Monthly Archives: October 2011

Make an impact in your world today (Nation Building)

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MAKE AN IMPACT IN YOUR WORLD TODAY (NATION BUILDING)

So David prevailed
over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine,
and slew him, but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran,
and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the
sheath therefore, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the
Philistine saw their champion was dead, they fled (! Samuel 17:50-51).

Nation-building, national progress and infrastructural
development is not a task for the government alone, but our collective
responsibility. We all are to make our impact felt in our respective spheres of
contact. It may be in your community, place of work, city or nation at large;
look out for a need, and reach out to meet that need.

Imagine if David had joined the rest of his kinfolks to
merely lament and muse over the terror unleashed on the Israelites by Goliath.
Rather, he rose to the challenge. He saw a need and reached out to meet the
need. When his brothers tried to talk him down he asked them, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel
17:29). David wasn’t in the army, yet he was moved by the plight of his people
and chose to make an impact. He recognized he could do something that could
change the destiny of his people.

Also, Moses became the deliverer of the children of Israel
from the severe oppression mounted by Pharaoh and his taskmasters. He didn’t
sit in an “arm chair” to merely criticize Pharaoh for his wickedness. Rather,
he was spurred to action by the desire to liberate the children of Israel from
the deplorable conditions under which they lived in Egypt. What about Esther? She
too changed the destiny of her people by rescuing the Jews from mass
annihilation plotted by Haman.

These ones stood up for the salvation of others and made
tremendous impact in the world of their time. Their individual victory brought
overall victory to the nation; it’s your turn to do the same. Take your civic
and social responsibilities towards the nation seriously. Look out for a human
need around you and reach out to meet that need.

Make an impact in your world today. Have a personal
commitment to serve, as several opportunities for service abound around us. Let
there be a strong motivation, an inner drive, and a powerful propensity to see
to it that the lives of those around you are improved through your actions. Be
challenged and motivated by the desire to impact your world and give back to
society.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father!
I thank You for opening doors of opportunities for me to be a blessing to my
world today. By Your Spirit, and through Your Wisdom, I identify and carry out
those things you’ve ordained me to do that’ll better my world and bring glory
to Your Name, in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria
and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

 

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Fight for what is right

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FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!

Learn to do right!
Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, and correct the oppressor. Defend the
fatherless, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:17 AMP).

As a country, we’ve been very fortunate to have achieved
many things on a platter of gold. Our independence from colonial masters for
example, was attained on a relatively peaceful note, unlike some nations that
had to fight to gain theirs. For this reason, not many in our country know what
it means to fight for a cause.

Fighting here doesn’t connote the hostile meeting of
opposing forces. Rather, it more aptly refers to the continuous, vigorous, and
obtrusive exertion of an individual or group to gain an end or engage in a
crusade for a certain cause or person. As a nation, we need to learn to fight
for what’s right! Some are fighting but are unwittingly engaged in the wrong
fight. An example is when people passionately canvass for their ethnic groups, forgetting
that there’s a bigger picture: NIGERIA!

We’ll all be fighting for what’s right when we’re more
concerned about the entire country, rather than just our ethic groups. We have
to be interested in the future of our nation. But we must accommodate our
differences. We have to engage legally, the activities of those who have taken
on the mission of hindering the preaching of the Gospel. We can’t afford to be
quiet; we have to take a stand for what’s right and speak out now or forever
hold our peace!

Never forget that you have the right to self-determination;
the right to determine your own destiny. That means life becomes for you what
you decide it to be. So be bold and learn to challenge the status quo when you
have to.

CONFESSION

Dear Lord, I thank
You for Your Wisdom that’s at work in me always to determine what’s right, and
the fortitude to stand for the truth at all times. I pray for Your country
Nigeria, and Your Children of noble character that you’ve blessed her with;
that these will know to stand for that which is right and beneficial to the
nation, in Jesus Christ Name! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria
and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

 

 

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Exercise Your Freedom Of Thought, Conscience And Faith

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EXERCISE YOUR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT, CONSCIENCE AND FAITH!

And he began to speak
boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took
him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly (Acts
18:26).

As a believer in Christ Jesus you have a right to boldly
declare your faith at every given opportunity without reservations. You must
never be shy or intimidated to publicly proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ.

On October 1st for example, the country’s
Independence Day anniversary was celebrated in various public places across the
country. At the different venues, they probably had religious men come forward
to pray for the country. But when a Christian minister is invited to pray at
such events, it’s an opportunity for him to testify of Christ to his state and
indeed the whole nation by praying in the Name of Jesus Christ. There had been
some however who had such an opportunity but wouldn’t pray in the Name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, so as not to offend “other” religions. How sad!

