As A Man Thinketh
I have so many titles for this article running through my head. "Stinking Thinking". "As A Man Thinketh In His Heart". "You Are What You Think". "So Go The Thoughts, So Go The Man". Let me start by asking you a few questions.
1. Are you totally discouraged right now?
2. Do you feel overwhelmed?
3. Is your mental thought process completely shut down?
4. Do you feel trapped?
I have a friend who consistently responds "I'm happy and blessed" when I ask him how he is doing. Now I like this guy, I really do. But, sometimes, I just want to say "get real" when he tells me that. I don't know, maybe he really is happy all the time. I guess it's possible. Anything is possible right?!
I'm going to get blasted over this article. I'm going to get tons of emails from the "Happy All The Time Crowd". They're going to tell me I've gone off the deep end. They will let me know that the Christian should always be happy. It's our right. It's our obligation. We should always have this enormous smile that tells everyone around us that we are HAPPY.
Christians are not allowed to get bummed out. Christians, especially Christian ministers are definitely not allowed to sink to the cloud of discouragement. A minister should never allow himself to get to a place of feeling down. Right?
Sounds good doesn't it. But in the real world that's a bunch of baloney. Just ask the old Prophet of God. One minute he's killing off 500 false prophets, and wishing he could die the next.
You might agree with me that most preachers are emotional people. Now some people out there are not real emotional, but most of the preachers I know are people who allow emotion to guide them. Now that's not a bad thing. I'm convinced that the Lord has a hard time using people who are hard to move emotionally. This is why he anointed David to be king when he was only a boy. God said of David, "He's after my heart". Other words, he's a person who is able to touch me with his emotion. Without emotion, David would be led of his own ideas and agenda. But, since he was a person whose heart could be touched, God said, "I'll use him in ways he never imagined he could be used."
Emotion is a good thing. We need to be emotional! God is emotional. Look what the scriptures tell us about him.
• He gets angry.
• He gets jealous.
• He laughs.
• He’s emotional!
We, being created in his image are allowed the same privilege of being emotional.
Am I making my point? It’s ok to be happy. It’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to be joyous. It’s ok to get mad, even angry. And for all of you who answered yes to my questions in the first paragraph, it’s ok to be totally discouraged. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed. And it’s ok to feel like you are trapped and boxed in with no way to get out of feeling completely bummed out.
Did you hear me? It’s OK to feel the way you feel right now. Anyone who says he/she has never felt the way you feel right now is a liar.
Examine the scriptures and you will find heroes of the faith who from time to time were depressed, down in the dumps, down in the mouth, dismal, disheartened, despondent, downcast, dismayed, dejected, doleful, disillusioned and disappointed. In other words they were just plain bummed.
They were bummed out over their circumstances. They were bummed out over their situation. They were bummed out over all the “stuff” that was happening in their life. They questioned whether God Loved them. They wondered if He cared. They doubted He was concerned. Even Jesus on the Cross said to the Father, “Why hast thou forsaken me”.
Are you hearing me, it’s ok to feel this way.
However.
As much as you may be relishing and enjoying living in misery, Sooner or later you are going to have to come out of your self entombed bed of misery. Hear me now, you cannot stay there. It’s a place we all visit from time to time, but it’s not where God would have you to live. I know you see no way out. I realize you are feeling numb even to His touch, but friend we have to move on.
The Psalmist 27:1,3 said “The Lord is the strength of my life… in this will I be confident.” When my strength is gone. When my inner encourager is discouraged. When I feel like I have there is no reason to press on, “The Lord Is My Strength.”
Jesus said, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”. Did you know that if your mental thought process is one of constant defeat, you will be defeated. If all you see is “no way out” then there will be no way out for you. You see a man’s life is what his thoughts make of it. If you allow yourself to waller in despair, you will never see the hope of a better day.
I am by nature an emotional person. I am easily motivated by emotion. Depending on my emotional health, I am either productive, energetic and encouraging. Or I am unproductive, exhausted, and critical of people. I can be the most happy confidence builder you ever met or I can be someone who is worried and sees little to hope for. It all depends on my emotional well being.
I realize that about myself. I admit it. I confess! So, what can I do to keep myself healthy emotionally? First, let me say that the Bible says much about the mind. EX: “The double minded man. Let this mind be in you.” Why does the Bible tell us to guard our mind? Because our minds control our emotions.
