Tag Archives: Christianity

Spirituality

Walking Bibles

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Image Credit: https://www.knowing-jesus.com


John 6 vs 56:
“He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”


Anytime we hear the phrase “THE WORD OF GOD ”, what our minds travel to instantly is the BIBLE.

Why? Because the Bible is an ancient book in which lies the Word of God. But, the actual Word of God is not the letters.



The actual word of God is JESUS CHRIST THE SON.


As Christians, we must study our Bibles at all times but what about the unbelievers? What would they read?


Many of them do not have access to the Bible and even those who have access to the Bible see the Bible as a big boring book filled with historical events.


The moment they hear the word ”JESUS” or anything that has to do with God, they lose interest immediately.


So what do they study? They study us!

John 6 vs 56 says that Jesus (THE WORD OF GOD) dwells in you In other words, you are a walking Word of God.


We are being read and studied by the unbelievers around us.

There’s a life in The Word which our lives as Christians must manifest. It is the God-kind of life.


Sometimes, a simple good deed could change a notorious sinner into a devout Christian.



The Bible says that we are a city set on a high hill that can never be hidden.


It means no matter how hard you try to hide yourself, you will surely be seen and closely watched by the people around you.


Whatsoever you do will affect the kingdom of God and the lives of those watching you either positively or negatively.



St. Matthew 5:13: “Ye are the salt of the earth”


Salt brings sweetness to food. Our lives must be sweetness to the unbelievers. Our words and actions should make their lives better.


The unbeliever beside you does not care about the church you attend. All he cares about is the kind of life you live.


The unbelievers you have as neighbours do not care about the number of gospel songs you have in your phone. All they see is the Light of God that you release into their own lives.



That unbelieving colleague at your work place cares little about the Bible you carry around, all she wants to see is Christ in you.


You are a walking Bible.
You are a Bible to those around you. You are a carrier of God’s words and the life it brings. So let your light shine bright.


Do not hide your identity in Christ.
Be known for who you truly are; a Christian and a walking Bible.
You are an ambassador to the kingdom of God.


Be careful in all you do, you are being watched.


About The Author Tolu-Taiwo Victor is a young African writer.whose works have been published on several Internet platforms.

Spirituality

A Charge To The Believers in the Marketplace

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God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that will aid our growth.


Everything God has given us is to our advantage, for our life to be in alignment with the intentions of God.


If you are not manifesting the Kingdom of God in whatever business you do, then you’re not living by the government of God.


Jesus Christ is an example of how a man should operate under God design.


Several believers are not working under the design of Christ, rather, they have chosen to work under the design of their denomination.


Until we manifest the kingdom of heaven as Christ did, we are living below God’s intention.


“Your lives are like salt among ppeople But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavourless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others.“Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-15.


God’s design is for us to be salt to season the earth and to light up the world. Adam’s fall made the world to lose its illumination and seasoning.


Believers as the salt of the Earth means we are to better the lives of people.

It means we are to bring healing to the sick, hope to depressed and freedom to the oppressed and light to the dark-hearted. We are add value to our society. This is the purpose of the Church!



Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine… “


The Gentiles will not come to us if we remain in a slumbering state.


There is so much darkness on the face of Africa because of the absence of illumination.


To become light is to break people out of the bondage of religion and culture and bring them to experience the excellent knowledge of Christ.


To lighten up the Earth is to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Glory of God.


For believers to take over the marketplace we must be ready to as Light and Salt unto the world.


Do not stay idle in the Church! Go into the world and become a Kingdom advocate today!


Engage the Kingdom today. God bless you!



Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

GENERAL

Dealing with Procrastination

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Image Credit: Balance.media

Many destinies today, have become a mirage because of procrastination.


Several people would have reached the peak of their skills if they hadn’t fallen into the trap of complacency and laziness.



A lazy man is one who procrastinates.


Greatness comes by decisive and deliberate action to do what is important and needful for your success in Life. Complacency is the enemy of Growth.


Nothing will grow in our lives if we continue to live a life of missed opportunities as a result being lazy.


How to deal with Procrastination


1. Discipline:

Discipline is the bridge between planning and accomplishment.

