News: Ricky Dillard & New G to Release Highly Anticipated New Live Album ‘Amazing’, Celebrating 25th Anniversary, On June 10th

Acclaimed Gospel superstar, choir master, songwriter and producer Ricky Dillard’s highly anticipated new live album, Amazing, will hit shelves on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.
Garnering multiple awards and international praise for show-stopping live performances combining innovative choreography and electrifying music, Ricky Dillard and his choir New G have created a masterful new 13-track collection on Amazing, capturing the live excitement of powerful spiritual community from a packed special 25th anniversary concert performance recorded live in Chicago, with guest appearances including Le’Andria Johnson and Byron Cage joining in the anniversary celebration.
Dillard will also kick off a multi-city slate of appearances in celebration of the album’s release.
Debuting the new single “Amazing” with a smashing performance as the closing act on the 2014 Stellar Awards show earlier this year, Ricky Dillard & New G’s song “Amazing” showcases their signature gift of captivating melodies and lyrics that have driven fans worldwide to their performances and albums for the past 25 years.
Embraced by fans in eager anticipation of the new album, “Amazing” has continued to climb the singles chart, rising to #2 in Gospel Radio with its uplifting message extolling God’s amazing powers and love.
A sensational new work of spiritual contemplation and praise, the album’s 13 unforgettable tracks include standout messages on songs such as “Grace,” “Grateful” with Byron Cage, “Always There” with Le’Andria Johnson, “I Believe” with DeAndre Patterson, and “Higher,” that are sure to become new classics in Dillard’s seasoned canon of hit songs.
Ricky Dillard will cross the country with a slate of upcoming appearances, bringing the Amazing live album experience to fans beginning in his native Chicago on June 7th and 8th, then to New York on June 10th, Philadelphia on June 11th, and more.
Ricky Dillard & New G: Amazing (Light Records/Entertainment One Music)

Introducing: Naija Gospel Lyrics

Most of the time, we have this song that we love so much but not having the lyrics of the song becomes a barrier, and this stops us from singing along. Now, here is a solution.
Naija Gospel Lyrics is an online database that serves as an intermediary between Nigeria Gospel Artistes and their fans.
Naija Gospel Lyrics is dedicated to making available all Nigeria Gospel lyrics of both old and newly released songs for everyone around the world.
This is an opportunity for all Nigeria Gospel Artistes to get closer to their fans and create a very easy awareness for everyone about their newly released songs.
This will as well enable the general public to learn and sing the correct text/words of their music. Downloading and uploading on this website is free!
The entire public especially all the Nigeria Gospel Artistes are enjoined to send their lyrics to nggospellyrics@gmail.com for uploading as compilation is on (kindly attach your personal pictures, a group pictures, album pictures, year released, composer, producer and your biography).
The official website of Naija Gospel Lyrics would be announced soon via www.praiseworldradio.com and Naija Gospel Lyrics’ twitter handle (@NGglyrics).
You can as well add us on facebook (http://facebook.com/naijagospel.lyrics) or search for the group page on facebook (Naija Gospel Lyrics). ,

why we sing?

READ: Ephesians 5:15-20
Music is a kind of language—an experiential language. It allows us to communicate what we feel or to evoke what we hope to feel. When I want quiet—soft jazz helps me express that longing.
When I want to experience joy—folksy bluegrass hits just the right chord. My wife Miska and I both have songs that, whenever we hear them, trigger memories and emotions from our years together.
And I have several friends who express themselves best at a piano or by singing lyrics.
In Ephesians, Paul describes the work God is doing in the world, crafting a people (the church) who will embody God’s kingdom. As God’s people, we are to live and love the way God lives and loves.
We’re to “understand what the Lord wants [us] to do”—and then do it (v.17). We could never enact this new way of living by ourselves.
We aren’t that wise or ingenious. We can see this new life take shape only as we allow God’s presence and strength free reign in us. Paul puts it this way: We must be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v.18).
But what does it look like if we’re filled with God—with the Holy Spirit? Do we gain superhuman powers or do we begin to glow like an angel?
On this occasion at least, Paul says that we will sing. Sing? Yes, God will fill us and then we will pour forth beautiful music.
First, we sing “to one another” (v.19 NIV). The music Paul describes is communal music, the church’s expression of God’s character and activity.
Second, we “[make] music to the Lord” (v.19). Our music, as well as all our lives, should be directed to God.
Joyful music that sings God’s story is one way we experience (and proclaim) His work among us. —Winn Collier

20 ways to avoid sexual temptation

How can teens stay true to Jesus in the middle of a sex-crazed world?
God commands and demands that there shouldn't even be a hint of sexual immorality among us as His saved people (Ephesians 5:3). Of course, we all find this incredibly easy to do, right? WRONG!
This feels completely impossible most (maybe all) of the time. If there is one area of life where it feels like Satan is winning the battle, it’s in the area of sex.
And if there is one area where our bodies are screaming out to us to disobey God, it’s in the area of sex.
So I want to give you my top 20 tips to help you avoid sexual immorality:
1.Find out what pleases the Lord.
2.Find out what God’s will for your life is.
3. You need to be careful what you fill your minds with.
Imagination is often the hot-bed where sin is hatched. Martin Luther once said about sexual desires, “You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making nests in your hair.”
4.Pray (It is a spiritual battle too).
5.Don't put yourself in situations where you will be easily tempted.
6.Remember God is watching.
7.Talk about sex (accountability). You can't fight this alone. You need God's help and you need help from God's people too.
8.You are not alone. It can be helpful to know you are not the only person who has ever been tempted this way.
9.You CAN resist.
10.Know that God provides a way out
11.Count yourself dead to sin and alive to God
12.Remember the cross. Jesus died for our sins, including our sexual sins.
13.Remember Jesus is coming back. We will all have to give an account for our lives, even our sex life.
14.Memorise Scripture: use the word often,its a companion
15.Weariness and sadness often leads to sin. Learn to know yourself. Know when you are weak and susceptible to temptation.
16.Struggling is a good sign. Keep fighting and don't give in
17.Be careful what you wear. Modesty is good for you and good for others too.
18.Forgiveness is available. If you sin sexually you can still be forgiven, such is the power of the cross of Christ. So repent, turn back to God and live for Him..
19.Read some good books:You might find it a helpful guide for answering some of your questions about sex.
20.think about God

The Reason You're Not Married (Might Be Looking You in the Mirror)

If you wonder why nobody seems to be the right fit, maybe it's time to ask what you expect in a spouse and how realistically you're assessing yourself...........

