Tag Archives: God

GENERAL

The Importance of Kingdom Friends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let us look back at our scripture,

“But a tender lover finds”,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom Associations create godly atmosphere in your life.

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

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

Kingdom friendship produces kingdom values.

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

Kingdom friends are resolute in Kingdom principles and laws.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who are your friends?

This sermon was written by GreenHills Emmanuel.

Spirituality

Cultivating Intimacy with God

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. TIME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


CONSISTENCY AND DESIRE

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

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

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

Take note of the word DILIGENTLY.

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

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

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

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

Your desire for God must go beyond mere feelings.

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

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

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

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

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

Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

GENERAL

Upgrading your Perspective

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Image Source: blog.kevineikenberry.com


What if everything works out for your good?

What if all goes as you planned?

What if your hopes and dreams come true?

What if it all turns out great?

What if everything works in your favor?

A lot of people have adopt a negative perspective of life.

All they see is the cloudy and gloomy side of life.

If you are among this category of people, you must decide today, to change. Wipe your mind’s mirror of all the stains which is hindering your eyes from beholding the light of divine hope God is trying to show to you.

Whatsoever you get from life depends greatly on how you choose to see it. And what you see not only depends on what you look at, but also on where you look from.

The time has come for one to stop blaming one’s government for one’s financial hardship.

The Bible tells us that though we are in this world, we are not of this world.

This means, that though we are in the government of our respective countries, we belong and are dependent on a higher government; the government of heaven.

This is supposed to be the standpoint of a believer when addressing the affairs of this world. Though there are circumstances we cannot avoid or change immediately, yet, we can always change our perspective.

Our perspectives can be changed to seeing a challenge, to seeing a phase life which will surely pass.

It was Chris Pine that said,

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is your perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.”

The Bible says, “As a man thinks, so he is” (Prov 23:7).

Your perspective will either become your prison, or your passport to greatness.

Begin to think positively. God gave us a powerful gift which is our imagination.

Begin to imagine beautiful things about yourself and as you imagine, desire, pray and believe they it will become your reality (Mark 11 vs 24).

That is how it works! The more you imagine these good things, the more your desire for them grows stronger. And burning desire is the trigger of fervent prayer.

Begin to confess positive things rather than negative things. The Bible is filled with positive confessions. Devote an hour daily to reading, Meditating on and declaring the promises of God to you.

Let them be your Perspective.

Start each day by confessing God’s promises consciously with faith in your heart.

Confess them at your place of work or during your lunch break. Confess them at night before going to bed and watch how your life will change for good.

Think positively and speak positively.

Let your heart be illuminated by your continuous gaze at the light of God’s promises.

Let your face be illuminated, by your smile of hope, and confidence, that no matter what you are going through, you are coming out strong.

Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

GENERAL

Be Patient with Maturity

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Sometimes it takes time and spiritual growth to learn how to put God’s love to work for you. We don’t grow up spiritually overnight.

You can’t put an adult head on a baby’s body, and sometimes it takes time to mature in love.

My brother Dub was a good example of that. It took him time to mature in love because of his upbringing. Dub was always big for his age. By the time he was six¬teen, he was 6 foot 4 inches tall.

But Dub grew up with a chip on his shoulder because he’d been orphaned and kicked from pillar to post. He wouldn’t take anything from anyone.

In fact, when he was a seventeen-year-old boy, I saw him whip four grown men.

But then Dub got saved. And, really, if you’d known where he’d come from, you would have known that something miraculous happened to him to change his nature.

But even though there was a dramatic change on the inside, sometimes he still had a hard time keeping his flesh under. He had to learn to mature in love, and really, he came a long way from his younger days.

But one time, for example, Dub was out in California, and he went into a little coffee shop. He was sitting at the counter, and he ordered something to eat.

When the waitress brought it to him, he bowed his head to pray before he ate. After he prayed, the fellow sitting next to Dub asked him where he was from. Dub said that he was from Oklahoma.

