tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33423209880509528092024-03-13T09:46:45.720-07:00THE TRUTH PORTALGerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-35244793001893404022019-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:002019-06-04T09:38:09.884-07:00JESUS CHRIST LOVES MUSLIMS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ali
Pektas from Turkey was a good building technician. He was the best
plasterer in Marash, a Turkish town. Ali's problem,however, was Alcohol.
He always came home to his wife and children drunk. He was not a good
father or husband either, as he physically abused his wife and children
in his drunken state. Ali desperately wanted to quit drinking but could
not. Just so that he would not abuse his wife, Ali sometimes had to
travel to search for jobs in Istanbul. It was here, that a friend
advised him to go and live for a time in Saudi Arabia where Alcohol is
prohibited so he could kick the habit. Well, Ali did go to Saudi Arabia
but soon got directed to secret points he could get the drinks. He got a
bit more interested in religion in Saudi Arabia and decided to embark
on pilgrimage to Mecca hoping to turn a new leaf. He had performed most
of the rituals but then something happened. On the night preceding the
last rites,Ali had an unusual dream. He was face to face with a person
with such radiant beauty that left him dazzled. Instantly, Ali could
recognize this was Isa(Jesus Christ). He heard Jesus say to Him "Ali,
you belong to me". Ali woke up filled with such inexpressible joy.He
however could still hear the voice of Jesus telling him to go back home.
He obeyed and left Mecca for Turkey the following morning. Ali
got home and met a gathering of neighbors who had come to welcome him
home. They got really startled when Ali announced to them he had met
Isa(Jesus Christ) and was now a Christian. His neighbors couldn't
imagine anyone going to Mecca and coming back a Christian but they were
surprised that Ali was now a different man, not the drunkard and wife
beater they had known him to be. For two years, Ali lived as a Christian
without ever meeting any other Christian nor having a copy of the
Bible, it was just He and his wife that were Christians in Marash.God
however led Ali to tune in to a radio station broadcast where he got
contact to a Christian group and got a Bible. Ali Pektas conversion
testimony is available on <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.morethandreams.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR184G1GFMnVWT37C21CSxcRDngCAmeT80Ho3_-Bj1gE84CMRoJ4JA3TGFk&h=AT3JAwf9RLWcRP5x42wH3pVVmuo1DYOYUruOJ8YM1OR9m6JediFkV7M7GNSHUEiyqf9k--YdpwtfEUpHK_PFNGqCNaq723WIYShLGH3Ik7M16qdz2KXCvgnp0YT0mT0R9bi-80sF1lgM7_fYBL2X58yqpOm3elcV" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.morethandreams.org.</a><br />
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Well, I was amazed that God would reach out to save a soul from such a
very unlikely place. God didn't need a crusade, He didn't need an
Evangelist, He did it by Himself. Today, I believe God is still moving
in ways past our finding out to many people in places where Christian
witness is prohibited. I believe God does this in answer to the prayers
of intercession of His children over these cities and countries. Please
have a prayer burden in your hearts for your Muslim friends and
neighbors that they may know the way to the Father. While you live and
interact with them, say a prayer for them that they also will believe
and surrender their lives to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their
souls. Indeed, I see the devotion of quite a lot of them and I pray that
God wouldn't let them continue trying to get to Him following the wrong
way. Jesus Christ is the only solution for everybody living in this
world. Whatever the religion people may belong, without Jesus Christ,
they cannot be saved. Whatever the problem you are grappling with, God
will give you victory over it through Jesus Christ. God bless you as you
respond to this message; believe in Jesus, surrender to Him, pray, pray
for your friends and share this message with them.<br />
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Are you a Muslim reading this message today and wonder if you can have an encounter with God as Ali Pektas had? Yes you can have an encounter with God that will change your life forever. You may be very devout in following the teachings of Islam but in your heart you sense there is a void, a relationship with God you so yearn for but He seems to be so far away from you. You are no longer satisfied with the rituals of daily prayers and observances which are just a routine you have followed so you could be accepted by Allah, you will encounter the God you have so yearned for and you will be satisfied. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and life and the only mediator between God and man. What the sacrifices you have been making every Ramadan cannot do by taking away all your sins, Jesus Christ made that final sacrifice by offering His life for you on the Cross. he died, was buried and resurrected in glory and also ascended to heaven where He is our advocate with the God, the father. Put your trust in Him today and your life will be so changed gloriously. You will have joy and peace and you will be certain that you will be welcome to heaven, not because of your good works but because Jesus Christ paid the price for God to be forgive you all your sins.</div>
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<br /> Have you been ashamed to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ?
Are you afraid of the persecution you will face if you denounce Islam and become a Christian? You need to know that God will never leave you nor abandon you and He will surely deliver you from all persecutions. You have nothing to lose from becoming a Christian. This is the time to let go off that shame that will destroy both your
present and the future. This is your opportunity to shake off whatever
ridicule you may get from those who don't know how blessed it is to have
Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. I encourage you to make a definite
commitment and public confession of Jesus Christ as you Lord and Saviour
and surrender and make a vow to follow Him the rest days of your life.
Will you turn to Christ now?<br />
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Pray now.<br />
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“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I
believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and
that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow
Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do
your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this
prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you
and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you
will get to know God more and live the new life you have received. God
bless you.</div>
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God bless you.</div>
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<b style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><i>Have
you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your
experience reading this with me? You can contact me via
geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like
other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please
feel free to "Share" this on your platforms. Let us partner to impact
lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-89940105681019161112019-01-02T03:38:00.001-08:002019-05-16T14:54:13.759-07:00A YEAR TO CELEBRATE JESUS CHRIST! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" - Psalm 37:4.<br />
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I warmly welcome you my friend to this wonderful new year God has given us. It is the goodness of God to us that separates us from those who passed on last year. It is not that we are better than those who have not lived to see this year. It is not the robustness of our security network that guaranteed we made it to this year despite many evils we encountered, it is the protection of God that saw us through into this year. Therefore everyone who has crossed into this year must be grateful to God and praise Him for His many benefits in our lives. We must thank God because He has never ceased to put across His lifeline to us to rescue us from drowning in the terrible waters of sin, troubles and sorrows. Indeed if it had not been the LORD that was on our side, the waters would have overwhelmed us, the streams would have gone over our souls (Psalms 124:4). Dear friends, we certainly have many reasons to thank God for this new year. We have before us another 366 days of opportunities that God has graciously granted us, and we must be grateful.<br />
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I welcome you specially to this year and I pray that God will continue to shape our lives for His divine glory and make us shining lights in our generation engrossed in thick darkness. By the grace of God, we shall discover great treasures God has for us in His word. Let us grab every Lifeline God will throw in for us to salvage us this year. Just as a drowning man would hold on tightly to the lifeline so he could be pulled out from the water, so must we hold on tightly to our Lord Jesus Christ, God's lifeline for our salvation. Let us receive and put into practice every instruction and counsel God shall give us this year and our lives shall be gloriously transformed for the better in Jesus name.<br />
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Friends one key thing we must do this year 2016 is to celebrate Jesus Christ more than we have ever done. As we wake up every day of this year, let us take some time to kneel by our bedside and thank God for another new day. It is a year to lift up the name of Jesus Christ above every other name. It is a year to delight in Him and place Him as our foremost and utmost priority in all our daily engagements this year. We must seek to glorify His name in our lives this year. If you have not believed in Jesus Christ and committed your life to His control, this is your year of salvation, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10). If you had surrendered your life to Jesus but you wandered away from Him and backslid on your commitment to Him, this is the year to return to Him, and He will restore you. I pray that you too will celebrate Jesus Christ in your life this year.<br />
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We must let God's word be the rule of our lives this year by studying it, meditating on it and by being obedient to all His commandments (Joshua 1:8). We must look up to the Holy Spirit for instructions and direction in all we do this year. It is a year to openly share our faith in God with people everywhere; in the office, marketplace, school, etc, and whenever we have the opportunity to do so. We must boldly stand for Christ despite ridicule, mockery and even persecution we may receive from unbelievers. This is not the year to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and pocket our faith in Him, and try to conceal it so cleverly and mingle with the world without being noticed. Our lights were not meant to be hidden under bushels, we must be the lighthouses of salvation for people in this world lost in the darkness of sin, wherever we are (Matthew 5:14-16). Remember also that our Lord Jesus Christ warns that if we are ashamed of Him before men in this world, He will be ashamed of us before His Father and the holy angels to let us into the glory of heaven (Mark 8:38). Let us have the desire to win sinners over to Christ this year. We will indeed celebrate Christ by witnessing about His love and ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of the souls of men.<br />
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We must celebrate Christ by living to please Him this year. Let our family members see Christ example in the way we live. Let our children see our godly lifestyle and follow our example this year. Let the love and compassion of Christ be witnessed in our dealings with people this year. Let Christ-like integrity and honesty characterize our activities in the workplace and in the conduct of our businesses. Let the fear of giving others occasion to ridicule the name of Christ we profess keep us from corrupt acts this year, whether in the secret or in the open. As citizens of our nation and also of heaven, let our obedience to our higher laws of heaven show off in our obedience to the lower laws of our nation. This is the way to celebrate Christ this year. When we live righteously, it will compel those around us, people living and working with us, to see that the sacrifice Christ paid for us by dying on the Cross is not in vain, and that if He could change us, then they also can be changed.<br />
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Let us celebrate Christ by working to advance His kingdom in the world. Let us double our commitment to the work of God in our church assemblies and also give support and participation to the work of missions in reaching the world for Christ. Commit your resources, whether financial or in any wise, to the furtherance of God's work. Pay your tithes and offerings willingly, generously and regularly. Let God's business be your business this year. As you set out to work for progress in your career, job and business, do not neglect God this year. Let 2016 stand out as the year you gave yourself to God to honor Him.<br />
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Why must we celebrate Jesus Christ? It is because His name has power. His name is above all other names. It is the name of Jesus Christ that guarantees our salvation. There is salvation in no other name, for there is no other name in heaven given among men by which we must be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) It is the name of Jesus Christ that brings Satan, demons and all powers of hell to their knees (Philippians 2: 9-10). Sicknesses and diseases bow at the name of Jesus Christ, and the sick are healed in His name. As you journey through this year, let the name of Jesus Christ continually be in your mouth. Call upon His name often, for those who call upon His name shall be saved (Acts 2:21). His name is a potent weapon for you in the battles that may confront you this year. Also there is great power in the blood He shed for us at the cross of Calvary (1 John 1:7, Hebrews 12:24). His blood shall speak all good things for your life and shall also cancel evil words, incantations, curses and covenants issued against your life and destiny. Celebrate Jesus Christ this year by calling on His name and calling on the power of His blood to work for you.<br />
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Finally I shall call your attention to Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart". I want you to see that when you delight in and celebrate Jesus Christ, God will grant you your desires. Your prayers will be answered, your promotion will come, your breakthroughs in marriage, career, business and all other endeavours will come when you celebrate Jesus Christ. Psalm 91:14-15 further assures us of these, saying "Because he has set his love upon Me (God), therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him". Friends this is a sure promise God has made concerning those who delight in Him and celebrate Him. You can only truly celebrate Jesus Christ if you surrender your life to His lordship and receive His salvation from sin. You must be born again by repenting of your sins and calling out to God for forgiveness and salvation of your soul.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now? Pray in this manner: “Dear God, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Saviour and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen”. If you just said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard and saved you. You now need to seek out a Church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received.</span><br />
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As we journey through this year, all things may not be rosy or shiny, the economy may not become very good, world peace may not be achieved, but no matter what may come our way, God has promised to deliver and protect us from losses and injury in all of Satan's attacks. You will have God's protection and promotion this year if you will commit to celebrating Jesus Christ this year. We all have plans and programs drawn out for this year, but let us remember to seek His will, and the key to having fulfillment is this; "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). May God bless you abundantly this year. May you celebrate His goodness all the 366 days of this year in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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Happy new year. Celebrate Jesus Christ more than ever this year!<br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-67109072680194648962018-11-26T09:26:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:54:02.611-07:00YOUR SWORD OF THE SPIRIT; HOW SHARP?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” – (1 Timothy 4:12). Therefore take the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13,17).</i></b><br />
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In the premodern and medieval times, swords were the most important weapons in the arsenal of a good soldier or army. The victories of an army were largely dependent on the type of swords they wielded as also on the skills of the soldiers who wielded these swords. A sword is a bladed weapon intended for slashing or thrusting that is longer than a knife or dagger (Wikipedia). The blade of a sword can be straight or curved and often sharpened on both sides. I would think you have seen a sword before, at least in a museum or on a photo. The Samurai warriors of Japan were distinguished for their exploits at warfare because of the distinctiveness of their sword, the Katane.<br />
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Today’s military arsenals may have very little place for the use of swords with the invention of sophisticated guns and ammunition and warfare largely tilting unto the nuclear weaponry plane. Regardless of these advancements in physical warfare that may have robbed the sword its pride of place in military arsenal, the sword remains a vital weapon in spiritual warfare. This is why we must still consider the sword today, and how well we can use it in our spiritual defense and offensive.<br />
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What is the use of a blunt sword? It is as good as useless. It can do little or no good in the field of battle since it cannot cut through the thick mass of leather belt or coat worn by the enemy soldier. A blunt sword puts the bearer of it in grave danger of being overpowered and slain by the enemy on the field of battle. Therefore, it was a prominent and regular routine of soldiers to sharpen their swords and ensure that it remains sharpened and battle ready. There was a case reported in Israel where there was a lack of sword manufacturing and sharpening technology and equipment as recorded in 1st Samuel 13:19-22. There were no smiths in Israel to make their swords or sharpen them, hence the Israelites had to journey into the country of the Philistines to sharpen their hoes and farm implements. The Philistines therefore used this opportunity to develop a policy prohibiting the sale of swords to Israelites and the sharpening of any weapons, rendering the Israelite soldiers without swords and if there was any, it would be blunt ones. This made the Israelite soldiers very vulnerable to defeat in battle. This scenario describes the situation of very many people today who are going up against the enemy of their souls, the Devil and his host of demonic powers, with no sword in hand. Some others are armed with nothing but rusty blunt swords!<br />
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The huge spiritual casualty today is largely attributable to the inability of people to take on the enemy with the sword of the spirit. What is the sword of the spirit? It is the word of God as Ephesians 6:17 reveals. When we speak the word of God in any given situation, we are invariably drawing our sword in the realm of the spirit to engage in battle with the host of Satanic forces. This is what 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 tells us: “For though we walk in the flesh(in the physical), we do not war according to the flesh( by physical techniques or weaponry). For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal(man-made) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing all thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled”.<br />
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Friends, there is a contention in the heavenly realms, the world of spirits, invisible to our physical eyes but nonetheless real. The enemy forces are out to kill, steal and destroy lives (John 10:10), and this explains why we so often experience those unexplainable sufferings in life. In Ephesians, 6:11-13, God tells us through Apostle Paul to “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (Physical enemies), but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand”. These verses explain the source of troubles in this world. The physical realities are only a manifestation of the outcomes of the engagements in the spiritual realm.<br />
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The average human being is no match for these spiritual enemies since he or she is oblivious of the transactions taking place in the realm of the spirit. The normal, ordinary human is in a state of “spiritual deadness”, and so he or she is best compared to a puppet in the field of spiritual warfare with no weapons for defense or offensive. The situation only changes when we become Christians and are made spiritually alive and equipped. It is still a puzzle why the disease burden is so great in our societies despite the great advancements in medical technology. Why are so many diseases still incurable today? Why are homes and marriages falling apart by disagreements and disaffection when just a few months back, the husbands and wives were inseparable as they courted each other and married? Why do people get involved in so many tragic situations and setbacks despite all their qualifications for success? Why are so many people traumatized and what could make kids take hold of guns and go on a shooting spree of their classmates and teachers in school? These and so many more questions reveal that there are puzzles that cannot be resolved by physical means. It is obvious that we must fight in this spiritual warfare or be conquered. One of our greatest weapon for victory in this warfare is the sword of the spirit, the word of God. We must take up the sword of the spirit by reading, hearing, believing, meditating on and confessing the word of God. This is why the Holy Bible which contains the word of God must be one of our most valuable possession.<br />
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God’s word is quick, powerful and sharp, and the enemy has no chance when we use it. He is completely disarmed and defeated when we lay claim to God’s word, believing and living in obedience to it. In the record made available to us in Matthew chapter 3 of the temptation of Jesus Christ by Satan, we see that our Lord Jesus Christ gained victory over the enemy by referencing the word of God to counter the words Satan spoke. We notice how Jesus Christ responded on all occasion, “It is written…”, making reference to what God has said and standing on its authority. A story is told of how Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke gained confidence to exercise the authority of God’s word for miracles and transformation of lives in his many crusades around the world. He had his breakthrough in ministry when he heard God say to him, “My word in your mouth is as powerful as when I speak it.” Thus, he began to proclaim God’s word for salvation, healing, deliverance and setting free the captives of the devil with great results. You also have to begin to use God’s word in all situations you come across, so that you can have a positive turn around. When the symptoms of sickness begin to manifest in your body, you must rebuke it by the word of God. Isaiah 53:5 tells us we are healed by the stripes our Lord Jesus Christ was beaten, therefore you have to stand on the authority of this word to receive your healing. No matter the situation of your life today, you must discover what God says about it in the Bible, lay claim to God’s word by believing it to work for you, proclaim it over your situation and see the situation turn around for a testimony of God’s power. When you make a practice of reading your Bible daily, you will discover that you have God’s word for victory over every situation. This is how to keep your sword of the spirit sharp and powerful.<br />
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The sword of the spirit can become dull, rusty and blunt when we no longer read and study our Bibles to discover God’s word and use it. Can you imagine what the case is when we are faced with a situation we have no word of God to stand on and exercise spiritual authority? What of those situations we quote God’s word out of context because we never took the time to read, study and understand it, and rightly apply it? It is in these cases we find ourselves using blunt swords. Many Christians may only know the words of their pastor, but it just happens that they cannot successfully quote their pastors word and gain victory in spiritual warfare, except those words of the pastor are directly God’s word. An example can be seen in the case of the seven sons of Sceva who went to cast out a demon out of a man by making reference to the words of Apostle Paul (Acts 19:13-16). They were unsuccessful in their bid to cast out the demon, instead they were overpowered by the demonic forces and put to flight. Theirs was nothing but a blunt sword!<br />
The sword of the spirit becomes blunt when a Christian indulges again in sinful living. He is robbed of the authority that should occasion his proclamation of God’s word. This was the case when the Accuser, Satan the devil, stood at the right hand side of Joshua the High Priest, to accuse him of his sins (Zechariah 3:1-4). For as long as Joshua was clothed with that garment stained by sins, he could not exercise the authority of the word of God. Sin makes the sword of the spirit blunt just as a continual rubbing of a sharp blade on sand makes it blunt. It is time to examine the ways by which our sword of the spirit has lost its sharpness and power. If we discover that God’s word in our mouth is no longer as powerful as when He speaks it, then it must be that our sword of the spirit has become blunt. Let us address it by getting right with God, confessing and forsaking all sins and getting back to our study of the Bible and exercising faith in God’s word. This is what the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak about when he admonished us in his second letter to Timothy. He says, “Study(the word of God) to show yourself approved unto God, a workman(also a soldier) that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing(or applying) the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). A daily and regular reading and study of the word of God is your way of sharpening your sword of the spirit. Also, reading books written by inspired men and women of God who exposit the word of God, will also sharpen your sword of the spirit, making you gain victory over the wiles of the enemy, for we will thereby not be ignorant of his devices.<br />
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One of the strategy of the enemy is to keep people from having access to the sword of the spirit, just as the Philistines ensured that the Israelites had no swords to fight them in battle. Friend, if you are not born again (John 3:3), then you have no sword of the spirit to use. It is probable you are a church man or woman or you follow some form of religion, but if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ by confessing and forsaking your sins and living your life under the authority of Jesus Christ as your Lord, then you have no sword to defend yourself in the realms of the spirit. You are indeed no match for the enemy no matter your level of education, wealth or physical abilities, and this why the enemy can torment you at will. Today you have the opportunity to come out of spiritual deadness unto abundant life in Christ. Pray to God now asking Him to forgive your sins and grant you eternal life. Make a commitment to live in obedience to His word for the rest of your life. If you do this, you will be saved, made spiritually alive and armed with the Sword of the Spirit.<br />
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Will you turn to Christ now? Pray in this manner: “Dear God, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Saviour and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen”. If you just said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard and saved you. You now need to seek out a Church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received.<br />
