FOLLOW THE MAN WEY SABI

I had to pick up a dress that a friend had sent via one of the transport companies. I got a text message that gave instructions, up to the bus stop to alight at. I followed the instructions and alighted at the bus stop. THEN, I decided to ask someone to direct me to where I was going. He then pointed me to a building that required me to walk for about 10 minutes. Without questioning his direction, I walked for 10 minutes and eventually got to the place the man described. I got there and asked for where to pick my cargo. The attendant pointed me back to the bus stop I had alighted at. Apparently, the man had directed me to the bus terminal, not the cargo pick up point.
As I took my 10 minute walk back to the cargo pick up area, I realised that many of us are replicating my mistake in our lives. We start out following the Lord's instructions. Then when we're practically there, we ask someone who APPEARS to know their way around. Many of these people, like the man that gave me directions, actually mean well. The only issue is that they don't know that they don't have the answer to your unique issue. Just like the man didn't know that the Cargo Pick-up/Drop-off point is actually different from the bus terminal, they don't know that your situation is not the same as that of their cousin's neighbour's colleague's friend that is actually SIMILAR to yours.

I wasted about 20 minutes following goods intentioned but wrong advice. Thankfully, it wasn't a busy day and my schedule wasn't too affected. Thankfully, I was able to quickly conclude my transaction and continue with the other businesses of the day. Unfortunately, in life, it isn't that simple. Time wasted following wrong advice is not easily recovered. Yes, God can make a message out of our mess. However, I don't believe it is sensible to go around making messes, though.

I think it's better to follow the Man wey sabi. He is the reason for the season, you know. He has given us His Word so we are never confused. He has also given us men and women through whom we can hear what He has to say about each circumstance we have to deal with.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
Psalm 119:105, NIV

AMA wishes you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO FIGHT

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1Corinthians 15:32)
As I was getting ready for work today, the Holy Spirit brought this scripture to mind.
Paul said he fought ‘wild beasts’ in Ephesus. Erm, these ‘wild beasts’ were actually human beings that were behaving like wild beasts. The Holy Spirit pointed out to me that Paul did not sit passively ‘praying’ as the ‘wild beasts’ were doing whatever it is they were doing that earned them the ‘wild beast’ title. HE FOUGHT THEM!
I love loving my enemies but I refuse to have people ask “Died Adenike as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a [wo]man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou.” (2 Samuel 3: 33b, 34). Mbanu, I shall not surprise my Maker with my death. I will only give in once I confirm that it is His will…Selah!
In a related development, I came across one wicked comment that a ‘sister’ gave to a lady dealing with domestic violence. The ‘sister’ asked the DV victim if she wants her kids to grow up without a father. Erm, God is watching you ooo with your wicked advice. God hates violence as much as He hates divorce so please be guided… If you’re a victim of domestic violence/abuse, please send a message. Don’t worry, I’m equally concerned about your marriage and your kids. If you are an abuser that wants to repent and start a new life, please send a message; there is room at the cross for you too. As for those enabling domestic violence with all the stay and fight for your ‘marriage’ wickedness, this post is NOT dedicated to you. I have one scripture I’ll love to share but I haven’t got release to share it yet…
Back to the gist of the post, I get tired with some ‘WWJD’ folks that use that to blackmail believers into staying in abusive relationships. Jesus did some stuff that some believers will consider ‘unchristianly’. That tells me that some of us are practising false humility/religion.
When Jesus realised that some people to kill Him before His time, HE WENT TO A COUNTRY NEAR THE WILDERNESS (John 11:53-57)
Here are a few ‘fighting’ scriptures, lol…
“For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; WITHOUT WERE FIGHTINGS, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus..” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6)
“And what shall I more say ? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets who through faith ….WAXED VALIANT IN FIGHT…” (Hebrews 11: 32, 34)
Sometimes, brethren, you just need to fight. The important thing is to remember that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10: 4)
Have a blessed and productive day.

01112015

Steps to Deliverance from Moabite invasion
November 1, 2015
2 Kings 3
1. Worship
2. Make ditches - You have a role to play...Make ditches for water to come to. Stay consistent with what you're doing that pleases the Lord. Also, follow prophetic instructions.
3. Get ready to fight. Nobody is ready to do battle for you. There is fire in your mouth. Be battle-ready this month. Come and pray for yourself.

Work is a physical/mental effort with a special purpose. Come and call on Him this month and you'll not be ashamed.

The water the Israelites drank looked like blood to them.

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES

“Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up ? But he said, Nay ; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Matthew 13: 24-30

I’ll like to focus a bit on this parable. I already explained in my previous post why I will be focusing on this post. You can read about it in the post titled “An Enemy Has Done This”.

Please realise that this was a parable by the Lord. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. Some get bogged down on whether it happened or the actual people it happened to. I don’t think that should be our focus. I think we should be focused on getting the moral/spiritual lesson in the story. So, in this parable, there was a man with very good intentions who went to his field and sowed good seed. That’s what many of us do. We try to live right, get along with everyone and relatively be good. But that’s not where this parable ends.

This man with good intentions, who didn’t set out to hurt anybody had an enemy. His enemy did not show his face while men were awake. We are not told who this enemy is. All we know is that there was someone who wished him evil and did not identify himself as the enemy. As we journeyed to the conference I talked about in the previous post, we started talking about the difference between evil people in Africa and evil people in other parts of the world. One of us claimed that the evil people in other parts of the world are more brutal than their African counterparts. Another one said the good thing about the ‘brutal’ non-African evil people is that they are not hiding what they are up to whereas in Africa, ‘na who no person dey do person’… Me, I don’t know which of them is more evil; neither do I care to know. All I know is that there are enemies that are not interested in your progress; the earlier you realise that and make the necessary adjustments; the better for you.