Then the man asked, “Do you know Oral Roberts?”
Dub said, “Well, I don’t know him personally, but I’ve shaken his hand.”

Well,” the fellow replied, “He’s a so-and-so,” and he called him a name.

Then the fellow asked, “Do you know Kenneth Copeland?”

“Yes,” Dub said. “I know him personally.”

“Well,” the fellow replied, “he’s another so-and-so.”

Then the fellow said, “Do you know Kenneth Hagin?”
Dub replied, “Yes, I do.”

The fellow said, “He’s another so-and-so.”

When the fellow said that, Dub knocked him off the counter stool. Then he picked him up and carried him outside.

The owner of the restaurant called the police, and when they got there, Dub was holding the fellow up against the building praying for him.

The police officer said, “What’s the matter?”

Dub said, “This man said my brother was a so-and-so. By saying that, he was calling my mother a dirty name too. No one talks that way about my family!”

The policeman said to the fellow, “Did you do that?”

The man said, “Yes.”

The policeman said, “Why, you ought to have better sense!” Then he asked Dub, “Who is your brother?”
Dub said, “Kenneth Hagin.” The police officer said, “Oh! I’ve read his books and listened to his tapes.”

Then he turned to the other fel¬low and said, “What’s the matter with you!”

The fellow said, “Well, I guess maybe I did do wrong.”

My brother Dub told the fellow, “If you want help, here’s my card. Come and see me.”

The man came to see Dub the next day and got saved!

Now I don’t advocate getting people saved that way, but I just told you that to show you that sometimes it can take time to learn to keep the flesh under and to mature in love.

But Dub came a long way from his younger years. It took him a while, but he grew in love. The Lord had worked Dub over on the inside and made him a new creature, but then Dub had to learn what to do with the outward natural man.

It took him some time to learn to put on Christ on the outward man (Rom. 13:14) and to mature in the God-kind of love.

But it’s no use laughing at Dub, because the Lord is still teaching some of us how to bring the outward man subject too!

___________________
Kenneth E. Hagin

Spirituality

HOW TO MEDITATE ON GOD’S WORD

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Meditation involves studying, which is a step higher than reading. The word of God is not meant to be read alone, but to be meditated upon. It is PRIMARILY meant for us to encounter.

Meditation is the practice or act of pondering (focusing) on a written or spoken discourse. It means expressing considered thoughts on a subject.

Wikipedia defines meditation as ‘a practice where an individual uses a technique –such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity –to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.’


If you want to meditate, the basic things to do, includes:

1. SUSTAINING THE APPROPRIATE POSTURE

It was Apostle Edu Udechukwu that said that “the feedbacks you get from the scriptures, is dependent on the posture that you sustained before approaching it.”

Psalms 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the MEDITATION OF MY HEART, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

If your heart must receive divine revelation, the state of your heart must sustain the appropriate posture of: “entering the scriptures in the spirit, encountering the word beyond the mind, and interacting with the Spirit of the Word.”

With that in place, you will not be distracted and, your mind, body and spirit will be aligned and ready to meditate on the Word.

II Timothy 2:15 (NASB): “BE DILIGENT to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling (expounding) the word of truth.”

Diligent meditation will create pictures of the events that happened and what led to it.

By this, you will have insight and understand the contextual meaning of the passage.

If the appropriate posture is not sustained, you certainly will have problem with meditation.

You will look mechanically into the scriptures, but will not be able to BEHOLD the person of Jesus Christ.

You will be unable to apprehend divine realities in your spirit. You will be far from COMFORMING to the image of Christ. This is what leads one to explain scriptures only with the natural human intellect.

2. CONSIDER THE CONTEXT

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” 2 Timothy 2:7

Your mind and heart must be exercised to gain insight that is embedded in the scriptures. This is what the above scripture entails.

You have to consider by meditation, before the Lord will give you understanding. You ca not get right understanding of scripture (by the Spirit) until you consider by medication.

Considering the context of scripture is necessary for application. It is wise to ask questions such as these:

To whom was it written? By whom?

What were the circumstances?

What are the precise meanings of the words in the original language?

What related scriptures might provide additional insights?

With the following questions, you will see yourself digging deep and understanding it through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 8:3 “When I CONSIDER thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.”

From the aforementioned verse, David –The Psalmist, was meditating on the handiwork of God, and that led to what he said in the next verses.

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” Psalms 8:4,5, 6.

Reading without meditation, is what causes misconception.

Misconception of scriptures leads to misinterpretation, and misinterpretation leads to misapplication of scriptures. This is how some heresies come into the body of Christ.

3. PERSONALIZING THE PASSAGES


Personalize it by rereading it in the first person; using I, me, and my.

For example, John 3:16 could be personalized by saying,

“For God so loved ‘ME‘, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if ‘I‘ believe in Him, ‘I‘ will not perish but have everlasting life.”

Colossians 3:16 could be personalized by saying, “Let the word of Christ dwell in ‘ME‘ richly in all wisdom.”

When you personalize the scripture, it becomes a living expression within your heart. This is also an aspect of meditation.

After that, read the personalized verse repeatedly. That will make room for better understanding of that

verse.

However, this method is not applicable for all scriptures because not every scripture is meant to be personalized.

MANTRA MEDITATION

Mantra in this context refers to a phrase REPEATED to assist concentration during meditation.

You can do mantra meditation by repeating a verse, phrase, or a word in the scripture. For example;

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in ME richly in all wisdom.”


Do some ‘figuring out‘ in your spirit to substantiate the passage. You can do this by representing some items in a coded way which only you may understand.

As you continue meditating, your understanding of the verse deepens, your illustrations will expand.

While asking yourself questions, you can give answers to them by introspection. You can be linked to other related scriptures, you will get to know a verse from other passages, it will widen your understanding and enable you to balance the context of scriptures.

When you have done your diligent meditation of a particular verse, chapter or book, then you will be able to illustrate and summarize the main concepts found within the passage(s).

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.”

While you diligently read and meditate, the Holy Spirit will drop a message(s) in your heart.

When this happens, you will able to discover where you had ignorance and deficiency in accurate Understanding.

Apply them accurately in the areas they are required.

David Chikwado Caleb

Spirituality

Kingdom Focus

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Image Source: Reputation Today


The Longman dictionary states that focus is ‘to give special attention to a particular thing or concentrate on something important.’

Focus is one of the greatest channels of exerting our mental and physical energies properly.

According to the scriptures, Focus is the ability to channel your concentration on the work and desires of the kingdom.

“And all who focus their hope on him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure.” 1 John 3:3.

The more we focus on the Kingdom and its desires, the more we increase in our productivity as Kingdom Agents.

To be focused on the kingdom is to make the kingdom the central point of your life. To be focused on the Kingdom is to be engrossed and immersed in the desires of the kingdom.

To be focused on the kingdom is to channel all your energy and strength into the work and the demands of the kingdom. Without focus, one tends to get distracted with the cares of this life.

It is saddening, that in this generation, there are believers whose focus is on the things below instead of the things above.

It is a pity how we set our eyes on things that will only give us temporal happiness and yet we become unfulfilled and we complain how God is not favoring us.

One can only find the path to one’s Destiny fulfilment in the pursuit of Kingdom demands.

“The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in! 23 But if your eyes are focused on money, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. How profound will be the darkness within you if the light of truth cannot enter!” – Matthew 6:22-23.

Light cannot enter our spirits when our focus is not on the Kingdom. There are several bounties in the covenant of Grace we entered when we got born again. But focusing on the things of this Earth at the expense of that of the kingdom, will deny one a clear revelation of those bounties.

Whenever our focus is not on the kingdom, we make our minds to wallow in darkness. Hence, God’s Light finds no access through which it can shine upon us.

If your eyes can be focused on the kingdom, the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened, the rivers of revelation and the fountain of life would always spring out from within you, because you are focused on what produces light.

When your affection is not set in the Kingdom, you will lose relevance in God.

Many persons are worried about their hope for a better future. But one whose focus is set on Christ, has none of such worries; for he is confident that in beholding Christ, He beholds His future.

Therefore, as long he continues to commit himself to the kingdom, Christ is committed to giving him a better future.

Here’s The Passion Translation’s rendition of one of David’s verses;

“For I’ve kept my eyes focused on his righteous words and I’ve obeyed everything that he’s told me to do I’ve done my best to be blameless and to follow all his ways keeping my heart pure” Psalms 18:22-23

A man who is committed and focused on the kingdom will always follow after the words of Christ because those words are his guiding steps.

The words of Christ are what keeps the focus of a kingdom man, as long as he continually and consistently behold the Christ, the kingdom becomes available to him more and more.

Paul was so focused on the kingdom that he went about preaching the gospel from nations to nations.

Our focus enables us to do great things for the kingdom.

Many people are wishing to be Kingdom agents, to spark Revival in many nations of the world, yet, they are not focused on giving their best for the kingdom.

Such persons are usually interested in the material benefits that comes with God’s work and not the work itself.

They are not after kingdom advancement. They are not ready to sacrifice themselves for the master use.

Focus makes you go after the substance and not the shadow .


“So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:33 TPT.



Until we refuse to put our eyes on the material things that the kingdom gives and focus on what the kingdom will make of us, we will keep on making mistakes and then our journey ends in circles.

Refuse to worry about tommorow and take charge of today.

The scripture aforementioned admonishes to chase after, with all vigor, Kingdom demands.

Jesus said that in the Kingdom, ‘The violent takes it by force’.

The violence Jesus told us about, is not physical violence, but living a life of mental and Spiritual concentration on our Kingdom purpose.

It means that there is a consistent understanding you must acquire from the kingdom in order for your life to be productive.

Beloved, I admonish you this day, to realign your focus to your kingdom purpose.

It does not mean you should neglect your duties here on Earth. It rather means that you should be devoted to the purpose for which you were created and reborn.

God bless you.

GENERAL, videos, WORSHIP

Daily Worship: Break Every Chain, African Rendition.

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Music is one of the ways in which we declare the mighty power of God. When we sing of His Power, we get the manifestation of His Power.

And when His Power manifests, chains are broken, mountains are levelled and destinies are released.

Olamiji Rasheed, an uprising singer from the Western part of Nigeria, delivers this beautiful rendition of Tasha Cobbs’ ‘Break every Chain’.

GENERAL

Do not give up

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I was in my room one afternoon doing the bottle flip. I was not so good at it at that time, so it was kind of hard for me but I kept on doing it. Sometimes it would almost stand then fall and at other times, it would fall completely. 

After several failed attempts at getting the bottle to stand, I decided I had had enough of the failures. I wanted to quit. But a voice within encouraged me to try it out, one last time. I yielded to that voice, and it worked this time.

Many of us have found ourselves entangled in a particular sin or addiction. We might have been trying to get out of it. But it seems as if the more we try, the stronger the entanglement becomes. We keep making vows and at the same time keep breaking them and each time we break them, we cry asking God for help and liberation. We feel enslaved, hopeless and helpless. We want to give up already thinking we can’t be free from it, thinking it’s our fate and we must take it as it is. But I want to encourage you; don’t give up now!! 

Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to increase your efforts.  Do not let the devil win this fight for you are more than conquerors through him who loved you (Romans 8:37)

God hears your cries, he sees those secret tears and he is ever ready to save you for his hands are not too short that he cannot save neither is his ear deaf that he can’t hear for he said, I will hear their cries and I will save them. 

God sees your sincerity, He knows you are truly tired of falling over and over again. So He’s saying, “Hang on in there, I’m coming and soon the fall will be completely over”. 
Don’t give up! Remember, when there’s life, there’s hope. 

We are not perfect but we are on a journey towards perfection. On this journey, when you fall, do not drift away from God. Pick yourself up, dust off the pain and move closer to him than ever before. Do not let the feeling of guilt and condemnation overcome you and blind your eyes from seeing God’s great love for you. No sin, No mistakes and No fall can ever take his Love away from us. 


