Category Archives: Spirituality

Spirituality

Heart Matters; The Heart – The Reservoir of Wisdom

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“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:24

Have you ever wondered why monks and sages are so wise? I have too. What makes them so wise? Don’t they have the same brain and eyes that we have? They do.

What makes monks, sages and wealthy men wise is a heart matter. Wisdom is not a mental condition, it is a heart condition. It is a state of the heart.

Wisdom can be received and enhanced in the heart. Thus we can describe the heart as the storage tank of wisdom. It stores up wisdom and insight for excellent living.

This is why Jesus spoke of ‘the abundance of the heart’. Even as the heart can store up wisdom, it can also store folly, or it can be empty and void of wisdom. It all depends on how much development you give to it.

Here are two ways to enhance inner wisdom;

1. Get connected with God.

God in us – The Holy Spirit is our source of wisdom. Any believer who is rooted in God will never run out of practical wisdom for daily living. Building a strong connection with God requires prayer, meditation, fasting etc. Find out more here.

  • Acknowledge God
Proverbs 3:6: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (KJV)

Here’s what Matthew Henry says about this verse:

“…. We must not only in our judgment believe that there is an over-ruling hand of God ordering and disposing of us and all our affairs, but we must solemnly own it, and address ourselves to him accordingly. We must ask his leave, and not design anything but what we are sure is lawful. We must ask his advice and beg direction from him, not only when the case is difficult… but in every case, be it ever so plain, we must ask success of him, as those who know the race is not to the swift.

We must refer ourselves to him as one from whom our judgment proceeds, and patiently, and with a holy indifference, wait his award. In all our ways that prove direct, and fair, and pleasant, in which we gain our point to our satisfaction, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove cross and uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge God with submission.”

Although there are men with natural wisdom, a look at world history reveals that it takes more than natural wisdom to survive in this world. Furthermore, no matter how smart you are, you will never know what the person next to you is thinking. You can never see into the future, no matter how clever you are; you can never predict the next war, bomb blast, tension, etc.

C. Bridges explains this better,

‘Take one step at a time, every step under divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted. Therefore, take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first piece- before self-will… self-wisdom, human friends, convenience (and) expediency. Before any of these have been consulted, go to God at once!’

Here’s an exercise for this;

  • Consider a decision you must make soon. It could be a job, an admission, a course selection, a spouse, or something else. Remove your emotions and preferences from the decision and speak to God – who dwells in your heart. Ask Him to guide you in making the right decision. You can even ask Him for a sign, as Gideon did, and if your heart is sincere, God may work a sign to lead you. But the most important thing is that you acknowledge God before taking any action.

  • Read your Bible

The Bible is God’s letter to man; it is God’s eternal counsel written down. God is very interested in the Bible because it is His very own work, and how much attention we as His children pay to it. I remember writing my first story and giving it to a close friend to read. I sat there watching him read it with bated breath until he was finished. I did this because it was my book, and it made me very happy to see someone else reading what I had written. Similarly, God loves it when we pay attention to His word.

His word contains life-changing wisdom. We see deep mysteries hidden for us in the life stories of David, Abraham, and others, as well as the proverbs of Solomon, the psalms of David, the teachings of Jesus, and the doctrines of the Apostles.

Therefore, let us give attention to the reading of God’s word for our own profiting.

  • Read it.
  • Meditate on it.
  • Study it.
  • Pray with it
  • Practice it
  • Keep reading it

What if I can’t understand what is written in it?

1 Corinthians 2:9-11: “…Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine  – these are the many things God has in store for them that love Him.

10 But God now unveils these profound realities to us by the Spirit.[c] Yes, he has revealed to us his inmost heart and deepest mysteries through the Holy Spirit, who constantly explores all things. 

11 After all, who can really see into a person’s heart and know his hidden impulses except for that person’s spirit? So it is with God. His thoughts and secrets are only fully understood by his Spirit, the Spirit of God.”

The Bible can never be fully comprehended by the human intellect; it requires the revelation of the Holy Spirit to fully comprehend the wisdom hidden in God’s word. As a result, before reading the Bible, we must pray to the Lord for understanding and insight into His word.