Did you hear that? What goes through your mind will dictate your emotions. If you allow negative thoughts to prevail, then your emotions will run rampant with negativity.
You’ve heard the story of the farmer who had two young bulls. He asked his helper which of the two bulls would grow to be the largest. The young man guessed the one who was the largest at that point. The farmer said “no, the one we feed the most.”
Can I say it’s time to start feeding your mind. Feed it with encouraging books. Feed it with a self growth seminar. Feed it with time in prayer. Feed it by allowing yourself to think outside the box. See yourself out of the situation you are in right now. Visualize the debt gone. Create in your mind a place where you can imagine all the trouble behind you. Envision a better day. Create it in your mind. Hope for it. See it. Believe God for it!
In Genesis 11, the Lord declared that a man would do whatsoever he imagined in his heart to do. There is nothing stopping you from being successful in your ministry, if you can imagine it and begin to believe God for it. Nothing can keep you from accomplishing your heart’s desire if you would only start to see it through the eyes of faith.
At this very minute, as you read this article, potential ideas are in your mind. By releasing and developing these ideas you can solve your financial problem, your business situation, you can care for yourself and your family, and attain success in your ministry. A steady inflow and practical use of creative thoughts can remake your live and you along with it.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Lets get to Work
Guy and Gals, this is a wake up call to all who have love for the future.
stand to your feet and take a long gaze into the future using these generation of youth as your goggles and you'll be shocked to know that the future has being stolen by the illicit acts of Immorality on the street of every town and city of the world.
presently we do not have positive dreams anymore, every young child wants to become a thief or sexist. hold on, I'll explain. in the mind of every child is the dream to be in a political office someday, not because they want to cause a change in the society but because they want they want to live large in the society and living large means being in control of both money and people. this can only be achieved by being corrupt and autocratic.
to read more log on next time
the ultimate challenge for change is to get on our knees for our generation
say a prayer today of not less than 60seconds and see God Change our Generation
stand to your feet and take a long gaze into the future using these generation of youth as your goggles and you'll be shocked to know that the future has being stolen by the illicit acts of Immorality on the street of every town and city of the world.
presently we do not have positive dreams anymore, every young child wants to become a thief or sexist. hold on, I'll explain. in the mind of every child is the dream to be in a political office someday, not because they want to cause a change in the society but because they want they want to live large in the society and living large means being in control of both money and people. this can only be achieved by being corrupt and autocratic.
to read more log on next time
the ultimate challenge for change is to get on our knees for our generation
say a prayer today of not less than 60seconds and see God Change our Generation
Saturday, January 29, 2011
JUMP INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN
JUMP INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN!
The lure of excitement
The hesitation of uncertainty
The curiosity that saves the cat
I pulled myself up – by the bootstraps, if you please
Gentle ripples on the surface of such a calm and still pool
The love plunge is made wholeheartedly into life’s pool
Basking in the glow
The pool’s astir
I am creating my reality
A jump into the great unknown
Trusting the ground would materialize under my feet or
Trusting I would develop wings and soar like the great eagle
It’s a step of faith
Angels on every side
Angels coming from different angles
Rich experiences catalogue my life
Victory is a certainty for I have faith in the process
Oh! The lure of excitement
The curiosity that saves the cat
You never know until you try
You never know until you step off
A jump into the great unknown
I live in Wonder-lure
The lure of excitement
The hesitation of uncertainty
The curiosity that saves the cat
I pulled myself up – by the bootstraps, if you please
Gentle ripples on the surface of such a calm and still pool
The love plunge is made wholeheartedly into life’s pool
Basking in the glow
The pool’s astir
I am creating my reality
A jump into the great unknown
Trusting the ground would materialize under my feet or
Trusting I would develop wings and soar like the great eagle
It’s a step of faith
Angels on every side
Angels coming from different angles
Rich experiences catalogue my life
Victory is a certainty for I have faith in the process
Oh! The lure of excitement
The curiosity that saves the cat
You never know until you try
You never know until you step off
A jump into the great unknown
I live in Wonder-lure
What Could Be and What Should Be.
The Difference Between What Could Be and What Should Be.
