The Thirst Trap

Welcome to another week! The weekend was exciting as I had another opportunity to attend my local Church service for an awesome time in God's presence. In the Hallelujah Challenge news, on the 28th of June, there will be a gathering of saints led by Nathaniel Bassey. Check his IG page for more details. If you can make it, please do. So many things are happening and it is necessary that we all key into them and not miss out on the move of God (Ps. 118:15). Also remember to check out our post from last week. As you all know, Sage is a fan of the Three Musketeers. I'm currently reading, twenty years later and our heroes: Athos, Aramis, Porthos and D’artagnan are about to make their escape from England. Paused that for now.

"Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again" John‬ 4:13‬ NKJV‬‬‬

Ever heard of a thirst trap? To be honest, I don't know if there's an official definition. I even googled it but the examples that were given won't make it past my editor so, there's no need to state them. Basically, it has to do with anything that is done with the purpose of getting the attention of the opposite sex. This is but one definition. For the purpose of this article, the thirst trap is anything that has been set with the intention of testing our Christianity and faith. This is the definition we will work with. How would you feel if I told you that Jesus set a thirst trap once upon a time? This is one of the earliest recording of a thirst trap in human history. Anyways I got the inspiration for this message from a message by Bishop TD Jakes in which he talked about the thirsty soul and an awesome podcast by Steven Furtick titled “The Thirst Trap”. Do check it out.

The Thirst

As human beings, it's in our nature to be thirsty from time to time, there's nothing wrong with it for God created us that way. Even Sprite had a slogan to take advantage of this natural feeling: Obey your Thirst. I mean, why won't I want to obey my thirst. Forget talk, when I'm thirsty, I look for any means possible to quench the thirst. Where is your mind going to? I'm referring to normal thirst oh! Hmm. To him that is pure, all things are pure (Titus 1:15). Just like Pst. Steven said in his message: "I'm just a thirsty man." Mine is so bad that my entire fridge is filled with bottled water. I remember a friend who once visited me opening my fridge and remarking "I've never seen a fridge filled with so much water." But that's me, Sage the Thirsty. Back to the point, there are other things we thirst for. The list is endless but I'll share a few: success, designer clothes, IG likes, Facebook friends, retweets, companionship, love etc. Quite an interesting list, right? Please feel free to add to it, we all drink somewhere to quench our thirst.

Now let's consider the Trap. There are different ways by which a trap is set. The most basic is someone posting a picture of themselves looking alluring on IG but then there are others. Remember earlier on I said that even Jesus set a thirst trap. Remember? If you ask me, I would consider Him the master trapper. Why? Because He knows what to do to get each and everyone of us. Alas, we're jumping ahead of ourselves. Let's examine some of the earliest thirst traps. Remember David? No not that David, I mean King David. Yeah, him, the great man, the man after God’s heart. He once found himself in a thirst trap. When? Remember that time his men went to battle? Sorry, there were many times his men went to battle. But there was this particular time his men went to battle and Oga D decided to stay back and enjoy his palace. Then one day, he opened his window and saw one fiiiiiine babe like that and…well let's see what the bible says: 

Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 2Samuel‬ 11:2‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬

A classic thirst trap right? What did David do? 2 Sam. 11:3-25 will give you the gist. But we can see that, the thirst trap is not a new thing. 

Jesus, once upon a time set a thirst trap. This is the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4. This woman was so thirsty that she had been married five different times and was now living with a man that wasn't even her husband. Her thirst? Companionship, affection and more. So Jesus decided, alright, it's time to help this woman quench her thirst and set a trap for her at a well. Imagine that? A thirst trap at a well. Isn't that kind of cliché? So when Jesus asked her for a drink (John 4:7) she thought He was asking for water like any normal guy would do. Unknown to her, He was asking her the question she was to ask Him. It took her quite a while to realise that Jesus was the one offering her a drink to quench her thirst. This was a really thirsty woman. 