This man’s enemy found his opportunity to do evil WHILE MEN SLEPT. The challenge I have with many that claim that they are not concerned about the activities of the enemies is that they are actually asleep. The amazing things that we have winked at because ‘grace covers us’ is something else. Many altars are not on fire. We are the generation that ignore the Lord’s promptings to wake up in the night to pray because ‘God understands’. We sleep and expect God to do both His part and ours. I’m not recommending that we become so focused on ‘enemies’ that we’re afraid of our own shadows. I’m saying that we should be watchful and vigilant because the adversary we’re dealing with has been around the block for some time and he has a few tricks up his sleeves. I’ll need to stop here for now.

Have a blessed and productive day.

AN ENEMY HAS DONE THIS

As I prepared for the Conference I attended this weekend (it was definitely worth all that was invested in it and MORE), I heard the Lord leading me to read the story of the wheat and the tares. The word I heard then was "Let the tares and the wheat grow together till harvest time". I quickly searched Bible Gateway for the passage in Matthew. As I read this, I paused at "An enemy has done this".
As we travelled to the venue of the conference, I shared the story of when I was struck with a strange illness with the sisters travelling with me. I was going to respond to the illness physically but as I was about to use the antibiotics I had bought to treat the strange sore on my leg, I heard clearly in my spirit that if I took that drug, that was it...It would have been my point of no return. I believe in harnessing all that medical science has to offer; I also believe in addressing the spiritual root of every ailment. I had to engage in spiritual warfare to get out of that situation I was in.

As I was at the Conference, Dr Omobola Jeffreys also made reference to the same passage while she was teaching about drawing from the wells of salvation.
As I spoke with the mum of the autistic child I had the priviledge of watching, I also found myself AT SOME POINT saying "An enemy has done this".

Some of the challenges some are dealing with have lingered because we have been applying ONLY physical measures to issues that have spiritual roots. Will you take time out today to trace the spiritual root of the issue?

I'll share along these lines in the course of the week.
Have a blessed and productive day. 

Lessons From Mordecai

Hello everyone. How are you doing? How has the weekend been?
Inspite of the fact that DSTV are "showing" themselves (that's an entire post on its own), weekends like this one are made in ______, they don't last. (You can fill in the gap yourself, lol).
Our theme scripture today in church was Esther 2: 5-7. I'm not pleased to announce that it took me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to flip my "paper" Bible to the passage. (I remember one funny post in Group 1 where we debated if it was okay to... use electronic Bibles and some of those comments still have me LOLing. Let me return to my lane).
Somehow, I found myself scribling notes about Mordecai that I think are worth sharing, in light of some of the things one reads in the news (Father rapes daughter and she goes deaf...).
1. Mordecai was an unmarried man YET he adopted his orphaned cousin.
2. There were no ‪#‎StoriesThatTouch‬ about him molesting her, though she was beautiful and had a good feature. Yeah, I've heard some blame mothers of children that have been molested by their fathers for the evil perpetrated by these men. According to them, the fathers molest their kids because the mothers are too busy making money...Please, pick up your jaw, thanks. Lol.
3. Mordecai BROUGHT Esther up! Someone once said men are incapable of raising kids without "outside help" whereas women are able to raise their kids "without outside help". FYI, NO ONE can raise kids alone without "outside help". I firmly believe that parenting was never designed to be a job for 1 person. I know circumstances can make one a single parent but if single moms are honest, they'll remember that there was/is a grandma/grandpa/sister/brother/uncle/aunty/cousin/friend/nanny/driver (add your own) that lightens (lightened) their burden. I have a few thoughts for single parents but I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Just watch this space for details of that effort...
Back to Mordecai, the Bible tells us that he brought Esther (Hadassah) up (and responsibly too).
4. The helpless orphaned cousin that Mordecai took in was INSTRUMENTAL to the salvation of the Jews. Be careful how you treat the "helpless" you meet today; they MAY very well turn out to be your destiny helpers.

Have a blessed and productive week ahead.

THE BELIEVER AND THE OLD TESTAMENT (1)

Good day people. Happy Independence Day.
While responding to an issue, I quoted a portion of the Old Testament (in the Bible) and included the fact that " I don't believe that portion applies to the New Testament believer."
The following questions followed:
1. What part of the old testament should apply to the new testament believer and what part should not. Who determines these things?
2. Why do we decide we are new or old testament Christians depending on the situation? After all, when it comes to claiming blessings, we don't care less whether they are declared in the old or new?
My (partial) response to Question 1 was "The Holy Spirit is the one who determines these things. I don't believe that the Old Testament requirements are binding on the NT believer because God isn't operating under that covenant (which was with the Israelites, not the Gentiles, anyway). I'll probably need to write an entire post to address this point with the scriptures to back my position. The conclusion is this - If there was nothing wrong with the Old Testament, there would have been no need for the New Testament that came into force when God accepted Christ' blood...However, we can still LEARN from God's dealings with people of the Old Testament...At least, that's how I see it"
So, I'll start with the promised 'post'. I think it's better to have it as a series so I can go scripture by scripture. Please follow me on this journey and feel free to share (referencing AMA Writes, please) and tag others. Sometime in the course of the series, perhaps when I've exhausted the scriptures that effectively answer Question 1, I'll attempt to answer Question 2. Please feel free to share your thoughts on either question at any time. It'll be nice to have your scriptural references too. Thanks.
I'll start with scriptures in the Old Testament that foretold of a New Testament that was essentially going to replace the Old Testament.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jeremiah 31: 31-34, English Standard Version)
I guess I should just share the grace with this alone, right? Lol. If AMA wasn't as scholarly as she is, that's what she would have done. Thankfully, she likes writing so we'll continue the series.
Hebrews 8 references Jeremiah 31: 31-34 and shows us that Christ is the mediator of a better covenant, founded upon better promises.
Hebrews 9 placed the Old and New Covenants side by side, showing us the similarities and differences of each covenant (essentially to prove that the New Covenant is indeed founded on better promises).
The easiest way for me to illustrate is to use the example of a company that enters into 2 separate contracts with 2 different entities for similar services. We know there will be similarities and differences between the 2 contracts. It won't be wise for Contractor A to insist on the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) of Contractor B's contract. It won't make sense for the Company to expect Contractor B to deliver what was agreed in Contractor A's contract. The expectations on both the Company and the contractor's side are different for each contract.
So, why do we still have the Old Testament in the Bible that New Testament believers read? I'll use the Company, Contractor A and Contractor B scenario again. Let's assume that Contractor B's contract is more recent than Contractor A's contract and is hopefully founded on better promises than Contractor A's contract. The Company should have no qualms giving Contractor B access to the initial contract. First of all, it proves to Contractor B that their contract is an improved one. We won't have been able to verify the claims made in Hebrews 8 and 9 if we didn't have access to Jeremiah 31.
Secondly, it may be helpful to clarify grey areas in Contractor B's contract. I've worked on a couple of projects where we've been required to replicate an existing design BUT ensure that it complies with current legislation. We always request for information on the initial design. Then we review the current legislation. Whenever we find cases where the old design does not meet up with current legislation, we adhere to the terms of our contract (comply with the current legislation).
My first pass response to Question 2 is that since the new covenant is founded on better promises than the old covenant, the blessings in the old covenant are still embedded in the new covenant and there are added blessings too. You may be shortchanging yourself if you limit yourself ONLY to the blessings of the Old Covenant.
In Part 2, I'll look at what the synoptic gospels have to say about the old/new testament. Parts 3, 4 and possibly 5 will focus on what the Epistles have to say about the old/new testament.
Thanks for taking time to read this post. Please feel free to ask questions and/or share your views. If you disagree with anything I've written, please state your views RESPECTFULLY. If you agree, it'll be nice to still hear from you.
Happy new month and I wish my fellow Nigerians a happy Independence Day. Have a blessed and productive day.