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Finally, as you take up your sharp sword of the spirit, also ensure to take up all other components of the armour of God as highlighted in Ephesians 6:13-18. You are to continually wear your helmet of salvation, being careful to avoid backsliding and going back to your old sinful way of living. Put on the belt of truth by living a life of sincerity and integrity. Always have your heart guarded with the breastplate of righteousness, avoiding all forms of unrighteousness in thoughts and deeds. let your feet be protected with the shoes of the gospel of peace as you share with people everywhere the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Take the shield of faith and stop all fiery darts of fear and doubts the devil hurls at you. Be prayerful and always fellowship with God in your heart, and also with other brothers and sisters in Christ and you are sure to get the victory. May God bless you, equip you and make you a victor in the spirit realm. Amen.<br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-81965778227909361172018-11-13T01:20:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:53:40.352-07:00WHY TELL A LIE?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On the 8th day of September 2011, I had a discussion with my friends on Facebook. We examined the issue of telling of lies and what God’s word has to say about it. Friends as you read through the excerpts of that discussion, I want you to allow God to help you put away from you every thing that would deny you the opportunity of meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ and being with Him in glory when He comes to take the saints home. Discover the various ways the Devil tempts us to tell lies and resolve from today never to allow Satan destroy your eternal destiny through lies for “All liars shall have their place in the lake that burneth with fire and Brimstone(Hell)”. Be blessed as you read through.<br />
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<b>ME</b>: Goodmorning friends, this is the day God has made and we shall rejoice in it. Today’s question is “Is there any justification for telling lies, be it ‘white’, ‘harmless’, or ‘professional’ lies? Place your comments on this issue. Let us interact usefully today. Let me know what you think and what you think God thinks about telling lies!<br />
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<b>FRIEND 1.:</b> A lie is a lie no matter the cloth we put on it.<br />
<b>FRIEND 2.</b>: White, harmless, professional lies are logical ways to modernize and polish the sinful act in order to entise men and not to make it sinful in the eyes of men,LIE is LIE and a sinful act against Gods commandment. Those who tell blue, green white green or fine or beautiful lies are going to hell.<br />
<b>ME</b>: So what do we say about those who lie about where they are when they are receiving phone calls? What of those who say ‘I am on the road to meet you” when they are yet to live their house?<br />
<b>FRIEND 2.:</b> That kind of lie is common to everyone during our daily activities and day to day transactions but may God Almighty forgive us all.<br />
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<b>FRIEND 3: </b>What is a lie? Lying is giving some information while believing it to be untrue, intending to deceive by doing so. Why is lying wrong? Lying is bad because a generally truthful world is a good thing: lying diminishes trust between human beings: if people generally didn’t tell the truth, life would become very difficult, as nobody could be trusted and nothing you heard or read could be trusted – you would have to find everything out for yourself. An untruth world is also bad for liars – lying isn’t much use if everyone is doing it.<br />
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Lying is bad because it treats those who are lied to as a means to achieve the liar’s purpose, rather than as a valuable end in themselves. Many people think that it is wrong to treat people as means not ends. Lying is bad because it makes it difficult for the person being lied to make a free and informed decision about the matter concerned. Lies lead people to base their decisions on false information. Lying is bad because it cannot sensibly be made into a universal principle. Lying is bad because it’s a basic moral wrong.<br />
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Some things are fundamentally bad – lying is one of them. Lying is bad because it’s something that Good People don’t do. Good behavior displays the virtues found in Good People. Lying is bad because it corrupts the liar.<br />
Telling lies may become a habit and if a person regularly indulges in one form of wrong-doing they may well become more comfortable with wrong-doing in general<br />
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Some religious people argue Lying is bad because it misuses the God-given gift of human communication. God gave humanity speech so that they could accurately share their thoughts – lying does the oppositeSome philosophers say lying is bad because language is essential to human societies and carries the obligation to use it truthfully. I sure don’t want to be doing something God specifically says He hates, do you? Well, in Proverbs chapter 6, God speaks of seven things He hates:<br />
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“There are seven things the LORD detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19). The word “hates” means to consider personally offensive and to regard with enmity. In other words, those who do any of these seven hateful things are acting as God’s enemies! Note that two of these seven hateful things refer to dishonesty – a “lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies.” Why does God condemn lying in such strong terms?<br />
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Let’s go back to the Ten Commandments and in particular to the ninth commandment on God’s Top Ten list:<br />
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“You must not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16). If there’s no objective truth about our moral choices, then the basis for our decision to be truthful in any given circumstance will always depend on self-serving reasons. But unlike the moral relativism of most people, God absolutely hates – that is, regards as personally offensive – a lying tongue and “a false witness who pours out lies.” God hates these things because they are so destructive: “Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword or shooting them with a sharp arrow.” (Proverbs 25:18).<br />
God hates lying because He is the Source of truth. In fact, Jesus used that very word to describe His character when He testified, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) Scripture further tells us that “it impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18), since God Himself is the standard and ground of all that is real in the universe.<br />
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In dramatic contrast, Satan is called the “Father of lies.” (John 8:44). When we lie, we are behaving more like children of the devil than children of God. Have you been telling lies about others lately? God says of the liar, “I will not allow deceivers to serve me, and liars will not be allowed to enter my presence.” (Psalm 101:7).<br />
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Another common way we lie is through flattery. Flattery is perhaps the subtlest forms of deceit. A good definition of flattery is “saying something to a person’s face that you would never say behind his or her back.” It’s tempting to flatter someone to get something from them, but saying insincere things is just another form of lying. Would you consider a two-faced person to be honest?<br />
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Yet another way we lie is through exaggeration. This is especially easy to do, since we often feel the (insecure) need to impress other people. We may tell some pals about that “giant fish” that got away, or we might hype our skills with the hope of getting that job promotion.<br />
Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many lies do you have to tell a lie to be a liar? Just one. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin but God does!<br />
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Finally, we can lie by keeping silent when we should be speaking up. For example, we might hear someone say something we know for a fact is untrue, yet we remain quiet. Or we might turn a blind eye to a case of injustice and let it be “someone else’s problem.” Slander by silence … complicity by passivity. Christians are called to be truth-tellers in a world that “loves to live a lie.” (Revelation 22:15). Unlike the majority of others around us, “we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15). May God give us the courage and grace to live our lives as true witnesses for Him.<br />
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A white lie is a lie that is not intended to harm the person being lied to – indeed it’s often intended to benefit them by making them feel good, or preventing their feelings being hurt.<br />
White lies usually include most of these features: They are not intended to harm the person lied to. They are not intended to harm anyone else. They don’t actually harm anyone (or only do trivial harm). The lie is about something morally trivial. They aren’t told so often that they devalue what you say. White lies are not a totally good thing because the person being lied to is deprived of information that they might find useful even if they found it unpleasant.<br />
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<b>ME: </b>Wow,lovely insight FRIEND 3. Thank you for telling us this truth. Do you lie in these ways highlighted? It is time to repent.<br />
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<b>FRIEND 3:</b> Yes it’s time for repentance.<br />
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<b>FRIEND 4</b>: Lies are lies, no difference between white, professional or harmless lies. They are all lies and God detest it and it does not profit a bit.<br />
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<b>ME:</b> Salesmen and marketers of products tell lies to the buyers so as to make sales.That is also sinful and you need to repent!<br />
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<b>FRIEND 5: </b>Sometimes we lie because we do not want to hurt others or make people unhappy. This is almost like a code in my profession.<br />
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<b>FRIEND 6:</b> Well, the truth is that a lie has only short legs, it cannot run faster.<br />
<b>ME:</b> @FRIEND 6, I feel you. Certainly truth always overtakes the lie told. In most cases people end up telling more lies to cover the seemingly small lie they told initially. It is only the truth that sets free. Can you imagine the bondage a lie puts you into? A liar is never free because he is always afraid of his lies being found out.<br />
<b>FRIEND 7:</b> May God Almighty forgive me and help me to do without lies. Amen.<br />
<b>ME:</b> Amen.<br />
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Dear Reader of this column, I hope you now know why you should not tell lies no matter the situation around you. Tell the truth and live in truthfulness because the truth sets free. God will forgive you of every lie you ever told if you will repent of it this moment and invite Jesus Christ into your life. If He who is the Truth and Life is the Lord of your life, living in truthfulness will no more be a struggle but who you are.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you surrender your life to Jesus Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span></div>
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God bless you today and empower you to live in truth always. Amen.<br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-57655359265228790782018-10-14T10:57:00.001-07:002019-05-16T14:53:29.518-07:00THE NEHEMIAH SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Nehemiah school of leadership is a very important concept of leadership we began to examine in the first part of this article <a href="https://geraldinyang.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-nehemiah-school-of-leadership.html?m=1" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> to read the first part. This school of leadership was derived from the leadership example given by Nehemiah, the governor of Jerusalem, as he successfully led his people to achieve the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Last week we saw the crucial importance of leaders having the right motivation for leadership which ought to be selfless service to the group. We saw also, the need for leaders to willingly offer themselves for service and to be accepted by the group. The need for personal investigation into the situation of the group when a leader is commissioned was also established. We shall now go further to see some other very important principles from the book of Nehemiah (Please get a Bible and open to Nehemiah as we read along together).</div>
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Nehemiah was able to see to the timely execution of the wall rebuilding project which the Israelite had embarked on because he was able to mobilize the people to make personal commitment to the work. He made everyone realize they had a role to play to have a common success. We see this fact vividly portrayed in the account of the Jerusalem wall rebuilding work in Nehemiah chapter three, which was carried out by families and individuals. The nobles as well as the rest of the citizens were all involved in the work. We learn here an important principle in leadership which entails that a leader must be able to mobilize the group he leads such that all individuals realize their role in the overall success of the group.</div>
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Discrimination of individual contributions on the basis of financial strength, physical ability, or intellectual acumen should not be the practice in a good leadership, rather the mobilization of all these individual contributions should be accorded equal importance. A successful family or community, group or nation, is that which all members bring in their talents and resources to ensure development, progress and achievement of a good life and environment for all. Something is definitely wrong if the members of the group feel there are a select few whose contributions are important and those who are not important. Something is also wrong if members perception is that their contributions are only geared at making the leader or a select few successful. Hence, a leader’s true test of capability is the level of mobilization of all members of the group to embrace a common vision, goal or purpose, and make contributions towards its realization.</div>
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A good leader must keep a level-head and remain resolute amidst distractions and undaunted by opposition. Nehemiah’s mission of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was not without distractions and opposition. He had come as a governor appointed by the king to carry out the work of rebuilding Jerusalem, but he faced opposition from external aggressors who were from the neighboring enemy nations around Israel. These aggressors saw the rebuilding of Jerusalem as a threat to them, and so they conspired together to frustrate the efforts of Nehemiah and the Israelites. Notable among these aggressors were Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab, who were all out to stop the work. Every leader is bound to encounter opposition from quarters who do not want the group to succeed. For no just reason, some people feel threatened by the success of others and feel entitled to be the only ones to succeed, and so they resist any leader who arises to lead a group of people to success. This happens at all levels of leadership, whether at school, the workplace, the nation, and even in the family. It is worthy of note the reaction of Nehemiah to this opposition – he refused to be intimidated by it. He refused to be weakened by it, but continued with his task despite them. He did not yield to their plots but let them know he was aware of their intentions. Today we are aware of international politics where some developed nations through subtle means try to keep developing nations from attaining a developed status. Some of these nations even sponsor rebellion within the underdeveloped and developing nations to destabilize them. Thus, a good leader must be sensitive enough to detect and nib in the bud the activities of external aggressors who are fuelling crisis in the group. He must not allow the activities of external aggressors to threaten the peace and security of his people. Nehemiah was decisive and took proactive measures to secure the people while they embarked on their tasks as we see in Nehemiah 4: 7-22.</div>
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Furthermore, Nehemiah was quick to detect conspiracy among certain of the Israelites who aligned with the external aggressors to hinder him. Even an important member of the Israelite community, a prophet, was hired by Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem to work against the mission of Nehemiah (Neh. 6:10-14). However, Nehemiah was able to detect their plot and would not fall to it. It is important that every leader realizes that some members of the group may have dissenting views and may even be hired to cause confusion and hinder the group from achieving their goals, but the leader has to remain resolute and stay on the right course despite this.</div>
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Another very important lesson to learn from Nehemiah is that we must uphold justice for all people. At a time when the nobles, the rich Israelites, had acquired the lands of the poor Israelites as collateral for the monies they borrowed, Nehemiah realized that this practice was further impoverishing and making life unbearable for the poor whose land was the major possession and source of livelihood. He saw the injustice of the oppression of the poor by the rich, and he immediately intervened. He convened a conference of the nobles and the officials, and openly rebuked them for the exploitation of the poor and required that they restored the lands to the people and relieve them of their burdens. The nobles, the officials and the rich people were made to see the wickedness of their actions and repented of it and dealt fairly and kindly with the rest of the people (Nehemiah 5:1-13). A good leadership is not one whose leadership makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. A good leadership is one where equity is entrenched and an equilibrium condition of life is established for everyone. A fair wage system and a people-sensitive taxation system is critical to achieving this. When justice is upheld in a group or society, peace will be achieved and social agitations will be very minimal or eliminated.</div>
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We have a lesson also of Nehemiah’s generosity. Of this generosity we learn in Nehemiah 5:14-19, where we see Nehemiah give away his food allowances which was a burden to be borne by the people. As a governor he was entitled to a daily ration of forty shekels of silver which was charged to the people by previous governors, but realizing the burden this put on the people, he refused to have the allowance throughout his leadership. Such compassionate towards the led is important for all leaders to have. While some see leadership as an opportunity to amass wealth, to own fleet of cars and acquire lands, and live in extravagance, Nehemiah saw leadership differently. He saw it as an opportunity to better the lot of the people rather than burden them so he could have pleasures. In some countries and groups, the cost of maintaining the leaders is so high that the nation or groups are milked dry by her leaders, but this ought not to be so. Let us all learn this important principle of generosity from Nehemiah, and make sacrifices to better the lot of the group we lead.</div>
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We see also great transparency and accountability in Nehemiah’s leadership. The book of Nehemiah is basically an account Nehemiah gave of his leadership. He made a detailed account of every event and the decisions he made. He accounted for all the monies that were donated towards the building project (Nehemiah 7:66-72). He showed off a high degree of transparency by explaining the motive behind his decisions and left no one in doubt of his sincerity. Not only was he accountable to his people, he was also accountable to King Artaxerxes who had commissioned him to embark on the work, and did not use the opportunity granted him by this Persian king to declare himself a king over Israel, and lead a revolt against the Persian empire which they had been in captivity for so long (Nehemiah 6:1-9). He recognized that they will as a matter of fact get total freedom in time and so it was. Leadership is at various levels, and therefore any leader who has others leading him at higher levels should not fail to render account of his leadership regularly to those above him in the rank of leadership. Transparency and accountability is of great importance to good leadership. Of greater importance was the fact that Nehemiah realized that beyond being accountable to the people he led and his superiors, he was above all else accountable to God. Every leader must understand that the ultimate account he must render of his leadership is to God, the creator of all mankind to whom we must all stand to be judged for the things we have done (2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27, Revelations 20:12). As earlier noted, it is God that grants anyone the ability of leadership and hence every leader must be accountable to God. This is the reason we see Nehemiah repeatedly say “Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people” (Nehemiah 5:19, 6:14). At the end of his account of his stewardship, he could boldly say, “Remember me, O my God, for good.”(Nehemiah 13:31). Thus, transparency and accountability in leadership can best be facilitated when we hold ourselves accountable to the almighty and sovereign God, Jehovah.</div>
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Nehemiah derived his strength for success at leadership solely from his love and fear of God. It is the love of God that motivated him to act on the behalf of God’s people. He saw that God’s people were in a state of deprivation and affliction and he must act to bring about positive change. He gave himself to be of service in God’s business. Every leader must have the realization that his service to people to enable them achieve the purpose of God for their lives is essentially a service to God. We are admonished to do all things as unto the Lord, leadership inclusive(Colossians 3:23-25). This is critically important and determines a leader’s decision to take up any leadership role. A leader with the love and fear of God cannot be such that will lead an armed robbery gang or sinister cult. Truly, leadership is to be found also among those committing evil in society, even prostitutes have leaders. Such evil groups also have leaders who spearhead their atrocious activities, but these are inspired and motivated by Satan, who is an enemy of God and man. It is therefore crucial that a leader knows whose side of the divide he or she is on. He must know from the onset whose commission he is to follow, that of God or that of Satan. Hence, any true and good leadership must have its foundation in God. In today’s secular society, many people would not want any mention of God with regards to leadership, little wonder then we have so much leadership failures. Nehemiah was successful at leadership because he loved the people God made and feared God not to engage in corrupt works and do evil to those he led. No leader with the love and fear of God will embezzle public funds or loot the treasury of the nation or group he leads. All of Nehemiah’s actions were motivated by love for God and reverence for Him (Nehemiah 5:9, 6:11-14).</div>
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Nehemiah not only loved and feared God, but led His people back to God (Nehemiah chapters 8,9,10). There may be so many religions today, but a true leader must not fail to point people to the only one that created Heaven and earth and all that is in it, Jehovah the Almighty God. We must direct our groups and society back to follow the just laws of God. Such a leader like Nehemiah will not only lead the group to succeed at set goals but bring about a reawakening and revival of people to the worship of God. This indeed is a different kind of leadership that we rarely see today but it is of crucial need for our family, our workplace, our community and our nation. Such leadership is what is what is required to restore moral rectitude in our generation. Will you be such a leader like Nehemiah? God is counting on you and if you yield yourself to Him, He will make you that leader who will be a great example for others in our time.</div>
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For you to become such a leader like Nehemiah, you must yield yourself to God and realize you have no good in you to offer without God. The Scriptures let us know that everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). There is a deep seated greed and lust for power in every man which will spring up to corrupt any leader. There is no way you could have such a heart of love for other people like Nehemiah had, except you have the love of God. This is only possible when you surrender to God and accept the salvation He freely offers you by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ made for the whole world when he died on the cross of Calvary and resurrected over two thousand years ago. If you repent of your sins and believe in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ, you shall be saved, reconciled to God and have His love in your heart. I trust that you will pray to God today.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;">If you are not born again you may not have the power to succeed at leadership. If Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd leads you, you will be able to lead at your home, community, workplace and any sphere of life you are involved in. Surrender your will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, ask Him for forgiveness of your sin by the precious blood He shed for your salvation from sin, and live everyday of the rest of your life in obedience to His word. He will indeed give you the power to be His child in this present corrupt world (John 1:12).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you surrender your life to Jesus Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span></div>
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God will make you become one among the many Nehemiahs He is raising in our generations. God bless you. Amen.</div>
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-52256212625485681232018-10-14T09:38:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:53:11.010-07:00THE NEHEMIAH SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Leadership is the simple most important factor for success in every unit of society. Leadership is important for the success of the family unit, the community, the workplace, government at all levels, and so many other units of society. As a fact, any group of people having a common goal to achieve require leadership to realize such set goals. The success of any group or the society at large, depends on the type of leadership in place to harmonize individual energies and mobilize resources for collective good of all. Where there is no leadership we will have a situation like that of a flock of sheep without a shepherd, or a ship without a captain, or an aircraft without a pilot. In the absence of leadership, everyone will try to achieve individual goals with the resources available to the group thereby creating conflict of interests. In the end, no progress will be achieved instead fights and destructions occur. Given the importance of leadership, it is important to have the right kind of leadership. A wrong kind of leadership will do as much or even more damage as a no-leadership situation. It is for this reason that we need to examine a model school of leadership worthy of example, the Nehemiah school of leadership.<br />
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There are many schools of leadership which are followed by many leaders all over the world. There are students of the Machiavelli school of leadership, the Robert Greene school of leadership, the Fred Fielder school of leadership and a host of other schools of leadership. These are all different schools of thought on leadership having proponents who have outlined principles for leaders to follow to achieve success.<br />
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The problem of leadership still persists despite all the propositions available on good leadership principles, and this therefore implies that either leaders are not following the prescribed principles or there are inefficiencies in the theories of leadership men have laboured to expound. I think the latter case is the reason for the poor situation of leadership all over the world. In the light of this, I encourage you to join me as we consider another school of leadership, which is not so popularly expounded, contained in the time tested manual of life, the Holy Bible.<br />