Youth Can Change The WORLD........... |

Someone once said, “Everything is a matter of perspective. To one person, it’s half-full; to another, it’s half-empty.”
Youth can change the world—a far-fetched idea or a realistic goal?
Longman Dictionary of American English defines “change” as “to become different, or to make someone or something become different.”
Now, that’s sounds like something plausible. But, the world?
I love the perspective given in Acts 1: 8, “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It starts from the ones closer to you and expands outward.
But the clincher is in the words before: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
God can change the world and He wants to work through us.

what we worship

Be blessed!
READ: Psalm 115:1-8
We resemble what we revere. When we worship money, we view ourselves and others in terms of our cash value.
We see people as creditors, debtors, and customers, rather than as human beings made in the image of God. When we worship sex, we treat ourselves and others as dehumanized objects of sexual pleasure—good for nothing other than the next orgasm.
And when we worship power, we turn every relationship into a contest between competitors, managers, and pawns.
The tragedy of becoming what we worship is that our false gods “have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell” (Psalm 115:5-6). When God says that we become like idols, He means that we become mute, blind, and deaf to what matters most.
That’s why God told Isaiah that idolatrous Israel would “not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to [Him] for healing” (Isaiah 6:10).
They had been serving idols for so long that they had become deaf to the very voice of God.
Nothing dulls our awareness of God as efficiently as the media.
Movies and television shows ignore God in their pursuit of money, sex, and power. Have you ever heard an onscreen character say, “Let’s pray about this” or “I wonder what God’s Word says about our problem”?
We regain our ear for the music of God when we destroy our idols and practice living in His presence.
Karl Barth explained that we become “like a latecomer slipping shamefacedly into creation’s choir . . .
which has never ceased its praise, but merely suffered and sighed . . . that in inconceivable folly and ingratitude its living center man does not hear its voice, its response, its echoing of the divine glory.” Better late than never. —Mike Wittmer

How do you cope with change?

When Tola moved to the city, she really missed her best friends. She tried to keep up with them as much as possible but soon she began to notice a distance in the relationship.
They would hold a party and not invite her. They asked other people to be godparents to their new babies. Tola felt sad and rejected. Despite her best efforts, things were changing.
Tola began to spend more time with the people around her to meet her needs for friendship.
Over time she realised that her original friendships would have to be given up and new friendships embraced if she was going to stay happy.
Tola discovered something a lot of us realise - to survive the future, you’ve got to leave the past.
Leaving can be hard
In some ways, moving on in life is a little like the change that happens when we become Christians.
In Philippians, Paul talks about his past life without Christ & his new life with him. He reminds the Philippians that when you become a Christian, you leave the old ways behind you.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
In fact, there’s a lot of leaving in the Bible. Abraham was told to leave his homeland and move to the land God would show him. The people of Israel were led by Moses to leave Egypt.
What did leaving mean? Basically it just means not going back.
Abraham couldn’t fully trust God for his new home if he was still connected to his old home. And the people of Israel would never be free from slavery as long as they kept looking back to Egypt.
We’re not slaves, and most of us haven’t had a 'word from God' to move to the place he tells us, but the principle is still the same. To move on in life, we really have to ‘leave’ the old things behind.
If you move house, church, school or job or country or habits, or whatever, the moving is not complete until you can leave the past behind.
Get your goodbyes right
This is where saying goodbye effectively comes in. If we have not said goodbye, and we are still living in the past, things going to be much harder.
Leaving the past is not the same as suppressing your past and pretending it didn’t exist.
But you can’t continue to live there. You need to say goodbye to the old so you have room for the new.
If you’re trying to hold on to the old tightly with both hands, you’ll stay there and you won’t grow in the future.
Study up: Read Numbers 20:1-5. Why do you think the people of Israel complained about leaving Egypt? What would you advise them if you were there?

Four steps to beating lust

Four steps to beating lust

Winning the fight against pornography and masturbation.
In this article I want to encourage you to take out the garbage too.
Make irreversible decisions when you're strong
There will be times that you’re strong and withstanding temptation easily and there will be times where you’re really struggling.
Here’s a hint:
When you're feeling strong, make as many irreversible decisions as you can, so that when you’re weak you can’t go back and change them. Just like a gambler might give his wife his credit cards when he is strong so that when he is weak he doesn’t have them and can’t use them. Here's four actions you should take as soon as possible:
Action 1: Tell someone
You are simply not serious about slaying the dragon of lust until you talk to someone about it.
If it’s just your little secret, then no one will challenge you to change, no one will support you when temptation comes and no one will help you to keep up the fight.
In my previous article, I shared the time I did this.
Action 2: Ask for some accountability
Once you’ve broken through and talked about your struggles with lust, some kind of accountability will be helpful.
You need to give your accountability partner permission to ask how you’re going. When it comes to accountability it’s important to be very specific. Vague answers don’t help a person to change.
Your friend needs to be allowed to ask you if you’re masturbating, if you’re accessing pornography and lovingly challenge you to make changes.
Given the personal nature of this topic, you need to find a Christian of the same gender (and preferably same age) that you trust to be your accountability partner.

Action 3: Put controls on your technology
Jesus said if your eye causes you to lust gouge it out. Today he might say if your laptop causes you to sin, chuck it out.
Slaying the dragon of lust will only come about by making some very deliberate tough choices. Suppose you have a computer in your room, maybe it shouldn’t be in your room anymore.
Better to make the tough decision of moving your computer than to continue to lose your battle with lust each night. Perhaps it’s your mobile device that’s the issue.
Better to lose youtube and conquer lust. Maybe you need to tell your family that from now on you’ll never shut your bedroom door again. Sure it’s annoying but it won’t kill you, lust will.
Action 4: Let go of unhelpful friends
Maybe you have people in your life who are not helping you to follow Jesus.
Maybe they’re more caught up in pornography than you. They might put up posts on social networks that cause temptation.
I promise you that you that you can’t kill a dragon by asking politely asking it to go away. If the dragon is to die, there will be blood and guts everywhere. Maybe you need to delete your friend off those networks.
Maybe you need to delete your facebook, your snapchat or whatever else becomes a stumbling block to you. Having no facebook won’t kill you, lust will.
Maybe you’ll lose your friends, better to lose friends than to lose yourself in the pit of pornography.
These steps will give you a better chance of withstanding temptations when you are weak.
Once you’ve made a decision, tell people what you’ve decided to do so you won’t be able to undo it without people noticing.

Is Anxiety Counselling For Me?
Felling anxious a thing any individual can relate too. Anxiety creeps in when an individual has a problem they are concerned about, an outcome they are dreading or after they are within a stressful situation.
Anxiety that persists for some time duration in addition to anxiety that can prevent an individual from living a complete life would need to is known to be to by their professional.
The appropriate treatment and advice can prevent anxiety from taking on your life.
Why Anxiety Counseling is required
Frequent or debilitating anxiety attacks usually has an underlying cause. This is a problem that is not going to refrain from with time.
Professional assistance really is extremely valuable delving into the explanation and dealing with it.
Anxiety not only can affect yourself but in addition mexican people around you.
If prohibited, anxiety will offer detrimental effects on your family and work life. Constant anxiety may even lead to more durable health problems.
Anxiety, if left unattended, can significantly lower your self worth and confidence. Social situations become unbearable experiences.
Anxiety counselling is tremendous solution to take care of this affliction and lead a better life. What is Anxiety Counselling
Anxiety will likely be attributable to unresolved issues which cause constant, subconscious stress. Understanding the cause is important so as to hassle with it.
Anxiety counselling delves into a persons life and isolates instances or factors that creates stress. An individual can greatly improve themselves concurrently of dealing with these stressors. Understanding the reasons for anxiety and progressing options solve them will lead to self development.
Taking charge people anxiety problems is a major step towards taking charge of those toys life. By understanding yourself, you completely grasp the various aspects and experiences in your circle which might be preventing stop you from poor and content.
Through an anxiety counselling professional, you are able to meaningful steps towards managing and in the end conquering anxiety.
The proper professional help can prevent anxiety from ruining your social life, hindering some kind of and destroying by yourself-image.
Why counselling is for you
Anxiety is a tough demon to vanquish alone. Instead of wallowing in negative feelings preserving facts to yourself, it is suggested you search out the assistance of experience anxiety counselors who can display you the way.
It is not so easy to speak in confidence to another individual. Yet putting your trust in a professional with a view to manage anxiety is top-of-the-line decisions you'll ever make.
It really is scary at the outset but through time, you will find that selecting seek help is step one inside the solution.
Anxiety could be debilitating, but it needn't be an everlasting situation.
Getting expert assist in dealing with this kind of migraines can origin vast improvement in one's life.