Test All Spirits

Good morning people. How are you doing?
I remember a comment I read where someone said that she doesn't even read what a particular writer has written before liking it. That sounds like sycophancy to me but what can I say?
I also remember when the ‪#‎ChildNotBride‬ hashtag was trending. I jumped on the wagon and I was still sharing on it as I had my daughter. I later learnt from one of the people that was so vocal about it that the "activists" hadn't taken enough time to pro...perly digest what was been proposed before mobilizing the movement. Time will fail me to talk about the ‪#‎BringBackOurGirls‬ or Fuel Subsidy Removal saga. I learnt to use my data sensibly when the folly of sharing anything without asking my dear Google was exposed by the Ebola salt bath saga. I hope government agencies that need to send information to rural areas will study how such a lie was effectively distributed to the 'rural dwellers' who were actually the ones informing the city dwellers about a lie that was sent out by a city dweller...

Peter just had a "Rhema" moment when he answered Jesus' "Who do you say I am" question. Jesus told him that flesh and blood did not reveal that to him but it was His Father in heaven that told him. Jesus confirmed that Peter heard directly from God...
Then Jesus began to speak of his trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection. Then Peter, who had heard directly from God, took Him aside and began to rebuke Him and was probably trying to teach Him about "positive confession".
" Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”" (Matthew 16:23)
Hello! This dude just heard from God and now Jesus was telling him this?
There are 2 sets of people I'll like to address. The first set are the ministers that hear from God and feed His flock. Be aware that you need to take heed to your doctrine and ensure that what you're teaching (as God's word) is sound. Use God's Word to test every one of your thoughts (not your personal ideology). Whenever you're passing on your personal thoughts/preferences, please be honest enough to let people know that you're speaking for yourself, not the Lord. And if you're like Paul, you can add "I think I have the Spirit of God".
The second set of people are the hearers. After listening to a sermon, go back and search the scriptures yourself to confirm if what you've heard matches up with the Word of God. Thankfully, you can access the Bible easily these days. Read for yourself. If you find a difference between what you were taught and what the Word of God says. What you were taught is the one that needs to line up with the Word...I have a lot more to write on this matter but I'll let the Holy Spirit complete His work in you.
Have a blessed and productive day.
*You can read Matthew 16: 13-27 for the full story*

Don't Let Your Past Define You

Good morning friends. How are you doing?
First of all, I'm still having the same WhatsApp problems as I had yesterday. Yesterday was just that day - left home late, wasted a few more precious minutes on the BRT queue. Just as I left the queue, 2 buses arrived but I already gave up my place on the queue.
I quickly got a bus going to Obalende and we found ourselves in the wicked traffic jam. Just as we came out of the traffic jam and got to Adeniji, the bus had a flat tyre and... we were supposedly stranded. I quickly prayed about the matter on ground. About two minutes later, a bus appeared that had space for those going to Obalende and I joined the bus. I think it occurred to some of those waiting for the driver to fix the tyre that they could join another bus after I boarded the bus. One of them also joined the bus.

It was a 'smooth' journey to the office, though I had a flashback while I was at Obalende. For some reason, I remembered the day I saw "ebo" (pagan sacrifice) at Obalende. I filed a mental reminder not to take anyone/anything at face value and to do all I can to keep the fire on my prayer altar burning.
I got to the office (late of course) and discovered that my emails were not delivering. I tried every 'work-around' I know but no story...So, I've decided to wait for the "blessings of emails". It makes me think of delayed blessings and how they apparently don't stop once the bottleneck (whatever was restricting the flow) has been addressed.
I learnt that deleting the pictures on my phone may help me resolve my WhatsApp issues. I'm wondering if archiving my emails will also help. Sometimes, we need to let go of the past - successes, hurts, pains- so we can make room for the future. When we hold on to the anger and pain, we miss opportunities for happiness and gain. When we are too focused on past successes, we become set in our ways and it's harder to adapt when the parameters change.
Don't let your past define you; your best is yet to come. There are better days ahead.
Have a blessed and productive day.

HURT BY CHURCH FOLKS? READ THIS

A fellow shopper offended me in the shopping mall so I'm going to give up shopping...

A fellow customer offended me when I went to the salon so I'm going to stop visiting the salon...

A fellow passenger offended me in the bus so I'm going to stop taking buses...

A fellow patient offended me in the hospital so I'll stop going to the hospital when I'm not feeling well...