Vision
Most people only see what could be. They say things like, "If our church did ___________ then it could be ____________." We spend way too much time talking about what could be. "Our church could be bigger. Our staff could be larger. Our congregants could be more giving, loving, caring" and the list goes on.
Could. It's almost a useless word (to me). How much of our energy is focused on what could be.
Should. Now there is a word that "Should" be in the churches vocabulary. When one has a vision for something, there is no Could. There is only Should. Could presents an Idea. Should casts a vision. Where Could presents an opinion, Should shows a way.
Should does not say "If" or "If only". Should says, "Let's do it. Let's find a way. Whatever it takes." Could sits on the sidelines and complains about what could be while Should carries the ball through obstacles and hurdles that most people would never consider approaching.
Should is passionate. Should is on fire. Should makes comfortable people uneasy. Should messes with the status queue. Should is Vision.
There is a significant difference between the outcome of Could and Should. When you begin to focus on Should, Could get's lost. Could cannot operate in the same realm as Should. When Should is in operation, Could grows silent.
Should is not what could be. Should is what must be. One man said "Give me liberty or give me death." Now there is Should. Could would say, we could have liberty if only this and that and you get the picture. Should however, say's there is no other option. There is no other recourse. No backup plan. Do or die. Liberty or death.
What Should be for your church in the coming New Year? Many churches are going to spend much time in planning session focusing on Could in the coming weeks. How many though will focus on Should. "We could do _________ this year, but we really Should do __________.
My prayer and hope for your ministry and church for the coming New Year is that Vision will ignite in your own heart and the hearts of those you minister to in a way that it never has before.
Vision
Most people only see what could be. They say things like, "If our church did ___________ then it could be ____________." We spend way too much time talking about what could be. "Our church could be bigger. Our staff could be larger. Our congregants could be more giving, loving, caring" and the list goes on.
Could. It's almost a useless word (to me). How much of our energy is focused on what could be.
Should. Now there is a word that "Should" be in the churches vocabulary. When one has a vision for something, there is no Could. There is only Should. Could presents an Idea. Should casts a vision. Where Could presents an opinion, Should shows a way.
Should does not say "If" or "If only". Should says, "Let's do it. Let's find a way. Whatever it takes." Could sits on the sidelines and complains about what could be while Should carries the ball through obstacles and hurdles that most people would never consider approaching.
Should is passionate. Should is on fire. Should makes comfortable people uneasy. Should messes with the status queue. Should is Vision.
There is a significant difference between the outcome of Could and Should. When you begin to focus on Should, Could get's lost. Could cannot operate in the same realm as Should. When Should is in operation, Could grows silent.
Should is not what could be. Should is what must be. One man said "Give me liberty or give me death." Now there is Should. Could would say, we could have liberty if only this and that and you get the picture. Should however, say's there is no other option. There is no other recourse. No backup plan. Do or die. Liberty or death.
What Should be for your church in the coming New Year? Many churches are going to spend much time in planning session focusing on Could in the coming weeks. How many though will focus on Should. "We could do _________ this year, but we really Should do __________.
My prayer and hope for your ministry and church for the coming New Year is that Vision will ignite in your own heart and the hearts of those you minister to in a way that it never has before.
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Kingdom of God as a University Campus
The kingdom of God can be likened to the university community, where the vice chancellor is the head. Before a person becomes a student of the university, he or she must meet the requirement for Admission. Many pass this stage successfully and become students of the university; after being duly registered as bonafide students of the university, some are withdrawn because of bad behaviour, ignorance and lack of commitment to their studies. On the other hand, others do well and graduate with good grades; some first class, some second class and others third class, everyone according to his or her diligence. They become great men and women of impact that the world acknowledges, some lecturers, some engineers, doctors, lawyers while others administrators and great politicians.
