The Valiant Arm of the Lord: Olowogbogboro

Were you there on the 28th of June? What a night spent worshipping Olowogbogboro. It was amazing. It was awesome. In short, it was spectacular. So many people came for the event. The crowd was so much that they kept people outside and people went to stand at the veranda of the hotel opposite the event centre. What an awesome time. I hope you didn't miss out?

How's the new month? Welcome to 2017 Part 2 lol. Anyways, in the Three Musketeers news, I'm currently reading the volume titled: The Vicomte de Bragelonne. Our heroes, Athos and D’artagnan have set out on separate paths to restore the monarchy of England to Charles II. Men of honour and courage. Took sometime off to write on this week's post. Cool weather, got light, Travis Greene in the background singing ‘You waited’ (beautiful song, please get it). In order to paint a picture of a mighty arm, I would imagine we would all think of Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing during his muscle building career. The muscles on the arm could stop a bullet. True talk! Porthos, one of our famed musketeers, also had a powerful arm which he used to dish out justice to anyone that dared form an obstacle in his path.

Even Sage’s arm is a bit powerful but only strong enough to open a can of Coke and mix rice and stew. This post is a bit personal as I recently witnessed and I'm still witnessing the Valiant hand of the Lord turning the tide. 

The Tide

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."   Romans‬ 5:3-4‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Ever been in an ocean and had to swim against the tide? It's a very tiring exercise and one that would most likely lead to you losing all hope and, eventually, energy thus causing you to drown. The tide represents anything that is producing averse results to what we expected. Imagine going from a place of comfort to a place of struggling for survival. As Christians, the tide is going to be part of our daily walk. Christianity isn't bread and blueband butter neither is it a bowl of KFC chicken or for the fit fam crew, a plate of salad. Even the bible warns us that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. So why should we expect life to not have us against the tide every now and then? Even your guy has been swimming against the tide. Don't believe me? Oh boy, bone packaging oh. There have been days when Sage had just 500 Naira in his pocket. Some years back, I once joked to my friend saying: "Spiragos as your guy dey, I no get two 50 Naira to rub together." There are families that face times when they can barely afford to have three square meals or even have to forfeit one or two of such meals. I've had times when I had bread for breakfast and garri for dinner (be rest assured it wasn't a matter of choice). In such times, I learnt that we still need to thank God. An example of another of such tides I recently faced was that for like 4 months, the tank of your guy’s car barely rose above the reserve level. Every time I drove out, na so so yellow we go dey see for dashboard but as I was driving, as per man of faith, I would just be saying, God this is your car ... please fuel it and I'd  keep driving. The point is that times were tough. But the devil didn't know that as a man of faith, I would enter the kitchen, see only bread and butter (whenever I wanted variety, I'd use the syrup for pancake (wetin man want do) and scream Jehovah Jireh! The great provider! That is what faith is. Thanking God in the midst of the tide. Why? Because God said so (IThess. 5:16&18). 

What tides are you experiencing? Does it seem like it will never end? Do you know that when things are getting worse it's because the devil knows that your breakthrough is near and he's fighting his hardest to keep you down? This is when Olowogbogboro shows Himself. 

The Valiant Hand: Olowogbogboro 

"You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah" Psalms‬ 77:15‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

You see ehn, when Olowogbogboro turns up, the devil turns down. You would be like those who dream (Ps. 126:1-3). Earlier on, I said this is when Olowogbogboro shows Himself. Actually He was already showing Himself, it just wasn't time for us to notice or for it to manifest physically. So there I was, in the midst of the tide, with no word from God (at a point I kept asking: God, where are you?) when one day, a friend tweeted a picture that had a bible verse which I decided to check out: 

"Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved? 'The hand of GOD has turned the tide! The hand of GOD is raised in victory! The hand of GOD has turned the tide!'" Psalm‬ 118:15-16‬ MSG‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

When I saw this verse, my spirit jumped and screamed Yes! This is the word at last. Do you know what it means for God’s hand to be raised in victory? For His hand to have turned the tide? If you notice, it was written in the past tense. It means that your present and future is God’s past and whatever circumstance or tide you're facing has been defeated because His hand is raised in victory. Everyday, I meditated on this word, prayed on it and thought of it. When the walls were closing in on me and the devil intensified his attack, I took out my bible and read it again. The bible is an amazing resource. Before I knew it, the tide began to turn and through this Word, my faith stayed strong even when I was eating bread and syrup lol. 

What are we to do to when faced with the tide? Hold on to God. Never give up your faith. Search His word for a word from Him to you. Ps. 118:15-16 was the word I got from God. Meditate and pray. Be violent! Worship Him continually. As always, you're free to add to it. When you do this, you will see Olowogbogboro moving on your behalf and even when it hasn't manifested physically, be rest assured that He has risen his mighty hand in victory concerning your circumstance. One tide He turned is that I prayed that when going for the Hallelujah Challenge event, I wanted the tank of my car to be full. Did He do it? He had done it and it manifested just as I prayed to God that it should on the day that I asked for it to manifest. 

The charge therefore in this second half of the year is to become violent and take what the enemy has denied or taken from you by force. Olowogbogboro is fighting in your corner, on your behalf. Also, never forget Hebrews 11:1-3! Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen. Happy new month y'all. 

Sage

P.S. I'm not sure I'll send this post to my mum. Not ready to answer which tides I'm talking about lol. There are still other tides in my life but Olowogbogboro has raised His hand in victory. Olowogbogboro has turned the tide! So I'm not worried or afraid. Fear is the opposite of faith. I'm now listening to Onise Iyanu by Nathaniel Bassey.

Photo Credit: www.bodybuilding.com

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