How to Teach the Lessons of The Bible More Effectively

To teach the lessons of the bible could be both easy and difficult tasks: to be able to do so effectively, one requires certain tools at one’s disposal. You need tools that are both within yourself and the ones outside you to be able to present biblical truth in such a way as to convince your hearers that you are worthy to a teacher of God’s word.

In the first place, to teach is to show somebody how to do something so that they will be able to it themselves. Whatever you want to bring to the knowledge of your students or hearers must be something that you are able to do yourself.

1. Your personal lifestyle: Teaching the bible is not all about telling somebody what you cannot do yourself; it is not telling somebody to do what you have never practiced. It is telling somebody what you know you have been doing as spelt out in the word of God. You don’t have to be a hypocrite: you will only effectively teach the bible by the kind of lifestyle you lead.

You cannot be an effective teacher if you talk about not stealing and yet you steal. If you must tell your students not to be disobedient, you have to be willing to obey authorities yourself. If you come out to teach based on what you have been able to practice from the word of God, you would an effective teacher of the scripture.

2. Witness of the Holy Spirit: One other way to be able to teach the lessons of the bible more effectively is for you to depend on the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”.

Therefore, for you to be able to effectively teach the lessons of the bible, you need first of all to be taught all biblical truths by the Holy Spirit. It is when you have these truths that you will be able to pass them on to your students or listeners.

3. Biblical knowledge: You need also to acquire knowledge of the scriptures. You need to be taught by somebody who has been taught himself. One way to do this is to have a mentor – somebody who is versed in the word of God and can interpret scriptures correctly.

Another way you can also acquire knowledge of the scripture is for you to attend a bible school. You can do this as a full time student, part time student or through a distant learning programme. When you are adequately taught, it becomes easier for you to teach others effectively (2 Tim.2:15). You cannot teach and impart the right knowledge if you are ignorant yourself.

4. Good approach: Your approach to teaching would also determine whether your lessons would be effective or not. You should be ready to be gentle and make the lessons interesting to the person you are teaching. If you are harsh with your students, they will not find the lessons attractive. If the lessons are not attractive, it would be difficult for them to be effective.

Make the teaching an interactive one and you would get the attention of all your students. When you are able to get their attention, it becomes easier to get the lesson across to them.

The Role Women Play in Christian Society

Women have different roles to play in the Christian society. Like their male counterparts, their contributions are necessary for the growth and for the proper functioning of the Christian society.

The duties they perform cannot be overemphasized. During the period of Christ, in the apostolic era and in this very dispensation, they continue to play special roles to advance Christianity; though the duties have slightly changed within these periods.

Some of the special roles they play therefore include but are not limited to the following:
1. Pastoral support: It is significant to note that during Christ’s time, women played the roles of supporters (ministers) who were always around to provide special cares for the needs of the pastor (Christ) and his Apostles. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James; Joanna, etc. Women still take care of the pastors today. Some play this role as deaconesses.

2. Marriage counselors: One other role they play is that of a marriage counselor. The bible says the older women should teach the younger ones how to obey their husbands. Matured women who are versed in the word of God perform the duties of marriage counselors and help the younger ones to set their marriages in order, and help prevent marital conflicts and divorce.

What Does Eating of Meat Have to Do With Religion?

The issue of having to eat or not to eat meat by certain religions has been a major source of disagreement by their followers. It has also made some religions to see themselves as the ones approved of God; while others are looked down upon as inferior.

Forbidding of certain foods/meats was practiced in the Mosaic era, and it went on until it was abolished by God in the apostolic day, by divine order to Apostle Peter (Acts 10: 9-16). Just as the order to abstain from certain foods was divinely given through Moses, the abolition of the law of abstinence was also passed to Apostle Peter by divine instruction/revelation.

God had earlier instructed Moses that the people of Israel should abstain from the consumption of animals like Coney, hare, swine, weasel, mouse, tortoise, ferret, chameleon, lizard, snail, eagle, ossifrage, osprey, vulture, kite, raven, owl, cormorant, cuckoo, etc. He told them that anyone who ate them would be made unclean by them.

The people were also instructed not to eat the blood of animals as the life of the animal is in the blood (Deut.12:16, 23-25). Anyone who ate blood would be guilty and would be stoned to death (Lev.17:14). The people religiously obeyed these instructions.

But with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, certain portions of the Mosaic laws were modified (including abstinence from eating certain meats). God’s revelation to Apostle Peter made it clear that whatever God created and had made clean should no longer be called ‘unclean’.

However, today, some religions (even some Christian sects) still forbid their members from eating certain foods or meats which they term ‘unclean. Some religions are doing this by calling themselves Vegetarians. Others abstain from some foods during a particular period as part of their spiritual exercises.

However, Apostle Paul made it clear that the only reason a Christian should forbid any food is if it weakens the faith of his brother who is not yet strong in the faith. Otherwise no Christian is justified by abstaining from food or meat. Justification comes only by our faith in the redemption works of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus himself declared that it is not what goes into a man that condemns him; but that which comes out of him. It is not the food and meat that destroys the man but the evil thoughts emanating from his heart.

Nevertheless, the general consensus among the Apostles is that all should abstain from eating the blood of animals, strangled meat, fornication and idolatry. To ask a man to forbid certain foods would amount to laying a burden on such person.

Everything God has created should be received by faith when offered to you. We are to eat any food without questioning the source, or whether it has been offered to an idol. Abstaining from certain meats is to try to please to law or live by it. We understand that no one can please the law.

The law brings death, and living by the law makes one a slave to the requirements of the law. But putting our faith in the works of Christ brings life. We cannot earn salvation by strictly observing the law; salvation can only be found in Christ Jesus.

10 Rules Of Prosperity

When one is prosperous it means he/she is successful; and everyone wants to be successful or at least associate with people who are succeeding in their businesses, ministries, academics or chosen careers.

Prosperity does not just come into one’s laps; there are laid down rules that one has to follow if one expects to be prosperous. These rules, when faithfully obeyed set the stage for you to walk into success.

1. Put God First: God is the source of success; so if we truly want to be prosperous, we must learn to put God first in whatever we do. We must learn to do his will and acknowledge him as the source of our prosperity. Putting God first makes it easier for us to get his heavenly and earthly blessings.

2. Live in simple obedience: God himself has given us some of the principles that would enable us to prosper. Some of those things he says we should do include paying our tithes faithfully, as well as paying our offerings. Besides, he says we should keep his commandments. It would be difficult for us to excel if we live in deliberate disobedience to God’s instructions.

3. Be diligent: God rewards diligence (careful and thorough work), and if you are hard working, he would be pleased to bless the work of your hands. And when he blesses your hand work, success comes.

Reformation Through Jesus Christ

The greatest reformation that ever comes to a man or nations comes through the power of Jesus Christ. When a man willingly surrenders his life to the Lord, he is reformed: the same is true for nations. Nothing changes a person like the blood of the risen saviour.

Ade came out a changed man after being to prison for the 5th time. This change did not come by the effort of the government or the prison warders; efforts had been made to change him in his previous periods of imprisonment to no avail.

Ade had become notorious in the state and had particularly terrorized his neighbourhood for years. This in turn took him to prison for five good times with the hope of rehabilitating him while there. Surprisingly, each time he went there, he came back more hardened than before.

He had formed his criminal gangs with which he unleashed terror on his neighbourhood: nobody dared challenge him. He trained some youths on how to smoke marijuana, cocaine, and even how to rob. Most of the boys that were caught in robbery and burglary eventually pointed their fingers back to their sponsor, Ade.

He became a regular inmate of the prison; he never showed any remorse for his criminal acts. Going to prison was like going to a tourist attraction; he seemed to enjoy every bit of his experience while there. He did nothing to change his ways. First time he was imprisoned for raping a girl of five. Just four months after his release, he was imprisoned again for burglary. And the story continued just like that – from one crime to another.

Each time he went to prison, instead of changing for good, he came back with a new criminal skill. At a time he became so deadly and violent that the conventional police were afraid to come and arrest him each time he committed a crime. So on such occasions, mobile policemen were drafted to arrest him. The government did everything to see that he got out of crime but nothing worked. They even offered him a lucrative job which he did for only six months and abandoned it for the jungle.

Then on his fifth time in prison, something remarkable happened to him. A pastor from one of the churches around went there as part of his prison outreach. He preached Jesus Christ to him; and for the first time in his life, Ade wept like a baby. His heart was broken: he accepted Jesus Christ into his life and then promised never to go back to his old ways. The pastor gave him a bible which he promised to read. He kept coming to see him to make sure he actually read his bible daily.

Within a few months it became visible to other inmates and the prison authority that something new had happened to Ade. He was released few months later and now lives peacefully with his neighbours; he no longer steals, do drugs or sponsor criminals. Some of the boys who had been part of his gang have also repented. What the power of the state could not achieve, Jesus Christ did it for him and brought a lasting peace to his neighbourhood. He is the only one that brings true reformation to any society or persons.

Tithe: Has It Been Cancelled By JesusChrist?

The issue of paying tithes has become a thing of confusion and debate by different Christian denominations. Some see it as mandatory while others see it as exploitative and unbiblical. Some even believe that when it is paid, it goes into the pastor’s pocket; so they would rather keep their moneys than enrich the pastors.

Tithe is the one-tenth of an individual’s income which he/she pays to God as a way of appreciating him for securing his business or job. It is instructed by God that it should be paid from our incomes (Malachi 3:10), and on our lands (Lev.27:30).

Our patriarchs Abraham and Jacob paid tithes (Gen.14:18-28, 28:22), and we are to follow their example by giving what belongs to God to him. God declared in Malachi 3:8-12 that we rob him if we do not pay our tithes; he also challenged us to pay up and see if he would not protect our establishments, and also release his divine blessings upon our lives.

What did Jesus say concerning tithe?
Jesus said “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matt.23:23) KJV.

Do you now see the portion “this ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone?” He did not in any way say he had abolished tithing; he only condemned the act of selective implementation. He condemned the act of doing one and neglecting the other; he made it clear that tithing and judgment, mercy and faith were all necessary, and that one should not be shoved aside because we want to observe the other.