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Let us turn to the book of Nehemiah in the old testament section of the Holy Bible (please try and get a copy of the Bible so that we can read together as we move on). This is a book of the Bible that was written in the period between 445 – 420 B.C. This is a book that chronicles a time in the history of the nation of Israel, when they were being granted liberty to go out of captivity from Babylon, the then world power, and to build up the walls of their city again which had been broken down by the Babylonians. We see in the first and second chapters of the book that Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, is charged with the responsibility of leading the freed Israelites back to rebuild Jerusalem. In the thirteen chapters of this book, we have a record of the leadership of Nehemiah as he mobilized his people in the task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. Here is an example of a very important leadership style all leaders ought to know and to follow to achieve success just as Nehemiah achieved. We have the advantage of having not just principles expounded to us, but to see the example of the principles in practical application in the book of Nehemiah.<br />
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The beginning point of Nehemiah’s leadership experience is shown in the first chapter of the book, where he received some Jewish visitors while in the palace of Susa, who told him the situation of the city of Jerusalem which lay in ruins and the affliction of the remnant who had escaped the exile to Babylon. There is here shown the crucial starting point of leadership – the motivation. Nehemiah after having heard this report develops a strong burden to see transformation happen in Jerusalem, the city of his birth. He had a measure of comfort and success even as an exile in Babylon, serving as the King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer. He probably would have had a good remuneration to live off without troubles, and of course he lived in the palace. However, he was very concerned about the situation of his country and sought not just his personal comfort, but the comfort of his people who were in affliction. An effective leader who will succeed at leadership must have the right motivation. Many people undertake the role of leadership with a motivation different from that of bringing positive transformation to the group of followers they are to lead and this always has accompanying failure at leadership. We must, like Nehemiah, have a good understanding of the prevailing situation of the family, our group, community and the nation, and develop a burden (or vision) for bringing about positive transformation before taking up the position of a leader.<br />
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Therefore, on the background of the right motivation, leadership is not a quest for a position of rulership over others, or avenue to get fame, or a task undertaken to get better remuneration or riches, but a call to service of the people to bring about positive transformation of lives and the community. A good motivation is at the core of a good leadership. The failures in leadership today is due majorly to leaders having wrong motives for taking up the responsibility of leadership. The case of political leadership failures is a notable one which has its foundations on wrong motivation. Despite the colourful manifestos prior to elections, it is common for politicians to aspire for positions for several reasons apart from having the interest of the people at heart. We must therefore deal with the leadership challenge from the source, and ensure that we as leaders or aspiring leaders get proper motivation for leadership and also ensure that only those who have the people at heart and are committed to bringing about positive change and achievement of set goals are brought into the position of leadership.<br />
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Nehemiah presents himself willingly to undertake the responsibility of leadership. It is crucial to note at this point, that having appraised the situation of Jerusalem at this time and developed a burning desire to see transformation, he turns to God in prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11). He entreated God’s mercies to restore his people to their land and turn away their afflictions. It must be noted that a true leader cannot afford to set about anything without surrendering to God. It is God alone that makes leaders successful. Having acknowledged God and submitted to His supreme authority, Nehemiah finds occasion in the king’s palace to bear out his heart’s burden to King Artaxerxes. By the great hand of God upon Nehemiah, this king finds Nehemiah’s mission pleasing and therefore commissions him to lead his people out on the task of rebuilding Jerusalem. Hence, no good leader can be drafted into leadership by coercion otherwise he or she will have no passion for the cause he is to lead others to achieve. Also, no good leadership can come about by tyranny, imposition, or subjugation of the people. True leadership comes by a willing acceptance of the responsibility to lead by the leader and the acceptance of the leader by the people he is to lead. It is true that the leader may not get the acceptance of everyone to become the leader, yet his or her credibility should not be in question and should be known by the people he will lead. A leader should have his commission first from God, then those at higher hierarchy of leadership and also by the people or group he leads.<br />
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Another vital step a leader must take is that which we see Nehemiah do in the book of Nehemiah 2:9-16. After having been commissioned he went to Jerusalem and had a physical inspection of the city to confirm the report he had before hand. He needed to get a fuller picture of the situation in order to put the right perspective to the enormity of the task to be undertaken. He would not only rely on other people’s report but made personal effort to find out crucial information. A leader who will succeed at leadership has to strategically gather relevant first hand information about the state of the group he is leading. This can be done by personally finding out the problems that confront the community, investigating efforts that had been made by past leaderships to solve such problems, their level of success and what factors may have hindered past leaderships from solving the problems. This important step enables the leader to develop a winning strategy, taking into account limitations and ways to overcome them. Many leaders rush into the task with no such thorough personal assessment of the group’s situation. They rely on the briefings they may get from others about the group’s challenges, and often they do not succeed because they never put the task in proper perspective. It is therefore very important to holistically appraise the prevailing situation before developing policies and strategy. After Nehemiah had done his personal appraisal of the task, he was then able to formulate a coherent mission which he presented to the people and enlisted their support. Nehemiah 2:17 records this “Then I(Nehemiah) said to them(the people), ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gate burned. Come let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision'”. What a powerful mission statement! We see that the people knowing that their leader fully understood the task and was committed to lead them, declared, “‘Let us rise and build’, so they strengthened their hands for the good work” (Nehemiah 2:18). This is indeed the pattern of leadership we must follow to succeed at any form of leadership we may undertake, whether it is being a prefect at college or being president of a nation.<br />
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(This is the first part of this publication, please read up on more principles on the second part <a href="https://geraldinyang.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-nehemiah-school-of-leadership-ii.html?m=1" target="_blank">Click Here</a><br />
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-78131043942319843892018-09-17T04:26:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:53:00.273-07:00DILIGENCE: AN ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLE FOR SUCCESS IN LIFE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." - Proverbs 22:29.</b><br />
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It is a popular and quite correct saying that attitude determines ones altitude in life. A good attitude to life will enable people to make tremendous and outstanding achievements and get to the apex of life, while a bad attitude is like a flat tyre of an automobile that will delay and limit a person from making meaningful progress until it is changed. Attitude in itself has so many elements inclusive of humility, integrity, politeness, friendliness, trustworthiness, steadfastness, loyalty, zeal, diligence, faithfulness, thankfulness and many others. A deficiency of these elements in our attitude to life is bound to hamper our progress and success in life. A very key element for success in life is our attitude to work. It is our attitude that determines our productivity and boosts our efficiency at our work or task. A key element or principal attitude or character we must have to be successful at our work and all of life's endeavor is diligence. As established in the passage above (Proverbs 22:29), diligence is what makes a person outstanding in whatever business of life and be elevated to a position of prominence.<br />
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The dictionary defines diligence as conscientiousness, determination or perseverance when doing something. It is the characteristic of a person who is thorough, careful, and vigilant at whatever he or she does. It is the desire we have to do very well whatever task or endeavor we are engaged in. It is borne out of a decision we have made to be the best at whatever endeavor; education, career, business, job, marriage and ministry, that we set about. If you examine the lives of the successful people you know, you will discover that diligence is a foremost factor to their success. Diligence is the exact opposite of laziness or sloth. Examine again the list of successful people you know and you will not see any who is lazy and slothful in business. No matter how skilled or talented a person may be, if he or she has an aversion to work or goes about work dispassionately, it will be very difficult or nearly impossible for such a person to succeed.<br />
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The Bible has so much to say about this essential principle of diligence being a very important factor of success in life. Proverbs 10:4 says, "He who deals with a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes one rich". Proverbs 12:24 tells us, "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; but the slothful shall be under tribute". Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat". Proverbs 21:5 affirms, "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but everyone that is hasty only to want". As we see in these scriptures, it is the attitude of diligence that guarantees promotion, prosperity and progress. Even those who were born into poor households and communities have been lifted out of poverty to prosperity by their diligence at doing what others were too lazy to attempt. Ecclesiastes 9:10 admonishes us thus, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest". One of my uncles always remarked that it does not matter the profession people take to, even the cleaner who is diligent will succeed and prosper. There are many stories of cleaners and office assistants who have risen through the ranks to head their establishments. Whatever you are doing for a living now, please work diligently at it and God will surely bring your promotion.<br />
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It is diligence that makes a worker get good appraisal from his superiors and facilitate fast promotion. Some workers fail to work diligently but wonder why some others who have not spent as much time as they have spent in the firm get promoted above them. They become envious of those who get promoted but fail to see it was those staff diligent attitude to work that boosted their productivity and earned them fast promotion. Give your best to your career, job, marriage and business, and you will be the head and not the tail. It is just so according to the law of sowing and reaping: "...Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7), "...He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6). Let us develop the character of diligence and we will certainly have the benefits.<br />
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Beyond diligence being an important factor to success at our work, it is also very important in our heavenward journey. We need to be diligent children of God. We need to love God and serve Him diligently. Joshua admonished the Israelites to love God and be diligent to obey His commandments. Joshua 23:11 says "Therefore take diligent heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God." We need diligence to study our Bibles to know how God wants us to live in order to be well pleasing to Him. We need to be thorough, careful, and vigilant to stay away from sin and anything that displeases God and glorifies Satan.<br />
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Laziness and slothfulness at carrying out our spiritual duties of daily reading and studying God's word, praying, evangelizing, caring for others, fellowshipping with brethren, and obeying all the Holy Spirit instructs us, will definitely bring us to a lukewarm state which God detest (Revelations 3:15-16). We all need to serve God with a fervent spirit. Apostle Paul's admonition affirms this: " Be not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11,paraphrased). A Christian who will not only make it to heaven but have rewards from God is one who is zealous, committed, faithful and steadfast. He is one who is conscientious, determined and perseverant in the face of so many odds that confront him or her on the journey to heaven. God has rewards for us in heaven and it is based on how we served Him here on earth, so be diligent so that you do not fail to make it to heaven or be without reward over there.<br />
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There are so many examples of people who made outstanding successes in life by reason of diligence and faith in God as the Bible records. Joseph and Daniel became Prime Minister and Minister of ministers respectively in Egypt and Babylon where they were taken as slaves. Yes God was with them and prospered the works of their hands, nevertheless, they were not lazy at doing their work and assignment. Joseph worked diligently in the house of Potiphar to the extent that Potiphar set him as Chief of staff over his household (Genesis 39:1-6). Daniel was so excellent and outstanding in administration so that king Darius set him as the head of the ministers of his kingdom in order that his kingdom will suffer no losses (Daniel 6:1-2). These two examples serve to illustrate to us that God wants His children to succeed and be outstanding in their academic, career, and business pursuits and endeavor, and that He will bless the diligent hand.<br />
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Apostle Paul also stands out as a foremost testimony of a diligent Christian who devoted himself to serve God. In 1 Corinthians 15: 9-10, Apostle Paul wrote, "For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am; but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God was with me." Apostle Paul became an outstanding apostle that God used to greatly spread the gospel and establish the early church because he was diligent and laboured more abundantly than all the other apostles. At the end of his life, he could joyfully look up to receive the reward God had kept for Him in heaven as he proclaimed, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4: 7-8). I pray we shall also have this glowing testimony of a successful life in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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Let us make an appraisal of our attitude to life. Are we diligent at our endeavors both physical and spiritual? Do we give sufficient time and devote our energy to work at our academic, career, marriage, job and business? How much time and how often do we engage in personal Bible study and prayers? How regularly do we attend services in Church and what are we committed to doing passionately for God in order to spread the gospel and fulfill God's agenda for our community and the world? These are just a few questions for us to ponder and honestly evaluate ourselves. I am certain that if we change every attitude of laziness and sloth and become diligent, there will be an end to failed grades for the students, an end to stagnation and lack of promotion for the worker, an end to spiritual powerlessness and satanic oppression, an end to poverty and lack, and a beginning of a flourishing, fruitful, and fulfilling life. May this be our blessing this season in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">If you are not born again you may not have the power to live a life of diligence. Surrender your will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, ask Him for forgiveness of your sin by the precious blood He shed for your salvation from sin, and live everyday of the rest of your life in obedience to His word. He will indeed give you the power to be His child in this present corrupt world (John 1:12).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you surrender your life to Jesus Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-12984419445819716912018-09-02T18:19:00.001-07:002019-05-16T14:52:45.747-07:00A WORD ON TRANSGENDERISM, SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND GOD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well". (Psalm 139: 14).</b><br />
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Some people over the years and centuries have expressed discontent over their physical constitution. They have expressed concerns about the size or shape of their body features. Sometimes people wished they had longer legs, thinner frames, shorter ear lobes, pointed nose, bluish eyes and so on and so forth. However, those who already have these features desired by others may themselves be seeking to having shorter legs, fatter body builds, wider ear lobes, flat nose and black eyes. Such has been the situation with many people all over the world. For many people, there is a silent desire in their hearts to be someone different from who they are now. They fancy being like some other person whom they feel have what they do not have. While for centuries, these desires were mere wishes and ended up as fantasies of the mind, progressive efforts were made to realize them. People who needed to look taller had the option of buying high heeled shoes to achieve some few inches addition to their actual heights. It was even believed that if you wanted a pointed nose, daily drawing at your nose may let you have the desired shape. Although these inventions and measures did not achieve significant differences, people tried them and continued to search for other ways for body transformations. Eventually rapid progress was made in the fields of medical and pharmaceutical sciences and pills were produced which when ingested could work to achieve some transformations. There were slimming pills, bleaching creams and many others that were used to achieve this aim of being someone other than oneself. Then the major breakthrough came in the area of surgery as it was realized that some body parts could actually be replaced with the desired ones through surgery. Infact, plastic surgery became the toast of very many people as they could achieve entire transformations to their desired image.<br />
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Two cases would suffice for examples of this endeavour; the first I could mention being the case of a popular Pop musician who did not like the looks he had as a black man, so he went in for plastic surgery and came out a white man, to the amazement of his fans and people all over the world. There was also the first lady of a country who is said to have not liked the shape of her stomach and wished to have a flat stomach and so went in for abdominoplasty or Tummy-tuck, a cosmetic surgery to scrape off the fatty layers of her belly. I guess you may have heard their stories and those of many other people. However, there were dire consequences for their choices; the pop musician developed complications from the surgery which led to his death many years after. The first lady was not so lucky, she died on the hospital surgery theater. It would therefore appear that the negative effects and consequences of plastic surgery may well outweigh the merits of seeking to be someone else. The underlying cause of this desire to be different and the ventures undertaken to achieve it has always been a lack of self acceptance. Essentially when we cannot accept who we are, we will always seek to be someone or something different. Beyond self-acceptance, and beyond our desires, what we do with ourselves, our bodies also concern our creator, God, and we shall see how this is so shortly.<br />
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In recent times, the desire to be different has taken an entirely different dimension. Like a kind of craze, this whole new way of body transformation is spreading like wildfire across the world, and it has become a movement. I speak of the transgender movement. Men discovered they could transform to women and women discovered they could become men, all through the possibility of plastic surgery. All they needed to achieve this was to undergo several surgeries to cut off and replace their body features. I still wonder what the fancy could be in a man becoming a woman and conversely, but these transgenders have a common chorus on their lips "Finally, I have become what I always wanted to be". What a pity! What has spurred on people who have done this is the applause they get from society. I read in the news about a certain Bruce Jenner who recently transformed himself to a woman and changed his name to Catlyn Jenner, and it was with jaw dropping surprise I learnt he was awarded a prize for courage for changing himself to a woman by a large media organisation in the United States of America.<br />
Human rights activists would readily rise to the defense of transgenders as people who are asserting the rights to become whatever they so desire. But what society would be having if we have everyone changing their identity at will? Would it not be a confused and confusing society? Though the transgender movement may have gained prominence recently, they had started off a long time ago warming their ways to many hearts through various means. When men started plaiting and perming their hairs and began wearing earing and acting feminine, something had gone wrong. When women began wearing trousers and acting masculine, something had gone wrong, but it was only seen as mere being transvestite without realizing that these were ways of expressing the transgender desire.<br />
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The root of this anomaly in human behaviour is the failure to identify the purpose of one's existence in this world. We are never in this world by accident and neither is the sex which we are born with an accident. God, our Creator, had fashioned us for a great purpose to fulfill in this world. He has gifted the man for a different role that a woman cannot fulfill even if she did a surgery to become a man. The creator who made us both male and female made no mistakes (Genesis 1:27), and we cannot spurn and insult Him by choosing to be something other than He created us to be. Should we not honor our Creator who put us here in this world and to whom we shall return to give account of the things we did here in this world (Revelations 20:11-15)? Should we not have recourse to the one who created to us to find out what pleases Him and what displeases Him and how we ought to live to please Him? Certainly we must not put God out of the equation of our lives. It is only in finding out and doing the things that please and glorify God, that we can have peace with God here in this world and then in eternity. So it is never in our power to decide whether we want to be women rather than the men God created us to be or to be men rather than the women we are; it was entirely God's design for us to be who we are and He is interested that we remain in the gender He created us.<br />
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Times have changed and human civilizations come and go but an eternal God remains unchanged. He is the same God that was yesterday, He is still the same God today and He will be the same forever (Hebrews 13:8). His principles and commandments have not changed. Therefore, we need to test every new invention or fashion by the words God has written down for us to follow. The Holy Bible is the Creator's manual for every human He created who walks this earth, and the more we refer to the Bible to get guidance on how to live our lives the better our lives become and the happier we will be. It is instructive to note that the same God who disapproved of and spoke against the effeminate (1 Corinthians 6:9), has not changed, and so we can know just how He must frown at transgendering! It is a detestable act before God that a man should behave like a woman and then adopt the mannerism of a woman and conversely, therefore going further to change the sex through transgendering is ungodly and will surely attract the displeasure and wrath of God on all who do such things. Though the world may stand to applaud and extol the "courage" of persons who do these things and speak of their finding their true self, God is against it and no effeminate or transgender will have a place in His kingdom. Today, there are only a few home movies, sitcoms or soap operas that do not have an effeminate or transgender character, which underscores the world's acceptance of these abnormal personality traits, but God's word can never be broken.<br />
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I ask God to open the eyes of your heart that you may appreciate and accept who God has created you to be. I pray that you will not be deceived by the media hype, or the celebrity status accorded transgender people to follow their damnable path of life. I pray that whoever has already gone on this lost path will be brought to realization of their ill position and once again retrace their paths to the same surgery tables for the restoration of who God created them to be. Let us reflect on the inspired words of King David in Psalm 139:14, the passage that heads this message. He looks at himself and sees the glory of God in the way he was created and he raises his voice in praise to God. He thanks God who made him so wonderfully and then he declares "Marvelous are thy works O Lord". These were the words of that great king and we must realize the wonder of the way God has created us, and His wonderful purpose for our lives. Realize that you are not an accident of evolution but a great masterpiece of the Creator. See yourself the way God sees you. When God had finished creating you, He said you were good (Genesis 1:31), do not let the world and the devil tell you that you would be better off being a woman instead of the man God made you. When I was a child, I faced some difficult time coping with the abuse of peers who mocked my big lips, but ever since I have learned to accept who God made me, it has never been a worry, and whenever I look at the mirror, I don't see me in the eye of another, but I praise God for the way He made me. Who you are is not subject to what people think of you, it is what God says you are. Finally, know that your body belongs to God and not just you and whatever you decide to do with your body must be what pleases God. Offer your body to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in His sight (Romans 12:1-2). If you are not born again you may not have the power to resist this evil wind of Satan sweeping through the world. Surrender your will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, ask Him for forgiveness of your sin by the precious blood He shed for your salvation from sin, and live everyday of the rest of your life in obedience to His word. He will indeed give you the power to be His child in this present corrupt world (John 1:12).<br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you surrender your life to Jesus Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span><br />
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Henceforth your body is the temple of the living God, do not defile it by any form of unrighteous deeds, do not change your gender, for God will destroy anything or anyone that defiles His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20).<br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-18065095069812113792018-08-22T11:25:00.001-07:002019-05-16T14:52:30.916-07:00PRISONERS OF THE BOOZE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I walked past a Beer Parlour one day and heard the song “I am a Prisoner” sung by Late Lucky Dube, a popular South African Musician. I saw men and women sitted around tables with foaming bottles and glasses of Beer and all other alcoholic drinks littered on the tables, and shaking their heads and tapping their feets, dancing to the music. Little did these men and women know the song was a true description of who they were. Little did they know that they were prisoners of the bottles. They were prisoners of that destructive liquid they had made their best friend. They had not realized they were prisoners of the brewers who drain their finances, ruin their marriages and homes and in the end take their livers and lives. Little did they know this is who they were…Prisoners!<br />
