Tag Archives: God

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.

Spirituality

TOZER DAILY: The Pursuit of God

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To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.

St. Bernard stated this holy paradox in a musical quatrain that will be instantly understood by every worshiping soul:

“We taste Thee, 0 Thou Living Bread,
“And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.”



We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One.

When the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Levi received no share of the land. God said to him simply, “I am thy part and thine inheritance,” and by those words made him richer than all his brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world.

And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for every priest of the Most High God.

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.

Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.

Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight.

IWhatever he may lose, he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever.

Ministry, Spirituality

The Gate and The Way; An Exposition on Matthew 7:14

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It is written in the scriptures that: strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt 7:14)

There is therefore a GATE, and a WAY.

A gate is a crisis point, requiring one to pass through. You are either on this side of the gate, or the other side.

Passing through a gate is not a gradual process, it occurs at once. A way on the other hand, is traversed gradually.

Walking on a way does not occur at once. Rather, we make progress over time. We have gate experiences and way experiences. And both are essentially distinct, though connected.

From the scripture above- the gate comes first, then the way. There is that hymn (To God be the glory) that says Jesus yielded His life an atonement for sin and opened the life-gate THAT ALL MAY GO IN.

That’s the truth.

When people ‘give their lives to Christ’ over and over again thinking they did not do it well the previous time, or because the meeting is intense, or because of the things they have done since the last time they received Christ.

When we rededicate our lives to God several times, and confess sins and ask for forgiveness regularly, especially before bed- jolted and even scared by messages of the appearing or coming of Christ and messages of hell.

When we feel guilt about past sins and even go ahead to say things like ‘we are all sinners, except for the blood of Jesus.’ When we are always stumbling over the same sins and repenting of them….

We are trying to walk upon the way without acknowledging that there is a gate to pass through.

It will never work.

We need to know what happened to us at the gate. Without the gate, we will struggle to make heaven- an impossibility in itself.

Until we see the gate, progress upon the way will be impossible, and we will keep going back to start point- repenting again, starting again, instead of moving on to perfection.

There is nothing as frustrating as trying to enter into a room you are already in.

THEREFORE, there is a GATE



At the gate is Christ, at the gate is the Cross, at the gate the Lamb was slain, and our sins forgiven, and guilt rolled away.

At the gate Christ met us- He loved us, He took us unto Himself. He died for us and rose again. When He died, we died with Him, and when He rose, were raised together.

If anyman is in Christ therefore- He is a new creature. The gate is not about what we have done or what we should do, but about what God has done in Christ. Changes here are instantaneous.

God has done everything in Christ, and then put us in Him. The moment we believe it, we receive it, and we become it- not in a hidden way, but manifestly.

It is credited to our account as righteousness.

Therefore at the gate we are free, at the gate there is therefore now no condemnation. At the gate old things are passed away. At the gate all things are become new, at the gate we have passed from death to life. At the gate we are a new creation, at the gate we have been healed by His stripes. At the gate, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

It does not occur gradually- but if anyman is in Christ, He is- not that he will be, but he is.

Not that old things are passing away, but they have. Not that all things are becoming new- but they have.

That is the strait gate.

LIKEWISE, THERE IS ……A WAY.

Sometimes we focus on the gate, and forget the way.

Sometimes we don’t know the difference between where we are seated, where we are walking, and where we are standing.

We forget that while we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we are pressing towards the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Him.

We forget that we are seated with Christ in heaven, walking in Him on earth, and standing with Him against hell.

And that while our seating position is fixed on high, it does not change the fact that progress has to be made here in this realm.

We claim everything has been already done and there is nothing left for us to do.

But faith is both he who comes to God and he who diligently seeks Him.

A W Tozer says to have found God and to pursue him is the sweet paradox of Christianity.

Those who pass through the gate must be prepared to walk the way.

At the gate God found us, on the way we find Him.

At the gate- God loved us, on the way we love Him.

At the gate- we are planted in Christ, on the way Christ is expressed through us.

At the gate victory is delivered, but on the way battles will be fought.

At the gate inheritance has been entrusted, but on the way the heirs will be tested.

At the gate- we are forgiven, on the way- we must forgive others.

At the gate- we are perfected, on the way- we learn perfection.

At the gate- we are born again, on the way- we live again.

At the gate- we are justified, on the way-we are sanctified

At the gate- we repent as sinners, on the way- we repent out of righteousness.

