SUNRISE SPRING 2013
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The Magazine of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, United Kingdom
SPECIAL OMC ISSUE
Our Year of Signs and Wonders
I N S PI RAT I ON | Y O UT H
| F IN AN C E
| RE LAT I ON S HIP S
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FROM THE GENERAL OVERSEER FROM THE CENTRAL OFFICE EDITORIAL NOTE The Sovereign God One People Commission EVANGELISM A Burning Passion For The Gospel! COMMUNITY Getting To Know Girls’ Brigade What God Cannot Do RCCG Events Calendar Called By His/Her Side PSYCHOLOGY Why Do I Get Easily Discouraged? MATTERS OF THE HEART The Oracles Of Signs And Wonders Make Me A Wonder INSPIRATION How To Turn Your Ideas Into Realities Think On These Things You Are Extraordinary! PARENTING Recognise The Wonders Deposited In Your Child INSPIRATION The Diaries Of An Old Gentleman: Entry One YOUTH Achieving Your Goals Just Before You Say ‘I Do’ SINGLES Warning Signals During Courtship
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A Reflection On The Life Of Ruth RECIPES Authenticity Of Grace MEN Understanding The Purpose Of Man RELATIONSHIPS 5 Mistakes Women And Men Make In Marriage RCCG EVENTS RCCG Parish Pastors’ Retreat 2012 Annual General Meeting 2012 Covenant Partners Meeting With Pastor E. A. Adeboye Ordination Service 2012 Festival Of Life October 2012 RCCG Workers Rally October 2012 Ordained Ministers Conference 2012 Snapshots of God's faithfulness at OMC over the years Pastors Induction Course (PIC) 2013 Kicks Off A -Z Of RCCG Unreached Areas In The UK ENVIRONMENT Eco-Congregations Cultivating Intimacy With God FINANCE How To Be Wiser With God’s Money How To Become Debt Free By Discovering Your Talent LEGAL The Law On Smacking Unfolding Agenda In The Entertainment Industry
SUNRISE Magazine ISSN NO: 2042-6542 EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief: MODUPE AFOLABI, Managing Editor: YINKA ODUWOLE, Editor: ANDREA ONDUKU Contributors: JONATHAN HULTON, SINDILE MOYO, BUKKY FATOKUN, DONALD TOMBIA, HAPPINESS OLAYEMI, KOFI OWUSU, MAARJA HALLIK, OLUSOLA M. AKINSOLU Columnists: JOSEPH AMAEZE ONWUCHEKWA , DR. AKPO ONDUKU, WALE OLADIPO, DR. FOYEKE CHRISTANA TOLANI, GEORGE ESSIEN, IDORENYIN ENO, ABI ADEYANJU, OLANIKE ADEBAYO, BRYCE EDEM, HARUNA ISAH Photography (RCCG Events): KUSH Contributory Photographer FEMI ONATUGA Designed by: XANDY DAEHNHARDT Printed by: WWW.CHURCH-PRINT.CO.UK Published by: The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), United Kingdom. facebook.com/rccguk twitter.com/rccguk youtube.com/rccguk All communications to: Sunrise Magazine, RCCG Central Office, Redemption House, Station Road, Knebworth, SG3 6AT. Disclaimer: The publishers, editors, contributors and related parties are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken any person, organisation or any party on basis of reading information, stories or contributions in this publication. Tel: + 44 (0) 208 171 1030 Email: info@sunrisemagazine.org. Web: www.sunrisemagazine.org
FROM THE GENERAL OVERSEER
A Year of Signs and Wonders Pastor E.A Adeboye
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sign is evidence that what you claim to be or say is true. Pharaoh said in Exodus 5 v 1 -2 “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” God gave Pharaoh many signs culminating in the killing of all the first born in the land of Egypt in one night. After that Pharaoh was no longer able to say that he didn’t know God. Exodus 12 v 31- 32 says “And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also”. I prophesy to you that all the Pharaohs who say you will not go, God will show them a sign. Nebuchadnezzar told Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego, that if they didn’t bow down to his golden statue then he would throw them into the fiery furnace. He even said ‘and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands (Daniel 3:15). God showed him a sign by delivering them from the furnace and in Daniel 3 v 24-29 the same Nebuchadnezzar said there is no God like the God of Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego. All those who have been saying where is your God? They will come and bow and say there is no God like your God. We have seen what a sign is so what is a wonder? A friend of mine once said a wonder is that which causes you to wonder. In other words, a wonder is a miracle so big that your mouth will fall open involuntarily. In Acts 3:1-10 when a man who has been lame for forty years suddenly began to leap, to walk and to praise God, everybody in the church began to look at him with amazement. God will turn you to a wonder in Jesus Name. In Isaiah 7:11 God said to Ahaz “Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above”. Ahaz said he would not test God but God said that He would send one anyway. He said in v 14 “Therefore the