We should therefore be careful when we preach the word of God and be sure we rightly interpret what is written therein. We should not seek to be heroes by deliberately omitting some portions of God’s word. When we are tempted to do so, we should remember what is written in Rev.22:18-19.

By the way, why do we have to pay tithes?
Tithes are paid so that there is abundance in the house of God (Mal.3:10), to honour God (Prov.3:9), and to make sure the house of God is well maintained and the church workers are taken care of.

It is not our duties to determine who eats the tithes; we pay it to God and receive our blessings for being obedient. God on the other hand chooses his pastors, priests or Levites as the case may be and gives them permission to eat from that which is paid to him (God). We should therefore remove our eyes and attention from that which is not ours so that we could receive God’s blessing. We lose our blessings when we pay our tithes grudgingly.

We also pay it as a way of providing spiritual insurance for our businesses, and rebuking the devourer from them. Disobeying God’s order has led many business men and workers into losing their businesses and jobs. A lot of people have lost their life investments to fraudsters because of their refusal to pay their tithe. So pay yours and ask God to use it as a contact point to bless you and your business.

Abortion; Is ItThe OnlyOption?

Abortion is the emptying of the pregnant uterus before the 28th week. It can be spontaneous (occurring on its own) or induced (intentional); when it is induced, it means it has been deliberately initiated by a person (qualified or otherwise) for reasons believed to be in the interest of the mother and family.

For the sake of clarity, we shall be concerned about induced abortion. It is intentionally getting rid of the foetus for medical or aesthetic reasons; a young lady gets pregnant and the doctor feels that she might not be able to deliver the baby either because her reproductive system is still immature or because it would endanger her life.

Induced abortion could either be legal, in which case the law permits that it should be carried out in order to save the life of the mother; or it could be criminal, in which case it is done for reasons other than those permitted by the law. There are risks involved in either case, but the advantage has to be weighed against the disadvantage before a legal abortion is contemplated.

Why Should There Be An Induced Abortion?
The medical team feels that allowing the pregnancy to continue would definitely endanger the mother’s life. This could be as a result of the fact that the woman has a medical challenge e.g. congestive cardiac failure, severe sickle cell crisis, chronic renal failure, etc, and if the pregnancy is not terminated she could die as a result of excessive stress.

It could also be contemplated if it is feared that the foetus is going to be born with severe deformity as a result of conditions like Rubella (German measles) of the pregnant mother; or in a situation where an ultra sound scan shows that the unborn baby has Amelia (absence of limbs), Anencephalous (without brain), etc. The medical team may decide to terminate such pregnancy to save the mother from mental stress.

Criminal abortion on the other hand involves terminating the pregnancy for other reasons not permitted by law e.g. when a lady feels that pregnancy would make her not look young and beautiful anymore; or when she feels she is not yet ready to have a baby, or when the family feels having a child outside of wedlock would tarnish the family name.

What Does The Bible Say?
“Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13; Deut.5:17; Matt.5:21). God does not permit killing or murder for any reason especially when it has to do with satisfying your selfish interest. We should be aware that the foetus is a human life and has the right to live. We must not pretend by calling it another name or assume that it is too small to be considered a human being. Humans don’t carry the zygote of goats, dogs, horses, crocodiles, etc; they carry only human zygote. So, when the male and female gametes unite, the product is a human being (living), and within a short time all the human parts become obvious.

Why Should We Not Carry Out An Abortion?
1.It is against God’s desire and law
2.It leads to termination of human life
3.It destroys the lives of future leaders, scientists, teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, business men, soldiers, etc
4.It could become septic and endanger the life of the mother
5.It could become complicated, thereby making the woman unable to have children when she is ready
6.It brings guilt feelings to the person involved.

When you are contemplating an abortion, you must think of whom to obey; whether God, professional ethics, your personal beauty or family name. It may be justifiable to terminate a pregnancy because the baby is already dead or macerated; or because of the fact that the Ultra Sound Scan showed that it has anencephalus. For any other reason (maybe for the mother’s health, Rubella, etc), allow God to decide what happens next.

If you ever get pregnant accidentally, kindly carry the pregnancy to term; have the baby. If your family refuses to accept the baby, and you are not ready to take responsibility, you should give it to the motherless babies’ home where it could be nursed or where somebody would legally adopt the baby.

10 Reasons Why People Go To Church

There are several reasons why people go to church nowadays, some of which include in order to follow God’s directives, and to worship him in holiness. Others go there for selfish motives, just to please themselves; not minding what God thinks of them.

The reasons why people go to church therefore include the following:
1. To Seek God: there are genuine seekers of God, who come to the church because they feel that it is the right place to meet with God. They come with contrite hearts; they are ready to do whatever would bring them into a better fellowship with their maker. They listen to what the pastor says, compare it with the scripture, and allow it to impart their lives positively. Their primary reason for being there is because they need a change in their lives. These are the true followers/worshippers of God.

2. To seek for partners: there are those who believe that the best place to get a genuine life partner is the church. So they come there primarily to look for a wife or husband; and they may not have a place in their hearts for the word of God to dwell. Once they get what they want, they take their leave. These ones could easily be deceived by the devil, and by pretence from the persons they have chased into the church, and eventually most of them end up getting a counterfeit partner. Just as they came for the sole purpose of getting a partner, so also are there others who came for the same reason, and have no word of God in them. They eventually end up linking up with one another.

Unequal Yoke; What Does It Mean?

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” (2Cor.6:14). Christ expects his followers to maintain a close relationship with themselves, especially when it comes to spiritual things, and maintain a lesser one with unbelievers.

Unbelievers are those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, and as such, they are not a part of his fold. He demands that his sheep be separate from them so as not to be corrupt. True believers therefore should know their limit when it comes to relating with unbelievers. He is not saying that they should not relate at all with the unbelievers; rather he is asking that they should not become intimate with them.

Why should there be a separation?

1. Belief: two people cannot work together except there is an agreement. The believers in Christ and the unbelievers do not share the same belief; so it would be very difficult for them to work harmoniously since there is no basis for them to agree with one another. For instance, the believers accept that Jesus Christ is lord but the unbelievers don’t. Christ’s followers also accept the reality of heaven and hell fire: but those who are not his followers don’t share this reality. So it would be wise for believers to separate themselves from people who are capable of making them lose their belief.

2. No fear of God: anyone who has no Jesus Christ in his life has no fear for God: so it is potentially harmful for God’s children to associate with such persons. The reason why such people lie, fornicate, rebel against authority, etc. is because they do not have the fear of God in their lives. In order to guard his children, Jesus has therefore advised them not to mingle with such people.

3. Practice of evil: Unbelievers also indulge in ritual killings, idolatry, fetishism, etc, and God had on several occasions warned his children to have nothing to do with these kinds of practices. It is therefore necessary to separate themselves from anyone capable of influencing them into doing that which would offend God.

4. Polygamy / divorce: Monogamy is one of the hallmarks of Christianity, and God does not take it kindly with any Christian who goes into polygamy. Polygamy remains one of the hallmarks of the unbelievers; since they have contrasting ideologies, it would be wise to separate them.

Unequal yoke makes people with different opinions, ideologies and perceptions to be brought into a relationship that would not produce anything good. People of God should be aware of these differences, and seek to establish relationships with fellow believers that would help them grow in their spiritual lives and enhance their doctrinal beliefs.

Why We Must Not Neglect The Power Of The Holy Spirit

“You are completely empty; you need the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome your present predicament”, the Pastor said, as Jonathan remained mute and stared into space. He looked puzzled and continued to stare from one face to the other.

Jonathan was a new convert in one of the Pentecostal churches; he had become enthusiastic about joining the church’s evangelism team. Though he had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit; he felt his enthusiasm and academic knowledge would be enough to make him succeed.

Some members of the team had advised him to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit, since he could never use human wisdom and academic prowess to convert souls for Christ. He argued that as a young man with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language, he knew the right tenses to apply in preaching the gospel. He felt his oratory would be enough to win the hardest of souls to Christ.

Besides, Jonathan did not even believe in demons and their manipulative powers. He concluded that demons existed in some people’s imagination, and that it was more of illusion than reality.

But on that particular morning, he had gone out for open-air preaching, in company of three other members of the evangelism team. They got to the bus stop where he was to preach; and as soon as he stepped forward and shouted ‘praise the lord’, a young man appeared from nowhere and pointed his finger at him. He lost his voice and became disorientated to persons and time. The members of the team managed to rush him to the church, where the pastor prayed for him before he regained his voice and senses.

So many believers today try to import their intellectualism into the church and feel they could do without the Holy Spirit: they end up committing spiritual blunders, because spiritual assignments are not done by academic knowledge. They require spiritual knowledge and the backing of the Holy Spirit to do them successfully.

Having given your life to Jesus Christ, you need to ask him to fill you with the baptism of the Holy Spirit as he promised (Acts2:38-39). Believe that the gift would be given to you. Give thanks to God because of the assurance that the Holy Spirit’s baptism would be given to you. If you believe and maintain your faith, Jesus will fill you with this power. He has always given to those who believe in him; so he will also give to you because he keeps his word. He knows the challenges that you would face as you go about doing his work; he’s interested to empower you so you would succeed in doing the work he has called you to do.

7 Reasons Why You Need The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the single most important source of help that every child of God needs in order to lead a good Christian life. Without him in our lives, we can never live lives that would satisfactorily please God. Every believer must therefore seek to have him in their lives.

When the Holy Spirit dwells in our lives, there are several things he would help us to do as Christians.