Abundant Living In 2014
) "Every human has four endowments -- self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination.
These give us the ultimate human freedom…the power to choose, to respond, and to change.
" It is thoughts that can help us change our world and our lives.
Thoughts coupled with our human emotions pack an even greater punch when it comes to challenging our beliefs and changing our lives.
When it comes to money, for example, it's not really about what money you have, or wish you had, it's really more about how you feel about the money.
Prosperity is a real hot button issue for many of us. Dale Carnegie said it best, "Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you have."Emotions about our choices in life concerning money present us with a real challenge when it comes to realizing our capability for abundance.
There are emotions that can block the abundance from flowing in our direction.
Fear, worry and anger, along with resentment, jealousy, self-pity and envy are all dangerous emotions that will positively shut off the flow of abundance to your life. While negative emotions can be helpful in life-threatening situations, aiding in our survival, it can seriously impact our lives when used inappropriately.
You need that fear to tell you to run away or that anger to save a loved one, but when applied in the normal course of events, these negative emotions can be detrimental to your health, or even the health of others.
It's most assuredly detrimental to the flow of abundance in your life. Eliminating these debilitating emotions, and showing forgiveness for yourself, as well as for others in your life, will re-establish the abundant flow back into your world.
You must rid yourself of all negative emotions; push aside the pettiness and resentment, the fear, anger, and worry.
Depression and doubt are extremely harmful to your body and your mind, and must be dealt with quickly and replaced with more positive emotions, before they can cause physical or mental illness. Jealousy, envy, and resentment hurt you as well as others and block the flow of abundance in your direction.
You've heard the Latin phrase, 'carpe diem.' It means 'seize the day.' Grab the opportunity; don't let it pass you by.
You must live your life to the fullest, make each day count, and maximize the quality of your life.
Remember, this is not a dress rehearsal; this is real life

Don't Make Friends With It!

We all worry at one time or another, but truly, what has worry ever really done for us? Does it make us happy? No.
Does it help make us more productive? No. Does it help us to think more clearly? I don't think so.
Worry DOES make us feel sick. It is often the culprit behind that pounding headache or upset stomach.
It can make you sweat and cause your hands to shake. And it can cause you to doubt yourself and your own abilities.

Now, a little worry, or concern, can be helpful.
A question such as "Is there anymore I can do to make this better," or "Let's see, did I touch on all the details." is fine; in fact, it can be very helpful.
But the kind of worry that announces itself with a statement like "Who am I kidding? I don't have what it takes to get this done right!
What if something goes wrong? Everytime I do something I mess it up!" Well, THAT kind of worry; excessive, almost compulsive worry, can be and often is a dream killer.
It prevents us from getting started because hey, what the heck, we can't really do it anyway.
It grabs a hold of you with its icy cold fingers and doesn't let go until it saturates your whole being with its echo.
And when it has you, well then, you'll always be afraid.
I remember reading many years ago an article that said that over 90% of all we worry about never happens anyway.
That's an awfully high percentage, don't you think?
So the next time worry comes knocking at your door open it and tell it to take his 10% and take a hike. You don't need it.

Without mincing words, masturbation is a sin

Masturbation is simply defined as “Manual stimulation of the genital organs (of yourself or another) for sexual pleasure.
Today, masturbation has gone to another level from hand stimulation to use of sex toys that were produced for that specific purpose.
A lot of folk are addicted to masturbation; they go to bed with dildos, vibrators, and the likes.
But is it true the New Testament never addressed the issue of masturbation because God wanted us to masturbate?
I don’t think so. As far as I am concerned, that is like saying, “the bible didn’t say we should not cook our rice with rat poison because he wanted us to commit suicide!
Now I am going to give you just one scripture. Let’s bear in mind that for one to masturbate:
There must be a thought process, a mental image of a man or woman or sex scene or sex pictures, which one focuses on, and then together with the manual stimulation, that brings one to an orgasm. This then means that for one to masturbate;
there has to be a mental undressing of the object/person in question, and a mental sexual experience!
Now here is what Jesus said:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
(Mat 5:28 KJV) - This knocks off masturbation completely. The process that leads to masturbation is what Jesus Christ equated with adultery in the heart! The message is clear! Without mincing words, masturbation is a sin.
A summary of how to stop it.
1. Get accountable to an authority figure you can always call when you sense trouble
2. Don't joke with reading God's word daily. That is where you draw strength from to be able to resist the devil.
3. Destroy every trigger. It could be films, literature, magazines or anything.
4. Make up your mind to stop.
5. Ask God to help you

How the World's Top 10 Countries Search the Bible Differently

INTERNATIONAL; RESEARCH
Are pastors preaching Paul too much and Old Testament too little? Leading Bible website analyzes top verses searched by millions worldwide.
How the World's Top 10 Countries Search the Bible Differently
Which Bible verses are searched for most often in the world's 10 most populous countries? Psalm 23, Genesis 1, and 1 Corinthians 13, according to the world's leading Bible website.
Yet China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Russia, and Japan each search the Bible differently, according to a new study of 2013 visits to BibleGateway.com in conjunction with GMI.
Psalm 23 appeared in the top five searches in nine of the 10 countries, followed closely by Genesis 1 in eight of the 10, and 1 Corinthians 13 in seven of the 10.
When looking for a book of the Bible, people begin at the beginning: "Chapter 1" appears in more than 30 percent of Bible Gateway's searches.
(CT previously reported that John 3:16 topped the list of searches for individual verses in 2013.)
Two of the four "implications of the search for truth" noted in the study: Are pastors and missionaries preaching too much from Paul? Too little from the Old Testament?
The leading Bible website reports that people from 92 percent of the world—242 countries or territories—spent more than 76 million hours in 2013 "searching, reading, studying, comparing, and sharing the Bible in their own languages.
" Almost one-third of the site's came from outside the United States.
The only overlap between the top 10 countries that visitors came from—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Philippines, Colombia, Singapore, and South Africa—and the 10 most populous countries was the United States.
And even though John 3:16 took first in the list of searches for an individual verse, it only appears in four of the 10 most populous countries' top five searches: the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and India.
While passages from the Psalms appeared in all 10 of the most populous countries' top five searches, they account for three of the top five searches in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
The Old Testament rounded out all five of the top spots in Nigeria and Pakistan, while 1 Cor. 13 was the only New Testament passage to reach the top five in Bangladesh.
Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh rank No. 8, No. 14, and No. 48 respectively on Open Doors' World Watch List. The Pew Research Center also ranked the most populous countries and their levels of religious hostility.
Bible Gateway and GMI also reported on specific words people in the most populous countries are seeking: "guidance," "God," "comfort," "the word," "hope," "strength," "identity," "the beginning," "refuge," "mercy," and "love."
Just three search words—love, hope and strength—overlapped with the list of top 10 topical keywords searched last year. CT has previously noted the Bible verses YouVersion shared most in 2013, as well as how the top 100 searching cities in the U.S. compare to the top 100 believing cities.