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Had they known they were prisoners of the booze, would they not have attempted a jail break? Had they known they were prisoners, would they not have sought a way of freedom from their imprisonment to the booze? How I wished I could let them know, but could I walk just right in there and tell them? Well, I did go in there some days after and told them the way of escape from this prison. I trust God that their captors- the evil spirits of drunkenness and addiction will be subdued, and the prison doors opened for these men and women to go free. I do pray God will do it again in my days as He did through the preaching of John Wesley, turning drunken England around. Perhaps that miracle will start with you…yes, you! You who are reading this piece, but bound by the Satanic chains of drunkenness, it is time for you to be freed. You who are addicted to Alcohol consumption, it is time for you to go free. You who are addicted to consumption of hard drugs, engaging in substance abuse for shortlived pleasure but a lifetime of pain and regrets, it is time for you to be free. You who are addicted to habits that control you and drive you to your destruction, it is time for you to be free.<br />
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I asked myself, “Have these men and women never attempted to gain freedom from their imprisonment to these demonic spirits in the bottles?”. It occurred to me that they had tried but were unsuccessful in the Jail break. Many have tried to quit drinking but never could. They had felt drinking was a habit they could stop whenever they wanted but only to discover they were bound with chains they couldn’t break. Maybe you have tried several times to quit drinking, by your resolutions and personal efforts but was unsuccessful, I have good news for you, there is one who will set you free and you will be free indeed (John 8:36). His name is Jesus Christ. That name makes a whole lot of difference in the lives of those who call on Him. That name has got all power in Heaven and on Earth and your freedom is guaranteed if you will call on Him. You were on His mind thousands of years ago when it pleased God to let Him walk this earth, He took the penalty for your sin of drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21). When He hung on the cross and when He rose from the death, Jesus Christ made available to you the power to overcome drunkenness and every other destructive and sinful habits.<br />
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Friend, you are still on His (Jesus') mind now. He came to set the captives free(Please read Bible book of Luke 4 verse 18) . If you can see your captivity and cry out to Him for help, He is ever ready to break the chains of Alcohol in your life and you will be free and forever free! Do you want to be free? Call out to Jesus Christ now and ask Him to set you free.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you surrender your life to Jesus Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span><br />
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Take a step of faith and throw out all alcoholic drinks you have in your house and stay away from the bars. Seek out a Christian friend or pastor around you, and let him or her pray with you and give you further counsel. Delight yourself in the Lord at all times, and if you confronted with any problems of life, do not seek an escape in intoxicating drinks or hard drugs, instead pray to the Lord, your burden bearer, and He will help you. This is your time of freedom; do not let this mercy elude you.<br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-45849528339922618052018-08-05T13:13:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:52:11.424-07:00IS YOUR HEART PURE?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” - Matthew 5:8.</b><br />
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It was an intriguing question the Psalms writer asked in Psalm 24 vs. 3, when he said “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” The answer to this question must have come to him by a deep revelation which he shares in the next verse. The only person that can ascend the hill of the LORD, and stand in His holy place is “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24 vs. 4). Here in Matthew 5 vs. 8, our Lord Jesus Christ establishes the point beyond doubt, that it is only those with pure hearts that shall see God. Purity of heart is that one characteristic of those who shall have fellowship with God on this earth and be qualified to dwell with Him forever in heaven.<br />
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Why is this heart condition so important? you may ask. The heart is often used to describe the mind of man. Just as the heart functions as an organ of the body that serves to circulate blood to all parts of the body, so does the mind of man affect the entirety of his being. Just as the heart of man resides inside him and is unseen, so also is the mind, unseen to the physical eyes. It is what Apostle Peter calls the “hidden man of the heart” (1 Peter 3 vs. 4). The human mind is the center of thought conception and formation. Just as a critical deformity or failure of the heart has negative impact on the health of the body, so also does the corruption of the mind bring grave consequences to the life of man. We know by Scripture that when God looks at man, he not only sees his body, but his “hidden man of the heart”; his mind, his soul. 1st Samuel 16 vs. 7 reveals that “the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” God declares, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17 vs. 10). King David declares in 1st Chronicles 29 vs.17, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness”.<br />
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What does God see when He looks on us and see our hearts? He can only be pleased to look on us if our hearts are pure. In Genesis 6 vs. 5, God did take a look on men that made Him regret, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”.Hence, He cannot bear to take such a look as Habakkuk tells us He has “purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1 vs. 13). Little wonder then that if there is a place Satan attacks most, it is not the body, but the heart of man. Satan seeks to corrupt and make our hearts filthy in order to cut us away from God and keep us from pleasing Him. Consequent upon the fall of man into sin in the Garden of Eden, man’s heart became deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17 vs. 9).<br />
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How then can we have the blessedness of a pure heart as our Lord Jesus Christ tells us? First, our heart becomes renewed when we surrender to Jesus Christ, accepting His atonement for sin and are cleansed by His precious blood. God does this by giving us a new life by the grace of justification and regeneration and we have God's infallible word in John 3:16 that declares "whosoever believes in Jesus Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life". Today, God will give you a new heart and everlasting life if you will acknowledge you have an impure and sinful heart and see your need of a new life. Repent of your sins and call on Jesus Christ, the Saviour, to save you now and make you a new person with a pure heart.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me, give me a new life and a new heart. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span><br />
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God gives us a new heart and we can have fellowship with Him, however, Satan never gives up trying to desecrate and pollute that new heart, hence our need to watch and be on guard. Proverbs 4 vs. 23 counsels us thus, “Keep your heart with all vigilance (or diligence) for from it flows the springs of life”. Also we must present our whole life as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to Him. The way to do this is to renew our minds by allowing the word of God to transform us, helping us to discern what is the will of God and what is good, acceptable and perfect before Him (Romans 12 vs. 1-2). We must resist every sinful thought that try to get into our minds. We must resist thoughts of covetousness, immorality, jealousy, anger, etc. We must focus our minds to think of things that are honest, pure, lovely, things of good report, virtue, and things worthy of praise. Do you want to have the blessedness of seeing God? Keep your heart pure (Philippians 4 vs. 8). May we be found without blemish at the appearance of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.<br />
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<b style="color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-38333211135436554312018-07-22T14:54:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:51:35.213-07:00SPONSORS NEEDED!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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“No man is an island”, was an adage I heard used in discussions when I was growing up. It was an expression made to convey the fact that all men need the support of their fellow men, and no one can successfully live in isolation. Although that expression may be going extinct with time as I rarely hear it used today, the meaning it conveys remains true all the time. Perhaps, the increase and rapid growth in technology today has got people so connected globally through mobile phones, internet, etc, such that the very idea of anyone living in isolation cannot be conceived. This expression also establishes the fact that every human endeavour requires support and sponsorship to thrive and be successful.<br />
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<i style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif; text-align: start;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i></div>
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Think of how big football games have become and you will see a mammoth crowd of supporters cheering away at the Stadiums and a number of companies lined up as game sponsors. Would it even be needful to mention that Politicians depend on the support and sponsorship they or their political parties can mobilize to win the elections? I could mention a lot more examples but I suppose these few and familiar ones are enough to settle the importance of support and sponsorship to men and their endeavours. In all cases, the intellectual, emotional and financial commitment of sponsors and supporters are invaluable and greatly needed for individual or corporate venture success.<br />
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Furthermore, just as good and legitimate human endeavours have sponsors and supporters to thrive, evil schemes and vices also thrive because they have sponsors and supporters. I do not expect this fact to be surprising to you, but I suppose you may be shocked to know the extensive support and sponsorship evil activity is getting today. I was surprised recently when I read a report that estimated it would take about ten years of military action by a coalition of ten countries led by America to contain and destroy the massively equipped militant terrorist group (ISIS) operating in Iraq and Syria. I wondered where a terrorist group famed for atrocities of beheading people, kidnapping women and children would get money to fund its weapons and defense such as to resist the fire powers of ten strong nations. I found out that one major way of their getting funding is through donations from some oil-rich and wealthy Arabs and Islamists. The same support and sponsorship; majorly financial donations, is what has kept up the evil activity of all other terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al-qaeda, Al-Shabaab, and others operating around the world. The question I am asking today is, if evil endeavours get so extensive support and sponsorship from people of evil heart as we have surmised, how much support and sponsorship are men and women of goodwill, you and I, giving to promote the cause of good works in the world. While some men are committing so much money to get people killed and engineer such violent atrocities we see reported on the news daily, how much are we giving to have men’s lives saved and their dismal situations improved? I must make a case for charity today because we must do all the good we can and while we can.<br />
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Now I come to the more particular point we need to consider and I shall try to point out the critical area our sponsorship is needed. There are only two camps in this world and after this world. There is the God-camp and the Satan-camp. We can only pitch our tents in one of these two camps. While the Satan-camp has people committed to the cause of Satan, the God-camp has people committed to the cause of Christ. Satan is a killer, a destroyer and a thief (John 10: 10), therefore those in his camp will be committed to sponsoring and supporting his activities. On the other hand, God is Love (1 John 4:15), and He loves all men and gives them life in this world and the next. Members of the God-camp will therefore be committed to doing what God is passionate about.<br />
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God wants all men to be rescued from the evil activity of Satan. He wants their souls saved as well as their bodies. He lovingly sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice for the emancipation of all men from the terror of Satan. He has charged members of His camp to go all over the world bringing the good news of Salvation and redemption to all men (Matthew 26: 16-20). God has called some men to devote their whole life to this work of the gospel, but he has given all men a chance to do His work. Here then arises the great need for men and women who will serve as sponsors and supporters of the cause of Christ. The Church is engaged in a full charity – the care of body, soul and spirit of men, and men and women to whom God has entrusted intellectual, emotional, and financial abilities are needed to sponsor and support this cause. There are many Pastors, Missionaries, Evangelists, and so many others, that have given up their vocational careers to serve God in a full time capacity and it is our duty to support them (1 Corinthians 9:14). If God has given you that enablement to be wealthy (Deut. 8:18), see it as your calling to be a sponsor and financier of His work.<br />
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Besides supporting and sponsoring the Church’s endeavours at missions and propagation of the Gospel financially, you can sponsor the Gospel’s propagation through a variety of other ways. Recently I noticed that the internet space, especially the social media space has been inundated by the spread of leaked nude photos of celebrities, and maybe people were not aware that this was another of Satan’s endeavour at capturing so many more people in the trap of pornography. Quite unknowingly, so many people joined in as sponsors and supporters of these schemes by furthering the spread of such photos. However, you can sponsor and support the furtherance of the gospel on these same social media platforms in so many various ways.<br />
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In conclusion, there is something you can do to be a supporter of the Lord’s work, find that out today and commit yourself totally to it. The thousands of lost souls dying daily demand that you do not delay. Do I need to say that God will bless you for sponsoring and supporting His work? Yes, you will be rewarded both in this world and when you reach that Golden city up above, you shall have that great welcoming voice of the Father; “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25: 21 – 23).<br />
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You are that needed sponsor!<br />
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-838532195931183912018-06-24T09:16:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:51:12.457-07:00ONE THING YOU CANNOT DO IN HELL!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>“Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” – Hebrews 12:16.</i></b><br />
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I have had interaction with a couple of people who made light of the matters that concern their immortal soul and their eternal destination. A few years ago, one of such people said he really looked forward to being in hell because he believed it is a fun-filled place since he reasoned there will be a large population of hip hop and rap stars and so many other musicians and comedians.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i></div>
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A lesbian also said she wants to be in hell to meet her homosexual partners and continue in her depraved lifestyle after death. These are a few of the very shocking things people say in the height of their reprobacy. Such people are indeed to be pitied because their unbelief cannot change the reality of what hell is as the Bible records and as have been confirmed by the accounts of very many afterlife experiences. What party can they enjoy in the unending inferno of the lake that burns with fire and brimstone? Can the screams of anguish of a million souls be the music that will cheer anyone condemned to such fate? What a pity that anyone would wish to experience hell for one second!<br />
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However, it does not matter what the scornful mockers fancy of what they will do in hell, the fact remains that there is only one thing that those in hell really want to do. Those in hell aren’t looking forward to any parties nor pleasures but a way out of their unending torments. They wish to repent of the sins that separated them from God and condemned them to their terrible agony. They remember all the opportunity they had to have repented of their sins and surrender their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ and wish for just one more chance to make that decision. They would give anything and everything to have just that one more chance to repent but it is too late for them, their judgment is passed and their condemnation is sealed, because "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Now they seek desperately to believe and put their trust in Jesus Christ no matter the unbelief and disdain they had for Him while they were still alive. Their case is only comparable to that of Esau who sold his birthright and having lost his father’s blessing sought to have it back with bitter tears and weeping but could not have it back.<br />
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Those in hell desperately cry and seek for God’s mercy and forgiveness but they can have none of it for they rejected it when it was freely offered to them while they were alive. There is only one thing those in hell want to do, they want to repent, but they cannot because it is too late to do so.<br />
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There are a thousand ways that lead into hell but there is no way that leads out of it. No one who is cast into hell has a way to come out. It is a place of indescribable pain, sorrow and regret. About 2000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ told the story of two men, the rich man and Lazarus, who both died and went to spend their eternity in hell and heaven respectively (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man must have found no need for Jesus Christ while he was alive since he was deceived by his wealth and influence. In hell, he was in grave agony in the lake of fire and cried out for just a drop of water to quench his thirst but he could get no such thing. He sought God’s mercy but it was too late for him and he at last made an earnest plea for his family members who were still alive to be warned of the terrors of hell. If only we will heed this warning and turn to God today while we still have the chance, we would be saved that terrible sorrows of hell.<br />
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My friend this is the time we have to repent of our sins and turn to God. Do not mock anymore the gospel message and continue in willful disobedience to God. Do not wait to see if hell is true for some had so surmised and having gone there in the end want to be let out but cannot. Repent while you now can. Turn away from telling lies, cheating and deceiving people, wickedness and evil. Give up your illicit and immoral sexual relationship, give up fornication and adultery. Stop stealing and embezzling public funds. Say no more hateful words and abuses. Abandon your craving for the things of this world and seek the things of God. God has made this warning expressly clear in the Bible book of Galatians 5:19-21; "<span class="v48_5_19" style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Now the works of the flesh(the way we live our lives without obedience to God) are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 20px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.6667px;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span class="v48_5_20" style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>divisions,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="v48_5_21" style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">envy,<a class="notelink f-link" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3342320988050952809#Gal.5.21!f.1" id="link_Gal.5.21!f.1" style="color: #2c96dd; padding: 0px 0.2em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="icon-footnote"></span></a>drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."</span><br />
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<span class="v48_5_21" style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">This is God's verdict on sinners who do not repent of their sins; "t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">he cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">their portion will be in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">the second death.” (Revelations 21:8).</span><br />
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God’s ark of mercy is at this moment wide open for you if you may only come to Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Lord and Savior. Realize your danger if you fail to have this free salvation Jesus Christ purchased for you with His own blood. Cry out to God wholeheartedly now that His mercy is still available. He will save you today if you will but only come to Him.<br />
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O Christian, remain faithful to your Lord for he that put his hand on the plough and looks back is unworthy of eternal glory. You may fall sometimes but never stay down and strive to stand at all times. Repent, confess and forsake all sins you have committed.<br />
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Heed the warning lest you trade your eternal glory for the fleeting pleasures of sin now. Remember that they that endure to the end shall be saved. May all who read this message run from hell today and do that one thing that those who are already in hell wish they could do.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Today is your day of salvation and Jesus Christ is ready to save you from your sins and the eternal punishment that awaits all sinners, the eternal torment of hell. He is also ready to save you from sickness and all other problems you are faced with today. Make Him your Lord and Saviour right now by praying to God and asking that all your sins be forgiven by His mercy through Jesus Christ. Determine today to live your life henceforth in obedience to God's instructions as a son or daughter obeys the father. Talk to God in prayer right now and He will hear you and save your soul.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Today I repent of all my sins (name the sins you know you've been committing), and I give up every sinful habit and lifestyle. Forgive me and guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">If you have said this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. I pray that you shall not be cast into Hell, but shall be welcome into Heaven to live eternally with God when your life in this world ends. God bless you.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="background: transparent; color: #e76d80; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-51360155719086843292018-06-10T10:56:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:50:39.731-07:00THANK GOD, NOT YOUR STARS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad” (Psalm 34:1-2).</b><br />
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Have you had the experience of rendering assistance to someone or giving them a gift and instead of expressing gratitude to you for your kindness, they turned around to praise someone else? If you have experienced such a situation, then you must know how hurtful it is.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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Very few things can be more hurtful to us than to witness the appreciation of our good deeds directed at someone else who is mistaken to have done the deeds. It is even more painful when someone deliberately seeks to take the glory for our efforts. You can imagine how an author feels to see his works plagiarized and a name other than his name given accolades for the works. These situations are commonplace in our time and day, and a lot of persons suffer the pain of such misjudgments. However, it does appear that this is the situation God also has to deal with as His works are so often credited to persons and things that had absolutely no part in the matter. Do you wonder how this is so about God? Let us consider this for a moment.<br />
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Have you never heard people say to themselves “I thank my stars” or someone say to another “thank your stars”, after having escaped a dangerous situation? But have we really considered the contribution of the stars that made escape possible in the dangerous situation? I have often heard this statement by people who have escaped an accident that caused injury and death to some other people. For not being one among the casualties, people have often chosen to thank their stars. They claim their luck put them out of danger while others were not so lucky. Is it really true that it was the stars or our luck that kept us out of danger and from being victims? Certainly not, God had everything to do with it. The invisible but mighty arm of the Lord God pulled us out of the grave and instead of thanking Him, we thank our stars. I listened to the testimony of Benny Prasad, the holder of the Guinness Book of record's world's fastest man, who has traveled to all countries of the world including the Antarctica in the shortest time (He traveled to all 245 nations of the world including the Antarctica in 6 years, 6 months and 22 days!). I noticed how he gives all praise to God who helped him in all his journeys and says he constantly has to tell people who bid him luck in his travels or say he was lucky to make all the journeys, that it was solely by God's blessing and not luck. Let us take a cue from Benny Prasad and glorify God for all our accomplishments. Many owe their being alive at this moment to their survival instincts and they would not realize that there would be no instincts if God had not put it there. Friends we ought to thank God and not our stars.<br />
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We live in a generation that people try so hard to put the mention of God out of society. They call it secularism, and hence credits for supernatural occurrences must be attributed to some form of humanist theory. It has been a long term agenda of Satan to get men to the point that they will not even thank God for creating them uniquely in His image and so many in our time have so been deceived. They have cooked up some theories, notably the big bang theory and theory of evolution, to contest the truth of God’s creation of the world and all that is in it (Genesis 1:1-31). Thus many would rather thank the Scientists like Darwin for proposing these fables about the origin of life, than thank God who has beautifully and wonderfully created us (Psalm 139:13-15). Such men praise the inventors and technologists for technological developments and forget God who has given man wisdom to use the materials He created to accomplish these developments. Think of Iron and Steel, our famous construction materials, God put their ores down in the earth and gives man the wisdom to dig them out and refine them for various uses. God alone had made all things. Think of all other materials, our computers, spaceships, etc, and you will see that God made them all and deserves all our praises. No man no matter his ingenuity can attain God-status, and so while we commend their efforts and contributions, we must acknowledge God and give Him the praise.<br />
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Many people thank their intellect and acumen for their successes in life. You hear them talk so highly of their dedication and hard work that got them to the height they have attained. They cannot see what God has done for them at all. They boast of themselves as being self-made men and women. However, intellect, dedication, hard work and smartness, though being good virtues, cannot guarantee success. For everyone who became successful by intellect, there are a thousand others with even more intellect but who cannot have a breakthrough. Why not thank God instead of praise yourself? This was the mistake King Nebuchadnezzar made in ancient Babylon. God had helped him to conquer the then known world and he had become a great emperor, but he thought he achieved that status by his own might so he set about to boast about his fame but since he would not acknowledge God, He left him all alone for seven years in which he fell from being a great emperor to roaming about the forest like an animal. The once great Nebuchadnezzar became just like an animal, eating and living out in the wild for seven years until He acknowledged that God rules in the affairs of men (Daniel 4:1-37). This soon becomes the fate of those who forget God. A rich farmer once had so great harvest and abundance and instead of thanking God for it, he set about to break his old barn and build a bigger one saying to his soul “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry” and he had no regard for God but in the end his soul was requested that same night and he could no longer have any of those things he thought he got all by his own power (Luke 12:16-21). God is certainly a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24) and He will not share His glory with any man. Let us take to heart the admonishment “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).<br />
