In Mark 14:36, we see Jesus use that expression for the first time in his prayers. It is instructive that at other times, Jesus had used the word “Father” in…
Father, I have dwelt so long on this mount of obscurity. I have played in the local league for so long. What you have placed within me has remained concealed from where it rightfully belongs and should serve. Let my light shine forth from obscurity, O Lord!
You saw no similitude of God, so don’t make any graven image you think looks like Him. In Deuteronomy 4:15-24, Moses gave a detailed charge to the Israelites on idolatry.…
Sometimes, slavery can become comfortable especially after you have spent many years in it. You have adapted so well after many years of unproductive fight for freedom. Though you are…
In the pursuit of God, make sure that He is the end and not a means to an end. Often, our devotion, chastity, consecration, holy living, and self-restraint in the…
God makes provision for the consecration he is asking from you. In Leviticus 25, verse 11, God told the Israelites not to sow or reap in the year of Jubilee…
As I read Proverbs 20:30 today, I was quickly reminded of an experience I had over a decade ago. Years ago, I was assigned to a surgical department for my…
So, when Jacob learnt that Joseph was still alive and had become the governor of Egypt, his heart fainted because the news poked at a wound that had refused to heal.But when he saw the wagons that Joseph sent to carry him, his spirit revived.
It is interesting to note that during the prophetic blessings on his children, Jacob blessed everyone singularly, but when it came to Simeon and Levi, he cursed them together (Genesis…
In Genesis 41, we learn that Pharaoh had two dreams that troubled his spirit when he awoke. He was so troubled that he sent for all the magicians and all…
I’ve realised that certain occurrences in life are not a result of any curse upon one’s life or demonic influences but direct consequences of one’s actions. It’s interesting to observe…
“But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” – Matthew 13:25. The above verse is borrowed from the parable of the…
I love an environment where there is love and peace. I thrive there; great spiritual and physical manifestations are always possible in such atmospheres. My life journey so far has…
Many times in life our focus is on the big decisions – decisions like marriage, career path, line of business or where to live. We spend weeks, months and even…
Psalm 71, especially verses 17 and 18, has become my prayer point lately as I grow older. Sometimes, I spend time thinking of the numerous things God has taught me…
The story of the Titanic makes me sober each time I read it. It was a ship built for comfort and peaceful sailing. Masterly designed for the wealthy and famous who desired to cross the trafficked Atlantic in a luxurious style even if it were in second-class accommodations, which at the time could compete with the first-class features of other ocean liners.
Abraham had gone to war with his armed trained servants to rescue Lot, the women of Sodom and all the material possessions that the soldiers of Chedorlaomer carried away.
“When I am weak then I am strong.” A first look at the aforementioned quote from 2 Corinthians 12:10 sounds like an oxymoron. You are either weak or strong, but not both
You have a duty - to resolve never to lose grip of God no matter what happens to you internally or externally. I want you to go even further - decide to hold on to God irrespective of how God acts towards you
Sometimes people say things that are in dissonance with what their heart says. If you were to peer into their heart, you would discover that while their necks are bent and their words sound respectful, their hearts are haughty and their spiritual hands holding a dagger.
Apostle John, writing in 1 John 4:1, says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Many times, in our prayers as Christians, we sound like people who are always on the defensive. You may not agree with me, but take time to consciously listen to…
I had a brutal shock some time ago when I came across what I'm about to share in this article. Do you know that moment when you lean your forehead against your left palm, shaking your head in disbelief as to what you're reading?
An important insight was given to us by the Prophet Isaiah on how the enemy prepares his attacks on us. As usual with God's Word, many treasures are buried in its lines that you have to pause to see them and dig to get them
The American Heritage Dictionary defines coincidence as a sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged. The keyword in that definition is accidental.
The first things that come to mind when you think of Psalm 119 are the longest Psalms and the longest chapter of the Bible. But that beautiful chapter of the Bible is much more than its length, for in it are embedded several truths that cannot be exhausted in one article
God told Cain in Genesis 4:7 that sin is crouching at his door, and sin desires to overpower him. However, Cain should master that sin. So, God was not going to take sin away, but Cain had what it takes to dominate and rule over that sin
A couple of months ago, one of my readers contacted me to find out how he can overcome forgetfulness with his dreams and visions. According to him, he cannot recall…
Although the age of Methuselah has nothing to do with the wisdom of Solomon, you must obey the elders to get to where God is taking you. The experience and wisdom of the elders are the ladders that you climb towards greatness.
