God begins His work on us long before He saved us. Apostle Paul said, “But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood” (Gal. 1:15-16). This shows that Apostle Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb just like you and I. Then he told us that he became a minister of God’s word after having persecuted the church. While he was yet in his mother’s womb, God set him apart, and his course was assigned. You can check out what God told Jeremiah the Prophet in Jeremiah 1: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” When Apostle Paul was saved, he embarked on this journey of faith. This shows that the preparation and initiation of a minister are determined by God when such a person is still in his mother’s womb. Most us think that this is only for pastors but the truth is that it is for the general Body of Christ – THE CHURCH. You may have been called as a doctor, engineer, plumber, politician, a governor, a lawyer, support worker, teacher, IT expert, etc., you should understand God’s sovereign arrangement in our environment. His hands is behind everything— in our family, and in our profession, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

The experiences we went through before we were saved and after being saved was and is still under God’s sovereign arrangement. Though our experiences may differ, I bet you they are all similar (1 Peter 5:9). God gives us our distinctive characters, our temperaments, our inclinations, and our virtues. He prepared all of these things. No one goes through any experience by accident. No person inherits a character trait by accident; everything is under God’s sovereign hand. He made provisions long ago for our natural abilities and experiences, and He has prepared us for our future commission. This means that the temptation and trials that come our way are not to make us fail rather strengthen our faith, to show us how weak we are, and the need to always depend on the Lord. God has no intention to remove the bad and ugly events that may come to our ways sometimes, rather He wants us to trust Him in everything we do no matter how little such things may be (Psalm 37:23 NLT). You remember what Romans 8:28 says, “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honoured] among many believers. And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity] AMP Version.

In our Christian walk with the Lord, God wants us to consistently depend on Him and not to lean on our own understanding so as to be able to grow daily. This may not be easy sometimes but His grace is sufficient for us. If we are unwilling to be dealt with, we will not be able to work well for God not to talk of walking with Him. We must not think that such dealings are optional. What do I mean by dealing or dealt with? It is our daily carrying of our cross as Christians as we walk with Jesus. This daily walk with the Lord brings about our brokenness. We must be broken, and we must bear the mark of the cross not necessarily physical. Our spirit must be a broken spirit, and also have a repentant heart (Psalm 51:17). God’s word has to penetrate our whole being—our feelings, our understanding, our heart, and our spirit. It has to flow in and out of us; it has to be identified with us, and then it must be released from us as a result of grinding, crushing, and pressing. If our emotion is misaligned, if our mind is impaired, or if our understanding, heart, and spirit are even slightly off, we may likely misinterpret God’s word. Not only will our word be flawed, but the church is likely to suffer as well. We have to learn to allow God’s word to pass through us without any hindrance or contamination if not we will damage God’s word and affect the church negatively. This is why we have so many half-baked Christians, who have refused to submit to authorities and have decided to become leaders overnight without being a disciple.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that destroyed much of Haiti in 2010, one philosopher wrote, “For those who believe in an all-good, all-powerful God, we’ve seen that they face a question that remains pressing after all these centuries, and which is now horribly underscored by the horrors in Haiti. If a deity exists, why didn’t he prevent this?”

Most people have an innate desire for justice and empathize when something unjust happens to the innocent. They also desire for mercy to be shown when adversity strikes. When we perceive that either of these two things is missing, the human response is often anger and blaming God for not doing what we think He should have done. The scene at the cross is the ultimate convergence of justice and mercy, and if viewed dispassionately, it’s the end of any arguments about God’s justice and His mercy: Both are fulfilled there. But here we also have human nature on full display when confronted by the face of God. One “criminal” hurls insults and denies Jesus (Luke 23:39). It appears that the other owns his own shame and asks that the Savior remember him (Luke 23:42). Did he think he would inherit “paradise”? (Luke 23:43). Hardly. He simply wanted some token of mercy.

Sometimes, especially amidst personal adversity or when learning of great human tragedy, we can become the scoffing thief—hurling insults and embracing disbelief because it looks as if God has no power or is unwilling to step in and save the day. The humble thief responded in the only acceptable way, however, as should we all: He was aware of his well-deserved condemnation and asked in humility for Jesus to respond to his need—seeking mercy rather than reward. By God’s grace he received both!