Read the Bible with an open heart in order to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit; as if God is speaking to you through it, read it. Don’t just skim through it. The butterfly can only get nectar from its flower by sucking it; similarly, we can only gain insight from God’s word by studying it meditatively.

2. INQUISITIVENESS

Wisdom is acquired through a combination of inquisitiveness for information and a desire to learn. This quality is common among the world’s renowned scientists and researchers. It is a heart matter and goes beyond being a mere over-thinker or curious person.

Inquisitiveness is the desire to learn, to know more about people, things. It is founded from the habit of observation. If you want to fill your heart with wisdom, observe and ask questions. Ask vital questions to yourself, God, elders around you and even to nature.

A wise man once said, “He who knows how to ask, will never get lost”. If you develop this inquisitive quality and you live by it, by the time you’re old your mind will be an accumulation of years of wisdom and answers to life’s toughest questions.

Here’s a practical for you;

  • Get a book and tag it ‘Wisdom Book’.
  • Write down the pivotal questions in your life that you need answers to.
  • Go to the Bible or get lessons from trusted counselors on those questions and write them down in your wisdom book.
  • Have a ‘learning goal’ each day. This goal should be the things you want to learn for that day. At the end of the day, write down the things you’ve learnt in your ‘Wisdom Book’.
  • Be observant and write down occurrences with significant meaning in your life.

BE CONSISTENT

Again, this must be done continuously in order to see the desired results.

Were you blessed by this post? We’ll love to hear from you in the comment section.

Spirituality

Spirituality: How can I pray for long hours? 😔😔

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The issue of praying for long hours has always been a trending topic among Christians. Prayer is often likened unto exercise.


There are times all one needs is light warmups, pushups and a few jogs; but there are times a standard athlete must spend quality time training himself and exercising his muscles in the gym.


This is also applicable for prayer.

There are times when all one needs is a light thirty minutes prayer; whereas there are situations that a quality Christian must spend time praying and declaring the Word of The Lord.


Thus, the importance that believers are taught not only how to pray, but also how to persevere in the place of prayer.

The athlete is trained on how to jog round a standard football pitch for more than thirty minutes nonstop; the Saint must also be trained on how to exercise his spirit for hours nonstop!


THE POWER IS IN QUALITY NOT QUANTITY


The essence of this lesson is not to spur you to begin to long duration the purpose and target of your prayer.

That’s the greatest mistake many-a-praying saint makes;it’s also the first step towards losing prayer stamina.



For effective prayer, you must have faith, knowledge of God’s Word as well as a heart aligned with the will of God.



Yet, this post is to train you on how you can engage God with both quality of heart and quantity of time.



1. THE WORSHIPPER


Prayer is a form of worship, thus, in order to pray well and pray long, one must be in the posture of worship before God’s presence.

The essence of spending time singing songs of worship to God cannot be argued.


Many a times, when a Saint desires to pray and goes on his knees, the burdens, pressures and concerns of the day will seem to be laid on his head.

Sometimes, it is like the consequence of the vigorous body exertions surface in the body all of a sudden; other times it could be sleepiness. When this happens, do not try to coerce yourself to pray.


Instead, lift your hands to God and sing songs of worship from your heart.

The Psalmist referred to worship as ‘Magnifying the Lord’, when the Lord is magnified and revealed in the room where your worship is being released, prayer becomes easy.


The more you worship God, the more you become aware of his presence. I once heard someone say, ‘I don’t worship much before praying, because I came to pray not to worship’.


This is the mindset of some saints, and its very wrong. Sometimes, all we actually need to do in God’s presence is not even to pray in loud tongues, but to worship and adore His majesty.


Worship awakens even our spirit and enable it to be able to receive from God. Before you present your requests to God, make sure you attend to His own request – that you worship Him in spirit and in truth.


2. YOU AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE


You must be aware that you’re praying for long. Cast away all thoughts that will make you be in a haste, and be conscious of the fact that you’re going to spend time in God’s presence.



3. PRAY WITH DIRECTION



Do not pray randomly for the sake of covering time. Let your mind be focused on a particular goal.



