Praise God!

It is a beautiful day today. What an awesome God we serve.
Do you know that not everyone who went to bed last night, woke up this morning? Some passed on in their sleep, some were rushed to hospital and they died there, some were shot and killed on their bed? Yes! on their bed, it's happening all around us like wild fire. No where is safe anymore.
We give God all the Praise for the gift of life today. Because we are alive today does not mean we are holier than those who passed on. It is only out of God's love and mercy that we are still here. So give God all the Praise! Alleluia!

Do you know that one day, it will be my turn or your turn to depart this world?
Have you thought about where you are going to spend eternity?
The highest I have heard anyone live in this our present generation is a hundred & twenty (120) years, but eternity is forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and .............................
Where are you going to spend eternity?
In heaven with God the father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the beautiful Angels and our departed loved ones who made it there? or with the ugly, monstrous, forever doomed, useless satan and his demons?
Choose today whom you will serve and where you are going to spend eternity.
It is a serious matter. Don't ignore it.
Remember, the question you will be asked is not how popular, or how famous or how powerful or how rich you were on earth, or how holy you pretended to be while on earth, not how many times you went to church and clapped your hands and gave tithes and offerings?
All these are good, don't get me wrong. Not even how poor and needy, you were, because some people think because they don't have, it's a license to rob and kill others.
However, the question to answer is
how much did you love? How did you love God and your fellow human beings? Love in all sincerity not by lip service.
Read all about it in the book of Matt 25:31-46.
When Jesus was asked, which is the great commandment in the law? He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart....... You shall love your neighbor as yourself ". Again
Read Matthew 22:36-40.
Please take time and read and may the Holy Spirit grant you understanding as you do.
God bless you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

We will one day Stand before the Judgement seat of Christ

Unforgiveness

Are you struggling with unforgiveness? There is hope and breakthroughs only in Christ Jesus.

It is not easy to forgive especially those close to you. If a total stranger offends you, you may brush it aside but if a close friend or family member offends you, you may want to teach them a lesson by not letting go and it might grow and grow until it becomes a mountain. Learn to let go easily, forgive quickly as soon as an offence occurs.

Unforgiveness is a spirit that stems from the spirit of anger.

If you were not angry, you will let go easily.

The Bible says in Eph 4: 26 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath."

That means, as a human being the emotion of anger will arise from time to time, but you are not to dwell on the cause of the anger or on the person who offended you, rather you are to forgive immediately.

However, you need God's grace to do this. You can not forgive easily by yourself. Only God almighty gives us the grace to forgive others and even to forgive ourselves.

When you are angry with someone and refuse to forgive them, it hurts you more, because they may not care about your feelings or may have forgotten that they offended you.

Don't carry the baggage of unforgiveness around, it causes more pain, robs you of your joy and peace and releases stress hormones which will result to other illnesses.

It has often been said, "forgive and let a prisoner free, and discover that the prisoner is you".

It is liberating to forgive. Don't be trapped in the net of unforgiveness.

Forgiveness is not an option, it is a command from God.

If you don't forgive, God will not forgive you. Read the verse below.

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses". Mark 11:25‭-‬26.

This verse is powerful!

If God doesn't forgive you, there is no spending eternity with him.

So we must forgive others sincerely and from the heart, not merely saying it but meaning it from deep within and we need God's grace and mercy to do so.

Eph 4:32 says, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you".
If God almighty has forgiven us for the sake of his Son Jesus Christ, who are we not to forgive others?

Ask God for the grace and mercy to walk in love and forgiveness. He will answer.

Trust him always. God bless you as you seek him more and obey his word and learn to forgive in Jesus mighty name. Shalom!

Worship through the Word of God.

Be Comforted

There have been series of events taking place around the world in recent times.
The Ethiopian airlines plane crash, the New Zealand massacre, the bombing in Sri Lanka and so many senseless killings around the world.
We are moved to remember the families left behind.

For all those mourning the loss of their loved ones, those mourning the wickedness and the evil that seem to be swallowing many in this present day, be comforted by the word of God. He said he will never leave us nor forsake us.
God is not ignorant of what you are going through right now.

Please don't blame God for your mishap, that is what the enemy would like. satan would like to wreck havoc in people's lives and make them blame God for his wickedness. Don't get caught up by his wicked and evil strategy.