If you think my conclusions in any of the scenarios above are faulty, why is it okay to stop going to church because a church member hurt you?

‪#‎SomethingToThinkAbout
‬
If necessary, please change churches. As painful as it may be when a trusted church member/leader hurts you, it isn't a good enough reason to abandon the faith.

Put whatever measures you need to put in place to avoid being hurt over and over again but it's best not to lose your faith because of that.

I'm looking forward to the weekend o. What about you? Any plans you'll like to share?

ARE YOU THE BOTTLENECK?

Good morning.

Yesterday, we were talking about the fact that one of the equipment involved in the process could not handle the anticipated future production. One of the recommendations was to cut back the flow to what this equipment could handle. Thankfully, there were other recommendations.

 

As I reviewed the conversation this morning, I realised that the same situation applies in many lives. God has to cut back on the flow of His blessings because we don't have enough capacity to take all He has for us. We're too busy crying over spilt milk, too busy minding other people's business, keeping up with everyone "keep-upable".

 

We need to spend time with the Holy Spirit so He can prune us and help us increase our capacity. Some of us are too full of ourselves. We have plans upon plans (none of which came from the Holy Spirit but hey!). We believe we've got it all figured out. There are many "roadmaps" that lead NOWHERE! The solutions to the challenges you are dealing with are found in Christ.

 

Then there's the group that spend all the time praying and then they don't add corresponding action. Faith without works is dead. You can't eat the bread of idleness and expect to be prosperous. Anyone that told you that being a believer gives you the liberty to laze around and expect 'manna' to fall did not tell you the whole truth.

 

Then there's the other group that have allowed circumstances keep them in one spot. It's sad that your parents didn't show you the love they should have; it's sad that life hasn't turned out the way you thought it should. However, your situation shouldn't be the last that is heard of you. The challenges you're facing are life's way of asking you what/Who you believe. What's your answer to the question(s)? If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength (capacity) is small. Let God help you improve your capacity. Many times, after you've gone through, you'll be required to go back to that same challenge and pass the test in flying colours. Peter and his colleagues had toiled all night and caught nothing. After teaching them, Jesus asked them to return to the same activity that had been successful. When you're returning in the power of the Spirit to the same 'hopeless' situation, you'll be returning with power to turn the situation around (Psalms 16:11)

 

Today, I bring you a message from the Lord. Enlarge your tents, strengthen your cords...It's #HarvestTime. Have a blessed and productive day.

A BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION

I found this in my inbox as I logged in today.
Sis A: Good morning ma. How was your night? Please I need u to help me wit some bible verses I am to lead a prayer session this evening on d focus "come forth weddings ". Thanks and God bless.
AMA (In my mind): WHAT THE HECK IS "COME FORTH" WEDDINGS? These people don start ooooo
...

AMA (True True): Good evening sis. I don't understand the focus of the prayer session? Is it for weddings to miraculously happen?
*This my over-active imagination sef, lol*
Sis A: God bless you ma. My youth president didn't send the message clearly. The prayer focus is for those that have their weddings coming up in our midst.
Thank you so much. I will still appreciate it if I can get some prayer points. Hope the focus of the prayer is clear now.
AMA (In my mind): These brethren can greet for Africa...
AMA: So, you're praying for those that will soon get married, right?
Sis A: Yes. Those that have a date fixed for their wedding ceremony
AMA (in my mind): Google it na! Maybe I should ask her to allow me get back to her tomorrow so she can vex and google it...But it's not good ooo...Why can't you just google it and give her the answer? What if she keeps returning to you because you're the "Encyclopedia"?
*AMA consults her friend, Google, and gets a lot of results. She picks the first most sensible one*
AMA: Okay. You can check prayer points in this article - [Oya, you sef, GOOGLE IT, lol]. You can also use Google to search for "Prayer points for upcoming weddings" and pick applicable prayer points. All the best.
Sis A: Thank you so much. God bless you.
See, it's possible to NICELY ask people to use search engines, lol. Meanwhile, this AMA's mind is giving me concern sha, lol. Please keep her in your prayers...
Thank God it's Friday! Have a blessed and productive weekend.

CONCERNING HELP

If you're looking to anybody as your human ATM, you are in ERROR! God should be your source, even if He uses human conduits. If all your hope rests on your job or business as your source of income, you need more education (I'll talk about this in detail in another post).

Assuming a human being should even function as your ATM, you should have made deposits before expecting to make a withdrawal. You also need to apply for an ATM card and obtain a pin.

Meeting people on social media and asking them to give you money is NOT okay. If you have a legitimate reason to ask for financial assistance, it's best to open up to family and real life friends. Demonizing those whom you've asked for help and who have not met your need doesn't put THEM in bad light, it portrays YOU as a 'user'. 

 If the Lord does not help you, no human being can help you. I am not obligated to meet YOUR need; though I should not withdraw help if it is in my power to do so. I also reserve the right to choose whom, why, when and how to render help...Say with me "My help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth"

 If the Lord does not help you, no man can help you. (Yeah, I repeated that so it can sink in). Stop looking to a particular person/group for your help; don't put God in a box. He is the Almighty God and He has you in mind. In the fulness of time, the joy of the morning will come. Till then, stay focused on Him.

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124:8

Have a blessed and productive day.

TODAY'S WORD

This is the word that I heard in my spirit this morning as I prepared for the day.

 "Don't spend what you don't have to buy what you don't need".

 I guess that's a warning for me as well as for others. There is no value in keeping up with the Joneses, who are probably trying to keep up with the Ogunleyes or the Aniefioks.

Aspire to be all that God wants you to be. However, don't try to live another person's life...The grass is not always greener on the other side.

As I searched for a deeper meaning of this early morning word, I realised that another way to spend what you don't have to buy what you don't need is to spend time (a limited resource) to buy distractions (which you don't need). Make each moment count. Don't spend your time idling away...Invest the time you have today for a better tomorrow.

 Have a blessed and productive day.

THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CROSS

" For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

1 Corinthians 1:18

 

I came across a post a few weeks ago where the poster asked (who in particular, really?) to justify why a woman should submit to HER OWN HUSBAND and assume she (the poster) was an atheist. I can't tell what the responses she got were, as I didn't have a lot of time to check. I know, however, that she was looking for an earthly explanation for a divine instruction.

There is no rule book that tells me (outside of the Bible) that when there is a divergence of opinions, I should defer to my supervisor/boss' opinion, for as long as I don't cross ethical boundaries. I have learnt BY EXPERIENCE that this singular decision has helped my career, perhaps more than any other decision. If you plan to have a godly marriage, Madam, you are expected to submit to your husband. Otherwise, you're allowing little foxes in. If the vine is spoilt, I pray you're bold enough to remind yourself that YOU contributed to the rot...

Anyway, the point of this post is that God's instruction don't ALWAYS have to make sense to the mind. Sometimes, you have to just trust Him even when what's He is asking you to do makes no sense.

 

"I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread."

Psalm 37:25

 

Eventually, it all comes together and when you look back, THEN it makes sense. The message of the Cross cannot be comprehended with the human mind...

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

 

PS: Nothing in this post justifies eating snakes or drinking petrol because "God said so". There is nothing in the scriptures to justify many of the weird things that spiritists claim that "God" asked them to tell their congregation to do. #BeGuided.

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD YOU

Good morning people.
I have a story, as usual.
I once led a choir and a cell group. There was a young man among us (choir and cell) that was involved in a business that he did not really understand. One day, I told him to stop the business, focus on his area of strength, get some more education and then he could engage in the business. He told me that he had a dream where he was told to start the business. I counselled him on a couple of issues too but I could see that he didn't quite agree with me. I kept my peace and decided to address his matter with prayers.
Afterwards, he got involved in a deal that took a lot of his time and money. He lost a lot of money due to his lack of understanding of how the business works. Finally, he came back to me to tell me that he agrees with what I told him initially. He claimed he had another dream where a man of God prayed for him and told him what to do. I just wonder why he had to suffer such losses before learning..
A good number of people have taken critical decisions based on dreams (the ones you have while sleeping). Some have married their spouses because of their dreams, some have ventured into businesses because of dreams. Some have moved into homes based on dreams, some have ended relationships because of dreams. Joel 2:28 talks about old men having dreams and young men seeing visions after the outpouring of the Spirit. Therefore, dreams and visions are legitimate means by which God communicates with us, His children.
However, we need to be careful when dealing with dreams and visions. There is a portion of the scriptures (I'll share the actual reference as soon as I can) that talks about dreams coming as a result of the day's business/busyness. You shouldn't make lifelong decisions just based on dreams/visions alone.
Some people are in abusive relationships today because of dreams; some have severed godly relationships because of a dream. I believe that when you have such dreams and visions (or if someone else tells you about their dreams/visions that concern you), prayerfully study what God's Word say about the subject matter. Scrutinize every dream and vision. Don't go eating snakes or grass or drinking petrol (as costly as it is) because a "man of God" asked you to. There is nothing in the scriptures that support such.
In John 10:14, Jesus Christ says that His sheep know Him. In verse 16, He says that His sheep listen to His voice. In verse 4, He says the sheep follow the shepherd BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE. Unfortunately, a good number of believers don't recognize the Master's voice in our lives. We haven't taken the time required to fellowship with the Lord. A couple of us have made serious blunders.
The good news is that however far you may have gone in your own way or the way charted for you by another human being, it is never too late to change directions. It is time to learn the voice of the Holy Spirit (He is the One running the show in this dispensation) and to let Him lead you.
If you are yet to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, you are a step removed from being led by the Holy Spirit. Please send a message to the page and let's close that step. I'll share a prayer of salvation later in the day.
"All those led by God's Spirit are God's sons (and daughters" Romans 8:14
Have a blessed and productive day.

IT'S NOT MY JOB

Yesterday, I realised that I felt light and happy (I'm still feeling that way). I still have bills to pay, work to do, clothes to wash, calls to make and receive, friends to ping (add your own). I have relatives with health challenges; I have to deal with funny attitudes and ‪#‎Nonsense‬ from colleagues and clients.

However, I realised that I am not the General Manager of the whole world. It's not my job to make everyone put up sensible Facebook updates. It's not my job to m...ake every adulterer stay faithful to their spouses. It is NOT my job to make sinners repent. It is not my job to make every man love his wife. It is not my job to make every woman submit to her husband. It is my job to shine the light (with my words and deeds) in a dark and perverse word. I am a light to my generation. I have influence but God has the authority.

I have given up my NEED to be right...I have given up my NEED to control everything and everyone to adopt MY way for every challenge...So help me God.

Meanwhile, God IS on Facebook; He reaches out through those of us that will yield ourselves to Him.

Have a blessed and productive day.

With Some Patience

Yesterday, my daughter and I spent some time singing together. I felt so blessed. There were many nights when I had to stay up late to rock her to bed. I would sing those songs both to rock her to sleep and to calm me down. Until I had a child, my sleep was sacred. No one was permitted to disturb me once I am asleep. As we all know, all those rules mean nothing to a hungry new-born. I would sing those songs so I wouldn’t freak out.

After a few months, she woke up in the middle of the night and I sang. You can imagine my pleasure when my baby started singing along with me. As I pondered over the issue, I realized that it is actually a life lesson. Sometimes, you keep speaking/sowing etc and nothing seems to be changing. It is usually just a matter of time. Soon, it will yield a bountiful harvest.

 

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15

 

If you are patient enough, the harvest will be obvious to everyone.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

TALES FROM EGYPT

Good morning people.

As we discussed the phrase "The devil you know is better than an unknown angel" yesterday, someone noted that if that is true, the Israelites should have stayed in Egypt. That got me thinking about Israel's sojourn in Egypt.

Israel was actually led to Egypt by God. He sent a forerunner (not the car joor, lol) in the person of Joseph to prepare Egypt for Israel. Israel was not in rebellion at the time they went to Egypt.