1 Corinthians 9:26 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:”


The Saint must be careful not to be like a boxer that only punches the air – exerting energy but making no impact.


His mind and spirit must be on the wall which he intends to crush, the barrier to break and the mountain to move.


4. GO BEYOND YOUR STRENGTH!

When the sprinters in a marathon become tired, they do not stop running entirely – because they know they have a destination that they must reach. Instead, they reduce their speed.


Having set a time target for yourself, you should keep praying until you’re able to reach it. If you do not have a time target, you should keep praying until you’re internally satisfied that you’ve done enough.



When you do this, you’re stretching yourself like the elastic runner, to go beyond your normal size. When you seem to be physically tired, you can rest, and if it’s not convenient for your health, stop the prayers and continue next time; otherwise, keep going.


Reduce the loudness of your voice; reduce your physical exertion, but ensure you’re praying.


5. PRAY-READ THE SCRIPTURES


There’s no greater source of strength than God’s Word.


Daniel 9:2 “During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the Lord, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.”


Daniel 9:3 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting.”


Daniel’s discovery of God’s prophecy about the nation of Israel spurred him to pray. A Saint who gains ground in long term prayer is a Saint who prays with his Bible open.

He constantly checks here and there, to see what God’s Word says about his business, family, kids etc, and the more he discovers it, the more he prays with it.

If you do not know what to pray, pray with God’s Word. Turn Bible verses into prayer points.

Finally;

CONSISTENCY IS KEY! An understanding of this will prevent you from setting unrealistic goals for yourself in prayer. Don’t expect to pray for five straight hours on your first attempt. Begin from an hour and keep advancing at weekly intervals.

Spirituality

Beholding God

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To Behold is to see or look at; to see means to; perceive or detect, witness or observe by personal experience, to understand, to meet or visit.

It is a known fact that what you see at all times or look at has a way of influencing your life. Many times, it can become the very drive and controller of our being.

This is because “the eye” is a gateway to the soul of man. This eye is not just the physical eye that consists of the retina and cornea. Sight is not just of the eyes, but also of the mind. The interpretation of what a man get from seeing is dependent on the state of mind. For example, one who keeps exposing his mind to pornographic materials will definitely become addicted to immorality.



You as a son of God, thus, your gaze should continually be on God; always beholding. It is in this beholding that you come to know God, study his principles, understand his ways and government, have personal experience building convictions of your faith and become a witness that can stand strong at all times.


Hebrews 12:2a
[2] Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. (Amp)

Hebrews 12:2a
 2We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. (TPT)


The answer to your complains about not understanding God is spending time in God’s Presence, gazing at His word and glory. It is not something you should do once; it is a continuous process.

The things of this natural realm tend to stand as a distraction between you and God. Scriptures admonish us not to pay attention to these things. The worldly and natural standards, ways of life shouldn’t be our concern, the gaze of our heart must be set on God.

Like the Psalmist, we must lift the eyes of our heart from the concerns of this world unto the Heavenly hills where the Lord dwells.


2 Corinthians 3:18
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit. (AMP)


In the above scripture, what happens when one constantly beholds God is revealed. When you spend time beholding and gazing on God’s glory through His word, an inner transformation begins to take place – we become transfigured more and more into His likeness.

Do you know what that means?

You begin to manifest His nature; it becomes your way of life; it is a state whereby everything about us is immersed into God and everything about God is immersed into us.

The more we see God, the more we get our minds enlightened and our hearts flooded with truth.

How do we behold God?


You don’t behold God’s glory by staring at the sky, trying to imagine what God looks like. You behold by staying in the Word constantly. When you do that, The Holy Spirit begins to open you eyes to understand who God really is. Meditate on the knowledge and understanding that you get from God’s word, when you do that, it sinks into your heart and becomes a conviction. This conviction about God is what will determine the quality of our Christian living.




Written by:
Chidimma Blessing.

Spirituality

The Power of Association

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One of the greatest factors that determine one’s progress in life is Association. This factor goes a long way in making or marring the destiny of an individual.