Achievers are people who have the ability to compel their will and channel their energies in achieving a specific goal.

There is no key to achieving success other than discipline. Discipline yourself to work now! Discipline yourself to study now! Discipline yourself to face your fears! Just do it!

Do not shift to tomorrow, what you can do today! Grab your pen and write that story! Make that phone call!


2. Scheduling your time;


There are 24 hours in a day, each hour comes with its opportunities.



To schedule your time is to arrange your activities and fix them at their respective hours.


Several people schedule their time for insignificant things.


This is wrong as time is not renewable. Any hour spent without a deliberate schedule will lead to wasted opportunities.


Friends who will not help you to schedule your time should never be around you. Distance yourself from friends who will not respect your daily schedule. Your day is very precious to you. Many people are on the same level today because of the lack of a definite schedule. Give yourself to schedule.


3. Choose Sensible friends:


Friends are pointers to destiny, Loving your neighbour is a commandment, having a friend is your choice.


Any friend you have that will always make you use your time to talk, party and do other things that will not bring benefit to you and help you to get grow should not be your friend.


You must get rid of friends who are time wasters.


Never give yourself to friends who love to gossip. Friendship is either value-adding or value-depreciating.


Surround yourself with friends who will add value to your destiny and will always tell you what to do when you are confused.


4. Develop A Responsible Mind-set:

Ignorance is the greatest obstacles of a man, Bad mind-set is an enemy of progress.


If you want to grow, take responsibility! you are not like other persons. Our responsibilities are unique. So don’t just sit down, engage your responsibility!



God bless you!


Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

Spirituality

Until you wake Him up…

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It was a cool and serene evening when Jesus decided to sail with His disciples from Galilee to Gadarenes.


Earlier that day, He had taught the multitude, kingdom principles, and had spoke in parables to them as well.


To others, He taught the parable of the sower and the seeds. 



When it was evening, Christ dismissed them. After dismissing them, He boarded a ship to journey from Galilee to Gadarene. 


Due to how fatigued Christ was, He needed rest. He went to the hinder part of the ship, and slept on a pillow.


As they sailed, a great storm of wind arose. The storm was so great that water flooded the ship. 


The ship was at the verge of sinking. Jesus’ disciples were in jeopardy.



“Is this how we are going to die?” such thought, perhaps, might have crossed their mind.


Christ was still in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow, while His disciples wailed in fear.


As the storm raged on, one of His disciples who was in a tizzy, trudged  to where He was, woke Him up, and cried out, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?”



Then, He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “peace be still.”


He didn’t say, “Storm, please, be still.”


No. He did not negotiate with the storm. He commanded the storm, “Peace, be still.”


Immediately, the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. His disciples were awestruck and said within themselves, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”



In the story retold above, did you notice that the deadly storm could not wake Him up?


Notice that the raging storm could not wake Him up. The rocking boat could not wake Him up.



He did not wake up until His disciples came to wake Him up. And the moment he woke up, He restored peace to the sea. 




What is the lesson in this?


Your problems might not wake Him up.

Your debts and destructive infirmities sickness might not arouse Him to work. 

Your crumbling business and dying ministries might not stir up His power. 


Your crashing marriage and crumbling home might not prompt Him to arise. 


What you are going through now may not wake Him up…

Until you learn to wake Him up yourself.


[Taken from Luke 8:22-26, and Mark 4:33-41]


Author: Myrose Saviour Lily

GENERAL

Upgrade!

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To Upgrade is simply to increase in your worth and the quality of the value that you give to the society.



It is to raise your reasoning to the model of excellence and consistently improve on the quality of your mind in any endeavour you are engaged in.

Life comes in seasons. Destiny is in phases. Your ability to constantly upgrade your thinking and the quality of your services will go a long way in determining how much value you will add to the society.

Constantly upgrading ourselves is very important in sustaining generational relevance.

As Nwodo Divine, founder of Koininia Art says, ‘One must upgrade, because yesterday’s standard of excellence could today, be a display of mediocrity’


The problem with numerous believers is that even after getting born again, they still stick to their old pattern of thoughts and attitudes.


There is a clarion call from Heaven for us to upgrade.


We must advance the quality of our delivery to the level of wisdom and excellence that God has deposited in us.



