Beloved, humility precedes honour. This is one primary ingredient that every child of God must have if such a person wants to be lifted up in life by God. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (James 3:13). The Scriptures asked a deep question before answering it…who is wise and understanding among you? If you think you are wise or you are understanding with people without having any form of humility you better think twice. Many of us have failed in this area when it comes to being humble. Even in the bible times great men had fallen and some died because of pride such like King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4: 28 -37), King Asa (2 Chronicles 16: 10 – 13), King Herod (Acts 12: 20 – 23), King Belshazzar (Daniel 5). Authority comes with a lot of responsibility and management; you may oversee a nation, a continent, state, village, school, buildings etc. What you say goes most of the time, and because you are an authority in such areas given to you to manage pride sets in. You may begin to see yourself as the one and only person who can say and do anything without being questioned. Well, I have a message for you my beloved, even Elijah thought that he was the only prophet in his era thinking that Jezebel had killed all and God spoke to him that there are 7000 other prophets that have not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19: 14 – 18). That position you are occupying now and you feel that you can cancel contracts, make people pay for the little mistakes that can be corrected just for you to prove you are in charge. If you don’t repent from your pride God will disgrace you, and your fall will be so bad. Bear in mind that before a disaster the heart of a man is proud and filled with self-importance (Proverbs 18:12a). I like the way Message Bible said it, “PRIDE FIRST, THEN THE CRASH.”

Pride can come in different ways, for example,  like someone who snobs or only respect for those who are higher in social class or wealthy. When someone (not a friend) who is lower than you comes to visit you or calls you on the phone, or wants to be part of your discussion, what is your first thought? Having ego…an exaggerated sense of self-importance (especially in men). Have you ever heard someone say this, “Never/don’t talk to me like that again, you don’t pay my bills.” Being arrogant and claiming to be superior than others. How eager or ambitious are you to climb the ladder of success and at what cost? That is why so many cannot be tutored, they feel they know more than the teacher. Refusing to say am sorry… have you been in a situation where you were hurt and you were told to say am sorry, some people will go to the extent to say, “over their dead body.”

Seeing that pride gets us nowhere in life let us consider some benefits of a person who is humble:

Humility makes a man wise (Proverbs 11:2).

Humility makes you more valuable in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:4).

Humility makes God to lift you up (1 Peter 5:6).

Humility brings riches and honour and life. (Proverbs 22:4.

Beloved, God’s eyes is searching the whole earth looking for those whose heart are fully committed to Him. When we know that everything we have ranging from our clothes, house, food, wealth, talents, spiritual gifts etc, all are blessings that comes from God then the issue of pride will not set in because you are not competing with anybody or trying to usurp authority. Life becomes an easy one because God fights for you when people start speaking against you (Numbers 12: 1 – end). The Lord blesses every work of such person’s hands who are humble, uses you to do mighty miracles, and will make you a spectacle of His blessings. You definitely will keep enjoying grace in full and you shall age gracefully. Our Lord Jesus showed this example, and since then God the Father made His name to be a name that all shall call and be saved, He said we should follow in his footsteps (Philippians 2: 1 -11).

Please pray this prayer with me; Lord Jesus, I come before You and ask that You forgive me of every form of pride I have ever exhibited. Let every form of pride in me, in any form be terminated. Help me Holy Spirit to live this life of humility as a lifestyle, with my strength I cannot. Thank You Father for Your love in Jesus name I pray….Amen!!

Rev David & Deborah Adonai

The Lord’s love for us is so much and it’s more than that of a mothers’ love her child. Previously we said Jesus did not for us to be healed; He only had to be flogged and with His stripes we are healed. His death and resurrection guaranteed our redemption. Jesus made powerful statements that we need to pay attention to during His last hour on the cross before He gave up the ghost. The second part of the last words of Jesus on the cross.