God gave you His Spirit to live in you and embolden you, so
you’ll never be timid or intimidated to proclaim Jesus Christ openly. Acts 1:8
says “But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.”  That’s how Jesus’
disciples, who were once timid, became firebrand ministers of the Gospel; they
received the Holy Spirit.

If you’re asked to pray or speak anywhere as a Christian,
don’t be ashamed to speak in His Name. Remember the Words of Jesus: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me
and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall The
Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the Holy
Angels” (Mark 8:38).

We are blessed to be in a country where even the
constitution entitles us to the freedom of thought, conscience and faith,
including the freedom to manifest and propagate our faith or belief in worship,
teaching, practice and observance. We therefore have no excuse not to preach
the Gospel with all fervency like we should. Start exercising your God-given
freedom to preach the Gospel today!

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
thank You for the freedom I enjoy, not only as a citizen of your glorious
Kingdom, but also of this great nation of Yours Nigeria. I exercise my freedom
of thought, conscience, and faith today without reservations, knowing that
whosoever the Son has made free is free indeed, in Jesus Christ Name! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper
Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

 

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Through Faith, We Understand That The Worlds Were Framed By The Word Of God

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THROUGH FAITH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY
THE WORD OF GOD

And he said unto them,
cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fish
(John 21:6)

On a certain occasion, after His resurrection, Our Lord
Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were rounding off an unsuccessful
fishing expedition. The disciples had toiled all night at sea and caught
nothing. When Jesus appeared to them in the morning, He asked if they caught
anything, and they reply was negative. Jesus then said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship
and you shall find” (John 21:6). The Bible says, “…they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had
caught so many fish” (John 21:6 TEV).

Now, the big question is: “Where did all the fish suddenly
come from?” The disciples were professional fishermen, and knew all the
intricacies of fishing, yet they couldn’t catch any fish, until the Master gave
the Word. The fish came from the Word of The Master! The Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for. The evidence of things not seen…….through faith, we understand that the
worlds were framed by the Word of God”(Hebrews 11:1-3). The fishes were
framed by the Word of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

In Genesis 1:20 the Bible says God spoke and commanded the
ocean to swarm with fish and all sea life, and the water brought forth fishes. Now,
Jesus, the Living Word of God, speaks again and His Words go out to frame the
fishes. Here, we learn that we can speak the creative word of faith to negative
circumstances and effect a change. Our words, like the words of the Master,
have creative ability, because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).
No wonder the Bible says you shall have whatsoever you say (Mark 11:23).

This is one of the secrets to a worry-free life; knowing
that your words can create the realities you want to see in your life. All you
need do is think and talk the Word. Keep talking and calling real what God has
said concerning you, even in the face of unfavourable circumstances. That way,
you’ll effect changes in your job, finances, family, business, academics,
health or character; changes that are consistent with the will of God for you.

CONFESSION

The creative Word of
God is in my heart and in my mouth today, prevailing in my life and effecting
changes in the circumstances around me to conform with God’s Will for my life. I’m
a success and a victor forever, because The Word of God is my life, and it has
delivered to me an everlasting inheritance in Christ Jesus! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper
Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

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We can make a difference in our community

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WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

If you keep quiet at a
time like this, help will come from heaven to the Jews, and they be saved, but
you will die and your father’s family will come to an end. Yet who knows –
maybe it was for a time like this that you were made queen! (Esther 4:14)

Some people believe the only way they can be heard is by
being restive and protecting violently in public. This is wrong! We have to
learn the value, precipitation, and process of non-violent protests. God has
given us power to effect any change we desire (Acts 1:80), but we have to know
how to wisely present our cases before those in positions of authority to get
the desired results.

Sometime ago, a certain musicians gathered world leaders
together to make a decision. He wasn’t a president; he wasn’t even a politician,
yet he was able to pull this off. How? He recognized himself as somebody
special and took advantage of it. That’s the way we ought to think; let’s see
ourselves as special people, a man or woman of influence that can effect a
change. We have what it takes to make all the needed difference in our country.
From where you are, for example, you can write – letters, articles, and online
posts-anything constructive that can make a difference!

History is replete with stories of men and women who
inspired revolutions through their writings. This doesn’t mean writing
malicious things about people just to berate them, but penning constructive
suggestions that can improve the society and the country as a whole!

Perhaps you occupy a high position from where you can
influence major decisions, don’t hold back. Let no one intimidate you. Rather,
think like Esther, who through her position of influence circumspectly
presented her case before the king, and by so doing, delivered the children of Israel
from annihilation (Esther 4-5). By acting this way, you’ll not only stand for
the common good of others, but will also be inspiring godly example for
generations to follow.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for granting me the wisdom, inspiration, motivation and ability to
conceive and execute divine ideas that’ll make Your country Nigeria a better
place. I thank You for making me a blessing and a giver, for You’ve granted   me the grace to lift others high, in Jesus
Christ Name! Amen!

 

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper
Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

 

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