RESOLVE TO SUCCEED!

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.
- Abraham Lincoln
It is not what they say, but what YOU say.
It is not what they predict, but what YOU foresee.
It is not what happens to you, but what YOU make out of it.
It is neither wind nor storm, circumstances nor obstacles that determine your outcome in life,
But your faith in YOU, your strength with YOU & your actions for YOU.
All that matters is YOUR will to fight, YOUR resolve to win and YOUR decision to succeed against all odds.
For NOTHING can stop that man who has made up his mind to succeed. NOTHING.
#StayStrong, #StayUnshaken, #StayMotiv8ted

Except The Lord Builds: Ladies The Lord Needs Your Attentions Now!

Which any young lady does not go into marriage with the desire to be an excellent wife and to have a happy home? The dismal picture of many homes in our society, the disillusionment of many wives and the statistics of broken homes, however reveal that this desire does not always materialize.
The big question is why is it so? Why are homes not what God intended them to be?
“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucked it down with her hands.” (Proverbs 14:1).
It is clear that the quality of life in a home depends largely on the woman.
If many homes do not conform to God’s idea of a perfect home, it definitely not for want of effort on both sides.
Many women actually go into the building of their homes with all the zeal they have.
Within a few weeks of marriage, however they discover that home making is not as easy as they thought.
The problem of home management begins to mount as the babies begin to arrive.
The woman struggles with the tasks of keeping the home, organizing care for the children and giving her husband needed attention.
The stress and burden soon make her to become tense, frustrated and irritable. Of course, irritability and fellowship cannot co-exist.
So her husband and sometimes her children become alienated. The home becomes chaotic. The woman, in the midst of the confusion and tight unwritten work schedules forgets to take care of her physical appearance and spiritual state. Peace and joy become bywords.
This is exactly the state of Amaka’s home at present. In fact, that is exactly why she agreed to attend this woman conference. She listened with rapt attention as the preacher expounded on the life of the virtuous woman---her well-run home, her management skill, her care to every member of her household and the fact that she is the picture of perfect womanhood in appearance and conduct.
At this point, anger mounted in Amaka’s heart.
How can a woman accomplish all these? She thought “what kind of superhuman strength does she have? I have also worked hard at having a wonderful home. I put in all my effort and even read home management books but the result has been exhaustion, stress, frustration and unhappiness” When Amaka said she had put in all her effort into building her home, she hit at the main reason why she and many other wives have failed. They depended on their own efforts. But we know that….by strength shall no man prevail” (1 Samuel2:9).
It is true that the woman is an instrument for building a happy home, but that instrument must be wielded by God. “Except he LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman walked but in vain” (Psalm127:1) The solution to the problems of home building lies in finding God and putting Him first. If you turn to God and give him first place in your life, you will be amazed at home he will help you and bring about the transformation in your home, which for long you have sought. How He does this should not be a mystery, for He is the Almighty and All-sufficient. The power behind every service for God is taking time to seek God’s will through prayer and reading the Bible. And the Lord says: “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth fourth much fruit: for without ye can do nothing” (John15:5). As you prayerfully study the word. He will reveal to you the wisdom, knowledge and understanding you need to build a successful home. You will learn that it is His work through you that will make the difference in your home. You will be surprises that He will help you even when those problems you think are trivial yet trampling. He will show you how to tackle the perpetual heap of dirty laundry, the disorganized kitchen and even how to bring smiles back to the faces of your husband and children. This was the secret of the woman of proverb 31. We did not read of her from a novel but from God’s Book of truth. She surrended her life to God and allowed Him to use her as an instrument for building her home. It is hope that Amaka and all other woman who are enduring the burden of an unhappy home and marriage, trying to build exclusively in their own strength will learn this secret. Pray now for yourself. If you are not saved, repent and turn to Gods. If you are, repent of your life and home will never remain the same. He is God. He cannot change (Hebrews13:8,Malachi3:6).

Top 3 Ways To Stay Tough And Focused ,In Face Of Life Hard Knocks.

‘Mental Health tips’
I have dealt with numerous injuries over the years,” No Big Deal” And they have all made me realized that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and there is a light at the end of the tunnel in every situation whether good or bad”.
During those time no one knows if I am in pain or not but I do. Oh sure, it’s good to show your vulnerability sometimes. I am not some “super woman” although others may think I am.
Well the best thing is that through it all I have grown in regards to my endurance, technique and strength.
According to Helen Keller ‘’character can not be developed in ease and quiet—only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.
So to stay tough and focused in face of life injuries is still one of the hardest lessons many have not learned so well. Off course you can master you challenges and walk through them if only you connect to your maker and your inner self.
“Enough of the jumping around and making things worse than they ought to have”. Settle down and settle it out. How? Ok may be you’ve not considered that the physical hurt and challenges you might be facing or experiencing is only a small portion of the overall pain---the psychological pain is much if not worse.
Now as we keep in mind that every one is different and you have to learn how to manage and over come your own specific injury---
Below are my top 3 ways to stay tough and focused in the face of life challenges:
1. Connect to your creator: operating a machine against the producers lay down rules and regulate is not only bad for the machine but also to the operate---so running your life without recognizing the God factor is even more dangerous than that of a machine for life has no duplicate.
Connect to God through his son Jesus Christ and allow him to take the lead in the course of your life. Don’t just remember Him in tough time, in good remember Him---that’s acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path in life.
2. Be truthful to yourself: This is so sad to say that a lot of people gamble over every thing in life. They are never sure of any thing---organize your life and have a clear life goal.
Don’t just live “life for something”. Always maintain a positive attitude no matter what.
Off course you may not be able to run and jump in the few months, modify and do what you can ‘’Be real” because it keeps you mentally strong and well focused.
3. Be patient: This is probably the hardest of it all. But I’ve realizes that sometimes the fastest way to come back is to take it slow. So be patient enough to stay focus on your short-term and long-term goals.
Avoid mixing things up or being pushed off track, don’t be a bit foolish to force it out for it can make thing even worse.
Tough time or no tough time, injuries or not---life is open to many more possibilities to those who embrace it and for those who believe in themselves.
So keep moving forward………

One word to reflect upon our faith journey... The Apostle Paul wrote "there is faith, hope love, these three but the greatest of these is love.
" Yes, all of these are important but there is a more essential word to our journey.
Our faith is a faith of contemplation but, more so, a faith of action. Jesus visited the docks of the Sea of Galilee as the fisherman returned from a day's work .
He called them to "follow me and I will make you fishers of men".
Imagine this happening today. Jesus appears as you exit you workplace and states, "Put in your resignation, follow me and I will make you a wandering preacher".
How many of us would respond? Andrew and Peter responded as did James and John with a resounding, "yes".
We all say "yes" to God in many ways, sometimes semi-consciously.
How many times do we, while singing "Here I am Lord" and find the word "yes" in our minds?
Here I am Lord
Yes,is it I Lord ... I have heard you calling in the night
Yes, I will go Lord ... if you lead me
Yes, I will hold your people in my heart
"Yes" is the opposite of negative thinking.
"Yes" overpowers complacency.
"Yes" overcomes procrastination.
As the Apostle Paul wrote there is, indeed, faith, hope and love. Let’s start with love.
Without love we would live a lonely existence but what does love ask of us in its most compelling moment, when our beloved asks... will you marry me.
Love calls us to say "yes"! And can we think of a better definition of faith than … faith is saying "yes" to the word of God.
And hope. How can anyone have hope without being ready to call out "yes" when the hoped-for event occurs.
Our faith calls us to say "yes" to the special mission God has for us.
Are each of us ready to say "yes", the most important word in our faith journey?