1.He makes us holy: We are told that we must be holy if we are to be relevant in God’s kingdom. We can only get the power to live holy lives through the Holy Spirit. Every believer should therefore submit to him and ask him to make them holy. (Rom.15:16; Thess.2:13; 1st Pet.1:15-16)

2.He links us to God: It is the Holy Spirit that establishes the link between us and God; because it is impossible for us to see God with our canal eyes. Every believer should seek his help, so as to be able to enjoy a better relationship with God. (John 15:26)

3.He gives us new life: We cannot see God with our sin-infested, corrupt, old bodies. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit renews us and gives us the spirit that is acceptable unto God (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5)
4.He reveals God secrets: There are things God has kept away from the canal man; which would only be revealed to those who have his spirit. When the Holy Spirit dwells in you, he reveals those special secrets to you. (1Cor.14:16-18)

5.He brings us into fellowship: He brings us into fellowship with himself and with God. There are lots of benefits we derive from enjoying a fellowship with him. He shows us things to come; he reveals the truth about Jesus Christ and helps us to live a good Christian life. (2Cor.13:14; Phili.2:1)

6.He will raise us from the dead: The hope of any Christian is that he should be raised from the dead, into the kingdom prepared by Christ; where he would live for eternity. This hope could only be realized by the power of the Holy Spirit. You are sure of your resurrection on the last day, if you have him in your life (Rom.8:11)

7.He gives us talents: All the talents we need to succeed in our Christian lives, and to earn a living, come from him. He gives to us as he wishes. (Ex.31:2-3)

You need to surrender to Jesus Christ as your lord and personal saviour, and then you can ask him to fill you with the promised Holy Spirit. If you want to give your life to him, you may say this simple prayer: Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. I accept you as my lord and saviour, because I know you died to set me free from sin and death. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit, that I might be able to live a successful Christian life. Thank you for granting my request. Amen.

Holy Spirit; Why We All Need Him

The Holy Spirit is needed by everyone who wants to succeed in his/her Christian life; he plays an important roll in our growth as believers. He is a part of the trinity (Three-in-one God); and was promised to al Christians by our lord Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit is essential to all believers for the following reason:
1.He is our teacher: He teaches us all spiritual truths, and makes us remember all we have learnt. We therefore need him if we are to make it as student of the kingdom (John 14:26)

2.He encourages us: Heavenly race is such a challenging one, with trials, temptations and tribulations which could easily make us fall along the way. The Holly Spirit keeps encouraging us as we are faced by these challenges, and keeps us moving toward our goal. His presence in our lives makes the race an easier one to run (Act 9:31).

3.Helps us to pray: Sometimes we become confused as to how to pray and what to ask from God. Sometimes we are too tired to pray, and when we kneel down we just keep struggling. At times like these, he comes in to assist us: he then directs us on what to say and also gives us the strength to pray (Romans 8:26-27).

4.He convicts us of sin: Everyone was a sinner before accepting Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and personal saviour. Occasionally we still get caught in the web of sin; it takes only the presence of the Holy Spirit for one to agree he’s truly a sinner, because he convicts us of our sin, and brings us to genuine repentance (John 16:8).

5.He empowers us: we would be powerless as Christians, without his presence in our lives. It is he who gives us the power we need for evangelism, and to succeed in our tedious ministries. Our Christian success does not depend on physical strength; rather, it depends on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (Act 1:8; 6:6-10).

6.He counsels us: The Holy Spirit also advices us whenever we are making decisions, to ensure we do not make decisions that would lead us into danger and destruction. He helps us to take decisions that is best for whatever situations we find ourselves in (John 14:16)

7.Helps us overcome Satan: Without the Holy Spirit, Satan would destroy us in a twinkle of an eye; since we cannot withstand him with our natural strength. He provides us with the weapons needed to overcome Satan and stand to resist temptations that he brings on our ways (Eph 6:16-18).

8.He directs us: He also provides us the direction we need to take in our day to day work, and as we interact with others. We saw how he led Evangelist Philip to the way leading to Gaza, so as to preach the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch who needed salvation at that point in time (Ps 143:10; Act 8:29-39).

9.He controls us: We could be wild in our natural state; we could react negatively and aggressively when provoked. But he gives us self-control, and makes us see reason why we must not react in an unacceptable way (Rom 8:9). We need this great tool to be able to fit properly into society and touch people with our positive approach to life.

10. He admonishes us: He boldly tells us what our friend and families may not be able to tell us. He reproves when we do what is wrong: he does not pamper us. When he sees us doing what is against God’s standards, he immediately frond at it and point out to us, in other to save our soul from hell fire. (Neh.9:30).

How To Make Your Light Shine Before men

Christians are lights, and as such; they are expected to shine for the world to see. They are to illuminate their environment, so that those who have not known God would see their illumination and seek to know their God (Matt.5:16)

Just as light makes a difference in darkness, so Christians are expected to make a difference in this corrupt world. They are to lead by example: those who have not accepted Jesus Christ into their lives should see the difference in the lives of believers, and then desire to have in their own lives, those virtues that have distinguished believers from the unbelievers.

There are several ways we could shine for the world to see; and by shining and touching their lives with our lights, they would see us as true children of God. This could make them forsake their wicked ways and come into God’s kingdom.

1.Be a peace maker: One thing that would distinguish you as a light is when you become a peace maker. You should be a mediator and settle disagreements between people in your environment. When there are problems or disagreements between two or more people, you should not take side with anyone: rather, you should look for a way to resolve the conflict. (Matt.5:9)

2.Respect the law: You must obey the law if you are to positively influence unbelievers for Christ. You must not be a task evader; you must respect environmental laws, traffic laws, and also respect other people’s rights. By so doing you would earn the respect of the people around you; and they would listen when you tell them about Jesus Christ.

3.Live in harmony: You should live in harmony with all people; you shouldn’t be a trouble maker yourself. Be friendly with your neighbours (Christians and non-Christians): and when they intentionally provoke you, you should not react negatively. (Roms.12:18, 14:19; Heb.12:14, 1Peter 3:11).

4.Forgive others: When you forgive others their sins against you, you prove to them that you are a true follower of Jesus Christ.

5.Love others: Love people irrespective of their background, religion, race, social status, etc. When you do, they become attracted you: then you are able to influence them with your light.

6.Live what you preach: Your neighbours are watching to see you do what you preach. If you live what you preach, your life would influence them positively. They are watching if you steal, lie, fornicate, cheat, gossip, etc. So the best way to impart their lives is, never do a thing that would stain your reputation, or make them see you as a hypocrite.

7.Defend the weak: Be willing to be a mouthpiece for the weak; never join to oppress them. Don’t tolerate injustice or any form of segregation between the rich and the poor. You should ensure that the poor or the down trodden are fairly treated.

God Keeps His Covenant

God is trustworthy: he maintains his word and also respects whatever utterances he makes. He is mindful of his reputation and wants everyone to rely on his word – He keeps his covenant.

When God enters into a covenant with you, he gives himself fully into fulfilling the terms of the agreement. Though he is not compelled to respect the deal, he makes sure he keeps his own part, he does it out of his sincere love and out of respect for his spoken words.

God keeps several kinds of covenant with his children; some of them include:

1.Covenant of blessing: When we show him our sincere love and work in obedience to his word, he enters into an agreement to bless us. He makes sure he keeps to the terms of the agreement. One of the persons who enjoyed this kind of covenant was Noah. We are told in Gen.9:1-3, that God blessed Noah and his sons, and told them to multiply and fill the earth; and because of the existing relationship, Noah and his family were spared when the destructive rain came upon the earth. God blessed him and placed everything at his (Noah’s) command, to eat whatever animal, bird or vegetables he chose to eat. Abraham was also blessed abundantly after God entered into an agreement with him to bless him.

2.Covenant of establishment: When God enters into this kind of covenant with you, he makes sure you are established in every of your endeavors. King David enjoyed this kind of relationship with God and his dynasty of kings was established forever. (2Sam.7:11-16; 1Chr.17:10-14; Ps.89:28). Because of this unending love, David became the source through which the savior of the world, Jesus Christ came; and we all know that Jesus rulership is forever. That is in keeping God’s covenant with King David

3.Covenant of victory: When God establishes such a relationship with you, you will never suffer defeat in the hands of your enemies. He will never let you be humiliated or suffer losses. He keeps you perpetually above your enemies and on top of every situation. King David was a beneficiary and he never lost any battle all his life; even when he chose not to fight back, he still emerged victorious. (1Chr.17:10; Ps.91:14).

Is there anything he has told you he would do for you? Why don’t you trust him? He can never fail to keep his word. He never lies; he is not man that he should lie. He respects his word; he never forgets to do what he says he would do.

I Serve The God Of Prosperity

I have been a born-again Christian for 13 years now and my walk with God has made me discover and understand him the more. I now see him differently from the way I used to see him when I was an unbeliever; I have come to realize that he is a God of prosperity. There is no poverty and failure in him: Every good thing comes from him because he made all things good from the beginning and gave us dominion over all things, including failure and penury.

Examples abound in the scripture, of people whom God prospered and made great. I will only mention few of them because of time.

1.Abraham: God promised in (Gen 12:1-3) that he would make Abraham a great nation, bless him, make his name great and make him a blessing to others. He truly prospered Abraham. We understand he controlled wealth and even had 318 servants whom he fed daily. He became so contented width what he had that when he went to war he refused to take plunders.(Gen 14:14 -23)

2.King David: God also prospered King David and made him very comfortable financially. He was so blessed that he established about 11 different compromise(1 Chr 27:25-31) and was able to make ready abundant provisions for the building of the lord’s house (1 chr.28:2); though it was his son Solomon that would later build the temple.

3.King Solomon: He was another person that enjoyed God’s prosperity. God prospered him and honored him above all other kings. (1Kings 3:13) and when the queen of Sheba paid him a visit, she was dumb struck by the great wealth that oozed around him. She was amazed at King Solomon’s opulence. She respected him because of the number of people feeding from his table, the quality of food, the meat, their apparel, etc. (1Kings10:4-3). He also received several gifts and royalties from different people which made him prosper the more. (1Kings1010-12, 14-17)

What does God’s word say?
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3John 2) KJV. God desires that every of his child should prosper and live healthy life. He wants you to succeed in all spheres of life.

However, for you to enjoy this prosperity, you must believe in God’s word and obey him. His blessings do not come to those who live in habitual sin and are disobedient to his word. Expect him to prosper you as you enjoy a healthy relationship and fellowship with him.

