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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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GENERAL

The Power of Positive Self Talk

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Self Talk is the act of having a conversation with oneself. It is like having a discourse with your very being.

Self Talk is very necessary, because it allows us to explore the vast, unreached expanse of our minds.

As humans who have the talking ability, we are fond of speaking outwardly to people around us very often.

The average human talks for at least 30 seconds every minute he is awake.

Speaking to others is a good skill, but the ability to speak to ourself is a blessing.

The way we talk to others can be altered or enhanced by the way we talk to ourselves. We bless or curse others by conversing with them. But self talk is a way, of reawakening our inner awareness and enriching the quality of our minds.

Self Talk can also destroy one’s mind. It can be a person’s defeat or victory. It can be a source of faith, or a food of doubt. It either empowers you, or immobilizes you.

It all depends on how you utilize this great activity.

We all engage in self talk consciously or unconsciously.

What do you say to yourself when you made a mistake?

What do you stay to yourself when you fail in task you were assigned to do?

What do you say within you when you are assigned a task that seems too difficult?

These minute statements we make within us, actually affect our mind’s creativity even more than we can imagine.

Negative self talk is equivalent to releasing acids to kill the potentials and vast propensities in your mind.

Positive self talk is equivalent to fertilizing your mind for creative thinking and Imagination.

When you make mistakes, instead of condemning yourself and calling yourself names, gird your mind.

Say within yourself, ‘This was a mistake. Mistakes are inevitable. I’ve learnt my lesson. I’m gonna correct this and move on’.

Self-criticism will not make you better. It will only make you very rigid in your endeavors simply because you are trying to avoid a repetition of your past mistake.

But when you make a mistake, and you have recognized it, and you have repented of it, do not criticize yourself anymore.

Strengthen yourself with self talk and move on.

Do not wait until people call you special, before call yourself. Do not wait until you are praised, before you give yourself kudos.

Be the #1 fan of yourself. Be your #1 friend. Be your #1 cheerleader.

These things matter more than we can ever imagine.

A wise man once said,
“It’s not what we say out loud that really matters. It is that which we whisper to ourselves that has the greatest power”.

The way you speak to yourself, determines how much you value yourself, and how much value you place on yourself will determine how much value people will place on you.

From today, speak Positive things to yourself and to your family.

Instead of saying, ‘I am broken, scathed and weak’, say, ‘I am Healing. I am recovering. I am strong’.

Renowned Author, Edward Mbiaka, once said that,
“Positive self-talk is to emotional pain as pain pill is to physical pain.”

I’ll wrap up with this quote from Germany Kent;

‘Convince yourself everyday that you are worthy of a good life. Let go of stress, breathe. Stay positive, all is well.’


God Bless You.








GENERAL

The Power of a Positive Mentality

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More often than not the term “Mentality” is used to lay emphasis by humans on a regular basis, positivity, negativity, hopes, dreams, aspirations, beliefs and the outcome of things as it is said and believed by the larger society depends on a person’s mentality.

But the question is what really is mentality?

Mentality, according to The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary is the attitude or way of thinking of a person or group.

Cambridge English dictionary defines mentality as a person’s particular way of thinking about things. That is to say, the entire lifestyle of a person can be traced their mentality.

Mentality being a person’s way of thinking goes similar with mindset which is a way of thinking, an attitude or opinion especially a habitual one.

The word ‘Habitual’ is very important in this context as it deals with the regular and behavioural manner of a person which has become a habit and Habit is an action performed on a regular basis.

If mentality is a person’s way of thinking and a person’s way of thinking is their mindset and their mindset is habitual, it is a clear proof that you are what you think, and a good or positive life goes in line with positive thinking while the opposite does otherwise.


Giving illustrations from the bible.

The story of the twelve spies in the book of numbers who were chosen from each of the twelve tribes of Israel by Moses to scout the land of Canaan for forty days in a quest to know their possibility of conquering the land – Numbers(13:3-20)

When they returned, ten of the spies described the people of Canaan as strong and their cities as fortified and very large, thus believing they were not as strong as the people of Canaan likewise their fortified cities. Numbers (13:25-29)

The ten spies portrayed a negative, mediocre and loser mentality.

But Caleb, who was among the twelve spies, quietened them and assured them that they could take over the land because God was with them.

He portrayed a positive and conquering mentality – Numbers 13:30.

But the other ten spies stuck to the mindset that the Canaanites were better off.

They saw themselves as grasshoppers before the Canaanites. (Numbers 13:31-33)

A person’s negative mindset can become permanently habitual if it is not adjusted quickly.

Despite the positive view of Caleb, the ten spies clung unto their negative mindset.

Joshua and Caleb, the only brave two out of the twelve spies, eventually led the conquering of the land of Canaan by being driven by a positive mindset and faith!

Another Biblical story that illustrates the power of positive/faith thinking is that of the woman with the issue of blood. – Mark 5:25-34

Scriptures tell us that she decided within her heart, saying, “If only I can touch his garment I will be made well.

For faith to work and bring expectations to reality it must be fueled by a positive mentality.

Faith with Positive Mentality is the gateway to receiving all that is expected from above.

Conclusively, the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 also teaches us about the power of a positive mentality.

Scriptures tell us that the Israelites shook to their bones at the sight of Goliath but David was empowered by a positive mentality and a deep rooted faith in God, and he conquered!

There cannot be the presence of strong faith without a positive Mentality.

Expectations can only come to reality where the presence of a positive mentality and faith abides.

God does not work with a negative or mediocre mind.

A negative mindset is a product of doubt. God never works with one who thinks negatively.

Change your mindset.

Change your life.

You are what you think!


Oshen Gift