Food For Thought ..

Food For Thought ...
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Martin Luther King, Jr.
"BE the change you want to see in the world." Mohandas Gandhi
One pumpkin to another!
A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.
Then He cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.
Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

Who Is Benjamin Carson?

Well before Dr. Benjamin Carson ever set foot at the podium to face the audience at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. on Feb. 7, the renowned neurosurgeon was already a brand on his own in the field of medicine.
In 1987, he became the first surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins and stamped his place in medical history.
When his biography, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story was subsequently published in 1990, the Christian doctor who rejects the theory of evolution became a global inspiration.
His story of triumph over crushing poverty in Detroit to become the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., at the age of 33 became a well-known and compelling narrative.
And the doctor has been speaking and inspiring with his message of personal responsibility, moral integrity and discipline ever since.
From a passion wrought out of his personal experience with education, Carson and his wife, who have three adult sons, also decided to start the Carson Scholars Fund sixteen years ago.
The Fund, according to Carson, celebrates and supports the achievements of "intellectual superstars" in schools across America.
But on Feb. 7, when Carson hit the podium, America heard his thoughts on something else – government.
The neurosurgeon surprised the audience, which included President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, with his thoughts on government policy in areas such as taxation, education and debt management.
Now, with a growing chorus of social conservatives clamoring for him to run for president, everyone wants to know, who is Benjamin Carson?
"We don't know much about Ben Carson except for his personal biography," said noted Columbia University political scientist, Fredrick Harris in an interview with the Christian Post on Tuesday.
Those who know Carson or are familiar with him will only talk about Benjamin Carson the man, not his politics.
"I don't know him more than anybody else. I know of his good deeds.
He is a good man as far as I know," said Dr. Franklin W. Knight, Leonard and Helen R Stulman Professor of history and director of the Center of Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins.
"One of the things that we are committed to here at Spencerville is that we guard Dr. Carson's privacy very much," said Patrick Morrison, associate pastor at the Spencerville Seventh Day Adventist Church in Maryland, where Carson is a member.
He would only say that Carson, who also sits on the board of several for-profit companies like The Kellogg Company and Costco Wholesale Corporation, is an active member of the church.
He attends services regularly and teaches a class as well. "He is quiet and humble. He is a man of faith and a man of integrity," said Morrison of Carson.
And that's the mantra repeated by almost everyone who knows him.

The 10 Strangest Foods in the Bible

There are hundreds of passages in the Bible that describe food, drink and dining. Many Biblical stories are set within the context of a meal. While most of these are about regular meals, others refer to more bizarre, extreme or supernatural cases of eating and drinking.
Here are 10 of the most notable examples (in no specific order):
• Gold Powder: When Moses sees the Israelites worshiping the golden calf he grinds the idol into a fine powder, mixes it with water and forces the people to drink. (Exodus 32:19–20)
• Scroll of Lamentations: God gives Ezekiel a two-sided scroll of Lamentations to eat. Ezekiel fills his stomach and finds the scroll to be “as sweet as honey.” (Ezekiel 2:8–3:3)
• Bread and Excrement: God tells Ezekiel to eat bread baked upon human excrement but Ezekiel gets away with bread baked upon animal excrement. Unlike the scroll, we aren’t told how it tastes. (Ezekiel 4:10-17)
• The Manna: The Israelites survive for forty years in the desert on daily provisions of manna (Exodus 16:35).
The name manna reportedly comes from the question the Israelites asked, man hu⁾, “What is it?” (Exodus 16:15).
Although some commentators prefer a naturalistic answer to this question, e.g., manna is the gum resin of desert shrubs, the Biblical text presents the manna as a miracle food.
It falls six days a week but not on the Sabbath, disintegrates when it is stored and stops falling when the Israelites enter the land of Canaan. Manna is even called “the grain of heaven,” “the bread of heaven” or “the bread of angels” in a number of Hebrew Bible, New Testament and apocryphal texts (Psalms 78:24, 105:40; John 6:31; 2 Esdras 1:19).

• Animal Fodder for a King: In accordance with Daniel’s prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon lives in the wilderness for seven years eating grass like an ox (Dan 4:33).
A similar story appears in 2 Esdras (9:23-27, 12:51) where Ezra sustains himself on a diet of flowers for seven days.
Interestingly, a number of scholars suggest that the story of Nebuchadnezzar is actually based on Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who spent a decade of his life at an oasis in the Arabian wilderness.
• 40 Day Superfoods: An angel gives Elijah a cake and some water and it is enough to sustain him for a forty-day journey from Beersheba to Mount Horeb/Sinai, where he encounters God in a cave. (1 Kings 19:3–9)
• The Fantastic Fruits of Eden: There were two supernatural trees in the Garden of Eden, each with its own fruit.
The tree of knowledge bestowed a divine knowledge of good and bad, making one like the gods. The tree of life granted immortality. (Genesis 3:22)
• Food from Nowhere: A number of Biblical figures are saved from thirst and starvation in the barrenness of the desert.
For example, Hagar and Ishmael are shown a hidden well by God (Genesis 21:14–19), Moses finds water in a desert rock (Numbers 20:11), and Elijah is given bread and meat twice a day by ravens in the desert. (1 Kings 17:1–6
) • Human Flesh: Cannibalism on account of hunger is perhaps the most extreme punishment in the Hebrew Bible.
It is at times described in vivid detail, e.g., in the threat of Deuteronomy 28 that fathers and mothers will eat their own children in secrecy so that they do not have to share the meat. (Deuteronomy 28:53–57)
• Free Refills: There are a number of stories about the miracles performed by the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
According to the Book of Kings, a hungry woman’s jar of flour and jug of oil refilled themselves until a famine subsided (1 Kings 17:10-16), a poor woman’s single jug of oil was able to fill the many vessels of her neighbors (2 Kings 4:1–7), and a man’s twenty loaves of bread were miraculously able to feed one hundred hungry men with some left over (2 Kings 4:42–44).
A similar story appears in John 6, where Jesus feeds five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fish. Again, there is still food left over.