Blasphemy; What Does It Mean?

Blasphemy is something done or said that shows disrespect for God or sacred things. God deserves to be honored and respected in the way we say, act or react to issues regarding him. We blaspheme God when we deliberately do things that will soil his name or show that we have no regard for him.

What amounts to blasphemy?
1.Idolatry: Worshiping idols, or bowing down before graven images amounts to blasphemy before God, because we give the glory that belongs to God, instead to the idols or images. (Neh.9:18; Ez.20:27-27)

2.Involvement in condemnable acts: When people get involved in condemnable acts, like rebellion, they blaspheme God. This was exactly what Lucifer did that cost him his position in heaven (Ez.28:14-18).

3.Persecuting the church: The Apostle Paul confessed being a blasphemer for persecuting the church of Jesus Christ. (1Tim.1:13). Anyone therefore who persecutes the people of God because of their belief, commits the sin of blasphemy.

4.Discrediting Jesus: The Jews kept attacking Jesus because they didn’t believe what he said concerning himself. They even refused to give him credit for most of the works he did. They believed he should not be called the son of God. This in itself amounted to blasphemy. (Matt.9:2-3; Matt.26:64-65; Mrk.2:7; John10:33)

5.Equating Jesus with Satan: Branding Jesus to be the same thing as Satan means blaspheming the name of God. To also say that Jesus uses the power of the devil, amounts to blasphemy (Matt.12:24-27; Mrk.3:22-26)

6.Substituting the Holy Spirit’s glory: When we refuse to give glory to the Holy Spirit for what he has done, or when we chose to give the glory to the devil as the source of a miracle which the Holy Spirit has performed, we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. (Matt.12:31-32)

7.Oppressing the poor: The act of oppressing the poor also amounts to blasphemy in the sight of God. (Josh.2:2-7)

8.Speaking against God’ word: One of the accusations the people brought against Stephen was that he spoke blasphemous words against the holy place and against the law (The word of God’s law). Acts 6:11-13

9.Speaking against God: The son of Shelomith was stoned to death because according to the Jews, he blasphemed by speaking against the lord God. (Lev.24:11-16).

Joy: Is It The Same As Happiness?

Joy and Happiness are two worlds that are interrelated, yet different from each other. People have mistakenly used one for the other, but a closer look at them shows that they are not exactly the same thing. One is based on external or environmental factor, the other comes from within.

Happiness comes from things visible in the external environment- a new car, wining a lottery, success is an examination, a new marriage, promotion, success in a sports competition, or on receiving good news. But joy does not come from the environment or from a piece of good news: it is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). It is given to you as a way of showing that you have matured in the Lord and are already bearing fruit.

Joy can be present even in the midst of suffering, but happiness cannot; because it is dependent on external environment, success or good news. We saw how the Apostles were filled with joy because they were flogged for preaching the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 5; 40-41). Believers are advised to be joyful wherever they experience any form of suffering or persecution for the sake of Jesus Christ (Matt 5:11-12; Rom 5:13; Col 1:42; James 1:2-3; 1Perter 4:13).

Christians are also encouraged to be filled with joy always; there should be no end to the joy experienced by believers - whether things are rosy or not (Phil4:4; 1Thess 5:16). Joy comes in knowing and obeying God; and enjoying a cordial relationship with him. (Psalm 32:11; Rom 5:11).

Its also comes from obeying the Son and remaining in his Love. The Son of God gives it to those who are obedient to his word and commands. Without obeying him and without remaining in his love, you cannot get this joy that comes from him (John 15:9-11). It does not come from outside, it comes from the inside of you for obeying the Son of God.

It is a product of contentment, hope and assurance that comes from the Holy Ghost. Except you have the Holy Spirit, it would be impossible for you to have the true joy in your heart; you may have occasional happiness. The Holy Spirit gives you a joyful and peaceful Spirit as his gift. Nobody else can give it to you, because it is beyond the power of man to give it to you. (Rom 14:17; Rom15:13).

Depending upon God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, makes you get a joyful Spirit that is beyond human understanding; and when you have that, you will never depend on external factors in order to experience joy in your life.

Can We Make God Happy? Find Out How We Can

We can make God happy, just as we can also make our fellow humans. He has emotion which he expresses the same way man does. When he is sad, it shows in his emotion, and he does not know how to hide his feelings because he doesn’t pretend.


It is therefore important that we understand what makes God happy and keep doing them in order to attract his blessings. When we do what pleases him, he gives us that which is our greatest need, even if we do not demand or request for it. You can never be sad yourself if you make him happy. There are several ways we can achieve this and some of them include.

1.Faith in him: One sure way to make God happy is for us to believe in him, believe in his spoken word concerning us and believe in the work of redemption that was accomplished in our behalf at the cross of Calvary. The easiest way to make him sad is to doubt his existence, his omnipresence, omniscience or his omnipotence. When we refuse to believe in his creative powers, and attribute our existence to mere scientific or molecular accident, we show that we have more faith in science than in the God of creation. But when we believe in him, he is pleased with us, and that moves him to grant our requests (Gen.15:6Gal 3:22,Heb11:6)

2.Praise: praising God is another way of making him happy. He does for us what nobody could do; he takes care of our health, he provides our daily needs, he protects us and directs us. We also need to praise him for his greatness, glory, holiness, faithfulness, his salvation, his grace and for his majesty. Praise is a way of showing our appreciation to him: when we appreciate him, he is happy to do more for us. There are means we could adopt to praise his name – singing, dancing, worship, speaking, use of musical instruments, etc (psalm 69:30 Eph5:19)

3.Soul-winning: witnessing to people and leading them out of sin, unto the way of God, is one other way to make him happy. He is so glad to see us saving people and leading them away from the way of hell fire. When we win souls, God is happy because those souls would live in eternal joy (pro 11: 30, mark 16:15)

4.Care for the poor: we can never make him happy when we live in affluence and opulence, while those around us live in penury and lack. He is made happy when we use his blessings to take care of the poor, orphans and widows. He even sees the help rendered to the poor as directly rendered to him (God); for this reason, he opens more channels of blessing for those who help the poor (Prov 14:31, 19:17, 22:9,Matt 25:41-46)

5.Obedience: no father is ever glad when his son disobeys him. In the same vein God is not happy when we refuse to obey him or his word. When we disobey him, it means we have no regard for him; but when we obey him, he is happy with us. (1sam. 15:22, Jer 7:23)

God Speaks To Us; But How?

God speak to us, but not everyone understands when he does. Only those who have trained their minds and spiritual ears, and also disciplined themselves hear his voice and understand. When he talks to us, he expects that as his children, we should listen and do his will.

There are various ways God speaks to his children: some may be familiar with a particular way, others may discern his voice in different ways. Some of the ways he talks to us include:

1.Through the scripture: Everything God desires or wishes for us are in the scripture. His dos and don’ts are all written in his word; so each time we study the scripture we understand his voice. Each time we study his word we hear him saying something to us.

2.The Holy Spirit: God also speaks to us through the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit tells us his mind and his plans for us. He also tells us when God is warning us concerning a particular situation e.g. when there is an impending danger (John 16:13: Acts 13:2-4)

3.Through prayer: when we pray, God reveals his mind to us. If what we are asking agrees with his plans for us, he gives us peace in our spirit after we have prayed. This peace in our spirit lets us understand that what we have asked of God is settled. So if we pray and still have trouble concerning that which we prayed for, it is an indication that God may not be in support of what we intend to do.

4.Revelations: God also speaks to us through revelations; this maybe in form of vision (Acts 16:9-11), a trance (Acts 10:10-16), dream (Gen 37:5-8, Dan 4:5-6), or prophecy (Acts 11:27-28, 21:10-11). The reason he makes some to be prophets and dreamers is that they should be used as vessels to speak to his children. Apart from speaking through the prophets, he also talks to his children using the afore-mentioned mediums, even though are not prophets. He spoke to Peter, Paul, Prophet Agabus, Joseph, king Pharaoh and king Nebuchadnezzar, using one of these means at one time or the other.

5.Other People: God also talks to us through other people; especially more matured Christians, who are able to identify God’s design for us. Sometimes he uses several persons to speak on a single issue in or lives, giving us the conviction that he is the one who is speaking and not just the flesh. (2Tim 1:5)

6.Circumstances: Sometimes he speaks to us through the circumstances we find ourselves in. We may try to do a particular thing, but if God does not support it, we will never succeed in it no matter how much we try. In our sufferings, sometimes he speaks to us and tells us his mind concerning us. Some situations may make us seek him the more and get to understand his mind towards us.

How Do We Know A Man That Loves God?

It is very difficult to know a man that loves God; especially nowadays that religion has become a tag rather than a way of expressing an intimate relationship with the heavenly father. This has made it much harder to understand when people proclaim the name of the lord with the tip of their tongues, but they are far from him in their hearts.

However, there are ways we may understand a man that truly loves God from his heart. Some of the things that would be visible in his life include:

1.He keeps God’s command: Keeping God’s command is one of the ways of showing one’s love for him. Jesus made it clear that it is the man who keeps his commands that truly loves him (John 14:21, 15:10, 1 John 5:3; 2John 6)

2.He believes God: One way we could show we love him, is for us to believe in him: Anyone who does not believe in him does not truly love him. John 6:67-69, 9:35-38, 1 Peter 1:7-8). We are told that Abraham believed in him and it was accounted for him as righteousness: He was also called the friend of God for this reason (James 2:23).

3.He fears him: Having the fear of God is a demonstration of one’s love for him. When we talk about fear here, we are not talking about morbid fear, but reverence for him (Deut.10:12; Job 1:8; Ps.33:8, Phil.2:12)

4.He hates evil: when a man loves the lord, he hates evil because the lord hates evil. In a nutshell, a man who loves the lord would also love what God loves and hate what he hates (Ps 97:10; Prov.8:13; Rom. 12:9). Joseph demonstrated this by refusing to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife, because he understood that the lord hates it. (Gen.39:7-9)

5.He is wholeheartedly devoted to him: Caleb and Joshua proved their love for God by being wholeheartedly devoted to him. When the rest ten spies showed half-hearted devotion, their heart was truly with the lord because they loved him (Numb.32:11-12; Josh.14:9-10). King Hezekiah also did the same thing to show how much he loved the lord (2 Chr.31:21).