The root of every destroyed or fulfilled destiny can in one way or another be traced or linked with the kind of people one associated with. The company we keep is not limited to our friends alone, it goes a long way beyond that.

It could be anyone, any organization or club. Let’s take a look at the life of King Solomon from the Bible.

1st Kings 11:1-8;

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

2. Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.

3. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

4. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

8. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

We can see from the verses above that even the very wives of Solomon ended up destroying his long built relationship with God.

He had all the wisdom but the wrong association became a stumbling block for him and because of this, Israel was torn apart and taken from the house of David.

It doesn’t matter how great or anointed one can be, once you get involved with the wrong association, destruction is imminent and inevitable.

1 Corinthians 15:33: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”


The wrong company destroys but the right company preserves and builds one up. Observe that in the aforementioned verse, we are warned by the Apostle to avoid being misled. The question is misled by what?

We are to avoid being misled by the thought that the only way to convert unbelievers is by being close friends with them. This is false and not biblical!

Jesus never taught communion with unbelievers; even though he ate with sinners, they were never among His close clique. Do not be deceived that you’re too strong or wise to be badly influenced by unbelievers.

Solomon was not just strong, he was wise; he was the wisest man of his time. Yet, his fall was the most disastrous of kings.



DAVID AND JONATHAN (1 Samuel 18)

Jonathan loved, protected and cherished David like a brother.


Jonathan was selfless – he gave David several gifts including his sword and his garment. These two youths stayed loyal and faithful to one another inspite of the enmity between Saul and David.

True friendship saves and protects. Jonathan saved David from Saul’s wrath.

– Have friends who are passionate about the things of God.

– Have vision-driven friends.

– Have friends who are compatible with your future. There are folks that if we allow into our personal space will become obstruction to our future goals.


Finally, do not be hesitant to separate from a friend who seems to be a stumbling block to your success. Abraham separated from Lot and Paul wasn’t reluctant in separating from Barnabas.

GENERAL, Spirituality

How to profit from The Bible

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The Bible is God’s tool for building His Saints. It must not be approached as an ordinary book.


The Bible is a spiritual book that can only be understood by spiritual men.


THE REVEALER OF TRUTH


“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [complete truth]. For He will not speak on His initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].” John 16:13 (AMP).


The mysteries in the scriptures are subtly hidden from the knowledge of a carnal man. It takes the revelation of the Holy Spirit to unveil that which is hidden in God’s Word.


Anyone can read the Bible and to an extent, understand its message. But to be able to relate with the scripture and profit from its richness, we need the help of the Holy Spirit.



APPROACH TO STUDYING THE BIBLE

1. Meekness:

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which can save your souls.” James 1:21.




In order to be properly taught by The Word, the Saint must be ready to let go of his/her preconceptions and previous mind-set. He must come to God’s Word with an open heart, willing to accept its reproof and obey its instruction.


The Saint must approach the word as a student approaches his teacher. He must acknowledge that he knows nothing and he is capable of knowing nothing outside what The Spirit of Truth teaches him.



2. Consistency:

Spiritual Growth happens not in the quantity of time we spend in God’s Word alone, but also in how consistent we are in studying God’s word.



The Saint must not be lazy and sluggish in his approach to the Bible. It must be a daily habit and necessity. It must be cherished like the material food and must be mused on morning, noon and night.



Psalms 1:2: “….. on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.”

If the hardest of mathematical equations and formulas written by men cannot be fully understood in inconsistent and unserious studying, how much more a book written from the inspiration of God?

The Saint who will profit from the Word must be habitual student of it. He must be willing to devote at least an hour of the day and night to studying the scriptures.



MEDITATE ON IT

Source: Crosswalk

In order to apprehend the knowledge of The Divine, our minds must be conditioned into silent meditation.

It is in meditation that illumination is received. This great principle remains the secret of the wisest of men who have received the revelation of Christ.

In meditation, we ponder upon what we see in God’s word; we make it ours – we personalise it and apply it to our lives. Knowledge is processed from mental knowledge into conviction through meditation.

Meditation gives us insight into a knowledge. It opens us to a practical and real experience of Truth.