When Joseph received the dream from God, he was excited to share the same with his siblings and parents. His excitement may have been orchestrated by the magnitude of the…
Life is full of uncertainties. Life is full of contingencies. This realisation is one thing that unsettles us as we mature, leaving the seeming certainty of childhood into the uncertain…
Every year, I start the new year series of articles with an inspiring speech to set the tone for my readers. The speech is meant to serve as a compass…
One of the mistakes I've seen some people make is to assume that since they know a little bit more about a subject than others, they've become custodians of the entire truth.
How is it that we have the complete books of the Bible, everyone with copies to carry around on electronic devices, yet we find it difficult to live by the tenets of God's Word?
As they sailed on the sea, "a great storm of wind" arose with waves that beat into the boat to the point that the boat was filling. Afraid to sink, they decided to wake Jesus from his nap.
The text below is culled from a broadcast by a famous American radio broadcaster, Paul Harvey Aurandt. Although this was aired over 55 years ago (in 1965), it’s striking how…
Many of your successes will come from your desires, your passion, the things that you feast your mind on. But many of your downfalls will also come from your desires, your lusts and the things that feed your thoughts.
I've come to realise that so often we are comfortable threshing wheat at the winepress. We've mastered the art of threshing our cereals in a place where grapes are turned into wine. We've given up on ourselves and are just
The book of Second Timothy chapter 3 begins with an important admonition from Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy. Apostle Paul knew that a time would come when Timothy…
When caught in the web of the oppressor, when under the affliction of the enemy, when under the stocks of the wicked, the tendency is that our ears become obstructed from perceiving the voice of God.
This is a continuation of the previous article: Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? I urge you to read that before this concluding part. Let’s read…
Imagine this scenario: the Trinity sat and agreed on a thing to do in heaven. No man was privy to that information. Just some angels that will execute the assignment were brought to the knowledge of the decision taken.
The will expresses its maximum potency when it aligns to the demands of God; when it subjects itself under Divine Will, authority, and rulership. That’s when the potential energy inherent in it is transformed into irresistible kinetic energy that even the body can’t stand. Even a sick body can’t stand a powerful will; the body may slowly whittle on the outside, but the Will sustains it from the inside.
Detours in life can be quite weakening whenever they occur, especially when you didn’t have prior knowledge that God often does that for several good reasons. So, you may find yourself very disappointed and have many questions running through your mind as to why God would allow such things to happen in the first place.
Job 28:13 says that no man can know the value of wisdom, since it cannot be found in the land of the living. The Big Question then is: WHERE CAN ONE FIND WISDOM?
So, satan can reduce man’s willpower to a mere fleshpower, blunting out the sharpness and force of this precious gift. When this happens, the will becomes a servant to the flesh, a colony of the body kingdom.
In the first episode of this series, we discussed the first part of the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:7, that is, ask and it shall be given to you. In this episode, we'll consider the second aspect, that is, seek, and ye shall find.
Everyone has a course he is championing. Everyone has a direction he is going. Everyone has an objective he’s chasing. But what happens when God alters your path and takes you on a detour?
The inestimable value of wisdom – How valuable is Wisdom? In the first episode of the Wisdom series, we attempted to discover the origin and meaning of the word ‘wisdom’.…
Man’s will is one of the greatest gifts that God gave to man at creation, and when rightly deployed has numerous benefits. God made man as a free moral agent, with the ability to choose what he wants. He lays the options before man, shows him the consequences of each, then asks him to make the right choice.
The teaching of Matthew 7 verses 7 through 11 is part of the greatest discourse of Jesus Christ called The Sermon on the Mount. During this teaching, our Lord Jesus took out time to address quite a number of issues that have formed the basis of how we live as Christians today. From Matthew chapter 5 to the end of chapter 7.
Man (male and female) is composed of three distinct but interwoven components. Components that can't be dissected anatomically but are spiritually distinct and identifiable nonetheless. You are a tripartite being composed of the body, the soul and the Spirit. This is in likeness to the Blessed Trinity, made up of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.