6.He loves his presence: Loving the lord’s presence is also another way of showing one’s love for him. The person who loves the lord would want the lord’s presence to be with him at all times (Ps.23:6; 27:4, 51:11, 122:1; Luke 2:49).

7. He loves the brethren: No one can love the Lord if he does not love the brethren (both his blood brothers and Christian brothers). 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; I John 3:10-12, 14-17, 4:7-8, 20-21. He also extends the love to his enemies (Matt.5:43-48).

8.He worships the Lord: True love for the Lord also means worshiping him and taking part in the ordinances of the Christian religion (Ps.30:4, Lk.22:17-19; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor.11:17-34, 14:26, 16:1-2; Col.3:16, 1 Tim.2:8)

9.He wins souls: Winning souls for the Lord is a way of letting him know that you love him, and do not wish to enjoy him alone (Prov.11:30; Matt.28:19; Mk.16:15; Rom.1:14-15; 2Tim.4:2)

10.He lends to the poor: He opens his hands unto the poor, and gives of what the lord has blessed him with unto them (Prov.14:31, 19:17, 21:13, 22:9, 28:27; Heb.6:10).

11.He accepts God’s discipline: The man who loves God accepts his discipline; he does not complain when the lord disciplines him. He accepts the lord’s discipline the same way a child would accept his/her father’s discipline (Deut.8:5, Ps 94:12-13; Heb12:5-12; Rev.3:19).

I Am Not The Andrew

“Are you guilty or not? The lawyer asked, looking intently into the young man’s eyes. He was very sure the young man would be convicted for his heinous crime at the end. But the young man answered, “I am not guilty.’’ Beginning to lose his patience, the lawyer asked again, “Are you Mr. Andrew?‘’ He got the surprise of his life when the man answered, “Yes, but I am not the same Andrew you used to know; I am now a changed
Man.’’

“Is there anything to prove that you are not the Andrew we used to know?” the lawyer asked, becoming more interested in the case. “Yes, there is’’ he answered calmly. Then a gentleman dressed in navy blue suit rose from the crowd: he did not need any formal introduction as he was a respected pastor in one of the Pentecostal churches in town. “I can testify that Mr. Andrew is truly a changed man: the Andrew you declared wanted was a robber, murderer and liar, but the one you have in the dock right now is a righteous man who has been washed and purified in the blood of Jesus Christ.’’

The young man was involved in a bank robbery in company of five of his gang members. It turned out to be a bloody incidence in which all five of his group members and two policemen were killed. He managed to escape and eventually found his way to the church where he confessed his sins before God, and surrendered his gun and ammunition to the pastor. After leading him to Jesus Christ, the pastor persuaded him to turn himself in to the police, because he was already a wanted man. He agreed, and the pastor escorted him to the station where he was arrested and later charged to court for robbery and murder.

Having his listened to the pastor’s testimony, the jury conferred with themselves and agreed to set him free based on the pastor’s testimony. The reputation of the pastor was not in doubt; coming out to stake his reputation on behalf of this young man meant that the man was truly a changed man,’’ they had reasoned. The judge them declared him guilty, but pardoned based on the pastor’s testimony.

In the same vein, so many of us were guilty of one offense or the other; we were at a time thieves, murderers, prostitutes, liars, swindlers, assassins, gun runners, drug barons, political thugs, treasury rooters, involved in ritual murder, occultists, idolaters, adulterers, etc, but when Jesus came into our lives, he waved the guilty verdict passed on us and gave us pardon. He changed us from guilty to innocent, testifying before the father that we were no longer worthy to die as sinners because he has changed us and made us righteous.

If you still find yourself in sin, why not call upon the name of Jesus Christ and ask him to set you free? He would change you the same way he changed Mr. Andrew, and remove the eternal death sentence hanging over your head.

I Deserved To Die, But He Took My Place

I was guilty and deserved to die for my sins; not worthy of any pardon or forgiveness, but Jesus Christ came to my rescue, and he took my place and died for me. Even when death sentence was already pronounced on me (Gen 3:19; Rom 3:23), he knew he could do something to deliver me from the verdict of guilty.

What exactly did he do for me?
1.He came to seek and save me: Jesus knew I was lost in sin so he came to seek and save me from sin. He didn’t want me to be lost in sin forever; so he left his heavenly home of comfort to seek for me (Luke 19:10).

2.He bore my iniquities: the iniquities in my life were too heavy for me to bear, so Jesus came to carry them so that I would no longer struggle under the yoke of my iniquities (Isaiah 53:11-12).


3.He carried my sorrow: Sin brought sorrow into my life and took away my peace. When Jesus Christ came into my life, he took away the sorrow that I might know peace again in my life (Isaiah 53:3).

4.He was punished for my sin: I was supposed to receive punishment for my sin, because I truly deserved it. Jesus pushed me aside and received the punishment due for me (Isaiah 53:5).


5.He brought me healing: He did not only receive the stripes met for my back; he paid duly for my sins and brought healing to my battered soul and body. His stripes removed the sicknesses, diseases and afflictions that were to be upon my life (1 Peter 2:24).

6.Gave his life a ransom for me: somebody needed to pay a ransom before I could be set free from sin. Nobody was qualified to do that for me; only Jesus was. He paid for my sin with his own life that I might live and be free forever (Mark 10:45). He died because he was not willing that I should die. He died an unjust death because he did not commit any evil; no sin or unrighteousness was found in him, yet he did it all because of me (1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Peter 3:18).

7.He reconciled me to God: Sin separated me from God and from his love and mercies; but Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary in order to reconcile me back to God Almighty. He re-established the relationship and fellowship between God and me. (2 Cor. 5:18-19; Eph 2:14-17).

8.He gave me eternal life: Sin came to snuff life out of me; the devil came to destroy me, but Jesus Christ came that I might have life and have it abundantly. He came to give me eternal life (that would never be destroyed), so that I would live forever and enjoy God’s original purpose for my life (John 3:16, 10:10, 28).

Jesus can do the same for you today, only if you are willing to let him come into your life. It would cost you noting to have him in your life; all you need is confess your sins to him, and ask him to have mercy upon you. If you make him your lord and personal saviour, he would give you abundant life and peace.

Are You Sick? Believe God For Your Healing!

Only God can give you the perfect healing you need in this time that there are divers kinds of sicknesses, diseases or afflictions everywhere in the world. Doctors may treat you; nurses may administer medications, but healing comes only from above.

What kinds of healing can God give?
The bible makes us understand that God can handle all situations; he can cure all manners of sicknesses. The bible gave us some examples of diseases and conditions that were cured by the power of God in the name of Jesus Christ.

1.Leprosy: Leprosy is one of those diseases known to develop resistance to drug treatment and even become chronic. It causes deformity to different organs of the
body. This kind of disease got Instant and permanent healing at the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of God (Matt. 8:2-3; Lk.5:12-13,17:12-14)

2.Blindness: Blindness also got cured by the power of God, and at the name of Jesus
Christ (Mark 10: 46; John 9:8-24)

3.Lameness: we are also told that even the lame who had faith got healed and their joints became strengthened immediately (Acts 3: 2-8; 14:8-10)

4.Epilepsy: the description of the disease condition in Mark 9: 17-27 showed that the patient actually suffered from epilepsy. But when Jesus Christ came into the picture, he received instant healing as the spirit behind the disease left.

5.Fever: the bible also recorded that when Peter’s mother-in-law was sick of fever, it was Jesus who healed her (Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1.30-31)

6.Gynaecological problem: The woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years got healed by Jesus Christ after she had wasted all her life’s saving on orthodox medicine to no avail (Matt.9:20-22; Mark5:25-31)

7.Chronic illnesses- the man who had a chronic illness for 38 years received his healing by the power of God (John 5:5-9)

8.Paralysis: the paralysed were also among those who were healed by the power of the almighty (Luke 5: 5-29).

9.Deformity: God also has the power to repair deformities. Deformed hand got straightened out at the name of Jesus Christ (luke6:8-10)

10.Unclean spirits: Unclean spirits were also cast out in the name of Jesus Christ,.and those who had suffered some form of psychiatric symptoms got restored to their normal minds (Mark 5:2, 8-9, 13-15).

The bible says that anyone that is sick should ask the elders of the church to pray for him or her, and the prayer of faith shall make the person whole. Are you sick? Why don’t you believe Jesus for your healing? Believe in his name, trust in his ability to heal and you will be made whole. He has power over all kinds of sicknesses. He has dominion over the devil.

Positions For Prayer

God is a prayer answering God, and the positions you adapt while praying does not determine whether it would be answered or not. His ears are always open to receive our petitions or cries, not minding the position we adopt while making such request.

What positions should we use while praying?

1.Standing: We can pray to God while standing on our feet. Solomon made his request unto God by standing before the altar (1Kings8:22). The Levites and others also prayed to God by standing on the stairs. (Neh.9:4-5)

2.Sitting position: Prayers could be made in a sitting position. King David also approached him by sitting before him (Chr.17:16). People can also pray, sitting in sackcloth and ashes (Lk.10:13)

3.Bowing down: Prayer could also be made bowing down. Moses prayed to God in this position asking him to lead his people, and his request was granted. God did not decline because he prayed with his head bowed. (Ex.34:8). King David even called his people to join him in worship and bow down before God. (Ps.95:6)

4.Kneeling down: This is about the most popular position adopted by people while praying. It was mostly used in the old times, but it’s now being gradually replaced with standing position. Ezra, Daniel and the Apostle Paul used this position at one time or the other while praying to God. (Ezra9:5; Dan.6:10; Acts 20:36)

5.Lifting up your hands: Prayers could also be made with our hands lifted up. David appealed to God to answer him each time he lifted up his hands towards his holy oracle. (Ps.28:2). The Apostle Paul also encouraged believers to pray, lifting up their holy hands, without wrath and doubt. (1Tim.2:8).