At the gate, faith is received…on the way we add to our faith.

At the gate- the Cross carried us once…On the way we carry our cross daily.

At the gate- the old man is crucified with Christ; on the way we mortify its members which are on the earth

At the gate- Christ died for us; on the way, we live for Him

At the gate- Christ becomes the Author of our faith, and on the way- He is the Finisher

At the gate- we become children of light, on the way, we walk in the light.

At the gate is the new birth, on the way is the new life (the new and living way)

At the gate- we become sons by birth, on the way- we become sons by (training, which is by) adoption

At the gate- we receive eternal life as a seed (the seed of God); on the way, we develop eternal life as a fruit

At the gate- we receive (as some like to say) God’s DNA, or genotype; but on the way, we develop God’s phenotype

At the gate- we are made partakers of the divine nature; on the way, we are made partakers of His holiness

That is the narrow way.

And at a time when some of us have indeed constituted ourselves super-teachers, we need someone to again teach us the elementary principles of Christ and have become dull of hearing and for all our verbosity, are unskillfull in the word of righteousness and unable to discern good from evil.

For he that does not make progress, being waylaid by the inertia, it seems these days, of false doctrine; is shortsighted, and cannot see afar of; and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his past sins as well as other ‘gate experiences’ though he makes a great noise about them.

Let as many therefore who claim to have entered in at the gate know that the one proof thereof, and the only,

Is to walk the way.

Cheers.

Ebele UzoPeters

GENERAL

AN ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE

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Resolve, by God’s help, to shun everything which may prove an occasion of sin.
It is an excellent saying, “He that would be safe from the acts of evil, must widely avoid the occasions.”

There is an old fable, that the butterfly once asked the owl how she should deal with the fire, which had singed her wings; and the owl counseled her, in reply, not to even look at its smoke. It is not enough that we determine not to commit sin, we must carefully keep at a distance from all approaches to it.

By this test we ought to examine the ways we spend our time–the books that we read, the friends that we visit, the part of society which we interact with. We must not be content with saying, “There is nothing wrong here;” we must go further, and say, “Is there anything here which may cause me to sin?”

This is one great reason why idleness is to be avoided. It is not that doing nothing is of itself so wicked; it is the opportunity it affords to evil and empty thoughts; it is the wide door it opens for Satan to throw in the seeds of bad things; it is this which is mainly to be feared.

If David had not given opportunity to the devil, by walking on his house-top in Jerusalem with nothing to do, he probably never would have seen Bathsheba bathing, nor murdered her husband Uriah.

This, too, is one good reason why worldly entertainments are so objectionable. It may be difficult, in some instances, to show that they are, in themselves, positively unscriptural and wrong. But there is little difficulty in showing that the tendency of almost all of them is most injurious to the soul.

They sow the seeds of an earthly and sensual frame of mind. They war against the life of faith. They promote an unhealthy and unnatural craving after excitement. They minister to the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.

They dim the view of heaven and eternity, and give a false color to the things of time. They take away time for private prayer, and Scripture reading, and calm communion with God.

The man who mingles in them is like one who gives Satan an advantage. He has a battle to fight, and he gives his enemy the help of sun, and wind, and hill. It would indeed be strange if he did not find himself continually overcome.

Young men, endeavor, as much as you can, to keep clear of everything which may prove injurious to your soul. People may say you are too conscientious, too particular, and ask where is the great harm of such and such things? But don’t listen to them.

It is dangerous to play tricks with sharp tools: it is far more dangerous to take liberties with your immortal soul. He that would be safe must not come near the brink of danger. He must look on his heart as a barrel of gunpowder, and be cautious not to handle one spark of temptation more than he can help.

What is the use of your praying, “Lord keep me from temptation,” unless you are careful not to run into it and “keep me from evil,” unless you show a desire to keep out of its way? Take an example from Joseph–Not merely did he refuse solicitation to sin from his master’s wife, but he showed his prudence in refusing to even be “with her” (Genesis 39:10).

Take to heart the advice of Solomon, not only to “Not set foot on the path of the wicked,” but to “Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go your way” (Proverbs 4:15); “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!” (Proverbs 23:31).

The man who took the vow of a Nazarite in Israel, not only took no wine, but be even abstained from grapes in any shape whatever. “Hate what is evil,” says Paul to the Romans (Romans 12:9); not merely not to do it; “Flee the evil desires of youth,” he writes to Timothy; get away from them as far as possible (2 Timothy 2:22).