Believe God firmly, trust him absolutely and draw closer to God and find strength in his Holy word and your safety and deliverance is sure. He will cover you under his wings and assign his Holy Angels to watch over you and defend you.
As he said in (Ps 91: 4, 11).
"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways".

Take refuge in God's unfailing love, his word and promises
"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning". Psalms 30:5.

Be comforted today trusting in God's Word.
Be strengthened in your faith knowing that he cares for you.

He said in Matt 5:4. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted".

The above verse is neither condoning evil nor is it rejoicing in our mourning but rather is a source of strength and comfort in case we find ourselves in that position for whatever reason, be it due to the forces of nature or due to evil occurrences from heartless people, or normal ageing, whatever the reason, we are encouraged to seek solace in God almighty through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Some people have stopped watching the news including yours truly because of the evil circulating like wild fire every where.
Whatever the problem maybe, we know the Bible is quite plain about it all.
In Matt 24: 6-7, it said,
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places".
We know, we are at the end time, everything happening around us was already prophesied and predicted in the Bible, the only problem is we are never prepared for such things.
One doesn't just prepare for how to react when an earthquake occurs or when a hurricane happens. There are so many simulation exercises but it can never be enough to get us to respond when it hits home. It might help the rescue team but not the actual victims or their relatives.
We rely absolutely on God's Divine intervention.

PRAYER
Heavenly father, we present to you today, those in need of your peace that passeth all understanding. We pray for those mourning and weeping for the loss of their family members, relatives and friends, grant them your comfort and consolation in this time of trial dear Lord.
ABBA father fill them with your abundant grace, peace and joy in the midst of the storm, give them strength to move on and faith to trust you more in Jesus mighty name, we pray. Amen.

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Romans 4:7 KJV

God forgives and the forgiven sinner rejoices and enjoys unspeakable peace.

Do you remember the day you surrendered all to Jesus Christ and asked him to come into your life?

It should be a memorable day, if you are still working with the Lord.
It is not only the forgiven sinner who rejoices but the Bible says there is joy in heaven also,
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance".
Luke 15:7 KJV.

When your sins are forgiven, you feel like tons of weight has been lifted off, you feel light, peaceful and full of joy with great expectation and you want to tell your family and friends and the whole world what has happened to you, and you feel there is no need to do anything in this life because Jesus is coming any time from now. Just rejoice, be happy and pray.
That was my first encounter with God, personal experience.

That was my first encounter with the Lord, personal experience.

Keep reading for my second encounter below.
I understand, it might be different for so many, but in my experience, I was getting ready to enter the university but after my encounter with the Lord, I felt I didn't need all that studying, I could just spend my time praying and seeking God and telling people about him since he is going to come any moment, very, very soon.

I thank God that I eventually pursued my studies because it has been several years now and I believe I'm helping a lot of people now than I would have if I didn't pursue my studies.

I still wait eagerly for the second return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but live goes on. He said we should occupy until he comes.
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luke 19:13 KJV.

We are to hold fast to our faith in him.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Rev 3:11 KJV

It means, we can't fold our hands and do nothing because we are saved, then we will become liability to others and it may lead to backsliding in some.

I have heard people blame God for their problems because they were told that once they give their lives to Christ all their problems would be solved, so they say, the sinners prayer and wait, maybe they were jobless and they stop looking for job and start quoting the Scriptures,

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus". Phil 4:19 KJV

As they fold the hands and quote scriptures, they remain jobless and they continue to blame God and then they dump their Bible in a corner and get involved in all kinds of atrocities in order to make money fast, now they feel they have wasted so much time carrying the Bible and life is passing them by.

The Bible says, in Prov 6:10-11,
"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man".

That is why real teaching is needed and real follow up or discipleship is very important.
However, if you are like me who got saved outside the church, you have to be attentive and sensitive to the promptings and the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

My second encounter
My first experience which I tried to summarize above was an encounter with God but that encounter lasted only a few years, there was no teaching, no follow up. I have always had reverential fear of God, so I continued but was always falling into sin until I had another encounter several years later, I was alone in my apartment singing a simple song,

'into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus, come in today, come into stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus'.