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Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. And when you say a virgin will conceive the first thing that will come to anybody’s mind is impossible! This sign was therefore a wonder because God made the impossible possible. The life of man can be broken into three compartments: Physical Social Spiritual I want to encourage you to increase your faith in the various compartments of your life so that you can experience wonders from the God of wonders. When God said to Abraham in Genesis 18 v 9 -14 that his ninety year old wife would bear a son, Sarah laughed because inside her she was saying it’s impossible. However the moment God hears the word impossible he rises on his throne and says let me show you a sign. Therefore whenever somebody tells you that your case is impossible; begin to rejoice because there is a God in heaven with whom nothing shall be impossible. If He can make a virgin to conceive then what is the problem about a woman who is married? After all she has a man. We serve a God who can even produce children out of stones according to Mathew 3:9. No matter what the doctors say about your ability to have children there is still a God on His throne who can make the impossible possible. Also a virgin conceiving is totally unscientific; it is beyond science and medicine. God is not controlled by science and medicine. What doctors have called incurable is very easy for God to cure as He is the creator of our bodies and is the one who gave the doctors their wisdom and knowledge. John 9:32-33 tells of a man who was born blind yet Jesus opened his eyes. Even when confronted with evidence, people began to argue whether it happened or didn’t happen. It had never been heard of before of someone opening the eyes of someone born blind. Do you have a physical problem? Do you believe that the God of wonders can solve that problem? If you believe, it will be it unto you according to your faith. The second aspect of a man’s life is the social aspect, career, promotion, getting married and over all material well being. Our God can produce something out of nothing. He can produce water out of the rock according to Exodus 17 v 1-6. He can take the last and turn it to the first. He can multiply the little that you have as He did in the case of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17: 9- 24 He did it again in 2king 4:1 -7 when He told the widow to keep on pouring the little oil that she had and it will keep on flowing until there is no more room to contain it. Do you have a financial problem? Do you believe that this God of wonders can solve that problem? Do you believe? If you believe, be it unto you
according to your faith. The third aspect of a man’s life is the spiritual aspect. Everything we do in this world is controlled by spirit realm, the spiritual controls the physical. Before trouble came to Job, there was something that happened in the spiritual realm. There was a meeting between God and the devil where they discussed Job and decided what would befall him. Some of us are where we are today because of some certain spiritual forces. A blessing is a spiritual force, when your parents bless you, spiritually they are sending assistance to you. Just as a blessing is a spiritual force, a curse is also a spiritual curse. But our God created all spirits and He has the ability to control them and destroy their curses. In Mark 5 v 1-20 we see the story of the mad man of Gadarean, the devil knew that this man had a glorious destiny , that the plan of God for that fellow is to be an evangelist. He sent six thousand demons to bind him up. But one day the Almighty God who can do all things came, overcome all the demons and restored the destiny of this man. Do you believe that whatever may be your spiritual problem, the God of wonders can solve them, do you believe? Be it unto you according to your faith. If we ask you, can the shadow of a fisher man heal? You will say impossible, but ask Peter. Can the handkerchief of a lawyer cast out demons? You will say how come? Ask Paul. In Luke 1 v 34- 37 when the angel told Mary that she was the virgin prophesied about in the book of Isaiah and that she would conceive as a virgin and have a baby boy, she said how can this be? The angel told her that the Holy Ghost would perform the wonder in her life. There are certain things that God has said He will do in your life that are so big that your mind cannot even contain it. How will it happen? Not by power, not by might but by Spirit of God.
