Real Life Matters...

Our valuation of our blessings should also benefit from the fact that we contribute little or nothing to them. Most times, it’s God’s doing from start to finish just like the Lord Jesus illustrated in one of his parables with the farmer who planted some seed. “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” – Mark 4:27 (ESV) It’s not our place to grumble based on our understanding and expectations of size but to say, “Thank You, Lord!” There is also a hierarchy wrongly built by some Christians based on the nature of blessings. Ever notice that most testimonies in church are about physical and material blessings? I would imagine that the story will be the same for prayer lists. Most of the topics would probably be about money, health, job, education, relationship issues …. Spiritual attainments though not often celebrated are very important and our spiritual state facilitates our receipt and sustenance of physical and material blessings. So a...

Some time last year, I was led to write a short story. It concerned a young Christian woman who was depressed because she felt she wasn’t receiving “favour”. She was unhappy because, in her opinion, she was giving but wasn’t receiving. As she was beefing in prayer about this, a neighbour brought her five succulent mangoes. She loved mangoes very much but often missed them during their season due to constant official trips. It was not until she finished eating the mangoes that she realised they were God’s answer to her prayer for favour. She wanted an SUV, wads of cash and expensive gifts but she got mangoes, plucked free from her neighbour’s compound. You can read that funny story, if you wish, to get a better picture of the girl’s circumstances, the event that precipitated her depression, her complaints to God and her reaction to the gift she got. The story generated many responses from readers on Christians’ expectations with regard to blessings from God and the whole idea of ‘big...

Today’s topic examines what we should do when we receive a prophecy. Some people disregard every prophecy claiming the so-called prophets are fake and confusing themselves. Some other folks swallow every prophecy they come across. What really is the proper way to react to prophecy? What are the things we should do when we receive one? These are the questions answered in this post by God’s grace. Do read, comment and share to benefit others. May the Lord enable you to hear His voice constantly and use what He tells you appropriately. You are splendidly blessed in Jesus’ name. 5 Right Ways To Respond To Prophecy 1. Do not despise prophecy: That false prophecies are rife doesn’t mean true prophecies don’t exist. Don’t treat every prophecy with contempt. And I might add that many prophecies sound ridiculous at first. They seem so out of touch with reality but that doesn’t mean they are not from God and that they won’t happen. In 2 Kings, chapter 7, it is reported that one day duri...

This is probably why Paul rebuked the girl with a spirit of divination in Acts 16 although she seemed to be saying the right thing about him and his missionary colleagues. “16. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. – Acts 16:16-18 You will recall if you’ve followed so far that the last post in this series looked at how we can tell true prophecy from false and it explained what to look for both in the words and the speaker. 3. Pray over the prophecy: Cancel negative prophecies (ask for God’s mercy to avert them), but affirm positive prophecie...

Are you feeling alone and downcast? Does it seem like nobody cares? There is someone who does. He walked in your shoes over 2,000 years ago. He was hurt and abandoned by those close to Him. But he held up by this confession: “I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” – John 16:32 (ESV) The same is true for you today. If you’re a child of God, you’re never alone because your Father, the Almighty God, is with you. His Son, Jesus, bore not just your sins but your pains and hurts on the cross. You remember the popular scripture: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” – Isaiah 53:5. That’s what it’s talking about. And before His crucifixion, He made the following promise to His disciples and, by extension, to you: “16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the worl...

I was directed to a dark-complexioned, bespectacled lady who offered me a seat! That was the first sign I got that a miracle was on my way! Next she actually listened as I presented my petition and commiserated with me for the time lost at the bank. She also offered that whenever I need to get figures of such deposits, I should come straight to her office. Then she requested that I exercise a little patience while she attends to an elderly man sitting nearby. Thereafter, she left the assignment on her desk and spent nearly half an hour going through files and cabinets until she located the sheet for my department. (This was before widespread computerisation of records in the public service kicked in here.) Amazed at her courtesy and care, I shared my experience with some other university staff who told me that the lady treated everyone who came to her office the same way, that it wasn’t just that it was my lucky day as I assumed. That is a lady to emulate! She had a glowing testimon...

The public service is notorious for corruption, negligence of duty and absenteeism by its workers. But thankfully, there are some public servants who do their work diligently and even go above and beyond the call of duty. In this post I share a memorable encounter I had with such a staff at an accounts office in the University of Nigeria, my personal experience at work, and much more to encourage us to do the same. The post is crisp and animated and I hope it moves us to reconsider the way we do our jobs if we’ve been falling short. I also hope it helps to prepare the minds of the younger ones to make a difference when they do get that job they’ve been yearning for. Constantly Go Above And Beyond Does anyone else dread going to government offices for any reason? That is something I try to avoid as much as possible. One fellow rightly remarked that you can scarcely get an answer out of people in government offices. I know it is so in Nigeria and many other countries, if what we...

When I was courting my husband, we agreed on setting boundaries for visitations. He had a covenant to keep. I did too. When our rendezvous was not in a restaurant, my family house and sometimes his sister’s were accessed. There was enough space in both houses to allow us a measure of privacy, yet under some watch. It was just our own method. Find what works well for both of you and apply it. Sexual purity is a godly virtue. It stems from a renewed mind that is set to please God. It is not the same as abstinence. Sexual purity is much more than that. It is a spiritual exercise. It is honouring God in your body understanding that you have been bought with a price. A wholesome relationship will not open you up to gratifying the lusts of the flesh because the body is for the Lord, not for gratifying of the flesh (1 Corinthians 6:13). Sexual immorality is not just a desire to gratify sexual craving. It is perversion. It is Satan’s way of making it seem like you can have it all outside m...

Some Christians feel that children of God should not date at all. But that, as many would agree, is an untenable position. The more prevalent dilemma is that many young believers are caught between pleasing God in their relationships with the opposite sex and going the way of the world. Some sincerely want to do the right thing but don’t know how. To address this issue, I invited a young Christian woman that I admire, Miracle Nwokedi, to write a guest post on it. Miracle is an author and a graduate of Mass Communication from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. (You can read her bio at the end of the post.) Miracle has drawn from the Scriptures and her personal experience before she got married in crafting a rich resource for today’s Christian youth on this controversial, yet unavoidable, topic. This post will also come in handy for parents, teachers and guardians as they seek to direct the youths. I am most grateful to her for sharing with us and I pray that God will use her more and mor...