The Lord Almighty is like the vice chancellor who heads the whole universe. In the kingdom of God, you must repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal saviour before you enter into Kingdom. The very hour you fulfill this requirement of the kingdom of God, you will receive your identity card of salvation into the kingdom to be a student. Many people successfully reach this stage in their lives; they repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus into their lives and they are enjoying the joy of salvation. However, when trials come and temptation blows, they give up the faith and yield to the temptation, thus, they lose their identity as students of the kingdom of God, and are no more identified by the kingdom of God’s administration as students. Such a Christian, if asked: “where is your identity card as a Christian?” He will answer saying ‘I kept it here but…but...I can’t find it again.’ The person backslides because he has toyed with his salvation in Christ Jesus. Such a Christian is careless; he has not been careful.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that, the person cannot obtain another admission into the kingdom. Be sure he can! I can vehemently tell that: ‘is like saying to a child that falls when he is learning how to walk that he will not walk again’, which you know is not true. A child that is learning how to walk may start by learning how to stand using a support, and then he will try to stop using a support in order to stand on his own, he will try to move one of his feet in order to walk, a person watching this kid will see the kid’s leg shaking. Then the little baby may fall to the ground again. However, he is eager to see himself walk, when you look at the kid when he moves one of his leg to walk, you will discover that the kid is happy seeing himself walking like any other person. That was great for the lad. No Christain is happy seeing himself not growing in the faith. Everybody wants to grow in the faith. In case you find yourself not growing in the faith, know that something is wrong with your relationship with the Lord and there is a need for rebranding your walk with the Lord. We must be tough in our situations and never relent in our efforts, if not we will remain where we are, or even go lower than our present level of faith. The mother or persons nearby seeing the child’s effort will try to encourage him to do better by clapping for him and not discouraging or shouting at him. The kid’s fallings does not mean that he cannot walk, in-fact one day the mother will be surprised when she sees the child walking on his feet, even without support. So also is the life of a Christian who falls when trying to attain maturity in the Lord. People should not see them as if they would not grow to maturity, one day they would reach their destiny. Just as the kid kept trying and finally walked on his two feet, so too shall you be at your position in destiny. So turn all those ‘I can’ts’ into ‘I cans’ and live your life in line with the scriptures. One of them says; “in… prosperity be joyful, but in… adversity consider [examine it and see what you can learn]… God has appointed the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14(NKJV).
“What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Romans 6:15). Oswald Chambers was an author who had large audience worldwide; his ministry lifted the souls of millions around the world. Oswald said, ‘Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ’. Do not keep going back to your former life while the Lord has a better one for you in the future. Once Apostle Peter was like that, he kept limiting himself to the pond while the Lord and the whole world awaited him, to be the rock on which they would build-(John 21:17). Open your eyes well! Stop that wrong, a better you is waiting. ‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.’ - (Ephesians 5:1). One-day people will be surprised to see you at the top –a great minister, a great you. A friend i cherish so much, Bro. Micah Samaila, the former president of FCS Unimaid said in one of his sermons: ‘you need nothing but the grace of God to keep you standing.’ Do you know that the GRACE of God is all that you need? Yes, I mean it that is what you need to propel to the next level. God will give you the grace to do it today in Jesus name. Don’t just stand there, do something to go higher at all times, believe me, there is more grace from where you’ve fetched the previous grace to stand for Him. You can stretch your hands to fetch again today, He will be proud to see you tough to the devil and the present situation you face.
Others do well and come out with good grades.
T
his refers to those Christians who are committed in their relationship with God, because to live the kingdom lifestyle, you must be serious with God.They work diligently, in season and out of season to make sure they attain and accomplish the call of God for their lives. Some years ago, a disciple commented: “life was hard for me when I was living outside the will of God, it was like I was just seeing others off the road of life while they truly live the real life, because I was not serious with God and did not have the experience with the Lord, but the very time I determined to go with Him and be committed to His instructions, things changed for me.” You will not experience real life until you become committed to your Maker. You start living when you dedicate your life to Him. It will not be different with you, be committed to God and obey Him, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. These committed servants of the Lord study the word of God to show themselves approved workers that need not to be ashamed. You cannot know who you are until you know whose child you are. Know God and you will know yourself. The more you know God the more you will discover wonderful things about yourself. That was my experience while I continued to walk with God. He made life more meaningful to me, the more I know His will and obey, the more I get to know more of the wonderful things deposited in me. Otherwise, it is always a draw-back. You cannot be the servant of God you aspire and desire to become until you stand out for it. Whatever you want to do or become you must keep other gods aside and be obsessed with it untill it is accomplished. These Christians took their time (you too should do the same) reading the scriptures to know and understand their calling and the reason for their existence. Moreover, they do not only read to know and understand but they also make sure that they have done that which the Lord Almighty requires of them in every situation. Get this into your senses that knowing God alone is not enough for you; you must back the word you know with the action it requires from you. Sacrifice to know God’s will is not the only requirement of God from you, had it been, it could’ve worked-out good for king Saul. But the Lord your God requires perfect obedience from you. The Lord calls these ones ‘blessed’ because they have heard and obeyed Him-(Rev 1:3). This is the life of the Kingdom of God-hearing and God-obeying. You can make this year- 2010 a year of obedience. These people are more concerned with how they look to God than how they look to their fellow men; they spend quality time before the mirror of God (The Bible), so that they will look so beautiful to Him. Is that your life-style? Can you say that your desire is to look good and beautiful before God? I believe, if we devoted such quality time spent to look good to our fellow men in getting ourselves look good before God, by now we must have been glitering to His eyes. That was actually Moses’ experience when he devoted his time to God on the mountain (Exo.34:29-35); he did not only glitter before God but also glittered before men. If you want to radiate the light of God, God must first see it in you, before men do; the radiance develops as you have a close relationship with Him. How?
