Monthly Archives: May 2011

The Bible – God’s special gift to mankind.

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I always love to thank God for giving us the Bible. What a treasure; what a special gift from God to us! Many have questioned the veracity and authenticity of this all – important book through the years. If they only knew how powerful the Bible is and how it has helped to mould individuals and nations, they would have a re-think.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It’s the only book in the world that has born the words of Jesus Christ through the ages. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). So you can expect God’s Word as contained in the Bible to remain relevant today, and forever.
Paul, in his letter to Timothy, said “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…..” If you’re going to describe anything as Scripture, then it has to be God – inspired. The Bible is God – inspired. The testimonies from people all over the world, and through the ages give credence to this truth. Many miracles have been wrought and lives changed as a result of studying, meditating and using it. What a wonderful treasure!
The Bible is God’s special gift to us – to build us up and make us His Word. So if there’s anything in life you must possess, let it be copy of the Holy Bible. And not only should you own one, study it regularly and meditate on the Word of God contained therein.

PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving us Your Word in the written pages of the Bible. I am so grateful Lord, for this wonderful treasure. As I study and meditate on it wholeheartedly today, I’m blessed by Your living Word, and my profiting is evident for all to see, in Jesus Christ Name. Amen!
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

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WE ARE THIS CLOSE TO ENDING POLIO IN NIGERIA

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Child receiving polio vaccine.

Child receiving polio vaccine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nigeria has reduced polio by 95%. But the crippling disease still threatens Nigeria children.
Several states have already reported polio this year.
The choice to forever end polio is clear.
Reach every child with polio vaccine during Immunization Plus Days’ and through routine immunization.
End polio now!
Immunization Plus Days are scheduled for May in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara state.

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THE WORSENING SCOURGE OF MALARIA

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None – This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy we request that the content provider be credited and notified in any public or private usage of this image. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The recent revelation that as many as 300,000 children die in Nigeria annually from malaria-related illnesses is alarming. This should be regarded as a national health emergency and every effort should be made to tackle the scourge. Nigeria cannot claim to be making progress in healthcare delivery when so many children are dying from avoidable causes. Certainly, the picture would be worse when the rate of malaria-induced morbidity affecting adults is added.
That this is the grave fact despite the much-taunted anti malaria control programmes initiated by the Federal Government show that the programmes are not recording much success as expected. The national malaria programme should be reviewed and the new strategies on the best way to tackle the disease, properly defined. Efforts should be re-doubled in mitigating the debilitating effects of malaria. That way, the present unsavoury situation would be reversed.
The frightening revelation on malaria was made in Benin City, Edo state, on the occasion of this year’s World Malaria Day, held on April 25, 2011. According to an official of the Society for family Health, Mrs Magdelene Okolo ,statistics show that “ a child under five years of age dies every 30minutes in Nigeria from malaria-related diseases. This translates to about 300,000 deaths annually”. Mrs Okolo further revealed that, “63 percent of all hospital attendance in Nigeria and 70 percent of illnesses in five year old are due to malaria”. The Edo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Victor Enoghama corroborated Mrs Okolo’s statement when he said, “there are over 110 million clinically diagnosed cases of malaria in Nigeria, out of which 300,000 children die”.
Certainly, this is no cheery news!
While we appreciate the fact that the federal government has a national malaria control strategy under its Roll Back Malaria programme, it is regrettable that the programme is not replicated at the states and local government levels. The result is that the masses of the people at the grassroots, especially in the rural areas are excluded. Most of the recorded deaths incidentally occurred at the grassroots level.
For the programme to be more effective, the states should have effective malaria control programmes. No amount of effort at the federal level can go far enough. Despite the endemic nature of malaria in Nigeria, government seems to have concentrated more on curative rather than preventive measures. For instance, except in a few states where the issue of environmental sanitation is taken seriously, the rest of the population lives under poor environmental conditions.
Poor housing conditions, amid filthy drains and dirty surroundings provide breeding grounds for the vector mosquitoes that spread malaria. There is no environmental fumigation programme anywhere in the country to kill mosquito larvae. How much would it cost to carry out a periodic fumigation exercise that would go a long way to eradicate mosquitoes and in turn malaria? To get a majority of the population out of potential danger, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHS) should be made functional and effective; easy access to malaria drugs, which the subsidy is expected to enhance, should also be made possible. In general, the fight against malaria should receive more official attention than is currently the case.

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Communication Deepens Our Fellowship With God

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Every relationship without communication suffers; be it relationship with your children, your spouse, your co-workers, or with God. Communication – good and frequent communication – helps or enhances relationships. If you have a relationship with someone you don’t talk with, that relationship will suffer setbacks. No matter how proximate you may be to the person, without continually exchanging thoughts by talking to each other, your relationship won’t grow.