Imagine there was a battle raging between you and the enemy’s camp. You had spent months getting ready for this battle – you trained your men, bought ammunition, spent sleepless…
To end this week, and indeed the October session of my posts, I wish to remember all the men and women whose sacrifices gave rise to millions of souls being…
Oh, there she was – broken, dispirited, confused and in shame. She had visited many doctors and spent all her money, yet her brokenness wasn’t mended; the bleeding rather intensified…
If God, with all the things He had to create and overseer their perfect function and harmony, still took a whole day to rest, who are you and what troubles do you have that should take away sleep from your eyes.
Let's do a little exercise - don't be scared, it's nothing harmful in any way. I want you to touch your heart. Yes, use your hand to touch the exact location of your heart. Did you feel your heartbeat?
Whichever it is for you, the evil days will come. But the comfort is this: if you remembered and served the Lord in the days of your youth, you won't have regrets when they come.
And if you're still alive and well, then you have to hurry because here they come.
Man since creation has been in search of wisdom. We all want to be wise. That was why Adam and Eve went after the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because satan deceived them to think that it’d make them wise.
Today, we take a look at Proverbs 1 verse 12 ‘‘Like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit’’ (ESV). Ruminating over this verse gradually unearths the salient truths which may never be seen at first glance. In a world of extroverts and busy men, wisdom lies in the bosom of the introvert and ‘lazy’; this is not to encourage laziness, rather it is a call for some interiority. Some people rarely have time to calm down, close the door and prayerfully think, and even when they do, it is either a time for anxiety or plotting evil.
There's something fascinating about the above statement. The disciples of John had come to complain that Jesus, who John baptised the other day was now conducting water baptism Himself and all men came to Him. Obviously this was the operation of God who channeled all men towards Christ.
Early last year, I was searching for something online when I came across this sentence in Italian language, “Qui si entra per amare Dio; di qui si esce per amare…
Good morning beloved and welcome to another moment of excavation in the Book of Proverbs. Let’s continue with a close look at verse 11 of Proverbs 1 – If they…
When an enemy defeats you, he invites his friends to feast on you. After the deliverance from the hands of Sisera, Israel enjoyed rest for forty years. That was quite…
In life, some people often assume that things happen on their own. That everything is about luck and fortune or misfortune. While there are certain things that we can’t find…
To end this splendid week, I thought it’ll be nice to remind you to have a little chat with Jesus this weekend. You’ve been chatting with friends, family and colleagues…
Mgbe onye na-eche ya is an Igbo proverb that can loosely translate as “Your moment will come.” Literally, it’d translate as “everyone’s time waits for him.” It’s a proverb that…
Good day, and welcome to another moment of mining the treasures buried in the book of Proverbs. So far, we’ve analysed and drawn lessons from Proverbs chapter 1 verse 6,…
Most times we focus on our lacks and limitations forgetting what we have. Several times we spend time praying for numerous blessings without realising that all that is needed for…
The book of James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offences], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored.…
This is the second and concluding part of the topic: Take only what is necessary for your journey. You may wish to read Part 1 of this discourse before reading…
This is the second and concluding part of the two-part series on the counsel of Ahithophel. I heartily urge you to read Part 1 before reading this, as that’ll help…
Solomon was very right when he said that, “… wisdom is a protection even as money is a protection, But the [excellent] advantage of knowledge is that wisdom shields and…
Imagine that God shows up in your room after your morning prayers and tells you, “My daughter/son, today, all the things you’ll think about and everything you’ll say, I will…
At the beginning of the year, we all made a long list of things we planned to accomplish. We had goals we wanted to reach in our family life, spiritual…
Psalms 23 is one of those gold mines you have in the Holy Bible. And as a gold mine, it is always best to maximise your exploration when you’re there.…
Made in the courts of heaven – You are unique. Usually, when you set out to create something, you often start with imagination. Before you leave the house for the…
When you don’t know your history, Satan will feed your mind with fabricated stories that seem true but are blunt lies. The result is that you’ll become a captive of…
Have you ever wondered what made the resolve of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego unflinching? Why was Ruth ready to give up her youthful years following a woman who has well…
And to end this splendid week, I wish to remember (in prayers) all the people who are going through tough times: Those whose family conditions only bring tears and depression,…
Today we’ll attempt to unearth the treasures buried in Proverbs chapter 1 verse 8. This verse speaks to parents, to children and indeed to everyone seeing that we are all…