Meditate on God’s promises towards you. Ponder on His instructions;. Meditate on His wondrous works recorded in scriptures. The more you do this, the more God’s word becomes real to you.

PRAY-READ THE SCRIPTURES

Accompany your study of God’s word with prayers. Prayer deepens our understanding of the word and solidifies our faith to expect what the Word has promised us.

There are promises we come across in scriptures that we are to pray about and declare over our lives. When you come across such while studying God’s word, do not hesitate to instantly begin to declare it over your life and your family.

Conclusively, ensure you study your Bible with a pen and jotter, and desire to practice everything you’re learning from the scripture.

Spirituality

The Enemy’s Wiles

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What analogy can be best suited to describe a Christian warrior who is in constant opposition to Satan?


Here is one:


A boxer has a higher chance of winning when he understands every move of his opponent. He is calculative enough to know beforehand the next action of his foe and the best way to counter it.

Once he understands his opponent’s inclinations, he can take defensive techniques to avoid getting hit with the blows and then launch his attack.


Swiftness is what it is, an athlete needs to be quicker than his opponent.



The opposition with the devil has been from time immemorial. It is a war and only a witty Christian can outmanoeuvre the attacks of Satan.


If we are innocent of the enemy’s schemes, then we will not recognize his handiwork and he will use us for his ends. If we are cognizant of his tactics, then we will know when he is at work and deal with him.


1 Cor 12:1
“Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant.”



Below are the commonest schemes and means by which the enemy attacks:



å Thoughts:

The mind is a powerful channel to send opinions to a man. Satan works subtly. It takes wittiness to discern him when he comes through the channel of the mind.



Take for instance, a Christian who got offended by a cab driver, he tries to ignore the offense and stay cool. While at it the devil gives him reasons why he must retaliate to the provocation.


Wisdom is the application of knowledge. A wise Christian will not be taken advantage of because he quickly takes notice when strange thoughts creep into his mind and he can identify them as Satan’s ploy.


2Cor 2:11
“…that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”


å Incitement:

This could come from anyone, most often from peers. Here is another common instance of how it works:

_A Christian girl who is clear-minded and has zero interest in romantic dates, however, gets her clear-mindedness all infused with inordinate fantasies. This is after her peers incessantly share loved-up and sensual stories about their lovers, more so encouraging her to get into romantic relationships._


Incitement comes in a form of advice, encouragement, or a call to action, often to do wrong things.


While these and more are the likely schemes by Satan, it is 100% possible to outwit him.



Wisdom and discernment are the virtues needed to understand the tactics of the devil. Not only understanding his tactics but also knowing when he is at work.


These virtues are not utopian, they are given to us by God through prayers.



James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.


James 1:6
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.



Finally, brethren, discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 12:10) which should be desired by every Christian, just as St. Paul admonished.


God who gives freely is able to give us all that we ask for; every good thing comes from Him.

Spirituality

JUST BE STRONG

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Only the one who wears the shoe knows where the pain is felt. Others can only see how beautiful and shiny the shoe is; even if the feet in the shoe is rotten.




When the reason to live is not substantial and the reason to go isn’t justified too, hanging between choices; when happiness becomes one with sadness; and gloom merges with a smile facade.



And it is said “Just be strong”

What exactly is Strength!
What does it mean to be strong?


Is being strong is equal to living a sad and gloomy life?


Does it mean staying longer for a soon coming death?


Does it mean masking your lifeless soul with a cheerful outlook?


Or maybe being strong means becoming a sacrifice for all in the person of another saviour 🤔🤔


The phrase “Just be strong” loses its value without HIS presence.


Only HE can supply the strength that keeps one going just as HE has kept me going.

When I was in a dark tunnel, HE smiled at me.



The pain caused by the scorning and mockery of men gave way to His reassuring and loving smile.


I can truly ‘Be strong’ because the source of my strength is eternal.

I can truly be happy because the source of my happiness is Joy of The Spirit.





In the fire, HE is with me.
On the troubled waters, HE is with me.
Even in the valley of death, I fear no evil because HE is with me.
Even when everyone leaves me, HE never leaves me.
Even all has given up on me, He upholds me with His Right hand.



HE is Abba, My Father.