Who qualifies for signs and wonders? Mary was a virgin not a harlot. She was pure, she was holy. Matthew 7 v 6 says that you should not cast pearls before swine. People like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who got signs and wonder kept themselves pure. Holiness is the master key to signs and wonders. To receive signs and wonders you must give your life to Jesus Christ, let His blood wash you clean, let His blood wipe away your sins, remain in holiness and then you can cry to him and he will hear and do the impossible in your life. David said in Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Isaiah 59:1-2 says “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Let holiness be your watchword and God will give you signs and wonders and your joy will overflow and you will serve the Lord, in Jesus mighty name.
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FROM THE CENTRAL OFFICE
Blossoming in the Year of Signs and Wonders
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t is difficult to believe Spring is here already; how long ago did we usher in 2013 with near-childlike excitement as we thanked the Lord for the year gone past and the new one which beckoned? And to add to our growing anticipation at the time, our Father-in-the-Lord the General Overseer, Daddy G.O. brought us prophetic words from God declaring it as the ‘Year of Signs and Wonders‘! I don’t know about you, but on what you can call a normal day, we serve a God of signs and wonders; and for Him to then send us such a reassuring prophecy that He has purposed to manifest Himself by doing great miracles, signs and wonders in the lives of His children, surely this was a signal from Heaven that this will indeed be a year to remember for the rest of our lives. For those of us who might already have started forgetting the details of those prophetic words, it may be helpful to recall here those that especially have to do with individuals, even as God had said that generally, this year will be better than the previous one. Specifically, the prophecy from the General Overseer as was as follows: • "He said, No matter the darkness around you, your star will shine brighter. No matter the darkness around you, your star will shine brighter still. • "God says He will speak peace to your storm. So, if there is any individual that is passing through some storms, that’s good news for you". • "He said certain individuals have been stagnated for a while. He asked me to tell such people that the reasons for your stagnation will become known, will be addressed, and will be eliminated. the reasons for stagnation will become known, addressed and eliminated. And He said, 'Therefore, progress will follow'". • He says for certain individuals, in many senses of the word, in many senses of the word, this year will be a year of completeness". Such wonderful promises; what a loving and caring God we have! In order to partake of these beautiful prophecies and blossom in this Year of Signs and Wonders, it is necessary to meet some conditions, some of which I shall share with you briefly. Firstly, you and I must believe! The Word of God says clearly in I Chronicles 20:20b: “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be
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established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.“ Our prosperity in the Year of Signs and Wonders is tied to moving in faith by taking God at His word and believing His prophets. This is the time to shake off the evil yoke of doubt and perhaps unbelief which have conspired to rob many of their miracles over and over again. Second, we must be careful not to despise the prophecies that come from genuine servants of the Lord. I Thessalonians 5:20 puts it unambiguously and succinctly: “Despise not prophesyings”. To blossom in this Year of Signs and Wonders, we must guard our hearts jealously and determine to put a watch over our mouths so we do not talk ourselves out of what God has prepared for each one of us. A word, the popular saying goes, is enough for the wise. Third, we must be sensitive to the Spirit of God more than ever if we are to harvest the full benefits of this season of miracles, signs and wonders. The scriptures are replete with astonishing moves of God which were the result of prompt obedience to divine instructions, no matter how strange or irrational these might appear on the surface. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our God is in the Heavens and He does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3). Or what connection has the act of stretching forth a shepherd’s rod over an ocean have to do with that sea parting miraculously? Yet, from this great miracle of deliverance, we can all see that this made Godsense. In this Spring edition of Sunrise, we invite you to journey with us once again and explore all that God has for you in this particular edition. As usual, we serve you an inspired and rich feast meant to inform, educate and bring a smile to your lips as you savour what the Lord has been doing in the RCCG UK mission in recent times. Also, we trust that this special Ordained Ministers’ Conference (OMC) and Festival of Life (FOL) joint edition filled with a healthy diet of God’s word served in diverse manners will bring you joy, peace and hope as we walk steadfastly with the Lord in this extraordinary year. God bless you! Modupe Afolabi Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL NOTE Spring, spring is coming soon, Grass is green and lowers bloom, Birds returning from the south, Bees are buzzing all about, Leaves are budding everywhere, Spring, spring is inally here t is that me again, spring has arrived or has it? Looking out of the window while wri ng this editorial, the snow is just beginning to melt from my neighbourhood. Indeed in other parts of the country there was heavy snow today. Spring appears to have been put on hold while winter overruns its bounds and the new buds of owers seem unsure whether to peep through the soil or not for fear of more icy cold. There is an unease that our expecta on of spring me is not manifes ng at the appropriate me but yet somehow we con nue to hope for be er weather and be er days. The General Overseer of The Redeemed Chris an Church of God relayed to us at the beginning of the year that God said that this would be a year of Signs and Wonders and indeed we have seen much of God’s goodness already. I
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wonder though whether you are stretching your neck forward looking out with expecta on for things that have not yet been met in your personal life? Are you s ll wai ng for them the way many are wai ng for spring? I want to assure you that they are on their way. Your tes monies are coming, your breakthroughs are coming and they will be following you where ever you go. God is always faithful to His promise, do not doubt and look forward with great expecta on and praise Him for wonders have already been released in your life. This edi on of Sunrise is an inspiring one. Every ar cle within its pages all echo one of them which says: YOU ARE EXTRORDINARY! You will be empowered, strengthened, encouraged and educated as you read through its pages. In this edi on we learn
about the ministry of signs and wonders, we learn that our God is a Sovereign God and we will be inspired to have a burning passion for souls. There are ps on how to deal with discouragement, how to achieve your goals, how to turn ideas into reality and how to be debt free. As usual there are ar cles for men, women, parents, spouses, youth and singles. It really is a bumper packed edi on and I am convinced that God will use the material in it to bring Signs and Wonders into your life that will amaze you and those around you. I look forward to the tes monies, why not drop me a line and let me know what God is doing through the magazine in your life. Remain Blessed, Andrea Onduku (Editor)
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THE
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SOVEREIGN
As Christians, we often think we know more about God than we actually do until we pass through an inexplicable experience in life that turns our knowledge of Him upside down. God Himself tells us that His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). No matter how clever, intelligent or spiritual we are or how much of the bible we know there are some dimensions of God that we will never fully understand; one of these dimensions is God’s sovereignty. Because God is multi-dimensional and we are not, we can only understand what he reveals of Himself to us through His Holy Spirit (see Romans 11:33). 8
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God’s sovereignty is backed by His ominpotence, ominscience and omnipresence.
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o be “Sovereign” means to be “supreme”, “absolute”, “dominant”, “paramount”, “superior” and “independent” and refers to the greatest authority in a hierachy. The word “sovereign” is commonly used in reference to earthly monarchs but they have a limited sovereignty that only operates within their own sphere of influence. For example, the Queen of England may be the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth but her sovereignty does not impact affairs in other Commonwealth countries.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOVEREIGNTY God’s sovereignty is backed by His ominpotence, ominscience and omnipresence. Ominpotence refers to His unlimited power. Omniscience refers to his total and absolute knowledge of everything. Omnipresence refers to his universal pervading authority. These three attributes collectively characterise God’s sovereignty, making it distinct from any other sort of sovereignty whether in the earth or the spiritual realm. His unlimited power means that he can do anything He chooses to do, whenever, however, wherever he wants and no one can challenge Him. His Ominscience means that He knows the past, the present and the future all at the sametime. His omnipresence means that He occupies all time and space in the universe at the sametime – He is everywhere.