To me it was a simple song, I have sang it several times before but that particular day, as the Lord would have it, I sang it prayerfully, meditating on the wordings and the Lord manifested, he allowed my sins to pass before me like a movie, he showed me the sins I committed and was telling me how it hurt him when I sinned and I cried like a baby.

That was the beginning of a beautiful encounter with God which I am still enjoying till today.
However, it was not smooth sailing because it took me a few years to surrender completely to the Lord after that encounter.
God is so merciful and patient with us. That is why we cannot afford to be unforgiving towards others.

If we reflect on our lives of sin before our various encounters with God, we should be quick to forgive every offense even before the offender asks for forgiveness.
I don't know what was your salvational experience & story and how long it has been, please don't give up on Jesus second return.
If you have not surrendered to him yet, please use this opportunity to ask him to come into your life and your heart.
Talk to him in your own words, ask him to forgive your sins, wash you clean and come in and dwell in you. Determine to follow him for the rest of your life by his grace.
He is coming soon as he said.
We are at the end time and many lies have infiltrated the church.

Some say, he already came, some say he is on the earth right now walking around, some say he is not coming back, others say when one dies that's the end, they don't believe in life after death.
Please study the Bible with understanding from the Holy Spirit and don't allow yourself to be swayed by false teachings and false prophecies.

Be strong in your faith.
......work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Phil 2:12 KJV

He said in John 14 2-3.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Jesus Christ is coming back soon, even sooner than we think.

God bless you in Jesus mighty name. Amen!
That was my first encounter with the Lord, personal experience.

Keep reading for my second encounter below.

Heavenly minded

We are called to be heavenly minded.  To think of the things that matter.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 KJV

We should not allow the enemy to fill our minds with negative thoughts and imaginations.

The lying devil & his evil spirits like to whisper lies and confusion and to remind us of negative past events, if you give them the opportunity.

Have you ever caught yourself reliving past negative experiences and getting highly emotional about it, and telling yourself, I should have handled it this way or that way. You feel the anger and rage rising from within, suddenly you realize yourself and you shout at the devil to get thee hence and you tell the enemy how dare you remind me of things that happened more than ten years ago, I mean over ten(10) years ago and make it look like it's happening right now.
Yes, it Happens to the best of us.
Sometimes I ask myself how in the world did I allow the devil and his whispering demons get this far into my thoughts?

It is said, "an idle mind is the devil 's workshop or playground".
We need to meditate on God's words all the time, we cannot give any room to the devil at all. Remember if you give him a yard, he will take a mile.
Don't play with fire.
The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 KJV
One thing we seem to ignore or rather we don't pay attention to, is the beginning of the verse which says, "submit yourselves therefore to God", we need to realize that without first submitting to God, we cannot resist the devil, we need God's grace in order to resist the devil.
Jesus said it in Jn 15:5 that without him, we can do nothing.
As you eat three or more meals a day to nourish your body, you need to feed your soul as well, even more times a day, by studying and meditating on the Scriptures, listening to good worship songs, reading God inspired books written by anointed children of God.
Sometimes, it's good to do without food by fasting and praying.
As children of God we are in constant battle, the enemy is trying everything possible to stop us from making it into heaven, we cannot allow ourselves to be defeated by him.
The battle is the Lord's, trust him always to fight for you and win every battle.

You have a part to play by declaring the word of God and believing him. If you have not studied the Word, you will not have anything to declare when the enemy strikes.
The Bible says, And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:12 KJV.

When Jesus was tempted by satan in the wilderness after fasting, he resisted him by quoting the Word of God to him.
Matt 4:1-11.
Think about it, if Jesus our Lord and Savior was tempted by satan after fasting forty days and forty nights, who are we not to be tempted by the same enemy.

Jesus said in Jn 13:16 & 15:20, the servant is not greater than his master.

The grace of God is always sufficient.
He will never leave us nor forsake us. Heb 13:5.
PRAYER
Our loving father, we thank you for your ever sufficient grace in our lives. We thank you that you are fighting for us against the enemy of our souls, and you are winning every single battle, because you are the all powerful God. We ask today that you will meet each one of us at the point of our needs, release your warrior Angels to continue to defeat the enemy on our behalf in Jesus mighty name. Amen.