Beloved, be strong because HIS will for I and you is not for evil but for good; to bring us to His expected end.

To be strong is to know Abba, hold unto his word and live according to the Spirit; not giving heed to the senses or flesh, but seeing His wondrous works and goodness in all situations.



Abba is strength, to be strong is to have Abba with you and in you, in oneness.

Written by:
Chidimma Blessing.

GENERAL, Spirituality

What does Christ’s Resurrection mean for Believers

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Image Credit: 123rf.com

Over the past centuries, we have had magicians come up with several paranormal tricks and miracles. Even Buddhists and monks have diverse means of channeling healing and certain supernatural provisions to people.



With these in place, what makes the ministry of Jesus so unique. What makes Him the Lord and savior over all, and what makes Christianity the true religion.



It is His death and resurrection. No man has ever died and resurrected three days later, in His own power. It is unheard of. But Jesus died two thousand years ago, and on the third day He arose.



What significance does this have for believers?


1. His death and resurrection was the testament or attestation that Him alone holds the keys of life and death.


2. It was the declaration of His victory over the forces of Hell.


Colossians 2:15: “In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.”


When He died, Jesus ascended into the depths of hell and conquered its forces. We are told in the aforementioned scripture that He disarmed those evil spiritual rulers.

This means He stripped them of their authority and the weapons with which they continually tormented man. He stripped them of the keys of death!


His Resurrection was the proof that indeed, He had risen. Therefore, we rejoice this day, because in Christ’s victory, we have our victory. Satan has no authority over us anymore. He has no right over us anymore.


Your sins are forgiven. The Blood was shed for the remission of our sins. We have been purchased and now we belong to Christ.


Therefore, Satan has no right over us.

Hallelujah!


3. His Resurrection marked the birth of the Church


Colossians 2:12: “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”



In Christ’s death, we died. The Old Man died with and in Him. But if it had ended there, we’d have been hopeless. Jesus resurrected, and we resurrected in and with Him unto a New Life.



This Life is called New Life because it is the kind of life that has never been seen before. No one in the old testament had this new life.

No one before Jesus’s resurrection had this New Life. But Jesus’s resurrection secured this New Life for us. It is Divine Life – the very resurrected Life and Nature of Christ.


Therefore, this day should not be a day of mere celebration and festivity, it should be a day of sobriety and sober reflection.


We must ask ourselves if we are truly living in this New Life which we have in Christ.



We must ask ourselves if we are living as the resurrected Church, or as dead sinners.


Are we truly living the divine life? Or are we making vain his Resurrection.


We must decide that this life of Christ in us, which is the light of the world, will be expressed through us everyday, in our speech, actions and conduct. The New Life must not be a mere theory or Doctrine, it must be a tangible reality.


People around us must experience it daily. They should experience Christ through us. Our conduct and output must be unique, distinct and permeated with heavenly fragrance, such that folks are compelled to ask for the source of our divine distinction.

4. Hope of Resurrection

1Co 15:22: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Christianity is the only religion whose founder is not in the grave. This makes it the true and eternal religion.

The resurrection of Christ even makes Christianity more than a religion, as it provides a hope for believers – a hope which cannot be found in any religion; the hope of a future resurrection unto immortality.



Jesus resurrected to become the firstfruit of a tribe of humans with the divine life, known as Christians, who will all someday rise to full immortality where they’ll never know death again.

Though our bodies perish today, we have the hope, that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, will quicken our mortal bodies unto eternal life in the presence of God.

Ministry, Spirituality

Live Love

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Image Credit: Crosswalk


The supreme revelation of God was unveiled to us in 1 John 4:8:
“…. God is love”.


Unfortunately, the word, ‘Love’ is a word which has been wrongly defined, misused and misinterpreted by people.



Love, to the fallen man, is a feeling – a good feeling one has for another. This mediocre definition is a contributing factor to the numerous divorces found in American homes.



But for the Saint, love is not a mere feeling; neither is it an idea. For the Saint, Love is a nature, heart and life of benevolence, charity and kindness to humanity.


Adamic love is conditional. But Agape love – the love we are commanded to show to man – is unconditional.