1. Woman behold your son, son behold your mother (John 19: 26 – 27): Jesus saw His earthly mother knowing she needed care, He said both to John the disciple to take care of her. This signifies that not just your biological brothers are your family alone, but those who are of the same faith in Christ Jesus who believe in the totality of the Scriptures. We need to care for our fellow brothers and sisters in church including the widows (Galatians 6: 9 – 10; 1 Timothy 5:8)
2. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Mark 15:34): When Jesus was on the cross carrying the sins of the whole world, God the Father had to back Him (a moment of separation). You and I might have no understanding of this separation but it meant much to Jesus for He has never before been separated with the Father. This separation is that you and I may be saved and be accepted by the Father.
3. I am thirsty (John 19:28): Jesus was very thirsty after all the pain from the beatings he got from the soldiers and loss of blood. And what did the soldiers think was the best drink to serve Him? Vinegar! Can you imagine all these He went through just that we might get healed? May you receive your healing in Jesus name…..Amen!!
4. It is finished (John 19:30): When Jesus saw that the Fathers’ anger has been fully meted toward man’s sin that was on Him, it was then that He said it is finished. Beloved Jesus said that you can come to the Father through Him no matter how unclean you may be that His Blood is powerful enough to wipe away your sin (1 John 1: 7 – 8).
5. Father into Your hands I commit My Spirit (Luke 23:46): As He was about to die He committed His Spirit to God showing total submission even in death. Jesus is saying that He and the Father are backing us as long as His Spirit is in us. He held nothing back and will never withhold caring for us as long as we follow Him, for He is with us till the end of time (Matthew 28:20; Joshua 1:9).
   Jesus took care of all things before He left, and now the Holy Spirit is here to continue and has been doing so. How wonderful it is, the privilege given to us and the power we share with Jesus as sons and daughters of God (John 1:12) all because of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved free access has been given to the Father and we need to use it. Think of it when you have been given free access to the Queen in England or to the US President to come to them and make request of your needs as long as you are citizens of the nation. Why not make use of the life time opportunity given to you by the Master Himself. Remain blessed as you continue to follow Jesus in His footsteps and enjoy life in abundance (John 10:10b). Remain blessed.

Rev David & Rev Deborah Adonai

When I heard of the attack that happened in Brussels, I thought hard on it and the more I think about it the clearer the picture of what these suicide bombers believe in. They believe in a cause – of which you and I know it’s all wrong. Yet they were willing to die for that cause. Beloved Jesus Christ came and died for mankind (the greatest cause). Jesus took it upon Himself and died in our place that the power of sin and death might be broken (Hebrews 2: 14). Beloved, how serious are you with your relationship with God? Are you keeping your faith now because this is the Lenten season? Is this what the Bible truly say, that we follow Jesus during a particular period of time and then continue in our worldly ways at other times? It’s time for us (the church) to rise up and live as children of God and not like the people of the world (1 Corinthians 1:10 – 17).

When Jesus was about to die on the cross, there were 7 last words He spoke:

1. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34): He forgave us our sins even before we come to repentance, so what we do is just accept His forgiveness that He has given and start a new life. I know you are saying my sin is so much and He may not? Why not confess that sin and tell the devil next time he comes to bring the sin to your face that Jesus has forgiven me for His blood has made you clean.

2. Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43): Jesus said this statement to one of the thieves on the cross because he acknowledged his sin and asked for forgiveness at the point of death. Beloved, you still have a chance even though you may be sick at the point of death or you have heard this message somewhere or reading it now, I want to let you know that Jesus loves you and does not take pleasure in the death of a sinner but that such a person may repent (Ezekiel 18:23).

3.  Woman behold your son, son behold your mother (John 19: 26 – 27): Jesus saw His earthly mother knowing she needed care, He said both to John the disciple to take care of her. This signifies that not just your biological brothers are your family alone, but those who are of the same faith in Christ Jesus who believe in the totality of the Scriptures. We need to care for our fellow brothers and sisters in church including the widows (Galatians 6: 9 – 10; 1 Timothy 5:8).

Beloved the Lord’s desire is that we might live, and live life in abundance. Are you still living in sin and covering it up, this is the time to come clean with God so that you might receive mercy. Do you serve God traditionally or occasionally? You should do so in faith and do it consistently (Philippians 3:3).

By Rev David & Rev Deborah Adonai

I was in the church one Wednesday for bible study, and our teacher brought home the “Parable of the Talents” to our day to day life style. He made me understand the more that in as much as we are in the church and in different departments, we should be sincere and fully committed to what we are doing. Because when we appear before God we will not give excuses such like: your colleague, or your brother, or your spouse, or your boss, or even your departmental leader is not fully committed to what he or she is doing that is why you became nonchalant and also refused to do your work. You and I should not follow the multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2; Daniel 3: 8 – 18). May the Lord have mercy upon us all in Jesus name…Amen!!

This is a hard saying: It is easier to manage poverty than to manage wealth. This was the reason why Moses taught the people of Israel all that God had commanded him to teach them. He (Moses) urged them to be careful in listening and obeying all that was written most especially when they gain entrance into the Promised Land. They need to prepare themselves so that they will not allow the comfort of the land make them forget the Lord their God. Not only were they to obey they were also to teach their children and grand-children for the fear of the Lord brings peace, security and progress in life.