Culled from

www.ourdailyjourney 13/12/2016

In America, two brothers were sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to kill their parents. They allegedly drugged their parents, stabbed them and tried to set the house on fire. Despite the horror they went through the parents have chosen to forgive their boys and asked the judge for mercy. These parents were willing to forgive their children no matter what has happened. This is love! Think of it, our Lord Jesus chose to forgive us our sins no matter how grievous it is, and to accept us as His very own when we repent of them (1 John 4:10). Sometimes you hear people say if God truly say He loves us why does He allow the killings and bombings around the world? Well I want you to know one basic truth: First of all, right from the day Adam and Eve ate the fruit they were told not to eat by God in the Garden of Eden man fell, and the only remedy is Jesus coming into the life of a man before man can take his rightful position. Secondly, the Bible said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve” (NLT Version). Salvation is free and God has given man free will to choose, to accept Him or not. What will you say about a young man who is in dire need of help but refuses help given to him. True change starts with and within us that way we can make impact in the lives of those around us both in the church (Body of Christ) and the world at large.

God’s love is wonderful and awesome. It’s so high, wide and deep that we cannot fathom it. Even though I always pray for God to touch the heart of sinners to repent, I have never fully understood how God can allow a wicked man who has committed so much atrocities such like wiped out a whole family still come and receive God’s mercies until I watched on the news about the two boys who wanted to kill their parents and their parents still forgave them and pleaded with the judge to have mercy on them. This is what Jesus does for all His creation today as long as you still have breathe in you. It is never too late to ask for this same mercy for God’s love is still available for us to access. What crime have you committed; is it abortion, is it killing a fellow man or woman, its it cheating on your spouse, is it drugs, name it. Jesus is at the door your heart knocking, if you will open your heart and receive Him, He will come in and take His rightful place in your life. New and great things will He do in your life (Luke 15: 11 – 32).  Jesus’ arm is still wide open just as it was on the cross for Him to embrace you and say, “Your sin has been forgiven, go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Your question may be is that all – well yes that is all as long as you don’t go back to your old ways. All you need is to find a living church where the Word of God is preached and the man of God is living a righteous life and there God will use him and other fellow believers to help you grow spiritually. Study the Word of God day and night. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the mysteries in the Word and I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope God has given to us He called–His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. I pray for you that God will meet every need you so desire to make you grow in your knowledge of Christ and that He shall send to you an angel in form of a friend who will guide you in the things of the spirit and to make wise decisions and such a person will not be afraid of your success or run you down because of your failures rather he shall encourage you and not quit. Remain blessed.

Siobhan Dowd, a British author of young adult novels, died of cancer at age 47. After her death another author, Patrick Ness, was commissioned to finish one of her unpublished stories. A Monster Calls was published in 2011. It was a stunning success, winning both the Kate Greenaway and the Carnegie Medals, prestigious book awards in the UK. In the introduction, Ness says, “I felt—and feel—as if I’ve been handed a baton, like a particularly fine writer has given me her story and said, ‘Go. Run with it.’ ”

God handed the human race a “baton.” Most Bible teachers will tell you that when He uttered those famous words in Genesis 1:28 to Adam and Eve—“Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it”—He was asking humanity to carry forth His creative work on earth. In essence, God was saying, “Run with it!”

To use another metaphor, Jesus is the author of life and He’s asking us to write more life into the story He started (Acts 3:15). Consider that . . .

Abraham wrote life into God’s story by obeying His commands and walking into the unknown (Hebrews 11:8).

Ruth placed her faith in a God she hardly knew and carried the baton one step closer to Jesus (Ruth 1:16, 4: 13 – 22).

With quiet strength, and at the risk of public disgrace, Mary wrote life into a crucial chapter of the world’s story (Matthew 1: 18 – 19; Luke 1:38).

These are just three examples, but there are many, many more in Scripture. God is the Creator, and He asks us to join Him in His creative work. In whatever you do today, ponder this aspect of God. He could have chosen to rule the world and not involve us, but instead He invited us to be fruitful and to govern. He handed humanity the baton. So go—run with it!

