Tag Archives: Hope

Faith

A Mind-blowing lesson from Jesus’ healing of leprous man; He touches the leprous

Leave a comment

Consider how embarrassing it would be if the Queen of England was discovered befriending beggars. Imagine how it would be for the Oba of Benin or the Emir of Kano to be found in local bars with locals. Strange right? Now, imagine the King of Kings, Jesus, being found with the lowest class of people in His day.

Jesus was found with those who society rejected, from fishermen to tax collectors to prostitutes to insane people to blind beggars. He was not embarrassed to be in the company of outcasts.

Jesus feels at ease among those who have been marginalized by society. He has no hesitation about identifying with those who are struggling, spiritually blind, or sick in any aspect of their lives.

Here is one of the numerous instances where Jesus demonstrates His undiscriminating love for mankind;

Matthew 8:1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

In Jewish culture, lepers were considered unclean and were ostracized from society. They were not permitted to live among people and whoever touched them was considered unclean as well.As a result, they were stigmatized and treated as lower-class people.

I can imagine how the leper felt seeing everyone avoid him due to his condition. I can imagine it because I’ve been through something similar before. I know what it’s like to be treated like a scumbag because of how life has treated me. I know what it’s like to be scorned and abandoned when you need people the most.
Unsplash

Do you know how it feels? To have visible spots on your character, health or mind that you refuse to wash away. And because they are visible, no one wants to be with you. You are left alone!

That is the climax of whatever punishment you want to give to a person. Even God said it is not good for man to be alone. We were never created to be alone.

But there is a way the circumstances of life will treat you, you will be considered unattractive by many. And you will be left alone. Left alone to ponder on the misery of your situation. Left alone to beg for food to eat. Left alone to live for survival.

The leper was left alone because of a leprosy that was never his fault! Have you ever gone through battles you did not cause? Have you ever found yourself in tough situations you know you did not deserve? This leper was in such situation.

But one day, Jesus was passing the very place the leper was. And the leper ran to meet Him. This is where some of us fail as believers. I wish I had done this earlier. Some of us run from Jesus instead of running to Him.

We do not want him to see our leprosy so we either run from Him or try to hide our leprosy.

So in Church, we act like holy saints when we are dying in sin within. We shout ‘praise the Lord’ when we are doubting God within.

We dance in Church and cry at home. We smile in public and mourn in secret. We put on a false appearance because we afraid of being judged or condemned like in the past.

But Jesus does not condemn 😥Isaiah 42:3 says, ‘A bruised weed he will not break’.

Men condemn and abandon because that is the only thing they can do. They have no power to change, deliver or heal. But Jesus is our savior. He can mend the broken hearts and set the oppressed free!

The Leper asked for healing.

I was walking home (Benin, Edo state, Nigeria) one day, and a very little girl ran to me. She was dirty looking and had a very bad odor oozing off her mouth.

She also had a pus on her face. Obviously, she was a beggar. I was so irritated by her appearance that I crossed to the other side of the road just to avoid having to look at her.

I was disgusted by the appearance of a beggar with a little pulse. Imagine how Jesus is supposed to have felt being close to a man with stinking LEPROUSY! Any other person would run away, but Jesus stayed. Because He is not disgusted by our leprosy. In fact, our leprosy is the reason He wants to be with us.

He came for the sick, remember? Luke 5:32.

And He touched the leper. No man had ever touched the leper for years, but Jesus did, and His touch healed the leper.

Jesus wants to touch you. He said to the leper, ‘I am willing’ (Matthew 8:3). Jesus is willing to heal you. He is willing to make you whole again.

What is your ‘leprosy’? Depression. Anxiety. Fears, even doubts. Confusion. Uncertainty. Today you feel you believe God and the next day, you are on the verge of losing hope.

You are the exact person wants to touch. He is the physician looking for the sick. The Advocate looking for the condemned. The Light looking for darkened hearts (John 8:12). The healer looking for wounded souls (Matthew 8:16). The High Priest looking for sinful lives (Hebrews 4:14)

All you have to do is open up your heart, your heart, your weaknesses to Him. Welcome His presence into your life and trust Him not to make you better, but to make you NEW.