What does whole hearted means? The freedictionary.com defines it simply as – completely sincere, genuine, or enthusiastic. While commitment means a pledge or an obligation as to follow a certain course of action.  Let us look at three points to ponder on as you read through:

1) Wholehearted Commitment to our Duties: How committed are you in your place of work, business place, church, family, studying the word of God and praying, etc? Is your whole heart in what you are doing or is it when you see your boss, leader or pastor around that you become over-zealous? (Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Ephesians 6: 5 – 8 KJV). When you look around today, you see how friends, brothers, sisters, employers, colleagues, and leaders betray each other. Why, because most of us are not sincerely committed in our relationship or committed to our duties rather we are busy looking for whom to blame when things go wrong but when things are working well everyone likes to claim responsibility. I pray that you will be committed and be faithful in your duties knowing that as you go about doing it brings glory to our Lord Jesus (John 12:26; Hebrews 6:10; 1 Peter 1:12).

2) Wholehearted Commitment to Family Values: When we parents are committed to family values by teaching our children the ways of the Lord as instructed by the Lord, our children will always be proud of us and look up to be like us when they grow up. Children learn easily by our actions and they will definitely make us proud as they grow to choose the right path to follow because we did not grieve them. They will honour us daily because they see the love and respect we have for our spouse. A healthy marriage produces healthy children that will tend towards healthy lives and they will eventually give back to their parents and to the world at large (Exodus 20:20; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:33; Colossians 3:20 – 21).

 A saying goes like this that charity begins at home. I believe this statement was derived from the Book of Deuteronomy 6. When parents teach their children the word of God and living also by examples, talk about it when driving them to school, going to football, on camping, etc. I tell you that moral values will be instilled in them for life. The children will not be law breakers, neither will they be emotionally or mentally sick as per the way they reason. When the Spirit of God comes upon a man, there is always a change from the inside this happens when the word of God is taught to our children, they won’t be disobedient, they won’t be nosy or have itchy ears (eavesdropping), associating with gangs of any type because the more they hear the word of God the easier it is for them to differentiate between good and evil. In life, “gift without character is catastrophe”. No one wants to deal with someone of a questionable character. Armed with the word of God these children are bound to also use it to teach their own children and grandchildren as they grow old (Romans 12:2; James 1:22; Romans 8: 1 – 4; Eccl 7:21; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 20:1).

3) Wholehearted Commitment to Biblical Principles: When your children are impacted with God’s Word, they will have the understanding of what Biblical principles mean. They will know that their source of power, their purpose in life, security, main source of income and every other thing in life starts and ends with God. This way they will know that every decision they are about to make should be driven towards God’s purpose (towards a life of fulfilment). No one will deceive them by saying there is no God. For the Lord will always show Himself mighty in their lives because He is their source, their rock and salvation. They will not bear grudge or bitterness against men when they are betrayed or spoken badly of because they know the word of God will teach them how to handle complicated matters such like that. The Word of God will heal their souls, give them grace to forgive those who have sinned against them because Christ forgave us all. When they fall sick and they are admitted in the hospital they also commit everything in the hands of God knowing that He can heal all manner of diseases from abdominal pain, cancer to zika virus, name it. From that same word of God, they will know how to trust God during difficult times and make good decisions in times of crisis in their homes, offices, and business place. Why because the principles of life is applied, and this principles of life is Biblical principles. There is no problem that you want to solve you cannot find in the Bible, so if someone asks you why are you still going through trials, or why are people still hurting, tell the person that you are being prepared for your home above which is heaven.

Beloved, have you given your life to Jesus Christ, if not I must say you need to do so before it is too late. Please say after me. Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me, I confess my sins and ask that You come into my life and make me new. Cancel my name from the Book of Death and write my name in the Book of Life. Help me to live for You daily in Jesus name….Amen!!

Success is often associated with accomplishments or having things such as lots of money, material possession, or high position of power. But have you ever considered what success is in God’s sight? Let us see what is the world’s view point of success compared to God’s view point as found in the bible.

Dictionary meaning of success: it is the favourable prosperous attempts or endeavours. It is the attainment of wealth, position, honours or the like. This definition of success is based on tangible things and what other people think of you. There is a part of success that is true and founded upon God’s word. Success for a believer is based on the word and not attempts at gaining worldly popularity or material gain.