This is the reason we’re to constantly fellowship with the Lord through prayer. 2 Corinthians 13:14 says “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.” This is an indication of the kind of relationship we’re to cultivate with the Holy Spirit; a communion; a sharing together. The Father and the Son are in heaven, but the Holy Spirit is here with us. Hence, He’s the God we know and relate with in the earth today, and He lives in us, fostering this extraordinary communion with divinity.

There’s no other way to develop an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, aside from communing with Him constantly in prayer, and through meditation on the Word. Consciously create time to talk to and with the Lord the same way you’ll perhaps schedule to talk to a friend, colleague or loved one.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is a person with emotions, will and intellect; therefore relate to Him as such. The highest means of communication with Him is by speaking in tongues; and as you do, He’ll make the presence of God real to you and the miraculous your constant experience.

PRAYER

Dear Holy Spirit, thank You for Your abiding presence that brings glory and beauty to my life. I’m constantly energized from within because You strengthen me with might in my inner man, even as I fellowship with You today. Thank You for Your glorious ministry in my life, in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen!

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Give no place to sickness, disease or infirmity in your body! it’s the temple of the Holy Spirit

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As a child of God and a believer in Christ, your body is the temple of The Holy Spirit. But you’re the custodians or caretaker of your body. Thus, you have the right to determine what happens to, and in, your physical body.

As the watchman over your body, it’s your responsibility to give no place to sickness in your body, for you stand to give account to God for whatever you allow or disallow in your physical body. You’re to permit in your body only those things that are consistent with the Word of God for your life. That means you’re to give no place to sickness, disease or infirmity in your body!

Sickness cannot stay in your body if you don’t allow it. Your body can only get sick when you endorse sickness, for until you endorse it, it’s nothing but a mirage. No wonder the Bible says they that dwell in Zion shall not say “I am sick” (Isaiah 33:24). So as one who’s born again refuse to be sick. Take charge and rule over your body with the Word of God; refuse to yield your body to sickness.

When you sense the symptons of sickness in your body, refuse to consider them for they’re nothing but lying vanities. They only become real when you say they are, because what you say is what you get. This is what the Word of God teaches in Mark 11:23, “…he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Therefore, never say “I have headaches,” or “I have the flu,” or “I’ve got migraines,” or I have “diabetes”; never endorse sickness.

What? Know ye not your body is the temple of The Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, how gracious and loving you are to me. Thank you for making my body the temple of Your Holy Spirit. I’m continually strengthened with might in my inner man as the anointing of Your Spirit runs through every fibre of my being, making me sickness and disease-free, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

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MAN DISPLAY BRAVERY, DRIVES BURNING LORRY FOR SIX KILOMETRES. CROWD DEFIES FIRE TO STEAL FISH.

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View of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria from the top of Olumo Rock (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MAN DISPLAY BRAVERY, DRIVES BURNING LORRY FOR SIX KILOMETRES. CROWD DEFIES FIRE TO STEAL FISH.

The rare bravery displayed by a driver of Edewor Seafood Nigeria Limited, Mr Edosa Idahor, could be likened to incedible roles usually played by the British film character, James Bond, as Idahor drove a burning lorry for six kilometers.

The rear tyre of the lorry with registration number, EDO AK 341 UJE, burst while in motion and caught fire, but the Edo State born driver, in an attempt to salvage the vehicle from being razed completely, remained in it, trying all he could to detach its head from the container.

He drove on from Berger area of Ogun State, where the tyre burst and caught fire, until where he eventually stopped at Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry area on Lagos– Ibadan Expressway, even against sympathisers’ advice that he should save his life first.

Idahor, who sustained burns, to the amazement of bystanders and sympathisers, succeeded in detaching the head of the lorry from the burning container after about 40 minutes of battling the situation.

But the unnamed owner of the lorry-load of frozen fish was said to have passed out during the encounter to salvage the lorry and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ibafo, Ogun State.

Mr Idahor said the fire started when the rear tyre burst and went into flames at Berger area of Ogun State.

He said he had to drive on because there were too many filling stations around the area where the tyre burst and that stopping the vehicle there could be very disastrous.

He said he had to drive on, even against the risk of losing his life, because he was worried about the amount of goods involved and the articulated vehicle.

He said the vehicle was coming from idumota area of Lagos State, and was heading for Warri, Delta State.

But as some sympathised with the driver and praised him for his bravery, others defied the fire to steal the fish cartons of inside the container.

As at the time leaving the scene by 4pm, the crowd was still busy stealing cartons of fish as policemen were yet to arrive. However, the men of the fire service from Ogun State were busy making frantic efforts to put out the fire on the container.

SIMON UTEBOR ( THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER)

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God owns our lives, they aren’t ours

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Instances abound all over the world of people who, out of frustration, took their own live. Their reasons vary from being fed up with life and frustrated with society to outright self-defeat. It’s true that no one takes his own life joyfully, but a closer look would reveal that no matter the justifications, such acts are not only the products of selfishness and self-centredness but also of ignorance of God‘s Word.

