THE PROFESSION AND THE PRACTICALITY OF TRUTH

Happy Monday readers and followers!

Have a lovely week.  Remember, don't stress this week. Take everything to God in prayer. Please, take out time today to read this post. Remember to share it with your friends.

It is a normal thing in the human journey to acquire knowledge (information) which becomes a part and parcel of our daily living. These information acquired stand as core truths and we grow in them. These truths become what we in turn use to convey certain messages to other people around us particularly when we are giving some form of advice or counsel.

Scriptures tell us that ‘we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free’. There is freedom in knowing the truth. The reason for this freedom when we know the truth is because the truth registers within us and in the enclaves of our heart and we release freely to all without any form of limitation whatsoever. At this point the truth has become our profession.

As vital as our profession is in this context we seem to undermine the application or what I would otherwise call the practicality of this truth for our very own selves. It is quite easy to convey information to others but the self- application of this information or truth becomes a challenge. The question that arises at this point is how then can we overcome this challenge?

The only way through which this challenge can be overcome is by the test posed before our very own selves. As humans we are inclined not to appreciate any form of assessment as some are not easy to tackle when they come. God in His divine nature and reasoning had designed for tests to be the only way to ascertain whether or not we understood that truth which He had unveiled to us at differing points in time of our walk with Him to remember.

It’s also interesting that God is the only lecturer, teacher, instructor whose yardstick for measuring the addition of truth to our lives is by test which have the characteristic of pushing us in the opposite direction of the truth we have been taught. Till we are able to overcome the test continues coming in different dimensions.

I usually ask people in recent times about the truth that they have learnt under God or about the truth that they are currently learning under God or I asked them to outline the truth they have learnt under God and honestly state the ones that have registered in their heart.  However, this year 2014, there is a new dimension to this question and it goes thus- what is that truth you have being taught by God, how has it registered in your heart and to what extent have you been able to practicalise it for your own self?

This new dimension came when I discovered that I could not keep watch as a watchman to prevent something that ought not to happen from happening (let me keep the details) and I had being telling people that God has placed them as watchmen over the walls and they must function as thus. It is from this purview the issue of PROFESSION AND PRACTICALLITY OF TRUTH arose.

Child of God, the kind of life God expects you to live is a practical Christian life, hence satisfying the aspect of profession of truth is not enough, we must practicalise the same truth that we profess for our lives. Paul said that having preached the gospel may I not be a cast away.

Deducing from Paul's statement, there is the possibility of enlightening others, removing the veils from the eyes of others and not do so for oneself and end up in Hell. We all would say God forbid I end up in hell.

Beloved we must not only profess but practicalise the truth unveiled to us.

2014 God is interested in the unveiling of kingdom truth and principles as well as your compliance in practical terms to these truths he would be unveiling.

-   Oluwatosin Olatoye

About the writer: Tosin is a trained Lawyer. He lives in Warri, Nigeria.  Tosin has a passion for God and everything to do with living right for God.  Since I have known Tosin, every conversation that we have always revolves around building our faith in Christ.  

Sharing is caring. Please share this with people in your circle.

The Bible in 4 month

Happy Sunday readers and followers!

What have you been up to?  Did you go to church today?

You are probably wondering why I'm sharing a post on a Sunday not Monday, RIghT? Though, I will still share my Monday post tomorrow, however, I was directed by God to share my Bible Plan with you. I am confident that, it will benefit at least one person.

Below is the plan (You can re-use the plan over and over again):

4 month Bible Reading Plan - Characters

How to use this reading plan:

1.    Explain This Bible Reading Plan: With this plan you will read the highlights about major characters in the Bible from Adam to Zechariah. This plan makes it easy to see the story of God's Word as you become acquainted with many important Characters in the Bible.

2.    What Translation should I use? We recommend reading the New King James Version. You can find it online in our Bible Study Helps section.

3.    Does the Translation really matter? We believe you can learn the truth of God's word from any legitimate translation to read the Bible, but beware that some "translations" are not really translations at all, but are rather Paraphrased. That means someone read the Bible and wrote it in their own words. Now, at times that may be helpful, but anywhere the author was mistaken about a passage, you will be reading the authors opinion, not what the Bible actually says. These types of "translations" often present themselves as "thought for thought" translations instead of "word for word", and truly they belong in the commentary section of your library instead of the translation section. Some examples of these would be "The Living Bible", "The Book", "The New World Translation", etc.

4.    Can I print this study plan? Yes! At the bottom of this page are links to printable MS Word and pdf document files which allow you to keep track of when you read each portion.