To understand true success (Joshua 1:8) we need to gain knowledge of some basic principles that can help us as we need to gain knowledge of some basic principles that can help us as we strive for success in God’s eyes. These principles are some of the things that we need to practice every day that is found in God’s manual – THE BIBLE

1) Start with prayer – (1Thessalonians 5:17) Success without prayer is like a pool without water. You never get to your real or full potential without prayer. Prayer is communicating with God one on one. This means consulting your Father about everything, allowing Him to be ingrained in your life that you cannot imagine life without prayer time with God. Our success depends on our relationship with God and it centres on communicating with Him. This is a simple communion with the Father who knows all, is all, and has all things planned out for us. When we pray we listen and also hear from God. In quiet moments we should ask for directions and wait for answer from God, for He will never steer us from the right direction. True success begins with prayer.

2) Live by the Word – (Psalm 119:105) It is through God’s word that we can and will understand the will of God for our lives and stop trying to do it our way. Imagine walking down a dark hallway, a little frustrated because you stumbled on something and did not see how to get around it because it is dark. Everything you need to know to be successful is in God’s word. There is so much positive wisdom for life in the word and all you have to do is to open the book (Bible). Start by setting aside sometime aside every day to allow God’s word to be a light for your path. Take time to read, study and meditate on God’s word for as you do so God’s plan for you and His purpose will be revealed. In understanding the Word we have to be willing to take the word line upon line, precept upon precept, without church doctrine, worldly logic or even your own thoughts. Pour all those things out and read the word for what it really says allowing it to fill back up the area you have just emptied yourself. As a child of God you must study to show yourself approved and also live according to the word (practice what you read and preach). This way success is bound to come.

3) Your faith is powerful – (Luke 17:6) Faith is a powerful tool in helping us to be successful. The just shall live by faith. Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith. When you say you have faith, and it is not shown in works (action), that kind of faith is dead. God told Isaac to plant when there was famine which was out of the ordinary and Isaac being a farmer who knows much and what it entails to farm during famine (it means losing your crops) obeyed God and with faith in God planted and he reaped a hundred fold (Genesis 26: 1 – 14).

As long as you call yourself a Christian you need to follow God’s way. From His word you will learn to advance the Kingdom of God in every field you know that God is leading you into: by prayer, making every step with purpose, in faith and action, determined to stay on the right course even when others choose to do wrong. I pray that you shall live to testify the goodness of God as you make your way to the top.

Having made known to us His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself (Ephesians 1:9 NKJV). The will of God is no other than God Himself; it is essential to Him; it is His nature and essence. God did not leave us without the knowledge of His will. This is why the Bible is made accessible both to the rich and poor, the young and the old. We have no excuse to fail in life and not to fulfil our God given purpose. God promises to reveal to us His will if we genuinely want to know. The Lord’s plan leads to welfare – happiness, well-being, and success; not calamity – trouble, affliction, and ruin. Understanding this principle is essential to discovering the Lord’s plan and purpose for us which will save us from financial, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual stress.

We are in the first month of the year, many have set new goals and new plans for themselves. The tragedy of life lies in having no goals to reach. This year is still very young that is why you need to ask yourself how you want your life to be this year; marriage-wise, spiritually, financially, ministry-wise, career-wise, and in the area of your investment, e t c. God does not want us to be doing trial and error in life. This is why He made available His word to us so that we can know His will for us in life even as we make our plans and set goals. In order for you and I to follow God’s plan for our lives, we must know what He has called us to become and what He has called us to do. It would be out of character for God to hide His will and then expects us to walk in it. The Bible also promises His guidance, all we need to do is ask Him. Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Apostle Paul indicated that it was possible to know the Father’s will and there by be fruitful (Colossians 1: 9 & 10). The Lord is faithful to reveal “the path of life” to those who seek Him (Psalm 16:11). If you are serious about following God’s will, you have to recognize that it is not about getting what you want, but doing what God asks. You must trust that He is faithful and good, and that His will is what is best for you.

How can you discover God’s plan for your Life?

The Bible: The Word of God is the number one primary way to know God’s will for your life (2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17) “so as not to” be doing trial and error in business, making costly mistakes, endangering your health, having marital break-up in relationships, choosing the wrong job, etc. The only way we can be sure to stay true and in tune to God’s Word is by studying it day and night so we can be sure to obey everything written in it. As we do so we can then be sure to prosper and have “good success” (Joshua 1: 8). We sometimes neglect or forget to consider scriptural truth of what God is saying to us about our situation when we feel overwhelmed there by drifting away from God’s will. Our Father in heaven desires to see us succeed in life, have the best of life and enjoy life in full all to His glory. God’s terms are faith and obedience. Faith is like electricity you don’t have to analyse or understand it to enjoy its benefits. If I may ask you, what has God told you to do? Obey Him and stop wavering between different opinions, stop procrastinating, stop complaining, stop arguing with Him and do what He tells you. Leave the consequences for Him to deal with.

