Tag Archives: God

Health and Lifestyle

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

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



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


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


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


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



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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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



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



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


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


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



Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Written by Ada Mbamalu

Spirituality

Not Under Condemnation!

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One of the greatest weapons Satan uses against believers today, is condemnation.


It is a strategy the devil uses to keep Christians in the dark. He uses it to weigh them under depression.



When a believer is listening to the condemnation of the devil, he feels he is the greatest sinner in the world.


Such believer falls into the depressive mind-set that he has committed the unforgivable sin.



Romans 8:1: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’



In Christ, we are free from condemnation. No matter what we did in the past, we are guiltless before God.




If we are still under the condemnation from our sins, then the coning of Jesus was in vain.


But praise God it wasn’t! Jesus came to free us from the condemnation and judgment that awaited us because of our sinfulness.


Whenever the memory of your sins come, push them aside with the memory, that it was for those sins that Jesus died on the cross.


Here’s what God is saying about your sins;



Hebrews 8:12: “And I will forgive their wrongdoings, and I will never again remember their sins”



Psalms 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He {God} removed our transgressions from us.”



If God does not remember your sins, why do you allow the memory of your sins to weigh you down?


We still struggle with guilt because we have failed to look into God’s Word and believe what it says concerning us.



We have failed to realize that Jesus bore both our sins and guilt on the cross, so we wouldn’t have to bear them again.


The devil keeps hitting us hard with feelings of guilt, condemnation and rejection so that we will never have enough confidence to fulfil our God ordained destines.


He knows if he can keep us under the bondage of condemnation, we will never be a threat to his kingdom.


But now is the time for us to know that we are, ‘the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus’.


We are no longer sinners. You are not a sinner. Stop calling yourself a sinner. That is not who you are.

This is who you are;


1 Peter 2:9: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”


Whatever it is you are going through now, believe and trust God about it and He will surely help you out of it.


But never you judge yourself by your mistakes and shortcomings.


Believe and receive the Love of God into your heart.


Guilt wears one out but God’s Love strengthens and renews one.


Child of God, God loves you eternally!



About the Author Tolu Taiwo Victor is a student, writer and Christian enthusiast. He’s among the youngest of prolific Christian authors in Nigeria.

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.

Health and Lifestyle

The Power of Confidence

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

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

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

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

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


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



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


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


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


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



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

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

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

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

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

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


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


Written by Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

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

Spirituality

Exercising Faith

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Faith is conviction in the certainty and reality of God’s word. It is living a life of trust in God.

Faith is very important in the life of believer. It is so important that in Ephesians 6, Paul said “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

He described faith as above all the other weapons of Christian warfare. This shows its priority in our lives.

Without faith, there is no Christianity.

We need faith not for our salvation alone, but for a continuous experience of the benefits of salvation here on Earth.

What if my faith is small?

Jesus never told us that only large faith is accepted by God.

St. Matthew 17:20: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

There is nothing that is impossible to the man who lives by faith.

Jesus likened faith unto a mustard seed. Though a mustard seed be small, yet, it grows to become a mighty tree. Jesus expects our faith to grow and expand daily.

Faith grows when we utilize it. The more we live by faith, the stronger it grows.

Exercising Faith is not just claiming the provisions of Scripture, but also understanding the laws of Christ and applying them.



EXERCISING FAITH



– Total devotion to God


” For we have heard of your devoted lives of Faith in Christ Jesus and your tender love toward all his holy believers.” – Colossians 1:4 TPT.



The strong in faith are the consistent in devotion. Faith is built and released at the altar of our devotion.
The faith of a man becomes more solid as long as he advances with being committed and steadfast in his walk with God.


– Understanding the Will of God:



Faith without understanding the will of God will not be profitable. For faith to be active, your understanding must be enlightened. You must understand the will of God concerning you.

You must understand the will of God concerning your health. You must understand the will of God concerning your family.

When Satan wants to cripple great faith, he comes with a wrong, unscriptural perspective which seems to match with the believer’s negative circumstance.

Choose to cling to the illumination that you’ve received from God’s Word.



– Hearing the Word of Christ daily:



“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” – Colossians 1:23 (KJV)

The Gospel is the Word of Christ. The Word of Christ is like a seed that is planted in our spirit to bear fruits.

The fruit of God’s engrafted word is Faith.

When a food crop, take rice for instance, is eaten by one. The moment it is processed by the body’s digestive cells, the chemical it produces is known as Carbohydrate.

When one rats Beans, the chemical produced by the processing of that beans in the stomach is known as Protein.


The same way rice produces carbohydrate in the body, and beans produces Protein in the body, is the same way God’s Word, when taken into our spirits and meditated on, produces Faith.


– Take the steps of faith.

James 2:20: “Faith without works is dead?”

The steps of faith we are to take are generally our obligations in the New testament.

Pray without ceasing. Support the Lords work through your Giving. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Preach the Gospel.

While doing these things, there are times God will give one specific instructions that might look strange to the natural mind.

At that moment, your faith is being tested. Do not let doubt becloud your mind. Hold and obey the instructions firmly.

That’s the way of faith.

Greenhills Emmanuel

GENERAL

The Hidden Leader in You

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The thinking of a leader is what separates him from his followers.
Every human has an instinct and capacity for leadership, but most do not have the courage or will to cultivate it. Man was created to lead.

True leadership is a product of inspiration, not manipulation. True Leadership goes far beyond the mechanics of most approaches that pervade our leadership programs. True leaders do not seek power. They are driven by a passion to achieve a noble cause.

Take note of the following things;


The discovery of true leadership is the discovery of a clear sense of purpose.
Without purpose, leadership holds no meaning. Leadership is communicating directly to a generation.

Discovering The Leader in You

Your relative attitude comes alive when you become aware of your true nature. The only way to know yourself is to know where you come from. That is why the best way to discover yourself is to study the nature and the attributes of God.

When a person gets to know his creator and finally comes to know himself, then his leadership ability is discovered.

The Spirit of Leadership

Every human being has a natural inclination for Leadership.

The leadership spirit is our inherent leadership potential. Every human being has the raw material for Leadership, but only a few have the drive to harness it.

True leadership is an attitude of the heart that is birthed by a renewed understanding of purpose. Leadership demands a price. Leadership is inherent. Leadership is a divine deposit. Leadership is not for you but others. Leadership is becoming your true self for the benefit of others.

The Mind of a Leader

In order to become excellent leaders in the society, we must get rid of every mindset that will obstruct the quality of our leadership.

A lot of us were born in families that if we were given a choice, we would reject them. We had the poorest parental training. These things negatively impacted our minds. And if they are not uprooted, they will become hindrances to realising our full leadership potential.

It is a process that takes time because it involves unlearning and learning a lot of things. But it must be given optimal priority because no leader can rise beyond his or her attitude.

Cultivating the mind of a leader isa decision every leadership driven Christian must take.

When the attitude of leadership is married to the ability of leadership then you are a true leader. The day you take responsibility for your attitude is the day you will truly grow up.

Leadership is 20% talent skill and technical knowledge and 80% attitude

Discover and harness the Hidden Leader in you. The world needs you right now.

Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh wrote this

Spirituality

The Power Of Knowledge

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God is a God of Knowledge. He gives knowledge in fractional measure to men.

In order to fulfill your destiny, you need the right knowledge. There can be no success without learning.




Greatness comes from the consistent pursuit and practice of quality Knowledge.

Every endeavor requires knowledge to make you stand out in life. Any life that does not seek for knowledge, will end up becoming a failure.

Knowledge is very vital to the development of a man. Knowledge widens your intelligence. It makes you see beyond your environment. It enhances your creative thinking.

Quality Knowledge exposes you to the various possibilities involved in whatever endeavor you find yourself.

Ignorance is a great obstacle.

What you do not know will always limit your capacity, mentally and even spiritually.

A man of wisdom is a man who is consistent in acquiring knowledge. Viscid acquiring of knowledge is what makes your understanding sharper.

Our understanding will be very limited if there is no pursuit of enlightenment through knowledge.

GreenHills Emmanuel

“The words of the wise are like weapons of knowledge. If you need wise counsel, stay away from the fool. For the wisdom of the wise will keep life on the right track, while the fool only deceives himself and refuses to face reality.” Proverbs 14:7-8 (TPT)

Knowledge makes you distinct. It makes one wiser.

Unreasonable people will never go after knowledge. They presume that since God’s Grace is available, they can be anything they want to be in life. But God’s Grace will never be effective in the life of a man, if he does not know how to channel it into his endeavors.

The fool believes in his heart that he does not need knowledge.

That is the main reason we have a lot of ignorant people in the society and through their ignorance, society does not develop.

You will never be all God wants you to be if you do not gain knowledge of what God wants you to be.

“For wisdom is protection even as money is a protection. But the [excellent] advantage of Knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the lives of its possessors.” – Ecclesiastes 7:12 (AMP)

Knowledge is very powerful. Wisdom without knowledge is like Faith without action.

You cannot be a wise man if you have no drive for knowledge. Neither should you desire access to Wisdom when your hunger for knowledge is impercitible.

Wisdom is the compendium of relevant and sufficient knowledge.

Your quest for relevant knowledge leads to the path of Wisdom.

Any knowledge that is not relevant in the destiny path earmarked for you by God, should not be given optimal attention.

Knowledge is mandatory for anyone who wishes to grow mentally and spiritually.

The gap between winning and losing is the quality of knowledge in the mind. Quality Knowledge bridges the gap between success and failure.

Great men invest their time in knowledge. Time invested in knowledge produces a life of success.


“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will]. Because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.” Hosea 4:6 (AMP).


A man’s destiny may never be fulfilled if the knowledge concerning his destiny is not sought.

Lack of knowledge of the will of God will continually put you in confusion. It will make growth to become difficult. Rejection of the Knowledge of God is the denigration of one’s destiny.

Purse the knowledge of God in the early days of your life for the knowledge of God can transform the life of a man.

It is the knowledge of God that reshapes our convictions and belief systems. Without the knowledge of God, it will be difficult for us to walk in the will of God.

The knowledge of God opens us to various possibilities of the kingdom and brings to us, limitless Spiritual transformation.

The knowledge of God exposes us to the principles and laws of the kingdom
Understanding those laws will bring you to the purpose of true destiny in God.

Mental and skill knowledge is also significant.

Our minds work with the kind of knowledge that is deposited through books or tapes.

We must acquire knowledge that will upgrade our minds. It is through knowledge that innovative solutions to the problems plaguing our economy, are conceived in our minds.

Innovation is the fruit of a productive mind. And a productive mind is the result of consistent pursuit of quality knowledge.

You cannot start a business without you sufficient knowledge about it. Everything in the universe is governed by its knowledge.

Whatever sphere of life you want to work in, be it faith, industry, academics, you must gain the knowledge of it.

Whatever you want to become in life has its knowledge.

Are you in pursuit of knowledge or you are lazy?

Get knowledge today.

This text was written by GreenHills Emmanuel Amara

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

More on The International Christian Youth Conference

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As we step into the month of February, the International Christian Youth Conference (ICYC) draws closer.

With scores of participants from different parts of the world, ICYC is a Cyber conference a believer shouldn’t meet.

Here’s a brief info on the Guest Ministers at the Conference;

1. Judah Olorunmaiye

Popularly known as “PJ”, Pastor Judah is a Pastor at Rhema Chapel, Osogbo, Western-Nigeria.

He is renowned for his relentless pursuit of truth, and his committedness to preaching God’s Word in its rawest form.

PJ is the author of one of Nigeria’s bestselling book, ‘Candid Opinions from God’s Oracle’. He is followed on Facebook and Telegram by thousands of believers all over the world.

2. Evangelist Ndi Perez:

Perez is a Us-based Evangelist whose ministery has featured mighty Manifestations of God’s power. He is widely celebrated for his simplicity, humility and Passion for the things of God.

God has wrought several Miracles under his ministrations. Miracles which include the healing of cancer, diabetes, Corona Virus etc.

3. Wesley Kayode Luther:

Wesley is a Nigerian-born preacher, whose ministry has spread from Nigeria to countries like South Africa, Dubai, US, UK etc. He is the founder of the Cyber-christian network chain, ‘Revival Train’, which consists of over two thousand members worldwide.

It is a great honor to have the ministry of these great servants of God in our midst. This is a great conference you will certainly enjoy.

To participate in the conference, open the link below;

Koinonia Art

See you there!