There are nights when it’s difficult to fall asleep no matter how hard you try. There are mornings when you don’t want to get out of bed. There are cold…
I’ve always been intrigued by God’s response to Job in the Bible. One thing that has particularly caught my attention is the feature of the leviathan described in Job 41:16.…
While reading the verse we’re about to consider, I thought to myself “O how God is angry with all those who despise Him and claim to have known it all.…
In Part 1 of this discourse, we saw the first four characteristics of living things such as Movement, Respiration, Nutrition and Irritability. Then we made our applications as to how…
TOPIC: The Characteristics of living things: Am I dead or alive? Just as the youth stage of life is a moment of doing great and resounding exploits, it’s also, unfortunately,…
It’s now three years since an idiopathic wind of famine has continued to blow across Israel. Poor David, he doesn’t have any clue as to its origin and, unlike him,…
King David was experiencing one of the worst moments in his life as a father and as a king; something that would have been impossible to imagine prior to the…
Life is a journey, one that begins at conception with our struggle to understand the intrauterine environment. Then, it proceeds through birth as we try to adapt to a new…
One major distinguishing factor between God and man is this: while man lives in time God is eternal, ageless, with neither beginning nor end. God neither lives in time nor…
They tried to bury me but didn’t know that I was a seed. You keep pushing a man so hard, and someday, you’ll push him into fortunes. Cabiojinia Jacob called…
Aka Chukwu di ya is an expression in Igbo language that translates as “God is involved or God has a hand in it”. It usually denotes something miraculous, divinely ordained…
Decisions we make when hormones rise can become permanent. The story of Judah in Genesis chapter 38 is one that has so many interesting takeaways. In fact, the story is…
Doing good to the people that hate you is a step deeper into love, into becoming more like Christ, and into perfection. In this scenario, you don’t just stop at…
One of the things evidenced in Deuteronomy 23 was God demanding that people like Balak and Balaam never be allowed into the Lord’s assembly because they cursed Israel. No Ammonite…
Dealing with hurt and enemies can be one of the most difficult things to do; sometimes, you’re tempted to wish that misfortune comes the way of your enemies as a…
In Palestine, there were no farmhouses scattered over the agricultural areas; the people, gathered in villages, went to and fro to their business. So, domestic life involved a wider range of people than simply a few neighbours living in the same farmhouse or near farmhouses.
“And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalms 106 verse 15) In PART 1 of this discussion, we tried to give some information regarding the background and context…
Daniel 1: 4 “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to…
Welcome to the penultimate episode of this series on the Divine Influencers in Babylon. We’re still analysing Daniel 1: 4 “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in…
In the previous episodes of this series, we saw: In this article, we shall analyse an important item stated in Daniel 1:4, “Children in whom was no blemish, but well…
So, in the previous episodes of this series we saw: In this episode, we shall dig deep into one of the requirements that Nebuchadnezzar spelt out in Daniel 1:4, “Children in…
In the first article on this subject, we saw a brief historical background of ancient Babylon and Judah during the days of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. It was intended to help…
In episode one of this series, we looked into some historical background of Judah during the days of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. That helped us to understand the context of Daniel…
The various articles (7) in this series (Divine influencers in Babylon) are not an exegesis in the entire book of Daniel. It’s simply a focus on certain requirements anyone desiring…
It’s interesting to note that while the people ate the quails to look robust and nourished on the physical, their spiritual bodies were kwashiorkored. They were so after what would satisfy their human organs that they forgot about the nourishment of the heart (soul).
En route to Gabicce Mare for Mount Horeb, an annual conference of my Christian denomination, I was lost in thoughts, reflecting on my relationship with God. “How much quality time…
The position of a firstborn in Israel, just like in some families today, was one of honour that comes with her privilege as well as responsibilities. To give you a picture of how valued that position was, recall the weeping of Esau after that Jacob had cunningly taken his blessings. The famous "he that opens the womb."So, Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob and hadn’t any supplanter lurking to steal his blessings. But there was this character, this unstable nature that would deny him his rightful blessings forever.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9).
Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This verse contains the important teaching of Jesus as part of the sermon on the Mount. In this article…
The imprisoned mind Our mind is a battleground, where the most ferocious battles take place every single second, and until someone or something controls your mind, that person or thing…