6.Lying down: We can also pray in lying positions. Both King David and our lord Jesus Christ used that position at least once (2Sam.12:16; Matt.26:39).

7.Inside your room: We can also pray in our room (closet) and God would listen. Closing our doors does not shut him out of our life. When Prophet Elisha prayed to God to restore the life of the Shunammite woman’s son, he stayed in the room and shut the door behind him. (2Kings4:33). Jesus also advised us to pray in the room, with our door shut (Matt.6:6)

8.Outside: Prayers could be made outside, but not as the Pharisees do. You should not pray in public so as to be seen and praised by men; you should pray when an immediate situation demands that. Joshua prayed in the public, in the middle of a battle because he had no time to leave the enemies and rush into the house to pray (Joshua 10:12).

Each time you approach God, have confidence that he would hear you, irrespective of the position you use. The most important thing God needs from you is a clean heart and holy hands.

Will Jeus Christ Still Come?

The question as to whether the lord Jesus would return has remained both interesting, controversial and of great concern. A lot of people now believe that his return is no longer feasible; some others feel it is only a story fabricated to make them remain faithful to the lord. However, some who understand the word of God are sure of his return.

The Bible says in the book of Acts1:9-11, that the same Jesus which is taken up from us into heaven, shall in the same manner come back. When he comes back, all eyes shall see him (Luke 21:27)

Who is he coming for?
The word of God makes us to understand that Jesus’ coming would be to take his chosen ones, so they would go and dwell with him forever in the place he has prepared for them John14:4; 1Thes.4:16-17). The use of the word ‘the dead in Christ’ implies those who served Christ before their death would rise first. Apart from the dead, those who belong to him and are still alive by the time of his second coming would also be taken.

Why would he come?
There are several reasons why he would come again, some of which include:

1.To judge the world: The book of Rev.20:12 says that books would be opened through which judgment would be delivered to the dead. Any body whose name is not found in the book of life shall be condemned in the lake of fire.

2.To reward his followers: Jesus Christ said “And behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give everyman according as his work shall be: Rev.22:12 (KJV). Every man who has worked for God expects one reward or the other, and the coming of our lord Jesus is to ensure that those who have worked for God are duly rewarded.

3.To decorate us: Jesus has designed for us different kinds of crowns and ornaments that would be used to decorate those who had worked for him, endured temptations here on earth and had remained faithful to him. It shall be more of a decoration event when he comes. (2Tim.4:8, James1:12, 1Peter5:4, Rev.2:10).

4.To take us into his kingdom: His coming would also be to take us into his kingdom where we shall dwell with him forever. 1Tim.4:14-17

When will he come?
The bible says that no one knows when the lord Jesus Christ will come back, but one thing is certain; Jesus will one day come back for his people. (Matt.24:36, 42-44). We must therefore be fully prepared since we do not know when he would return. We must depart from sins and iniquities, so that they won’t deprive us the opportunity to enter heaven.

Faith; Its Importance To A Christian

Faith is the nucleus of Christianity; it is directly responsible for the step taken to accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives. It is the basis for which we trust God whom we have never seen with our eyes, and allow him to become the master of our lives.

Faith motivates us to take steps that improve our Christian experience and helps us to become more mature, and more dependent upon our Lord Jesus Christ. There are several benefits we derive from having faith.

1.It brings forgiveness: forgiveness of sin is a product of faith. If we believe in God and in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness or remission for our sins. (Act10:43; Rom 10:11; Gal 3:22).

2.It gives us eternal life: we cannot receive eternal life except we believe (have faith) in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the only price we are asked to pay to obtain the ticket to eternal life. We only need to believe in Jesus Christ in order to get the link and grace that would take us into his kingdom where we will dwell with for eternity (John 3:14-16).

3.It makes us God’s children: faith is the only ingredient needed to become the children of God. You do not need to pay a bribe or swell an affidavit in a law court; all you need is believe in Jesus Christ and you are granted the status of a son (John 1:12; John 12:36; Gal 3:26).

4.It brings joy: faith brings immeasurable joy into our heart. When the prison warder that was in charge of Paul and Silas believed God and received Christ into his life, the first thing he experienced was the joy of the Holy Spirit filling his heart. He went ahead to celebrate his newness of life and the immeasurable joy that came into his heart (Acts 16:34).


5.We gain access to God: faith also brings boldness and unrestricted access to God. When we have it we have access to him and it keeps building our confidence in him (Eph 3:1-12)

6.We are justified: sin brings condemnation into our lives and makes us not qualified to stand in God’s presence, but faith makes us righteous (without guilt and condemnation) and approved before him (Rom 3:28. Gal 2:16)

7.We receive salvation: freedom from sin comes only by believing in the work of salvation which Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary. All we need to get salvation is to first believe that Jesus died for us and was raised from the dead by God (Act 16:30-31; Rom 10:9)

8.We are free from Spiritual death: when we die the physical death we shall not die the spiritual death if we believe in him (John 11:25-26)


9.God’s peace is ours: nothing brings true and lasting peace into our heart but our faith in him. No man can give it to us, only God can. (Rom 5:1).

The Reward For Obedience

No body loses anything by obeying the word of God; rather we have everything to gain by living in obedience to his instructions. When God gives an instruction he looks for someone who would carry it out and receive his blessings. Obey his word and see the benefits it would bring into your life.

What do we get by Obeying?

1.Healing: Naaman was a respected and influential army general, but he suffered from leprosy for several years. He tried his hands on all known remedies but none cured his malady. The day he obeyed the simple instruction from Prophet Elisha and dipped himself into River Jordan was the day he received healing for his disease condition; (2Kings 5:1, 10, 14). His arrogance and disobedience did not help his condition; the only thing he needed that could heal him was obedience to the instruction of God’s prophet.

2.Righteousness: Abraham was declared righteous not only because he had faith but because he balanced his faith with obedience. We all know that faith without work is dead, so the work he did was to obey God’s instruction to leave his father’s land for a place God would show him. The second work he did was to obey God when he was asked to sacrifice his only son Isaac. (Gen 12:1-5; Gen22:1-3)

3.Long life: God promised to give long life to those children that would honor their father and mother (Ex 20:12; prov.6:20-23; Eph 6:1-3). The reason you would enjoy long life is not just because you honour your parents but because you have actually obeyed God’s word which says you should do so.

4. Safety: All the people who disobeyed God’s word in Noah’s generation died. Only Noah and his family were saved because they chose to obey God’s word. Obeying his word actually keeps you from destruction. (Gen 6:7-8)

5.Prosperity: The lord instructed the children of Israel to keep his word: they would only prosper by obeying his word. The same way he expected the Israelites to obey his word and prosper is the way he still expects us to be obedient to his instructions today. (Joshua 1:8)

6.Salvation: Obedience to God’s word can also bring salvation to other people. The scripture revealed that Evangelist Philip obeyed the simple instruction from the angel of the lord, asking him to go to the way that led to Gaza. When he followed that instruction he met the Ethiopian Eunuch who eventually received salvation (Acts 8:26-28). The second person whose obedience brought salvation to somebody else was peter. He obeyed God’s order to go to the house of Cornelius, and that brought salvation to Cornelius’ family. (Acts 10:19-21, 44-48).

There is no better way to get God’s reward than to live in obedience to his word. When you obey him, he feels honored by you and pours out his divine blessings upon your life.

How To Overcome temptations

Temptation is one thing every child of God must face at one time or the other as long as he/she lives on this corrupt earth which is under the control of Satan. You should not let your mind be troubled because God has made provisions for you to overcome every trial that will come your way.

Temptation is one of those things that remind us of the challenges of the heavenly race, the presence of the devil, and the need for us to remain strong and committed as we await the second coming of the lord Jesus Christ. It also makes us conscious of the fact that Jesus loves us; and that makes the devil jealous of us. However, God has made provisions for us to overcome temptations as they come our way. Some of the things we could do to over come temptation includes:

1.Study God’s word: When you study God’s word, it helps you to over come each time you are tempted. A good example is seen in the scriptures: When Jesus was tempted by the devil, the only weapon he kept using to gain victory over the devil was the word of God; hence the use of term, “It is written….’’ (Matt.4:4, 7, 10).
When your heart is filled with God’s word, you become fully equipped to overcome the devil and his antics.

2.Pray always: One other way we can overcome temptation is to pray always. Prayer makes us spiritually strong: It is a very potent weapon against the devil and his devices. Jesus advised his disciples to pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptations. (Mark14:38; Luke 22:40, 1Thes.5:18). In the same vein, we are expected to pray always as we are facing the same devil that the disciples faced in their time.

3.Be On Your Guard: You must be on your guard; you must be at alert and know when your friends want to lure you into things that will destroy your spiritual life. Avoid friends that are potential sources of temptation – smokers, thieves, drunkards, womanizers, rascals etc.

4.Control what you watch: Controlling what you watch also means controlling the rate and manner you are tempted. Your eyes and mind are very good instruments through which the devil could gain access into your life and tempt you. If you avoid things like pornographic films/magazines, crime novels or movies, etc, you would also be able to minimize your exposure to the sources of temptation, and so you easily overcome temptations too.

5.Resist the devil: One other sure way to overcome temptation is for you to resist the devil. How do you resist the devil? Simply take an example from what Jesus did when he was tempted by the devil – he just kept rejecting whatever suggestions the devil presented to him. When you refuse to accept whatever suggestions the devil gives you, it means you have resisted him. When you resist him he will leave you alone. (James 4:7).

6 Things God Cannot Do

God is very reliable and trust worthy: When he says a thing or makes a promise, he brings it to pass. This has made his children to keep trusting him and depending on him always. However, there are things that he is incapable of doing just because they are not in his nature to do so.