UNIVERSAL SOVEREIGNTY He is sovereign over the universe and all the planets and life forms within it and that means very simply that He is above all spiritual and earthly authority. There is nothing and no one higher than Him. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 1:11, 1:17 & 21:6). Before Him there was no God and there shall be no God after Him (Isaiah 43:10). What does all this mean? It simply means that His sovereignty is everlasting and has no sell-by date; it is an eternal sovereignty that has existed before all creation and will continue to exist into the infinite future. It also means that He is in control. Nothing happens in the universe outside God’s will, control, authority and influence. It does not matter whether you believe this or not. The sovereign God dictates the affairs of this life. His throne is in Heaven but He rules over all (Psalm 103:19) and absolutely nothing happens without His permission (Lamentations 3:36). The sovereign God’s power is unlimited and whatever He establishes cannot be reversed by anyone (Isaiah 43:13). As the one who created all things, God is in control of all creation in the universe both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). This means that He is responsible for the sustenance of all things. Even satan and his demons depend on God for their sustenance because all fallen angels are part of God’s creation despite the fact that they embraced corruption and rebelled
against Him. This means that we do not have to fear witches, wizards and other practitioners of the occult because the ones they rely on for their power were created by our God and remain under His authority. The sovereign God is the starting point of creation and has the unique ability to create something visible out of something invisible (Hebrews 11:3). He is also able to bring something into existence that has never existed before (Romans 4:17). God’s creative power resides in His spoken word and in Genesis Chapter 1 we are told that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He then began to call forth things that had never existed before and everything He called forth came into being. The sovereign God is therefore not reliant on anyone or anything to do anything for Him because He precedes all things (Colossians 1:17). Every weather condition and environmental force of nature is under His control and remain subject to Him (Mark 4:39-41). At His command waves and storms cease (Psalm 107:25 – 30) therefore tsunamis, hurricanes and cyclones are under His control and He dictates their boundaries. If you have ever been a victim of a natural disaster such as a tsunami or hurricane where you have suffered loss, as painful as that experience must have been, I wish to assure you that it did not happen outside His control, knowledge and presence. If you are wondering why He didn’t intervene to arrest that disaster and spare you the pain I believe the answer lies in His sovereignty. This is why I explained at the outset that God is multi-dimensional. We live in a world where floods, hurricanes, snow blizzards, earthquakes and forest fires claim lives and property on a regular basis but these things cannot happen outside God’s influence and authority. The same goes for many other inexplicable events in our lives that keep us scratching our heads ponderously in search of the reason why they had to happen. We know there is a devil who orchestrates tragedy as part of his strategy to weaken and derail us but we still expect God’s protection and intervention whenever we’re under siege.
As the one who created all things, God is in control of all creation in the universe both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). Many Christians have been duped, betrayed, raped, mugged, cheated on by a spouse, whilst others have miscarried pregnancies, been dumped at the altar, lost jobs, lost homes, become bankrupt, buried loved ones and suffered grievous sicknesses but all these things did not happen outside God’s sovereignty.
THE FOUNDATION OF HIS SOVEREIGNTY Nothing is too hard for the sovereign God and He is able to do anything. He empowered Abraham to impregnate Sarah when he
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was almost one hundred years old and she was approaching ninety and she gave birth to a son named Isaac (Genesis 21:2). When there was famine in the land He caused Isaac to sow and receive a hundredfold harvest (Genesis 26:1-14). When Isaac’s son Jacob was being cheated by his father-in-law God gave Jacob a strategy for creating spotted, streaked and speckled livestock from animals that lacked these features (Genesis 30:32-43). Just because He is able to do anything, however, does not mean that He will do whatever we ask Him to. The foundation of God’s sovereignty is His will. His will is what determines the things that God will do as well as the things He will never do. Understanding God’s will in a situation helps us to better understand His sovereignty. It saves us the frustration and futility of praying prayers that may never be answered or will not be answered in the time and season of our desire. Psalm 37:4 says if we delight ourselves in the Lord He will give us our heart’s desires but before we say “Amen!” we should consider that there is a pre-requisite that we first take delight in the Lord. We should also consider that nothing is mentioned here about His season or timing which are also vital. What determines if God will answer our prayers is not our heart’s desire