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Many praise their parent and all other people who assisted them to get to the heights that they have attained in business, profession, and in society, but they would not mention God because they cannot see what He has done for them. It is good to thank those who have helped us in our life’s progress, yet above all else we must thank God who made these people willing to render assistance to us. Obviously there have been children of the affluent who had all the resources to help and sponsor them but chose not to even identify with them. if you had parents who did so much for you, appreciate them, yet give the glory to God.<br />
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The worst show of ingratitude to God is done by those who praise the gods of this world for the things that Jehovah, the Almighty God, has done. God blessed these people with the breath of life, He blessed them with good health, He gave them wealth but they took it all and used it to praise idols of stones, wood, silver and gold. They turn from the God who created the universe and begin to serve the elements of the universe, the sun, the moon and other heavenly bodies. They sing praises to demons instead of sing of the power of the Living God. When God blesses them with a bountiful harvest of their farmlands, they mistake it to have come from the spirits of their ancestors and idols and so they offer of these produce as sacrifices to idols in festivals like new yam festivals and all such heathen ceremonies. Indeed God is merciful, He makes the rain to fall for both the righteous and the unrighteous, yet the unrighteous would begin to praise the foul gods of this world for the rains. If only they realized it was not the idols and gods that they have chosen to serve who gave these blessings. Satan, the Thief, certainly has no blessings to give (John 10:10). He delights to take the glory for the things God has done, but we must give God all the glory due to Him.<br />
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“Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Dear friend, this is a call for us to give unto the Lord God the glory due to His name. We have been guilty of giving the praise we ought to give to God to ourselves, to other people or to the gods and idols of this world. This indeed is a grievous sin and we must repent of this now and from this time we must ascribe unto God praises for all He has done. Our language at all times in all we do must not be without “I thank God for doing this for me”. The freethinkers of this world may fancy themselves to be all and all and see nothing of God, but we who have known the greatness of our God will never cease to praise and glorify His name. Best of all, appreciate God for the wonderful gift of salvation from sin and damnation in hell and for the opportunity He has made for you to dwell with Him in Heaven forever that He has freely offered you through the atonement made with blood by Jesus Christ who died for your sins. Take that great gift joyfully believing in Jesus Christ and surrendering yourself to God totally. <span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Today is your day of salvation and Jesus Christ is ready to save you from your sins and the eternal punishment that awaits all sinners, the eternal torment of hell. He is also ready to save you from sickness and all other problems you are faced with today. Make Him your Lord and Saviour right now by praying to God and asking that all your sins be forgiven by His mercy through Jesus Christ. Determine today to live your life henceforth in obedience to God's instructions as a son or daughter obeys the father. Talk to God in prayer right now and He will hear you and save your soul.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and be baptized so you can live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. God bless you.</span><br />
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From this day forward let us no more thank our stars but let us render all praise to Him who does all things by the power of His might – Jehovah, the Almighty God.<br />
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<b style="color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-91470512496372883922018-05-28T08:56:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:49:01.413-07:00CHILDREN, OUR HERITAGE FROM THE LORD.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth” – Psalm 127:3-4.</i></b><br />
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Life indeed is beautiful and whenever we pause to consider it, we see the beauty in God’s design of the stages of life.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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It is a mystery how life forms in the womb of a woman, and with the best of scientific explanations, we see it is nothing else but the amazing design of a great creator. This great creator of the universe and giver of life in His great wisdom, designed the process of conception all the way to childbirth, and made that a small baby that is delivered grows up to childhood, then adolescence and all the way through teenage, youth and adulthood. It is the beauty of life that these stages of life are undergone to mould the personality we become at adulthood. Can you imagine how the world would have been if people were born as adults? Besides the anatomical challenges that may pose at birth, we would have a situation where such adults are maladjusted for life in the real world. It is therefore a great importance for the rudiments of each stage of life to be appreciated for a wholistic development of the individual. The very primary stage of life that determines success in a person’s life is childhood and hence the need to ensure that the benefits of this stage of life are maximized.<br />
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Children are precious and are a great blessing to their families and the society at large. It is a joy for parents to watch their babies grow into toddlers and progress out of that stage of muttering words in an unknown language to making more co-ordinated words, and from crawling to standing, taking the first unsteady steps and then to running around the house. This indeed brings gladness to the heart of the parent. This should elicit gratitude in our hearts to God for giving us this joy of parenthood. Some married couples who do not have children often go to any length and could do anything to conceive and give birth to children. To such couples, we pray that they also will have the joy of carrying their babies. Children are a gift from God to the parents and the world. Every child comes into the world to solve a problem and has a divinely ordained purpose to fulfill. Even more is the fact that they are gifts to the parents, the scriptures in Psalm 127:3-4 tells us children are a heritage from the Lord. They belong to God and He has entrusted them to us to take care of and nurture to maturity. Hence, we must see that beyond our wishes for our children, there is a responsibility we owe to God who has given them to us.<br />
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We owe our children the responsibility to guide them on the path of their destiny fulfillment. In our care are these raw jewels of inestimable value whose present and future beauty and refinement depends on us. In our care is the primary stage of life development of our children. Childhood is the formative stage of an individual’s life. It is the time where indelible imprints are made on the mind and psychology of an individual. A child’s mind is like a fresh book which writings are to be made, and what is written will stay even to the end of life. At this early stage, a child learns to know actions but cannot distinguish good actions from bad ones. Unlike the adult who may learn by reading or by being taught, the child learns by observation. He watches the parent and curiously wants to act like they do. Herein lies the risk of conveying the wrong information to our children, who are looking at our lives to learn. In the innocence of childhood, the child seeks to repeat the exact actions of people around him or her, who could be their parents, aunts and uncles, teachers and other children. Hence parents and the entire society owe children a duty of writing the right information on their young minds by doing the right thing at all times. A child who grows up watching his parents fighting will grow to be a bully at school, and a wife or husband beater at adulthood. This is indeed a duty which we must not fail at for the sake of God, the child, ourselves and the society.<br />
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Since children can pick up ill behaviours from the lives of other people they are exposed to and can be affected by the environment they grow in, it is the duty of parents to watch out for these ill maners and correct them as soon as it is observed. It is unfortunate that some parents believe the child will outgrow these manners and so they fail to correct their children at the right time. What these parents do not realize is that these ill manners become habits that the child grows with and forms their character at the latter stages of life development. There is a saying that crayfish can only be straightened out when it is young and fresh, and would break if anyone tried to straighten it when it becomes old and dry. This is the reason God admonishes us to train up our child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). When your child starts telling lies, correct him or her immediately so they will know it is wrong. Do not accomodate that ill behaviour hoping they will know better for themselves in future. I know it is hard for parents to watch their children cry, but firm correction and discipline is required to put the child back in the right path when they have deviated. It is regrettable that discipline is frowned at today and parents do not administer punishments to their erring children, and they have pressurized the schools to adopt this faulty system of no corporal punishments. We must remember that God admonishes us not to spare the rod of correction and spoil our children. Proverbs 13:24 lets us know that he who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. A loving but firm rebuke and chastisement is necessary for proper upbringing of children.<br />
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We must safeguard our heritage the Lord has given us and do all we can to provide their needs. We must endeavour to provide our children with food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and formal education. We should be available to spend leisure times with our children and interact with them. If you leave the care of your children to the entire oversight of househelps and neighbours, you do them a great disservice and you are failing in your responsibilty to God. We must guard our children from the vices that are so prevalent in our societies in this generation. We cannot afford to allow our children sit in front of the television at home and watch all manner of programs and movies or roam the vast internet space with no control. We live in a day where radio and television broadcast codes of practice are not followed by many media outfits. The sexually explicit soap operas, the violent crime movies, and even the pervasive comedies and cartoons will not help our children to develop the right morals. Parental control is greatly needed to select what our children consume into their minds off the broadcast outfits. Today’s music and dances will have corrupting influence on our children and we must do well to select the parties our children attend. It will be best to dress our young kings and queens the way we want them to dress in future. If we dress them in the shabby and skimpy body exposing fashion of today, they will grow up dressing that way and may suffer the consequence of sexual harassment occasioned by indecent dressing. It is indeed a great duty to bring up children the proper way, but there is great reward we will have in future if we do not fail in our duty.<br />
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Although the major responsibility of child upbringing rest on parents, the society at large must contribute significantly to the well being and proper development of children. The teachers have a big responsibility to nurture and instill the right morals in our children. It is the duty of everyone to model a virtuous lifestyle both in actions and words for our children to follow. Let us be there to correct our children when we see them going the wrong way. Let us realize that if the children we did not help to nurture turn out to be criminals and gangsters tomorrow, the impact will not only be felt by their parents but by all members of society. Our governments have a duty to make and enforce laws to protect our children from unscrupulous people who are out to prey on children. Child molesters sexually(rapists, pedophiles) and physically, kidnappers and all other abusers of children must face heavy penalties for their criminal acts against children. Let us remember the vulnerable children in poor communities whose parents cannot afford their basic needs. Let us not forget the motherless babies and street children who do not know who their parents are, they need all the help and support we can give. Let us establish more motherless babies homes and orphanages to cater for these vulnerable children. Let us give our donations and support the motherless babies homes and orphanages. Our society stands to gain immensely when our children grow up to be responsible and reputable citizens who contribute positively to develop the society.<br />
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Finally, let us note that the greatest responsibility of parents and guardians of children, is to bring the child into a loving relationship with God. Parents must realize the fact we noted from the onset, that children belong to God and we only have the privilege of being entrusted with their care and upbringing. We must point our children to and show them the way of the LORD. Children will learn to pray when they see and hear us praying. They will develop value for the word of God as they observe how much we read the Bible and live by its tenets. Attending the children sunday school and worshipping in church service on Sundays should become the great highlight of the week for our children. We must encourage our children to pray and speak to God in the way they can. I never forget what my mother told me when I was a child. She told me to always pray to God and tell Him about my problems before telling her. If I fell sick, I learned to pray and ask God for healing before telling my mother. I have grown up with that principle and it has worked for me all these years.<br />
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Let your children know they have a heavenly father that loves them more than you do. Teach them to repose confidence on and trust God always. Let them realize their heavenly father is always with them; at school when you are not there, on the playground, and everywhere they may be. The parents that brought their children to Jesus Christ as we see in Matthew 19:13-14, knew this salient fact. They knew it is only God that could keep their children safe from the evils all around. They knew Jesus Christ would save their children. Jesus Christ gladly welcomed these children and gave this charge to every parent and guardian, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Tell your children about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ paid to save the souls of people and let them know He will gladly welcome them into His kingdom if they believe and surrender their lives to Him. Do not reason they are too young for such knowledge. There are so many people who received salvation when they were children and your children can have this testimony also. Encourage your children to participate in the service of God no matter how little their capacity may be. Do not cease to pray for your children and seek God’s help to succeed in your role as a parent to them.<br />
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We can be rest assured that if we do our part and give our best to mould our children properly, God will not fail in His part to reward our labour. There will be a next generation of God fearing men and women who will stand out for truth, diligence, commitment, loyalty and selfless service to God and man as a result of our labours today. We will in turn have our children take care of us in our old age and this indeed is the blessing of the Lord. Never forget that you have an heritage from the Lord; your children, and that if you take care of them today, they will take care of you tomorrow.<br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-83482836990794749332018-05-14T01:43:00.001-07:002019-05-16T14:48:20.545-07:00DO NOT LOSE YOUR COOL!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have recently developed interest in basketball games because of the opportunity of watching weekly NBA games broadcast on Kwese TV free sport channel. It is fast becoming one of the sports I will like to try out and see how good I can be on the court. In a recent match played between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers, I had valuable lessons to learn besides the dribbles, shooting and blocking of the ball that went on in the game. In the third quarter of the game, the Philadelphia 76ers were leading with as many as twenty points and were the obvious favorites to win the game until an incident occurred, a flagrant foul was committed by a 76er. Two star players, a Trail Blazer point forward and a 76er center, were up against each other, and then one of the players pushed the other down on the floor.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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This infringement was spotted by the referee who brought the match to a halt, to ascertain from video evidence the gravity of the foul committed. The replay showed clearly how the 76er player had pushed the Trail Blazer player down in such flagrant manner, so he was suspended and sent to the bench for the remaining minutes of the quarter. The momentum of the game changed from this time onwards resulting to the Portland Trail Blazers taking dominance of the game and cutting back on their score deficit. The eventual reintroduction of the 76er star player in the fourth and final quarter could not help the situation as he found it difficult to recover his impressive form and was unable score points when he had the opportunity to do so. In the end, the Portland Trail blazers won the game by 114 points to the Philadelphia 76ers’ 110 points.<br />
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Why did the 76er star player commit such flagrant foul? Video footage of action about a minute before the incident showed how the Portland Blazer player had shoved the 76er star man in his half and made him fall to the ground. This incident was not spotted by the referee when it happened and so play continued. It was in obvious dissatisfaction that a foul call had not been made that the 76er player lost his cool and took retaliatory action when he had the ball in his opponents half. Well, he was not lucky to escape the foul call and had to pay dearly for losing his cool and letting down his team when they needed him most. If only he had brushed aside his anger and vengeful instinct, he would have ended the game in glory as the game’s highest scorer and a nomination to the NBA’s All star game. I am happy you have not also lost your cool, but have read my story to this point, and I wish to congratulate you. Can we blame this Philadelphia 76er star player for his action? Do we not also lose our cool at home, at the workplace, in social gatherings, and so on, and pay dearly for doing so? We sure need to discover how to gain mastery of our emotions when faced with situations that tempt us to lose our cool.<br />
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Every human being is bound to face situations of mistreatments, annoyance, and even injustice from other people, and everyone has the tendency also to react to these circumstances in manners to show their dissatisfaction. More often than not, even the best of people are susceptible to lose their cool, react angrily and seek vengeance for the mistreatment and harm done to them. We know that even the man who was known as the meekest man on earth also lost his cool in the heat of provocation. Yes, Moses, the great leader of the nation of Israel was renowned for his meekness (Numbers 12:3). He put up with the insults and verbal attacks of the Israelites as he led them out of Egypt to their land. However, there came the time his tempers got the best of him, and in annoyance of the continuous murmurings and complaints of the multitude of people who thronged him demanding for water in the wilderness, he harshly rebuked the people, calling them a stiff necked people and struck the rock to which God had directed him to speak to and let water pour out of it for the people. He displeased God in that moment because he had not followed God’s instruction when he lost his tempers (Numbers 20:7-12). He suffered the consequences of that reaction because God would not let him enter the promised land with his fellow countrymen. It is also worth noting that many of the Israelites, the generation of those who whined and complained in the wilderness, could not come into the land God had promised and was leading them to. We see that there are no pleasant consequences when we fail to maintain calmness and composure in the face of provocation. When we react by instinct, giving vent to our tempers, the results are always catastrophic. Let us learn from these examples.<br />
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David, the famous king of Israel, also had to deal with such situation of provocation when he was insulted and abused by Nabal. He had helped Nabal watch over his flock of sheep and shepherds in the times he was running from King Saul who was bent on taking his life. David and his men took refuge in the wilderness, hiding in caves, and when they saw Nabal’s flock of sheep and herdsmen, they did not attack or rob them, but rather provided security for them from all marauding bands. After they parted ways, David heard about Nabal’s end of season party which he celebrated with his shepherds and household, and he sent messengers to get a gift from Nabal. The manner of Nabal’s response to David’s request angered David so much that he lost his cool. Nabal not only refused to give David any gifts but called him a fugitive, and this got David to mobilize his men and set out to attack Nabal for this mistreatment.<br />
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It was Abigail, Nabal’s wife’s prompt intervention when she sensed danger in her husband’s remarks and took gifts for David and his men before they arrived at Nabal’s estate, that saved Nabal that day. David would have committed murder that day, he and his men would have killed Nabal and his household in vengeance, if not for Abigail’s thoughtfulness. That is how bad it can get when we lose our cool. Many have become murderers who never set out to be such. in the heat of provocation, they had gotten into a fight, and hit someone or shot them to death. It is when the anger dies down that they discover the gravity of their reaction, and end up living with the consequence of their action. Some have to serve a jail term the rest of their lives and are haunted by the crime they had committed at the instance of a provocation. Many have lost their lives at such times because they lost their cool! May we not lose our cool, for we may not tell how much damage we will cause ourselves and others when we do so.<br />
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Psychologists believe every human being exhibits at least five minutes of madness daily. These are times people let go of their rationality and give vent to their temperamental instincts of anger and vengefulness. It is at such times people tend to shout at others in moments of disagreements. it is at these times people abuse others and get into a fight. How can we then keep our cool at these times? Our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the solution to this problem in His admonition in Luke 6:27-31. He tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. He tells us to “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you (Luke 6:28). We must remember this charge of our Lord Jesus Christ in those moments of mistreatments and provocation we face in the hands of others. He further tells us this: “To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either” (Luke 6:29). When we heed this admonition of our Lord Jesus Christ and begin to practice it, we will discover before long, that we no longer have the five minutes of madness daily event and we will be able to keep our cool in all situations.<br />
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Furthermore, the Almighty God commands us to desist from taking vengeance on people who mistreat us. He tells us in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD”. His word in Romans 12:17-21 says: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’, says the Lord. ‘Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him: if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Thus, we must be obedient to the commands of our God and maker and keep our cool, trusting God to vindicate us in all situations we face. We have to trust in God who has asked us to leave vengeance of all evil done to us in His hand. He is able to punish the wicked who delights to see us suffer. He tells us this in Deuteronomy 32:35: “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense: their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them”. Let us trust God enough to not take the laws into our hands. We know that when we lose our cool we take laws into our hands be seeking to get even for the wrong done, and even the laws of our societies are against unlawful conducts as these, but much more we will be disobeying God by doing so.<br />
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You may have tried again and again to keep your cool at moments of provocation but always found you lost it, there is a way to overcome this situation in your life. You have to be born again! Yes, when you are born again, by trusting your life in Jesus Christ and wholly surrendering your will to His, you will have the power to overcome negative emotional reactions. The power of God, through the Holy Spirit of God that comes to dwell in you the moment you surrender your life to Jesus, will enable you to keep your cool no matter the situation. This is the reality every Christian experiences every day, and therefore have no five minutes or more of madness! You too can overcome anger and emotional outbursts, and that is by your living the supernatural life. What you must now do is to come to God at this time and pray to Him, asking him to forgive you of all sins of the past and present as you turn away from them, and to give you new life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as atonement for your sins. Make a pledge to follow Jesus, and live in obedience to His word for the rest of your life. Pray for the Holy Spirit to indwell your heart and fill you with supernatural ability to handle situations of life from this time forward. <span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Talk to God in prayer right now and He will hear you and save your soul.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. God bless you.</span><br />
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May God answer your prayers, grant you His salvation, make you a new creature through Jesus Christ. May God grant us supernatural power to keep our cool in the face of mistreatments and provocation in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-36938433534323007742018-04-30T02:59:00.001-07:002019-05-16T14:47:57.613-07:00JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY NAME THAT SAVES!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).</b><br />
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On the 11th day of February 2015, I had embarked on a journey from Calabar, Cross River state to Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on an official assignment with a Nissan Frontier pick-up van. I rode with a driver and we got past Itu bridge when we noticed a white coloured old model Nissan Sony car ahead of us. The driver pointed out to me that he marveled that people still drove that type of vehicle he had not seen in a very long time. Almost immediately, somebody waved to us from the car beckoning us to stop.<br />