Avoiding the Thirst Trap

As human beings, there is nothing wrong in been thirsty. It is part of our genetic make-up. The issue on ground is where we go to quench that thirst. When you're thirsty, what well do you go to draw water from? 

Don't do like the Sprite slogan and blindly obey your thirst because it may lead you to sin. What are we supposed to do when faced with the thirst trap? Let's see what Jesus said to the woman of Samaria:

"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John‬ 4:10‬ NKJV‬

The expectation from God is that when we are faced with a thirst, we turn to Him who is described as the living water. God is the only one who can quench the thirst we feel. Everything else will give us a temporary satisfaction and nothing more (John 4:13) but when we draw from the well that contains living water, our thirst is forever quenched. This is the only way to overcome the thirst trap and not fall into sin or end up chasing worldly pleasures or desires. ‬‬

"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John‬ 4:14‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬

The charge therefore going into this new week is to search for areas in our lives in which we are thirsty, ask God for forgiveness for drawing from the wrong wells and commit to God to forever draw from Him, the well of living waters. When he says the water will become a fountain, it simply means that not only will our thirst be quenched but we would become fruitful and flourish.

Sage

PS: I had the intention of writing on government for this week but it would seem like the time is not right as I got led to write on this instead. Our post next week will be titled: The valiant hand of the Lord (Ps 118:14-15 & 77:15). 

Do You Have A Nom?

Hi guys, welcome to a new week. How was last week? Mine was great.

Great news upon great news upon great news (I would love to share the news but the owner would most likely not allow me to). If you haven't heard, there's this awesome session happening live on Instagram (IG) led by a minister of God that I describe as a national treasure. If you haven't heard about it, it's called the hallelujah challenge and starts at Midnight (Nigerian time) every day in the month of June on Nathaniel Bassey's IG. If you haven't been a part of it, please join ASAP, you will be blessed. Also take time out to read our post from last week, titled: an oasis in the desert). I'm also pleased to announce to you that your guy Sage is now a technologically advanced reporter. I'm typing my articles on my phone . . . just awesome. Anyways on to the next one. 

You know, one of the common mistakes people make when going through a tough time is making statements like these:

• I just want to be left alone. 
• I'm the only one going through this. 
• I can handle it by myself. 
• I alone can resolve this issue. 
• I need to look inwards and sort myself out. 

I'm sure there are many more and please, feel free to add or remove based on your experience. I have definitely said a few of these statements and even when I don't say them, I think them. What? You thought I was perfect? Naa blood, in the words of the Matrix, I'm only human. Come along, let's see where this leads (to be honest I don't know how it'll end but you can be sure I won't end with ‘Watch out for Part 2’).

Who is A Nom?

I got this moniker from a wonderful friend who found a way to mutilate my name and produced Nom out of it. Don't try to guess my name, futile! Anyways, this friend of mine is called Puffy (like Puff Daddy, get it? No?) and Puffy went on and on about how I'm a dependable and helpful person. I never knew I was until Puffy mentioned it and even tweeted: we all need a Nom in our lives and it hit me in my heart; Sage, that's your next article. Thanks Puffy! 

Basically, a Nom is that person or group of people in your life that's there for you in your ups and downs. Willing to tell you the truth no matter what and willing to advise you in times of trouble. Someone who tries in their little way to encourage you, pray with you and share bible verses that can speak to the situation you're facing. Of course, Nom will also be a friend, a friend  that sticks closer than a brother (Pr. 18:24). But be careful, it is not every close friend that we have that can qualify as a Nom. Most times we only need one person, not a group to fill this role. For those that are married, your spouse should be your Nom. For single people, it could either be the person you're in a committed and God-filled relationship with or a childhood friend or anyone. What is important is that they're born-again Christians. Also, if at any point in time you graduate from single hood to marriage, please switch your Nom to your spouse. Why? Watch out for part 2 lol. 

Why Do We Need A Nom?