Initially, the Israelites had things easy. Life was good. They went WILLINGLY to Egypt as FREE men. At some point, however, when they were no longer alert/watchful, they became slaves in the land God led them to. They suddenly found themselves dealing with taskmasters. I'm wondering what made them remain in Egypt. There was NOTHING physically binding them to Egypt yet they stayed and possibly they hoped things would get better.

In Genesis 15, God already foretold of Israel's slavery and oppression in Egypt. The period God said was for 400 years. God didn't name the actual nation but Egypt entered the prophecy by THEMSELVES when they CHOSE to enslave and oppress Israel (Note to file for every oppressor and taskmaster...). God promised to punish the nation and that Israel would leave with great possessions.

We are told in Exodus 12:40 that the Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt. That's 30 years above what God foretold. Why? The short answer to that is "I DON'T KNOW", lol. The long answer is 'I don't know but I can guess". *More smiles* I think Israel stayed longer than they should have in Egypt because 1) they didn't KNOW what God had said about the situation and 2) they waited for things to get super duper hot before they cried out to God...

I think it was the phrase "The devil you know is better than an unknown angel" that kept them longer than they should have stayed in captivity. I think they intended to continue "managing" the situation. I think that's why they had problems with God in the wilderness; I think they preferred to hang on to their beloved "devil".

I'm glad they had enough sense, though, to cry out to God. I'm glad that inspite of their love for the onions and cucumbers of Egypt, the oppression was enough to cause them to cry out. Egypt needed to be punished and Israel had great possessions to collect from them.

I have to go now but I'll definitely continue with this in the nearest future. Whatever you have on your plate today, make today count.

Have a blessed and productive day

MARRIAGE IS A WOMAN'S CROWNING GLORY...SAYS WHO?

I am not sure where the mindset of marriage being a woman's "crowning glory" came from.
Indeed, marriage is honorable. However, Paul actually tells us that it is better to remain single and mind the things of the Lord *hands over Paul's long-dead head to some voltrons for re-crucifixion*  Lol

If you do get married, though, you shouldn't prioritise your career/ministry above your marriage.

Also, some women's purpose is actually embedded in their marriage (Consider S...arah, Leah, Rachel, Rebekkah, Ruth)

My understanding is that wherever you find yourself, make sure you are walking in God's will for your life.

I'll like to mention Martha. I don't believe she was married but she was the owner of the house Mary and Lazarus, her siblings, lived in. Jesus had no qualms with her marital status and He didn't mind that she owned a house...He didn't ask her when He was "coming to eat rice" bla bla bla (Just in case you're wondering WWJD) Lol.

Have a blessed and productive day.

SOMETIMES YOU NEED A MOVE

Good morning people. How are you doing?

I had been battling with rats (or mice, if you like). I detest them and now they were in my home. We got out the Mouse Glue Board and placed it in a supposedly "Strategic" location.

 

A week went by and the board caught some insignificant insect. The rats were still having a field day. The quality of my sleep wasn't improving (I wonder why they seem to play at night). Last night, I decided to try another location for the board.

 

In the middle of the night, I heard the (now) regular rat noises. I got up and after a few checks, I realised that the board had caught something. I beamed a torchlight and I thought I saw a rat on the board. I smiled as I went back to bed. A few minutes (or was it hours?) later, I heard another noise. Further investigation revealed that the board had caught one more rat (or so I thought). I decided to check well. Behold, there were 3 rats on the board. I should have guessed that there was more than one rat disturbing my sleep.

 

So, why am I telling you my mouse tale this Monday morning? (It's 6:06 am here in Lagos). As I was feeling smug about the mouse tale, the Holy Spirit pointed out to me that the Mouse Glue Board had been sitting in one position for more than a week catching nothing whereas there were rats running rampage. All that was required was a move of less than one meter.

 

Elijah had been enjoying supernatural provision at the Brook Cherith (1 Kings 17). However, there came a time when the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land. Elijah was the one that prayed and shut the heavens, mind you. Now, the place of his supernatural supply had been exhausted. Elijah could have stayed at the brook and called down whatever he needed to call down to get that brook filled again with water. He could have embarked on a 40 days fasting and prayer program to fill the brook with water.

 

Thankfully, he had enough spiritual sense to listen to what God had in mind for him at the time. He didn't try to activate the "48 Laws of Power" or the "15 Keys to Filling the Brook". No! He listened to and did what the Lord commanded. He changed locations and was miraculously sustained through the famine.

 

It's time for some of us to relocate. For some, it may mean a physical relocation while for others, it may mean a change in your mindset. Others probably need to make a spiritual move from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God's dear Son. If you need to make a spiritual move, you can pray the "PRAYER OF SALVATION" below.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

 

PRAYER OF SALVATION

O Lord God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ. Your Word says, "...whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2: 21) I ask Jesus to come into my heart to be the Lord of my life. I receive eternal life into my spirit and according to Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

I declare that I am saved; I am born-again; I am a child of God! I now have Christ dwelling in me, and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)! I now walk in the consciousness of my new life in Christ Jesus.

Hallelujah! Congratulations! You are now a child of God. Please drop me a comment via the medium that you read this.

CONCERNING PLAGIARISM AND IDOLATRY

Good morning people. There are two unrelated topics trending in my mind today so I'll just write about them.

 

Why do people plagiarize? How can you steal someone's work and pass it off as your own? I mean, it's not like I agree with it but I can understand if you "copy and paste" without crediting the source for your homework/term paper. At least the aim is to get marks. It's wrong but I get where people that do such are coming from. In a past life, I may/may not have done so myself...

What I can't deal with is people that steal other people's stuff just because they want to post on social media. There's no money in it and it makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

I saw someone post Marriage Today's post and pass it off as hers yesterday. What sense does that make? I have pointed it out to her but I think it's still worth analysing.