but His sovereign will. In 1st John 5:14-15 we are told by the Apostle that when we ask for anything in accordance with His will we should be confident that He hears us and that becuase He hears us He will give us whatever we ask for. This means that God will only give us what we ask for, if what we ask for is in accordance with His sovereign will. There are numerous instances in the Bible where people’s desires accorded with God’s sovereign will and God answered them. When Isaac’s wife Rebekah was barren, the Bible records that Isaac prayed for her and after twenty years she conceived and gave birth to twins. When Samson lost his eyes due to compromise and became a source of entertainment for the Philistines, Samson prayed for God to let him be avenged on his enemies and die with them and God granted his request as this was clearly in line with God’s sovereign will. When the families and possessions belonging to David and his men were taken from them by armed raiders in Ziklag, David sought God for a line of action and was assured that he would catch them and recover everything that had been taken from them. David pursued the raiders and recovered all (1 Sam 30). However there are situations where it is slightly more difficult to know what God’s sovereign will is and even if we do know it, it is not easy to submit to. Peter says that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (His sovereign will) and in due season He will lift us up (1 Peter 5:6). The story of Job’s affliction comes to mind here. Job was faithfully serving God and living right but despite this God still allowed satan to strike at him and in one day Job lost all of his children and all his wealth. As if this was not enough the sovereign God then permitted satan to strike at Job’s health. At the time the situation was both agonising and confusing to Job but despite this Job never cursed God. At the end of that experience Job came out more knowledgeable about the sovereign God and His ways. Whilst the foundation of God’s sovereignty is His will, the ultimate end of God’s will is His plan. God has a master plan and this is His primary focus. Everything that happens to us whether good or bad is all linked to His master plan. His personal plans for each of us are connected to His master plan and this may go some way to explaining some of the tragic events that sometimes come
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The foundation of God’s sovereignty is His will. His will is what determines the things that God will do as well as the things He will never do. Understanding God’s will in a situation helps us to better understand His sovereignty. It saves us the frustration and futility of praying prayers that may never be answered or will not be answered in the time and season of our desire. our way. We do not know what the master plan is apart from what is revealed in scripture but we know that there is one. In the garden of Gethsamane, even though Jesus Christ knew that God’s sovereign will was for Him to die on the cross carrying the burden of mankind’s sin he still asked God if it were possible for that fate to pass from him. However He ultimately submitted to God’s sovereignty will because He understood that God’s sovereign will was linked to His plan for the salvation of mankind. God promised Abraham that he would have a son but because his wife, Sarah, was barren, Abraham impregnated her maid Hagar and had a son named Ishmael. When God turned up thirteen years later to cement His covenant with Abraham, Abraham tried to make God change His mind and establish His covenant with Ishmael, however God refused because His sovereign will was to establish a covenant with Isaac the son whom Sarah would give birth to. God’s plan was to make Abraham a father of nations not just a father.
OUR HOPE IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good for those who love God, who have been called according to His purpose. Read in context this says that regardless of what happens in our lives as Christians, God is in control and because we are His children the situation, whatever it is, will have a happy ending. In Lamentations 3:36, we are told that where our adversaries treat us unjustly God will not approve and because of that whatever judgment they pronounce over us shall not come to pass because it does not accord with God’s sovereign will. Because God is sovereign and we are His children, nothing will ever happen in our lives unless God has permitted it and where he does permit it, it will produce in us that which brings glory to His name. Let us draw encouragement from the fact that our God is sovereign and that He cares for us. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph 6:10). BY JOSEPH AMAEZE ONWUCHEKWA
EVANGELISM