Some of the things God can never do include:
1.Lie: God’s word is always true. When he says a word, it can be verified anywhere and found to always be true. It is impossible for him to lie, because he is not a man that could lie. He ceases to be God the day he lies. Check his word; everything he said has remained true for generations and will still remain true for generations to come, because truth is constant. (Num. 23:19, Ps 89:35, Tim 1:2; Heb 6:18)

2.Sleep: Everyone sleeps: even the security men sleep. But God’s watchful eyes are always open to keep watch over our lives. He does not sleep, neither does he slumber. He can never be taken unawares by events or things. His security network can never be porous. He is awake 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week, 4 weeks of the month, 12 month of the year and 52 weeks of each leap year. His eyes never grow heavy with sleep: he is always alert (Ps 121:3-4

3.Forsake his children: he cannot disappoint his children that put their trust in him. Though he works according to his plans or timetables, He does not disappoint (Ps 22:5)

4.Change: God does not change. Events may change, circumstances may change, but he remains the same. Nothing can ever make him to change his nature- His love, mercy, compassion, might, etc. (Matt 3:6; Heb 1:12; 13:8; Rev 1:4). He remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

5.Fail: people may fail you; friends may fail, family members may fail you, but God never fails. He is always there by you; he is always there to keep his promises. Sometimes your education, wealth, power and influence may all fail you: it is only God that never fails. He is ever reliable (Deut 31:16; 1Chr. 28:20; Heb 13:5; 1pet 4:19).

6.Repent: God is the final judge of all things: when he does a thing, he does it from his conviction that it is the best thing to do. He never repents after making a decision or doing a thing. Everything he does is right (Eze. 24:14).

So you can depend on him for your protection, care, love, etc, because he is very reliable. Knowing the fact that he does not change means that you can expect him to do for you the same thing he did in the Abrahamic, Mosaic or the Apostolic times.

The Greatest Lover Ever

Love means different things to different people; and people have always expressed their love based on the way they understand it. And until we understand its true meaning, we can never give the best of it.

What is love?
Love has different definitions. One of those definitions is that love is an intense feeling of tender affection and compassion toward a person. It is also defined to mean somebody who is loved romantically or sexually. Besides, it is also seen as something that elicits deep interest and enthusiasm in somebody. However, love is not just a feeling; it is a practical thing that involves you having to demonstrate what you feel about a person.

Before we understand what true love is, let us also take a look at some Greek terms which describe some types of love. They are: 1.Agape Love: This is selfless, caring and concerned love. 2. Philos: It is a ‘give and take’ relationship based on equal friendship from two people. It is more of a symbiotic affair where no one is gaining at the expense of the other. 3. Libido: This involves physical intimacy and sexual attraction. It is based purely on deriving sexual gratification. 4. Ludus: It is simply playful, light and pleasant relationship. 5. Eros: It is romantic and passionate attraction between two persons and involves sexual desire and pleasure.

When Jesus Christ came, he showed us the Agape love, which is the altruistic, sacrificial and selfless love. He loved us without expecting anything from us in return. We sacrificed his life to show to us that he is the best lover we could ever have. He left his exalted position in heaven and came to dwell with us on this corrupt earth. He felt our infirmities; he shared our poverty, he tasted our pains and he was punished for our sins. No lover would ever take all that for the sake of love where he stands to gain nothing. But Jesus Christ endured all the insults and public humiliation because he thought of our best. He is the greatest lover the world has ever known. Nobody would ever show a true, sacrificial, undiluted and altruistic love like Jesus did.

Some have tried to imitate the love of Christ, but withdrew when the challenges became too much to bear. Some gave love only for selfish reasons; they gave because they expected something in return. Some also gave because of lust or sexual attraction. Only Jesus can truly be seen as the selfless lover.

How Does God React To Our Sins?

God loves us and wants to keep us to himself, making sure we are not contaminated but remain pure before him. He reacts when we are defiled by sin because he is righteous and cannot put up with unrighteousness. When we therefore choose to dwell in sin, he reacts negatively toward our decision.

Some of the negative emotions God shows toward our sin include:
1.He is angry: God can be angry when we choose to be unreasonable and provoke him by our actions. We are told that when the Israelites grumbled before him and doubted his capabilities, he became angry and sent down his fire against them (Psalm 78:19-21). John 3:36 says that anyone who refuses to believe in Jesus Christ shall not see life but the anger of God.
2.He hates sin: Sin is repugnant to God; he is righteous and cannot condone sin. God hates anything that constitutes a sin (Psalm 5:5; Proverbs 6:16-19). Living in sin means provoking Gods hatred. He can never love sin, neither can he stand the sight of it.
3.He punishes sin: God does not only hate sin, he also punishes it. Several times in the bible we are told how the Israelites were punished because of their disobedience to God. When Adam and Eve sinned against God they were punished (Gen 3:15-19; Isaiah 3:11-26; Amos 3:2)

However, God in his loving kindness still handles our sin in a positive way by:

1.Forgiving sin: He forgives the sin of those who genuinely repent, because he is a merciful God Ex 34:6-71 John 1:9
2.Removing sin: He also removes our sins and makes us justified to stand before his throne of grace (Psalm 103:8-12)
3.Putting sin behind his back: He also forgives our sins and puts them behind his back and completely forgets them when we repent from them (Isaiah 38:17)
4.By casting away our sins: when God forgives us our sins he casts them totally away into a place where he would never remember them any more. (Maiah 7:19)
5.By blotting out our sins: To blot out our sins is to hide them away completely from God’s sight. When we are forgiven, the original sins we committed no longer stare at us in the face; they are taken away from us (Isaiah 44:22)
6.By forgetting our sins: When he forgives us, he does not dwell on our past records or life; they are totally forgotten. (Jer. 31:34)
7.By allowing his son Jesus Christ to die for us: In our fallen and sinful state, he showed us love by allowing his son Jesus Christ to die for us even when we do not merit it. That action in itself shows how great the love and mercy he has for us are. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10)

We should therefore see God as a worthy father who shows us his love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness, but who would at the same time punish sins and displays his anger if we choose to live a life that does not please him.

Who Should We Love?

Love is one of ingredients that keep the world moving: without it there would be lots of hate, prejudice, murder, oppression, victimization, etc. But as believers there is a standard set for us by our Lord Jesus Christ, which we must follow religiously if we’re to be like him.

Jesus instructed us to love certain categories of people in order to show to the world that we are his true disciples.

1.Love God: According to Jesus Christ, the first and greatest commandment is that we should love God with our heart, soul and mind (Matt 22:37-38; Mark 12:29-30). The love for God should supersede that which we have for any other person or being, because he deserves the number one place in our hearts.

2.Our neighbours: Jesus also said that next to loving God is that we should love our neighbours as ourselves (Matt 22:39-40; Mark 12-31). Why should we love our neighbours next to God? It is because if we love our neighbours we would not sin against them (Rom 13:9).

3.Strangers: Both the Old and New Testaments admonish us to love strangers because we were strangers, we are going to be stranger one day, and because there are rewards for loving them. (Lev. 19:34; Dut 10:19, Heb 13:2)

4.All men: The word of God advises us to do good to all men, especially those who are of the household of faith (believers). Doing good is not implying we should be moralistic; rather it is saying we should do good to them out of a heart of love. The good deeds should be motivated by true love for them (Gen. 6:10)

5.Our enemies: Jesus Christ also made it clear we should not limit ourselves to loving only those who love us and hating those who hate us, just like the pagans do. Rather he instructed us to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…“(Matt 5:43-48, Rom. 12:20-21, Ex. 32:4-5, Prov. 25:21-22).

We must therefore be able to see everybody just the same way our Lord Jesus sees them, and treat them the way he expects us to treat them. We should be lavish in giving out love because it is one of those attributes that differentiate us from pagans. When we love generously we show that we belong to Christ and that lives in us

Why We All Need Jesus Christ

Sin reduced man far below the level God placed him at the beginning and separated him from his maker, therefore making it impossible for him to realize his full potential and enjoy all the promises God made for him. Man therefore needs Jesus Christ to help him out of his predicament since he cannot help himself no matter how much he tries to.

We Need Jesus Christ To Deliver Us Because Of The Following:
1.We are all living in Sin: The word of God makes us realize that everybody is living in Sin and that there is no righteous man (Romans 3:10; Psalm 4:2-3). To further show that the state of Sinfulness of man is deep-rooted, the word of God says that man is conceived in Sin, meaning that man is already a Sinner before birth (Psalm 51:5). It is therefore impossible for anyone to boldly hit his hand on his heart and declare “I am not a Sinner because I do not do anything wrong.” We are already contaminated from birth: so we are not exempted because of our moral works.

2.Our hearts are desperate and wicked: our hearts cannot think anything good or produce anything that can please God because it desperate and wicked. Nothing good comes out of a wicked heart (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Matt 15:18-20). We therefore need somebody who can help re-align our hearts so they could think positively and produce something good. Only Jesus Christ has the power to do that for us.

3.We are condemned to death: a condemned prisoner has no power to grant himself amnesty; he needs one in position of authority to grant him that freedom. Sin came into the world through Adam and spread to his offspring. Neither Adam nor his offspring had the power to set themselves free from the condemnation that sin brought. Only Jesus is able to deliver man from his condemned status (Romans 5:12, Romans 5:15-18; I Cor. 15:22). Only in Christ Jesus can man find life which he lost as a result of Sin.

4.Only Christ is qualified to save us: man’s freedom does not come through political intervention; it comes through atonement of Christ’s righteous blood. No other one or means is good enough to cleanse man from his sin except the blood of the sinless Christ. Only his blood is pure enough to be accepted by God in order to declare man free from his sin. The blood of goats and bulls could not entirely take away the sin of man. (2Cor. 5:21; Heb 4:5, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John).

5.He takes away the sins of the world: the only person God recognizes as one who takes away the sins of the world is Jesus Christ (John 1:29; I John 2:2). This was revealed to John the Baptist through the Holy Spirit. Besides Christ no one else is recognized to take away the sin of man. We therefore need Christ because we are filthy before God. When we allow him a place in our life he will take away our sins and present us pure and whole before God.