Culled From

ourdailyjourney.org  08/12/16

Nothing moved him anymore. Though he ran one of the top skateboard teams in the world and had enjoyed lots of money, drugs, sex, and had dove headlong into every pleasure he chose, Ryan Ries felt empty. One night he nearly died from a cocaine overdose. The next morning Ryan found a Gideon Bible in his hotel room and began reading it. In time, God’s grace seeped into Ryan’s broken, convicted heart and he placed his faith in Jesus. Today, he and his wife work with others to host events that are reaching people with God’s good news—helping them find real life while also breaking free from addictions and unhealthy lifestyles. This is what the grace of God does.

I too was a sinner like Ryan before I came to Christ, though I never liked clubbing, womanizing, drinking alcohol and smoking; I had my share of worldliness, and was saved from two accidents that would have ended my life. I was on the verge of crashing into the world of No-hope when I had my encounter with Jesus and today I am blessed. If it wasn’t for God’s love……………..where would I be; If it wasn’t for His grace………how would I have gotten where I am today?

Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners like me and Ryan who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to go on the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. Paul wrote that God “saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done,” but because of His mercy and grace (Titus 3:5). And today, by His Spirit, He motivates us to do good things so others can be moved to find real life in Him. Apostle Paul knew what grace means, he was once an opposition to believers but he met grace on his way to Damascus. Today, Christians all over the world cannot preach the gospel without mentioning Apostle Paul, whose writings is 2/3 in the New Testament. No man takes this honour upon himself if not saved by grace. Beloved, you can receive grace from the supply that is constantly flowing toward you. Do you need healing today? Do you need wisdom? Peace for a troubled heart? You can receive it right now if you can see His supply all around you, giving you what you need. It doesn’t matter the circumstances surrounding you, you don’t have to wait for the “right” time, place or external circumstances when it comes to asking and receiving from God. Simply look away from the demand, see His supply and receive by grace what you need.

I remember years ago before I came to know Jesus, I usually found myself thinking a lot. I don’t sleep early because I would wake up at 1am and think till 4am before I sleep again. Are you having the same issue? Beloved I allowed fear of not making it in life overwhelm my life that I chose to not make positive steps in life. But all that is in the past now. The same God that granted me the grace to overcome will do it for you. His promise in Psalm 37:23 says, “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Don’t focus on the hopelessness of your situation. Instead, see the oversupply of grace and expect God to give to you best beyond your wildest imaginings!

Excerpts

www.josephprince.org/daily-grace/articles/single/over-supplying-grace/

www.ourdailyjourney.org/2016/10/07/grace-that-motivates/

God called Abraham after he separated from Lot his uncle’s son. Abraham chose the mountain top after Lot must have chosen the greener part of the land of which later became Sodom and Gomorrah. The separation was as a result of quarrel between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s. Before Abraham chose the land, God said to him, “As far as your eyes can see I have given it to you.”

Today as believers how do we see? How do we see the boundaries of our inheritance, the promises of God for our lives – through the Eyes of Faith! As far as your faith can take you is as far as you can receive. You can’t receive more than your faith can give you. How many are ready to allow their faith to rise to the next level? If your faith does not grow, it cannot give you the victories you need in that level. The level we are now, to some our faith is not able to deal with the outstanding situations; so we need to move to a higher level in our faith. For example, the eagle when it needs food doesn’t need to fly flow. From the height the eagle flies its vision is wider and can pick what it needs. You need to make a declaration to yourself and a decision to go higher today. There are few things you need to know such as:

You are in a New kingdom: If you are born-again, you are in a new kingdom. Even though you are in the world you are not of this world. The Bible says, “He has translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). The problem many are having is they are still operating as if they are still in the kingdom of darkness – it won’t work. In this New Kingdom, there are laws, and principles that God has set I place for us to work by and operate with so we can receive our victories. If we lay hold of them and apply, we will surely succeed. Nobody can stop you!

How Do I Operate in This: The way you can be established is by faith to faith (Romans 1:17). The just shall live by faith. It is so sad we claim that we live in a New kingdom (God’s Kingdom) yet we live by how much we have in our account. The old kingdom which is the kingdom of darkness operates on the principle of how much you have in our account while the New Kingdom which is the kingdom of Christ operates on how much faith you have. Beloved faith is our heavenly currency, and we must have the wisdom of God to convert our heavenly currency (faith) to the earthly currency (money) so that we can use it here. This is the will of God for us. Remember no matter how anointed you may be when you go the market to buy food stuff, the seller requires money not faith. In this New Kingdom we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the old kingdom everything is centred on my sensory perception while in the new kingdom it is my spiritual perception – faith. In this New kingdom, there must be a change of our nature if we must operate in the spiritual. Because we will operate in a spiritual perception, Jesus gave us this nature by dying for us (2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Peter 1:4). Through faith we become partakers of Christ’s nature. Even though we still live in the old house (body/flesh), we are new creatures and we are going to the realm where we can make the impossible become possible but we need to know we have been given the nature to do the impossible. If you don’t know or don’t have Christ’s nature you will keep struggling. We have been given the things of God for this new nature. The New kingdom (God’s Kingdom) is a place where we govern and defeat Satan and his agents.

How Does This Faith Work: Faith comes to us by hearing and by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). If we open our ears to carnal words, we fill it with such and that is what will come out. We must make decisions to allow only positive things in our lives. As you hear the word of God I pray that this faith will come alive in Jesus name….Amen!!! Faith gets you healing, deliverance, protection, money, etc. In this New kingdom, faith is necessary and if you don’t have it you will be running to and fro because that is what the enemy wants you to do. You should not be moved by what you see but by what you believe in God and continue to confess it. The first step of success is faith. The same faith plus focus will keep you going no matter the obstacles ahead. If your eyes of faith are dead because of the constant failure you have encountered, please pray this simple prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, help my unbelief grant me another opportunity to start all over again and never to give up. For me to know with the strength of Christ I shall start and finish well no matter the obstacles in Jesus name…..Amen!!! 

Others may not see it the way you see it because you are seeing with the eyes of faith. This is the way we operate in the new kingdom which is the kingdom of God. Continue to renew your mind with the Word of God as you keep walking and working towards your God-given purpose in life (Romans 12:2). Remember no one else can help you get there if not your faith in Christ Jesus. You can get to any height in life without pulling anyone down, taking forcefully what belongs to another person or stealing people’s ideas without acknowledging them. Stand in the place of faith and see the power of God in action. Remain blessed.

By Bishop Simon Iheanacho

If we must carry out to full what God has given us to do here on earth no matter our location, no matter our jobs or kind of ministry given to us by the Holy Spirit then we must follow the example pf Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Apostle Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” This should ever be the mind set of every child of God especially to those who have been given sheep to lead. As seen in the first part of the way of doing Jesus ministry, let us see the remaining steps.

Step 4…… MANAGING YOUR RESOURCES: Resources comes in diverse forms: time, gifts/talents, money, workers (members), etc. I will write on these four. Jesus managed all the resources that the Father gave Him.

a) Jesus taught His disciples the essence of time management and their gifts (Matthew 25: 14 – 29; Romans 12: 3 – 8). Time is one of the most precious thing God has given to man. Each second lost can never be redeemed. A Nigerian singer sang a song that says,

time na money ooo (time is money)

time na money (time is money)

do better thing (do go thing meaning find a job and do a legal job)

no waka waka (don’t be fooling around)

money no dey come from (money doesn’t fall from heaven)

do better thing money go come (be useful and money will come).

That is why we need to engage ourselves in fruitful works. As a pastor praying for faithful workers is one thing, but it’s a herculean task for them to be in the area of their calling that will harness their gifting so they can be fruitful.

b) Jesus also managed all the disciples given to Him by God. He also carried everybody along such like in the case of Mary and Martha (Luke 10: 38 – 42); in case of James and John’s request for a specific position (Mark 10: 35 – 45). As a pastor you should not tolerate gossip, this is a killer! I bet you no matter how anointed and gifted you are, and you condone gossip among members, definitely it will eat up the whole congregation like cancer. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others and move on.

c) Jesus also managed the little food that was increased to feed the five thousand (Mark 6: 35 – 44). It is so sad to see that many have messed up their credit cards, and can no longer have enough money as income because of unnecessary over drafts taken from the bank to buy irrelevant things. It is so sad that God has brought helpers our way but because of inability to manage God’s blessings in the form of human beings, we treat and use them for our own gain without giving back (you service a relationship just like the way you service cars if not it will pack up).