PRAYER:  Prayer is a two way communication between God and man. It is the place where our pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord. Prayer is also a way of life for any child of God. As you study God’s Word and spend time in prayer, your relationship with God grows and you begin to understand God’s view point (1 John 5: 14 – 15). You will then be in the right place to hear God’s instruction for other areas of your life.

I experienced a major turning point in my own prayer life when I learned simply to keep quiet after praying to hear what God has to say and to ask questions on every area of my life. That may sound odd to you, and it seemed odd to me at first why I should tell God everything including sex but as time goes on I became aware that God is not embarrassed at all with any topic of discussion I bring to him. He gives me advice, directions and tells me the consequences of half obedience. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Though at first it was very hard because I thought it was about me until I come to realise it’s all about Jesus. I take time to listen to what God might have to say to me and I ask questions when I don’t understand clearly. I also pen down on a book what He wants me to do. This has helped me a lot. Through experiences like this, God has shown me many times with great clarity what His will is for my life. They are truly life changing.

GODLY COUNSEL: In addition to Bible study and prayer, be willing to seek godly counsel from a mentor, pastor, or godly parent. Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety (Proverbs 11:14). Life can present us with challenges and decisions that are not easy to make on our own.  We may pray about the situation and read God’s Word for guidance, and still be confused and uncertain about the direction we should take. Some years back I felt I knew it all because I hear God speak to me. Beloved, I tell you it takes a lot of humility to seek counsel from other beloved brothers or pastors just because you feel you know everything. Two things the Bible makes very clear are the benefit of godly counsel and the detriment of ungodly counsel.  “The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Therefore it is imperative when seeking counsel that we examine the character and values of the person(s) of whom we receive advice (Reader please take note). Not only are one’s character and values of utmost importance, we must also factor in a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.  Receiving advice from a person who has an interest or gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. The more subtle, but equally misleading advice can come from people who care about us, they may give advice based on their own fears, insecurities or expectations.  For example, a situation that would require complete reliance and dependence upon the Lord may make a family member or friend uneasy and unwilling to support.  It is therefore imperative to seek advice from people who know and love God.

CIRCUMSTANCES: There is no such thing as coincidence in this life. When you go through the Book of Esther from chapter 1 to the last chapter. None of the events happened by chance. How can you explain receiving an encouraging text from a friend who never knew what you were passing through? A beloved sister told me how she wanted to board a bus from Portharcourt to Calabar (one sate to another in Nigeria), and on that faithful day she was convinced by a man to travel with another bus rather than the usual bus she travels with. On her way to Calabar fifteen minutes later, lo and behold she saw that same bus she would have entered on the road-side, it had a fatal accident, and some people died on the spot. That was when she knew that God arranged that man to be there to save her life.

The events that God allows— the family we were born into, the town in which we live, meeting a future mate, getting fired from a job, getting rebuked by a pastor or Christian leader, the skills, talents, and gifts we possess—are all part of God’s divine will for our success.

Culled from christiantoday.com, christiangrowthnetwork.com

Tolm bulletin

By the special grace of God I am dedicating this write up to women all over the world, who desire or are yet to marry. I pray that the Lord will lead you to the right man who will treat you as a queen for the rest of your days on earth. As a woman God created you to be a blessing to your spouse, your children, community and the world at large. You need to be proud of yourself, believe in yourself and trust God for the best in life knowing that no matter how bad life may have treated you or is treating you, the best is still ahead.

If you are praying to God for the right man for marriage, the first question that should come to your mind is how willing am I in accepting the authority of the man I want to live with for the rest of my life, and the second question, is he of the same faith with me?

Beloved, all that God wants from you is to follow His plans (Jeremiah 29:11). I guess your next question is what if the man is abusive or he does not know his role as a man or husband, what then? Well my answer to that question is that your focus should not be in the “LORD WHAT IF” rather it should be “LORD WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO IN THIS MATTER.” It’s like growing up and hearing that maths is the hardest subject, yet some people take it as their easiest subject (my class mate POE for example). I can tell you that it is all about your mind set. If you will allow what God says determine the course of your life, I tell you that you will never go wrong. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things (John 14:26). My dear if you are not yet married, just kneel down and thank God for He wants you to learn the basics of marriage before marrying. Like my Pastor would say, “marriage is a circle that many want to enter and many inside want to go out or are going out.” Many women are living in fear; fear of what happened to their mother not to repeat in their own lives, and so many other reasons. Well there are pointers or signs when you are in the period of dating (knowing yourselves). A man can hide who he is but cannot hide his attitude towards you the woman or matters of life. I believe so much that God has given women this thing called “perception,” that is knowing men beyond face value.