Nwodo Divine's avatar

Written by

Nwodo Divine

Fam 😊 I need a little favor from you…. actually two favors. I really want to hear from you, so if you were blessed by this post, drop a comment, I will reply ASAP. Then, I need you to subscribe to the blog (it’s free), so that you will be getting these inspiring updates easily. Thank you 😊❤

Faith

Here’s why you shouldn’t be ashamed of your little beginning.

Leave a comment

When I was starting out as a freelance writer, I suffered greatly from discouragement arising from being underappreciated. I envied those freelance writers who were making bucks from doing what I could also do.

These discouraging thoughts flooded my mind and hampered my creativity. For a long while, I found it difficult to write or do anything creative. I was desperate to be at the top, yet, I was too myopic to see that the way to the top started from the bottom.

My discouragement ended when I came across a very powerful Bible verse that has been my anchor ever since I read it;

Zechariah 4:10: “Do not despise these small beginnings”

In the context of the scripture, the people of Israel who had just returned from captivity were rebuilding their destroyed temple. Zerubbabel was the one who led this rebuilding. However, it was quite difficult as the resources and manpower required to build a temple as magnificent as Solomon’s own were not available.

This reality hampered the faith of the Jews, particularly Zerubbabel. The beginning of the project was rocked with several difficulties.

However, God encouraged to Zerubbabel through his prophet. The encouragement God gave to Zerubbabel is the same He is giving you right now through this post.

When people begin to envy the success of great men and make comparisons between those men and themselves, they begin to despise their little beginnings.

Moreover, every great man was once irrelevant. Every famous man was once unknown. Every wealthy man was once poor. Every revered man was once disregarded. Every expert was once a beginner.

Those at the top once lived at the bottom of human existence. It was their beginning, but it didn’t deter them from achieving their goals and becoming great men and women in society.

So don’t feel sad that you post sermons and no one views them. Don’t feel sad that you organize classes and only a few register. Don’t be sad that you write a good story and only a few share it.

You’re in the days of your beginning. This is only a phase that will propel you into the greatness God has predestined for you.

Therefore, do not despise this beginning. Give it your best. Blossom and grow. Remain faithful even in your little – your little fan base, your little sales, your little church, your little brand etc, no matter what your little is, be faithful in it. God’s gonna lift you up to sit with Kings!

Meanwhile, the little building Zerubbabel started eventually became a magnificent temple of worship. It started as a little building, but it became a great temple.

Your business, family or occupation might be little now, do not be discouraged, God will make something magnificent out of it!

Type an Amen in the comments if you believe!

Written

Spirituality

What to do with God’s Promises?

Leave a comment



Have you ever received a prophecy?


Have you ever been told of a miracle coming your way but after a long time, you saw no miracle?


Have you ever wondered why despite the fact that the preacher was genuine and inspired, the prophecy was never fulfilled?



“Or was he lying? ” you might have asked within yourself.



Well, he was not lying 😊


Romans 3 vs 4 says, “Let God be true but every man a liar ”.


Those prophecies were totally true. Why didn’t they happen? You ask.


Truth is, certain prophecies are not assurances that a certain thing will happen in your life! They are not.




What do I mean?



Take for example, a high ranking official in the government promises to give you a job, a well paying job.



Knowing how genuine this man is, you immediately become rest assured that the job is now yours.



Though he has promised you the job, you still have your part to play in getting it. You have to prepare and submit your CV and prove to be competent in an interview. The job will only be yours when these procedures have been followed.



Getting blissful prophecies to manifest in our lives is similar to this.


Prophecy has two major purposes,


1. Faith


2. Alignment


Prophecy strengthens our faith in God. It gives us the assurance of a better future in spite of the difficulties we may be experiencing.


Prophecy is also released to put us in alignment with God’s will.


However, that a good promise has been prophesied to us does not mean it will automatically come true.


It is not magic. You have a part to play in its fulfilment.


1 Timothy 1:18
“This charge I commit to you…. according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare”


In the aforementioned verse, Paul admonishes is that the prophecies and promises that God has made to us aren’t just released to make us feel good.


They are given to us to equip us for spiritual warfare. In the text, Paul charges us to wage a good warfare with the prophecies.

This is because there exist several powers and forces that will fight against us in our Christian journey.


This is further revealed in Ephesians 6:12;


“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”


These principalities and powers are working daily to bring obstacles and hindrances our way. Their mission is to ensure we do not achieve our God-given purpose.



It is with God’s revealed promises and prophecies that we pray and stop their activities. So when you see poverty in your life even when God has promised you great wealth, do not relax thinking it will come true.


The Prophecy did not come to make you relax, it came to equip you to fight for its fulfilment. Go to God in prayer and constantly remind Him of His Promise to you.

Keep declaring it in your life. Even when everything around you seems to contradict the promise, keep declaring it and praying for its fulfilment.


When we do this, we nurture the seed of Prophecy to germinate and become a reality in our lives.


What is that promise that God has given you? What positive prophecy have you received that has not come into manifestation yet?


Now is the time to go to God and remind Him of the promise and demand for its fulfilment!


Whether it is long life or business opportunities or a prosperous future, keep praying with it and expecting its fulfilment in your life.


WRITTEN BY TOLU-TAIWO VICTOR

Spirituality

Heart Matters; The Heart – The Reservoir of Wisdom

2 Comments

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:24

Have you ever wondered why monks and sages are so wise? I have too. What makes them so wise? Don’t they have the same brain and eyes that we have? They do.

What makes monks, sages and wealthy men wise is a heart matter. Wisdom is not a mental condition, it is a heart condition. It is a state of the heart.

Wisdom can be received and enhanced in the heart. Thus we can describe the heart as the storage tank of wisdom. It stores up wisdom and insight for excellent living.

This is why Jesus spoke of ‘the abundance of the heart’. Even as the heart can store up wisdom, it can also store folly, or it can be empty and void of wisdom. It all depends on how much development you give to it.

Here are two ways to enhance inner wisdom;

1. Get connected with God.

God in us – The Holy Spirit is our source of wisdom. Any believer who is rooted in God will never run out of practical wisdom for daily living. Building a strong connection with God requires prayer, meditation, fasting etc. Find out more here.

  • Acknowledge God
Proverbs 3:6: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (KJV)

Here’s what Matthew Henry says about this verse:

“…. We must not only in our judgment believe that there is an over-ruling hand of God ordering and disposing of us and all our affairs, but we must solemnly own it, and address ourselves to him accordingly. We must ask his leave, and not design anything but what we are sure is lawful. We must ask his advice and beg direction from him, not only when the case is difficult… but in every case, be it ever so plain, we must ask success of him, as those who know the race is not to the swift.

We must refer ourselves to him as one from whom our judgment proceeds, and patiently, and with a holy indifference, wait his award. In all our ways that prove direct, and fair, and pleasant, in which we gain our point to our satisfaction, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove cross and uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge God with submission.”

Although there are men with natural wisdom, a look at world history reveals that it takes more than natural wisdom to survive in this world. Furthermore, no matter how smart you are, you will never know what the person next to you is thinking. You can never see into the future, no matter how clever you are; you can never predict the next war, bomb blast, tension, etc.

C. Bridges explains this better,

‘Take one step at a time, every step under divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted. Therefore, take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first piece- before self-will… self-wisdom, human friends, convenience (and) expediency. Before any of these have been consulted, go to God at once!’

Here’s an exercise for this;

  • Consider a decision you must make soon. It could be a job, an admission, a course selection, a spouse, or something else. Remove your emotions and preferences from the decision and speak to God – who dwells in your heart. Ask Him to guide you in making the right decision. You can even ask Him for a sign, as Gideon did, and if your heart is sincere, God may work a sign to lead you. But the most important thing is that you acknowledge God before taking any action.

  • Read your Bible

The Bible is God’s letter to man; it is God’s eternal counsel written down. God is very interested in the Bible because it is His very own work, and how much attention we as His children pay to it. I remember writing my first story and giving it to a close friend to read. I sat there watching him read it with bated breath until he was finished. I did this because it was my book, and it made me very happy to see someone else reading what I had written. Similarly, God loves it when we pay attention to His word.

His word contains life-changing wisdom. We see deep mysteries hidden for us in the life stories of David, Abraham, and others, as well as the proverbs of Solomon, the psalms of David, the teachings of Jesus, and the doctrines of the Apostles.

Therefore, let us give attention to the reading of God’s word for our own profiting.

  • Read it.
  • Meditate on it.
  • Study it.
  • Pray with it
  • Practice it
  • Keep reading it

What if I can’t understand what is written in it?

1 Corinthians 2:9-11: “…Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine  – these are the many things God has in store for them that love Him.

10 But God now unveils these profound realities to us by the Spirit.[c] Yes, he has revealed to us his inmost heart and deepest mysteries through the Holy Spirit, who constantly explores all things. 

11 After all, who can really see into a person’s heart and know his hidden impulses except for that person’s spirit? So it is with God. His thoughts and secrets are only fully understood by his Spirit, the Spirit of God.”

The Bible can never be fully comprehended by the human intellect; it requires the revelation of the Holy Spirit to fully comprehend the wisdom hidden in God’s word. As a result, before reading the Bible, we must pray to the Lord for understanding and insight into His word.

Read the Bible with an open heart in order to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit; as if God is speaking to you through it, read it. Don’t just skim through it. The butterfly can only get nectar from its flower by sucking it; similarly, we can only gain insight from God’s word by studying it meditatively.

2. INQUISITIVENESS

Wisdom is acquired through a combination of inquisitiveness for information and a desire to learn. This quality is common among the world’s renowned scientists and researchers. It is a heart matter and goes beyond being a mere over-thinker or curious person.

Inquisitiveness is the desire to learn, to know more about people, things. It is founded from the habit of observation. If you want to fill your heart with wisdom, observe and ask questions. Ask vital questions to yourself, God, elders around you and even to nature.

A wise man once said, “He who knows how to ask, will never get lost”. If you develop this inquisitive quality and you live by it, by the time you’re old your mind will be an accumulation of years of wisdom and answers to life’s toughest questions.

Here’s a practical for you;

  • Get a book and tag it ‘Wisdom Book’.
  • Write down the pivotal questions in your life that you need answers to.
  • Go to the Bible or get lessons from trusted counselors on those questions and write them down in your wisdom book.
  • Have a ‘learning goal’ each day. This goal should be the things you want to learn for that day. At the end of the day, write down the things you’ve learnt in your ‘Wisdom Book’.
  • Be observant and write down occurrences with significant meaning in your life.

BE CONSISTENT

Again, this must be done continuously in order to see the desired results.

Were you blessed by this post? We’ll love to hear from you in the comment section.

Faith

Believe in The Immutability of God

Leave a comment


Isaiah 51: “Look unto Abraham”


If there’s anything I’m sure of, it’s the words of scriptures. God never minced words. If He says we should look unto Abraham, He means it.

Abraham is the symbol of the Christian faith. He is widely celebrated for his unrelenting belief in the promise of God.


Hebrews 11:17 “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,”


Hebrews 11:18 though God had promised him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”


Hebrews 11:19 “Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”


The intensity and strength of Abraham’s faith was revealed when he attempted to sacrifice his only son.

This was the son that God had promised him; Isaac was the son through whom Abraham would become the father of many nations.

He was the precious and promised seed, yet, Abraham never showed any reluctance in sacrificing him just to please God.


The radical faith of this Saint of Old is what believers need today. We need to build our faith to become even stronger than that of Abraham if we are going to inherit the promise.

Having studied the life and pilgrimage of Abraham, I discovered only one source of Abraham’s strong faith;

– The Immutability of God


Hebrews 6:13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:


Hebrews 6:14 “I will certainly bless you richly, and I will multiply your descendants into countless millions.”


Hebrews 6:15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.



When God made the promise to Abraham, He swore by His name to fulfil the promise He made to Abraham.

The moment God made that oath, Abraham held onto it. He gripped it firmly and even gave thanks knowing that God would fulfil His oath.


Like Abraham, all we have to sustain our faith in this world is the immutability of God’s Word. God no longer needs to appear in dreams to give us His Promise like He did with Abraham.

In the days of old, there was no scripture or precedent to look up to and be strengthened in faith. There was no record of God’s promise to any man.


But God has blessed us with His Word – The Bible. We can look onto it in our moments of despair and be rest assured that so long as the Promise has been made, it will be fulfilled.

This, folks, is the definition of strong faith. This is the faith of Abraham and every person who ever walked with God.


It is a solid conviction on the immutability of God’s Word – if He said it, He will do it.


Psalms 37:28 “For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will perish.”



God has given His Promise, that He will never abandon you. Even in your darkest moments, He will always be there.

Though, it may seem as if God is silently watching the world destroy itself, His eyes are specially fixed on His Saints.

Folk, stay glued to the promise of God that He will keep His beloved safe and lead us unto prosperity.

If God never fails, then let us hold unto His word. Let us believe His word that all things work for our good. Let us believe His word that even in famine, the Lord shall bless us with abundance.

Let us believe in the immutability of God.

Amen.


Faith

Enduring Faith!

Leave a comment



There is always an interval between the Promise and the fulfilment of the promise in the relationship between God and His children. That interval sometimes is long and full of several trials and challenges.


Could it be that the crisis believers are experiencing is only the interval between the Promise and the fulfilment of The Promise?


When David was anointed by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, one would have thought David would become king the very next day, just like Saul.

Paradoxically, David ended up a wanderer in the wilderness, leading a pack of wild men for almost fourteen years before he finally ascended the Throne.



But even in those hard times running from Saul and living in the toughest of weather and geographical conditions, David stayed glued to God’s Promise that he would one day, ascend the throne of Israel, and surely, that day came.



There are certain challenges that God might not remove from our paths, but He has given us His Promise in His Word to sustain us even in these moments of trials and hardships.


Abraham is another example of a man who had to wait for years before seeing the fulfilment of The Promise.

At 75, Abraham had no son to call his own, yet, God promised Him a seed as well as fatherhood over nations. God usually gives us mind-blowing promises even in our distress in order to test us and stir up our faith.


Abraham was old, so was his wife. Neither of them could get pleasure from one another; neither had the capacity to create a seed; this was the difficult condition Abraham found himself in.



Does this sound similar to what you’re going through presently?


Probably you have a deadened business – a business already dried up by the harsh circumstances of life, with no income from it. God’s word is saying,


Psalms 92:12 “The righteous thrive like a palm tree, And grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.”


God is giving you His Promise of fruitfulness the same way He promised Abraham a seed. Though all may seem hopeless, your job is to cling unto the word of God, and keep hoping on Him until the time of fulfilment.


Hebrews 6:15: “After waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.”


Abraham definitely obtained the promise, but God’s Word told us that he had to wait patiently. Faith alone doesn’t obtain the Promise; a faith that cannot endure pain and suffering will never be able to obtain the Promise. Patience is needed.

Source: depositphotos


Patience is needed because The Promise is like a destination, faith makes us expectant of it, but only Patience will keep us expectant. Only patience will keep driving us towards our destination.


Patience is needed because on the journey to the promise, a lot of challenges will arise – persecutions, pandemics, plagues etc; God will permit these things to come your way to prove your Faith not just to Himself, but to the enemy and generations to come who will read your story.


The faith of the saint is not proven when the Saint has finally received The Promise, the faith is proven and seen in the road to attaining the promise.

Faith is in the Saint’s ability to withstand the pressures of life and keep serving God in expectation of an unseen promise.

Nwodo Divine



Romans 4:17 “As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations. He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist.”


Here, we see a revelation of the intensity of Abraham’s faith. Paul, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, explains to us that though his organs were as good as dead,

Abraham believed God had the ability to enliven whatever is dead, and though there was probably no possibility of getting a baby from Sarah’s womb, God had the ability to call it forth into existence.


Such a powerful faith!


Isaiah 51:1 “Look unto Abraham…”

Source: Vectorstocks


Let us look unto Abraham and imitate his faith. Let the troubled Saint believe that God can revive his business; let the sick Saint believe that God can restore life to his body; let the depressed Saint believe that God can call forth great and mighty things into his life.


Romans 4:18 ”He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.”



The Bible was careful to state that Abraham’s situation was not just of a man hoping in God it was a hope Against Hope – meaning, even when every reason to hope was gone,

Abraham never stopped hoping. Even when there was no reason to have faith, Abraham held unto The Promise.



Romans 4:20 “He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God


Romans 4:21 because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.


Even in the uncertainty of the future, Abraham kept giving glory to God – He kept praising the most High. This means this man was never depressed about His childless state; he continued giving glory to God.


In this we learn that one of the evidence that have faith in God is that we believe God even when things seem not to be okay.

Thanksgiving is an evidence of faith in the ability of God to transform our situation.

Conclusively, beloved Saint, in your journey towards the Promise, make faith your fuel, patience your driver and Thanksgiving your music.

We hope you were blessed by this, we’d love to hear from and interact with you 😊. Do drop a like and comment. God Bless you, fam 😘💞💖

GENERAL

The Paradox of the Prophecy

Leave a comment

Text References: Genesis 37:3-9; 39:20; Chp. 41

The story of Joseph is one which is very common among us today – the story of how he was sold into slavery by his very own brothers, how his case deteriorated from slavery even into imprisonment, and how it finally ended with Joseph being on the throne.

We are very familiar with this story; but one thing many Christians do not realize is that they are actually having a re-experience of what Joseph experienced – that is, they are playing out the plot of Joseph’s story.

Joseph had a great dream of becoming a King. He was destined for greatness; he was destined for kingship and royalty. Joseph was a royal by destiny.

Like we do today, Joseph in his days had a dream of leading nations. In one of his dreams, he saw himself being the leader of ‘stars’.

In other words, Joseph was destined to be the leader of leaders and not mere men. This is the destiny of every child of God. You are born for nowhere else but the top.

The Cedar

Psalm 92:12 “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” (NKJV)

            

The Palm tree is a tree which is known for its strong and solid roots, bark as well as productivity.

When the Bible tells us that the righteous will flourish like it, it simply reveals to us that as believers, whether you are a Child, teenager, youth or adult, in every of your engagements, fruitfulness and productivity will be the output.

It means that things will only keep getting better in our lives and in our engagements. It means that as a believer, in your academics, you will be among the best. In the skill you’re acquiring or the trade you are doing, you will achieve immense success. This is the prophetic destiny of every child of God!
          

But what you must also know dear saint, is that there will be a time when what you see in your life seems to contradict what you see in God’s word; I call this ‘The Paradox of the Prophecy’. It is a season that every Saint who ever became great in life passed through.

          

God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations, yet, for many years Abraham never had even a child.

Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing for greatness, yet, for more than 14 years Jacob lived as a poor servant serving a shrewd master and receiving very little money as his wage.

God anointed David through Samuel to be king over Israel, yet, for many years David wandered from wilderness to wilderness leading a pack of wild and hungry men.

God promised to take the children of Israel to a land flowing with milk and honey, yet, for many years they walked in the wilderness eating only a kind of food daily.

                

The list is innumerable. The reason you must know this is that success and greatness comes in seasons and phases; if you are in what seems to be a tough season now, do not write off your dreams!

           

This paradoxical season comes in many forms – in Joseph’s life, it came in the form of slavery and imprisonment.

How could the one who had the stars in the galaxies bowing before him become a servant boy in the house of Potiphar?

How could the one who had the prophecy of worldwide greatness become a prisoner dwelling in a prison with criminals, thieves, and strumpets?

I was thinking since he was destined for greatness, God would make queens his nursing mothers and the palace his playground; but we see the exact opposite.

This young teenager lost his mother at an early age and suffered severe antagonism and antipathy from his brothers.

Wasn’t he the royal one? Wasn’t he supposed to be loved and pampered since he had the brightest future? – but we see the exact opposite. Joseph grew up in the toughest of environments.

           What does this reveal?

           

You are not alone! You are not the only one who is going through pain, intimidation and hardship inflicted by our nation’s system of education and economy.

Joseph also grew up knowing this pain; he also grew up receiving scorns and mockery from his older brothers. But the climax of the story is that he still became the noble that God destined him to be!

          

Look unto Joseph and be strengthened. He lived for years in a dungeon – an underground prison full of darkness and the most evil of criminals.

In the dungeon, you do not get good food; you do not wear good clothes; you do not get any encouragement or motivation; no one visits you in the dungeon – it is a place where you are left alone.

Does that sound like the condition you are in? Maybe you wish you were born in a very wealthy family; but you are living in a house or street full of dirt, immorality and ungodliness, do not despair, it’s only a paradoxical phase!

It is only a juxtaposition of the prophecy and the present. Or maybe all you’ve ever gotten is criticism even from your trusted ones; maybe you have no one to give you the love, acceptance and recognition that you crave for, look unto Joseph and be strengthened, he once went through the phase you’re going through today.

Great men are always alone, and great men are men who at adolescence or even childhood, were compelled to take responsibility for their lives and future by the harsh circumstances and battles of life.

Joseph was taken away from the comfort of his parents like many Christian youths these days are compelled to leave their families to learn a trade and fend for themselves due to lack.

But Joseph did not allow his circumstance to affect his grip on his prophecy. Even in the prison, Joseph saw himself as a leader and acted as one. Do not allow what you are going through affect your mood, rationality and self-esteem!

Be bold and confident of yourself! Be respectful and always look for a way to help those in your society!

Do not be intimidated by your peers who seem to have everything they wish for handed to them on a platter of gold! Neither should you be discouraged to think that your life will remain as it is now.

Hebrews 3:6: “….    Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (KJV)

Don’t lose Hope!

God is saying to you, hold unto the hope of a great end. Hold unto the promise of God in the scriptures that you will be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath.

Do not lose your confidence and courage! Keep serving God and devoting your time to Kingdom work, rejoice in hope that surely, you will sit on the throne that belongs to you.

GENERAL, Ministry

More than a Book

Leave a comment

Some see this prized asset as a mere collection of scripts and scrolls written by men; but the Bible is more than a collection of scripts, it is a collection of divine mysteries. It is a treasury of vast heavenly wisdom. 

Though it was written through the hands of men, the Bible was written by God Himself. It is an outflow of God’s divine wisdom and power.

One of my favorite verses about the Bible remains;

‘Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.’ – Psalms 119:160.

God’s Word is eternally true and relevant. The Bible remains the same. It doesn’t improve; neither is it progressive! What the Bible called sin thousands of years ago, remains sin till date – including homosexuality and fornication.

Some Facts about the Bible

1. It is the Book of God’s Kingdom: 

Every kingdom or state has a book(s) called a constitution. The Constitution contains not only the rules and regulations guiding the state, but the rights of the citizens in that state. The Bible tells us that our conversation is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and that we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13).

The Bible is the constitution of our Kingdom. It reveals to us who we are in Christ, our responsibilities as well as our rights in Christ. The Bible reveals to us our identity as sons of God.

It is in God’s word that we discover that by the stripes of Jesus, we are healed (Isaiah 53). It is in His Word that we discover that we through the redemptive work of Christ, we have been made a royal priesthood, holy and acceptable unto God (1 Peter 2:9).

2. The Book of the Supernatural

The Bible is not a mere storybook! It is a book which presents to us the workings of God’s power in the days of men of old. Any Saint who devotes his time to studying this book with an open heart, will surely walk in the supernatural.

There is a measure of faith that is released into our spirits each time we read of the incredible acts of God. God did not record those acts so that we can read them for leisure or mere knowledge. He wrote them so we would read and be strengthened and ‘faithened’ to command the same.

WHY IS THE BIBLE VERY IMPORTANT?

The importance and significance of God’s word in living a life of victory can never be overemphasized. Here are a few reasons why God’s word must be treated with sacredness and studied with fervency and devotion;

1) All Scriptures are Profitable:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” – 2 Timothy 3: 16-17. 

There is profit in studying the scriptures. Profit means gain, benefits, income etc; in other words, we get great gain when we devote our time and concentration to studying the Bible. We gain spiritual knowledge; we gain faith; we gain hope and inspiration to keep moving in the quest for greatness.

Until a believer begins to profit from God’s word, He can never be a profitable and productive servant of God. God’s word is also profitable for reproof, correction and instruction.

In God’s Word, we are instructed on how to conduct our lives on Earth as Christians. How then can a believer live in confusion when such an all-encompassing treasure as the Bible exists?

2) The Foundation of Our Faith:  

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4. 

Solid faith grows by steady intake of God’s word. One of my mentors Nwodo Divine would always say, “Just as when we eat rice, it becomes carbohydrate in our body, and when we eat beans, it becomes protein in our body; when we eat the word, it becomes faith in our spirits”. Our faith can only stand strong when it is founded on God’s word.

So the scriptures were written to build and grow our faith. For faith to grow, there must learning and unlearning. A believer can’t grow in faith if he chooses to stick to the superstitious and mythical beliefs he had as an unbeliever or Christian infant.

Look at the word whatsoever that was written in the scripture was to form our faith, it is written to show us the pattern of living in God’s kingdom. It is only those who stay with scripture that will always produce what is in the scriptures.

The Scripture discloses the norms, ethics, habits and behavior of believers. It is because many do not know the scriptures that they conform easily to the world.

Until we go back to intense study of the scripture, we will always err and give the wrong counsel and direction to our young ones. 

3) The Revelation of His Will:

And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32.

Until the scriptures are opened to our understanding through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, our eyes will continually be blind to the things that God is trying to show us. 

The scripture uncovers God’s will and counsel for our life. The Scripture is very important because it captures God’s purpose for individual, Family, nation and generations to come.

BIBLE OVER DARWIN

The scripture also shows our root. We may be created with material bodies, yet, God’s word reveals to us that man in his true form, is a spirit (Job 32:8). In God’s Word, we discover that man came from God (Genesis 1:27) and not from apes – a frivolous assertion made by a scientist whose mind had been darkened by Satan.

The Bible shows us that man didn’t evolve from any pre-existing being, but we were rather created from God.

Folks, it’s time we start paying attention to the Word as it is the manual that God has given us to guide us unto success.

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

Spirituality

JUST BE STRONG

Leave a comment



Only the one who wears the shoe knows where the pain is felt. Others can only see how beautiful and shiny the shoe is; even if the feet in the shoe is rotten.




When the reason to live is not substantial and the reason to go isn’t justified too, hanging between choices; when happiness becomes one with sadness; and gloom merges with a smile facade.



And it is said “Just be strong”

What exactly is Strength!
What does it mean to be strong?


Is being strong is equal to living a sad and gloomy life?


Does it mean staying longer for a soon coming death?


Does it mean masking your lifeless soul with a cheerful outlook?


Or maybe being strong means becoming a sacrifice for all in the person of another saviour 🤔🤔


The phrase “Just be strong” loses its value without HIS presence.


Only HE can supply the strength that keeps one going just as HE has kept me going.

When I was in a dark tunnel, HE smiled at me.



The pain caused by the scorning and mockery of men gave way to His reassuring and loving smile.


I can truly ‘Be strong’ because the source of my strength is eternal.

I can truly be happy because the source of my happiness is Joy of The Spirit.





In the fire, HE is with me.
On the troubled waters, HE is with me.
Even in the valley of death, I fear no evil because HE is with me.
Even when everyone leaves me, HE never leaves me.
Even all has given up on me, He upholds me with His Right hand.



HE is Abba, My Father.

Beloved, be strong because HIS will for I and you is not for evil but for good; to bring us to His expected end.

To be strong is to know Abba, hold unto his word and live according to the Spirit; not giving heed to the senses or flesh, but seeing His wondrous works and goodness in all situations.



Abba is strength, to be strong is to have Abba with you and in you, in oneness.

Written by:
Chidimma Blessing.

GENERAL, POETRY

Poetry Today: We stand tall!

Leave a comment

Wounded and broken,
But still we stand tall.
No challenge too over-bearing,
And no fear too consuming.


For each day is a battle,
One we do not always win,
But our persistence is our courage.
We fight with all that we have,
And sometimes that is not enough,
Yet still we continue in a battle
With victory seeming impossible.


Our determination and dreams of happiness
Are not only our guidance,
But also a dagger in our back,
For it is the euphoric joy and brightness
That we battle for.


With each passing loss,
The prospects of happiness begin to grow dim.
Again we continue to fight,
Disregarding the wounds of our previous battles,
Ignoring what may seem inevitable.


For every once in a while we stand,
Our heads held high, victorious at last.
It is now that we find the will-power to keep fighting,
To continue in this never ending war.


But for that brief moment of victory,
We embrace the beauty that is life and all it has to offer.

#WeMove!

GENERAL

Dealing with Procrastination

Leave a comment

Image Credit: Balance.media

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


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



A lazy man is one who procrastinates.


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


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


How to deal with Procrastination


1. Discipline:

Discipline is the bridge between planning and accomplishment.

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

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

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


2. Scheduling your time;


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



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


Several people schedule their time for insignificant things.


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


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


3. Choose Sensible friends:


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


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


You must get rid of friends who are time wasters.


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


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


4. Develop A Responsible Mind-set:

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


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



God bless you!


Greenhills Emmanuel Amarayahweh