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Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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I had thought maybe their vehicle had developed a fault they wanted to park and look up by the side of the road, hence, we slowed down. Unknown to us that they had a different plan, they immediately stopped in the middle of the highway blocking us and out jumped about five men dressed in uniform as members of Akwa Ibom state Traffic enforcement/Task force team. They waved their ID cards and ordered us to park. I wound down the glass on my side a little just to ask them what offense we had committed to be accosted in the middle of a highway, a question they could not answer. They began trying to open our doors which we had locked but unaware that one side at the back was not responding to the central lock control, so two of the men jumped in through that door. They ordered us to park immediately and before we could say a word they had jumped at the car key to remove it. We struggled with them to stop them from taking the key and I had to use my leg to block the key hole while the driver fought off their hands. Three other men joined the struggle and we were almost defeated when I remembered the name Jesus Christ would save if I called on Him, so I immediately shouted “Jesus help me”.<br />
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I kept shouting this prayer while we struggled and in the space of a minute from that time, the vehicle key broke. When they saw that the key was broken and they had no other way to hijack the pick-up van, they immediately left us, ran to their car and sped off. It was then it dawned on me the mighty deliverance God had given to me as I realized these men were not members of any traffic enforcement unit but were car snatchers who had disguised as such. I knew then that it was God’s mighty intervention that the vehicle key had broken because if we were able to remove the key, they would still have forcefully collected it from us, there would have been no way we wouldn’t have been robbed of the vehicle. Unknown to us they had been monitoring us and watching for a spot they could carry out their evil plan and this portion of the road, a little distance before Oku Iboku Junction, which was a hilly bend with a trailer ahead of both of us climbing slowly, and a blocked view of approaching vehicles on the other side of the road coupled with very bumpy sidewalks was the perfect point for their assault, but thanks to God who delivered us from their hands. I have never ceased to thank God for that great deliverance from shame and reproach, for how could I explain in my work place that I had been robbed of a very new Nissan Frontier pick-up van? God intervened when I called on the name of Jesus Christ. We were able to get a mechanic who helped to retrieve the broken key and we had a duplicate of it made and drove to Uyo and back to Calabar the same day. Dear friend, there is great power in the name of Jesus Christ, power to deliver, power to heal, power to save!<br />
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I know that I am not alone in this encounter of the salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. There are very many testimonies of miraculous deliverances in the encounters that people have had. So many people have been saved from ghastly automobile accidents when they cried out the name of Jesus Christ. In fact, in the times of life-threatening dangers, it is on record that Atheists, Muslims and many other groups of religionists have joined in with Christians to call on the name of Jesus Christ and were saved. While many of them in appreciation of such great deliverance have come to believe on the name of Jesus Christ and worship Him, some others have ungratefully remained as unbelievers. It is my prayer that all may know that this name works and that all may believe and put their faith and trust in Him. Perhaps you may be asking, what is in that name Jesus Christ which I adore and speak so glowingly about, let us consider the following.<br />
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Names are important. They are so important that the whole of a man’s history and identity is tied to his name. Without a name, how would we be known? Names carry an influence both for the bearer and the user. If I receive a letter from Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president or from Barrack Obama, the American president, you know I would be elated knowing who these men are and the influence they command. A letter of introduction from such influential names is very likely to pave way for the bearer. Names are very important such that the owners strive to protect it from defamation while they are alive and desire to have it immortalized when they die. However, no matter how influential a name can be, it can never command the authority and power the name of Jesus Christ commands. Why is this so? It is because He is the son of God, very well pleasing to the father, that He has given Him a name above every other name, the name of Jesus Christ. The name translates as Jesus the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. There have been names in history which men have called on and sought to preserve, if a dictionary is made of the names of gods and goddesses which men have worshipped and called on in all ages, it would be a very big volume, but these names have gone extinct and their memories lost today. The name of Jesus Christ has continued to work for those who believe in Him and call on Him, particularly in their hour of need. Over 2000 years now, the name of Jesus Christ remains ever powerful and will remain so as long as this world shall last, and in eternity afterwards. This name cannot be compared with the name of some prophet whose followers seeking to protect and preserve his name, carry out acts of terrorism and barbaric killing of people in his name. Jesus Christ does not need anyone to fight to protect His name, it is already so powerful that at just the mention of that name, every knee in Heaven and earth bows and every tongue confesses that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9 – 11). It is a well established fact that there is no other name that saves from death, disease, demonic oppression, bondage and afflictions, but the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4: 12). This name works for all who believe in it and for all who call on Him. The Bible tells us that “they that call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved” (Acts 2: 21). Dear friend, do you believe this name? Do you call on this name? Why not begin to do so and encounter such miraculous power as I have encountered?<br />
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There have been some people that call on their father’s and mother’s names in the times of need and danger, oh if only they knew the name of Jesus Christ would save them, they would have called on Him and not have to die. Some people have called the name of virgin Mary to help them in time of danger, oh if only they knew that only the name of Jesus Christ has power to save, they would have called on Him instead. Some other people call on the names of their pastors, prophets, etc, if they knew only the name of Jesus Christ could save, they would have cried out to Him for help and would be miraculously rescued. Still, others call on the names of some dumb, deaf and blind idols, gods and goddesses, who could not deliver them, if only they knew it was only the name of Jesus Christ that saves, they would call on Him instead. Dear friend, believe this name and call on Him at all times and He will answer you.<br />
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There is no problem that Jesus Christ cannot solve. There is no difficulty or impossibility with God, hence, no matter the problem, there is solution in Jesus Christ. Sin was and still is the greatest problem of man, all men alike, man and woman, the young and the old, the wealthy and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, all have this problem of sin, but God made the way for salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had paid the penalty for all our sins when He was crucified on the cross over 2000 years ago, to provide atonement for us.<br />
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He resurrected after three days triumphing eternally over Satan and sin, and giving that victory to all who believe in Him. When we believe and truly serve God through Jesus Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us and our sins are no longer held against us. Also in Him also is the grace to live a holy life every day of your life (John 15: 1 – 4). He is the only Saviour from sin and hell (Matthew 1: 21). Why would you continue to wallow in the mud of sin when Jesus Christ is ready to save you, cleanse you and make you sparkingly clean as snow? Today, give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Every sinner has a very bleak future for before him or her lies an endless eternal torment in the unquenchable fire that they shall be thrown into after their life on earth, and only the name of Jesus Christ can save us and rescue us from this fate. Only the name of Jesus Christ guarantees that we spend eternity with God and open to us the gates of Heaven.<br />
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Call on the name of Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That name saved me and it will surely save you also. I leave you with these words in Proverbs 18: 10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and is safe”.<br />
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Today is your day of salvation and Jesus Christ is ready to save you from your sins and the eternal punishment that awaits all sinners, the eternal torment of hell. He is also ready to save you from sickness and all other problems you are faced with today. Make Him your Lord and Saviour right now by praying to God and asking that all your sins be forgiven by His mercy through Jesus Christ. Determine today to live your life henceforth in obedience to God's instructions as a son or daughter obeys the father. Talk to God in prayer right now and He will hear you and save your soul.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. God bless you.</span><br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.spiritlessons.com/" style="color: #e76d80;" target="_blank">www.spiritlessons.com</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://www.sermonindex.net/" style="color: #e76d80;" target="_blank">www.sermonindex.net</a><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"> for free resources to help you live for God.</span></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-2065490714342256312018-04-16T07:30:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:47:32.160-07:00GOD NEVER ABANDONS HIS PEOPLE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” – (Isaiah 49:15)</b><br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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The car rocks up and down and swerves from side to side as it negotiates from one ditch to another on the road and the shock absorbers are called in to do their best to cushion the effects of the galloping of the car on the passengers. They do their best, but having to do this daily for months, they are stretched beyond capacity and they fail, and so do the brake pads, the hubs and the entire traction system of the vehicle. The tyres are not left without adversity, and so are all other parts of the car worn out from the terrible condition of this road. The worst scene of all is when the rains come pouring down and the road which intersects a swamp, becomes all miry and marshy, with all sorts of cars, buses and trucks getting stuck for days on this portion of a federal highway, and some have to be recovered with the aid of towing vehicles. This portion of the road which normally takes five minutes to drive through now takes about thirty minutes to pass. This is just the small way I can describe the road I had been plying to work regularly for about two years and there are no overstatements in my description of it. It is unquantifiable the toll this bad road condition takes on public health and on business.<br />
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This road which connects Calabar municipality with Akpabuyo and Akamkpa local government areas of Cross River State, and which leads all the way to Obanliku local government area on the Nigeria-Cameroun border, is unfortunately the only road anyone wishing to travel to these places can use. The road had been in use for several years and was in good condition until a contract for its dualization was initiated by the federal government of Nigeria under the agency of the Niger Delta Development Commission, as I am told. A Chinese firm mobilized to site and cleared off the existing asphalt and started digging and carrying out all other civil engineering procedures I may not be able to describe here. This went on for a few weeks and then the earth moving equipments could no longer be sighted and no Chinese contractors could be seen on site; they had withdrawn. What may have happened to cause the sudden withdrawal from the project is still a mystery to members of the public as there is no official statement from government on this, but it is widely rumoured that the Chinese contractor mobilized to site without a formal, due process award of the contract to it, and had hoped to force the government to award it the contract by starting the work. But could that explanation be tenable? One wonders why the Chinese contractor has not been held up to such act of vandalism of public property, the firm sealed off and its agents deported to their countries for prosecution. Whatever may have transpired, the simple word that describes this road project is “abandoned”. No remedial works have ever been undertaken by the State government (who claim the road is not its responsibility since it is a federal road) or the Federal government and the citizens have been left to suffer gruesome ordeals for two years now and no one knows when government will do anything about it. Abandoned! Such is the situation in very many other states, the landscape is littered with projects which are never completed. There is always a song in my mind when I go on this road, and it says “I am a divine project, I cannot be abandoned. I have a contract with my God and He will never abandon me until He finishes His contract in my life”. Governments everywhere abandon the people they are put in place to serve, and that is just the paradox.<br />
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However, it is not only governments that are guilty of abandoning its people and projects. People abandon other people. Friends abandon their friends, husbands abandon their wives to suffer while they go all over spending their fortunes on women of easy virtues. Parents abandon their sons and daughters and fail to provide for their education and basic needs. It could get so bad that even a suckling babe can be abandoned by its mother. Children, when they have grown up, may also abandon their aged parents to live in a squalor and to die in misery. It is with this in mind that we must consider the words in Isaiah 49 verse 15, which tells us of an exception to this order. God here tells His people He will never forget them. This is a wonderful promise to consider. But does God keep His promises, we may ask, knowing that husbands and wives who swear solemn oaths never to leave each other break such oaths and get a divorce, abandoning themselves, will God stay with His people to the end? Let us examine this noble promise and see if it indeed provides us with a cheer and a firm hope to look up to God.<br />
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First, we shall see that God has not abandoned the human race, though it has sinned greatly against Him. He made man in His image and likeness to be holy, just and righteous as He is, but the same man chose the ways of the devil and does wickedness and evils of all forms. Surely the giver of rain should lock up the Sky and close up the fountains of the earth so that sinful men would die of thirst, but He does not do so. Surely the giver of the air that we breathe should seize the air and in minutes, we will be all dead, but though He can do this without difficulty, He does not do it. A famous argument advanced by Atheists against God is that He lets floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters to occur, and so they say if He exists at all, He is mean. Such arguments miss the point and fails to see that most natural disasters are caused by man’s activities interfering with the course of the natural environment thereby leading to abnormal behaviour. Climate change activists will readily confirm this negative man-made impact on the environment. Again we know that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, He would rather have him or her to repent and give up their sinful ways and works (Ezekiel 18:23), and if it were that God must resort to the use of the elements to punish sinful men, the entire earth should by now be wiped out, for wickedness abounds on earth. However, God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world that He may redeem the lives of the people He had created from their captivity to sin and the devil (John 3:16). It is now over 2000 years since God made this great sacrifice, and many men and women still scorn this amazing love of God and free gift of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Certainly God ought to abandon mankind by now, but He still waits with open arms to receive all who can just make it to the ark of His mercy before it closes and fiery wrath is poured out on the earth. This is proof that God does not abandon His people. O that sinners, no matter how vile and wicked, would only take a step to come back to God and He shall run to them, embrace them and throw a party for them in His Kingdom (Luke 15:20, Luke 15:7).<br />
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Furthermore, we shall learn from the experience of saints of all ages that God never abandons His Children. His marvelous providence for those who trust in Him stand as witness to this fact. No son or daughter of God was left to die out in the cold like the ungodly because God’s wrath will be his blanket in the coldest of nights. Difficult situations still confront children of God, but there is a certain fact that though the righteous may fall seven times, they bounce back again ever stronger after each fall (Proverbs 24:16). Let the ungodly fall, and that is his or her end because they have no God by their side to lift them up. God listens to the requests and petitions of His own dear children as they pray to Him and He answers them speedily. Joseph was cast into the pit and then sold to the Ishmaelites who sold him to Potiphar, the Egyptian. Joseph’s brothers abandoned him but God never did. he made him the prime minister of Egypt in the course of time (Genesis 37-46). Hannah was given up for a barren woman, but God never abandoned her. He gave her a son, Samuel the prophet and judge of Israel, and so was Elizabeth the mother of John the baptist (1 Samuel 1:1-20,Luke 1:1-80). Jephthah was abandoned by his family and driven out as a bastard, but God never abandoned him, and in due season, the same people who drove him out came begging and pleading with him to lead them in battle against their enemies. He became a hero and led those who had rejected him and counted him good for nothing (Judges 11:1-11). David was not counted to have the stuff of a military man to serve in Saul’s army, and while abandoned to keep a herd of sheep in the wilderness, God sought him out, anointed him and made him the slayer of Goliath and successor to king saul (1 Samuel 16:4-13). Gideon had concluded that God had abandoned His beloved people of Israel and had given them up for plunder by the Midianites, but God had not abandoned Israel and He used Gideon with three hundred men of faith to bring mighty deliverance to Israel thus showing that though sin can separate God from His people yet He never divorces them and welcomes them back when they repent (Judges 6:12-14).<br />
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God never abandons His people. In the cruelest persecutions in Christian history, when saints were fed to Lions, burnt at the stakes, crucified on crosses, drawn and torn apart by teams of horses and subjected to the harshest punishments imaginable, it was always said of them, that they withstood all that was done to them with a strength which only God could give. They met their last moments, though horrifying, with a gleam on their faces. Read the Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and you will agree with me that even in the darkest hours of this world’s outrage on Christians, God never abandoned His people. There are more than enough testimonies of God’s ever abiding presence and intervention in the lives of His sons and daughters. So many Christians have escaped unhurt from ghastly automobile accidents, so many have come out of extreme poverty to wealth by God’s miraculous provision. Like David, so many have come out from unknown and obscure families and communities to lead organizations without any human connections but by God’s promotion. I bet if you will ask and investigate around you, you shall see these great company of believers in Jesus Christ who can testify to the fact that God never abandons them nor any of His children.<br />
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This was the testimony of King David when he said “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). O what a great privilege it is to be a child of God. The Everlasting Father is the best father anyone could have in this world. Dear friend, why would you not put your trust and hopes in God? It is a joyful thing to know that even the children of the righteous are remembered and cared for by God for the righteous’ sake. Do you worry about how to cater for your family? Let me encourage you to live righteously before God and He will surely not let you or your children beg for your necessities. Do you feel abandoned by your government, your friends or family, and from people who should care for and keep you company, turn to God in prayers and you will know that His presence is worth more than a thousand of earthly companions.<br />
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Be encouraged to continue in holy living and in doing what is good and right and though the world may not applaud you for this, you have a God who takes note and shall reward you in due time. Though you stumble and struggle and even stagger on your way to Heaven, do not stay down or quit, let these words of the Psalmist nudge you on to victory. “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol (grave, or hell), Nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16: 9-11).<br />
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God will never abandon me. You can be certain God will never leave you or forsake you if you are His child.<br />
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Are you His child? If you want to start a relationship with God today, He is ready to accept you and adopt you into His family by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You need to repent and turn away from sin and live for God the rest of your life.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. God bless you.</span><br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-50620028148758819932018-04-01T04:16:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:47:03.771-07:00IMPOSTERS, FRAUDS AND FAKES!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have heard a lot about men who have claimed to be the “Saviour” of mankind. Some have even claimed they are “God on Earth”.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]. </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!].</span></span></i></i><br />
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I have heard of “Jesus of Oyingbo”, Olumba Olumba Obu, The gurus, The Grandmasters of Eckankar and Amorc etc. I have heard of Jim Jones of America, who proclaimed himself to be God and deceived over 900 of his followers to drink cyanide poisoned ponche, killing them.<br />
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Some of these men claimed they will never die. Some of them claimed they will resurrect after some days.<br />
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Well, they all died when their time was up and never resurrected. There are those who believe in Mohammed as “Allah’s” prophet and choose Him over Jesus Christ (called Isa in their holy book). Well, we all know that Mohammed died and never rose up nor ascended to Heaven, so what is the hope they have beyond this world?<br />
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Thank God, we have a saviour, Jesus Christ, who can save to the uttermost<br />
Thank God, we have a redeemer, Jesus Christ, who cannot be conquered by death.<br />
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Thank God, the Son of God himself made the greatest sacrifice for us<br />
Thank God, He died but is not dead.<br />
Thank God, He resurrected and ascended into Heaven!<br />
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Perhaps there are some who may read this who believe in the gurus, grandmasters, Olumba Olumba Obu and Mohammeds of this world, I like them to examine the claims of the ones they have chosen to believe and do pray that their eyes of understanding might be open to know the truth!<br />
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Hallelujah Jesus Christ could not be held down by the power of the grave. He arose victoriously over hell and death, Satan and sin (Matthew 28:1-10).<br />
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Today if you trust in Him, you shall also experience His resurrection power (Philippians 3:10). Move over from death to life, put your trust in Jesus Christ and make Him your Lord and you shall have eternal abundant life triumphant over the power of Sin. May you encounter that resurrection power that transforms sinners to saints today.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Will you turn to Christ now?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pray now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received by Christ death and resurrection. God bless you.</span><br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-50423705316768493902018-03-19T05:42:00.000-07:002019-05-16T14:46:37.145-07:00ARE YOU DENYING THE LORD?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4ZVZlcCWOHUqXDpbEY4sp6mJ69RzznnT6PmT8MgD04oc5DQNL-Y_ayTgcKlSOxZbQcRTF3xv69TATbxDFPAhH-g07KzQs9m0Qi7y-sAQpGSY4hy65LecrNUlvqe0m-EOMELe6EcBf7gg/s1600/betrayal_peter-410-200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="410" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4ZVZlcCWOHUqXDpbEY4sp6mJ69RzznnT6PmT8MgD04oc5DQNL-Y_ayTgcKlSOxZbQcRTF3xv69TATbxDFPAhH-g07KzQs9m0Qi7y-sAQpGSY4hy65LecrNUlvqe0m-EOMELe6EcBf7gg/s320/betrayal_peter-410-200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A famous gospel songwriter and singer recently told a story of an encounter he had with some music producers who came looking for him from another country. They came to make him an offer of producing and distributing his songs all over the world. The deal looked quite mouthwatering being worth some millions of US dollars, and this music evangelist almost took up the deal except for the condition he was given. They had asked him to drop the name of Jesus Christ off the lyrics of his song and use God instead.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!] </i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]. </span></span></i><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!]</span></span></i></i><br />
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They explained they wanted the songs to have appeal with some religionists who might be offended with the name of Jesus Christ. This song minister would do no such thing, hence the deal was cancelled. Why would this song minister throw away such opportunity of having his music produced by an internationally renowned label and circulated worldwide? What is the big deal in the name of Jesus Christ? Is replacing Jesus Christ with God in the lines of a song lyric not the same thing? These were questions on my mind as I heard this story.<br />
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What is in a name? The Bible tells us that the name of Jesus Christ is the name above all names. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and those under the earth” (Philippians 2:9-10). Furthermore, Acts 4:12 reveals that “There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. It is by believing in Jesus Christ that we are saved. There are many however, who have heard the joyful message of the great sacrifice that Jesus Christ made by willingly offering Himself to die to pay man’s debt of sin, who still reject and deny Him. When you do not believe the gospel and continue in your sinful life, you are rejecting and denying the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
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On the other hand, many Christians have encountered similar situations as that faced by the Gospel singer, and they have denied their Lord. Many times we are faced with situations we feel embarrassed to mention the name of Jesus Christ. There are those times when we are with people who do not believe Jesus Christ and because we do not want to offend them, we do not speak out when they are abusing and saying mocking things about the Lord. We want to maintain the friendship of such people but forgetting that Jesus Christ is our best friend. We deny Jesus Christ, when we want to play safe and sit on the fence when matters of our faith are brought to the table. When we are ashamed to make a public confession of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are denying our Lord. It is such shame that keeps us from telling others the good news of the salvation we have received in Jesus Christ and showing them how they may also be saved. We can talk so highly of our favourite sports star, musician, etc, but we cannot talk about our Saviour and Lord.<br />