To answer the question why, let's turn to this famous quote from a poem by John Donne: no man is an island. Even before John Donne wrote the poem, Prov. 11:14 and 15:22 tell us that there is safety in counsel. So, even the bible recognises the need for no man to be left alone. Think about it, God in Gen. 2:18 realised that it wasn't good for man to be alone and so He put Adam to sleep and created Eve. The bible is littered with examples of people that had someone that went along on the journey God called them for. Notable examples: Adam and Eve, Moses and Aaron, Esther and her uncle Mordecai, King David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, Mary and Joseph and many more. Jesus had the 12 disciples. Even in modern society, there's the President and the Vice-president. I can go on and on but I'm sure you get the point. All these people needed someone that helped them on their journey towards fulfilling God’s purpose on earth. Imagine if David didn't have Jonathan? Who would have warned David when Saul tried to kill him (1Sam. 19:1-7). Imagine if Esther didn't have Mordecai? Who would have reminded her of her purpose on earth when obstacles came her way (Esther 4:13-14). Imagine if Jesus didn't have the 12 disciples? How would the gospel have been spread? That is why we all need a Nom.

So what does the devil try to do when times are tough or you're faced with an obstacle? He convinces you that you need to isolate yourself. Keep everyone away from your life. In doing so, what happens is that you have no one to counsel or encourage you. This is what the bible says about those that decide to isolate themselves:

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgement. (Proverbs‬ 18:1‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬)

This tells us that it is very important that we have someone we can turn to for counsel (Pr. 11:14 & 15:22) on the issues we face in life. Isolation is not God’s plan for us as human beings. 

The charge therefore to each and everyone of us going into this week is to ensure that we do not allow the devil to convince us that isolation is the best. I pray the Holy Spirit directs us to find our Nom in Jesus name. 

P.S: The plan was to write next on the Thirsty Soul but while I was in church, I felt led to write on Government and Governance. So look out for next week. Whatever you see is what I've been led to write on first.

Also, I'm writing in the dark as there's no light. Saving my fuel for the hallelujah challenge for tonight. Au revoir mesdames et messieurs.

Sage

Photo Credit: https://www.slideshare.net/jeffmcneal92/no-man-is-an-island-56582225

An Oasis in the Desert

After a long break, your boy (Sage) is back. It's been a long long time. Longer than I myself even planned. To be honest, I didn't 'hespperit' to last this long but as our Nollywood movies say at the end: to God be the glory. I'd honestly not planned to take longer than a few weeks. Next thing I know, it's been months. So what happened that made me go on a sabbatical?
Many things to be honest which I'll summarise thus: the feeling of emptiness and uncleanness. I had made a few terrible choices and the lifestyle it had led me into made me feel unworthy of been an instrument in the hands of God. Now that I'm writing this, I realise that I allowed the devil to convince me to hide my light under a bucket (God forgive me) but we are meant to be a city on a hill, a light of the world and as such the yearning to fulfil this kept tugging at my heart but I always had a ready-made excuse like our man Moses. Despite the miracle he was witnessing, Oga was still giving excuses. SMH for Moses and I.

I thank God, the time for excuses has ended and just as the prophet Isaiah wrote in Is. 6:1, I saw the Lord. Not literally oh! You get what I mean sha.

When I got the leading to write on this topic, I kept asking myself the angle I would approach it from. The angle of complaints (because it has been rough these last few months) or the angle of hope and faith. Suffice it to say that knowing God, the angle of hope and faith is the best option. Plus I love the idea of faith so much as a result of the Vacation Bible School I attended somewhere in Ikoyi when I was 12 or so.