How to Keep Relationship Strong

For relationship to be strong, we need to stay on the right track.
We should try as much as possible to avoid the ups and downs which most people experience in their relationship.
I recently posted an article on relationship "20 Things to Start Doing in Your Relationships" I will be writing on HOW TO KEEP THE RELATIONSHIP STRONG.
<1. Truthfulness: For relationship to last, we need to build trust. We should trust and be truthful to our partner.
2. Generous: Generosity in relationship helps build long lasting relationship.
Both partners should be generous and cheerful to each other and to those around them.
3. Free-fight: Is it possible for couples in a relationship not to fight? To me, it is very possible if we stay on the right track.
4. Give Chances for Discussion: This is very important in a relationship. Partners need to give each other time, chance and freedom for discussion. It will help know the mind and feelings of each partner.
5. Go-together: Both partners should create time for fun. It is very good to have fun, it is part of life.
So, have fun together and share the good moment with each other.
6. Avoid Using rude words: For relationship to be strong, avoidance of rude words should be avoided.
You should be using good words and helpful words on each others.

A WORD TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE:

There most certainly have been times when we have failed to be great in the sight of God.
God loves us so much that we will be forgiven. All we have to do is ask for it. John 3:16 reminds us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not parish but may have eternal life."
God forgives us, and God is great.
If we forgive one another, we, too, will be great.
According to Grandma Hillis, "The difference between a friend and good friend is that the later knows all of your secrets and likes you anyway."
May our day be filled with being a good friend and a good forgiver, as we serve one another in love.
Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
(Psalms 25:18 NRSV)

Dealing with the Boko Haram Menace in Nigeria:Bishop David Oyedepo

Memo
From: President, LFCW
To: All Mission Stations in Nigeria
Subject: Dealing with the Boko Haram Menace in Nigeria
Date: May 15, 2014
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil (Eccl. 8:11)
Introduction: An Urgent Call for Concerted Intercessions!
The case of the abducted over 200 Chibok girls is a matter of grave concern and an assault on the nation and the church of Christ in particular, as over 90% of these girls are Christians.
This is apart from thousands of believers and pastors who have been slain, many during worship services in churches between 2010 till date.
We must arise and silence this Goliath called boko haram.
 First, we must believe that the ongoing ugly situation is but a common battle and that God has reserved victory for us as a nation – 1Cor. 10:13
 We must also recognize that it is a battle against the powers of darkness – Eph. 6:10-12/16/ 2Cor. 10:3-5/ Ex. 12:12
 We must therefore engage in a fight of faith in prayers to bring down these agents of the wicked one called boko haram – 1Tim. 6:12/ Ps. 74:20
 We must also recognize that trusting in our strength is a risk and trusting in human helps as against God’s help is dangerous – Ps. 33:16-20/ Ps. 20:7-8/ Is. 31:1-5/ 2Chr. 16:12-13
 We must therefore actively engage the spirit of God to bring down these hosts of hell – Is. 59:19/ Zech. 4:6/ Lk. 10:19.
It is high time the church took spiritual responsibility
We will recall that this church once called for prayers for the nation and ‘Pelatiah’ that was disturbing the peace of this nation then died. I believe God will do it again as He overthrows the camps of boko haram and silences them forever in Jesus’ name – Ezek. 11:1-13.
• But we must pray and pray aright – James 4:1-2
• We must begin to invoke vengeance upon the camp of boko haram, their perpetrators and sponsors – Ps. 94:1-5/ Ps. 68:1-3/ Ps. 35:1-6
 We must recognise that we are in the last days, the day vengeance against the camp of the enemy – Is. 61:1-2/ Acts 13:8/ Joel 2:23-24
• We must start to invoke curses on the network of boko haram organization - Is. 54:14-17/ 2Thess. 1:6
 Recognizing that everything that mocks the church of Christ is ordained for a curse
- Gen. 12:3/ Gen. 22:17-18/ Ex. 4:22-23/ 2Kgs. 2:21-23
 And that everyone that curses the church must be cursed in return - Is. 54:17/
1Sam. 17:45-50/ Ps. 139:21-22 • We must rise to silence all the agents of the wicked by invoking the arrows of death in their camp – Ex. 22:18/ 1Sam. 2:6/ Ps. 7:10-16/ Ps. 11:5-6
• We must also rise to turn this army of aliens to flight – Heb. 11:33-34/ Ps. 81:10-14/ Lk. 21:15
 Recognizing that God says if He can find 10 righteous men in Sodom, He will spare the city – Gen. 18:23-26
Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the church of Christ in Nigeria, the boko haram terrorist group shall not succeed to destroy the nation but shall be destroyed and become totally extinct – Matt. 16:18/ Ps. 122:9
Jesus is Lord!
Signed.

♫ ɲblaz- muziq™ ♫........."The UNDERTAKING"

♫ ɲblaz- muziq™ ♫
-present
"The UNDERTAKING": A Musical Seminar for choirs, music ministers, gospel artistes, etc.
Date: July 12,2014.
Time: 10am
Venue: CWAI Auditorium, beside Teachers' house, Oluyole Estate, Ring road, Ibadan.
Event Info: In every UNDERTAKING the word ''I Pledge'', ''I Vow'', ''I Promise'', ''I Will'', ''I Shall'', etc is inevitable and in most instance we neglect the important of these word leading to abuse and also, we dont understand the Terms&Condition behind the Undertaking.
In view of this, Nblaz Muziq brings you
''The UNDERTAKING"
- A Musical Seminar vis-a-vis Concert, to further enlightens music ministers, choirs, gospel artiste etc on their role as a minister, their job description, what it takes to be a minister etc.
One of the Speakers for this seminar said "How can you work for God without knowing the God of the work''
The truth is that, if you dont understand what you are to do as a music minister, you will be lost, you wont enjoy your work, and your work might be in vain, so endeavour to attend this music seminar and i promise you wont regret it.
See y'all
RSVP: 07063013363

Let the Young Speak

Proper youth should observe to do this exceptional things:
A Man Wise by the Spirit
Slow to Speak
Angered When God Is Belittled
Burdened to Speak the Word of God
Does Not Flatter
Increases Our Understanding of God's Ways
Finally, when a man is driven to speak by the Spirit of God (rather than by his age), he brings forth genuine theological insight and increases our understanding of God's ways.
It is not a punishment but a cure and a purification. It is not the result of God's anger but the remedy of his love.
God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings that he may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man; he keeps back his soul from the Pit and his lips from perishing by the sword.
That is the first way God speaks to man for his good.
The second is the one that applies to Job. Verse 19: "Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones."
The description of the sickness follows and how man is moved to seek God and confess all sin. Then verse 29 says, "Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may see the light of life." And 36:15 says, "He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity."
Wisdom comes from the Lord and can be given to the young as well as the old.
The question, therefore, is not, "Who is old?" but, "Who is full of the Spirit of wisdom?" Five things will mark these people who are stirred by the Spirit of God.
1) They will be slow to speak, eager to listen, and conscious of how much they have to learn.
2) But there comes a point when they get angry at self-justifying, God-belittling men.
3) They have a passionate love for God's truth and can find no relief until they speak it.
4) When they speak, it is not with flattering words. The Spirit has given them rest in the promises of God, and they do not need to curry anyone's favor.
5) What they say is genuine insight, and it increases our understanding of God's ways and helps us trust him even through pain.

overcoming SHAME......

“Guilt is feeling bad about what you’ve done. Shame is feeling bad about who you are.”
Shame is a simple word, only five letters, one of those words everyone spells right on a spelling test without needing to study. In my life, however, shame has not been simple.
Shame is an ice-cold hand, clutching at my heart, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at who I used to be and what I have done.
It uses its cold, sharp fingers to point to each individual mistake, hissing questions and accusations into my ears that are all too eager to hear them.
“Remember when you messed up?”
“Look at the time you made that mistake.”
“You are not what everyone thinks you are.”
“You can’t fix this.”
“You ruined everything.”
“You’re not who you were before your mistakes.”
“Do you really believe that you’re forgiven?”
“You are your mistakes.”
Though harsh, shame’s words are enticing.
“Remember when you messed up?” Of course I remember. I always will. But that’s all it is now — something I remember.
It is a memory, it is the past, and it holds no power over my future actions or me.
“Look at the time you made that mistake.” Look at the time I confessed that mistake. Checkmate, shame.
“You can’t fix this.” Not on my own, I can’t. However… “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13, look it up.
“You ruined everything.” In the hands of God, nothing is ruined. No circumstance, no mistake, no person is wasted or ruined.
“You’re not who you were before your mistakes.” No, I am not, and I never will be. However, through Confession, I am made new and pure.
My mistakes and my sins led me to seek the one thing that could heal me and make me a better person than I was before.
“Do you really believe you’re forgiven?” You bet I do.
Jesus suffered and died on a cross so that I could be made new. In John 20:22-23, Jesus gave His disciples the authority to forgive sins, and Confession is this authority in action.
Some days, I may not feel like I am forgiven, but Jesus is love and love is infinitely more than a feeling.
Let Him in, let Him forgive you, and let Him love you.

Getting over Pornography......

Yes. Oh, sorry . . . I guess I need to write more.
Well, I guess I can explain it a little better.
Girls can usually see this issue for what it is. We guys, on the other hand, rationalize, make excuses, or are just simply too addicted to our lust to admit what is staring at us from the computer screen.
Pornography is cheating on your family, cheating on your spouse, and ultimately cheating on yourself.
I really believe that pornography is the 'silent killer' of our generation, stripping men (and a growing population of women) of their vitality and potency to become the men they're called to be.
We are all the 'walking wounded,' having been exposed to pornography in one way or another.
Pornography is inherently shameful because we know deep down that something extremely personal has become entertainment.
We guyz don't hide or check our surroundings when we try to sneak a peak of Home & Garden in the magazine rack at the store, or clear our online browsing history because we spent too much time looking at websites of fishing equipment.
And we've all heard the excuses:
'Nobody gets hurt.'
Very few men truly believe in the 'nobody gets hurt' excuse of pornography. Many men want to believe this, but deep down they know otherwise. Just ask any sister/girlfriend/spouse.
'It's healthy for me!'
re-wires the pleasure sensors of your brain and has been proven to be as addictive as heroin. 'She isn't a real person.' Yes, she is.
It's not that pornography shows too much of a person, but that it truly shows too little, and we men, who are called to be protectors of the dignity of the women in our lives, forego our mission for fleeting moments of pleasure.
Shame and self-centeredness inevitably follows the repetition of viewing pornography, and for a rapidly growing population of youth addiction and acting out what has been viewed on screen.
There's a wealth of articles and information online regarding the evils of pornography and how to overcome its snares, but I want to offer three tips that will work for u.
1. GET OVER YOURSELF.
The temptation to view pornography usually finds us in moments of inactivity, boredom, or indulgence, and it breeds a cycle of self-centeredness and self-pity that just leads to further porn viewing. Breaking the cycle usually means getting over yourself and going outside of yourself.
It's not enough to say 'no' to pornography we have to channel that energy towards something positive, and eventually, when moments of temptation stir up again,
we can recognize the destructive force that pornography is and can make a more life-giving choice.
2. ACCOUNTABILITY.
'As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man' (Proverbs 27:17) and we men cannot be lone rangers on this Christian journey and expect to rise to each challenge.
We need community. We need brotherhood.
Even just having a guy you trust to whom you can say, 'Hey man, it's been a rough week,' and knowing he won't judge but will support you, makes all the difference.
We guys know that looking at porn is shameful, but by bringing it into the light we cancel so much of its power over us. And if we need some stronger remedy, we have to be humble enough to seek professional help.
3. PRAYER.
Pray for the healing of those involved in the porn industry, especially all the women addicted to drugs, alcohol, and whatever else may be numbing their senses or imprisoning their hearts.
Nothing sobers you up like realizing that the woman in front of you is someone else's daughter.
Meditating on her tender femininity is a great antidote for the poison that pornography pushes into our veins. Mary will lead you in purity and lead you to her Son, and kick your butt in the process.
We have been created for real love and for real greatness. We have been made for both sacrifice and responsibility.
Let's stop cheating ourselves.

Anointed to Serve Your Generation

By Pastor Kenny Folarin
Ephesians 2: 8-10
God has called each one of us to serve our generation. There is a reason why you are on the earth right now.
Your life is not an accident of creation or a mistake and you are not on earth by coincidence.
God divinely orchestrated your existence from your mother’s womb and brought you on earth at this point in time to be a blessing to our world.
We have all been created for good works (Ephesians 2: 10). We are not here to occupy pace or to get born again and immediately go to heaven. We all need to ask “who have I been sent to in this world” and “why am I here on earth?” Do you know that there is a reason for your existence?
Do you realise survival is not the main purpose of your existence? When God created us, He had a purpose in His mind.
He deliberately and specifically created each one of us to solve a problem. Unfortunately, many of us focus on our shortcomings and the negatives in our lives and feel we cannot tackle the challenges we currently have in our environment.
It is important to focus on adding value, solving problems and helping people. When we do this, we attract God’s blessings and help.
When Jesus received the anointing, He knew that it was not for Himself. He knew that the purpose of the anointing was for the good of others (Act 10:38).
Nowadays, many of us erroneously believe that the anointing is for meeting our personal needs. You need to know that the reason for your life is not about you. Your life is too small to be the purpose of your existence.
Jesus used His anointing to heal the sick, to feed the crowd and to fight injustice and inequality in the society (Luke 4:16-19).
You need to identify the specific problem you are wired to solve. What are you doing with all the resources that God has given to you?
These resources include your time, your God-given talents, skills and abilities. How are you using them to serve your community, church, society and generation? What are you doing with your wealth and money especially with the level of poverty and lack around you? Use your treasure to bless your generation. Mother Teresa met the needs of the poor.
Today, she is known all over the world. What are you doing with the important links you have? Have those relationships impacted the lives of those around you? We will all give an account of how we used the gifts, talents, resources and relationships God has given us (Romans 14:12).
When you consistently add value to other people’s lives, you will not be in need (1 Corinthians 12:7).
We are all gifted; we all have gifts. We all have the grace to touch and transform lives (1Peter 4:10-11 NLT).
Identify the area God expects you to serve your generation. Every single day is an investment and an opportunity to touch lives to His glory. Do not squander those opportunities!

JESUS NEVER SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY!