How To Obtain Forgiveness For Your Sins

It is an obvious and undisputable fact that we have all sinned against God and need to be forgiven in order to be able to fellowship with him and also enjoy the privilege of heaven. However, there are steps we must take in order to get God’s forgiveness.

To get total forgiveness from God, you need to take the following steps
1.Confess your sins: When you confess your sins God will forgive you because he is a merciful and forgiving God. Confessing your sins shows that you are sorry for them; you have to own up before God that you are a sinner. You do not need to be ashamed to tell him whom you are and what you have been (Psalm 32:5; Prov.28:13; 1 John 1:9).

2.Repent from your sins: To repent is to show that you are sorry for the sins you have committed and when you show remorse God forgives you unconditionally and cleanses you from all unrighteousness (Ezekiel 18:30-31; Acts 3:19-20)

3.Hate your sins: God looks at your heart to see how much you hate your sins. When you truly repent you would hate your past disgustful life. Hating your past sinful ways ensures total forgiveness for you. If you still cherish your filthy past in your heart, it means you have not repented and that kind of attitude cannot bring forgiveness to you (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15; 3John 11).

4.Fight against it: You must do all you can to see that sin does not overtake you; stand against it, resist the urge and deliberately abstain from it and from everything that can lure you into it (Heb.12:4).

5.Turn away from sins: Do not go back into sin once you have been forgiven. God does not look at what you were before you received the message of truth: he is so concerned about what you do after you have known the truth. If you go back into sin after you have obtain God’s mercy and forgiveness then there is no more avenue remaining for you (Psalm 34:14; Isaiah 1:16).

6.Throw away your sins: The book of Hebrews admonishes us to throw away every weight and sin that easily harm us or injure us. Sins are harmful to every child of God, so you must keep them away from your life so you could enjoy a healthier relationship and communion with your heavenly father (Heb.12:1).

What Are The Sources Of Faith?

Faith is one of the resources we need for our daily living as children of God; it enables us to please God, obtain salvation, get answers to our prayers, trust God, receive healings, etc. Every believer needs it in order to live a successful Christian life.

Where do we get faith from?
Faith can be gotten from several sources, and some of the sources include:
1.From God: faith can be gotten from God; he gives it to us as a special gift to enable us embrace salvation. We do not earn it ourselves, it is freely given to us not because we merit it but because God loves us and wants us to be saved (Ephesians 2:8)

2.From God and Jesus Christ: We also get faith through God our father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The father and the son work as a team for our maximum benefit. What is delivered unto the son is in turn delivered unto us for our good (Eph.6:23).

3.From The Holy Spirit: Remember Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit that would teach us and be of help to us as well. The Holy Spirit provides us with faith so as to enable us trust God in a supernatural dimension and receive from him that which naturally would be difficult or impossible for us to get. Faith is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:9).

4.The Gospel: One of the reasons Jesus Christ raised his disciples is that they might go into the world and teach the people the word of God through which they might build up their faith. We are Christians today because we received the gospel truth of God’s word and took the step of faith to accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and personal saviour. The book of Romans makes it clear that faith comes through hearing the word of God (The Gospel) and that faith cannot come except we first hear about the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:20; Acts 15:7; Romans 10:14-17).

5.Studying God’s word: The word of God is written down that it might become the source of faith as we study it. God speaks to us through his written word and when we digest the meaning of his word our faith is built up (John 20:31). So many people have received salvation, healing, baptism of the Holy Spirit, etc only by studying and believing the word of God. I still believe that even some who would go back to study his word after reading this article would get same result.

You need to trust in God, believe in the Son just you believe in the Father, seek the Holy Spirit’s assistance, hear the gospel of our Lord and believe it, and study the word of God from time to time. Doing this would help to make you a child of great faith.

Forgiveness: Why Do We Need It?

Forgiveness is a virtue every true believer or follower of Jesus Christ should desire. It is one of God’s attributes that portray us as his true children. If we are God’s children then we must learn to forgive just as Christ forgave those who crucified him.

What then is forgiveness?
It is the act of letting go of offenses. It is an act of treating an offender as though he never offended you. Forgiveness is the act of declaring free one who deserves to die or deserves to be punished.

Why should we forgive?
There are several reasons why we must learn to forgive those who offend us, and set them free from prisons in our hearts.
1.It makes us to be like Christ: Jesus Christ set us an example of what it means to forgive by not holding those who condemned and crucified him guilty. He asked the father to forgive them for they knew not what they were doing (Luke 23:34). Deacon Stephen followed the example laid down by Christ when he asked God not to charge those who stoned him to death (Acts 7:59-60). In the same vein, we who profess Christ today must follow his example by forgiving those who sin against us. That is the only way we can show the world that we are his true children/followers.

2.It releases us from prison: Failure to forgive our neighbours their sins puts us in spiritual prison. The only way can live a life of spiritual freedom is to cultivate the habit of forgiveness. The word of God tells us that the reason the servant of the king was imprisoned was because he failed to forgive his fellow servant (Matt.18:23-35).

3.It makes our prayers unhindered: Jesus made it clear to us that if we asked anything in faith we would receive it. However, if we fail to forgive whosoever has sinned against us, our prayers to God would be hindered. Forgiveness therefore makes it possible for our prayers to get to God smoothly (Mark 11:24-26).

4.We receive forgiveness: Our forgiveness is directly tied to our willingness to forgive others their sins. God will not set us free from our sins unless we set free those who sin against us. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and in the middle of the prayer he declared “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us...” (Luke 11:4). Forgiveness therefore, is a give and take thing. You must first give in order to receive; and when you give you must receive in return.

5.It gives us joy: Being able to forgive is a very difficult and exceptional thing. So when we are able to do it our hearts are filled with great joy.

6.It improves our physical lives: Refusal to forgive brings a great deal of stress to our system. Certain disease conditions are known to result from psychological or emotional stress. These diseases which are otherwise known as psychosomatic disorders are sometimes a product of stress resulting from our inability to forgive. Examples of such diseases are eczema, asthma, migraine, ulcerative colitis, etc. The only way we can get rid of them is to unburden our hearts of unforgiving spirit.

7.It Promotes love and unity: Love and unity can never exist in an atmosphere where there is hatred and malice. When we learn to forgive we promote love and unity amongst us. And as believers we can always achieve our heart desires when there is forgiveness, love and unity.

Am I Going To Hell Fire?

A young boy of about 12 years old walked down to me one day with tearful eyes and asked me if he was going to hell fire. ‘No’, I answered emphatically. Noticing that he wasn’t satisfied with my answer, I prodded further to know why he had asked the question. Then he finally said “My mummy told me I was going to hell fire”. Gosh! Why would your mummy say such a thing? I queried. “It’s because I have been disobedient and nasty to her,” he said.

I tried to explain to him from the word of God that his mummy was actually right and that he needed to change his attitude towards his parents if he didn’t want to go to hell fire. He promised and went away. Few months later he came to my house beaming with smiles and this time around he announced happily “Sir, I will not go to hell anymore because am now a changed child; I am no longer disobedient and nasty to my parents”. I congratulated him and shook his hand firmly and he left.

What could make one go to hell fire?
The bible lists some of the attitudes that can make one be in danger of going to hell fire to include but not limited to the following:
1. Lying: The bible says in Acts 5:1-10 that reason Ananias and his wife Sapphira died was because they lied before God. God hates lies in whatever form. Lying could be not telling the truth, or telling half truth. God frowns at it: and indulging in it could make one go to hell fire.

2. Stealing: Stealing is taking whatever does not belong to one either by tricks or through violence. When you take what belongs to another person without permission and without the intention to return it you are stealing – stealing could be in form of robbery, burglary, fraud, embezzlement, piracy, plagiarism, etc. In 1Cor.6:10, the bible listed stealing as one of the things that could make one miss the kingdom of God.

3. Fornication: This is the sin of having sex with somebody (man or woman) who is not legally married to you. Fornication is a deadly sin before God and God says the marriage bed must be undefiled otherwise the one who commits fornication or adultery would be judged by God (Heb.13:4).

4. Disobedience: This was the original sin committed by our fore-parents Adam and Eve. It is simply refusing to obey our parents, authorities or God. We must live in obedience lest our stay on earth would be shortened (Eph.6:1-3). Every child who disobeys his parents or even adults who disobey constituted authority risk going to hell fire.

5. Idolatry: This is by far the worst sin anyone would commit before God. The book of Exodus 20:4-5, Eph. 5:5 make us understand we should never worship any other gods or graven images. God is a jealous God and he does not take it kindly when we allow anything to take his position or worship in our lives.

6. Murder: This is the act of taking somebody’s life. This could be another person (homicide, patricide, matricide, genocide, holocaust, etc) or oneself (suicide). No one except God has the right to take life. Look up 1 John 3:12.

7. Drunkenness: This simply means to be intoxicated by excessive alcohol intake. This sin is mentioned in 1Cor.6:10 and Gal.5:21. It makes one lose self-control and become prone to commit unthinkable crimes.

8. Witchcraft: The sin of witchcraft involves the use of magic powers against other people. It is condemned by God and anyone who practices it is in danger of going to hell fire. Gal.5:20

9. Hatred: The sin of hatred is another thing capable of leading one to hell fire. It usually precedes murder. It was responsible for the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. 1John 3:15, 1John 4:20 & Matt.5:21-22.

10. Envy: It is the feeling of wanting what belongs to someone else. This was the same sin that drove Satan away from heaven. It is also condemned in Gal.5:21.

11. Refusing Jesus Christ: This by far is the greatest sin that would take any one to hell fire. The bible says that he that receives not the son of God (Jesus Christ) is condemned already (John 3:18). So if you have no Jesus you are already deciding on your own to go to hell fire. Check up John 6:40, 47.

12. Blasphemy against The Holy Spirit: Jesus made us understand that the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable, meaning that it gives one an express ticket to hell fire (Matt.12:31-32)

So avoiding these sins means avoiding hell fire. Every child of God should think of living a life that is pleasing unto God and should not rebel against him in whatever way as God is a righteous God and would never condone sin.