Dealing with Marital Conflicts: Arguments, Anger and Aggressions

Dealing with Marital Conflicts: Arguments, Anger and Aggressions

Every conflict takes the procession through arguments, anger and aggression. On our journey towards dealing with conflicts in marriage we can't avoid passing through their site.

Arguments ordinarily are results of disagreements over issues. Disagreements aren't evil in themselves when they show different sides to the same issue. If you aren't married to a dumb person, you won't always have same ideas about everything. Times will come when you'll see things differently. We must be wise enough to understand that none of us is the sole custodian of knowledge or of wisdom. You may have more knowledge than your spouse on an issue while he or she will be able to get better results with the knowledge you have.

With that, different opinions can be worked upon towards achieving the common goal. Agreement will always require certain opinions being adopted and others dropped irrespective of who brought the ideas if they will produce the desired results.

Now arguments sets in when we find it difficult to see the point of the other person and we don't want to drop ours. Even at that stage we are still safe to an extent.

But it shouldn't degenerate to that point where we deliberately, beyond the issues of discussion, would want to remain in contention for other extraneous reasons.

Arguments shouldn't be a way of addressing or communicating other issues one has kept within. When the argument is being used to address other issues by transference, the argument degenerates into something else, agreement remains impossible and anger and offense take over.
When couples argue over everything, even things that seem not to matter, it signals deeper issues to deal with... Whenever we notice that we should stop everything to ask pertinent questions to avoid further degeneration.

Anger is an emotion like fire. A good servant but a bad leader. Scriptures say be angry but not sin, let not the sun set over your anger. Now, it's only a thin line between being angry and not falling into sin, a very thin line. That line is defined by whoever is in control between you and the angst.

Offenses will come. You can take it or leave it. We get provoked but it's left to us to get angry or not to. We become furious out of loss of control. We take offense when we aren't in charge. The scriptures say, anger lies in the bosom of fools. It's not an insult but the process that produces it. Being a fool is a result of not engaging the best thoughts to issues rather emotions and selfishness and it produces persistent and destructive anger.

When we lose control over our emotions we become like a city without security everything invades it at will.
[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 25
28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

You don't get angry except you feel violated. Either you are violated or not depends on your definition and that can be corrected with better understanding. Take self seeking out and you can better see if you are truly being violated or not. Pride and ego get quickly hurt, pride and anger are twins. With pride we raise the stake of what we deserve and reduce our abilities to forbear, we get hurt quite so easily by the things others do without any animosity.

We are counselled not to walk with an angry man. One who habitually and easily gets angry.

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 22
24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 21
19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

Once this counsel is overlooked in marital choices, the consequences can only be averted by a miracle. If he or she hasn't leaned to control his or her anger, such isn't ready for marriage irrespective of age and you should know.

It is when arguments and anger aren't properly managed that we get to aggression either physical, emotional or psychological. Aggressions inflict pain and injury to the body, soul and spirit of the victim. And it hurts even further when it's coming from one with a 'lover'  tag. It is the most deplorable state a person can get to, to become aggression towards those he or she should love. Such becomes the same danger he or she was meant to protect against. It may be verbal, physical or attitudinal but the effects aren't different on a person.

Most times, it is aggression that people see and react to as conflict, but it goes to show that aggression has its seeds and roots in bitter arguments and uncontrolled anger. Anger is the second semester that graduates to aggressive conflicts.

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 29
22 An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

If we learn to nip things in the bud before they degenerate to bitterness at any level we can save ourselves from the pains and bad consequences of conflicts and make our home a place where love rules.

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 17
14 The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Don't let that argument arouse uncontrollable bitterness and anger that'll lead to aggression. Abort it! We can. His grace is available!

Good Morning!

Dealing with Marital Conflicts: Build a Trusted Tag Team

Dealing with Marital Conflicts: Build a Trusted Tag Team

As we continue in our journey to deal with conflicts in marriage, we must pass through the route of team building.
The scriptures teach how two are better than one and how they have a better reward for their joint labor. The word of God also admonishes how one will chase a thousand and two will chase ten thousand. But it also teaches how two cannot walk or travel together without prior agreement on the journey.

These rules are basic for every working relationship that has goals to achieve. It's common knowledge how these rules affected the age of industrialization by skyrocketing production efficiency through division of labor but no where is it needed the most as in marriage.

Two should chase ten thousand while one chases one thousand, but that's under certain conditions. Chasing by themselves, they'll chase two thousand as each brings in one thousand each. And if some other things come up like a conflict, they may actually be chasing one each and not a thousand as they chase each other to destroy.

This means building a team has an enormous multiplier effect in what a couple can achieve and has the power to destroy the possibilities of conflicts.

Team building is more than merely gathering highly skilled individuals together to accomplish a feat but it may actually not be more than bringing averagely skilled friends together eager to forget about themselves to achieve a common goal together through which each take-home can be assured.

The scriptures teach us about the goodness in friendship. Friendship is the highest point achievable in a relationship, any relationship. King Solomon tells how a friend close by is better than a brother afar, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He tells how the wounds of a friend is faithful and how the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. He admonished that our friends and fathers' friends we shouldn't forsake. He told us friends are forever.

Jesus Christ got his relationship with His disciples to that point of friendship. He called them his friends and not servants and we saw what feat just a few men and women who are friends can perform in what they made of the cause.

We also have seen many people having issues with their spouses, many changed  and added more and more spouses while maintaining only one close friend throughout their entire lives. That's the power of friendship. True friends don't divorce in spite of troubles. Time and distance notwithstanding.

But friendship is born not just out of likeness or sameness but out of tests, trials and trust. King Solomon said the wounds of a friend are faithful! Faithfulness is a matter of proven trust. You don't need to set up tests for your friends before you find out who they are, life brings daily tests that proves friendships. It is a bad sign, if you'll need to set up hidden tests and exams to prove friendship, such tests are not better than traps. Friendship isn't by force.

Jesus said
[My Offline Bible] John 15
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Friendship is borne out of the commandment of loving each other as Christ loved us laying down His life for us. The depth of commitment that wouldn't make you pull back your life, goodwill or substance when they're needed is the prove of friendship and it must be mutual from the heart. It is borne out of mutual exposure of personal information and dealings.