 

There's also the interesting idea of someone posting a very similar update to yours, though the update is not the same word for word. One posted earlier than the other person. The second person said she wrote hers offline and posted later because she had network issues only to discover that #1 had posted a similar update. #1 claims #2 stole her status update and blocked #2 eventually. My people, what shall we say to these things? Can #1 reasonably claim that #2 plagiarized? Is there reasonable doubt in this instance? Did #1 overreact?

 

Moving on to my second issue; I saw someone's comment on a post that caused me to pause and think #ThatSelahMoment. He claims that XYZ is his idol. Thankfully, the XYZ in this case is not his pastor, lol. My own questions are these:

1) Is there any sensible reason for making a human being your IDOL? If so, how is that different from consulting "Ifa"?

2) What about when Paul asked the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1)? Why didn't he just ask them to imitate Christ?

3) What can we do to stop people from idolizing us? Are there character traits that make us susceptible to being idolized?

 

My people, what shall we say to these things?

Have You Settled?

Good day people. How are you doing? I trust that all is well.

 

A friend and I agreed to meet for the very first time on Easter Sunday. The meeting was set for a popular hotel in Lagos. I had assumed she didn't know her way around Lagos since she currently resides outside Lagos. She let me know that she was born, bred and buttered in Lagos.

 

We went there straight from church. I assumed we'll both arrive at the same time and fellowship together. Unfortunately, she had some delays so we needed to wait in the hotel. I realised that my daughter wouldn't stay cooped up in the car for long without creating a scene so we went into the lobby.

 

While we were waiting, my daughter wouldn't stay still. She kept going everywhere and touching everything. The hotel staff tried to be as accommodating as possible. It got to a point when I decided to take mummy action. I "arrested" her as I used to do when she was younger. I gave her some toys to play with as I secured her in one place by wrapping my legs around hers.

 

After struggling for a while without success, my daughter appeared to have accepted her fate. She kept playing with her toys and acting like all was well. However, unlike too many of us, she was actually studying me. Whenever she felt like I was distracted (calling or reading a text message), she would try again to release herself.

 

Eventually, I think it occurred to her that she could use her voice to create a scene and she would be released. As she started crying out and making a scene, the people around got involved and prevailed on me to release her. Not long after, my friend called me and told me she had arrived. I released my daughter and we both went to meet her at the gate.

 

Bartimaeus was blind. The blindness limited his progress in life. There were things he couldn't do because he needed others to guide him. The blindness was his prison warden. He had room to move around but beyond a certain point, his movement was restricted.

 

Suddenly, Bartimaeus HEARD that Jesus of Nazareth was near. Thankfully, the blindness had not robbed him of his hearing. Thankfully, the connection between his ears and his brain was not broken. Thankfully, as his brain processed the information, he realised that though the blindness had robbed him of the ability to safely navigate by himself to get to Jesus, it had not robbed him of his voice.

 

He began to SHOUT OUT! Those around him tried to drown his voice. They tried to convince him to settle and accept his fate. They asked him to SHUT UP (or suck it up). Learn how to make do with blindness. Live with it and make the best of it. That's great counsel generally, but not when Jesus is near.

 

Bartimaeus refused to settle; he shouted the louder. He kept at it until Jesus heard him. I wonder why Jesus still asked him what he wanted Him to do for him. Erm Sir, the guy is obviously blind na...A wonderful woman of God once taught me the importance of asking those you want to minister to what they really want. You may be there thinking they are concerned about blindness whereas their issue is how to pay the children's school fees, lol.

 

Today, I implore you to cry out to God concerning that issue that you've "settled" and learnt to work around. The Lord is near. Stay in the place of prayer until something happens. The situation may have kept you bound but you still have your voice. Raise it to the Lord and ask Him to show you mercy. We will testify, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

You can read Bartimaeus' story in Mark 10: 46-52.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

The Problem Is Not The Name

I'm wondering when the '4' in '419' fell out and it became '19'. I think it's a way to minimize the "evilness" of the crime.

A young lady meets a man who defrauds people and instead of calling a spade what it is, '419' (from section 4, paragraph 19 of whatever code it is that makes fraud a crime) becomes '19'.

 

People, even if you remove the '1' and leave only '9', it remains a crime...There are legitimate means of making money online these days. As we trust God to better our lot, it should not come from making others cry.

Please, if you're caught in that web, come out. Accept Jesus as your Lord and saviour (See the comments for the prayer of salvation).

If you're trusting God for financial supply or you're interested in becoming legit, you can check out this link for starters.

 

http://enterprise54.com/14-viable-businesses-ideas-to-start-in-nigeria/

DEALING WITH AN IMMATURE SPOUSE

I increasingly hear from people married to immature spouses. I mean, when you hear their stories, the other spouse is clearly at fault. (Un)fortunately, I don't have access to their spouses. If I did, I'll be happy to tell them to shape up and show up in their marriages. 

In this post I'm sticking with this definition of maturity that I found online - "Maturity is the recognition of responsibility and then the acceptance of that responsibility as a necessity in one's own life." Blaming somebody else for our own behavior is a sign of great immaturity. 

There is the usual tendency to ask if the immature spouse displayed such behaviours during courtship. Assuming the answer is "yes", how does that help the "mature" spouse? And if the answer is "no", how does that help? I'm struggling to see how asking if the immature spouse displayed the signs during courtship actually helps the person already married to an immature soul. Please feel free to enlighten me.

The question then is this - how does one deal with an immature spouse? Is the counsel to keep praying for them enough? What about the counsel to end the marriage once it can be proven that one's spouse is immature? What should the mature spouse do? 

I found a few recommendations that make sense to me. I'll share after saying this - if domestic violence and/or adultery are involved, you need more than these tips I'm sharing. Those are out of the scope of this post. 

Tips
1. Pray to God for wisdom to deal with them. 

2. Praise your spouse for the things they do right. If you look hard enough, you'll find something great about them. (You asked/agreed to marry them na, lol)

3. Pray that God brings godly men/women who will encourage both of you to grow in all areas of your life and particularly in your marriage. 