Oh, how needful are such cautions! Dinah just had go out among the wicked Shechemites, to see their ways, and she lost her virginity. Lot just had pitched his tent near sinful Sodom, and he lost everything but his life.

Young men, be wise with your time. Do not always be trying to see how near you can allow the enemy of souls to come, and yet escape him. Hold him at arm’s length. Try to keep clear of temptation as far as possible, and this will be one great help to keep clear of sin.

~ JC Ryle

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!

POETRY

GOD IS IN THE RAIN

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First the weather changes her dress,
Accompanied by the clapping thunderstorm,
Creating an aisle like a red carpet
then the celebrant comes,

Walking down the aisle,
Like a bride in liquidity,
Making roofs rumble,

Trees dance,
And farmlands hold parties
with ponds, rivers and seas,
Singing songs in different dialects.

The Broken-hearted open their arms wide,
For rain is the finest tailor,
And waterfalls yell
“God is in the rain”
God is the rain!”

©fearless pen
#OshenGift

GENERAL, Spirituality

YOU VS THE STORM

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What do you do when you find yourself amidst a storm?
Do you run away from the storm?
Do you let the storm engulf you or eat you up?

Or do you calm the storm, look for ways to calm the storm or call on someone to help you calm the storm?


Running away from a storm is not a good idea. Running away from the storm can save you, but not for too long.

Running away from the storm would only bring disparage in our hearts, because we will eventually keep running from it all the days of our lives.

There comes a time in our lives as humans when we face storms; a variety of unfortunate events and troubles. A storm is anything that comes to threaten your peace, make you restless, and give you instability by making you get stuck in sadness, displeasure or a deep kind of pain.

A storm can be anything; a pandemic, a disappointment, insurgency, insecurity, fear, lack of hope, poverty, injustice or whatever stands to disturb your peace.

During a storm, we’re likely to lose hope, especially when the situation is really intense or critical. We are likely to sink in to depression, lose faith and feel that we have lost it all; in the time of illness, pandemic, insecurity, the loss of our loved ones, poverty, rejection and pain.

But in the midst of these, I want you to know that there’s only one person, who can calm all the storms of life. His name is Jesus.

It was He who died for us all and He will always calm the storms in our lives if we call on to him!

In Matthew 8:23-27, His disciples were faced with a great sea storm while with Jesus. They were afraid, they were scared, they lost their faith and were already sinking in to total pain of the body and mind.

That illustrates that anyone can be scared in tough times and that it is not a crime to be scared.

Jesus was asleep, yet, they woke him up because they knew very well only him could calm the storm. When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the storm and it became still, and the disciples were at peace again.

Sometimes, even as disciples of Jesus, the storms of life can make us panic and anxious; you might be in such situation right now.

The storms of the virus, inflation and bad economic situation, might be so fierce that it seems like you’ll sink.

I have good news for you. Jesus is with you even in the boat! In the midst of the turmoil, the casting down and the streaks of lightning, Jesus is with you.

But Jesus will not calm the storm if you don’t wake him up! Our God never sleeps nor slumbers, but the sleeping of Jesus in the boat is an analogy from which we learn that God will be silent if you do not take a step of faith.

Jesus is willing to calm the storm in your life! Wake him up with your faith, with a cry of faith!

Give God a sign that you’re in for it, and don’t be discouraged while waiting.

He’ll never leave you nor forsake you. God says “I will be with you till the end of time” – Matthew 28:20. Believe it!

I know it’s tough. Maybe, you have gotten tired of hoping already, you don’t see any escape route but listen Jesus has not forgotten about you.

God still has your name in the middle of his palm and He is saying,
“I am in your boat! Do not be afraid! Wake me up! Call upon me and I will calm the storm in your life! I love you and I will always be with you!”

Don’t forget that you’re loved beyond measure.

May the peace of the lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen!

POETRY

The Great Cost Of Negligence

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How shall we escape darkness,
If we neglect light?

How shall we escape hunger,
If we neglect farming?

How shall we escape suffering,
If we neglect caution?

How shall we escape ignorance,
If we neglect knowledge?

How shall we escape failure,
If we neglect study?

How shall we escape sorrow,
If we neglect Joy?

How shall we escape illness,
If we neglect our health?

And, how then shall we escape death,
If we neglect eternal life?

Think about it.

©Nkemjoy 🌹

Spirituality

Grieve not The Spirit!

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Eph 4:30 (KJV) ‘And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’

Of recent, I’ve been studying the works of great Puritan authors such as AW Tozer, AW Pink, Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Watson, and it’s actually given me a kind of rethink and perspective about how we preach about Sin and Grace in the Church.

You see, while trying to avoid the snares of legalism, one can end up falling into the pit of Abused-Grace doctrines.

I see believers, who in the name of preaching Grace say,
“Your sin doesn’t matter to God anymore. He doesn’t care about it”
“When you sin, instead of confessing your sin, confess your righteousness”.

These things are false!
Sin might not separate you from the love of God but sin will definitely separate you from fellowship with God.

And I’m not just talking about unintentionally making a mistake, I’m talking about intentionally living your life as you please, without the restraints of the Gospel and the Scriptures.

Sin is a pollutant of the spirit.
A believer living in sin is like mud being poured into clean water, such Believer will have a polluted and darkened spirit, and he’ll lose the fragrance of God’s Presence in his spirit.

Paul wasn’t exaggerating when he said we FLEE FROM ALL APPEARANCES OF SIN

Don’t try to negotiate your way out of it.
Don’t try to pervert scriptures to justify it.

FLEE FROM IT!

A believer who comfortably lives in sin is just like an angel who prefers the Darkness of hell to the pleasures of Heaven.

I’ve never seen a place in the Bible in which masturbation was outrightly condemned, neither have I seen a true believer who masturbated and was happy.

It has a way of bringing your spirit under condemnation and accusation or the enemy, and nothing weakens ones spiritual senses like condemnation especially when it arises from a sin you committed.

It is even more wrong to assume that God understands why you’re sinning.

What is there to understand in why one who professes love for God will do the things God hates?

What is there to understand in why one who professes Christ as His Savior, still refuses to accept Christ as His Lord?

What should be understood to excuse a child going to mess Himself up with mud, just after his father gave him a whole bath?

Stop tolerating sin!

It Grieves the Holy Spirit!

Many of us have grieved the Spirit, but because we’re so used to sin and we barely commune with our hearts, we do not even know that He has been grieved.

Such a person will become like Samson, who quenched the Spirit at the laps of Delilah.

When the Philistines arose against him, he woke up, and shook his body and probably said, ‘I will arise and fight against them’, but he didn’t know that the Spirit had left Him.

Many Christians are slowly losing the Influences of the Holy Spirit.

They still feel goosebumps during worship. They still smile in church, but they’ve lost fellowship with God

The flow is no longer there, because they’ve grieved the Holy Spirit.

Grieving the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean He’s a weak, petty, emotional being as many people present Him these days.


No!

Grieving the Spirit is much deeper than that!

It’s like looking at your Father and spitting at his face.

It’s like rebelling against your mother, (we’re told in Proverbs that a rebellious son is the grief of his mother).

My dear reader, I beseech you to chose the path of Consecration and Holiness.

True Holiness isn’t Legalistic.
True Holiness is divine.

The believer who lives in Holiness has a soul that glitters like the stars and radiates like the sun.

Holiness is the glory and beauty of our souls.

Finally, I beseech you once again, that you flee ALL APPEARANCES OF EVIL.

Do a heart check today and ask God to reveal to you, those bessetting sins that have been weighing your spirit down.

For some, it is Malice.

Malice..

Unforgiveness…..

A believer living in malice is like a bag, full of stones and hard rocks that keeps it one place and prevents it from being moved and directed by the influences of the east wind.

Let go….

Learning how to forgive was a difficult task for me, but I spoke to my soul, and I told myself I would let go, I would forgive.

If I still keep in mind the number of times I’ve been mocked and betrayed and insulted by even those I called my own, then I wouldn’t be here today.

For the sake of your fellowship with God, let go of the hurt and the malice.

Lay aside all bessetting and entangling sin that ye may run and finish this race with a prize with a prize.

Shalom!

POETRY

BOSOM OF CHRIST

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Bosom of Christ, the most sweetest place,
Flowing of immortality and life,
Therein souls are clinging unto,
To enjoy eternal life,
You are the fairest of ten thousands.


Life runs in your blood without ceasing,
You are the bread of life,
Therein the apostles ate,
Conquerors are they that taste the life in you.

Through strength from you we triumph,
We are free from the shackles of sin,
Granted power for a holy life,
Your bossom is the most sweetest place.

Divinefavourmary ❤