The degree of information shared determines the degree of friendship. Information sharing is dependent on degree of trust. If there is any fear, trust is eroded to same degree, information is withdrawn and friendship suffers.

When so called friends lie to each other and become secretive and they show signs of fear and insecurity towards each other, such friendship won't build a trusted team. Such hurts marriages. Friendship doesn't work with secrets and insecurities.

Couples must therefore check their levels of friendship with their spouses by determining their levels of trust for each other. If you can't trust your spouse with your dearest information and be at peace then something is wrong. Being physically naked isn't equal to being truly naked and open with information. Many use their intimacy, nudity and sex to rob their spouses and deceive them into death like we saw in the story of Samson and Delilah.

You can't lay down your life for someone you can't share simple truths about yourselves with. You make enemies and not friends with people you can't trust. And it's not always people who are untrustworthy that we don't trust, sometimes our own insecurities take the better part of us. God should be the most trustworthy person in existence but the most untrusted person too.

Couples who are friends trust each other beyond whatever contrary report they receive from third parties because friends know both the strong points and the weaknesses they have, it's not a secret. If you are always ready to believe contrary reports from what you know about your spouse, then something is wrong somewhere, you need to work on that to avoid impending conflict.

The worst thing you can do to a genuinely loving friend is to show doubt and signs of distrust. Nothing kills friendship faster. The most dangerous position you can put yourself is to love someone who doesn't trust you. It takes love to trust and it takes trust to be friends.

When we become friends with our spouses having same goals as it should be in marriage we stabilize without the distractions of distrust and doubt. At that point the fear of unnecessary suspicion is cast out, perfect love cast out doubt and fears. At that point your heart becomes free, you have no suspicion and you don't feel being watched. It's freedom, it's bliss.

But when you are trusted and loved, and your spouse is ready to lay down his or her life for you but you have other hidden agendas, not even suspected by your spouse what kind of person can we call you? A murderer is better.

When both of you entertain such distrust, fear, suspicion, insecurity and division towards each other, you both need to design ways to deal with such emotions if you really want a life in marriage.

Conflicts resulting from such situations may not be outward and so are always difficult to detect and to deal with but they have long lasting and debilitating effects on individuals involved and on other stakeholders.

What's the level of trust you have for your spouse? Identify the reasons in hard facts why you have such feelings beyond mere hearsay, baseless suspicious and general perceptions, what can you do about it to save your marriage, your life or both?

On the other hand, what degree of trust does your spouse have for you? Do you feel distrusted? What have you done to warrant being distrusted? What can you do to redeem your trust? How hard have you tried to prove your faithfulness? Is it working or is the distrust growing?

Again, how open are you with information? How secretive are you to your spouse? What do you do, have or like that you have kept from your spouse? How far can you go making sacrifices for your spouse?

You can do a personal assessment of the state of things with your answers to these questions to afford you make changes necessary and build an unbeatable team of friends with your spouse that can confront every challenge that may come.

One basic way of dealing with conflicts in marriage is to build a trusted team of friends with each other, if he or she is with you, he or she can't be against you...it's more than physical intimacy but a heart twined friendship that remains faithful forever...

Let's do it!

Good Morning!

Dealing with Marital Conflicts: The Art of Effective Correcting

Dealing with Marital Conflicts: The Art of Effective Correcting

I desire a short journey with those who care about marriage, home and family through the issue of marital conflicts and ways to prevent, manage and deal with them to ensue peace in the trouble waters of marital relationship.

The ideal, which I'd once written about is to give room for absolute unconditional love. If love, in its agape form will reign between two or more people, multitudes of sin shall be covered and issues will hardly get to the point of conflicts.

But love, though seeking no evil for its neighbor also chastises, otherwise it'll be self destructive. The scriptures say 'He that He (God) loves, He chastises'. It's not true love that wouldn't deal with issues but it's such that deals with difficult issues without degenerating to chaos, conflicts and confusion.

We must judge ourselves within our communities to ensure standard and best practices in everything we do, if we don't judge ourselves, we'll be judged. The essence is the mutual growth and development we experience for a better life today, a sustainable future and a godly heritage we leave for our children in righteousness.

This is why correction is key and everyone should learn the art of correcting.

In marriage, we look towards a constructive interference of waves where both parties interfere to become better persons in order to produce better environment for the home that can achieve life's purposes of all members of the family.

Meaning we should become better persons as we grow in marriage. We have two imperfect people who are coming together with different experiences, knowledge and expectations. None can afford to be selfish with expectations otherwise the relationship is put in danger. Conflict comes when any begins to seek his or her own.

While love comes with accommodation, forgiveness and covering of sin, it comes also with correction. Ephesians chapter 5 speaks of Christ and the Church and how Christ is preparing the church to meet His standard and expectations. But Apostle Paul wrote of Christ and the church and we should be careful when applying that to two imperfect people getting married here on earth.

While Christ is perfect, the church isn't and He perfects the church by the washing of water by the word until there'll be no wrinkles nor spots to present her to Himself a glorious church.

But here, we have the husband and the wife full of wrinkles and spots irrespective of the degree of perfection of their choosing each other. And none can fully take the place of Christ, who will give the other the washing of water to present the other to self.

But since Christ lives within both, each has the opportunity of permitting Christ do the washing though him or her for the other person for both to lose the spots and wrinkles towards daily presentation to self.

Meaning each must come into the union knowing he or she has lots of imperfections that the other person through Christ would be empowered to wash away.

Thinking that you alone has a responsibility of correcting the other or that the other person has no responsibility of correcting you is the perfect recipe for marital trouble.

It also shows the inability to see Christ in the other person trying to perfect what's lacking towards general improvement.

The process of marital correction becomes doomed when one sees self as above being corrected by the other person or even when one sees correcting the other as none of his or her business.

There must be a mutual understanding and agreement on this. We are here to compliment each other and we do that by talking about what we perceive as imperfect in one another and talking about it without abusing each other or a feeling of being abused when being corrected in love.

Correcting isn't same as criticism. It is speaking the truth in love. Both should give room for it having its greater goal of personal development in view.

While it's never an option to correct through criticisms and abuses, correction of any form can lead to betterment depending on how it is perceived or received.

The rule however is that if you are too knowledgeable or wise to receive correction, you are also too imperfect to give correction. If you are humble enough to receive correction, you also have enough grace to see faults and to give correction.