Are you living this life of Love?


When your heart is lain bare before several eyes, what will be seen? Will it be a heart clothed with divine love, or a heart hardened with hate?


The Love of Christ was what made Him to leave the pleasures of Heaven to partake in man’s humanity, for our liberation.



Romans 5:8: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” {NLT}


God expressed His love for us through the sacrifice of His beloved Son.


By that act, God created a precedent, a standard and an ordinance, to govern Christian living.



It is no secret that this is a tough season for nations around the world.

Even the world’s global power, USA, is experiencing a steady decline in its national economic strength.

Millions around the world are dying daily. Hope is fading away, like the setting of the sun.


Music therapy is no longer working. Motivational speeches are no longer antidepressants. Who shall the world turn to?



Jesus answered this question when He said, ‘We are the light of the world’.
The Church is God’s light meant to illuminate the darkened hearts and hopeless lives of people.



We do this by showing and expressing the Love of Christ to them.



This Love must be lived, not just in the Church, but even outside the Church. It must be felt by our neighbours and friends.



A religious scholar once posed this question to Jesus:



“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”


Jesus answered him, “‘Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.’ {TPT}



“This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is like it in importance: ‘You must love your friend in the same way you love yourself.’ Contained within these commandments to love you will find all the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 23:36-40 {TPT}


The greatest commandment that Christ gave the church is to love God and to love humanity.


Some believers are full of so much hate that they actually desire the eternal destruction of those who hate them; whereas, God’s Word tells us that He does not want anyone to perish.



“Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. Let humility describe who you are as you dearly love one another.” 1 Peter 3:8.


The core value of the Church is Love. Every other value and principle is built upon it.



The same way Christ expressed the love of The Father to man, is the same way The Church, must express and exemplify Agape love to humanity.






“Beloved children, our love can’t be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our loving deeds. We know that the truth lives within us because we demonstrate love in action, which will reassure our hearts in his presence.” 1 John 3:17.


Real love is an action. Real Love is overwhelming; it is a tangible phenomenon.


Love is more of a verb than a noun.

Love is seen by actions and not by mere words. Real love will push you to the undeveloped nations of Africa to provide spiritual, emotional and financial edification to humanity.

It will cause you to give to the poor and needy. When there is true love in one, one’s smile becomes a healing balm to the wounded.


Manifest God’s Love today!



Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

Spirituality

The American Civil War 1: The Satanic War against Families

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Satan is after families and marriages in America!


There is no other way to present the truth than this. He is intent on destroying marriages and family values in America.


He is doing this because of his hatred for the institution created by God. In Genesis 2 and 3, God instituted the first marriage and set the order for how the marriage institution should be.


The Bible specifically states that God made marriage to be between, ‘Man and Woman’.


Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”


A man is to cleave to his wife – a woman, and not his boyfriend. The Bible was very clear in its stance on marriage.


But Satan, knowing that the strength of every great country is in its family and communal values, is destroying homes and marriages in America today.



THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT

Although homosexuality began in the Bible days (Romans 1:26-28), it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th century that the movement was awakened in America.

History shows us that homosexuality wasn’t originally in America’s fundamental rights.


But slowly, the homosexual movement crept into the United States. Men began to lust after men, girls began to lust after girls. This was never natural. It was the introduction of a demonic civilization.


We termed it civilization and freedom movement, unknown to us that this was a freedom promoted by Satan to cause America to turn against God.



The essence of the whole homosexual movement in America was/is to cripple families and family values, to reduce the sacredness and worth of marriage.



How will a mother, a morally upright mother be happy when her daughter falls in love with another girl.


What kind of child does a gay couple want to raise? What values do they want to give to the child? The healthy environment for a child to grow up is the presence of his mother and father; not two male sexual perverts.


But Satan is influencing the hearts of those in political power to support this big evil, so that the American family institution will collapse.


ABORTION

What is the logic in supporting the killing of babies and condemning the murder of adults?


Why is the killing of babies considered women right whilst the killing of adults is considered as a crime?

Are babies less human than adults?


Why is the American government in support of this great evil?