Many persons, especially those in Africa, were born in bad times and conditions of life. Hence, even as believers, they have rubbed off the mindset of prominence, simply because their minds were shaped from infancy, by poverty.

Despise and detest poverty. Poverty leaves you defenceless and makes you dependent on the elite.

But greatness comes by intentional and deliberate efforts in upgrading your mind. Greatness is a lifestyle even as poverty.

UPGRADE WITH GOD’S WORD.

Source: Christianity.com


The first upgrade every believer should do is to advance his thinking to be aligned with the thoughts of God unveiled in God’s Word.


The Bible is the thoughts of God revealed. Spending time with The Bible is spending time with the thoughts of God.

When one does this consistently, one’s mind will increase in Wisdom very greatly.

The thoughts and ways of God are so mysterious, that we must constantly renew our minds to prevent being left behind in His move.


‘My life on earth is so brief, so tutor me in the ways of your wisdom. I am continually consumed by these irresistible longings, these cravings to obey your every commandment!’ Psalms 119:19-20.



For one to upgrade is for one to commit oneself to learning new things in God.


Never take pride today, in what you knew in the past because it can become obsolete.



Do not become complacent the things you’ve learnt or achieved in the past.

Upgrade and improve on them daily!

Each day, new methods of doing things are unfolded. If one does not advance in his methods, one will soon be considered to be archaic.

Joshua 1:8: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’


In God’s first recorded discourse with Joshua, we discover an ageless truth; that our success and prosperity is tied to our ability to continually meditate on God’s Word, and practice that which it says.

As you continue to cogitate on the Word of God, your appetite for God widens. You will get unsatisfied with religion and pursue the kingdom.

UPGRADE BY READING QUALITY BOOKS

Source: Cfr.org



Upgrade your mind by getting quality books. Having a library of your own improves the way you think.

Books open you to new ways of seeing. Reading quality books sharpens our perception.

If you are not ready to be great do not read. A mind that does not read, will stink.


UPGRADE YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM


Do not let the mediocrity of your culture or background influence your belief system.

Your beliefs matter a lot. A poor character is a result of wrong belief systems. Failure and success are tied to your belief systems.


Change certain patterns and habits you know is dangerous to your destiny.


Deal with them, now!


Deal with everything that will cause the problem to your life.


Upgrade your mind and you will enjoy the best of life.

God bless you!

Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amara-Yahweh.

POETRY

Poetry Today: Tragedy

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Life calls unto deep,
Frail men can’t understand it,
The light shines at the end,
Darkness takes over the dead.

Teach us about life,
That when she comes,
We will be able to overcome,
For she gives birth to sorrow,
In the lives of many men.

Leave everything in the hands of God,
I have detected in the jaws of men,
She uses sorrow as a tool of destruction.

Teach us to overthrow her,
When she rises like a flood.


Greenhills Emmanuel Amrayahweh

GENERAL

Safe in The Blood

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Exodus 12:13: “The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy [you] when I strike the land of Egypt.” (HCSB)

The story of the Passover is one which no believer is unfamiliar with. Yet, it is a story which only few believers have discovered the great wealth of divine revelation concealed underneath it. This is due to what one would call, ‘over-familiarity’ with the scriptures.

I intend on bringing to our understanding, a knowledge which is needed at this time more than ever.

In the text above, God was about to strike the nation of Israel with a plague. It was going to be a plague that would kill the firstborn of every living creature, man or animal, in Egypt. As providence would have it, the Israelites happened to be living in Egypt as slaves, at that time.

Such a season could be compared to the season we are in presently. The Bible tells us that are the spiritual Israel.

We are God’s people who are presently mixed up with the Pagans and unbelievers. We are people in covenant with God who are living amongst people outside of God’s covenant. Just like the children of Israel centuries ago, we find ourselves in a world full of corruption, oppression and hatred towards Christians.

In the USA, for instance, Joe Kennedy, a former Washington state high school football coach, was fired, for praying in the pitch, before and after every match of his team. This and more instances, show how believers are being oppressed by the evil ones sitting at the helm of world affairs.

God saw the oppression of His people, and He was about to send a plague to strike the land. But God had to distinguish His people in order to shield them from being affected by the plague.

The distinguishing mark was going to be the blood of a young lamb, sprinkled on the door posts of the Israelites. They obeyed, and they never got affected by the plague.

In a season of plague like this, you do not need to kill a lamb and shed its blood on your doorpost like the Israelites did. What they did was only a shadow and figure of what God was going to do in our generation.

The lamb which was slain represents Christ, who is the lamb that was slain for our redemption (1 Peter 1:19-20). His Blood was shed on the cross of cavalry, and till date, the Blood still speaks.

Hebrews 12:24: “And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].” (AMP)

The Blood of Jesus speaks of mercy, not judgment. Where there is mercy, there is preservation; grace and protection. The Blood of Christ shed for us shields us from every plague and pestilence in the land.

But as a believer, you must apply the Blood to yourself and your household. You must not live in complacency or assumption.

We apply the Blood of Christ in our Household through two ways,

a. Declaring it

b. Teaching it to our household

Firstly, you must declare the Potency of the Blood and its efficacy in your life and family. Say this, ‘I declare that I am covered from this plague by the blood of Jesus through my faith in the finished works of Christ. Therefore, I and my household are safe and protected from this pandemic’. Do not say this alone; lead your family members to confessing it with you daily.

Teaching the importance of the Blood to your household is very important if they are going to benefit from it. When you explain the significance of applying the Blood, their faith is built up to trust in the covering of the Blood of Jesus.

Know that no matter how the condition of this pandemic gets, you will survive it, because you are covered by the blood! You are like the Israelite and your house is like the Goshen city where they dwelt. You are secure in the Blood of Jesus. And so is your family.

Amen.

POETRY

The Cries of Wisdom

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Wisdom Cries

Come unto me and receive rest,
And I will help you overcome life’s greatest test.


Come into me and waste not your youth,
And I will purse devourers off your booth.

She calls to all pigmentations of men,
‘Come unto me and I will give you rest.’

‘Let me in’ she says,
‘That I may come and sup with you.’

The foolish knows not her voice,
Without her the weak becomes void

Silver and gold are at her feet,
Honour and glory are part of her gifts.

She is an anchor to kings
And she is the crown of queens.

GreenHills Emmanuel is the writer of this poem.

GENERAL

The Importance of Kingdom Friends

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Friends are pointers to your destination. If the friends you are surrounded with are those with no clear destination in life, it is best you change them, else  you will become like them.

Friendship has a lot of influence on one’s destiny. A Destiny unfulfilled is as a result of an association unchecked.

Godly friendships are pointers to a profitable future. Any association that doesn’t have the kingdom as its focus has nothing to offer.

“Every violent thug is despised by the Lord, but every tender lover finds friendship with God, and will hear his intimate secrets” – Proverbs 3:32.

The aforementioned text shows what friendship is all about in God. Abraham was a friend of God and because of his faithfulness and loyalty to the friendship, God never hid anything from him.

The first friend that a man must have should be God. Only God can reveal to you, certain secrets needed for your success in life.

Moses was a friend of God and because of his loyalty to the Friendship, God released some of the deepest covenant secrets, some of which are still relevant in this generation.

Anyone who despises God’s kind of friendship is regarded as a thug.

A thug is a person who no regards for things that are important. A thug is an aggressive person who does not cherish the blessings that God has given to him.

In the body today, there are several ‘thug’ Christians. They live lawlessly, without a consciousness of their relationship with God.

Let us look back at our scripture,

“But a tender lover finds”,

The word “finds” is a very important word in the abovementioned text.

It connotes a strong longing and desire for God. It means to relentlessly seek after the things of God. A tender lover desires intimate friendship with God. Such a believer would cheerfully walk in obedience to the laws and principles of God’s kingdom.

If you desire the friendship of God, you must be ready to walk in God’s instructions. Loyalty in your friendship with God will cause the favor of God to surround you.

“Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” – Proverbs 27:9.

Along with our friendship with God, we must be careful in the friendships and associations we maintain in our personal space.

The kind of friends you have here on Earth will determine the kind of relationship you will have with God. Any association that will not remind you of the principles and laws of the kingdom is not meant to exist in your personal life.

In the path of destiny, God gives you the power to choose your friend that can either make your destiny or mar your destiny. 

The kind of friendship you belong to determines what kind of secrets God can give to you. Kingdom Friendship creates an atmosphere of God’s presence around you.

Kingdom Associations create godly atmosphere in your life.

“He appointed the Twelve, whom he named apostles. He wanted them to be continually at his side as his friends, and so that he could send them out to preach 15 and have authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons.” – Mark 3:14-15 (TPT).

Jesus did not just want them to become his disciples; He wanted to impart them with spiritual values that will enable them to stand out in whatever they do.

Kingdom friendship produces kingdom values.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” – Daniel 3:16-17.

Kingdom friends are resolute in Kingdom principles and laws.

The three Hebrew boys in the highlighted text, collectively refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s graven image.

Your close associations go a long way in affecting your life decisions.

Kingdom friendship keeps you strong in times of trials and tribulations, kingdom friendship are important.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to yield to the King’s command, because what he was telling them to do, was against the tenets of God’s covenant.

When you have such friends as the three Hebrew boys, they will guide you. They will help you find alignment to God. 

Kingdom friendship helps you to view things with the lens of the Kingdom.

Prayer and fasting becomes a norm; Mental and Spiritual transformation takes place when one is surrounded by Kingdom friends.

Because Jesus was friends with the Apostles, they were able to align easily with kingdom. 

When you have godly friends, the burdens of the kingdom become light and the yoke becomes easy to bear.

Kingdom friends help shape our views and perspectives to become aligned with the kingdom.

Who are your friends?

This sermon was written by GreenHills Emmanuel.

Spirituality

Cultivating Intimacy with God

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It is more difficult to pass a thread through a needle’s hole than to draw it out from the same.

It takes more strength and devotion to build than to destroy.

Lots of people have decided to see maintaining intimacy with God as an insurmountable mountain. Some see it as a privilege reserved for the pastors alone. Neither of these is true.

Intimacy is something GOD wants for every member of His Church. He wants us to be so close to Him that we read His mind frequently.

Maintaining an intimate relationship with God could become one of the easiest things to do depending on how ready and committed you are.

In this homily, I intend on bringing to light, three major things one must work on, to enjoy intimacy with God.

1. TIME

Time could be listed as the most crucial and important factor to be considered when building an intimate relationship with God.

The time you devote to someone or something is an expression of the value you place on the same.

Do not be so busy that you have no time to sit in solitude and have fellowship with God.

Joyce Meyer said “You can have as great of a relationship with God as you want to have, it just depends on how much time you are willing to put into it”.

The level of your intimacy with God and with anyone else at large depends greatly on how much time you are willing to spend with the person.

The more the time you give to God, the more intimate you become with him and the lesser the time, the intimacy with God grows.

For most of us, the only time we really make out time to pray and study God’s words is when we need something from Him, or when we find ourselves in troubles we cannot solve on our own.

We have limited God to a mere provider rather than our Father and Friend.

You do not create time for someone you truly love only when you are in need. True love for someone would make you crave for free time to be with that person.

No matter how busy you claim to be, you can always mark out time to spend in fellowship with God.


CONSISTENCY AND DESIRE

After creating time for God, you must be consistent in it.

It’s one thing to create time and another to be consistent. Consistency means staying faithful till the end. Consistency is a sign of seriousness and readiness.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that God is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek him.

Take note of the word DILIGENTLY.

Many seek God but are not diligent in their devotion to God. Being diligent is a sign of commitment and consistency. Be consistent!

There are times you will not feel like praying. There are times you will not feel like studying God’s Word.

But God does not want us to live based on our feelings, He wants us to live by faith and genuine desire.

Psalm 145 vs 19 says, “He will fulfill the desires of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them”.

Your desire for God must go beyond mere feelings.

Desires speak in the place of prayer. It makes you tarry in his presence even when your body does not feel like.

The more you desire God, the more intimate you grow with him.

Have a marked out time with God daily. Never miss that time or use it for something else.

But even with that, learn the art of spontaneous prayer. Be in prayer mode daily.

Follow these steps and watch your relationship with God grow so strong.

Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor