Tag Archives: Mysticism

Faith

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

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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.
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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.

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Nwodo Divine

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Spirituality

Heart Matters; The Heart – The Reservoir of Wisdom

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“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.

GENERAL

HEART MATTERS 1: Engaging God with the Heart

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We have a physical heart as well as a spiritual heart. This is evident in the case of the tangible ears and the ears that exist within these ears, as well as our brain and mind. This intangible heart is the essence of man’s being. It is the center of our existence.

The heart is the link between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. Through the heart, we connect to/with people around us, as well as to God.

“…. discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. The heart is the epicenter of our thoughts and our motives for whatever we do.

This spiritual force is the most powerful of all the structures that comprise man’s metaphysical realm. All inventions, innovations, and ideas originate in the heart. It is the inner proving ground for human innovation.

Throughout this series, we will learn how to train our hearts and increase their capacity to generate creative, superhuman ideas and innovations. But this post is about the most important thing we need to learn as Christians: how to engage God with our hearts.

James 4:8: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

When the Bible tells us to draw near to God, it does not mean that we should do so literally. This is due to the fact that none of us can be physically close to God.

God cannot be seen in our physical world unless He opens the spiritual eyes of men to see Him on rare occasions. God, on the other hand, is very close to us, even closer than we expect. James’ admonition to the Church to draw near to God is motivated by God’s proximity to us.

However, many of us are unaware of this, which explains why humans, including believers, frequently experience feelings of fear, abandonment, and despair.

The Heart is God’s House within us

We can reach out to God through our hearts. Nothing can frighten you when you develop this close heart-to-heart connection with God. You gain the courage of a lion. This intimacy with God is what gives hope for a better future even in difficult times.

This intimacy has an impact on our emotions as well; it causes us to rejoice and live in joy because we can feel God no matter where we go. Jesus had a heart-to-heart connection with God. It was so strong that it inspired and influenced everything He did.

He wept in grief when He lost this connection on the cross because it was His main source of strength and fortitude. There are three steps towards enjoying this strong, unbreakable connection with God;

1. Awareness:

The Church needs to go beyond looking for the Presence of God to being aware of the presence of God. The Presence of God is not locked up somewhere in Heaven as many think. His Presence is within us – our heart is the tabernacle of God’s glory and presence. But due to either ignorance or being busy, very few believers enjoy this presence.

Moreover, it is almost impossible to be aware of God’s presence almost twenty-four hours with the kind of turmoil we’re experiencing, but awareness of God is like an art that can be developed and mastered.

  • – See God both inside and outside of yourself.

Psalm 23:4: “….For You are with me…”

We pray because we are aware of God’s indwelling presence. It inspires us to worship. Furthermore, God is said to ‘fill the universe’ in the Bible (Ephesians 1:23). God, as the creator of the universe, has left His imprint on all of His creations.

In fact, everything God created is intended to bear witness to Him and reflect His attributes.

Therefore, let us see God’s glory in the brightness of the sun; let us see God’s grace in the raindrops, His beauty in the lilies, and His creativity in the mountains.

It is very simple and practical to accomplish this feat. Prepare your daily schedule and set aside an hour, thirty minutes, or even fifteen minutes to focus all of your heart energies on being conscious of God’s presence.

When you’re in trouble or confused, instead of trying to mask your feelings by drinking or having a good time, be still and know that God is with you. Although this state will not solve the problem, it will bring peace and joy to your soul.

You’ll have a strong sense that God is working out something good for you. You’ll even get the strength and faith you need to bring the issue to God in prayer.

This is something I do a lot when I’m too tired to continue my studies due to financial constraints. It works!

  • Worship creates awareness

I don’t think there’s anything that awakens the awareness of God’s presence like music. Playing cool worship songs and meditating on the song lyrics can help you feel God’s presence both inside and outside your home.

Allow the lyrics to reach the depths of your soul. Don’t just listen with your ears; listen with your heart as well. Connect to the music’s words; they are the wings that carry the soul to God and the antenna that connects the heart to God.

Being aware of God is one level of engagement; being able to relate to Him as God is an entirely different level, and it is one that every Saint must achieve. Why not talk to God while He is with you?

Being aware of God without attempting to engage Him in conversation is akin to knowing your mother is sitting next to you but ignoring her as if she were a stranger. You will never benefit from God’s wisdom if you do not communicate with Him.

Unfortunately, many believers wait to hear God’s voice before responding to God; however, this is not how it works.

Remember how James stated that when we draw near to God (through our hearts), God draws near to us. Thus, we will begin to recognize God’s voice when we choose to converse with Him as our Father and Friend.

How do I start?

This is the question that many Christians ask when they are told to pray to God. There is no definite way to communicate with God. But it is best to begin by praising Him, thanking Him, and admiring His glorious works.

Here’s an exercise for you:

Visualize God sitting beside you. This requires a lot of inner effort, but it strengthens the heart’s spiritual muscles. After that, begin to thank Him in the same way you would thank a sponsor or a helper who has done something good for you.

Remember to keep your mind on the fact that God is present with you. After thanking Him, go ahead and pour out your heart to Him. Talk to Him about everything you can think of.

This is one of the most effective ways to pray; however, communicating with God can also be done informally, particularly by those who have mastered the art. Here’s one more:

– Begin practicing whatever you see here as you read this post on your device. Simply tell God how much you appreciate Him.

This is one of the most effective ways to pray; however, communicating with God can also be done informally, particularly for those who have mastered the art.

Here’s another exercise: while reading this post on your device, start practicing whatever you see here. Simply tell God how much you love Him, how much you want to be close to Him, and so on. Keep doing this; it will strengthen your flow with God.

3. DO WHAT HE SAYS

Our relationship with God is harmed by disobedience. It is the highest type of dishonor, though ignorant defiance is far more dangerous. The majority of us are unconsciously disobedient. When you ignore a leading to preach to others, enter a trade, make friends with someone, or do something else, you are simply disobeying the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Probably you’ve been feeling an inner pull leading you towards a certain decision, and you are fully convinced that this is not your mere emotions playing a trick on you.

You can seek counsel from spiritual leaders in your Church, and if you remain convinced that it is God’s leading, go ahead and do it!

The more we do what God says, the more we know what God says. Likewise, the more we do what God wants, the more we know what God wants.

Every morning, we’ve been taught to tell God how we want our day to go, but we’ve never been taught to ask God how HE wants our day to go.

The latter is the way of absolute surrender. It is the highest form of worship, and it is what makes God to take abode in everything we do.

It takes more than a trial to develop heart-heart relationship with God. These activities must be done intentionally and must become an integral part of our daily lives. If you practice them daily, you will be in awe at how real your fellowship with God will become.

Written by Nwodo Divine

GENERAL

How to develop a Mind with unlimited potential

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Your mind is the mirror of who you are. What you don’t think about yourself you can’t become. Your mind is like a soil anything you put in it will surely germinate.


We must be careful of what we hear, what we watch and who we listen to, this period – as all these can either limit or expand your mind.

The mistake many make is that they invest more in the quality of their dressing than in the quality of their thinking.

If believers invested in the quality of their minds as much as they invested in their fashion and physique, they’d be unstoppable.

– Nwodo Divine


Quality living is not based on the quantity of things acquired, quality living is built on the quality of knowledge you have invested in yourself.


Your mind needs information to be active just like you need to eat to remain alive. You must feed your mind daily to defeat ignorance.


What you see about yourself in your mind can only come into fulfilment if you have an accurate knowledge.

Some of us are limited in our minds because of the kind of environment and background we grew in. But do you know you can break Such limitations?


Your mind is important to God because he releases ideas, imagination and pictures to help you discover His purpose for your life.


“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3

How to break Limitations off your Mind



1. The Knowledge of God

The knowledge of God is illuminating; it is enlightening. The mind that has been fed with the knowledge of God will remain creative and fruitful.

It is through the knowledge of God that our minds can able to receive the pictures and ideas that God is showing us.



“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” – Heb. 10:16.


The above mentioned passage gives us an insight how God uses the human mind as a platform to transform humanity into His likeness.



Our mind can only be enlightened if we pursue the knowledge of God.

Meditation is the art of visualising God’s word.

– Nwodo Divine


2. Prayer and Meditation 🧘‍♂️

Meditating on the scripture is what produces a picture for your future. Until the saint meditates on the scriptures lines upon lines, precept upon precept, the saint will never be able to fully experience the reality of God’s promises.




If we must profit from the scriptures we must meditate and give ourselves totally to things of the spirit.


“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” – 1 Timothy 4:15.



Reading Quality Books 📚

A robust, mental and spiritual life is needed for a successful life. Reading is a lifestyle to anyone who wants to remain relevant in God.


“And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;” – Ezekiel 2:9.


Read books that will add value to your life. Books that will build your knowledge bank.


When we read books we begin living from the place the books stop. Books are powerful and you must give them priority because people will only look for you based on the relevant information you have in you.



When you begin to apply the information you have gotten, your value increases and your knowledge expands.

Have a Mentor 👨‍🏫

Mentorship delivers you from your own destruction. Knowledge with guidance from a mentor will produce wisdom.



There are people who had knowledge of so many things, but they lacked guidance, they made several mistakes.

One of the way to break limitations off your mind is to follow a mentor who has knowledge and valuable experience.


If we must break limitations of our mind we must start using the resources God has given to us to free ourselves.


God bless you.


This article was written by Green-Hills Emmanuel Amarayahweh

Spirituality

Spirituality: How can I pray for long hours? 😔😔

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The issue of praying for long hours has always been a trending topic among Christians. Prayer is often likened unto exercise.


There are times all one needs is light warmups, pushups and a few jogs; but there are times a standard athlete must spend quality time training himself and exercising his muscles in the gym.


This is also applicable for prayer.

There are times when all one needs is a light thirty minutes prayer; whereas there are situations that a quality Christian must spend time praying and declaring the Word of The Lord.


Thus, the importance that believers are taught not only how to pray, but also how to persevere in the place of prayer.

The athlete is trained on how to jog round a standard football pitch for more than thirty minutes nonstop; the Saint must also be trained on how to exercise his spirit for hours nonstop!


THE POWER IS IN QUALITY NOT QUANTITY


The essence of this lesson is not to spur you to begin to long duration the purpose and target of your prayer.

That’s the greatest mistake many-a-praying saint makes;it’s also the first step towards losing prayer stamina.



For effective prayer, you must have faith, knowledge of God’s Word as well as a heart aligned with the will of God.



Yet, this post is to train you on how you can engage God with both quality of heart and quantity of time.



1. THE WORSHIPPER


Prayer is a form of worship, thus, in order to pray well and pray long, one must be in the posture of worship before God’s presence.

The essence of spending time singing songs of worship to God cannot be argued.


Many a times, when a Saint desires to pray and goes on his knees, the burdens, pressures and concerns of the day will seem to be laid on his head.

Sometimes, it is like the consequence of the vigorous body exertions surface in the body all of a sudden; other times it could be sleepiness. When this happens, do not try to coerce yourself to pray.


Instead, lift your hands to God and sing songs of worship from your heart.

The Psalmist referred to worship as ‘Magnifying the Lord’, when the Lord is magnified and revealed in the room where your worship is being released, prayer becomes easy.


The more you worship God, the more you become aware of his presence. I once heard someone say, ‘I don’t worship much before praying, because I came to pray not to worship’.


This is the mindset of some saints, and its very wrong. Sometimes, all we actually need to do in God’s presence is not even to pray in loud tongues, but to worship and adore His majesty.


Worship awakens even our spirit and enable it to be able to receive from God. Before you present your requests to God, make sure you attend to His own request – that you worship Him in spirit and in truth.


2. YOU AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE


You must be aware that you’re praying for long. Cast away all thoughts that will make you be in a haste, and be conscious of the fact that you’re going to spend time in God’s presence.



3. PRAY WITH DIRECTION



Do not pray randomly for the sake of covering time. Let your mind be focused on a particular goal.



1 Corinthians 9:26 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:”


The Saint must be careful not to be like a boxer that only punches the air – exerting energy but making no impact.


His mind and spirit must be on the wall which he intends to crush, the barrier to break and the mountain to move.


4. GO BEYOND YOUR STRENGTH!

When the sprinters in a marathon become tired, they do not stop running entirely – because they know they have a destination that they must reach. Instead, they reduce their speed.


Having set a time target for yourself, you should keep praying until you’re able to reach it. If you do not have a time target, you should keep praying until you’re internally satisfied that you’ve done enough.



When you do this, you’re stretching yourself like the elastic runner, to go beyond your normal size. When you seem to be physically tired, you can rest, and if it’s not convenient for your health, stop the prayers and continue next time; otherwise, keep going.


Reduce the loudness of your voice; reduce your physical exertion, but ensure you’re praying.


5. PRAY-READ THE SCRIPTURES


There’s no greater source of strength than God’s Word.


Daniel 9:2 “During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the Lord, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.”


Daniel 9:3 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting.”


Daniel’s discovery of God’s prophecy about the nation of Israel spurred him to pray. A Saint who gains ground in long term prayer is a Saint who prays with his Bible open.

He constantly checks here and there, to see what God’s Word says about his business, family, kids etc, and the more he discovers it, the more he prays with it.

If you do not know what to pray, pray with God’s Word. Turn Bible verses into prayer points.

Finally;

CONSISTENCY IS KEY! An understanding of this will prevent you from setting unrealistic goals for yourself in prayer. Don’t expect to pray for five straight hours on your first attempt. Begin from an hour and keep advancing at weekly intervals.

GENERAL

The Greatest Love

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Love was one of the most powerful weapons God used in redeeming Mankind back to himself; and that weapon is still very much active today. 


The Bible says in John 3 vs 16;

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.



Jesus was the only Son God ever had, yet, God was willing to sacrifice Him for the salvation of the world. 


God gave Jesus out into the cold hands of death just because of you and I and in doing this, put both Heaven and Earth in Great danger. 


Great danger? 


Yes! Because the fate of both Heaven and earth depended on whether Jesus would fulfil or fail in His mission. 


Jesus faced several temptations, yet, He overcame them all. He refused to be distracted in His mission to save mankind. Scriptures tell us that He prayed with so much fervency – not for Himself, but for you and I. (Hebrews 5 vs 7) 


He had the power to disappear before even when the soldiers came to arrest Him at Gethsemane.


But He said, “Not my will Lord, but thy will be done”. 


His great love for us made Him willing to sacrifice His freedom and dignity.





He even bore our curse;

Galatians 3:13 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”



Folks, God’s display of love on calvary remains the highest display of love for eternity.

St. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”





Even when we fall, He picks us up and wipe the stains of sin and guilt away with His Blood.


This is the incomprehensible love of Christ – the love that passes understanding.




If you ever feel like anyone hates you, remember that two thousand years ago, a Divine Being named ‘Jesus’ made the greatest love sacrifice on the cross.

Are you feeling hopeless or in despair? Look unto the cross and be strengthened.


If you ever feel like an outcast, Remember you have been adopted by God through Christ and you are now a part of God’s Household {Ephesians 2:12-13}

Rejoice and bask in the love of Christ! 😊😊




Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

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

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

ANGELS

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Let me talk a little on Angels today: ”Do you know you’ve encountered Angels and maybe severally?”


UNUSUAL APPEARANCE

You’ve ever observed a person you rarely see but always see when you’re in some grave danger and when it’s resolved, they’re no more? And on and on like that It goes…

They may not appear in the form you expect as with wings and in white garment and the likes but they do severally appear besides those appearances in human form to men.
They did with Abraham(Gen.18).
They did with Lot(Gen.19).
They did with much more…

When they do, some men of the Spirit could realize it and some others do not but irregardless, they must accomplish their task at the time.

I’ve had Angelic visitation too of the white garment and the likes we do know of but of this I speak now, very often. This happens many times in the lives of God’s children.

You must not be ignorant of the divine and of Angelic operations. You must be sensitive as a child of God.
Sometimes we get distracted and it’s okay. But, come right back. Get in the race. Run with speed. Run with determination.

Speaking of these Angels, they’re ministering spirits to the saints and to the church.
Seeing such important role they play, why ignore their operation?

OTHER SCENARIOS

There were times too you’ve been delivered from some accidents maybe on road and from some harm and others.
Those are Fruits of Angelic operations!

HOW TO RELEASE THEM

–Prayer: Prayer has always and always will be key.

Angels do not move till God speaks. God does not move till we speak (Pray). This should tell you how important prayer is. It should be for us as breathing itself for of such was it to the Apostles and early Church and thus could they last.

Our prayer releases God into action which brings Angelic interventions.

A WAR

There’s a war going on in the earth whether you realize it or not. But as a Soldier of Christ, you should know that.
We’re not the ones fighting but we play a major role in the battle.

By our prayers, we empower the divine and Angels and when we don’t pray, we don’t. I know it may seem hard to get but, the prayers of the church releases and empowers Angels. What happens then when they don’t?

Today, they pay less attention to the battle they’re in and tangle in worldly affairs, seeking after wealth and much more and rarely after deliverance of the oppressed and darkness destruction. As the scripture says, we shouldn’t be ignorant of the enemy’s wiles (2 Cor. 2:11).

JESUS AS EXAMPLE

Want much of Angelic visitations in your life? Got to be prayerful!

Jesus prayed in the wilderness after which Angels came and strengthened Him.

He prayed at Gethsemane and Angels came and strengthened Him.

He prayed much more times and received Angelic visitations and intervention (not all were accounted in the scriptures).

We’ve got to pray too!


©Jemifor Zaphenathpaaneah Roland

GENERAL

The Power of The Mind and Imagination

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Recently, I was meditating on the interior anatomy of man. I scrolled around Genesis, and observed that after creating other animals and man, God told man to dominate and subdue everything He had created.

I was highly appalled at this occurrence.

The Lion is one of the strongest animals that has ever existed. The roar of a lion can be heard more than three miles away. A Lion’s bite can tear into even the thickest of flesh.

With these mighty features of a Lion, God gave man dominion over it.

The Elephant is probably the largest elephant in the world. It weighs scores of kilograms. It’s trunk is so strong, that it can lift heavy cars and destroy even houses with it.

With these frightening features of the Elephant, God gave man dominion over it.

Time will fail me to make mention of the likes of the Tiger, the Swift Cheetah, the Cunning Hyenas.

Or is it the snake, with venom that can cease the pumping of the heart within seconds?

God gave man, a frail creature made of dust, dominion over all these animals.

This means there was a distinguishing factor between Man and these animals.

It also means that man had something higher than the attributes of these animals.

He did not have a thick skin like the Elephant. He did not have speed like the Cheetah. He did not have ferociousness like the Lion. He did not have a venom like the snake.

But man had a gem. A precious one.

God created man with A Mind.

The Mind is the greatest treasure man has ever had. The Mind is unlimited in its propensities and potentials.

The more you task your mind, the more it produces some of the most fascinating of imaginations.

The greatest of scientists and inventors all worked with their minds.

If you want to succeed in Business and in financial independence, you must be a master thinker.

The Mind is one of the busiest laboratories in history. I call it a laboratory because it is the place in which analysis is made and inventions are birthed.

Yet, you can take control of your mind, and so task it, that it becomes a near-omniscient force for you.

The mind, like the human body, has muscles. It has what is known as FACULTIES.

These faculties include;

1. The Imagination
2. Reason
3. Memory
4. Intuition
5. Perception
6. Emotion

Each of these faculties are very important in living with an unlimited mind.

They must be developed by your intentional efforts.

I was with a friend sometime ago, and she was reading the book of a renowned Author and she said, ‘God just blessed this man with a great mind. Look at the marvelous works he is producing’

When she said it, I smiled. But now, I realize that she was wrong.

God never created anyone with a sharp mind and then create others with a less sharp mind.

Every child is born into this world void of knowledge and wisdom.
The only thing scriptures tell us, that resides in the heart of a child is foolishness.

Any man you see with a swift memory, an astute reason, a Powerful imagination and an unparalleled reasoning, wasn’t born with it.

He spent time investing in his mental wellbeing.

How much have you invested into your mind?

Many believers invested in their phones.
Some of invest in their physique. They do all possible to develop a tanned body outlook.

But how well do you exercise your mind?

Until we begin to take these things seriously, we will remain reactionary believers rather than proactive believers.