One People Commission The One People Commission is a body of the Evangelical Alliance made up of key national church leaders, committed to celebrating ethnicity, while promoting unity within the UK evangelical Church. Our History The African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA) closed in May 2011 after 25 years in existence. Following the closure, the Evangelical Alliance committed to a future which better represents the ethnic diversity of the evangelical community in the UK, after meetings with national church leaders. Senior staff from the Alliance met key leaders in the months following the closure of the ACEA. They felt the need to address the issue in conversation with senior leaders from the black majority churches and to seek their input in mapping out a strategy for how best to reflect our diverse community. Following an initial meeting on 6 October 2011 at Jesus House, hosted by Pastor Agu Irukwu, with a wide range of leaders, a commission including Bishop Eric Brown (national overseer of the New Testament Church of God), Bishop John Francis (senior pastor of Ruach Ministries), Bishop Wilton Powell (Church of God of Prophecy), Dr Tani Omideyi (Temple of Praise) and Pastor Agu Irukwu (senior pastor of Jesus House) met on 25 November to discuss and bring forward a report and recommendations as to the way forward for the Evangelical Alliance. After a series of meetings, in September 2012 Rev Yemi Adedeji was appointed director of the One People Commission
Our story The UK evangelical Church is blessed with a vibrant tapestry of people from all walks of life, backgrounds and ethnicities. We celebrate the texture that these expressions of our faith bring and are sensitive to ways of ‘doing church’ which reflect the variety of ethnic backgrounds that we come from. But ultimately we are one people, with one voice and one hope. While we affirm this diversity, we long to see the Church united as one. So we are passionate about building relationships and forming friendships between national leaders from across denominations, of representing the diversity of the evangelical Church in the UK and speaking on its behalf to government and
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the media. Because we believe that we, the wonderfully vibrant Church, are better together. Our Vision - to see the UK Church, in all its vibrant ethnic diversity, united as one. To see divides crossed and barriers broken down as we build relationships and form friendships. But this is not unity for unity’s sake. It is for the purpose of seeing our wonderful, diverse communities, transformed with the good news of Jesus Christ. Our Mission - to reflect, celebrate and serve the ethnic diversity of the Church in the UK by helping to reshape the focus and the feel of the Evangelical Alliance and its membership. Our purpose - To be united for the purpose of seeing all of our communities transformed with the good news of Jesus Christ. How will we do this? •
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By acknowledging the ethnic diversity and individuality that exists within the UK Church, but by highlighting the importance of coming together as one By promoting and profiling the message of unity through the Evangelical Alliance’s channels and to national leaders By helping the Evangelical Alliance relate more widely and encouraging others to do the same By ensuring the Evangelical Alliance’s Board, Council, staff, national offices and Theology and Public Policy Advisory Commission (TAPPAC) better reflect the ethnic diversity of the UK Church By encouraging the Evangelical Alliance to speak out on new issues with new voices By helping to enlarge the Evangelical Alliance’s membership with a greater ethnic diversity By committing to celebrate the diversity of the evangelical Church in the UK For more information visit: www.eauk.org/onepeople
EVANGELISM
A Burning Passion for the Gospel!
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wo weeks ago I was astonished to read a report in UK that suggested 59% of Churches have no-one aged between 1520 years of age in them. Compare this to figures 30 years ago and we could see that most Churches would consist of a broad range of ages, and there would be no shortage of youth. After reading this report I forwarded it to my contacts on Twitter and on Facebook numbering around 20,000 people who are based primarily in the UK. The responses that I had back were incredible, some were concerned and others pleased to hear that it was reported. The most worrying report was from a Pastor who refused to read the report stating that it was negative propaganda! Surely it is time that we accepted the Church has been asleep, and that the Lord is calling us to wake up, take action and go to those lost sheep that are wandering around out towns, cities and villages without any direction or hope! There is a need that only Jesus can meet, and this is becoming more evident and clear as time goes by. I am a passionate evangelist and make no compromise with the Gospel, we either believe it all or we walk away. We are in desperate times in the UK and it is time that we had a surge of passion, faith and belief in the Holy Spirit, who is more than able to stir this nation back to repentance and to a Bible based faith that stretches our expectation levels! As an evangelist I believe that the preaching of the Gospel is about allowing your heart to be poured out, for too long the Church has hidden behind a veil, we have let others take the helm and steer the direction of where we go, which has now led us to crisis point. So the question is why do we, as a nation struggle with the Gospel message? My answer is simple, as a nation we have lost all sense of Biblical foundation and Christian culture. In Africa where I have been to preach at several large crusades I see a passion for Jesus, a hunger and a thirst for righteousness and people that will travel hundreds of miles to receive a