For example you meet a young man and everything about him is perfect yet inside you, you hear the warning bell sounding so hard that there’s something wrong about him you cannot pin point. The man is there at your beck and call, opening the car door for you, buying flowers and gifts for you, he’s in church on time, prays and speaks in tongue, never harassed you or asked for sex yet the alarm bell keeps going off. My dear sister, you must be careful. You may be persuaded by friends and relatives to go ahead and marry him but I believe that is God’s way of stopping you from a failed marriage in the future. You need to trust God for He has your best interest in His heart and He shall order your footsteps. Please tread with caution, for there is a way that seems right in a man’s way yet it leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:25; Psalm 37:23). I would suggest that you tell your pastor to agree with you in prayer, you go and pray for confirmation, and when you cannot get a confirmation just meet him and say a polite “NO” that the marriage is not going to work out.

You may be asking what if in the case you have prayed and you feel convinced beyond reasonable doubt yet your heart is still shaky about the whole relationship what next? Sometimes you may not like the height of the man or his colour or tribe or he may not be that handsome as you like your man to be. Moses was a man who never wanted to go back to Egypt when God called him. He gave several excuses yet God gave him assurance in all (Exodus chapter 3 & 4). Matthew 7: 9 – 11 says, “You parents if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.” One of the major ways to know if it is God’s will for you is by God giving you peace of mind (Philippians 4:7). When you have peace of mind and the devil is trying to trick you by reminding you what had happened to Mrs A or Mrs B, he (Satan) may try to pressurise you to quit the relationship, my suggestion is tell the Lord to give you peace of mind amidst the voice of the devil, and rebuke the devil. Though the Lord may lead you on a long route to get to your destination, He will never lead you wrong. You can be sure to depend on God in the midst of confusion and pressure (Psalm 37:23). There is no perfect man only God is perfect and is incapable of making mistakes. The first question is how willing are you as a woman who desires to marry, ready to accept the authority of a man because of God? Answer this question and I tell you, you will never be afraid of men.

NOTE: (2 Corinthians 6: 14 – 18) Please bear in mind that the young man “must” be of the same faith (Christian) and beliefs with you and “if” he does not have the same Christian “beliefs” with you please meet with your pastor for a spiritual advice. I believe that it is better you have the same beliefs even though he says he’s a Christian.

There are so many potentials in the lives of men that can be used by God yet God does not expect any good thing to come out of a man’s life that He has not refined. Those that God used and still uses to transform their generations to bring glory to Himself had to be refined by Him. If you see any man God decides to use to bring glory to Himself, the man has to go through purging and this process is not a process anyone would love to go through but it is God’s own way so as to forge such a man to the kind of instrument specified for a particular purpose. So many of us are eager to be used by God but how many are prepared to be refined? Power if not managed they say, is corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely when not managed. This is why you see some of our young stars who are age 16 – 29 exposed to the front of cameras and are earning large sums of money in their career misbehave a lot, are stubborn, arrogant, and have no respect for their elders or to God.

This is why as Christians we need to allow God to prune us (John 15) to enable us grow more, grow better and bear fruits continuously. Beloved, this pruning process is a period of pain and this pain can come in form of disappointments, persecution from your department head or even the pastor (1 Samuel 19:1), lack of money, friends betraying and denying you (Luke 22: 47 – 62), sickness of which some will say it is because of your sin which is not (John 9:3), and many more. Are you able to stay in the same church and the pastor is using you as an everyday sermon without you getting offended rather you learn and ask God to help perfect your life? Are you still able to relate with false brethren in the church with the intention to see them repent rather than to see them destroyed by the enemy? Can you be able to go through all these without praying against those who have hurt, betrayed or lied against you instead you pray for them like Stephen did, “Lord don’t charge them with this sin” (Acts 7: 59 – 60). Those that God is preparing for effective service, He takes them out of the crowd (Matthew 5:12) and sits upon them for refining. The more God wants to do something in your life He concentrates on you just as goldsmith and blacksmith does to their products. Now a goldsmith sits down for hours to make one little ear-ring and his instruments are sharp little tools to be able to pick out sands and chemicals for washing off layers of dirt on it to bring out the real gold to its full shinning state.

What is God’s concentration all about?