David Jones Locker: The Desert

At some point in time, we (myself inclusive) all experience the Desert in different areas of our lives. Even the greatest man to never walk this Earth, Jack Sparrow. Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. His desert was called David Jones locker. When they showed Jack in the locker, he was a hopeless man with nothing but sand stretched out all around him and a curious white crab. That is what a desert represents in our lives (not sure about the crab though). Hopelessness and emptiness. Know who else wandered in the desert? The children of Israel (Numbers. 32:13). When we are in the wilderness, it is a point in life when nothing is bearing fruit. Let's see examples of deserts that we face:

• Relationships that you've nurtured and invested in collapse without bearing fruit
• Not getting promoted or appreciated at work despite all the effort and target achievements
• Graduating from university just to sit at home because of the nature of the labour market
• Starting a business that makes no profit. 

There are so many other example of deserts in our lives. You can add yours to the list. Once you do that, ask yourself, do I want to remain in the wilderness? I know I don't. Even Jack Sparrow kept strategising how to get out of the locker. He wanted it so bad, he attempted to pull the ship to the ocean by himself. What a man!

The Oasis

Imagine been in the middle of the Sahara desert, dying of hunger and thirst with just enough water to wet your tongue. Your tongue oh! Not your throat. Then suddenly, as you're about to taste not drink the last drop of water you see palm trees and as such there would also be a fresh spring there. That, ladies and gentlemen is what an oasis represents. This reminds me of the Shunamite woman (II Kings 4:8-37). Her desert? Barrenness. Her oasis? Elisha. She had been in the desert for so long that when her oasis appeared she begged it to disappear: “Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" ( II Kings 4:16 NKJV). 

Even our famous hero, Jack Sparrow, sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow chased away his oasis when it appeared. Remember that scene?  Until they convinced him that they were real, he believed deep down that his imagination was playing tricks on him.
The oasis represents hope. Hope in the middle of the desert that God has not forgotten or forsaken you. There are so many examples of people that found an oasis in the middle of the desert but space won't allow me list them all. Plus I want you to read your bible, so yeah. One thing that you may notice is that when a lot of people meet their oasis, they beg it to go away. Like literally tell it: shuu, go away, you're disturbing my desert. One guy's own was so bad that God had to make him mute (Luke 1:20).

I can hear your mind turning and asking itself: what do I do? I'm glad you asked.

What to Do When You Spot Your Oasis

1. Believe the word: this is the foundation for the oasis to grow
2. Become a prisoner of hope: Zechariah 9:12. Why? Hope is the foundation of faith (Heb. 11:1)
3. Hold unto your faith: there will be numerous occasions when the oasis may not seem forthcoming but you must not let go of your faith. Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, is a good place to strengthen your faith when it feels low
4. Speak the word: there is power in the tongue (Pr. 18:21)
5. Pray without ceasing (IThess. 5:17)
6. Give thanks to God continuously (IThess. 5:18). Don't wait for the oasis to grow before you give thanks.

The charge for this week is to therefore implement these six steps and if the Holy Spirit lays any additional into your heart, by all means make use of it.

P.S: I typed this on my phone with the MS. Word app! Tekinologi!! Also found the sequel to my favourite novel  the Three Musketeer (which I've read every year for the last 13/14 years) and guess what? All my heroes apart from Aramis had a tragic end. Not sure which hurt me most though. Their ending or the fact that for the 13/14 years, I never knew the book was the first in its series.

Sage

Sage is a graduate of human resource management and a 24/7 salesman. A clay in the hands of the Potter, he is on a journey to knowing God and becoming the man God has called him to be. He has a passion for football and society at large. In his quest for knowledge, he has recently restarted his passion for reading books. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

Photo Credit: https://goo.gl/images/VFHUFe and https://goo.gl/images/vKCs2Y

You Need To Desire The Gift of Prophecy | Prophecy A Superior Gift

-       To prophesy is to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people/individual

-       It is to be noted that prophecy must be judged by the hearers and must not contradict what the written (logos) word of God says or what you are sure God had told/revealed (rhema) to you

-       The place of time also matters for prophecy. Do not be quick to dismiss it except you are certain that it is against the word of God

-       Prophecy is not to replace the written word of God and should not stop you from praying to God continuously for clarity and confirmation

-       You do not need to have a church title or be ordained before you desire to prophesy

-       You need to be a follower of Jesus Christ and His Word, and also spend time regularly to know God, this can aid the gift of prophecy

-       You can desire the gift of prophecy. God gives this gift freely to His children as He wishes. Thus, you do not need to pay for this special gift.