Keep crying and running back to him than after every mistakes and soon, the light will shine down on you and your stance in Christ will be so firm. Firmer than you can ever imagine. 
Remember God said, “The Egyptians you see today, you shall see them no more”. Likewise, the problem and struggles you see today, you will see them no more. 

Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

GENERAL

Why you must be determined!

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Determination is defined as firmness of purpose. Determination is the ability to be persistent, resolute, certain, steadfast to your decision and choices.

Determination is an important value that a man must possess when he is in a pursuit of a great thing. Determination is the fuel of any passion and purpose. If there is no determination there will be no need to purse things of greater value.

Determination is the root of greatness, nobody is truly great, if he is not determined to think outside the box. Only determined people can change the their world. Life is tough by default. Fate pleases no man; fate gives no allowance for smugness. Only the determined becomes great; only the determined can take the pen of fate and write their own destiny, and fulfill that destiny as it written.

Determination requires understanding the sacrifice and the pains of a preferable future and deciding to go through the obstacles and with the mindset of coming out great. Determination is seeing your future and doing whatever it takes in right way to get that future.

Determination is making choices and decisions that will make your future accessible. Determination is a mental and a spiritual choice, it is what makes us stand out, it what makes our future or our target become more attainable.

Daniel 1:8
But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. (MSG)

The text above tells us about the story of one of the most successful Christian politicians in Bible history, Daniel. Daniel was taken captive into the land of Babylon. His parents were killed during an Babylon’s invasion of the Jewish country.

By divine providence, Daniel was selected with other Jews to be trained in the arts and science of the Babylonians, and to be fed with the King’s delicacies in order to have improvements in their mental well-being. This seemed attractive. Daniel would have probably accepted the King’s food but for the fact that it was prepared in a manner that was considered ‘defiled’ by Jewish culture.

When he observed this, we are told in scriptures, that he determined within himself not to accept the King’s food. He determined in heart not to defile himself with the king’s dainties.

His determination made God to favor him above the other Jews.

What decision have you determined to take?

It is wrong to live your life in laxity, without specific decisions and choices. It is wrong to make your choices to be dependent on the circumstances surrounding you, rather than the inner choice you have made.

Determination is that which is needed in tough times like these. Due to the pandemic, political chaos and economic hardship, one is tempted to become apathetic towards the future. One is tempted to lose hope about one’s dreams. Fate seems bleak; the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be imperceptible.

Now is the time, to determine in your heart, that no matter what happens, you are not going to give up on your dreams. You will become the person that God has destined you to be! Like Daniel, no matter how potent the temptation to defile yourself in this corrupt world might seem to be, stick your decision to stay pure.

You are not the first who has been in this kind of situation. Joseph was sold from his father’s house to Potiphar’s house. When it seemed as if he had gained stability in Potiphar’s house, he was lied against and sent into the Egyptian dungeon. The dungeon is usually a dark place. There is no illumination there. It is filled with dirt and the stench from the prisoners’ faeces.

This was the kind of condition Joseph found himself in. In the prison, one does not eat proper food. Joseph was locked up in the prison, the same way a lot of us have been locked up in our homes. But Joseph’s lockdown was what God was going to use to take him into the palace.

This is the reason you must be determined this season. Though it may not be visible, yet, be rest assured that God is doing a mighty thing in your life. He is making all things to work out for your good.

GreenHills Emmanuel

   Types of determination

Organic determination: This type of determination is an inborn determination in every man to fulfill his purpose on earth, this kind of determination is what pushes people to do the unthinkable and makes them  reach the height where men has not reached, it was such determination that led many scientist or men who brought innovations to the world, this kind of determination is in every man. This kind of determination must be trained and nutured and be brought to good use.

Inorganic determination: This is a kind of determination that is infused into us as maybe a speaking or we heard a word of motivation words or purposeful words spoken to us in order to help us realize our potential. Such determination helps us to set our daily goals and targets.