Netflix will come with their Antichrist inventions, and we’ll wail and curse and turn into weeping prophets.

After a while, we will rest.

The US Democrats will come with their astute, cryptic election winning strategies, we’ll cry, wail and then, become silent again.

Charlie Charlie will come. We will cry, wail, call it demonic and horrific and use the biggest Spiritual terminologies, and then, everyone will rest again.

Satan will keep pushing his agendas, and all we will do is to criticize and write long, forgettable Facebook articles against it.

Because we have failed to train the weapon of incredible inventions, THE MIND.

The secret of every great writer, inventor or creator, is their ability to use their Imaginations to conceive unsearchable secrets.

While meditating on this subject, I realized that a lot of us have lost the Imaginative powers we had as kids.

A child can look at a paper, and without any foreknowledge or past knowledge, see that paper as a tool for making an airplane.

Based on that inner insight, the child will take the paper, and convert it into a airplane.

How? The Imagination.

A child will look sand, and see it as a tool for building.

He will bend down, not minding what you think of his actions. He will proceed to take the sand and begin to mould it into a ‘house’

Some will even add gate and windows.

How on Earth would a child conceive the vision of making a house with sand?

The Imagination.

Your Imagination is more important than you estimate it!

GENERAL

Beholding Eternity

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2 Corinthians 4:18: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”

This world we live in, is a material world, which will surely fade away someday. If this world has a beginning in time, then certainly, it will have an end. Hence, the Apostle calls it a Temporal world.

Due to this, even while we go about our daily endeavours, our sight must be set on the things which are not seen. Our sight must be set on the realities of eternity, and not the materialism of this world.

Years ago, I asked someone for the secret to living in ardour and piousness on Earth. I did not receive a satisfactory answer. For many years, I sought for the answer to this question. It was until I came across 1 Corinthians 4:18, that I discovered this answer.

A man’s destination will be determined by his focus. If you are journeying Eastwards, yet, your eyes are set on the West, your journey will be futile. We are Pilgrims in this world, who are on a journey to Eternity and Immortality. If we will arrive at our destination, our sights must be set on it.

Now is the time, when we must look beyond the economy of the nation wherein we dwell. The Pandemic has taught us that even the economy of the nation is unreliable. We must look beyond the wearing of masks and gloves and Covid protocols (even as we give strict adherence to them), unto the Eternal and Unseen creator.

Now is the time for us to realign our sights. For many years, believers have been too engrossed in the affairs of this world, that we have almost forgotten that there is a world to come.

Colossians 3:3 “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand”

In the aforementioned text, two things are revealed to us; a reality, and an Instruction. The first is that we have been raised to new life with Christ. This is probably the most powerful of gospel revelations.

It is the revelation that we have been raised into a new life with Christ. The Life we live now is a higher brand of life. A life which is higher than the life of the world. The Life we live now is the resurrection life; when Christ resurrected, we resurrected with Him.

We have been raised above sin, carnality, misery, sickness, shame, pain and reproach, unto a new kind of life. The Apostle called it ‘new life’, because this kind of life has never been in existence in the world.

It came into existence after Jesus resurrected from the grave. It is God’s kind of life. This is the life that we have, and that we live. It is a life of faith in the eternal realities of God.

The Instruction:  set your sights on the realities of heaven.

There are realities of heaven. Immortality, divine health, prosperity, divine wisdom etc. these are heavenly realities. Our gaze must be on them.

Though one might not be able to see them physically, yet, with one’s heart, one can continuously gaze on them and picture oneself living in them.

As you walk on the face of the Earth, let there be a picture of eternity in your heart.

Even when things seem to be tough, with your heart, look beyond the physical. The pain, the pandemic, the lockdown, no matter how long these things might seem to be, they will surely pass away.

 But one thing that will never pass away, is the Eternal Word of God. His Word abides forever. So why fret yourself over the visible but temporal things. Open your heart and look in anticipation of the salvation of your Redeemer.

Set your gaze on the realities of God found in His Word.

Fix your thoughts on His Promises to you and your family, both here and in Heaven. See them happening in your life.

Do not let your vision be blurred by circumstance! Instead, let it be guided by your faith in God’s word.

God bless you!