SIX BENEFITS WHY YOU SHOULD DESIRE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

1) You will be helping others to grow in the Lord by upholding and advising them concerning the matters of God

"But one who prophesies, preaching the messages of God, is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them (1 Corinthians 14:3 TLB version, Living Bible)"

2) You will be helping the entire church or group to grow in Godly wisdom, to be dedicated to God, in holiness and joy

 "One who prophesies, preaching messages from God, helps the entire church grow in holiness and joy (1 Corinthians 14:4b TLB version, Living Bible)"

3) Other people will understand what you are telling them, thus, they will be strengthened. You will also understand what you are saying

"Now I wish that all of you spoke in unknown tongues, but even more [I wish] that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater [and more useful] than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates or explains [what he says], so that the church may [b]be edified [instructed, improved, strengthened] - 1 Corinthians 14:5 Amplified Version]

4) You will be able to comfort others

Prophet Isaiah was instructed by God to speak comforting words to His people in Jerusalem:

"Comfort, yes, comfort my people,” says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her sad days are gone. Her sins are pardoned, and I have punished her in full for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2 TLB Version, Living Bible)."

5) You will be able to learn about God's plan for individuals, nations and church and it will help you to follow God's instructions accordingly 

Check out how God used Agabus to prophesy:

"During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea and visited us. He took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.’” Hearing this, all of us—the local believers and his travelling companions—begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:10-12 TLB Version, Living Bible)"

"During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, named Agabus, stood up in one of the meetings to predict by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the land of Israel.[c] (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers decided to send relief to the Christians in Judea, each giving as much as he could. This they did, consigning their gifts to Barnabas and Paul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem. (Acts 11:27-29 TLB Version, Living Bible)"

6) To convict others of their wrongdoings 

Check out how God used Prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin:

"1-2: So the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David this story:

“There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats; 3 and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children’s pet, and he fed it from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4 Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for the traveller, he took the poor man’s lamb and roasted it and served it.”

5 David was furious. “I swear by the living God,” he vowed, “any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death; 6 he shall repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that rich man! The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I made you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. 

10 Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah’s wife. 11 I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.[a]

 12 You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.’”

13 “I have sinned against the Lord,” David confessed to Nathan.

Then Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin." (2 Samuel 12:1-14 TLB Version, Living Bible)”

Picture reference: http://www.enlivenpublishing.com

The Benefits of Speaking in Heavenly Languages (Speaking in Tongues)

1) You will be talking to God directly

 "But if your gift is that of being able to “speak in tongues,” that is, to speak in languages you haven’t learned, you will be talking to God but not to others, since they won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be a secret." - 1 Corinthians 14:2 TLB Version, Living Bible.

2) You will stay connected with the Holy Spirit

 "And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they didn’t know, for the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." - Acts 2:4 TLB Version, Living Bible.

3) You will grow spiritually 

"So a person “speaking in tongues” helps him/herself grow spiritually." 1 Corinthians 14:4a TLB Version, Living Bible.

4) Helps You to Pray the right prayers to God

"And in the same way—by our faith—the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words." - Romans 8:26 TLB Version, Living Bible.

5) Gives You the Authority to Stand Against the Work of Satan and his cohorts

"And those who believe shall use my authority to cast out demons, and they shall speak new languages (speaking in tongues). They will be able even to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them; and they will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them." Mark 16:17-18 TLB Version, Living Bible.

Inspired by an article that I read on KCM.org
Picture reference: gospelepistle.com

The Dangers of Compromise as Christians

What does compromise mean from a Christian perspective? 

- Compromise is when you lower your Christian beliefs and principles in your thoughts and conducts.

- It is when you fail to accept the Word of God. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."

- When you place your preferences and desires above what you know the Word of God says.

Are you living a compromised life?

The Bible makes it clear that God does not condone compromising His standards. Psalm 119:1-4 says that "Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully."

Sadly there are many people who profess to follow Christ and His teachings but live a compromised life. God wants you to live your life for Him.

Ask yourself the following questions

A) What am I doing that is compromising the truth and the Word of God?

B) Am I compromising the Word of God for anyone or a reason that I believe is justifiable?

C) Have I truly accepted the Word of God as the absolute?

D) Should I just compromise the truth as I am not ready to face the implications of not compromising as it will cost me a lot if I do not compromise.

Let's look at the story of a couple in the Bible (Ananias and his wife Sapphira).  I love how Bible.org explained it. See below...

“But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:1, 2). They collaborated on a plan to stash some of the money from the sale of their property in a safety deposit box for themselves and take the rest to the apostles. They would not necessarily say they were giving all of the money they received from the sale; they would just let everyone assume that. And presto, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered everything to Jesus Christ.

What was so wrong with their plan? They did not really lie to anybody, did they? They just gave the money and said nothing about what percentage of the total sale price it represented. They could not help what other people thought, could they? Evidently they could. Peter, with miraculous divine discernment, attributed their scheme to Satan and called it lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). He explained that they were under no obligation to sell their property. And even after they sold it, they were under no obligation to give all the money to the church. But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). The major sin of Ananias and Sapphira was dishonesty, deceit, hypocrisy, pretence, presenting a false image of themselves, implying a greater spirituality than they actually possessed, letting people think more highly of them than what they knew was warranted. They were more interested in appearances than in reality. Peter said, “You have not lied to men, but to God” (Acts 5:4).  (Bible.org)

Dangers of Compromise

1. Compromise always has its consequences, only time will tell when it comes to its consequences. Sometimes the consequences affect future generations more than you may think, if you do not confess and turn from the compromised life and turn to God.
2. Compromise may make you to mislead others in the name of God which is wrong and hypocritical. Others may end up misleading you and you may also not realise that you were misled.
3. Compromise does not bring glory to God. Thus it is against the will of God for any of His children to compromise.
4. If you sow compromise, you won't reap God's blessings.
5. Compromise is likely to lead to other sins such as lying, being hypocritical, lust, immorality, lack of integrity, idolatry, pride, amongst others.
6. A compromised life leads to a dishonest society/organisation. It does not make a society better rather it makes it more corrupt. The bible says that Righteousness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people (Proverbs 14:34).
7. A compromised life is a disgrace and a life of dishonesty.

Consider the following points:

1. It is never God's will for a Christian to taint the truth and to compromise for any reason and for anyone.
2. God does not support you when you rationalise your disobedience and give excuses for it.
3. Don't compromise your Christian beliefs and principles for the sake of being accepted by others or being favoured. 
4. There will always be consequences when you choose to compromise.
5. When you compromise the Word of God and the truth, you are not living a righteous life in the eyes of God albeit others may think you are living righteously.
6. Not compromising requires your total submission to God regardless of the temporary gain or pleasure or success that you will gain from compromising.
7. God wants you to be faithful to the end.
8. Not compromising may be painful depending on what you intend to compromise on. However, God wants you to be assured that the temporary pain or cost of not compromising will lead to greater blessings for you and your future generations.

Finally,  stay close to Jesus and His Word (Bible), when you love Jesus and His Word, you will not want to discredit His name in your thoughts and conducts. This would also help you not to lower your standards.

Keep your guard up and live a righteous life that is pleasing to God in the open and in the secret. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

- Myss Lafunky

References: Bible.org, boldomatic.com, vijaybatra.com and lifevine.wordpress.com

Busola Majekodunmi Shares Her Journey in Christianity

Hello Readers and Followers,

Welcome to another Christianity Explored Interview. Our guest today is a fellow blogger, Busola. 