Through
-Studying His word and
- Prayer
If you are not at this level, I have good news for you, you can up-grade yourself and your status will change. James added “…but the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25 NIV). They enjoy the blessings of God in time because of their obedience. If everything you’ve tried had failed, try obedience to God’s word, it will never fail you. Let disobedience be called past in your life. You will never enjoy what God has for you in the future while you’re still living in the past, full of disobedience to God’s will. True joy is for those who will not relent in obeying God.
v
ery few believers are able to keep close relationship with God through prayers and the deep reading and meditation on His word. How God wishes that you are not exempted! Some see God once in a month, others weekly, while others see Him always. It is like you have time for yourself and other things but no time for God. Can’t you for once take your time and give it to God? Study His word and meditate on it. I can guarantee that if you embark on this lifestyle, your values in life will improve. Those who see God always, go with His presence everywhere. How far you go with God tells how much of His will you obey. Many People fall into mess in life because of inadequate appropriation of God and His word in their lives. Those who keep close relationship with God are those who keep His law and obey. In order to live the life of the kingdom of God, you need to get a real connection with the Lord, hear from Him always, just as Jesus did. While on earth, He related with God in such a way that even in the midst of distraction and obstruction, He did the will of God with perfection. The will of God flowed through Jesus and He acted on it all times. He professed that anything he said was the perfect will of God -(John 14:10-11). This meant that if God came down from His throne to dwell amongst men, He would act likewise. That is perfection! It was because he maintained a close relationship with God. Maintaining close relationship with God is a heart-yearn that all true servants of God should desire. Without a close relationship with God, a Christian will speak outside the will of God, and will live a life without direction. The problem of the servants of God today, is that they fail to create a personal relationship with God; rather they keep depending on Sunday sermons. How miserable! Today, you may discover a Christian who has more desire to come close to his pastor and leaders than coming close to his God. If you are such a Christian, your misery is great. The very day a Christian decides to come close to God, the Lord comes closer to him, and then such a Christian will experience a full and fruitful life. James says:
“Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”(James 4:8)NIV.
The Lord will lift you up if you come close to him. When a man lifts you up you may soon come down, but when the Lord lifts you up, no one can bring you down. Come close to Him and experience real life. Until the day you have decided to abandon your sins, you will not find true happiness in life. Nevertheless, true life and upliftment awaits you as you decide to come close to your Maker. This is living the life-style of God’s kingdom.
The Lord Almighty is like the vice chancellor who heads the whole universe. In the kingdom of God, you must repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal saviour before you enter into Kingdom. The very hour you fulfill this requirement of the kingdom of God, you will receive your identity card of salvation into the kingdom to be a student. Many people successfully reach this stage in their lives; they repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus into their lives and they are enjoying the joy of salvation. However, when trials come and temptation blows, they give up the faith and yield to the temptation, thus, they lose their identity as students of the kingdom of God, and are no more identified by the kingdom of God’s administration as students. Such a Christian, if asked: “where is your identity card as a Christian?” He will answer saying ‘I kept it here but…but...I can’t find it again.’ The person backslides because he has toyed with his salvation in Christ Jesus. Such a Christian is careless; he has not been careful.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that, the person cannot obtain another admission into the kingdom. Be sure he can! I can vehemently tell that: ‘is like saying to a child that falls when he is learning how to walk that he will not walk again’, which you know is not true. A child that is learning how to walk may start by learning how to stand using a support, and then he will try to stop using a support in order to stand on his own, he will try to move one of his feet in order to walk, a person watching this kid will see the kid’s leg shaking. Then the little baby may fall to the ground again. However, he is eager to see himself walk, when you look at the kid when he moves one of his leg to walk, you will discover that the kid is happy seeing himself walking like any other person. That was great for the lad. No Christain is happy seeing himself not growing in the faith. Everybody wants to grow in the faith. In case you find yourself not growing in the faith, know that something is wrong with your relationship with the Lord and there is a need for rebranding your walk with the Lord. We must be tough in our situations and never relent in our efforts, if not we will remain where we are, or even go lower than our present level of faith. The mother or persons nearby seeing the child’s effort will try to encourage him to do better by clapping for him and not discouraging or shouting at him. The kid’s fallings does not mean that he cannot walk, in-fact one day the mother will be surprised when she sees the child walking on his feet, even without support. So also is the life of a Christian who falls when trying to attain maturity in the Lord. People should not see them as if they would not grow to maturity, one day they would reach their destiny. Just as the kid kept trying and finally walked on his two feet, so too shall you be at your position in destiny. So turn all those ‘I can’ts’ into ‘I cans’ and live your life in line with the scriptures. One of them says; “in… prosperity be joyful, but in… adversity consider [examine it and see what you can learn]… God has appointed the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14(NKJV).
“What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Romans 6:15). Oswald Chambers was an author who had large audience worldwide; his ministry lifted the souls of millions around the world. Oswald said, ‘Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ’. Do not keep going back to your former life while the Lord has a better one for you in the future. Once Apostle Peter was like that, he kept limiting himself to the pond while the Lord and the whole world awaited him, to be the rock on which they would build-(John 21:17). Open your eyes well! Stop that wrong, a better you is waiting. ‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.’ - (Ephesians 5:1). One-day people will be surprised to see you at the top –a great minister, a great you. A friend i cherish so much, Bro. Micah Samaila, the former president of FCS Unimaid said in one of his sermons: ‘you need nothing but the grace of God to keep you standing.’ Do you know that the GRACE of God is all that you need? Yes, I mean it that is what you need to propel to the next level. God will give you the grace to do it today in Jesus name. Don’t just stand there, do something to go higher at all times, believe me, there is more grace from where you’ve fetched the previous grace to stand for Him. You can stretch your hands to fetch again today, He will be proud to see you tough to the devil and the present situation you face.
Others do well and come out with good grades.
T
his refers to those Christians who are committed in their relationship with God, because to live the kingdom lifestyle, you must be serious with God.They work diligently, in season and out of season to make sure they attain and accomplish the call of God for their lives. Some years ago, a disciple commented: “life was hard for me when I was living outside the will of God, it was like I was just seeing others off the road of life while they truly live the real life, because I was not serious with God and did not have the experience with the Lord, but the very time I determined to go with Him and be committed to His instructions, things changed for me.” You will not experience real life until you become committed to your Maker. You start living when you dedicate your life to Him. It will not be different with you, be committed to God and obey Him, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. These committed servants of the Lord study the word of God to show themselves approved workers that need not to be ashamed. You cannot know who you are until you know whose child you are. Know God and you will know yourself. The more you know God the more you will discover wonderful things about yourself. That was my experience while I continued to walk with God. He made life more meaningful to me, the more I know His will and obey, the more I get to know more of the wonderful things deposited in me. Otherwise, it is always a draw-back. You cannot be the servant of God you aspire and desire to become until you stand out for it. Whatever you want to do or become you must keep other gods aside and be obsessed with it untill it is accomplished. These Christians took their time (you too should do the same) reading the scriptures to know and understand their calling and the reason for their existence. Moreover, they do not only read to know and understand but they also make sure that they have done that which the Lord Almighty requires of them in every situation. Get this into your senses that knowing God alone is not enough for you; you must back the word you know with the action it requires from you. Sacrifice to know God’s will is not the only requirement of God from you, had it been, it could’ve worked-out good for king Saul. But the Lord your God requires perfect obedience from you. The Lord calls these ones ‘blessed’ because they have heard and obeyed Him-(Rev 1:3). This is the life of the Kingdom of God-hearing and God-obeying. You can make this year- 2010 a year of obedience. These people are more concerned with how they look to God than how they look to their fellow men; they spend quality time before the mirror of God (The Bible), so that they will look so beautiful to Him. Is that your life-style? Can you say that your desire is to look good and beautiful before God? I believe, if we devoted such quality time spent to look good to our fellow men in getting ourselves look good before God, by now we must have been glitering to His eyes. That was actually Moses’ experience when he devoted his time to God on the mountain (Exo.34:29-35); he did not only glitter before God but also glittered before men. If you want to radiate the light of God, God must first see it in you, before men do; the radiance develops as you have a close relationship with Him. How?