As Christians we need to realize that we don’t own our lives, the Bible says we’ve been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20); we belong to Christ. None of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. So, If you don’t live to yourself, there’ll be no reason to give up on life; there’ll be no reason to be so self-centred as to contemplate suicide.

When the realization that God owns your life dawns on you, you’ll become more concerned with what His purpose is for your life, and the desire to fulfill that purpose would be the staying force of your life. Take a cue from the Apostle Paul, even at a time he was convinced he had fulfilled God’s purpose for his he said, “For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more.But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:21-25). How inspiring! He chose to live to be of benefit to others.

Even if you think you’ve fulfilled God’s purpose for your life, still choose the honourable way of being a blessing to others. To undertake suicide means that one has chosen to live to himself or herself; he or she has decided how long to live and when and how to die. This certainly isn’t the way for a Christian; a Christian should, on no account, contemplate taking his own life, for your life is not yours

For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto The LORD; and whether we die, we die unto The LORD: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the LORD‘s (Romans 14:7-8)

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you fo making your Word available to me today; Your Word indeed is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, guiding me in the path of life, to live for your glory, in JESUS CHRIST Name. Amen!!!

http://www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

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Faith makes the difference

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Some christians have asked “How do I receive answers to my prayers?” “I’ve prayed and yet nothing happed,” they’ve complained. Some, in frustration, have given up on prayer completely. If only these folks understood the faith-principle, they wouldn’t experience such frustrations.

God didn’t say if you pray hard enough He’ll answer you; rather, He says “whatever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them”(Mark 11:24). That’s what faith is all about. You must understand that your requests in prayer don’t take God by surprise; He doesn’t start considering whether or not to answer you at the time you’re praying. Matthew 6:8 says “…..your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him”.

If He Already knew what you wanted before you asked, it means He already had the answer prepared. So, what is needed to make the answer real to you is your faith. That’s what makes the difference! In addition, in Luke 12:32, Jesus, assuring us of the Father‘s willingness, eagerness and readiness to answer our prayers said, “Fear not, little flock; for it your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Therefore, if you asked for somthing and didn’t get the answer when you wanted it, the problem wasn’t with God answering your prayer, perhaps you didn’t know to receive.

God already said when you ask, believe that you receive and you shall have. So, when you put up a request before God, receive what you’re asking for by declaring, “Father I’ve asked for such-and-such, therefore I receive it now in the Name of Jesus.”

Remember, you don’t say “I receive it,” so that you can have it, you receive it because you know and trust that it’s yours Now! That’s faith at work. Faith doesn’t try to get something to happen; faith knows and accepts that it has happened and therefore confess and endorses it to be so NOW!

CONFESSION

I live and walk by faith and not by sight; I’m not moved by what I see, feel or hear; I’m moved only by the Word of God! I declare that my life is going forward and upward only and nothing is impossible unto me. Hallelujah! Amen!

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Share God’s around

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And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5)

The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love“; His very nature is love, and you have His love-nature in you as one who’s born again. That means all of God‘s love is in your spirit, so you can’t have more of God’s love than you already have today. According to our opening scripture; “….the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). The question then is what are you going to do with all of this love that’s in your heart?

John 3:16 gives us an example of what to do with the love of God, it says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son….” God so loved us and reached out to us even at a time when we didn’t know Him or care about Him! He sent Jesus to win us and reconcile us to Himself, not counting our sins against us. He did this for us in Christ Jesus.

And now the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. We have the responsibility of reconciling others to Him. We’re to reach out to our world; to the hurting and the loveless that have no hope and give them the love of God that’s in our hearts.

But to do this you need to be filled with the spirit; you actually can’t share God’s love except you’re filled with the spirit. So if you haven’t received the Holy Spirit, you can do so even now. Say this in faith: “Heavenly Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I receive the Holy Spirit into my heart to live in me, to help me share your love to others, Amen!”. The Holy Spirit is the One that energizes you to do the work of God and share His love with others.

PRAYERS

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love that’s in my heart; it’s the same great love wherewith You’ve loved me! I make a difference in my world today as I touch everyone I meet with Your love. The world will see and acknowledge your love in my life to the glory and praise of Your Holy Name, in Christ Jesus’s Name. Amen!

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True friends tell you your flaws

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A friend is one who is there to care. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful and cautious in choosing your friends. A real friend will tell you your flaws and follies in times of prosperity, hide your shortcomings for glaring eyes, and assist you wholehearted in times of adversity. A loyal friend is someone who stands up for you even when you are not there.

Unfortunately many so called friends are not real and worth having. Many of them are not trustworthy. But before you go on, Are you a true friend! Are you trustworthy? Pause and Think about it.

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