Follow me as Myss Lafunky (ML) finds more about Busola (BM)

ML: Tell us a little bit about yourself

BM: My name is Oluwabusola Majekodunmi, however, I am known as Busola for short. Biologically, I am the last born from a family of 4, I have two elder brothers. I am a love child of a love God, passionate about young people and education, a graduate of Economics but currently an entrepreneur and I also run an education social enterprise called Steer to Greatness.

ML: When did you become a Christian, a born again Christian?

BM: My christian journey I would say started when I was in my mother's womb 😊, I was born into a Christian family, so going to church, praying, reading the Bible was part of my childhood. However, when I started seeking to know God for myself and understand Christianity myself was in 2003. Prior to this time, I had lost my mother at age 7 and became a withdrawn and shy child, then one blessed Sunday (unfortunately, I can't remember the exact date), I heard a defining message about God as our Father and I gave my life to Christ that day. However, I won't say I completely understood that decision, because I remember it took about 4 years for me to stop going forward for an altar call after a "touching sermon". One day when I was 17, I had my own personal God encounter and started understanding what Christianity truly meant.

ML: How has the journey been?

BM: The journey has been beautiful, nevertheless, I have had a few times when I strayed, became distracted, but it's been beautiful because God always calls my name and through His Spirit helps me examine myself when I am not in His will. This past 14 years, I have seen God at work that I have come to know and trust in Jesus for myself not because I was born into a family of believers. I have encountered the Holy of Holies that there is no other place I want to be.

ML: What has Christianity taught you?

BM: Christianity has taught me a lot of things, I would try to be brief.

• It has taught me that JESUS is the only way to be saved. It is by putting complete trust in the finished work of Christ that we are saved.
• It has taught me that LOVE is all we truly need in this world. The God kind of love, the 1 Corinthians 13 love and that God works this love in us.
• I have learnt that Christianity is God reaching out to man, it is not a religion, it is about relationship, God is my Father, I am adopted through the completed work of Christ on Calvary and His Spirit is living in me as a seal for my salvation, helping me on this journey to eternity.
• I am created in Christ Jesus unto good works, so I do good not to be saved because Christ has already done that when I believed in Him, it is my new nature to be like Christ, to show forth heaven on earth (everywhere Christ went He did good)
• I have learnt that eternal life is not just what I expect to have in heaven when I die or when the trumpet sounds, it is the life I now live while on earth here, the Zoe, God-kind of life, so what can't affect Jesus can't and should not affect me. Eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

ML: Is this a journey that you want to continue in or stop?

BM: Stop ke? No Oo! It  is a journey/relationship I want to continue. I am in love with Jesus, He is in love with me. It continues for all eternity. Christianity is enjoying the love of God, who wants to stop being in love?  My daily prayer is to see Him clearly, love Him dearly and follow Him nearly

ML: Any tips for our readers who are contemplating whether they should be a born again Christian or not or to anyone feeling discouraged about their relationship with God?

BM: My advice is that you would open your heart/mind to receive the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus. It's not a call to escape condemnation only, it's a call to know the love of God that is simply indescribable. It's a call to live a purpose driven life. It's a call to enter into a glorious destiny. If you are struggling with your relationship with God, my word to you is this - Tell God as it is. Don't be afraid to approach the throne of grace just as you are and receive mercy and grace (divine empowerment) that you need to enjoy your walk with God. Jesus lives daily to make intercession for you, He is the great high priest who understands what you are going through and wants to help you, that's why you have the Holy Spirit.

ML: Thank you for sharing your journey with the readers of Myss Lafunky's Blog.

BM: I pray that this has blessed you.

Busola can be reached via her blog : diaryofapatrioticnigerian.wordpress.com/

Please, remember to check Busola's education social enterprise Facebook page. It's called: Steer to Greatness.

Watch out for the last two Christianity Explored interviews in the coming weeks.

Have a great week.