Marriage is that place where we want the greatest degree of freedom and nakedness. That's the extent of privacy and personal space. And couples should give that to each other with responsibility. In that space for two, each should be himself and herself to all extent while the other accommodates all the downsides of it...the farts and the snores.

But while you enjoy your space, responsibility demands that you permit the other person too same grace. And as you fart and snore, you get ready to be helped to overcome your indulgences by the one who suffers them the most.

When one refuses to deal with self to open up for correction, the other soon begin to indulge the other and very soon, Adam will join Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Abraham will sleep with his wife's maid to give birth to Ishmael, Nabal will die of his foolishness according to his name and Annanias and Saphira will die of their lack of discretion...

Dr Chris Tunde Joda of Christ Chapel International Churches once said something that impacted on me a great deal on this. He said lots of men in prison wouldn't have been there if they had listened to their wives.

What's the state of correcting in your marriage? Are you guys deaf to each other and would not listen? Remember the Spirit of Christ and of truth lives within both of you towards your perfection and glory.

Are you into abuse and criticism instead of speaking the truth in love? Do you whip each other with words of corrupt communication rather than caress each other words of edification?

If we correct each other in love we grow. If we shut down good correction decadence results, and conflicts results when corrections are not properly given or received.

When we learn to compliment good things in the other person, correcting the spots of error too won't be difficult. If we receive compliments and accolades for what good we do, we should also take correction for those wrinkles in good faith and use both to get better for self, for each other, for the family and for the society at large....

Notice that it starts with you...

When we master this, conflicts can be reduced and tamed before they become the sword wielding monsters we see these days...

Welcome on board this journey...it'll make great impacts...

Share this to help someone...

Good morning, it's a great week!

Do You Know God as Love?

Read this, read to its long end and share... The world needs this now!

Do You Know God as Love?

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 4
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.
Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

The message God sent to the world through Christ is to get the world to know Him as He is. God is fundamentally and essentially love personified.

This love isn't such as has been experienced by man since the fall of man when man was introduced to the knowledge of good and of evil.

Jesus Christ came preaching that love and showing God to man in His real nature.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 5
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, 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;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

When God made man in His likeness, it was the likeness and image this kind of love that was shared... But man lost it and became savagery, wicked, selfish and self seeking.

Jesus Christ came to restore that image in us by showing us how God is Love and how God desires and has made arrangements as to how we can become like him to mirror that image.

Until man sees God as love, it's not possible for man to know Him.

This kind of love is such that pray for enemies, the kind of love that's not self seeking. The kind of love that wouldn't hate opposition.

But Jesus also knew that many won't accept that. The thief will always come to steal, kill and to destroy and he will bear that appellation of a thief by wanting to steal God's image to make God looks as if He is the one doing evil...

But the clear reflections of God is seen in Christ.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 1
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus Christ announced to the world

[My Offline Bible] John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus Christ came so that through His love we might acquire that same unconditional love and be saved... He didn't send Him to condemn the world. The world is condemned already...only a reconnection to God can save the people within it which is provided for in Christ.

That's the best available to mankind.

Jesus Christ could have cursed those who arrested Him and killed Him unjustly, He could have escaped to deprive the world the forgiveness that's in His blood, He didn't. He could have taken the position of an earthly king when He was about to be forcefully made one, He could have ridden upon His popularity at a time and use the political powers that follow to wage a physical war... He could have called fire down...to kill all His 'enemies' He didn't!

[My Offline Bible] Luke 9
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

He prayed for those who crucified Him and for everyone who supported that till date, that God should forgive them because they did it in ignorance...

Do you know that he'll fire wasn't created for man? Yes men will go there but by their own volition, he is a free moral agent, he can choose wherever he wants to go...including going to hell...

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 25
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

But God wouldn't want that... He doesn't rejoice in the death of sinners, He'll rather save them from the impending danger... God is Love..

If you are yet to see God as love, who loves sinners and would want them to come to repentance and be saved, not imputing their sins against them or seeking that they perish, then you are yet to know the true God.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 5
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

If the pictures of God you see is one sending men to kill His 'enemies', one who is burning with vengeance and who is being appeased not to destroy the ungodly or who is empowering his 'people' to destroy those who are not his, then you are yet to meet the true God...

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 4
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Look around you, you'll see that man needs God and needs His love. Man must recognize God enough to imbibe His love nature and Christ Jesus has been sent to let the world see God in His true nature... Without man seeing that love and enjoying it by faith, he can't be saved...the wickedness of man will eventually destroy mankind...

Will you see Him?

Perspectives to Christian Giving: Giving or Trading?

Perspectives to Christian Giving: Giving or Trading?

Our repercussion mentality conflicts with the principles of God's grace we have in Christ Jesus. Every time we speak of giving, we readily shift from the grace principle to the repercussion mentality.

We love to pay for everything we have to be able to gain the sense of possession. We even often preach paying prices for things offered freely by grace. The sense of possession and ownership is one of the greatest enemies of giving and it is acquired by the sense of personal achievement outside of grace.

That's why we think more of what we may reap when we give and not just the mere goodness of giving.

We want people to earn our gifts, because we believe we have earned all that we have and most people who need what we have don't have the capacity or the opportunity to earn the gifts, if they had, we will actually be useless to them.

Our gifts and giving make us relevant and valuable, being attached to our purposes of existence.

But we don't always think that way. We think of the loss we suffer when we give and we see the hope of reaping as palliative to that suffering and in utmost, we see reaping as the rewards or the restoration of what we lost in giving. Giving is never a loss...what we give aren't ours per se...

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 4
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Many won't even go that far, when they think the good they have done must be paid back somehow by the same person who enjoyed it. An expectation is immediately created as soon as the 'gift' is given that binds the receiver to the giver as a debtor and the receiver loses his freedom to be anything other than what the giver wants or is pleased with...

And we hide all these under a principle we call sowing and reaping.

God recognizes giving and He becomes unjust and unrighteous if He forgets our labor of love that we show to people. Every good act is rewarded. But the reward isn't the reason otherwise it becomes a trade or merchandizing. Giving isn't a trade. It isn't an investment like we invest in the Stock Exchange. Giving is giving. The reaping is of God's goodness and faithfulness not the reason for giving.

