is, the more sensitive you become. She became very curious as to what that little book was. Finally she said, “What is that you are reading?”He said, “It is the most wonderful book I have ever read.”

He laid it down on the table, and she began to read it. She hadn’t read half of it before she made her decision. She had seen things.

When he came into the house she said, “How far did you read in that book?”

“Nearly all of it. One of the men at the office gave it to me.” He responded. “What do you think of it?”

“I only wish we had gotten hold of it when we were first married and life would have been different,” she said.

He picked up one of his children and held it in his arms. “Wife,” he said, “would you like to go with me on this thing? I would like to have Eternal Life. I am sick of my selfishness.”
She looked into his face, and reached out her hand and said, “My dear, I will go the whole way with you .”

The two older children were not home when it happened, and the father and mother did not tell them about it .

Three or four days later the oldest girl said, “Mother, what has happened to you and Dad? You haven’t quarreled since last week.” Then the mother told the story to her, and the girl, in her mother’s arms whispered, “Mother, I want it too .”

And so, Love came to live in that house. After a bit every member of the household sought to give the other more than he received. Love’s rivalry began to develop. The husband and wife sought to out-do each other in love.

You see, when two New Creation people, Love filled, begin to practice Agapa, the very atmosphere of heaven is in that home.

Love’s slogan is, “I am not seeking my own, but your happiness.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have classes that would take up the study of Agape.

There has never been a chair of “Love” in any of our Colleges or Universities, and yet it is the most important thing in life.
You cannot adjust the labor and capital situation by law or by force. It can only be settled with Agape.

Oh, if there should arise in the labor world a great leader who could evangelize the labor world and prove to them that

Selfishness has never yet built anything that it did not destroy!

Sense Knowledge has built cities, but it always destroys them.

Few of us have recognized that there are two kinds of ambitions: one was born out of the desire to conquer and to reign, and to have and to hold, no matter what effect it had upon those who stand in the way;the other is the ambition to give, and to build, and to make happy, to educate and to train, and to make beautiful, glad homes.One is the Jesus kind, and the other is inspired by Satan.

EW Kenyon, ‘The Hidden Man’

Where does your Friendship fall under?

Friendship is a word that has no absolute definition. Instead, its meaning is based on how an individual views it.

However, two things are necessary concepts regarding the meaning of friendship.

They are Mutuality and Voluntariness.

By Voluntariness, I mean that friendship is not compelled. It exists between two or more persons who come together to become acquainted out of the choice made out of their own free will.

By mutuality, I mean that friendship is also reciprocal. It is an action experienced and practiced by the parties involved.

Why do people engage in friendship?

The reason for this question would give way to the types of friendships.

According to Aristotle, there are 3 types of friendships as depicted in Book VIII of the Nicomachean Ethics. They include:

. Friendships of Utility
. Friendships of Pleasure
. Friendships of the good

Friendships of utility are often characterized by the colloquial, ” _scratch my back and I will scratch yours.”_

This is the kind of friendship that exists between you and someone useful to you in some way. For instance, possibly you’re friends with the intelligent guy in your classroom because he helps you out in solving maths assignments, and in return, you gift him nice clothes and shoes.

This sort of friendship is usually temporary.

Friendships of Pleasure exist between persons who find fun and delight in the company of each other.

Often, friends of this type are regarded as “entertainment pals”, people with whom you do social activities like playing snooker and soccer games.

Friends in this category hang out because they share common pleasures and hobbies.

This friendship can easily end when the activity that brought them together no longer exists.

Friendship of the Good: This is the most perfect of all types of friendship. It takes a long time to build and is not easily broken.

Aristotle considered this type as “brotherly love.”

In this perfect level of friendship, there is no intent to gain anything from the other. Rather the focus is on how one can fulfill the other’s wishes.

These are friendships based on a mutual admiration of each other’s qualities.
People who have a handful of this type of friends in their lives are truly blessed.


How can one maintain good friendships?

Be Loyal: Loyal friends support each other in good and bad times. One doesn’t backbite and tear down the other.

Openness: Good friends don’t keep unhealthy secrets.

Acknowledge the differences in others: Bear in mind that everyone has a unique personality. It is important to understand the 4 personality traits dominant in people – Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic.

Knowing the personalities in people makes you able to accommodate them and their excesses.

Love, Trust, and Respect: These are other ingredients needed in maintaining a perfect friendship. Friends who respect each other apologize when one offends the other. Similarly, respect will make you not cross your friend’s boundary.

Love and respect your friends without an underlying intent.


Ultimately, good friends are rare gems.

A friend will tell you what you want to hear but it takes only a _good friend_ to tell you what you need to hear.


Where does your friendship fall under?