PSALM 51...A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS

It is believed that King David composed this psalm after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and Nathan the prophet came to reprimand him. David was quick to acknowledge his sins and  asked for forgiveness from God. That is one of the reasons why despite his imperfections, scripture refers to him as ' a man after Gods own heart' (1 Sam. 13:14)

Dear Brothers let  us also

WORSHIP ZONE

I am particularly fascinated by these guitar skills. For those of you who don't know, the guitar is not an easy musical instrument to learn..it takes hours of daily practice, numb fingers and determination. Didn't realize this till i started learning to play myself and i am still on it.

Enjoy this instrumental cover by Hofei of ..'you are my all in all' by Dennis Jernigan and Natalie Grant

MESSAGE FOR THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA 2...THE BOOK OF REVELATION

The Church in Smyrna or the (persecuted Church). There are some Christian faithful whom are now suffering all manner of persecution for the sake of the gospel of Christ; such was the case with some of the members of the Church in Smyrna at the time..but the Lord said;' do not fear any of these things which you are about to suffer. Indeed the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and i will give you the crown of Life. He who

A MESSAGE FOR THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA...

The other day, i was studying from the book of Revelation...precisely from chapters 2 to 3. The apostle John was in the Spirit and he received in a vision different kinds of messages from the Lord to the seven Churches in the former Asia..they are namely; The Church in Ephesus; Smyrna; Pergamos; Thyatira; Sardis; Philadelphia; and the Church of the Lodiceans. These members of the Body of Christ exhibited a certain Character that was peculiar to each one of them and was not befitting of true Christians except for just one of the Churches. Jesus, while acknowledging the sincere efforts of each of them; however sounded a note of warning to them as he pointed out the areas where each one of them had gone wrong. The only Church that Jesus commended fully and had no reason to correct was the Church in Philadelphia. Hear Him; 'Because you have kept My Commandment to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth' (Revelation 3: 10) see also (Rev 3:7-13) The Church in Philadelphia could be described as the Faithful or Perfect Church. As i studied... it dawned on me  that this message is for you and me and indeed the practicing Christian faithful today.

THE CHARACTER OF LOVE 1..

The Bible talks a lot about the subject of love. This kind of Love is Agape (brotherly love). In a previous discourse, we shared about husbands loving their wives. The Bible further encourages the married couple to love one another..'Above all things have fervent love for one another for love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). However, we are expected as Christians not to love only our

PROPHECY AND REVELATION...THE TREASURY OF HAIL

God to Job...'Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? (Job 38: 22-23)

And when do you think the day of battle and war is? your guess is as good as mine...It was revealed to the apostle John in (Revelation 16:21) 'And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great'

LAMENTATIONS 3:40

 Any time we do wrong, our conscience pricks us and we know we have strayed from Gods way. So..

'Let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord' (Lamentations 3: 40)

For 'As I Live', says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and Live' (Ezekiel 33:11)

'HUSBANDS...LOVE YOUR WIVES'

I was at a men  fellowship some weeks back and we were sharing about the word in Ephesians (5:25) 'Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her'. The Leader of the fellowship then asked a question to the assembly; 'To what extent should we as husbands love our wives'?..All the responses to the question asked were quite interesting but one of the responses was of particular note and i would like to share perhaps someone might find it valuable.

THANKSGIVING 2..'BUT WHERE ARE THE NINE' ?

There is a story in the bible about ten lepers who were cleansed by Jesus as he passed by Samaria and Galilee (see Luke 17:11-19). And it so happened that after they were cleansed only one returned to thank Jesus. And His response went thus; 'were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine? were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, 'Arise, go your way, your faith has made you well' (Luke 17:17-19)

Dear Brothers, it is our obligation as believers to always give thanks to the Almighty, for this is a demonstration of our faith in God.

A PRAYER FOR EGYPT...

When I consider the current trend of events in Egypt and in some other parts of the world, i remember the words...

Behold the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at his presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. 'I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel. And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them' says the Lord, the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 19:1-4)

Let us at this moment remember and pray for Egypt and indeed every other part of the world where strife, contentions, chaos, conflict and killings have taken the place of peace, wisdom, tranquility and brotherly love. We pray that the Knowledge and Mercy of the Most High God will come to these places. We pray for all the souls that have been lost, Children that have been turned to orphans, and the families that are suffering a lot of discomfort.

That the Good Lord will show Mercy, abundantly Pardon and Restore...

Amen

THANKS GIVING 1

There is a popular joke about a man who suffered lack and disappointment in his life. He didn't really have a family and his few so called friends had abandoned him. As a result, he became depressed and decided to commit suicide. He thought to himself...

'I DO SET MY BOW IN THE CLOUD'...A COVENANT KEEPING GOD

Anytime i set my eyes on the rainbow, i am reminded of the words of (Genesis 9: 8-17) and i am confident of Gods existence and the truth and faithfulness in His words. The Bible is full of many of such promises and prophesies. Only read and know..

And God said, 'This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations. I do set My bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, THAT THE BOW SHALL BE SEEN IN THE CLOUD: and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. AND THE BOW SHALL BE IN THE CLOUD; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth' (Genesis 9: 12-16)

IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR ME?....

What seems too difficult for us is a sure sign that it belongs to God- Marie De Pree

'BEHOLD, I AM THE LORD, THE GOD OF ALL FLESH. IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR ME'? (Jeremiah 32:27)

SHARE THE WORD...

In the US, if an arrest warrant is obtained against someone and that person gets arrested by the police; the persons constitutional rights are usually read out to that person. One of such rights is the right to remain 'silent' as anything said at that point could be used against the person in a court of law. These are mans' ways and not God's ways. God's ways and thoughts are different. see (Isaiah 55:8-9). On the contrary,

RESPECT THE AGED

'You shall rise before the grey headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God. I am the Lord' (Leviticus 19:32)

LIVE THE WORD...

I once had a misunderstanding with a young man in a shopping mall parking lot. I was trying to pull out of the car park while he was coming in and trying to park his car. The next thing i knew the man came down from his car and started abusing me verbally with all manner of swear words. On impulse, I felt like i should come down from the car and trade some punches with him. Filled with rage, i opened my mouth to respond in the same abusive manner to this man but

PSALM 40:8

I delight to do your will, O my God, And your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8)

KNOW THE WORD..LIVE THE WORD..SHARE THE WORD 1

I believe that every Christian has three primary objectives or obligations and they are 1) To know the Word 2) To live the Word 3) To share the Word. Brethren Please take note that in this discourse, the word 'Word' will be used interchangeably For 'God' because we know from scripture that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God (John1:1). So in other words, as Christians and believers, we are

I WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON..2

There is a story of a woman recorded in the bible in the book of Luke Chapter 7 vs 37. The woman was described as a sinner who knew that Jesus sat at the table of a pharisees house and brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil. The woman, much to the displeasure of Simon (the owner of the house) broke down in tears at the feet of Jesus;weeping and kissing his feet. She then anointed the feet of Jesus with the fragrant oil. Simon, in his attempt to

MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR THE LIVING GOD

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, o God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2)

And he said to me,'It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of Life freely to him who thirsts'.(Revelations 21:6)

THE CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO MAY DWELL WITH THE LORD

Some time ago i read a newspaper publication for folks interested in joining the armed forces. There were a number of specifications for the categories that were vacant. Ranging from minimum educational qualifications to physical attributes like height that the applicant must possess

'I WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON'...1

King David was far from a perfect man yet the Bible refers to him as a man after God's own heart (1st Samuel 13:14) Scripture records that David committed adultery and murder (2nd Samuel 12:9).He did wrong in the sight of the Lord on a number of occasions..yet our Lord Jesus describes Himself as the Root and Offspring of David (Revelations 22:16). These declarations are made possible because the Lord is indeed merciful. The lord says in( Isaiah 43:25) ' I even I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and i will not remember your sins'. In the book of (Jeremiah 31:34) He affirms; 'For I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more'

CHARITY THAT PLEASES GOD..DO NOT BLOW A TRUMPET

I once read a story about a man who had an after death experience. He was wealthy; a philanthropist and a Christian who had done a lot of charitable work. He had built churches, given to the poor, sponsored peoples education etc. Then he passed on and had an experience of heaven where he saw a lot of mansions of different shapes and sizes. (see John 14:2). However, he sought to understand why some mansions were bigger than the others and why some were more decorated than the others. Then his escort an angel explained to him

Enjoy praise and worship with Matt Redman..10,000 reasons to Bless the Lord. The Lyrics of this song just comes alive

PSALM 90 :12

'For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marraige, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be' ( Mathew 24: 38-39)

SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS, THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM (PSALM 90:12)

THE PERIL OF UNFORGIVENESS 2

'Even my own familiar friend whom i trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me' (Psalm 41:9)

I often feel that King David in this scripture was unwittingly prophesying of the betrayal of our Lord Jesus by  Judas Iscariot. To be betrayed or hurt by someone close or a person you trust is often painful. Around the time i discovered my 'fraudulent friends office address was fake (I actually wanted to get him arrested that day) the Lord showed me this scripture 'And from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back' (Luke 6:30)

The day i fell to my knees and really forgave my 'fraudulent friend' who hurt me was the day i stumbled on an account by DANIEL EKECHUKWU on YOUTUBE CLICK HERE. The synopsis of his story is that

TRUE RELIGION...

'PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION BEFORE GOD AND THE FATHER IS THIS..TO VISIT ORPHANS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR  TROUBLE AND TO KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD' (JAMES 1:27)

Have you been practicing pure religion lately?

THE PERIL OF UNFORGIVENESS 1

About 2 years ago, I was defrauded by someone i considered a 'close friend' of a significant amount of money. The individual in question cut off all forms of communication with me and even deleted my contact from his facebook page. Taking a copy of his company letterhead paper, i tried to trace his office address only to get there and discover it was a fake address. The supposed location of his office happened to be a cake shop. It was at this point i realised what had befallen me. Every other effort to trace my 'fraudulent friend ' proved abortive.

Enjoy praise & worship with HILLSONG UNITED. let the lyrics of this song minister to your very heart and bless your soul

HE IS WATCHING...BE CAREFUL

THE LORD LOOKS FROM HEAVEN; HE SEES ALL THE SONS OF MEN FROM THE PLACE OF HIS DWELLING. HE LOOKS ON ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH; HE FASHIONS THEIR HEARTS INDIVIDUALLY, HE CONSIDERS ALL THEIR WORKS... (PSALM 33: 13-15)

LET US LIVE IN PEACE WITH OUR GOD AND FELLOW HUMANS KNOWING THAT THE LORD IS KEEPING AN EYE AND RECORDING OUR DEEDS AND INTENTIONS BUT ABOVE ALL LET US LIVE RIGHT KNOWING THIS IS WHAT PLEASES HIM

THE DECEPTION OF ADULTERY 2

From the first part of this discourse, we learnt from scripture that adultery is not just the physical act in itself (see Mathew 5: 27-28) but also encompasses immoral thoughts, fleshly lusts, wrong desires, filthy fantasies etc of our hearts and minds. Hence the one who has committed the actual deed and the one who has nurtured it in his heart have committed the same offence and are liable to judgement. The apostle Paul in his epistle of (2nd Corinthians  7:1) encourages us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Dear  Brethren, it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Adultery is a trap of the devil and can only lead to destruction and death. A lot of married folks have sadly formed a habit of committing adultery and blame it on marital problems they have at home...Some may say 

THE DECEPTION OF ADULTERY 1

'You have heard that it was said to those of old, ''you shall not commit adultery''. But i say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart'-(Mathew 5: 27-28)

Some days ago, i was driving down the street and i observed a group of three young men on the other side of the road. Then there was this lady who was also walking in the opposite direction of these young men. As soon as this lady passed the men, like remote controlled robots; the heads of these three men turned and trailed the backside of this lady as she walked passed. Dear friends...this is the spirit of  lust, a demonic agent of darkness.

Dear brethren, the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ as recorded in the above scripture is very plain to see and understand. Jesus was making a clear definition and pointing out the deception of  adultery so there are no misconceptions or baseless arguements on this issue. Unfortunately, Satan has trapped the souls of so many young men and women in this area. I also, have struggled in this regard in the past. I see it happen almost everyday. Even when a pretty lady passes by me on the street, i make a deliberate conscious effort not to take a second look and with the help of the Holy Spirit, i am able to overcome it. You might think you are just feeding your eyes but you are actually lusting. Many may end up in eternal condemnation even though they are 'good christians' but may miss Heaven because of a heart full of adultery. some of these ladies are also agents of satan from the Kingdom of darkness given a mandate to go forth and destroy the destinies and souls of men. some of them dress provocatively and shamelessly in their quest to achieve their wicked aim.

It is true that often than not men are moved by the things they see. The devil knows this, that is why his strategy has not changed as he tries to tempt men either through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life. In the book of Genesis we were told that Eve saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes (see Gen 3:6 ).

All who indulge in pornography, masturbation, patronise strip bars, lapdancing in the niteclubs etc and do not repent,will all be accused of adultery and fornication on that day. And they may marvel and say but Lord, we never 'knew' other women except our wives...then the warnings of our Lord as recorded in Mathew 5: 27-28 will be reviewed and then such people will only have themselves to blame.

I encourage you brothers, let us ask the Spirit of God to help us to shun adultery in our hearts by looking the other way when a pretty lady other than our wives passes by and avoiding indecent materials like pornography which will only corrupt our minds and heart just as the apostle Paul reminds us; 'do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God' - (1st Cor 6:9-10)

I pray that God Almighty  will burn every spirit or demon of adultery and fleshly lusts in our hearts and fill us with his Holy spirit and give us hearts that love him and are in subjection to his Spirit that we may all be saved. Shalom

The Fear Of The Lord

The Bible is filled with many promises from God for those that fear Him and we often hear people talk about the fear of the Lord. Let us consider some of these promises from Scripture and also try to understand the meaning of the 'Fear of the Lord';

 'The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him' (Psalm 145: 18-19). Personally i think that this a most wonderful promise from the Lord to know that even the things we have not asked for but desire in our hearts he establishes them.

'The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding' (Proverbs 9:10) when we know God and fear Him we would be counted as wise and having understanding even among our fellow humans.

'The fear of the Lord prolongs days but the years of the wicked will be shortened' (Proverbs 10:27). Those that fear the Lord will Live long.

'Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways' (Psalm128:1) When we fear God, we activate His Supernatural Blessings over our lives.

Let us now once again look to scripture to know what it means to 'FEAR GOD'

'The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate' (Proverbs 8:13). 

The Oxford English dictionary defines the word 'HATE' as to dislike something very much and anything we dislike; it is not likely we would engage in it or support it in anyway.

Dear Friends a man who fears God is one who is not proud nor does any evil nor supports an evil lifestyle. He is rather one who Knows God, who loves God and who keeps his commandments.

Apart from the Blessings that is bestowed on a God fearing man, the Lord expects us to fear him as recorded by King Solomon of Old, a man of great Wisdom and Wealth such as has hardly been seen on earth till date in ( Ecclesiastes 12: 13) 'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep his commandments for this is man's all'.

Shalom

Enjoy this inspirational praise & worship video by Dennis Jernigan and Natalie Grant

THE NARROW GATE

'Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it' (Mathew 7:13-14)

Dear Brethren..Our Lord Jesus Christ in this scripture was referring to our daily Christian lives and how we should live it. Christianity is about our relationship with God and our fellow humans and not necessarily about church denomination or how often we attend church activities. Christianity is not just about hearing the Word of God but it is about doing and total obedience to his word daily. This is going to require a firm and constant commitment from  us as Christians.  Living a true Christian Life is not an easy task at all but the grace of God is sufficient for us to achieve this through faith.

The distraction in the world today is so much and has led a lot of people even some Christians to be led astray. There are so many things in our world today that is just so wrong and against the Word of God but humans have accepted these anomalies as normal. God has given us an excellent guide on how to live our lives as Christians through his Word in the Bible. Jesus shared our humanity by coming into this world and he knows our challenges as humans that's why in Luke 13: 24 he says we should 'strive' to enter through the narrow gate.

Beloved Friends, Jesus is the narrow gate; He is also the difficult way. That is why he said in( Luke 9 :23)
; 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me'. Dear friends, please take note of the word;' DAILY ' Genuine Christianity is a daily affair by studying Gods word and doing good works daily. Taking up our cross also connotes dealing with the challenges that may occur in our everyday Living

Jesus is the Way, the Resurrection and the Life see (John 11:25)

God is Love

"For God so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" ( John 3: 16).

Dear Friends, what manner of man would lay down his own life willingly even while we were guilty and shed his own blood for the sake of all humanity that as many that believe in Him would be saved from eternal condemnation and be reconciled to the Creator of the Universe.Let us take some time and reflect deeply on this...and know that God is Love and should be reverenced and feared.