When we give because we expect something in return we lose the essence of giving. We lose the goodness of giving. When true giving of grace is done, we find a sense of satisfaction, fulfilment and joy beyond any physical rewards. It's something givers enjoy. The rewards is at the prerogative of the faithful God. But we have the moment to enjoy.

Sowing and reaping is a fundamental principle but isn't same thing with grace.

In grace, others sow while we reap.  God planted a garden East of Eden for Adam to eat after having made all things for him before he was created.

Jesus died so we can live. He became sin so we can have righteousness, He was wounded for our transgressions. He paid the price so we could be free... That's grace. We enjoy what we don't have the capacity to earn as needed.

Giving is grace. It is the grace we share with God in partaking of His divine nature. Giving is being a conduit, a vessel or a channel of grace from God to the needy. We give and we are supplied to give the more.

Two verses of scriptures described this so explicitly.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 8
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 9
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

The first tells us that our prosperity isn't based on what we gave but on what Christ did.

The other tells us how God gives us and  we give and God gives us more so that we can give even much more. It tells of us being pipes connecting and transporting God's abundance to those who need it and not a collecting, dead, stagnant, smelling un-flowing lake.

These lessons need be learned first before we engage the seed sowing and reaping principle otherwise we have a greed feeding system of spiritual lottery and God doesn't feed our greed, neither does His grace cover for our covetousness.

Our gift becomes a seed when we operate by the seed of God within us, the New Creature born again in God's image. That's what we see in 1 Corinthians 13.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 13
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

We see how possible it is to give without first loving and for ulterior selfish reasons. And how impossible it is to be profited from giving when not so motivated. And love in this context is agape which seeks not her own. This kind of love is a result of the divinity we share with God through Christ.

When we thus give, our gifts become viable seeds that bring eternal blessings.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Timothy 6
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We shouldn't give as if we are trading. Trading isn't wrong but both parties must know and be aware of the transaction, able to negotiate the terms and make decisions without coercion. It's not of Christ to give only to have trading behind the scenes without the receiver knowing what to pay back, how, with what and when... We don't give without total release of the gift, when we attach strings it is yet to be recorded as gifts...

Christian giving is motivated and sustained by the nature of  God's love within us which we share for our New Birth and it must be seen as an end in itself which makes it a seed sown, reaped as we continue without ceasing in doing good.

The seed is a gift given by God and released into the lives of those who need it while creating space for a bigger 'harvest' from God to reach more people as seeds in a romance of faithfulness between man and God in the divine nature. And anything of divine benevolence can be seed and those negative attitudes inspired by the flesh.

When we give, we are only staying true to our divine nature. When we permit selfishness we deny the nature of God within us. When we give outside of that nature we lose purpose, we trade instead of giving and the results can't be the same.

Good morning.

Perspectives to Christian Giving: More Blessed to Give

Perspectives to Christian Giving: More Blessed to Give

[My Offline Bible] Acts 20
35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

We love to receive, that's the enjoyable part. Except for pride and some fears, we hardly are ever so reluctant of receiving. But receiving isn't supposed to be the focus of the believer, that's common even if not always good. There are conditions where we must be careful receiving, in situations like what the book of Proverbs portrayed here...

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

But basically when people give we are quick to receive...but receiving isn't as loving as giving though sometimes it takes love to receive from some people.

The nature we share is more eager to give. More eager to serve than to be served. More eager to make sacrifices than to seek to be preferred. Ready to suffer being defrauded than to take advantage of others. That's Christ's nature and not the other side.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 20
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

[My Offline Bible] Romans 12
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 6
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

No matter what we lack, the giving nature we inherit from God supersedes the the needs we have and the motivation to receive when we can give. Our nature overcomes us, that's the way to prove the presence of whatever nature any living thing carries. That's why as poor as many of Christ's followers may be, they are ever on the lookout for needs to meet with the little they have...

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 8
1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

It isn't Christ-like to be greedy and expect the giving system of the kingdom to feed our greed. It isn't Christ-like to seek to take advantage of those who have allowed the nature of God within them overcome the envious and covetous nature of Satan that we inherit in Adam. It isn't Christ-like to do nothing either in the ministry or in the secular only to live on those who are ready to give in response to the new creation nature. Only the flesh will do that.

Our nature is more towards giving than receiving. It's a sign of carnality and spiritual childishness when we see ourselves caring more about receiving than giving, seeking more to be loved than to love, seeking more to be blessed than to be a blessing, seeking more to be favored than to show favor, seeking more to be honored than to honor others, seeking more to be served than to serve, seeking more to be cared for than to show care.

We always have something to give, no matter how small, either financial, material or otherwise, even a little show of affection if that's all we have and the poor we always have around us, we will always have someone to give something to.

The fear of people when we speak of giving is this. People are always either afraid or cautious of being robbed or taken advantage of when giving is being preached or taught. We sometimes feel somebody somewhere who isn't ready to make money is out to rob us through giving.

While we can't rule that out. Particularly people who invest their moneys only to live off the gifts of others. Some spend their own moneys on such pleasures their givers can't even afford and keep expecting other to bear their profligate attitudes. These attitudes aren't Christian, we have not so learned Christ.
But we need not fear or permit those to discourage us. Such are enemies we feed with what God has given us and they heap coals of fire on themselves. Annanias and his wife Sapphira are examples. People may not be dropping dead like they did but their judgments are not different. But it isn't ours to judge them...but to teach and correct if we have the opportunity.

As for givers, God protects and defends them. God wouldn't want some to be eased while others are burdened, he doesn't desire that some will live in stupendous affluence while other live in penury and abject poverty.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 8
13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

God is calling us back into faith in the divine nature we share. And not just to believe in it but to yield ourselves to its influence so that we would always project God's eternal life, love and light in this stingy, dark, hating and dying world.

We must constantly remember that it's more blessed to give than to receive. We may not always have money or materials to give and those may not always be needed but we'll always have something to give when the opportunity comes to meet a need.

We have been wired to always be ready to overlook our own needs to meet those needs that demand our gifts...

May the grace for the God kind of giving arise from within us to make us become more like Christ at this time...

God's blessings. More grace to you... Good morning!

Perspectives to Christian Giving: Unconditional Giving

Perspectives to Christian Giving: Unconditional Giving

Giving isn't natural to man, particularly after the fall. Adam and Eve covered from each other as they lost the nature of God to gain the selfish nature. Self protection, self centeredness and individuality stepped in. Each was blaming someone else for his and her actions and no one wanted to take any responsibility of his and her deeds.