JESUS NEVER SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY!
Jesus Says: "Very truly I tell you, NO SERVANT IS GREATER THAN HIS MASTER, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent Him." (John 13:16)
The Christian life is NOT an easy one to live. The world, your family, your friends, will NOT like you. As a matter of fact, Jesus said that they will hate us for following Him.
Jesus said: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, YOU DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD, but I have CHOSEN YOU out of the world. That is WHY the world HATES YOU." (John 15:18-19)

The closer we get to Jesus, the more we spend time with Him in prayer and Bible studies, the more we will act and be like Jesus.
Being like Him means we are going to gain many enemies in the world because we will be acting and speaking like He did. (1 John 2:6) Being like Jesus means a lot of people are going to feel convicted around us as they did when Jesus was here on earth.
This is what Jesus told his brothers for the reasons the world hated Him... "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil." (John 7:7) Friends, there's no way around this one...People are going to hate us because we testify as Jesus did that how they live and what they do is evil.
The real Christ like person is a surprise to many people, in that we don't join the world in living "for self", but the Bible tells us differently.
The "Holy Scriptures" tells us, to live and conduct ourselves as Christ did while we wait for His to return back to the earth.
Friends, TIME IS SHORT!!!
Be faithful...Be an overcomer in Jesus name! DO NOT let ANYTHING or ANYONE stray you from the righteous path...
Soon we will see "THE KING OF GLORY COMING IN THE CLOUDS" (Revelation 1:7, Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
Amen!

Praying in His Name

When our youngest son was still in school, we had people who stayed with him when Dave and I traveled.
In order for those who were caring for him in our absence to get medical treatment for him if it was needed, we had to sign a legal document stating that they had the right to use our name on our son's behalf, literally, to make decisions in our place.
That is what Jesus did for His disciples and, ultimately, for all who would believe in Him. He said that God would answer when we pray using His name.
This is the authority you and I have been granted in His name.
His name takes His place, His name represents Him. When we pray in His name, it is the same as if He were praying.
This privilege seems almost too wonderful to believe! But we can believe it because we have Scripture to back it up.
So use the authority of Jesus' name and put that power to work to overcome evil and bring the blessings of God to this world.
Always pray in the name of Jesus...........

Bring Back Our Girls: Jc Sammyt and other Celebrities Joins the Campaign......

Jc Sammyt has added his voice to calls for the safe return of nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls. The young man posted a photo of himself in the syndicate office room,WCOM Department of FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria PLC holding a sign that says "#BringBackOurGirls".
Jc sammyt who was the Director of Special Duties (Junior chamber International,Nigeria-Eruwa Collegiate Chapter)Evolution Team XII. He willingly joins the campaign to rescue the girls who were abducted by Boko Haram, a Nigerian Islamist terror group.
Other celebrities also made diverse comments on the issue:-
The First Lady
Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls.
10:03 PM - 7 May 2014
Malala Fund
#Malala stands in solidarity with Nigerians & people everywhere calling for action to #BringBackOurGirls
2:01 PM - 4 May 2014
Piers Morgan
If 200+ young girls had been kidnapped in Europe/America, the world would have acted by now. Get in there and get them.
#BringBackOurGirls
6:27 PM - 5 May 2014
Queen Latifah
Its time 2 #BringBackOurGirls & put a stop 2 violence! Get info on how U can help —>
9:37 PM - 7 May 2014
Wyclef Jean
Children are the reward of life. Rescue our Nigerian sisters. The world is watching, Make your voice heard. Retweet!
#BringBackOurGirls
8:44 PM - 2 May 2014
SEVERAL OTHERS MADE THEIR COMMENTS......#BRING BACK OUR GIRLS.

COVER UP.........THE CLEAVAGE

We need you to read this with an open mind. You may have heard it all before, but this time, really HEAR it. This is such an important focus of our lives as girls and we have no idea how destructive we can be without realizing.
Some of us think that we should be allowed to wear whatever clothes are fashionable because God loves us just how we are. It’s true that God loves us, but I can tell you now that He is NOT happy when we use our bodies. The bible would class it as ‘sexual immorality’ because whether you think it’s harmless or not, wearing skimpy clothes and showing off what shouldn’t be for sale is a sign of sexuality.
COVER UP
Seriously, cover your private parts. There’s a reason they’re labeled as private. Show me a verse of scripture that says “use your body to make other people look at you”, or “be sexy so that during church boys are peeking at your legs and cleavage”.
Here’s what I read in the bible:
“ ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’ – but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” 1Corinthians 6:13 [words of Paul]
“But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity, or of greed, for these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3 [words of Paul]
A Pastor told me a story about a time he was in a group praying for a young man.
A girl knelt down to lay hands on the youth and pray for him. The Pastor could not help but notice that he could see right down her low-cut shirt and see EVERYTHING. Her lacy bra, the shape of her boobs. He felt incredibly uncomfortable knowing that any young man standing in the group would be able to see exactly the same thing.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery’. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28 [words of Jesus]
Read that verse in light of the Pastors’ story.
So these good kids are praying to the Lord and hey ho, one guy accidentally gets an eyeful of a pretty girls’ chest. He’s a good kid, so he looks away, but the damage has been done. Boys are visual. They get a glimpse of you, they’ll never get it out of their heads. He will struggle to get that image out of his mind when he’s lying in bed. He might make up graphic scenes in his head about touching you. And congratulations, you just made him sin. YOU did.
This doesn’t mean we all have to wear a nun’s habit. It just means thinking about these things when you throw on an outfit or buy new clothes:
1. What is my motive with this outfit? (wanting to look nice or cool or rock is fine – wanting to draw attention to certain body parts isn’t)
2. THE CLEAVAGE TEST: Stand in front of a mirror and bend over. This is what everyone else sees, and not just when you’re picking something up. People taller than you will get a peep of that all the time. Wear a higher singlet under your shirt if it’s too low-cut or top-baggy.
3. THE SHORT SHIRT TEST: Stand in front of the mirror and reach up. Belly showing? Bend over. Back or butt showing? Try to buy a couple of really long singlets to wear under shirts. Not only do layers look really cute, but it avoids some serious plumbers’ crack.
4. How short are your shorts? Does your skirt resemble a belt rather than an item of clothing? Why not just walk around without pants on? It’s the same effect. Guys know they are getting to see almost all of you and they’ll fantasize about the rest in their minds. Shorts and skirts are great, but be aware of the effect of your legs on guys around you. I personally don’t go any higher than an inch or so above my knee.
Remember that we’re not saying every girl should turn into a frumpy turtle-neck-wearing, baggy pant-ed prude. You can still express your personality through your clothes. Just realize the destructive impact your clothing (or lack of) DOES impact young men. A survey of guys even showed that some of them are turned on just by seeing your shoulders. Imagine what happens when they see all of your thighs, your belly or your chest? And here’s another gross thought – there might be some cute guys in your youth group you want to impress, but there’s also a whole other sphere of males in the world. There’s perverts, rapists, icky old men. Do you want them thinking that stuff about you at night too?
We’re so serious about this issue. It makes me sad to walk into youth groups and see girls with everything on display. It isn’t honoring to them, their future husband, or to God.
Take the challenge with us. Check out your wardrobe. Check out your motives. Impress guys by being in love with the Lord rather than giving them a visual eyeful that costs more than you can imagine.