Through
-Studying His word and
- Prayer
If you are not at this level, I have good news for you, you can up-grade yourself and your status will change. James added “…but the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25 NIV). They enjoy the blessings of God in time because of their obedience. If everything you’ve tried had failed, try obedience to God’s word, it will never fail you. Let disobedience be called past in your life. You will never enjoy what God has for you in the future while you’re still living in the past, full of disobedience to God’s will. True joy is for those who will not relent in obeying God.
v
ery few believers are able to keep close relationship with God through prayers and the deep reading and meditation on His word. How God wishes that you are not exempted! Some see God once in a month, others weekly, while others see Him always. It is like you have time for yourself and other things but no time for God. Can’t you for once take your time and give it to God? Study His word and meditate on it. I can guarantee that if you embark on this lifestyle, your values in life will improve. Those who see God always, go with His presence everywhere. How far you go with God tells how much of His will you obey. Many People fall into mess in life because of inadequate appropriation of God and His word in their lives. Those who keep close relationship with God are those who keep His law and obey. In order to live the life of the kingdom of God, you need to get a real connection with the Lord, hear from Him always, just as Jesus did. While on earth, He related with God in such a way that even in the midst of distraction and obstruction, He did the will of God with perfection. The will of God flowed through Jesus and He acted on it all times. He professed that anything he said was the perfect will of God -(John 14:10-11). This meant that if God came down from His throne to dwell amongst men, He would act likewise. That is perfection! It was because he maintained a close relationship with God. Maintaining close relationship with God is a heart-yearn that all true servants of God should desire. Without a close relationship with God, a Christian will speak outside the will of God, and will live a life without direction. The problem of the servants of God today, is that they fail to create a personal relationship with God; rather they keep depending on Sunday sermons. How miserable! Today, you may discover a Christian who has more desire to come close to his pastor and leaders than coming close to his God. If you are such a Christian, your misery is great. The very day a Christian decides to come close to God, the Lord comes closer to him, and then such a Christian will experience a full and fruitful life. James says:
“Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”(James 4:8)NIV.
The Lord will lift you up if you come close to him. When a man lifts you up you may soon come down, but when the Lord lifts you up, no one can bring you down. Come close to Him and experience real life. Until the day you have decided to abandon your sins, you will not find true happiness in life. Nevertheless, true life and upliftment awaits you as you decide to come close to your Maker. This is living the life-style of God’s kingdom.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
it is possible
This is an excerpt from Pastor Joseph Prince
Watch What Jesus Does
Luke 1:37
37“For with God nothing will be impossible.”
You may have heard from friends or seen in Christian books the popular question, “What would Jesus do?” It is a question Christians are taught to ask themselves when faced with a problem.
But when you ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” in any situation, it is subject to your own interpretation and theology. For example, if you are from a church that doesn’t believe that Jesus heals today, you may think that this is how Jesus would pray for the sick, “O Father, give him patience to endure his sufferings,” and proceed to pray that way for a sick person. So when you try to think of what Jesus would do, you are going back to your flesh!
Maybe the reminder should be, “Watch what Jesus does”. When I preach, I watch what Jesus is doing or leading me to do. If He prompts me to say or do something, I say or do it. I know that I am not in the pulpit to manifest Pastor Prince or his flesh, but to manifest Jesus Christ, with whom nothing is impossible!