The selfish thing just continued and spread from there. Man began to fight to win to himself what's already more than enough. He will hold on till death to what is of no use to him. He forgot that he came naked and would leave here taking nothing.

He will always have reasons not to give. He would demand certain qualifications from the receiver before giving. The truth however is that it's hardly possible to be qualified for any kind of grace either from God or from man and if giving is based on perfection to enjoy such, none would ever be qualified and so it won't happen among men.

And then Jesus came!

Jesus came demanding us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Oh! That should mean never touching anything called sin, yes but the perfection He came to show us is particularly tied to the nature of God's unconditional giving.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 5
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, 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; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

This is what Jesus called perfection, being the child of God, being perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. I know this isn't in the realm of man. Human nature won't take this and even those who 'believe' in Christ will still argue it.

And it is understandable. The nature of God we received at our submission to the Lordship of Christ that gave us the new birth and the new creation carries the capacity to make us live like God. But human nature has no such capacity at all, as compassionate as we expect motherly love to be, it can still forsake her suckling child under certain conditions. You don't teach a child to be selfish, it comes naturally and it's only 'outgrown' in Christ.

So the burden of transformation is on renewing our minds to accept Christ in this regard.

Jesus Christ gave a parable of the judgment seat. Where He would tell people how they didn't feed Him when He was hungry, how He wasn't clothed when naked, how He wasn't visited when sick or in prison and how people will wonder when they saw him so and didn't help.

Now, the reason why we see the naked, the hungry, the prisoner and overlook them not knowing Christ is in them is driven home in the prisoner's case.

He has issues. He was a thief or a criminal of another sort. He deserves to be in prison. His character isn't nice, so he missed his opportunity. He was stubborn, he wouldn't listen to instructions and training, he deserves much more than he's even getting. We are therefore justified not giving him.

But Jesus would have none of our excuses. He wants us to shine our sun and cause our rain to fall on both the good and the bad even in our judgment.

And He has a right to demand such grace from us since He worked to earn for us grace. Grace to be like God our Father. Today, we brag of the same eternal life we got by grace but we find it hard to yield to the Lordship of that divine nature. Meanwhile to whom we yield our members to obey the same is our master. We have power today to yield to whosoever, it won't be by the compulsion of either the flesh or the Spirit...we have such freedom.

He has a right to demand of us such grace because He did same for us. He didn't wait for us to come to Him, He clothed Himself with frail humanity, as the songwriter said. We had no capacity to love Him first, he had to love us first in order for us to be able to love Him.

While we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly...He gave Himself to a non deserving world. He died for those who will even reject Him through eternity... That's the nature the believer shares from Christ.

[My Offline Bible] Romans 5
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The human nature at its best will give to someone 'qualified' in its judgments and that's even scarce but never for an ungodly man.

Jesus Christ knew we would still struggle with this while He told the parable of the unforgiving steward. The steward was forgiven of an enormous amount he owed, he couldn't extend the same gift to someone owing him some stipends. We have been offered eternity through the grace of Christ, something gaining the whole world can't be good enough for an exchange but we wouldn't show the same magnanimity towards men on material things that perish with the use.

I know this doesn't make any meaning to a world ruled by Caesars economic system. It won't work in a world where only the strong wins bread for himself. This can only be received by those who have been overtaken by the spirit of the kingdom of Christ where the New Creation rules... It won't work in a religious system devoid of the compassion of Christ and it's understandable.

But we who calls ourselves children of God should understand this being beneficiaries of the same grace and of the nature of divinity...

Let's shine the light...and be the salt in a decaying and dark world...

Good morning, More grace to you!

Perspectives to Christian Giving

Perspectives to Christian Giving

Giving is a purpose thing that forms the foundation of the Christian life and it's reason of being.

We were created unto good works. Good works may have no capacity to save us but we were saved to do good works. The good works we do is a sign of the new life within us.

[My Offline Bible] Ephesians 2
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

[My Offline Bible] Titus 2
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

The power of the new life shows in our love life and our love lives show in our giving lifestyle.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

We were equipped with the love nature of God to fulfill the purpose of doing good works. The world works to gain what their selfish desires crave, we work to satisfy what the new nature desires.

The divine nature is as powerful as the preaching of the Word in winning souls if engaged.

1 Peter 3:1-4 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. (The Message)

Our love lives is the basic manifestation of divine eternal life and nature the believer received to become born again. We can't prove a church goer is born again if his bowel of compassion remains shut and His selfishness and self protection takes the larger size in his life...

This is where Christian giving is motivated from. It isn't about the largeness of possession but the largeness of the nature in us, such nature that has conquered self pleasure in order to manifest Godliness and fulfill God's purpose.

Giving isn't something a believer should be forced to do. It isn't something he does for reasons other than to fulfill purpose,  meet needs and express the divine nature.

He isn't giving to be seen, known or appreciated. He is just being alive unto God and living the life...and meeting needs in relevance.

Giving in love is definitely profitable but we don't give because of the profit. We have been blessed before we gave, we give because we are already blessed. The teachings that makes it looks as if we get only because we gave is not in sync with God's nature. God gave Adam everything he needed before he was made, He even went ahead to plant a garden for him... We can only love Him if He had loved us... We have no capacity to love or give Him first.

God would have all He needs to complete a project before starting... He counted the cost of our lives purpose fulfilment and had everything ready before we came... He loved us first.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 4
19 We love him, because he first loved us.

We however have the tendencies of personal pride, that makes us think we can do or give enough to impress God. So we attach whatever we get and have to our own efforts in giving and not to  God's first loving us and giving to us.

This selfish mentality has so influenced Christian Giving in the last thirty years. People aren't being motivated by love and compassion in giving again but by what to get from it and so lose the power of divine eternal life that produces grace to give like God.

We have developed all sorts of philosophies alien to Christ to control giving. Now, we frown at people asking us, except when the man on the pulpit asks. If he asks it's not begging, but if a brother asks after service, it's begging and thou shall not be...

We judge people who don't have much and justify their poverty based on their inadequacies and failure. We don't care if we shame those who have not... After all its their fault, since our own blessings is our fault too and not about God

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 11
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

We therefore discourage giving to brethren in favor of giving to our religious institutions. It's always the fault of those who don't have amongst us and so we don't have responsibilities towards them so long we give to church.