Once again, the Satanic agenda is shown. Scriptures tell us that ‘children are a heritage of God’. Every child is a gift of God.

If they’re gifts from God, then every baby from foetus stage should be valued and well nurtured.

But Satan is against this! Thus, he is taking advantage of people’s negative inclinations and using it to promote this demonic cause called Abortion.


Even irrational animals do not kill their babies, let alone humans. Abortion makes women worse than animals.

If the Church does not fight against this both in prayers and radical evangelism, it will increase fornication sporadically.

Girls will feel comfortable living promiscuously, because of the evil assurance that they can always have an abortion peradventure they get an unwanted pregnancy.


Folks, if you are a parent, you cannot afford to live carelessly this period. You must cling to your family, your kids, your spouse. Satan is after them, especially if you are a believer.



The tension between Kirk Franklin and his son is only a minute representation of the conflict in thousands of American homes presently.


Sons are turning against their parents. Young Girls are learning how to go on dates without their parent’s awareness.


What should believers do in times like this?

1. Attention and Affection

Now is the time to start giving attention to your kids and your spouse. Do not give attention that will make them on edge in your presence.

Let your presence be full of love, peace and understanding. Let your children know that you care. Let your spouse know that you care.

Do not get overly engrossed in your business or daily endeavors that you ignore the welfare of your family.

Make them your priority. Some people, especially men, make the excuse that they can’t express affection.

Well, if you cannot express affection, then do not get a family. If you can’t kiss your wife and tell her you love her, why did you marry her in the first place? Let go of your pride and open your heart to your family.


2. Establish core family values in your Home


The importance of having daily family devotion can never be overemphasised.

No matter how busy your schedule is, as a parent, every morning and/or evening, spend at least twenty minutes counselling your family, especially your kids.

Teach them the counsel of the Lord. We might not be able to eradicate homosexuality from the world, but we can ensure it doesn’t come into our kids.

We might not be able to end immorality in the world, but we can remove it from the lives of our kids.

Therefore, instead of bothering about what’s happening in the world, invest more time in having counselling sessions with your children.


Set practical examples for them. Be who you want your children to be. Let your family be known for godly values. Be a mentor to your children.

If you do not teach them the right things, society will teach them the wrong things. Parents must wake up to their responsibilities.

Watch out for Part 2 of this series.

Spirituality

What do I do when my love for God has waxed cold

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We live in a world full of uncertainties and wickedness.



It takes a man whose love is not set on the things of the world, to survive the wickedness that has been planted in it. Only a man who has overcome selfishness will be able to live above the greed found amongst men in this world.



Unfortunately, the love of God – which is above selfishness, is waxing very cold among even the saints.



Many false prophets will arise and lead multitudes astray and because of the prevalent disregard of God’s law the love of the great majority will grow cold – Matthew 24:12 {Weymouth}


God’s desire is that as His children, we should live in obedience to His precepts and commandments. He desires that we fill our hearts with His love, and allow our feet to be governed by this love.



False Teaching

We live in a time where false prophets and teachers are at a rise. A believer has to be very discreet in choosing a church to belong to and a pastor to listen to.


The false teachings these days have been masked such that only a discerning Christian will be able to identify it.



We now have Churches that have been turned into business centres. Places of worship are being turned into vaccination centres.

Pastors are turning the Gospel into a more motivational speech, and saints are being deprived of the right nourishment of the Gospel.


This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11).


What do I do when my love for God grows cold?

1. Identify the cause and repent of it:

What made God’s love in you to go cold? Friends? Offence? Sin? Search your heart and identify the root of it. Take it to God in repentant prayer. Let go of it at the altar of repentance.

St. Matthew 5:30: “And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”


2. Associate with Kingdom-Minded Friends:

Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron…”

Identify with believers who are full of fervency for the things of God. One cannot stay close to fire and not be warm. Separate yourself from intimate friendship with unbelievers. The love of God flows unto us when we join a community of true believers.

3. Revive it with the true knowledge of Christ.

Open your heart to God’s Word and The Holy Spirit. Get sermons that will stir up your love and passion for God.



Is your love for God frosty? Repent and be transformed.


Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh