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Spirituality

Too Precious to Lose

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Matthew 16:26: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Heb 12:16: “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”

Despite its severe effects, the lockdown was also a blessing in disguise. Although the lockdown has been terrible on some people, yet, it has also been didactic.

It has given Christians the space to reflect on the state of their fellowship with God. It has caused us to genuinely appreciate our faith and the communal Worship which we had in time past.

The communal Worship which several believers abandoned in their desperate quest to get Earthly Riches, is what they are crying for today.

The businesses which they pursued at the expense of their Faith and devotion, has been shut down without warning by the Government.

The friends whose pressure caused them to backslide in their walk with God, are nowhere to be found today.

The Covid was terrible. The lockdown was terrible. Yet, these things were highly didactic.

They should us the true nature of riches and Humanity.

Despite our world powers, health technologies and advanced science, we could not stop a single virus from wiping out millions of people from the face of the Earth.

We have been taught a lesson by Experience. And this lesson is one that will be passed on from generation to Generation.

Science has its limit. Money has its limit.

We are told in scriptures that money answers all things. That is true only in the context of material things.

Money only answers our yearn for the visible and tangible materials in this world. But money has no ability to procure eternity on our behalf.

Hence, the believer must be careful not to put money, instead of his soul’s state, as the priority of his pursuits in life.

Jesus said it this way,

St. Matthew 16:26 “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT)

The AMP puts it this way,

Matthew 16:26: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?”

What exactly can you give as an exchange for the Blessedness of being a Christian?

Why aren’t you seeing the inestimable value of this great Pearl given unto you by the Lord Himself.

Why are you willing to forsake your faith to gain the world?
Why are you willing to forsake your faith to gain the cheers and praises of your friends?
Why are you willing to forsake your faith to gain the patronage of the world?
Why are you willing to accept abortion and Homosexuality just to gain global acceptance?

Oh Believer! Why are you very willing to forsake your faith to gain the attention of the world.

Look at how frail man is! Though they put on a strong outlook, and they pretend to be wise and in control, when it comes to matters of life and death, only God has the final say.

So why are you bothered about their persecution and antagonistic treatment towards you?

Haven’t you read in the Psalms that the wicked, “will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.” (Psalm 37:2).

The second text which I wrote at the beginning of this sermon, is one which tells us of a frightening event which took place in scripture.

Esau had returned from hunting and was hungry. He met Jacob preparing a scenting delicacy, and requested that Jacob shared it with him.

I believe the story is familiar to you. Jacob requested for Esau’s birthright in exchange for the Pottage, and Esau, without proper reasoning, sold his birthright to Jacob.

Though one might easily condemn Esau for selling his birthright to Jacob, yet, one knows that there are many Esaus in the Church today.

Esaus who gave relinquished their positions and duties in church, in order to unrestrainedly fulfill their inordinate desires.

Esaus who for a moment of want, have renounced their faith in order to get the Pottage of the Tempter.

If Esau had refused to give his birthright to Jacob, and had been patient, he would have certainly been able to prepare a meal of his to satisfy his hunger.

But when sin is about to trap its victim, it makes the victim see it as the only option available.

Probably Esau had thought, ‘What is the worth of my birthright anyways. Is it going to satisfy my belly?’.

There was an same way there are Christians who say within themselves, ‘What is the use of being a Christian? Is that how I want to feed my kids?

Though we think these things are our thoughts, yet, they are mostly whispers of the enemy to our hearts.

Refuse to gain the world at the expense of your soul!

Say No to sin!
Say No to promoting the cause of the LGBTQ community!
Preserve your Faith!

God bless you.

GENERAL

Daily Worship: Ekwueme Reprise

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Our God is an awesome God. Whatever He has promised, He will fulfill.

He cannot be limited by the circumstances of life, or the economic conditions of the nation.

This moment, lift up your voice to the maker, singing along with Prosper Osinachi, as we sing of The Lord’s immutability.

GENERAL

God’s Building Materials

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1 Corinthians 3:12
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,

1 Corinthians 3:13 Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

It is weight that counts. Wood, hay, stubble are cheap, light, temporary; gold silver, precious stones are costly, weighty, eternal.

Here is the key to value.

The heavy metals, the gold of the divine character and glory, the silver of His redemptive work: these are the materials He prizes.

Not merely what we preach, please note, but what we are, weighs with God; not doctrine, but the character of Christ wrought out in us by God’s orderings, by God’s testings, by the Spirit’s patient workings.

Work that is of God is work that has been to the Cross. When our work has been that way, we can rest assured that it will in the end survive the fire.

Not, “Where is the need most evident? What ideas and resources have I got? How much can I do? How soon can I put that doctrine into practice?” but, “Where is God moving? What is there of Him here? How far does He will for me to go? What is the mind of the Spirit on this?”—these are the questions of the truly crucified servant. He recognizes God’s “Go” and His “Speak,” but also His “Wait,” and His “Go,” but say only so much. Aware of his own weakness and emptiness, the greatest lesson he has to learn is to commit his way to God and wait to see Him move.

The problem lies in our failure to understand that, in God’s work, man in himself is of no use. Wood, hay, stubble, these suggest what is essentially of man and of the flesh.

They imply what is common, ordinary, easily and cheaply acquired—and of course perishable. Grass today may clothe the earth with beauty, but where is it tomorrow?

Human intellect may give us a grasp of Scripture; natural eloquence may have the power to attract; emotion may carry us along; feelings may seem to supply a guiding sense—but to what? God looks for more solid values than these.

Many of us can preach well and accurately enough, but we are wrong. We talk of the flesh but don’t know its perils; we talk of the Spirit, but would we recognize Him were He really to move us?

Too much of our work for God depends not on His will and purpose, but on our feelings—or even, God forgive us! on the weather. Like chaff and stubble, it is carried away by the wind. Given the right mood we may accomplish a lot, but just as easily, in adverse conditions, we may give up entirely. No, as the fire will one day prove, work that is dependent on feelings or on the wind of revival is of little use to God. When God commands, feelings or no feelings, we must learn to do.

The God-prized values are costly. Those unwilling to pay the price will never come by them. Grace is free, but this isn’t. Only a high price buys costly stones.

Many a time we shall want to cry out “This is costing too much!” Yet the things wrought by God through the lessons we learn under His hand, though we be long in learning them—these are the really worthwhile things.

Time is an element in this. In the light of God, some things perish of themselves; there is no need to wait for the fire. It is in what remains, in what has stood God’s test of time, that true worth lies. Here are found the precious stones, formed in what

God graciously gives us of sorrow and trouble, as He puts us “through fire and water” to bring us to His wealthy place. Man sees the outward appearance; God sees the inward cost. Do not wonder that you experience all sorts of trials. Accepted from His hand they are the sure way to a life that is precious to Him.

May God have mercy on the clever people who pass on merely what they have read or received from another. Not even speaking for God can be done without cost.

It is all a question of whether the person’s life is light or weighty, for weight shows the quality of the material. Two men may use the same words, but in the one you meet something you cannot get past; in the other— nothing.

The difference is in the man. You always know when you are in the presence of spiritual worth. No amount of theorizing about the Lord’s return, for example, will take the place of a life that has been daily lived looking for Him.

There is no escaping this difference, and no substitute for the real thing. Alas, some of us are so unlike our words that it might be better if we said less about spiritual things.

Do not wonder, then, at God’s concern for the materials of His house. Imitation jewelry may have a certain beauty, but what woman who has once possessed the real thing would give it another thought?

The apostle Paul leaves us in no doubt of his own valuation. Ten coolie-loads of stubble can never approach the price of one single gemstone.

All flesh, all mere feelings, all that is essentially of man, is grass and must vanish away. What is of Christ, the gold, the silver, the costly stones, these alone are eternal, incorruptible, imperishable.

It is this lasting character of God’s Church that must now claim our attention.



Watchman Nee

GENERAL

The True Revelation of God’s Fatherhood

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The ‘God-figure’ in this generation, I am afraid, has been diluted and reduced beyond what the Personality of God really entails. We now use sensual images to depict the relation of the Holy Spirit with Saints.

We now have Christians who brag about how they relate with The Holy Spirit as their Lover. They speak ecstatically of how they ‘make love’ with Him, and how He hugs them, and even them pet names.

As fanciful as this sounds, it does not correlate with the fatherhood of God which we are given in scriptures. It only appeals to the sensuality of our human self and is highly inaccurate when weighed by the tenets of scriptures.

Some people do not feel they are close to someone unless they can talk to that person anyhow, and jump on that person’s head. That is not closeness, that is mere childishness.
Some even relate with God this way. They think it is okay to address God like He is their mate or sparring partner. They justify this wrong culture, by saying it is because God is their ‘Padi’ (Nigerian colloquial term for ‘buddy’).

Some believers see this as a sign of intimacy. Alas, it is not. It is just the culture of childishness.

The mature ones who truly love God, do not rant. God loves all His children, and that’s what makes us His children; but only those who love Him are mature. Loving Him is what makes for maturity.


Whenever mature believers feel they have a strong case with God, they do not speak to Him anyhow.

Abraham pleaded with God over Sodom and Gomorrah, because of his nephew, Lot who lived there.

The account is in Genesis 18:23-33. He kept saying “Lord, don’t be,angry, if I ask one more question”
He was was called God’s friend (James 2:23), yet, never once did he address God casually. He called God, ‘Lord’.

In Exodus 33:11-23, MOSES had a very intimate conversation with God.

He kept saying “Lord, if I’ve found favour in your sight…”. He pleaded with God over the stubborn Israelites in Numbers 14:1-30. He said “Please pardon them”. God said He spoke with Moses as someone speaks with his FRIEND (Exodus 33:11)

David was a man after God’s heart. Read the Psalms and see how he prayed. When he lost everything in 1 Samuel 30, he didn’t speak flippantly to God. He was greatly
distressed, but prayed with thanksgiving, making his requests.

Jesus pleaded with the Father concerning the suffering He was to go through. Even though Jesus is the Son of God. The one who dwelt in the bosom of the Father; He did not sit down, cross his legs, and say “Dad, make you sef tink am. We wee drag dis tin
o”. No. The Bible says He knelt down (Luke 22:41) and laid face down on the ground (Matthew 26:31), and said “Father, if it is possible, do this thing for Me. I submit to your
will”.

That is how intimacy with God works.


Look at how the apostles prayed in Acts 4:24-31. They started with “Lord, you are God”, not “Daddy, come here!”


Paul in Ephesians 3:14 said “For this cause I BOW MY KNEES TO THE FATHER”.

A ‘modern’, ignorant saint, who read such, would say “Do you kneel down to ask things from your Father? Will your son or daughter kneel down to ask things from you? This is as a result of ignorance about the Fatherhood of God!”

Western political correctness has entered the church as perverted grace gospel.

“God is love. God is not angry with anyone. He doesn’t have any anger. God is not bipolar. He
just loves everyone and has forgotten all about sins. Do not talk about sins. God’s Spirit never convicts the believer of sin. Do not call it sin. Just preach “love”. God is not to
be feared.”

These are sensual opinions that civilization has created in the Body of Christ today. Civilization has corrupted our thinking.

To raise a child now means to allow them do whatever they want including slapping and insulting you whenever they feel like.

Thanks to civilization, any punishment meted out to kids, which is beyond “you are grounded for 2 weeks” and “no more ice cream” is criminal. Pupils can insult their wards and teachers. and it is tolerated.

Unfortunately, this civilization has also negatively influenced African fatherhood.

To African fathers, the Bible says “Do not provoke, or harass, your children by the way you treat them, or be too hard on them to the point that they are discouraged, frustrated, feel inferior, and become resentful and sullen (Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21)”

To American fathers, the Bible says your children MUST NOT be wild, unruly or insubordinate, but must be under control and must be submissive (1 Tim 3:4; Titus 1:6).


Proverbs 22:15: “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.”

Despite how plain the Bible is, on approving the meting out of physical discipline to children, we still have Saints in the Body of Christ today, who due to being influenced by the evil civilization prevalent in the society, condemn what the Bible justifies.


Proverbs 23:13-14 New International Version

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
    if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
    and save them from death.


Physical discipline is not always necessary, and we all pray for children who will listen to gentle but firm counsel. Physical discipline is wrong when done in a reactionary way; but when done in love and in good measure, it is good and right.

Dear friends,


God forbid that we look to Africans to know His fatherhood.
And God forbids that we look to Americans to understand His fatherhood.

The BIBLE is our standard. And in the end it will be clear Who is right.

1 John 3:1 says the LOVE of the Father makes us God’s children, and Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us that the DISCIPLINE of the Father makes us His children, and that without this discipline, we are like bastards.


Yet, some will still feel that because they are going through a hard time, they can talk to God anyhow. I haven’t met even one who went through a tenth of what Job went through. At a point, he felt he had been wronged, and demanded an explanation from God.


“God, where are you, how could you let this happen to me? How could you do this to me, it is unfair! Where were you when this happened? You are unfair!!” He said to God, repeatedly.


Just an answer from God, and he repented saying, “I’ve been foolish. I have been really foolish. I take it all back. I repent in dust and ashes.”

A word is enough for the wise.

Ebele UzoPeters.

GENERAL, Spirituality

Faith over Feelings

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Even though God can be touched by your feelings, and even though He became flesh to bear your sorrows, and even though He is the Comforter, remember that He is not an emotional God.

God is spirit, not soul. Faith is spiritual. Emotions are not spiritual. They are soulish. God is a faith God. He is a God of Love. There is spiritual love and humanistic love. They are not the same thing.

Human love is very nice. Human love is superficial.
Human love can change to hate in a second.

God’s love is kind. God’s love has a red fount, in the blood of Christ Jesus. God’s love is transforming.

Always learn to separate your emotions from your faith. Don’t be stoic. Have feelings. Pour them out before God; but remember that they are your feelings.

God can touch your feelings and know them; but if you want to touch His feelings and know them, have Faith. Only faith. Just faith.

When a baby is crying and the mother comes to carry it, it stops. Why?

Is it because the tears have run dry? No. The baby has some faith in its mother.

If you needed one million naira today, and the richest man in the world met you and asked you what you wanted, will you keep crying?

No. Why? You have some faith in his ability.

1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: BUT DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD his God.

1 Samuel 30:8
AND DAVID ENQUIRED AT THE LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

.

John 11:35
Jesus wept.

John 11:38
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

John 11:41
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. AND JESUS LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND SAID, FATHER, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

.

When you have finished weeping.

Do likewise.

Jesus is alive, and He is Lord.

———————–

GENERAL

BUILDING STRONG FAITH

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WHAT IS FAITH

Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith is confidence in God’s promises. It is a strong persuasion that God will fulfill everything He has promised.

The Life we live is a life of faith. It is a life of absolute trust and dependence on God. Faith is the pillar of Christian living.

This is why Satan is desperately after the faith of believers. The reason he stirs men against them is not mainly because he hates them. He would never have disturbed them that much if they were in the world.

Satan is after you, because of your faith in God. Everything he does against you, is done to cripple your faith. Because once your faith has been crippled, Satan finds it easy to dominate your life.

Churches were locked up, and many believe it is because of the Pandemic. The question is,

Ever since the churches got locked up, has the pandemic’s mortalities increased or reduced?

Whether we accept it or not, it doesn’t deny the fact that the locking up of Churches is part of Satan’s attempt to weaken the faith of believers.

Because our Faith is strengthened when we gather as a Body in fellowship.

But there’s little we can do to get our churches opened back in times like this, other than to pray.

So how does one build up his faith. How does one stay strong even when there is no reason to be strong.

How does one keep living, when everyone he’s ever loved, are dying?

1. THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR FAITH FEED

Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”

God’s word is the feed of faith. God’s Word feeds our faith. It strengthens it and makes it to blossom.

HOW TO STUDY THE WORD

A. Study the lives of those who have been in similar conditions as you are. Are you facing persecution for your faith? Are you living a place where Christianity is banned, and the punishment for bring a Christian is torture or death?

There are people in the Bible days who experienced the same thing.

People like James, who was killed by Herod.

People like Peter, who was arrested and thrown in jail for the Gospel.

Stephen, who was stoned to death for preaching the Gospel.

Or shall I speak of Paul, who suffered from several assassination attempts because of his resolve to preach the Gospel.

The Book of Acts is full of stories about the travails of the Early Church. Create time to read it; it will bless you beyond doubt.

If your faith isn’t wavering because of persecution, but because of the harsh conditions and circumstances of life. The Life of David and that of Joseph is worth reading.

Joseph – Genesis 35 down to the end

David – 1 Samuel – 1 Chronicles

No matter the situation you find yourself in, God’s word has something to say about it. Spend time digging it up.

B. LISTEN TO SERMONS

God speaks faith to us through His Prophets.

1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

The Word of God that we receive from genuine men of God, has a way of working faith into our spirits. When you’re depressed, confused, not knowing what to do, instead of listening to the complaints of your mind and emotions, listening to the word of faith from your pastor.

But, be careful the kind of Pastors you listen to. The Bible instructs us to, ‘Test all spirits’.

The true word of God will make you love God more. It will boost your faith and make you cling unto God. It will instruct you and guide you in the path of light.

Only Pastors whose teaching can work this into your spirit should be given ears to.

2. SATURATE YOUR ATMOSPHERE WITH GODLY AND INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC

Music is one of the greatest gifts of God to man. Good music has a way of lifting the heavy burdens of grief away from our souls.

Good Music puts our thoughts and our emotions in order. It is like a good mistress, that massages our turbulent emotional storms into tranquility.

Good Music helps, Godly music helps better. Godly music doesn’t just soothe our soul, it edifies our spirit.

Godly music is like the balm of Gilead that heals the broken hearted. When your faith is weakening, and you’re falling into despair, saturate your Atmosphere with songs of praise and worship to God.

This was David’s secret to surviving the greatest of his challenges.

He had a lifestyle of singing Melody to the Lord. He strengthened himself through his songs.

Act 16:25: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”

Paul and Silas were beaten severely for casting a demon out of a slave girl.

Have you ever been tortured for doing the right thing? Have you ever been persecuted just because the right thing you did negatively affected other people?

Paul and Silas were in such condition. They were not just beaten, they were thrown into a dark prison and held bound by chains and painful cuffs.

Imagine Paul and Silas, two educated preachers of the Gospel, in the prison, with criminals.

Picture the blood flowing from their lips, the stripes on their bodies and the swelling on their legs.

Yet, in the midst of these, at the midnight, they lifted up their voice and sang unto the Lord.

They had the option to complain and wail faithlessly. But they heard songs in their spirit, and they released these songs of praise to the Lord.

When you are the depressed, and weak in faith, that is the time to praise God more. That’s the time to play songs of worship and sing along with them.

Because Praise exalts God above our condition. The Psalmist called it, ‘Magnifying the Lord’.

Praise makes us see the light in the tunnel. And nothing strengthens faith than seeing God in the midst of darkness.

3. AVOID THE VOICE OF UNBELIEF

1 Kings 18:41: “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”

1 Kings 18:42: “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,”

1 Kings 18:43: “and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

What befuddles me in the aforementioned text, is that when Elijah told Ahab that there was the sound of rain (Verse 41), there was no evidence of rain anywhere.

Normally, it is the downpour of the rain that causes the sound. But in this text, Elijah was hearing the sound, even before there was any evidence of rain.

This is what Faith is all about. In the midst of the drought, famine and hunger, he heard in his spirit, that it was about to rain.

He sensed it in his spirit.

He sent his servant to check the clouds for any sign of rain, while he prayed.

But his servant checked six times and saw nothing.

Sometimes, your can be in a situation where your spirit is bubbling even when there is complaining all around you.

God’s word in you at that moment, could be rising up to keep you strong, that something better is coming.

But when you talk to your neighbors or even church members, their statement almost renders you hopeless.

Like Elijah, you heard the sound of the rain in your spirit,

You heard God’s word in your spirit, that you will not be struck by the plague.

But no other person could feel what you felt in your spirit.

Every other person claims there is no sign of hope.

The clouds are empty,

as well as our stomachs,

And our bank accounts

They wail.

In conditions like this, be like Elijah. Choose not to let listen to the voice of people when it is contrary to the voice of your spirit.

Those things only cripple your faith. Know how to look into your spirit and hold unto what the voice of the Lord is speaking to you.

GENERAL

DEALING WITH PAIN AND GRIEF

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If 2020 was to be classified as a movie, it would fall under the category of Horror and Tragedy. This year was definitely a hell of a year; full of ups and downs, pandemics, lockdown, deaths, inflation, hunger, loneliness and depression.

Many lost their loved ones. Some lost their businesses, their investments, their life savings.

Almost everyone lost something or someone precious this year.

Some have recovered, some are recovering, but there are those, who are still in grief, not because they enjoy grieving, but they just do not know how to come out of it.

As humans, our first impulse to the loss of a loved one is to cry bitterly, and experience pain and sorrow. Crying is good, and sometimes, healthy, but when it should only be a temporal reaction and not a permanent mood or temperament.

Many have lost hope of ever recovering from the grief they are experiencing presently; many have lost faith and the courage to move on, irrespective of the evils around them.

Maybe you fall into that category, or you know someone who falls into into that category, cherish this post, it will go a long way to helping you.

STEPS TO BREAKING OUT OF INNER HURT AND GRIEF

  1. IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE GRIEF:

Sometimes, engaging in a self-evaluation goes a long way in helping us come out of the shell of grief. Why exactly are you grieving? Who are you grieving? What are you grieving? The loss of a loved one? Poverty? Loss of Business opportunities? Identify the root cause of your grief, identify the root cause of your pain.

2. LET GO!

This is where the real battle lies in. There are people who know why they are grieving; they know they’ve lost a loved one, but they just can’t let him go.

They keep holding on to past memories and experiences with the one who they have lost. They imagine living with the lost one still present.

Some even sleep every night, meditating on the image and person of the lost loved one. One of the common mistakes people make in grief is that they blame themselves for the loss.

“If only I was there on time”… ‘If only I had enough money…’ they blame themselves for the loss. It’s time to man up and stop acting in such childish manner. It is childish to blame yourself for things that were beyond your control in the name of grief.

Let go, and move on. No amount of tears would ever bring that person back; no amount of tears would bring that business back; no amount of imagining would bring the late back.

It would only give you a false and unreal experience with the imaginative figment of that person.

These are hard truths I allowed to sink into my heart when I found myself slipping into anguish and pain. You can never be liberated from pain until you let these hard truths break those chains.

Let go! Let go of that past memory! He has left you, to join the immortals in the world beyond this world, you should equally leave him, by moving on with life.

3. ENOUGH OF THE PITIES

This doesn’t mean you totally forget about him, it just means you are strong enough to live life meaningfully, with or without him.

Sympathy and consolation is very important at the initial stage of grieving a loss. When others sympathize with us, it has a way of making us feel we are not alone in the pain we bear.

It helps us understand we are not alone in the grief we are experiencing.

But you can’t keep getting sympathies and pities weeks and months after your loss! You cannot afford to allow this.

As innocent as they might be, when allowed for too long, they form a dark, moody temperament in us.

A temperament that expects only pity from people; a temperament that wishes to display pain and grief so as to earn the sympathies of onlookers; a temperament that only draws close to those who can show pity on it!

This temperament will obscure your vision, destroy your creativity and clog your potentials!

It is the temperament that will render you emotionally unstable and mentally imbalanced.

Change your atmosphere. Surround yourself with creative thinkers.

Read books that will stir up hope and clarity of vision, and not poems that make you more depressed.

Delete those songs of hurt from your mobile phone.

Get your gadget filled with bright songs of optimism and love; start seeing the world from a more optimistic view.

3. DEVELOP FRESH, HEALTHY HABITS

Eat well. Medical research has shown that one’s habits have a high influence on ones disposition, whether melancholic or cheerful.

Develop habits that are healthy to both your body, mind and soul. Eat well; go on a walk at sunrise.

Develop the habit of ever confessing positiveness. Develop the habit of hanging out with intelligent friends and engaging in sound discussions with them.

Lastly, I want you to know that you can do all these and still feel the tinges of grief.

They do not eliminate grief; they do not remove grief, but they remove you from the grief. Do them consistently, and turn your world turn colorful again.

Before wrapping this up, let me show you something from the Holy Bible which will definitely be helpful to you.

2 Samuel 12:15-20

16 David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night. 

17 The elders of David’s family came to him and tried to pull him up from the ground, but he refused to get up or to eat food with them.

18 On the seventh day the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead..

19 When David saw his servants whispering, he knew that the baby was dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They answered, “Yes, he is dead.”

20 Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.

Bathsheba had put to birth, a lovely, bouncing baby boy for King David, a baby which came as a result of David’s mistake.

At birth, this baby boy was probably strong and energetic, full of so much potential, but days later, he became weak.

The little baby fell sick. The sickness was so serious, that David went on a fast to plead for mercy on the baby’s life.

Imagine how the King felt, seeing that baby, emaciating and slipping away from life daily. He must have loved that baby greatly, for him to have fasted and prayed fervently for the baby’s life. Yet, the baby died.

Despite the fasting, and the prayers, and the weeping in the church, crying to God to save his child, the child still died.

How do you think David should have felt? Depressed. Sad. Angry at God for taking his baby. Losing faith in prayers and fasting. The ordinary man would have felt these.

But not David; David was a man with a mighty inner strength to bear the greatest of disappointments.

As soon as he heard of the news of his child’s death, instead of lamenting and seeking sympathy, he washed his hands, worshiped the Lord and went to eat.

This is one of the greatest Bible paradoxes I have ever read. One thing we learn from it, is that in all things, we must give thanks to God. In pain and in pleasure, in the hills and in the valleys, in all things, we must give thanks to God!

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Shalom!

GENERAL, Spirituality

News Feed or God’s Feed?

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One of the great qualities a of Medical doctor is that he pays absolute attention to his medical books.

Whatever he sees in the Book, he practices in the Theater, whatever he sees in the theater, he goes back to study in his books.

The same with a law student. A Law Student does not joke with his books because he knows his success is tied to the knowledge he gains and practices from them.

Do you know that Christianity is far greater than these professions. Paul referred to Christianity as a ‘high calling’.

It is being called out of the world to have a relationship with God. Everything you ever need to succeed as a Christian is in a Book.

That book is called the Bible. The Bible is God’s manual to us on how to succeed even in the midst of darkness and enemies. It is one of the commonest, yet, neglected books.

Take a stroll within your church hall after the Sunday service and you’ll observe several Bibles littered on the ground, neglected by their owners. This shows the value that they place on their Bible.

The Bible is God’s letter to Believers. The Epistles of Paul, Peter and the Apostles are not really their Epistles, they’re simply the Epistles of God written to His Church through those men.

Neglecting your Bible is the same as neglecting the voice of God. This is because the Bible came as a result of God speaking to men.

God said to Joshua, ‘…. Ye shall meditate therein day and night, for it, thou shalt obtain good success’

God was telling Joshua, if you want to be successful, meditate on my word, that is the textbook for success in this Kingdom.

In turbulent times like this, the media is throwing poisonous diets to us through their news. They’re ever reporting news of death, tragedies going on around the world.

If you’re not careful, these things can cause weeds to grow within you and choke up your faith. Instead of giving yourself to negative news, why not give yourself to God’s own News.

Hallelujah!

The Media calls theirs, News Feed,
Well, after getting their News Feed, make sure you flush it out of your system and take in God’s own News Feed, the Bible. Every day with the Bible offers new information, new Instruction, new insight that has never been seen before.

Update your spirit with God’s Word. Hold onto it. Let God’s word become more real to you than even your situation.
Everything you’re going through has already been spoken about through His Word, it’s left for you to search it out and believe in it.

Act 27:25: “(Paul speaking) Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”


Paul was in a ship being taken on a journey. But on the way to their destination, a severe storm began. It was thunderous and frightening.

The men in the ship with Paul began to panic. From the look of things, they were going to lose both their properties and their lives. But at night, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and gave Him a Word from the Lord saying, ‘Neither you nor the men with you shall lose their lives’.

This is a tough season for many, we’ve never had deaths like this in history. Here in Nigeria, death is becoming like a trend. In the US, Covid deaths keep getting higher. This is like a storm; a storm so frightening, that it seems we might all be destroyed in it.

You might have lost a loved one to it, and you’re wondering whether you’re next, do not be afraid. God has said in His word that He will shield you from the arrows that flies by day and the plagues at night (Psalm 91).

Like Paul, declare, ‘It shall be even as I was told’.
Believe that this situation shall end up as God promised in His Word.

In all, get addicted to God’s word, feed on God’s promises, hold onto them as an anchor, and in time, you’ll pass through this storm Hale, hearty and more stronger than ever.

God Bless You!

If you were blessed by this, please give it a like, retweet and drop a comment, I’ll reply right away 😊🙏🙏

GENERAL, Ministry, Spirituality

TOO BUSY TO SERVE GOD?

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If you claim to be too busy to live for and serve God like the early church because of how your city is, remember that Jesus did not die for only the early church. He died and rose for all men everywhere in every age until He returns. There is no special Holy Spirit in Acts of the Apostles. It is the same God, the same faith, the same baptism, the same commission, the same gospel.

Don’t be deceived, Rome was far busier and more secular than New York or Tokyo or Lagos. There were no phones or airplanes or even air conditioners then. It was probably harder to be a Christian. It will always be hard to be a Christian; hard for the flesh and hard in this world. The distractions may be more today, but the argument may be made that it is easier today than it has ever been to serve God. You have a Bible on your phone! Wow! People died to get copies of these things to us.

And know this: in this same Abuja, this same London, this same Boston, this same Montreal, this same Johannesburg – you have Acts of the Apostles believers and churches. People like you- business people, educated people, busy people who are living for the King and ready to die for Him; who pray like their hearts will break, who give like there is no tomorrow, who fast like a bride on her wedding morning- with great joy, who cast our demons, who speak with new tongues, who love nothing in this world though they have so much, and who fear no one though they serve and work with many people; whose eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; right here in this 21st century.

Drop the excuses therefore; Jesus is available for the taking. He is here for as many as will receive Him. The Bread of Life. The Word of God. The Prince of Peace. The Redeemer. The Saviour. The Author of salvation and the Perfecter of all those who come to God by Him. He is here calling for you to be with Him – the One who will remain long after this world has been judged and has passed away; to know Him and live for the eternal gain during your extremely short period on this terrestrial plane.

Many great cities have come and gone. Babel. Egypt. Assyria. Babylon. Athens. Rome. But He is forever. To see the ultimate will deliver you from the burden of the immediate. He is beckoning on you to lift up your eyes from the distractions of Lagos that you may behold the glories of the everlasting Logos.

Ebele UzoPeters

GENERAL, STORIES

THE MARTYRS

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The Prison cell was a dark place, full of bugs and beetles and served as a haven for swarms of insects. It sat beneath the Castle, in the most hidden of apartments, all to ensure an escape was impossible.

It was in this cell that Polycarp and his family were held imprisoned. Polycarp’s hands and legs were chained, with cuffs draped with thorns. They caused his hands and legs to bleed, adding to the pains he had been in for days due to severe lashing from the soldiers.

His family, both blood and spiritual, sat down, in agony and pain as well, their lips silent, but their spirits, groaning and releasing cries to the Heavens. They were equally chained in like manner as Polycarp.

Their heads hung low, bowed in despair. They knew their fate; soon, they would have to chose between living for the world and dying for Christ; between rejecting Christ and defending His Gospel; they would have to chose between life and death.

But this was the fallen man’s view of their predicament. As they sat with heads bowed low, Polycarp raised a slow hymn, his voice was laden with anguish, making him sing the song slower than it was normally sung;

‘O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, saints in glory shine
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine’

The Family responded, “Alleluia, Alleluia!”

Polycarp continued,
‘O may thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.’

The Family responded, “Alleluia, Alleluia”

‘The Golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.’

Response: Alleluia, Alleluia.

The hymn progressed, from being sung with low, sorrowful tones, to being sung with hope and joy. As they sang, bright, large, and glorious creatures with wings of glory descended into the prison yard. They weren’t there to liberate them from the cell, they were there to liberate the Saints from the terrors of the cell.

Their Presence, although unseen, was strongly felt across the cell. Strength flowed into the hearts of The Family; peace beyond understanding descended into their spirits, upholding them and guarding it against despair.

They sang the hymn, like a tourist walking through a beautiful garden, then they got to the final stanza, the verse that set their faces aglow with joy, even in the shadows of death.

‘But lo! There breaks a yet more glorious day;
The Saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.’

They responded with a shout, “ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!”

Just then, numerous guards of The Empire marched into the cell. It was time! The Elect exchanged glances amongst themselves, and with a nod of resignation, they stood up, walking towards the arena, as they were led by the Guards.

“All Hail King Jesus!” they exclaimed in the middle of the arena, their voice echoing around the arena.
“I gave you a choice between life and death, yet, you chose death” The Emperor said to them, with pride in his voice.

Polycarp looked at him with boldness, “Your highness, to you, we chose death, that’s because your knowledge of life and death is fallen. The path we have chosen is the path to eternal life and everlasting glory!” he declared unto the Emperor.

The Family cheered with happiness. The Emperor smirked, he was enjoying this game. He ordered for the Lions to be released.
“I’ll see you in heaven” Polycarp said to The Family.

They all smiled at one another, they would surely meet in Heaven, where there will be no sorrow, or pain, or tears; no crying; just joy, life eternal, glory and communion with The Father.

As they fell to the strength of the Lions, Angels, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, all stood in respect, lifting their spirits off their bodies, and leading them unto the place where they would weep no more.


Written by Nwodo Divine