We erroneously and subtly let people think giving to God is all about giving to church . And to give in love is to love God in giving to church. While that's not totally wrong it's also not the whole truth. How do we love God who we don't see when we do not love His people that we see said the scriptures.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 4
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

We care more about how people treat our children in our absence than how they treat us when they see us, I'm sure we got that from God...

We won't fulfill God's purposes for our lives if we won't go back to scriptures and rightly dividing it to learn the ultimate reason for giving and to follow it.

It's against Christ, His character and teaching to see people in need and not to share what we have. We go to church and everyone tries in hypocrisy to look good and so we don't know who is hurting and dying in lack, and that becomes our excuse for not giving but when they ask, we say they don't have faith and should go read motivational books and work and shouldn't beg!

Such people sooner or later get their needs met and move on in life by God's providence but with a bad lesson that affects their relationship with God and with the poor.

We shouldn't for selfishness lose our essence as believers. We were redeemed for good works, we partake of divine nature to give in love like God. Without giving we lose purpose and relevance, the whole cross becomes a waste... He gave His best to a world that don't care about Him, we have His nature to do greater works of love for Him... Let's do it!

Good morning, happy Sunday, it's a great week!

Perspectives into Deliverance

Perspectives into Deliverance

When we speak of deliverance concerning a believer today, it has to be put within scriptural perspective and be differentiated from casting out of demons.

We have been delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son... The Kingdom of darkness can't lord it over us again when we have Christ as our Lord...you can't serve two masters...

But these demons and devils of darkness possess unbelievers and influence people who submit to them through the works of the flesh, even believers to create physical evils around us and against us...

The problems, sufferings, hardships, troubles, temptations, hindrances and so on, that these demons inspire people to cast on our ways require of us to cry out for help in faith unto God...and whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved... He saves when we call... He is greater than whatever or whoever we need deliverance from including the repercussions of our own mistakes...

The  Bible teaches that he that is born of God keeps himself that the evil one does not touch him... 1john 5:18...either to make him sin or to hurt him...

We do this by praying aright for deliverance...

To say because we are delivered from the powers of darkness and so we wouldn't pray will be an error...and to say we believers are demonised or possessed and would need deliverance for that is another error...

That however excludes our spiritual warfare not against humans who we perceive as enemies but against the host of demonic world of darkness waging war against the will of God coming to pass in out lives...a warfare not done by physical or carnal weapons...

We must put the issue of deliverance in proper perspective. Studying scriptures on this goes a long way in creating proper and balanced perspective to it.

Perspectives is a major issue in spiritual maturity... Let's work with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God in order for the eyes of our perspective to be enlightened by grace...

Let's study and meditate on these scriptures..

The long and mighty hand of divine deliverance shall manifest in your favor today against every hardship and evil in Jesus name...

Good Morning!

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 34
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 6
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

[My Offline Bible] Romans 15
30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 1
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

[My Offline Bible] 2 Thessalonians 3
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Timothy 3
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Timothy 4
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

And then this....

[My Offline Bible] Colossians 1
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Defining Manhood

One of the greatest scriptures about manhood to me is in 1 Corinthians 11:3

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 11
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Of course we know that this speaks of a marriage situation but it also highlights the place of being a man.

Being a man isn't primarily territorial and 'libidorial', these are things in the animal kingdom that brings aggression and man copied that after the fall...

We fight to win bread to keep the herd. We fight to gain the females to expend our libido, we fight to take territories to propagate and perpetuate... That's what animals do...

But we were made in the image of God particularly in the new creation. We transcend the animal life and also the that of the mere man, we live in the realm of our Father God...

We feed on His table...we don't need to fight to win bread...

We share in God's nature, it is self propagating we aren't defined by our libido and our sperm cells...that's not where out manhood come from... Our manhood is not in our penis...

We don't do territorial and we don't strife, Jesus had won us a Kingdom we only fight the fight of faith in the Spirit to maintain it...we don't wrestle with flesh and blood...and our weapons aren't carnal... We aren't natural men but supernatural and spiritual...

So where is our manhood...?

The head of every man is Christ!

We aren't more men than our recognition and submission to the Lordship of Christ and of God.

We aren't more men than our ability to receive instructions of wisdom from Him alone...

We aren't more men than our yieldedness to the leading of the Spirit as He orders our steps and carries us by His winds in the path of righteousness...

We aren't more men than our ability to die to self and be alive unto God and so allowing Christ to manifest His life from within us in grace...

It's only when the head of the man is Christ that the male becomes Man...

It isn't mere macho, proving to be a hard guy, who can't be bullied,  who seems to be able to protect and provide while he is a whimp within...

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity...

Our women are being deceived by the peacock syndrome in men. They show beautiful colored feathers but are too big to fly...when flight is needed...the feathers are too heavy with paint...

Many discover too late that the beauty that they see attract others also...many others...

But there are beauties within a man that only compatible eyes can see...the beauties of the Lordship of Christ...

The beauties of eternal life that can't be subdued...we are born of God...!

There are muscles within that don't bulge in the arms and chests... The strength of the Spirit of God and the strength of His grace and Omnipotence...

But only the eyes of faith can see... Every other eyes can see the macho body build and the flashy cars...things that perish with the use... But only the eyes of faith can see through into the eternity of the Lordship of Christ...

The head of the man is Christ... How can you be the head of a woman successfully when you have no head in Christ?

When Christ isn't your head how do you love your wife and lead her in the way of success and protection?

Are you a man yet?

Where lies your manhood?

Are you copying the animals where you have to be aggressively violent up to inflicting injury or death on those who love you to take care of your family?

Learn of Christ...who instead laid down His life not having to kill or destroy to maintain His wife... That's a mystery...

We have to die so that Christ can become the head of our homes...

But we learn that in being a man before becoming a husband... Not the other way round...

Good morning...

Develop a Personal Walk with God

Develop a Personal walk with God

Rev Kenneth Copeland at the ongoing South West Believers Conference shared a testimony of a church where 90% of members were working at the world Trade Center during 911. The Holy Spirit had led the pastor to teach on the leading of the Spirit, walking by faith and in love over and over immediately before the attack.