Peter asked the Lord that they having left everything to follow Him, what then will there be for them the disciples? Jesus replied that when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me (Jesus) will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.  Ask this kind of question some places, and you will be termed a lover of money. You cannot call people to support you without expecting them to have a sense of belonging even though God rewards us, it is you (the pastor) or any other person the Lord will use to be a blessing to those working under you.

Step 5…… LIVING ABOVE REPROACH: In His teaching and by His example, Jesus warned His followers to avoid hoarding possessions, to give to the poor, and to value what will not rust or decay. “For where your treasure is,” Jesus said, “there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). As a pastor do you live by example or by “mere” words without commensurate actions? It’s so unfortunate that many false prophets/teachers are going about deceiving many people.  In today’s world a person who goes naked is celebrated as a celebrity. Sin is rampant everywhere, and the love of many is growing cold. This has made many weak Christians in the church to sit at home and gradually turn away from God. A healthy church starts from the head. Complete obedience to God’s Word will not only prosper you and your members, it leads us to fulfilling our God-given purpose and a stress free ministry (Joshua 1:8).

Step 6…… GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY: Jesus said, “he who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood” (John 7:18). Many at times you may have a good idea but is that what God wants you to do? As a pastor you should learn to seek the face of God in “all” matters. Do not take it for granted that God is blessing the works of your hands and you now take matters into your hands there by wanting God to consent every idea you bring. You must remember that the work is God’s own, and must be done in His own way – all for His (God’s) purpose (Romans 8:28). It is all about Jesus and no one else.

Our Lord Jesus Christ even though He was equal with the Father still humbled Himself to seek the face of the Father before He (Jesus) proceed to do anything. Jesus also said something remarkable for us to learn from in Mark 10:18; “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. No matter how great God is using you or how spectacular you think your ministry is, you should know that all has been given to you by God (John 17:7), and all glory must be given back to Him. Serve to glorify God and Him alone.

Step 7…… FINISH WELL AND HAND OVER THE BATON: Jesus prayed in John 17:4 saying, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Even though you may not have started well, you can still end well for Christ started well and ended well. He showed us example of “how to do” and “what to do” in ministry clearly in the Bible so that we all in whatever capacity given to us will not only be fruitful will also make heaven after all the toils here on earth. Jesus handed over to those chosen by the Father. Beloved, if you must finish well then you must pray and seek the face of the Father to choose for Himself whom shall replace you when the time comes. Sometimes it is hard for some to do this because they believe that no one else except their children deserve to reap the fruit of their labour. Until you begin to see that this work is God’s work and not yours only then can the grace to finish the race successfully will begin to manifest in you. You are bound to fail no matter how successful you think you are if you see members, buildings and God’s blessings upon your life as your personal possessions. No matter the price paid, it is about Jesus, and Him alone. (Please take time and meditate on John 17: 13 – 19; Joshua 27:18). 

Excerpts from biblehub.com

Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones He wanted to go with Him. And they came to him. Then He appointed twelve of them, and called them His apostles. They were to accompany Him, and He would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons. These are the twelve He chose:

Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew,  Philip,  Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Thomas,  James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

We need to remember that these men were not perfect men, some of them were learned men and some uneducated. They had flaws just like us but they were chosen for the purpose to further the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ when He – Christ will no longer be here on earth. Remember that Jesus had another seventy-two disciples apart from the twelve disciples (Luke 10:1 – The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit). Jesus taught the twelve disciples His life style, and works, and who to depend on at all times – God the Father. As a pastor who is in the early stages of work in the body of Christ, you need to follow the steps of the Master – Jesus who has commissioned you.

Step 1……SEEK THE FACE OF GOD: Jesus Christ first went up to the mountain to pray and seek the face of our Father (Luke 4: 1 – 2). As a child of God you need to ask the Father for the guidance on the following:

1. Location: Where He (God) wants you to stay and do His work.
2. Name of ministry.
3. The vision and mission of the ministry: what and how He wants you to do.

These are the major keys that holds the foundation of any church denomination or ministry. Your location determines your allocation; the name given to the ministry bears His unction and the vision and mission determines your destiny. Though having these three keys does not give final guarantee to your success in the area God has called you to work. What guarantees your success (Joshua 1:8 KJV) is your continuous obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63; Romans 8:14). This takes you to your next step….evangelism.

Step 2…… EVANGELISM: From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4: 12 – 17; 28: 18 – 20). This is the heart of the Christian matter; for souls to be saved, for disciples to be raised, for members to guided and watched over, and for more soul to be won for Christ. This step was shown to us by our Lord Jesus Christ on how He chose His twelve disciples (Luke 6: 12 – 16) and had seventy-two (Luke 9: 1 – 6; 10: 1 – 3) others and they kept growing even while He was not there up till now (Acts 2: 41 & 47).

Step 3…… DISCIPLESHIP: Jesus often takes His disciples on the mountain to teach them (Matthew 5) how to pray (Matthew 6: 7 – 14). You need to be a person who is never shy about the things of God, and who correctly explains the word of truth. You need to be a man who prays fervently (James 5:17). Prayers enables your gift to manifest. Teach your workers/members to pray. Teach them the word of God, this will enable to manage the grace of God upon their lives so as not to abuse it.

Take note: Do not grow your church based on prophecies rather build your members up with the Word of God and be rest assured that you will have solid disciples of Jesus whom you are taking with you to heaven.

Excerpts from biblehub.com

As I was going through the Book of John 15: 5 – 8, I felt my eyes and mind was opened, and I said to myself, “you can make any kind of wish and God will honour it as long as  you (I) remain in Christ and He and His Words remains in me.” I said to myself that by God’s grace, His words and Christ is in me. I said, “Lord, I wish that the lady I have been praying for who is in coma will come back to life again.” As I continued to meditate over the scriptural verse, I realised that this is different from what we see in the fairy tales of Aladdin with the magic lamp. Your thoughts and the mind of God need to be in a harmonious relationship which makes it easier to know the mind of God through the help of the Holy Spirit. Your asking will not be out of order in the sense that what you may wish to ask God will not be something to gratify your flesh. The Spirit of God helps you to discern God’s mind (Reader take note that God will not always tell you everything…..2 Kings 4:27).This does not just happen over-night. This kind of relationship is one that has to do with consistent walking with the Lord in all faithfulness, studying the Word of God continually. Meditating on God’s Word day and night so you will be sure to OBEY EVERYTHING written in it. There is no break off (John 15:5). Like a friend of mine would say, “I want to handle this on my own, I don’t need to get Him (God) involved in this little matter.” Guess what, the Lord is interested in every little detail of our lives because He loves directing the steps of His children (Psalm 37:23).

Beloved, it’s been said that it’s the set of the sail, not the winds, that determines the final destination of a ship. Similarly, our future in Jesus is affected by what we focus on today. Are we still striving to love and serve God? Do our decisions and schedules reflect our pursuit? Do we base our agenda on Jesus and what He provides—seeking to live out behaviours’ and actions that honour Him? In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul revealed that he had set his sail “to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14). He did so by pursuing greater knowledge of Jesus, intimacy with Him, conformity to His ways, and living a holy—set apart—life. He refused to allow past failings and present distractions to knock him off course. Having this kind of mind-set, and setting our eyes on nothing else but Jesus is the ultimate. This way we can weather any kind of storm that comes our way and eventually fulfil God’s purpose (Romans 8:28).

Excerpts from Our Daily Journey (Sep 4, 2016)

10 years ago, I was hawking on the streets of Enugu (a state in the Eastern part of Nigeria) for my mother. We were so poor that we could hardly afford to eat three square meals, but my mother always took me to church. As she will always say, serve GOD and Him alone, and that is how I lived my life. Even when it was difficult to eat, I have always lived a life of worship. Today, God has taken my music all over the world. It’s a beautiful thing to see white people singing my songs, Igbo songs that they don’t know the meaning. Some time ago, we were concluding a program and I was looking for a camera to take a picture with Don Moen. When eventually I got someone to take the picture, as I posed with Don, he looked at me and said, “Frank Edwards, it is you! I need to take this picture with you.” And he took his phone and showed me. See, I have all your songs on my phone, then he said “Frank, I saw online that you have a studio in your home. I would like us to do a collaboration together. I’m gonna (going to) come to your house for the first recording and you will come over to mine in U.S for the finishing.”

I (Frank Edwards), the same street boy from Enugu, doing a collaboration with Don Moen? Only GOD could have made it happen!! Live for GOD!! Praise Him and thank Him even when things are not as you would have loved them to be! Live a life of worship!!

By Frank Edwards