Separation from the Crowd: A call out of the crowd is for a divine concentration and appointment. (Luke 5: 15 – 16; Galatians 1: 15 – 18; Luke 4: 1). Divine concentration is needed for you to become a vessel or an instrument in the hand of God. No man takes this honour to himself but receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was (Hebrews 5:4). This is why God have decided to take out from the crowd to mould you in the shape He (God) desires. Anyone who moves with the crowd cannot achieve much because such person can never stand out. Dr Seuss gave a quote which I love so much and it goes like this: Why fit in when you were born to stand out. Separation from the crowd is what releases the glory that is embedded in you that will prepare you for the use of what you are called to be and do on earth.

Intimate Fellowship: As the deer pants for water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God when shall I come and appear before God (Psalm 42: 1 – 2). The Apostle Paul’s word in Philippians 3:10 shows a man whose desire is to know the Lord the more, this made him stand out. As God takes out a man from the crowd, He wants to bring the man to fellowship intimately with him for it is through the intimacy God spends time with such a person and makes him to have knowledge more than others. Paul’s order of the day is do the will of the Master and this requires consistent fellowship with the Lord. How many hours a day do you give God? Are you too busy that you give one excuse or the other, we are told to study and meditate on the Word of God “day and night” (twice a day) not just once a day or two, or once a week. As we study and meditate on God’s Word we can then be sure to obey it and also have “good” success (Joshua 1:8 NLT Version).

Divine Revelation: Intimate relationship with the Lord brings about divine revelation (Psalm 119: 18) that makes you strong in faith, grounded in God’s Word, and fully equipped for the work ahead. The time God concentrates on you, His teachings which is His Word becomes real instrument He uses on you to sharpen and make you useful. The Word of God transforms a man before he can transform others (Romans 12: 2).

Exposure: God will first expose you to Himself before He exposes you to the world (Exodus 3; Acts 13: 22). This is to make you possess spiritual authority and to be fully prepared for the leadership role in the body of Christ. When God takes you into confidence, He exposes you to suffering so as to experience the mystery of Christ’s Passion, and to cooperate in the redemption of mankind (2 Corinthians 11: 22 – 33; 12: 8 – 10). God also exposes the person to lack so that you can look up to Him and Him alone so that when you have breakthrough you can no longer have lack again. All these are the process you may go through for God to bring you out to the particular instrument He wants you to be.

I charge you today that as you go through the furnace of God, that you will come out better than you were before and will become more useful in the hands of the Almighty God, Amen!

Please find time to go through these Chapters in the Bible, 1 Samuel from chapter 18 to chapter 27.

One of the most amazing things about God to me is the fact that He created us with the “FREE WILL” to choose to accept Him. Now I know the huge theological discussion that exists between Calvinism and Arminianism over the attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. But please don’t get distracted by that rather I want you to think about how God allows us to live and choose to follow or reject Him. God our maker does not need us to make Himself complete nor was He lonely, but He chose to create us and allowed us to live freely in our own thoughts and mind. I believe that this characteristic of God shows how blessed we are and this should make our attitude towards Him to be positive and always wanting to please Him. Every truth that is revealed to us in God’s Word is there not only for our information but also for our inspiration. All scripture has been given to us by the inspiration of God, not to gratify an idle curiosity but to edify our souls and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that we may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16 emphasis mine).

The sovereignty of God is something more than an abstract principle which explains the principle of the God’s government: it is made known to us for the promotion of righteous living, and it is revealed in order to bring into subjection our rebellious hearts. A true recognition of God’s sovereignty humbles us as nothing else does or can, and brings our heart into lowly submission before God, causing us to relinquish our own self-will and making us delight in His direction and performance of His Divine will.

What then should be our attitude toward God? Reverence for God and complete obedience to God are two vital keys.

1. Reverence For God: (Luke 12:5; Proverbs 16:6) Today, many of us are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things. They are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among Christians there is so little real subjection to God’s Word, and His principles are so lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Because many want to act religious and still be identified with their unbelieving friends who have refused to have anything to do with Jesus. Remember that each one of us will one day stand before the Almighty and give account of our lives; how we used the authority, power, gifts, resources, grace, mercy, etc, given to us. What then will be your excuse? I pray that the Lord will give you the boldness to stand on the Word of God, live according to and by it daily in Jesus name, Amen!

2. Complete Obedience: (Deuteronomy 28:1; James 1:22) Naturally, man is filled with a sense of his own importance, with his greatness and self-sufficiency; in a word, with pride and rebellion. Man will glory either in himself or in God. Man will live either to serve and please himself, or he will seek to serve and please the Lord. None can serve two masters. Irreverence (having no fear of God) begets disobedience. And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord; neither will I let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2). To Pharaoh, the God of the Hebrews was merely a god, one among many, a powerless entity who needed not to be feared or served. How sadly mistaken he was, and how bitterly he had to pay for his mistake, he soon discovered; but what we are here seeking to emphasize is that, Pharaoh’s defiant spirit was the fruit of irreverence, and this irreverence was the consequence of his ignorance of the majesty and authority of God.