When the attack happened, they lost not one member, and not even one had an injury. There were testimonies of how individuals were led through the floors to safety and how so many people were saved through these people leading them out by the Holy Spirit leading. Today, the church is still at ground zero winning souls...

Sometime we need to stick to what we are called into... We are called to walk in the Spirit, walk in love towards all men, Pray in the Spirit, walk daily in faith towards God... Many churches aren't doing this, rather we preach and teach to make people depend on a person's anointing rather than their own personal relationship with God...and no one's faith can carry the burden of many other people, no one's relationship with God can substitute for people's personal relationship with God, you can't hire another person to be your parent's child in your stead when you aren't dead...you can't hire your pastor to be your permanent representative before God, he too would have to stand by himself first...but he has a responsibility to point you towards God and help you develop your own personal relationship with God, he has a responsibility to help you walk with God on your own by exposing you to teachings and personal examples that will help, he has a responsibility of seeing you have a personal walk of love and of faith...motivating you unto conformity to the image of Christ in a sweet fellowship of the Spirit...

Then you can call on God in time of trouble even when your pastor isn't around and God will save you...

No voice is better than yours before God for yourself. Yes, we pray for each other and prayers of intercession and agreement can be powerful but that's between people who have greater confidence in their personal walk with God, who believe God hears them and not a people going with a mentality of having need of a particular people to pray on their behalf before God can save them as if they don't have access to the Holy Spirit or to the throne of grace...

Jesus Christ didn't die on the cross in order to make any of us a second class child of God. While we were growing up we needed people to support our growth, we needed milk, we needed care, we needed a watch over us so we don't hurt ourselves as children but we get weaned and live in freedom to take personal responsibilities and that is same spiritually. But lots won't want to be weaned and their pastors love the patronage and dependence which doesn't have capacity to produce at crucial times...all the time, as a personal walk with God will do...

We must realize what apostle Paul said, we have no authority over another person's faith but we are helpers of their faith...Ministers are helpers of God's people's faith and not lords over it...

Determine to develop your love life beyond the politics of your local church...

Determine to develop your faith life based on the word of His grace on all that Christ did for us on the cross...
Learn to take your personal shield of faith, no one will do that for you, everyone is carrying his or her own to quench the firy darts of the devil...take yours too...

Determine to have a robust prayer life based on a personal relationship and fellowship with God without a third party, in your closet, on the altar erected in your recreated spirit, the temple of God within you beyond a church altar...

Determine to learn how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and live in it beyond whatever anyone tells you God is saying to you... God wants to speak to you personally daily concerning things pertaining to your life...the Holy Spirit lives personally within you as a believer...

Determine to know God personally, read your Bible and other books personally and glean the truth, to you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom...read this write up to the end for instance...many won't unfortunately and they'll miss the message therein!

Determine to be like the Berean Christians who would go back to check if what the great Apostle said in the open were true with the scriptures... Nobody else can judge correctly for you like you digging personally into the Word...

Prove all things, hold on to the truth...

This will save you in the day of trouble...by that, those God has raised to watch with you can become more effective and their prayers and prophecies can cover for you in areas of your laxity in the day of trouble and on the evil day there won't be any space for the devil to strike...

Remain blessed today and always...

Study the following scriptures from where the write up came from for better understanding...

[My Offline Bible] Romans 10
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

[My Offline Bible] John 16
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

[My Offline Bible] Habakkuk 2
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 1
24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (The MSG)
Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

We must take personal responsibilities of our walk with God. Good morning.

The Bible Class, TBC, Non Denominational Bible Discussion Class holds today at 6pm...
Havila Place
#46 DF Street
Mosan Road
Beside D Mama's Pride Supermarket
Shagari Estate
Ipaja, Lagos.

If you can be there...

Set Your Calling Free: Faithful is He who Called

Set Your Calling Free: Faithful is He who Called

[My Offline Bible] 1 Thessalonians 5
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Everyone under the burden of a call of God but consistently revel in the truth of the faithfulness of God who called.
Apostle Paul said, faithful is He who Called, who also will do it.
The performance and the perfection of our callings are with God. When we obey the heavenly vision, God steps in to fulfil the vision through us.
Even then, we still face stiff oppositions and the hour and power of darkness persist, we should never forget the fact that God is faithful. He is righteous. He wouldn't demand of us beyond the grace given us. He remains our sufficiency and present help in trouble.

The faithfulness of God teaches us that what God has created like the sun, the seasons and so on can never be more consistent than God. As the inanimate creatures set in their courses remain faithful, they reflect the glory of God's faithfulness to us.

God's faithfulness also teaches us that God wouldn't change His mind concerning His original counsel, thoughts and plans concerning us. He created and equipped us to deliver and He has faith in us that we will deliver without fail. We were created in Christ Jesus unto every good work ordained before that we should walk in, He won't change the goal post in the middle of the game. He is faithful. There is no shadow of turning with Him, there's no darkness at all with Him.. It is absolutely impossible for Him to lie. He is unchanging and most consistent and we can trust Him...

His faithfulness taught us that when He has a plan, He makes sure there is enough resources in power, wisdom and in other necessities provided and made available to fulfil the plan. God doesn't starve a vision from Him whose time has come. He pays for whatever He orders. He has omnipotence ready to tackle whatever may arise against the calling. He has wisdom unfathomable to proffer solutions to any problem. He has grace for the race available before the race begins. He is a faithful God.

His faithfulness also teaches us that though the time for the vision is long, the vision is true, it won't tarry beyond the appointed time and if we'll wait it won't fail.. Habakkuk 2. The appointed time will become the fullness of time if we don't grow weary.

Many visions are trapped in impatience and in unbelief. Troubles, delay and divers attacks weaken many people's resolve to remain faithful. It's common that people abandon great visions and callings because of unbelief, fear of the unknown, doubts and double mindedness. A lot doubt if God even ever called them due to the pains of the fire of affliction.

But we must always remember that God has His plan and the things eye haven't seen nor ear heard, which haven't entered into any imagination which God has prepared for us already have budgets of power, wisdom, provisions and every other needed resource  prepared long before we were born. His plans won't fail, He is greater than all, He won't bring us out of Egypt and not bring us into Canaan. We can trust Him.

When we do, it becomes easy to run with the vision, enduring hardness as good soldiers of the Lord till we can say we have kept the faith...