4. Watch your words. There is a natural tendency to focus on what they're not doing right. I've learnt that when you take it to the Lord in prayer first, you'll find the right words to communicate without offending. 

5. Don't take responsibility for their irresponsibility/immaturity. I heard a story that still annoys me till date of a man who REFUSED to work and would still be telling his wife the kind of (expensive) fish he wants to eat. I won't say more than that before I begin to rant, lol. 

6. Explore your own motives and make sure you're not overfunctioning, thus encouraging your spouse to be immature. Sometimes, you need to sit back and prayerfully let them face the consequences of their (in)actions. You are NOT the Holy Spirit, lol. 

I've included links to a few helpful webpages. 

http://articles.christianbaptists.com/Art/991/3/Dealing-With-an-Immature-Husband.html

http://www.crosswalk.com/family/marriage/doctor-david/irresponsibility-in-marriage.html

http://www.cs.uni-potsdam.de/ti/kreitz/Christian/Boundaries/all.html

Please share your views, experiences and tips. 

Have a blessed and productive day. 

UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES

"From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do..." 1 Chronicles 12:32a

 

I'll like to talk a bit about having an understanding of the times we live in.

 

We learn in the opening verse of the sons of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. Thankfully, that priviledge was not reserved only for the sons of Issachar. We have the Holy Spirit who tells us what to do at each point, so we ought to have an understanding of the times too.

 

One crucial aspect of understanding the times is understanding how things work in our day.  If you will impact your world meaningfully, you need to use social media to propagate your gospel. Businesses that will survive these days have to make their presence known online somehow. If you'll make an impact in your career, you NEED to know how to use your online presence and technology to your advantage.

 

I know there are 'dangers' associated with the internet and technology in general but I also know it's not all gloom and doom. Evil prevails when good men (women) do nothing. 

 

Technology is God's gift to us in this era. It may very well be the only 'talent' we've been given. The servant that was given only one talent hid his because it was not enough (in his opinion); he was punished for it. We have the priviledge of connecting to anyone we may need using various easy to use media - emails, social media, online professional networks etc. Joining up is free for most of these media. I think it is unacceptable/unbelievable that you can sign up on Facebook/Twitter (add your own) yet you don't have an email address. I know you won't believe me but I've met at least one person who didn't have an email address till now. Someone asked how you hope to get an employment letter mailed to you without an email address.

 

Anyway, I hope with these few words of mine I have been able to convince and not confuse you on the need to brace up and get with the program, lol. We have ALL been given the 'talent' of technology. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

 

PS: A dear friend and I are thinking of organizing an online course that shows you how to use various electronic and social media to your advantage. Please let me know what you think about it and how much you think is fair to charge for such a course.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

Grow Up

"You can't control what others do but you can control your reaction; that's the reason why self-control is a fruit of the Spirit..." Adenike M. Adebola

 

If all your actions are actually reactions to other people's (in)actions, you are really not exercising self-control. You'll always do things because somebody else did/did not do something...You have become a puppet. You need to grow up and stop allowing others dictate your actions...

 

In other news, I almost got in trouble today reading one liner comments from an aspiring clown. I'll call it the "Tecno T340" treatment and it will be used on posts that I vehemently disagree with, lol.

And On Her Tongue Is The Law Of Kindness

The Holy Spirit dropped this verse (Proverbs 31:26) in my spirit and I believe that some sisters, including me, need to hear it.

 

We've read about the Proverbs 31 woman over and over again - how she is always on point etc. I have come across a lot of women who really do all they can to be like that woman. They cook, clean, work, fix stuff around the house etc. That's not bad in itself. Please just learn to take a break once in a while and don't wear yourself out, okay?

 

Anyway, you'll find among a good number of these women what I like to think of as "stress-induced harshness". I am shocked to hear and read what they have stored in their minds under the "virtuous woman" exterior. It is really scary, in my opinion.

 

I am all for doing one's part for a successful marriage. However, please do not sacrifice your salvation and spiritual well-being for a "successful" marriage. Please do not end up like Sapphira. The Lord will help us all.

 

Please spare time from your busy day to fellowship with God, study the Word and commune with the Holy Spirit. They have a way of relieving the stress and sweetening your heart and tongue.

 

Whatever the burden you're carrying, please take it to the Lord in prayer and LEAVE IT WITH HIM. He is the Ancient of Days, so I'm certain He has taken someone else through that route successfully before. Your case is not beyond His capability. You'll finish strong, in Jesus' Name. Cheer up and create an atmosphere of love and kindness around you.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

Welcome to Lent.

Good day sisters. How are you doing? I trust that all is well.

I found out quite late that yesterday was Ash Wednesday - that is the flag-off ceremony for Lent, if you were not aware.

 

To educate those that don't know, Lent is supposed to be a period of fasting and sober reflection; a time where excesses are cut off etc. One of my relatives died around this period many years ago and we had to postpone her burial till after Lent. It's not that you can't bury Catholics during Lent but you can't par-teeh...And my people wanted to par-teeh (Please don't let me start my tirade on the whole par-teehing thing...). One is expected to do things in moderation.

 

While participating in the National Youth Service scheme, I learnt a hymn that had these lines "I'll be a true soldier, I'll die at my post". As I reflected on the lines, I realised that I don't just want to die at my post; I also want to live at my post. I don't want to do whatever I like while I'm living then rush to my post to die, lol.

In my opinion, that's what many do during Lent. They indulge in unwholesome behaviour at other times and try to atone for it during Lent. This can't be what Jesus died for, can it? I like the idea of fasting, sober reflection and living in moderation. My point is, please don't restrict it to Lent. The 'sacrifice' of Lent will not atone for the wickedness of the other periods.

 

Jesus talked about taking up our cross DAILY. He was not talking only to Catholics; it concerns you and I. Living in moderation is a Biblical injunction. The Bible admonishes us to follow peace with ALL men (including irritants) and holiness without which no man can see God.

 

Please let me know you read this by telling me the scriptures that support the ideas propounded in this post, lol.

Have a blessed and productive day.