One Sunday service, prompted by God, I shared with the congregation that He wanted to restore lost items. The following week, a church member wrote, “Last Sunday, Pastor Prince, you mentioned that the Lord would help us recover lost items. I knew that the word was for me. My diamond bracelet and ring had been missing for weeks… Praise God, when I returned home that day, my maid placed the lost items in my hands. She found them at 10.30 that morning while I was still worshiping in church.”
On another occasion, I was praying for a wheelchair-bound lady when I felt God telling me to pull her up from her wheelchair. Boy, was I glad that before I realized what I was doing, she was standing up on her feet unaided! Now, if I had taken some time to think — “My goodness, what am I doing?” — my thinking could have obstructed my obedience to God’s prompting.
So when you are led to talk to someone, watch what Jesus does. When you pray for your child, watch what Jesus does. When you confess God’s Word into your situation, watch what Jesus does! Keep your eyes on Jesus, with whom nothing is impossible!
Watch What Jesus Does
Luke 1:37
37“For with God nothing will be impossible.”
You may have heard from friends or seen in Christian books the popular question, “What would Jesus do?” It is a question Christians are taught to ask themselves when faced with a problem.
But when you ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” in any situation, it is subject to your own interpretation and theology. For example, if you are from a church that doesn’t believe that Jesus heals today, you may think that this is how Jesus would pray for the sick, “O Father, give him patience to endure his sufferings,” and proceed to pray that way for a sick person. So when you try to think of what Jesus would do, you are going back to your flesh!
Maybe the reminder should be, “Watch what Jesus does”. When I preach, I watch what Jesus is doing or leading me to do. If He prompts me to say or do something, I say or do it. I know that I am not in the pulpit to manifest Pastor Prince or his flesh, but to manifest Jesus Christ, with whom nothing is impossible!
One Sunday service, prompted by God, I shared with the congregation that He wanted to restore lost items. The following week, a church member wrote, “Last Sunday, Pastor Prince, you mentioned that the Lord would help us recover lost items. I knew that the word was for me. My diamond bracelet and ring had been missing for weeks… Praise God, when I returned home that day, my maid placed the lost items in my hands. She found them at 10.30 that morning while I was still worshiping in church.”
On another occasion, I was praying for a wheelchair-bound lady when I felt God telling me to pull her up from her wheelchair. Boy, was I glad that before I realized what I was doing, she was standing up on her feet unaided! Now, if I had taken some time to think — “My goodness, what am I doing?” — my thinking could have obstructed my obedience to God’s prompting.
So when you are led to talk to someone, watch what Jesus does. When you pray for your child, watch what Jesus does. When you confess God’s Word into your situation, watch what Jesus does! Keep your eyes on Jesus, with whom nothing is impossible!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Unbelievablly stupid
folks can you believe that a 48yrs old man in my district has been on the run ever since Tue 30th March 2010, when it was discovered that he was responsible for his 12yrs old daughter's pregnancy. that very day i was at a friend's studio trying to put finishing touches on a song i was doing for a Television Commercial, I felt so exhausted that I went out for a breather, when suddenly I saw a Mother Chasing her Twelve Years old daughter, Screaming "I'll Kill you today" so I and some guys and fans around tried to quell the chase. out of curiosity we inquired what was the cause of the chase from the woman, who was panting heavily, and now in tears, she throw us to the little pretty damsel who was crying also, only to be told that the she was pregnant.............................. if you happen to stay in my district you will think the woman was over reacting cos teenage pregnancy was no news in the area, but when we asked who was responsible, the whole place went silent and after a long and thoughful silence the woman spoke up, Saying, "na her papa" on hearing this i was moved to think the woman was just insulting the girl or blaming it for her father's lack of care, but i never knew she meant it as ' her father has being having sex with her and now she is pregnant' immediately i figured that out i was moved to kill the foolish father, but i was told the man has gone to work, we waited untill 1800hrs local time when the said Man is supposed to come back from work but he didn't. ever since then the man has not been seen or heard from....................................... what kind of a married man will.........
- lust after his own daughter
- then conceive the idea of sleeping with her
- then go ahead to sleep with her
- and continue sleeping with her
- then get her pregnant
- and run away
- finally forsake her and her broken hearted Mother that happens to be his Church Wedded Wife.
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