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And then there is yet another way we deny the Lord. We deny our Lord Jesus Christ when we still live in sin while professing ourselves to be Christians. If we keep on with fornication, stealing, lying, hatred, malice, and all other forms of unrighteousness, we are simply saying we do not know the one who has delivered us from sin. Are you denying the Lord by living in sin?<br />
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It is a very important warning we have from our Lord about this matter. Jesus Christ says in Matthew 10: 32 – 33, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven”. If we timidly and cowardly deny our Lord Jesus Christ here on earth, then He cannot present us to the Father and welcome us to heaven after we leave this world. It was the hallmark of believers of generations before us to bear any kind of persecution and tribulation but would not deny the name of Jesus Christ. They would rather die than recant their confession of the Saviour Jesus Christ and believe in him. Hence we are again told in 2nd Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he will also deny us”. Here then is the verdict, my friend! Let us consider it well and be sure we are not denying our Lord before men in the world.<br />
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Have you been denying our Lord Jesus Christ? This is the time for repentance and mercy. If you realize the folly of denying the Lord, come quickly before him and confess this sin. Ask God for mercy. The Apostle Peter had also denied the Lord even for three times (Luke 22:54 - 62), but when he sincerely repented and came back to worship, God forgave Him and He will also forgive you. Let us no more deny our Lord but boldly celebrate Him at all times and in all occasions.<br />
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Have you been ashamed to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ? This is the time to let go off that shame that will destroy both your present and the future. This is your opportunity to shake off whatever ridicule you may get from those who don't know how blessed it is to have Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. I encourage you to make a definite commitment and public confession of Jesus Christ as you Lord and Saviour and surrender and make a vow to follow Him the rest days of your life. Will you turn to Christ now?<br />
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Pray now.<br />
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“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received. God bless you.<br />
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Celebrate Jesus today and always and He shall also celebrate you in Heaven. Amen.<br />
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<b style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b><br />
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-21407846818144211682018-03-05T02:05:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:45:48.766-07:00DEVELOPING THE VIRTUE OF PRUDENCE.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit” (Proverbs 14:8).</b><br />
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As we journey in this new year God has given us the opportunity to come into, there is need to consider the things we need to do differently this year in order to obtain a better result and a more judicious use of our time and resources than was the case in past years. It is time to start afresh for those who may have encountered setbacks in the past.<br />
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]</span></span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!]</span></span></i></i><br />
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We all hope to achieve success at our endeavors this year and fully employ our inherent potentials to the best use, but one thing that can enable us have these hopes realized is our character; the virtues of our life. While we may have a lot of work to do at learning a trade, planning and executing business projects, working a job, etc, we sure have a greater work to do on ourselves. We have a job to detect our character deficiencies and work at developing virtues that will enhance our success at any endeavors we engage in this year. A key virtue we must work at developing is prudence.<br />
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The Wikimedia English Dictionary (Wiktionary) defines prudence as the quality or state of being prudent; wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality. Prudence therefore, is the virtue of a man or woman who has a good understanding of the affairs of life and shows discretion in his or her conduct. It is a careful, wise discernment; the avoidance of rash behaviour or speech. Prudence is also the good management of talents and resources and the showing of tact and wisdom in relationships with other people. Thus, a prudent man or woman values wisdom and seeks knowledge. Prudence finds applicability in all aspects of life and must be a virtue for us to develop by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we look into scripture we shall discover how this important can be developed.<br />
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A foremost lesson on prudence that Jesus Christ taught His disciples and followers is recorded in Luke 14:28-32. Our Lord Jesus Christ speaking on the necessity of counting the cost of being His disciple before doing so, gave an example of a man who sets about building a tower. That man has to be prudent if he will successfully complete the building. He must know what building a tower entails; the architectural design, the land survey, the quantity survey, the labour cost and all associated costs before starting the project. The importance of careful planning cannot be overstated because failure at it will translate to failure of the project. The uncompleted buildings and structures that litter our landscape are majorly due to lack of proper planning and poor management of execution, and this is due to a deficiency of prudence on the part of owners and managers of such projects. This example our Lord Jesus Christ points us to in Luke 14:28-32, is not unfamiliar to us.<br />
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Most times, we do not consider issues of our projects closely and completely before we engage in them. Beyond the example of a tower building, it may be about our starting a business, deciding on a career, taking up a job, getting married, a plethora of other projects we will be embarking on this year, prudence manifesting in a careful gathering of information to boost our knowledge of the issues of our projects, and a wise planning and execution of our activities, is essential for success. We must not make rash decisions only to regret it after a while. It is wise to plan within your means and trust God for expansion in due course.<br />
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We need prudence to act with discretion or else we will experience setbacks, frustrations and failures in our endeavors. Discretion is necessary to detect fraudulent avenues of wealth creation. Some business deals may appear so attractive and juicy, but only the prudent will investigate them thoroughly to detect gray areas and pitfalls of such deals. I can remember the bitter experience of many people who lost hundreds of thousands and millions of naira on MMM, the ponzi scheme that was trending business about two years ago. Too many people got trapped for their lack of prudence and hence experienced huge financial losses. When we lack prudence, we find ourselves jump into business, job or career, because some people are talking about how much profits they are raking in such business or profession.<br />
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In our excitement we never take into consideration our capacity to excel in such endeavors or otherwise. This is also the way many couples enter into marriage without a wise discernment of who they are getting married to. The increasing statistics of divorce is as a result of lack of prudence in getting a good understanding of marriage by couples. Friends, we need prudence, a sitting down to count the cost of our decisions before carrying them out. Proverbs 14:15 says, “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going”. Let us be prudent henceforth.<br />
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We need prudence to have good social relationships. There is a great need for prudence in our behaviour as this has an impact on other people and affect their assessment of us. Prudence in our speech and conduct is critical. Prudence will keep us from getting into trouble with our words. We will speak wisely and not rashly and unadvicedly. Prudence says “Keep Silence” in the heat of an angry exchange with your friend, spouse, colleague, neighbors, etc. You may feel at such times that you have to vent your frustration and disgust in a conflict situation with other people, but prudence will help you pick your words or remain altogether silent. It is always advisable to refrain from speaking in particular situations as our words may be held as evidence against us in the court of law. Proverbs 10:19 tells us “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise”. This is why king David says in Psalms 39:1′ “I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me”. Friends, you must also realize that Satan, demonic powers, occultic and witchcraft powers get people into bondage and afflict them because of imprudence in their speech and conduct. Let us be prudent henceforth and speak the right words. Knowing when to shut up is prudence!<br />
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Avoiding wastefulness is another benefit of prudence. A great area of our need of prudence is financial management. A man could get a million naira today but end up with less than a thousand naira tomorrow. Another man can turn a thousand naira today to a million naira tomorrow. The latter must be the prudent of them. There are many men and women who earn a fat salary or make huge profit at the beginning of the month, but who are always broke before the end of the month. It must be a lack of prudence in financial management that causes this problem. The wisdom to know when to expend and when to invest, what to spend on or invest in, is crucial and is enabled by self control, a way of prudence.<br />
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Extravagance and wastefulness are obvious signs of imprudence. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us a great lesson of prudence in resource management with the miracle of feeding four thousand people with seven loaves of bread a few fishes as recorded in Matthew 15:32-37. Following the miraculous multiplication of the loaves of bread and fishes that became sufficient for the four thousand men and women to eat satisfactorily, there were leftovers of the bread and fishes. We see in Matthew 15:37 that Jesus Christ instructed the people to pick up the leftovers into baskets, and seven baskets full of the leftovers were gathered. Why was it important to pick up the leftover food instead of allowing them spoil? It was to demonstrate how we must manage the blessings and provisions God sends us. This is a great lesson on our need to make savings today for tomorrow’s use.<br />
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How do you utilize the blessings of God in your life? Is it all expenditure and no savings nor investment? Let us be prudent in financial/ resource management henceforth.<br />
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Friends, having discovered the great importance of prudence, we need to take these lessons to heart and ask God to help us possess this great virtue of prudence. Blessed is the man who is married to a prudent wife., and the woman who is married to a prudent husband! Proverbs 19:14 tells us “Houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD”. We must realize that only God can enable us develop the virtue of prudence and we need to seek Him. All virtues are in God, who is the embodiment of all goodness, and we can receive from Him all that we need when we ask. Prudence is a virtue derived from self control, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We need the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives to be really prudent. It is the Holy Spirit that works in our lives, checking the excesses and deficiency of our character and enabling us to have discernment, wisdom, tact and carefulness in our every day dealings. We need to take out some time to seek God’s direction for our lives if we will have success in our endeavors.<br />
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King David knew how much God’s direction meant for his success, hence he always sought to hear God’s direction on any matter of his life (1 Samuel 30:6-9). It is only God that can give us discernment on the entire issues of our life and we cannot afford to live without him.<br />
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You must be born again if you shall have God help you develop prudence in your life. Realize your sins have separated you from God, therefore repent of all sins now and pray with a repentant heart asking God’s forgiveness and salvation of your soul through Jesus Christ. As you get reconciled to God, you can then relate with Him as your father, therefore ask Him to help you develop prudence in your life and also depend on Him, seeking His guide in all you do this year.<br />
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Will you turn to Christ now?<br />
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Pray now.<br />
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“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” If you have this prayer with the whole of your heart, then be assured God has heard you and saved you. You now need to seek out a church around you where you will get to know God more and live the new life you have received. God bless you.<br />
May God help you and may you be prudent and successful this year in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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<b style="color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b><br />
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-83139619283009615302018-02-05T03:52:00.001-08:002019-05-16T14:45:19.961-07:00THE BLESSING OF THE GODLY (2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” – Psalms 1:1.</i></b><br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]</i><br />
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In the first part of this exposition on the blessing of the godly (Click <a href="http://geraldinyang.blogspot.com.ng/2018/02/the-blessing-of-godly-1.html?m=1" target="_blank">http://geraldinyang.blogspot.com.ng/2018/02/the-blessing-of-godly-1.html?m=1</a> to read the first part), we saw the first part of the lessons contained in Psalms chapter 1. We noted vital lessons from verses 1 and 2 of Psalms chapter 1. We noted that God is set to bless the godly, His children. We noted that there are conditions to fulfill if we will have God’s blessing, and that primarily, we must be godly. We saw also the necessity for separation from ungodliness and the ungodly.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]</span></span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!]</span></span></i></i><br />
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Psalms 1:1 makes it clear that we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seats of the scornful. We discovered the analogy scripture employs in relating the interaction of the godly with the ungodly; walking, standing and sitting. These postures of the body; walking, standing and sitting are indicative of the levels of compromise with sin and ungodliness.<br />
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We become more comfortable with unrighteousness so much so that we not only walk in the counsel of the ungodly, we stand in the way of sinners and eventually sit in the seats of the scornful. It was obvious that the next posture after we have sat, shall be lying down dead as a consequence of compromise with sin. We also discovered the solution Scripture proffers in Psalms 1:2. We must keep in the way of godliness by placing high premium on God’s word and letting it be the overarching and overruling principle of our lives.<br />
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We move on now to see the blessedness of staying true to God in all we do as written in Psalms 1 verse 3. Let us receive encouragement by the promise we have here in Psalm 1 verse 3, for it clearly shows that the way of the Lord is the best way. It is the way of gladness. It is not a barren way. It is not a way of sadness but that of joy. There is a motivation for godly living, and in case you never saw it anywhere else, discover it here in Psalms 1 verse 3. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”, Psalms 1 verse 3. In the beautiful analogy in Psalms 1:3 that compares the life of a Christian with that of a tree planted by the rivers of water, discover a truth Scripture has stated again and again. We see in Isaiah 61:3, that we are the planting of the Lord. This is in agreement with Psalm 1 verse 3. We see again in John 15:1-5, that we are even better, branches in Jesus Christ, our great vine, planted and tended by God.<br />
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When we are tended by none other but the Almighty God, the Husbandman, that is the greatest blessing. When God undertakes our success at whatever endeavors of life we are engaged, we indeed can have no problems, that is great blessedness! The Psalmist used the analogy of a tree planted by the rivers of water, but the reality is that we are branches attached to, and taking our supplies directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. Your fruitfulness is guaranteed already in Jesus. Live in that consciousness that all you need is already provided in Jesus and that you shall bring forth your fruit in due season. You will never miss your season of fruitfulness in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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Brothers and sisters, we must know this promise of God and be so assured of it or else Satan, the Devil, will try to sell us some fake “blessing” in exchange for our great heritage. When you know this promise of God, you will understand you do not have to cheat others to succeed or prosper. You will know you do not need to be engaged in any fraudulent means to have fruitfulness. At your office, when brown envelopes of bribes are circulated, choose to stay attached to Jesus, your prosperity far outweighs the weightiest of such envelopes. Rest assured that if you keep following God’s commandments and living to please Him in all you do and keep from doing, He will bless you. You may encounter some difficulties at some times, but keep following God, keep trusting Him who controls the seasons of your life and in due season, your will definitely flourish; for the righteous shall flourish like a Palm tree (Psalm 92:12). Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92:13).<br />
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We also see in Psalms 1 verses 4 to 6, that in contrast, the ungodly are greatly cursed. As the godly are so tremendously blessed, so are the ungodly cursed as Psalms 1:4-5 reveals. The ungodly will have reversed fortunes, they will not prosper nor be fruitful. They are bound for destruction, for they are like chaff which the wind blows away very quickly. Chaff may appear colourful and look much like the real grain, but the wind always separates the chaff from the real grain. The ungodly are consumed in the winds of problems for they have not God to sustain them, but the righteous will prevail because God upholds them.<br />
Have you been living as the ungodly? Are you living in sin and disobedience to God? Have you not accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life? Today is the time to change course and be reconciled to God. You need to pray and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ today. Confess your sins and repent of them, and make a commitment to follow God and be obedient to Him for the rest of your life. Walk henceforth in the way of godliness and you shall also be blessed.<br />
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Let us consecrate ourselves to God and walk in holiness before Him. Let us abide in the Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us keep reading, studying, meditating and practicing the word of God we have written in the Bible. God is ever ready to bless us abundantly for in John 15:7 that He will grant whatever we ask Him. Finally let us note the concluding words of Psalms 1:6, “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish”. The way of eternal life and being with the Lord in Heaven at the end of our sojourn in this world, is to live a godly life. Ungodliness will destroy the ungodly in this world and damn the soul in eternal suffering in hell after this world. Please bow your heart in prayers and talk with God this moment. If you are godly, please keep on being so. If you are ungodly, please repent now before it is too late! May God bless you.<br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-21839237718066312632018-02-05T02:56:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:44:56.138-07:00THE BLESSING OF THE GODLY (1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” – Psalms 1:1.</i></b><br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]</i><br />
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The Scriptures of the Holy Bible are full of pronouncements of God’s favour over His people. This fact more than<br />
all else demonstrates the desire and readiness of the Almighty God to do mankind good. Indeed His thoughts towards us are thoughts of good and not evil (Jeremiah 29:11 ), for we are His most prized creation. It is worthy of note, also, that the scriptures not only have the pronouncements of God’s good intentions and purposes for us, but also show how we may access all these benefits. Psalms 1:1-6 is one of those scriptures that shows us how we may access all of God’s blessing for our lives.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]</span></span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!]</span></span></i></i><br />
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What is a blessing? It is the support or reward we get from God. It is the supernatural input in the life of a man or woman that makes him/her to do the extraordinary or have an extraordinary life. However, does God bless everybody? No. The reason is because it is not everyone that has done what is worth a reward before God. Like every other thing we know about God, there is a condition to get such support and reward from Him and Psalms 1:1 puts that clear to us. It is the godly that qualifies to enjoy the blessing of God. The godly, is that man or woman who lives his or her life to the honour of God. The godly are those who realize their need for God and stop at nothing to have that need met. The godly are those who have been washed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. They are those whose sins have been forgiven, who now live a new life of righteousness unto God. These are those who separate themselves unto God. These are those who are born again and regenerated. These are those who qualify to have the support and reward of God.<br />
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Psalms 1:1 shows the separation from ungodliness for which the godly must do who will enjoy the blessing of God. We note firstly, that that man/woman must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Notice that scripture makes it quite clear that it is not altogether a prohibition of any form of association with the ungodly, because we have the ungodly around us who may be family members, neighbours, course mates, colleagues, and business partners, but a prohibition of walking in the counsels of the ungodly. Therefore it is pertinent to find out exactly whose counsel we are adopting for our lives at any point in time. We need a filter in our world whose motto is “Knowledge is power” so that with all the information at our disposal, we sift through and discard the counsel of the ungodly. We must not stand in the way of sinners. Having rejected the way of sin, the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13), let us linger no more in its vicinities. We must keep in the narrow way of life, the way of righteousness, the way of eternal life and peace with God. The godly must not also sit in the seats of the scornful. They are those who mock God and exalt themselves against the Almighty, but the godly must not be found in their fellowship.<br />
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It is interesting how Psalms 1 uses the major postures of the body in the description given. A person may be either walking or standing or sitting. These postures however indicate the progression of involvement with the ungodly. A man who walks in the counsel of the ungodly will soon stand in the way of sinners and eventually sit in the seats of the scornful. From sitting with the scornful it quite follows that he will soon lie down as a casualty of ungodliness. Let us beware of compromise. the more of compromise we allow in form of political correctness, and adopting a way of lifestyle that is at variance with the principles of God’s word, the more our progression shall tend unto more and more ungodliness.<br />
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We discover in Psalm 1:2 what the godly must do if he will avoid walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners and sitting in with the scornful. That man or woman who will enjoy God’s blessing must be the one that delights in the word of God. the word of God will enable the godly to see the pitfalls in the counsels of the ungodly. The word of God of God will show him the end of sinners and the scorn which God shall scorn the scornful. How much attention do we give to the word of God? Do we delight in the word of God to make it the overarching principle of our lives? How much are we committed to living in obedience to the word of God? Let us from henceforth read, study, meditate and act on the word of God in all situations of our lives; our social interactions, our business, jobs and others.<br />
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We shall move on to see the blessings God pronounces upon the godly in Psalm 1:3 next week. Have you discovered who you are? Are you godly or ungodly? This is the time to move over to God’s side. Surrender your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and pray asking God to forgive you of your sins and may He grant you eternal life.<br />
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Now, let us move over to see the way God blesses the godly in the second part of this publication. Click here <a href="http://geraldinyang.blogspot.com.ng/2018/02/the-blessing-of-godly-2.html?m=1" target="_blank">http://geraldinyang.blogspot.com.ng/2018/02/the-blessing-of-godly-2.html?m=1</a> to read all of this. God bless you.<br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-32529659871701045002018-01-22T08:24:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:44:13.357-07:00YOUR TOMORROW, WHY YOU NEED PROPHECY TODAY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9RuXNc5Tds8LuKyKUOYZEvk8VqRm_UUT6SbwVVSOB2Pxq_t2tEAZ05C0AELILKNAmYrlzmoxWPUy_pLkk78gh3xa_OzY4nRhvLEmd8lNMOrK-Te3JgNgYq-dIdx8JfTAq6uMSy1ykh2X/s1600/images+%252897%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="542" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9RuXNc5Tds8LuKyKUOYZEvk8VqRm_UUT6SbwVVSOB2Pxq_t2tEAZ05C0AELILKNAmYrlzmoxWPUy_pLkk78gh3xa_OzY4nRhvLEmd8lNMOrK-Te3JgNgYq-dIdx8JfTAq6uMSy1ykh2X/s320/images+%252897%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I listened to a radio program some time ago and the topic of the discussion was the relevance of prophecies in our time considering the number of prophets who release their prophetic declarations for the year at the beginning of every year.<br />
<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Привет! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Не понимаю по-</span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">английски</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Вы можете прочитать эту страницу на </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">французском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">испанском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">русском</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , и </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">т.д.</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go к </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">дому</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Меню</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Нажмите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Перевести</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> и выберите </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">язык</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Приятного чтения!]</span></span></i><br />