Do I need to start January 1st? No, you need to start today. If you begin today, you will finish 121 days from now.

5.    What if I fall behind? If you fall behind, don't worry -- just pick it back up right away so as not to fall further behind. Most weeks the reading schedule is not so rigorous that you couldn't catch up with a little extra reading.

6.    Should I do this alone or with someone? Many people find it helpful to choose a partner to help hold them accountable and encourage them in their spiritual life. It often helps for someone else to know what you are trying to do and ask you about your progress.

7.    When should I read? We have found it helpful to read the Bible as early in the day as possible. This will give you the entire day to reflect on what you have read, it also indicates its importance as we normally do our most important tasks first. As one Evangelist commonly says, “No Bible, No Breakfast. No Read, No Feed.”

8.    How is this reading plan organized? This plan is designed to have you reading some of both the Old and New Testaments each day.   

 

(Culled from http://www.cofcnet.org/)

I WANT TO SERVE GOD WITH ALL MY HEART...BUT I’M PULLED BY...

Happy Monday everyone, 

It's February already, this year is going pretty fast. Kindly take 5 minutes to read the post below, also share it with your friends, both believers and non believers, you never know how it would minister to them. The below post was written by Twale and I.

I want to serve God through Jesus Christ (who is the only way to heaven) but I am pulled by influences of sin .i.e. Gossip, lies, silly thought, drinking, unforgiveness, betrayal, lust, fornication, adultery, condemning others, being jealous and envious of others, malice, inappropriate dressing, not having time to pray, not having time to tell people about Christ.

When does the battle begin?

The moment your feet hit the floor!  Paul writes, ‘The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but...not all of me joins in that delight...’ (Romans 7:21).  


What’s happening? 

Your flesh (human nature) is at war with your spirit, seducing you into relaxing your defences. And the moment you do, it’ll ‘nail you.’ It will whisper, ‘Go ahead, it’s no big deal; everybody does it. Who’ll know anyway?’

Learn to identify that voice before it becomes a thought entertained, a deed done, a habit formed and a character ruined. Your new birth doesn’t do away with your old nature; it just brings it into sharp contrast. You may be redeemed but you still live in a carnal body. 

If you try to fight the flesh in the power of the flesh, you’ll just end up fighting yourself.

What’s the answer?

‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh’
(Galatians 5:16).

How do you do that?

Read the Bible everyday. Start with a daily plan of studying different characters in the Bible.  If you are struggling to motivate yourself to study a Bible Character on a daily basis, use a daily Christian devotional.  "But from there you will search again for the Lord  your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him." (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Obeying God’s Word; instead of doing what comes naturally to you. If you ‘blow it’ occasionally, don’t get discouraged, keep moving ahead.  "A righteous person may fall seven times, but he gets up again. However, in a disaster wicked people fall." (Proverbs 24:16)

Make new Christian friends and new companions. "Don't let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people."  (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Take out time to pray. "One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up." (Luke 18:1)

Set new priorities. "Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it." (Luke 14:28)  

Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. "The helper whom I will send to you from the Father will come. This helper, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, will declare the truth about me." (John 15:26)

Have a lovely week. See you next week Monday for another inspirational post. 

 - Myss Lafunky & Twale

Genesis - Revelation song.

Our journey began at Genesis through Exodus. On the way, we saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the beautiful gate for Judges to see Ruth calling loudly "Samuel,Samuel". 

At a stage, the, first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job, their brother. 

Then they noticed that Mr. Psalms was teaching his children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon. 

This coincided with the period that Isaiah and Jeremiah were engaged in Lamentation for Ezekiel and Daniel their friend. By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around. 

Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah travelled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem . More also,Habakkuk visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi. 

Immediately after the old tradition, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John got involved in Acts with the Romans who were behaving like the Corinthians, who were also always at loggerhead with the Galatians. 

At that time too, the Ephesians realizing that the Philippians were close to the Colossians, suggested to the Thessalonians that they should first of all see Timothy who had gone to the house of Titus to teach Philemon his younger brother how to read and write Hebrew. 

On hearing, James asked Peter to explain to him how the three Johns have disclosed to Jude the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Myss Lafunky

Love Does Not Keep Record of Wrongs

Happy Monday to you all! I want to challenge us to be truthful with ourselves and check within us if we are guilty of keeping record of wrongs.

Do you keep a record of wrongs?

As part of our Christian growth, we need to learn to examine ourselves and see if we are still following the principles of God.

If I were to ask you if you loved God, I’m sure your response would be a BIG YES! But my question is: "How do you show love to people that have wronged you?"

I have two personal illustrations:

An individual behaved not so nicely to me and I had previously felt like supporting the person that had wronged me with something. However, I remembered what the individual had done and then, I immediately withdrew my help. After I made the decision not to help, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. The Holy Spirit reminded me of a scripture in Romans 12: 17 which states that ‘Repay no one evil for evil.’ God said that what makes me a Christian is how I subdue the human nature and being conscious to do what God will do. I appreciated the voice of God that I heard and I bless God for allowing me to listen to Him when He spoke. I eventually helped and supported the individual.

My question for you is: "How do you treat people that have wronged you?" Do you wait for an opportunity for you to retaliate?

The second example that I would like to share is below:

Recently, I told Mr S  about  two young people that lived promiscuous lives and I further explained to Mr S that, their actions were not biblical given that they are Christians. I emphasised the issue and I stated that such behaviour and acts should not be found among Christians, particularly Born-Again Christians and people in the ministering of the gospel.  But before I could finish my last sentence, Mr S interjected and asked me, why I was condemning them. He further asked me whether I was certain that those individuals had not changed or stopped such acts? I kept nodding my head, stating within me that "Oh yes, you are probably right".

Mr S asked me that, ‘Myss Lafunky, remember when you said that some people assumed and continue to assume that you are a rude lady because you usually stand up for the truth; I replied "Yes,"
"what if those individuals continue to refer to you as a rude lady whenever your name is mentioned around their gathering, how would you feel?" What if you are no longer rude, and people still refer to you as a rude lady because of an incident that happened in the past?

After Mr S had finished his discussions with me, I pondered on everything that he’d said, below was my thought process:

“God does not remember our sins when we confess them. Why should I now be remembering the sins of others and using their past sins to judge them? This is not a Christian attribute. I must pray for any individual that I might be aware of their past rather than judging or condemning them due to their past. ”

1 Corinthians 13:5b states that “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”

Hebrews 8:12 states that "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Isaiah 43:25
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Hebrews 10:17
Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Do you keep record of wrongs?

We all have to check ourselves and be sure that we are not guilty of this act.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach me how to love, I sometimes struggle to love, I need you Lord Jesus to show me the way to love. When I do not love in the way that you would like me to love, Lord Jesus, please correct me and teach me the right way to show your love.

- Myss Lafunky

I Was Excited To Talk To God

I was excited to talk to God

I was excited to seek God’s advice about my new project

I knelt down to pray but not for long, 

I had a lot to think about.

No time, no time, too much to do

I had to hurry and get to university.

For assignments would soon be due. 

I also had to hurry to get to work

So I knelt down and said a quick prayer, 

And I jumped up off hastily

My Christian task for today was now done 

My soul and spirit could rest at ease..... 

No time, no time, too much to do, 

All day long I had no time

To spread a word of joy

No time to speak about my love for Jesus Christ to my family and friends, 

No time to speak to my work colleagues about Jesus Christ

They'd laugh at me I'd fear. 

No time, no time, too much to do, 

That was my constant whinge and worry

No time to give to people in need

No time to study my New King James Bible (In fact, I have all the versions on my IPad).

No time to invest in myself

No time to invest in my family

No time, no time, too much to do

But I had time to view Facebook, I had time to watch the latest episode of Sunday Best, I had time to speak to my darling. I had time to read the news, I even had time to relax in the bath.  

But at last the time, the time to die. 

I went before the Lord, 

I came, I stood with dejected eyes. 

For in His hands, God held a book; 

It was the Book of Life. 

God looked into His book and said 

"Your name I cannot find 

I once was going to write it down... 

But never found the time".

Do you have time for God?

- Myss Lafunky

Series on personal reflection of a Practising Christian.

Am I Strange?

Am I Strange?

I used to drink alcohol, I no longer drink alcohol

Am I strange?

I used to gossip but I no longer gossip

Am I strange?

I used to sleep around, but now, I exercise the spirit of self-control.

Am I strange?

I used to steal but I no longer steal

Am I strange?

I used to be a chronic liar but I no longer lie.

Am I strange?

I used to struggle to give to the Poor but I no longer struggle.

Am I strange?

I used to be bitter towards others but I continue to learn how to love others.

Am I strange?

I used to be rough but now I am gentle.

Am I strange?

I used to make promises that I couldn't keep but now, I honour my words.

Am I strange?

I used to engage in witchcraft and sorcery but I now have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ. My Spirit, Soul and Body now belong to the Lord.

Am I strange?

- Myss Lafunky

Poem written by Myss Lafunky. Series on personal reflection of a Practising Christian.