Now if irreverence begets disobedience, true reverence will produce and promote obedience. To realize that the Scripture is a revelation from God (2 Timothy 3:16), communicating to us His mind and defining for us His will, it is the first step toward practical godliness. To recognize that the Bible is God’s Word, and that its precepts are the principles of the Almighty, will lead us to see what an awful thing it is to despise and ignore them. To receive the Bible as addressed to our own souls, given to us by the Creator Himself, will cause us to cry with the Psalmist, “Order my steps in Thy Word” (Ps. 119: 133). It will no longer be a matter of picking and choosing or selecting from God’s Word which meet with our approval; but it will be seen that nothing less than an unqualified and whole-hearted submission to God’s Word becoming our life styles.

When we reverence and obey God consistently then we can be able to pray like Jesus prayed; “Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will but thine be done” (Luke 22:42).

Excerpts from The Sovereignty of God (chpt 10) by Arthur W. Pink

As a child of God, one needs to focus more on what God wants him/her to do rather than on the blessings of God. As I study and meditate over the Book of Philemon I find out that “MOST” of us including me, are more concerned about God blessing on us than what we can do for Him by using the gift He has given us. We are too focused on the blessings of God that we lose focus of our duty to the great calling when it seems the blessings promised to us by God is delayed. This now makes us “come on and go off” in our relationship with the Lord of which makes us insensitive of our blessings of today. It also shows how ungrateful we are to God for not appreciating the answered prayers of the past. Lord have mercy upon me and everyone who is in this position in Jesus name…Amen!!

Apostle Paul was in prison yet he was writing to churches and individuals encouraging them to remain steadfast in God, and be committed to the right teaching. What a contrast to today’s Christians who will be praying all the time for their release without giving thought of sharing the gospel more or less encouraging other believers who are weak and are having one challenge or the other just like brother Philemon who was robbed by his run-away servant. In 1 Peter 5: 6 – 9, we are charged by Apostle Peter to stand firm always and never allow situations intimidate us no matter the force, that God is able to deliver us from all kinds of trouble,and for us to know that our fellow brothers and sisters in faith are also passing through similar challenges. Beloved many are dying and going to hell daily. In your place of work and business many are dying in silence, going through divorce; living in fear of the unknown, fear of dying with one sickness or losing a friend; going through depression, hungry and have no clue as to how to get their next meal….etc. God has called us not only to be blessed but also to be a blessing to others with the little and much He has provided us with. Apostle Paul was a man with many afflictions yet was not limited by it (Psalm 34: 19). Apostle Paul used every situation he found himself in to preach the gospel. Are you still lamenting because you have been betrayed, and you are finding it difficult to trust and help people? Beloved, I have been there times without number yet, God said I had to first of all pray for them and forgive them. I tell you my first experience, it took me three months to start praying for the person and another month to forgive. I believed I needed a level of trust in them so as to relate and work with them, not knowing that the Lord was using my pain to speak to an unbeliever in the church who is now a pastor. Imagine the pain Paul was going through, yet found time and strength to write to Philemon pleading with him to accept Onesimus. Paul also said he would pay back to Philemon what Onesimus had stolen from him when the Lord shall find it worthy for him to be released (Philemon 1: 8 – 22).

Beloved you may be going through one challenge or the other such as a bad week in the office, your house is about to be repossessed because of no income, your child is sick and you are called to answer query in your office for coming late; you go to the shop to buy groceries and found out that your wallet is lost.  You went for a check-up and the doctor gave you a shocking news that you have a life threatening sickness, you happen to face the person who raped/abused you when you were a child in the church and he is the pastor of the church your friend took you to, and in all you feel it is the end of the world for you. I come to proclaim to you today, that God is able to keep you and will definitely take you through this storm and you will come out stronger in Jesus name….Amen!!(Isaiah 43: 1 – 4; Isaiah 40: 27 – 31). Apostle Paul is reminding us that in the midst of all life struggles and pain, we can remain focused on our calling, pray and forgive those who may have misunderstood us during our trying times. Let us help those in need and still trust God to give us victory without quitting (Job 42: 7 – 10). it is either you keep looking up to Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour and you soar high like an eagle or you keep looking at men and brood like a chicken. I believe that as christians we are created to be victorious.   God’s word is our insurance, assurance and our miracle. God bless you.