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I was concerned that a majority of what was said by the presenters was to put down prophecies as being an unnecessary thing to give any consideration. It was obvious those radio presenters did not really understand what they were talking about. It may be that many people do not appreciate the necessity of prophecy for our lives today, this is why I invite you to join me as we examine why we need prophecy today.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">[👋🙋💃 Hi! Don't understand <b>English</b>? You can read this page in <b>French</b>, <b>Spanish</b>, <b>Russian</b>, <b>etc</b>..Go to <b>Home</b>. Click <b>Menu</b>. Click <b>Translate</b> and choose <b>your language</b>. Have a great read!]</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff0f2; color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;"><br /></i><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-style: normal;"></span><i style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[👋🙋💃 Hola! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">No entiendo </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inglés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usted puede leer esta página en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">francés</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">español</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ruso</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">etc</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ..Go a </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Inicio</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Menú</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Haga clic en </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Traducir</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> y elija </span></span><b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">su idioma</span></span></b><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tener una gran lectura!]</span></span></i></i><br />
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<b>"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” Amos 3:7.</b><br />
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What is prophecy? The dictionary defines prophecy as a prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration. To prophesy is to speak, or write with divine inspiration; to act as a prophet. Prophecy is the foretelling of the things that will come into manifestation in the future. It is God reaching out to reveal to men the things that shall happen in their lives, their family, their community and their nation in the future. Prophecies are no mere words nor the fancies of the people who declare it, It is a special message sent by God to guide people and help them keep away from danger. In 1st Corinthians 12:10, we have the mention of prophecy as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the church. Thus, God has made a way by which He directly communicates to man His divine agenda for a season before it comes into manifestation. We see in our text today, Amos 3:7, that God reveals to His servants, the prophets, the secret things; things the ordinary man cannot know.<br />
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Prophecy is one peculiar gift of the Holy Spirit that predated the outpouring on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-6). We read about the prophecies of Prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, Zechariah, Amos and others in their respective books of the Bible. We see in these books how men of old were guided by the ministry of prophets. By the ministry of these prophets, the nation of Israel was greatly blessed and preserved. Hosea 12:13 tells us the LORD used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt and by the same ministry of prophecy, He cared for them. King Jehoshaphat was in a dire situation when he was confronted by the armies of three strong nations. He did not know what to do, but when he turned to God in prayers, God sent him a message by the prophecy of Jahaziel, assuring him of victory and the means he had to employ to win (2 Chronicles 20:1-18). I could recount so many of occasion when God sent a message of comfort, counsel and correction by prophecy of his prophets to His people. God is still interested in guiding us today as He did for these men of old. It is for this reason God has brought us the gift of prophecy by the Holy Spirit upon men and women and we must appreciate this gift if we shall benefit from it.<br />
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Who can Prophesy? Because Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit, any Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit, and so gifted by God, can prophesy. While the Spirit of God can move just anyone to prophesy per time, there are those who are called into the office of prophets and are therefore quite inspired to prophesy on a regular basis. Ephesians 4:11 confirms the office of the prophet. We are admonished in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, to appreciate this gift of God to the church and seek to be used of God for this great purpose. Let us seek for the gift of prophecy, that God may reveal to us the secret things and send us messages for someone, a family, our community and our nation.<br />
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How can we know a true prophecy from a false one and a true prophet from a false one? This is a very crucial question because just like any other good order God has established, Satan always seeks to counterfeit it. There are counterfeit prophecies; declarations that God has not sent those who proclaimed them. There are those today, who claim to prophesy when God has not revealed the matter to them. A particular case stands out for our consideration in 1 Kings 22:2-38. We see in this scripture the story of King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat embarking on war against the Syrians. Ahab had not realized the need for prophecy and was set to go into battle without consulting God. However, King Jehoshaphat remembered when he was faced by the three great armies and how God had delivered him by the prophecy of Jahaziel, and so he urges king Ahab to call for a prophet before embarking on the battle. King Ahab assembles a team of prophets, who incidentally are the false ones and wanting to please the king, they prophesied his victory in the battle. King Jehoshaphat could sense the falsehood of these prophets and he then asked if there was any other prophet apart from the team gathered, and prophet Micaiah was brought.<br />
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This was a true prophet of God who had in the past rebuked Ahab for his wicked ways, so Ahab hated him and never wanted to hear him again. He tells the king about the evil that shall befall him in the battle. He is not applauded for this prophecy, rather he is put in prison by angry King Ahab. In the end, Ahab was gravely wounded in the battle and died of the wounds the same day. A true prophet may be labelled a “dooms day” prophet just like prophet Micaiah was, but what is most important is that their prophecy shall come to pass.<br />
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Having known that there are true and false prophets, we must be able to differentiate between them. Apostle John admonished the believers in 1 John 4:1-6, that they should not believe every spirit but try every Spirit to know if they are of God. This scripture sets a standard for us to assess the prophecies we hear. We need to know if the name of the Lord and His written word is confirmed in the prophecy. If there is a prophecy that proclaims peace to the wicked, then we know it is false because God’s written word says there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22, Isaiah 57:21). There are false prophets who prophesy to women in need that the only way out of their problems is to bathed by them at the sea side and end up luring these women to commit fornication or adultery. We must test the Spirit by which the prophet prophesies and one key is that whatever is said cannot be contrary to the written word of God in the Bible. It is pertinent we examine the prophecies we hear and the prophets who declare them, for we know that there are many false prophets in our world today, and this was even the case when Apostle John was writing the letter in 1 John 4:1-6 over a thousand years ago!<br />
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The second way of ascertaining a genuine prophecy is if what was foretold comes to manifestation. Jeremiah 28:9 reads, “The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him”. Again, Deuteronomy 18:22 reads; “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet had spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him”. The test of time reveals true and false prophecies and prophets. The key to appreciating genuine prophecies is in the discernment of spirits and watching to see if the prophecies get fulfilled. We have become quite used to having many ministers release their prophecies for the year and many are worried about which is true. Let us not worry, if anyone is truly speaking by inspiration of God, then the matter is bound to manifest. Moreover, if we have been following these prophecies to see their fulfillment within the year, by now we should know which prophets have been speaking as oracles of God. To those who presume on the Lord’s name to say what He has not sent them, let them beware of God’s judgment on such falsehood, Deut. 18:20. The severe warning of God’s judgment on false prophets in Jeremiah 23:21-32 should keep us from making a false claim and saying what He has not said.<br />
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I want you to also know that there are many true prophets of God in our nation and in our churches and God is daily using them to guide and care for His people. I know of a particular congregation who had received a prophetic map of events for the year 2017 in December 2016 by the ministry of a prophet in their midst. These brethren were not surprised as events were unfolding in the course of the year because they had been foretold. When you receive the prophecy for your marriage, your business, and concerning any area of your life this year, you will have a stability no one who hasn’t can have, knowing fully well God’s direction and agenda for your life. Friends, we need God’s word of prophecy for our lives in such times as we live in. Let us prayerfully seek God to speak to us and to reveal those things we need to know about our lives, families, communities and our nation. Satan’s agenda shall be thwarted and God’s purpose shall be established.<br />
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On a final note, how do we deal with prophecies that foretell negative events? What we should do in this circumstance is to ask for God’s mercy to avert the negative event or disaster. We need also to ask for grace to come through such situations victoriously if it is God’s will for them not to be averted. There is the case where King Hezekiah is told by Prophet Isaiah by prophecy to prepare his house for he was going to die, but Hezekiah prayed earnestly asking for God’s mercy to spare his life and God grants him the request, allowing him to live another fifteen years (2 Kings 20:1-6). There is also the case where Apostle Paul is set to go to Jerusalem and Prophet Agabus meets him at Caeserea and prophesies the trials he will go through at Jerusalem – Acts 21:10-14. The brethren at Ceaserea expect Paul to cancel the journey but he insists on embarking on it. This case borders on having proper understanding of God’s will and prophecy. Apostle Paul understood by this prophecy that he must go through trials at Jerusalem, but also knows so well that it was God’s will for him to travel to Jerusalem nevertheless. These two cases teach us how to pray when we receive a prophecy foretelling a negative event; we can ask for its cancellation, and also for grace to victorious in it if we must go through it.<br />
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Now we know more about this great gift God has given us today by the Holy Spirit, let us not neglect this gift and go through life not knowing the things that shall happen to us in the future. Our churches must be the solution arenas for people who are confused and needing direction. The supernatural power of God must manifest by the ministry of prophecy and other gifts of the Holy Spirit bringing God’s counsel to pass in our society today. Do you realize your need for God’s guidance? If you will enjoy the benefits of prophecy in your life, then you have to surrender yourself to God and be born again (John 3:3). You have to repent of your sinful lifestyle that displeases God and will not allow Him to help you. You have to turn away from your sins and wholeheartedly commit your heart to God to live the rest of your life following His way in holiness and righteous living. Believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for your sins and confess the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. When you are the beloved of God, I can assure you He will not let you live in the dark but will openly reveal secrets of the future to you. He will guide, comfort, and empower you by His prophecies. Moreso, as you commit yourself to Him, He shall fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling you to prophecy and bring solution to people in need all around you.<br />
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It is my prayer that God will use you and use me to prophecy to our generation. The true prophets of God must rise up again and proclaim the counsels of God for our churches, communities, the nation and the world. Let us appreciate the gift of prophecy and let God use it to comfort, strengthen, direct, correct, and above all else prepare us for eternity in heaven when our journey through this world is over. May God bless His word to our hearts in Jesus Christ name. Amen.<br />
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-46636404658220372822018-01-08T02:48:00.000-08:002019-05-16T14:43:51.734-07:00THE GIFT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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”Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and all they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and everyone an earring of gold. So The LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses” (Job 42:11-12).<br />
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The story of the ancient patriarch, Job is an awe inspiring one, and full of very important lessons to help us today. We are told of Job’s exemplary lifestyle from the first chapter and verse of the book of Job in the Bible. Born in the land of Uz, Job was a regular man like anyone else. He had a family and engaged in the dominant trade of his time. He became very wealthy, having been successful at his business. He also had a close knit and very peaceful family. He was successful socially as a very respected figure in his community and was known for upholding the cause of justice for the poor and freely sharing his wealth with the less privileged (Job 29:1-25). He was also exceptional in the practice of his faith. He believed in God and conducted all his activities in accordance with his belief and trust in God. Thus, he was an all round successful man, and we get to discover that God was the source of his successes in life (Job 1:9-10). This is the example that has been replicated over the ages; those that put their trust in God are never losers in life. They that make God their refuge and fortress are well protected from the enemies onslaught on their lives, families and business (Psalm 91:1-16).<br />
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We see the delight God had in Job’s life that He made a boast to Satan about Job’s faithfulness and upright life in Job 1:8, 2:3. How great it is to have the commendation of none other but the Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Job’s perfection was predicated on his fear of God and shunning of evil. You and me can also have God testify of our lives if we follow the example of Job. Do you fear God and shun all evil way? Satan was so certain that Job’s fear of God was just because God had blessed and made him successful. He called Job’s allegiance to God to question and God granted him leave to afflict Job and proof that Job will remain steadfast and faithful to his God regardless of any situation of life. Satan immediately launched fierce attacks on Job’s family, businesses and his health, but Job remained steadfast and faithful to God throughout the period of these trials.<br />
We see in this story that Satan cannot harm any of God’s beloved children except God allows it as a trial to build up their faith in Him. As we enter into another year, I want you to be assured of God’s protection. Make it your priority to live your life to please God. Accept the salvation from sin God has provided in Jesus Christ and submit yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Make a commitment to live by the principles of God’s word; to walk in love, to eschew evil and walk righteously before God all the days of your life. You will have God’s hedge round you, your family, your business and all that concerns you (Job 1:10). You can be sure God will keep you safe through this year 2018.<br />
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Job lost all material possessions and his health but never lost his faith in God. Such must be our attitude and determination to worship God regardless of the situation we may encounter in the year. I pray we will remain faithful to God to the very end of our lives. I am glad that Job did not end his life in sorrows but in joy. I share in the sentiments of the great Evangelist, Corrie Ten Boom who said whenever she picks a book to read and sees the trials of the protagonists, she flips to the end of the story to see if it ends with “and they lived happily ever after” before coming back to continue the story. She believed a happy ending makes a good story. It is true that this is how the greatest author of life, God, has ordered the lives of His children. There is a happily ever after awaiting us in heaven when we are done with our journey of life through this world and at the appearing of Jesus Christ to rapture the saints to himself (Revelations 21:3-5). In this world also, God has designed a happily ever after for us when we have gone through the trials of faith as Job experienced. God restored all of Job’s losses; his children, his health, his businesses, his wealth and prominence. Not only did he get back just as much as he had before Satan’s attack, but he had double of what he lost (Job 42:10). Praise the Lord! Have you had losses in the past years? The Lord shall bring your restoration this year in Jesus name. Amen.<br />
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I was drawn to one of the ways God used to bring about Job’s restoration in this story. The portion in Job 42:11-12 we quoted at the beginning of this article shows the support God raised through people to bring about a turnaround in Job’s circumstances. People came visiting Job at the end of his trial period and each of them came with a gift for him. They gave him money, gold and a number of gifts that became vital support to kick start Job’s business again. These were gifts that made a difference in Job’s situation. I see it was the work of God for these people to have it in mind to give Job these gifts. It takes the stirring of the hearts of men by God to have them part with their money and substances to help another, otherwise, people are generally so selfish and will not do so. This is not so farfetched when you consider the number of people who have been struggling so much and unable to make progress in business or in academic pursuit despite having financially capable people around them who would have helped them but would not. God used the gifts of Job’s brothers and sisters, close friends and acquaintance to serve as the necessary capital for Job’s financial breakthrough.<br />
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We need this kind of divine intervention of God using men and women to help us up on our feet this year. Do you have an idea or project that has remained stalled due to lack of capital or finance to carry it out and through? God shall raise people, and even institutions, with the means who will assist you to realize those dreams and projects. Tell God about those ideas, dreams and projects and trust Him to raise supporters to help you achieve them. Pray until something happens for God shall certainly arise to your help.<br />
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God can use a variety of ways to help us out of any situation. He is the same God that put money in the belly of a fish which Peter used to pay the taxes for himself and the other disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 17:24-27). God can use any means, whether fish as in the case of Peter or people as in the case of Job, or by a miraculous multiplication as he did for the widow who had only a bottle of oil (2 Kings 4:1-7). He is more than able to help you this year. You just have to trust Him and live in close fellowship with Him.<br />
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Moreover, God shall also use you to answer someone’s prayer this year. Do not keep all of what God gives you to yourself. Reach out and find someone struggling, whom your money, resources or even counsel can help. This is how God designed life to be, but Satan has disrupted that order by making men greedy, selfish and covetous, and hence they think only about themselves and cannot help any other. You must not be like one of these, but like Job’s family relations, friends and acquaintance, rise to the occasion and let your gifts make the difference in people’s lives this year. This is the way Job had lived also. He was a giver and helper of the needy and God also ensured he had help when he needed it (Job 29:11-16, Job 42:11).<br />
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This year shall be a spectacular year for us. The almighty will bring a great difference for good in our lives this year in Jesus Christ name. Let us resolve to live in holiness and be righteous in all our activities this year. Shun all forms of evil. Do no sinful action. Love God with all your heart and strength, and love people (Mark 12:29-31). Do good to everyone and give your best to have their situations changed and their souls saved. Commit yourself to the cause of Christ; to spreading the gospel of salvation and supporting the work of the church and other Christian organizations. Make a difference this year and God bless you abundantly.<br />
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<b><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b></div>
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Gerald Inyanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07493455624206598880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342320988050952809.post-9707789603694747632017-12-25T06:00:00.001-08:002019-05-16T14:43:13.414-07:00THE FOURTH WISEMAN!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The account of the birth of Jesus Christ holds great and important lessons for us. His birth dramatically changed the course of human history. The Heavens heralded His birth, the celestial choirs sang beautiful melodies of praise to proclaim His birth to the world(Luke 2:9-14). No other birth has been so significant before His and neither has there been any other afterwards. It is worthy of note the fashion in which Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God was born. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, carried by a virgin, a spectacular miracle(Luke 1:26-37). He left His glory above to be born in a humble place of a Stable. The King of kings was lain in a manger for his cradle…Oh what an example of humility, for though He had all the powers of Heaven he stooped low to identify with the poor and lowly. Little wonder then, that the first persons to hear of the joyful news of His birth were poor shepherds. We must then be grateful, for none of us is exquisite enough, rich enough or intelligent enough to deserve His visitation!<br />
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Our King was not born just for the nation of Israel, no He came for the whole world. Little wonder then, that the first persons to see His star were the Magi (Wise men) of the East. They knew that this child was more than ordinary, they did not understand what this child would become but they knew they had to pay Him their respects and though far a journey it would take them, yet it was worth the pains. They presented to our Lord gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Though the Bible account of this visit in Matthew chapter 2 did not mention the number of wise men that came on this visit, yet they have come to be known as the Three Wise men, probably inferred from the gift items they presented.<br />
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Friend, let us now read the story of the fourth wise man. The Fourth Wise Man is the name of a film I watched, written by Tom Fontana and produced by Ellwood Keiser and Michael Ray Rhodes. This film made a lasting impression on my heart and though it was but a film, yet I could feel the very emotion of the scenes. It starts with the preparation of the wise men to embark on the journey to worship the king whose star they had sighted. Artaban, one of the Magi and the major character of the film is selling off his estates and priced possessions in readiness for the journey. Artaban bids his household and community farewell and sets off with his faithful servant, Orantes, to meet his three friends at the place they had agreed to meet from where they will embark on the journey together. Artaban arrives the place late to discover his three friends had left thinking he wasn’t coming anymore. Now, Artaban has to try to catch up on his friends or risk continuing the journey alone with his servant. There is no going back so Artaban travels alone.<br />
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Artaban takes with him three precious gifts (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh) to present to the Messiah. His journey was quite unlike his three friends for he comes across frequent delays and the time quickly passes, in the space which his three friends had ended their visit and returned through a different route. For 33 years, Artaban and Orantes pursue Jesus, only to miss Him at every turn. Along the way, Artaban uses his gifts to help people in dire need. He had to spend many years with a Leper colony where he used his skills of medicine to treat the people. He had to stay to teach the people a way to irrigate their arid land in the outskirts of the city so they could have food and not have to face the ridicule of the healthy in the city who despised them and would not sell them grains. He used his gold, frankincense and myrrh to help this people. He now has nothing to present to the Messiah when he finds Him. The story culminates on Easter Sunday as Artaban, old and dying, finally encounters the new King, Jesus Christ, who appears to him and recognizes his deepest heart desire of meeting Him, bringing peace to his final moments of life.<br />
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Friends, though no accounts of Artaban may be found in the Bible and the story of the film speculative and largely fictional, there is a vital lesson to learn from the story of the Fourth Wise Man; It is the object of our pursuit. What have we devoted our lives to pursue? Is it wealth? Artaban had a lot of that but gave it up to pursue after Jesus Christ. Are we pursuing fame? Artaban had a lot of that too but to know the Messiah was more important to him. His was the pursuit of a lifetime, no obstacle was strong enough to deter him. He was willing to sacrifice his best to save the lost and bring succor to the rejected and destitute. What is the object of your pursuit, my dear friend? Is it Jesus Christ? Are you prepared to seek Him not just for a season but for your lifetime? God has promised that those who seek Him shall find Him (Jeremiah 29 vs 13,Isaiah 55 vs 6, Matthew 7 vs 7). If we are hungry to know the Lord, there is a wonderful assurance that as Artaban met Jesus even on his dying bed, we also shall yet see Him face to face, for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled(Matthew 5 vs 6).<br />
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As we celebrate the wonderful birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us like the Fourth Wise man, seek to see and to know this Jesus whose birth we have heard of and what a blessing, that we do not have to travel as far as Artaban had to travel, a yearning heart, a bowed knee and a praying tongue can be the shortest distance to meet Him. You need not have gifts of Gold, Frankinscence and Myrrh to present Him but give Him your heart, give yourself to Him and you will be the most blessed man or woman living.<br />
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<b style="color: #201f20; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><i>Have you been blessed reading this article? Do you wish to share your experience reading this with me? You can contact me via geraldinyang@gmail.com or WhatsApp @ +2347037531746. If you will like other people to read this message or other messages on this blog, please feel free to click "Share" on your platforms. Let us partner to impact lives for Christ - be my partner! God bless you.</i></b><br />
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