Let's gather tomorrow as we explore these things in God's presence as we pray and learn to keep our callings free for fulfilment of divine purpose.

God has a resolve to bring our callings to fulfilment, let's join hands with Him. He has purposed it and He will also do it...

[My Offline Bible] Isaiah 46
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Pray along, be there if possible... See banner for details...

Good morning.

www.evansademanuel.blogspot.com

Set Your Calling Free: Faithful is He who Called

Set Your Calling Free: Faithful is He who Called

[My Offline Bible] 1 Thessalonians 5
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Everyone under the burden of a call of God but consistently revel in the truth of the faithfulness of God who called.
Apostle Paul said, faithful is He who Called, who also will do it.
The performance and the perfection of our callings are with God. When we obey the heavenly vision, God steps in to fulfil the vision through us.
Even then, we still face stiff oppositions and the hour and power of darkness persist, we should never forget the fact that God is faithful. He is righteous. He wouldn't demand of us beyond the grace given us. He remains our sufficiency and present help in trouble.

The faithfulness of God teaches us that what God has created like the sun, the seasons and so on can never be more consistent than God. As the inanimate creatures set in their courses remain faithful, they reflect the glory of God's faithfulness to us.

God's faithfulness also teaches us that God wouldn't change His mind concerning His original counsel, thoughts and plans concerning us. He created and equipped us to deliver and He has faith in us that we will deliver without fail. We were created in Christ Jesus unto every good work ordained before that we should walk in, He won't change the goal post in the middle of the game. He is faithful. There is no shadow of turning with Him, there's no darkness at all with Him.. It is absolutely impossible for Him to lie. He is unchanging and most consistent and we can trust Him...

His faithfulness taught us that when He has a plan, He makes sure there is enough resources in power, wisdom and in other necessities provided and made available to fulfil the plan. God doesn't starve a vision from Him whose time has come. He pays for whatever He orders. He has omnipotence ready to tackle whatever may arise against the calling. He has wisdom unfathomable to proffer solutions to any problem. He has grace for the race available before the race begins. He is a faithful God.

His faithfulness also teaches us that though the time for the vision is long, the vision is true, it won't tarry beyond the appointed time and if we'll wait it won't fail.. Habakkuk 2. The appointed time will become the fullness of time if we don't grow weary.

Many visions are trapped in impatience and in unbelief. Troubles, delay and divers attacks weaken many people's resolve to remain faithful. It's common that people abandon great visions and callings because of unbelief, fear of the unknown, doubts and double mindedness. A lot doubt if God even ever called them due to the pains of the fire of affliction.

But we must always remember that God has His plan and the things eye haven't seen nor ear heard, which haven't entered into any imagination which God has prepared for us already have budgets of power, wisdom, provisions and every other needed resource  prepared long before we were born. His plans won't fail, He is greater than all, He won't bring us out of Egypt and not bring us into Canaan. We can trust Him.

When we do, it becomes easy to run with the vision, enduring hardness as good soldiers of the Lord till we can say we have kept the faith...

Let's gather tomorrow as we explore these things in God's presence as we pray and learn to keep our callings free for fulfilment of divine purpose.

God has a resolve to bring our callings to fulfilment, let's join hands with Him. He has purposed it and He will also do it...

[My Offline Bible] Isaiah 46
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Pray along, be there if possible... See banner for details...

Good morning.

www.evansademanuel.blogspot.com

Set Your Calling Free: The many Adversaries at the Door

Set Your Calling Free: The many Adversaries at the Door

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 16
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

As long as Satan lives, there will remain a stubborn resistance to any effort to establish God's will on the earth. Satan is going to use any and every means possible to mount roadblocks on the way of doing God's pleasure.

Obeying the call of God would demand daily contentions against the arrows of the enemy. In the physical, Satan will raise the most unexpected of men to militate against God's call outside those who don't believe and in the spirit his rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness won't relent. And sometimes there is collaboration between the spiritual and the physical, where humans take on satanic intercessory ministry to stand between a child of God and Satan to establish the will of the devil in the life of the child of God through witchcraft and other works of the flesh...

[My Offline Bible] Romans 15
30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

Apostle Paul speaking about human opposition had this to say also...

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 11
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

Not every believer will escape being used by the devil to wanting to stop other callings from manifestation and such can be so diabolical in a world where competition is rife in the absence of the God kind of love and abundance of wrath and strife.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Thessalonians 2
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

So many callings have fallen victim to the many adversaries at the open door. Many have been perpetually hindered from taking the lands of their open doors. Many have pitched their tents at the point of satanic hindrances and roadblocks... It ought not to be so...

There is deliverance in God who called.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Timothy 4
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. 16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Timothy 3
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

No matter the opposition, if we stand with God and pray aright deliverance is available. There is deliverance in God. Apostle Paul, a minister of God who had such stiff oppositions wouldn't permit his calling to be trapped, he knew what to do, he did what he had to do and won the fight...today no one remembers his persecutors but he remains relevant so long the earth lives.

He prayed...

[My Offline Bible] 2 Thessalonians 3
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

He prayed with an attitude of a conqueror and not a victim...

[My Offline Bible] Acts 20
23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

He received help and continued his work till the end...

[My Offline Bible] Acts 26
21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. 22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

We need to understand that the open doors God gives may come with adversaries and they may be many at different times, but the doors also come with the proviso that no man can shut those doors God opens...if we don't shut them by succumbing to Satan's intimidation.

[My Offline Bible] Revelation 3
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

No power of hell or any scheme of man can stop us from fulfilling the call of God upon our lives if we don't become careless and complacent with it...

No matter how long we have been hindered and by whatever powers, the power accompanying each call was envisaged to tackle any kind of opposition. It remains a hard thing to kick against the gourds..

[My Offline Bible] Acts 9
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

As we gather this Saturday, we'll be engaging God in all prayers, exploring His faithfulness and provisions for such hindrance situations in ministry and as the Lord lives, callings shall be set free as God takes preeminence to bring His will to pass over every life..... He will help and we shall continue in His work...

If you can attend, don't miss it, if you can pray, don't be quiet. Let's join hands with God through prayer to bring His will to pass on the earth for His kingdom to come...

See details on banner

Peace to you...today and always..

Good morning

www.evansademanuel.blogspot.com