miracle. Even those people that have no faith still have a respect for the Church and the Gospel, but not here. It breaks my heart not to see that same respect here, but I live in hope. I see that we have no respect for authority and no understanding of scripture whatsoever. Last week I was having a hair cut when I was asked the question “what do you do for a living?” in reply I said “I am a preacher, I tell people about Jesus”. The hairdresser then said to me something that shocked me; “do they still exist in the UK”? The words echo around my mind even now. The truth of this is simple, that inviting people to Church simply does not work as a one stop solution any more. We must “GO”, lay hands of the sick and really demonstrate the power of the Gospel on the streets, in coffee shops, in people’s homes and reach people where they are. In the past few weeks following the preaching of the Gospel I have seen a number of incredible miracles and over 70 decisions for Christ all this as I prepare for a stadium tour of the UK to reach 100,000 initial decisions for Christ. I see people becoming desperate for Jesus but they don’t know it! Spirituality, new age religion and paganism are all up in popularity and demonstrate that there is a hunger for something more. Unless we go for Him, they will never know and in 20 years if we do nothing the Church in the UK will be on her knees. It’s time to wake up Church but who will go for Him, will you? Jonathan Hulton Jonathan Hulton is an up and coming evangelistic voice based in the UK. A gifted and passionate communicator his focus is to preach the Gospel and to see as many people commit their life to Jesus as possible. Jonathan is a co-founder of Groundbreakers, an evangelistic ministry that hosts training events, evangelistic events and trains and partners with churches to see revival in their communities. He can be contacted via www.groundbreakers.tv Email: info@groundbreakers.tv Tel: 0845 528 1025
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COMMUNITY
Getting to know GIRLS’ BRIGADE Girls’ Brigade groups all over England and Wales provide rewarding, stretching and posi ve opportuni es for children and young people to discover and grow in faith.
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irls’ Brigade (GB) is an interna onal mission movement working with churches in over 50 countries to provide fun and inspiring groups that help to see lives and communi es transformed and enriched. The Na onal Director of GB England & Wales, Ruth Gilson, says ‘GB started in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland, as a result of women responding to the needs of girls in their local community. It was birthed as a visionary and pioneering mission with a heart for local girls, recognising their needs and aspira ons are fulfilled through the gospel - and nothing about that has changed for this new and uncharted genera on. We’re as commi ed to seeing lives and communi es transformed and enriched as genera ons seek, serve and follow Jesus Christ as the original GB members were 120 years ago.’ GB’s a great tool for your parish – enabling you to reach out in sustainable mission to the community, as well as nurturing the children and young people you already connect with in a safe and friendly environment. New GB is developed by local GB teams, with support from GB’s na onal support centre and network of mission enablers. GB can work with your parish to develop flexible groups for different ages, in different se ngs and in different styles; depending upon the needs of the local area - from mul -ac vity weekly groups to breakfast, a er school and lunch me clubs or age-specific work.
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For parishes interested in developing new groups, GB also offers: • Consulta on and support • Flexible equipping and training for volunteers • Sustainable ac vity that encourages achievement - using GB’s structured, yet flexible, programme material plus Duke of Edinburgh’s Award • An array of resources – great tools for leaders to use as they seek to share Chris an faith with children and young people • Events – from local camps to residen al na onal youth fes vals • Suppor ve networks • Mission opportuni es where young people can get involved in leading local holiday clubs, children’s work at Chris an events in the UK or on GB’s summer mission team in Europe. GB has recently been chosen to work on a na onal government project, by the Department for Communi es and Local Government (DCLG). This project is focused on developing new groups for children and young people in the areas of London, Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester and Middleborough. Through this project, parishes in these areas not only have the opportunity to work with a designated GB development worker, but can also for new group grants of up to £5,000. For more informa on about GB, and how they could help you to develop a new group for children and young people, contact GB’s Mission Co-ordinator Hannah Field on 01235 510425, email mission@girlsbrigadeew.org.uk or check out the GB website at www.girlsb.org.uk.
God
WHAT
CANNOT DO
The Sovereign God reigns supreme and there is nothing that is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37). In defending His people, the Bible says it is what the Sovereign Lord permits that will come to pass (Isaiah 7:7). The Almighty God is the Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5). He is able to do more things than we can ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted (Job 9:10). God’s power is unlimited. He can do anything He wants, whenever He wants (Psalm 115:3). He spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3). Furthermore, He answers to no one as to His plans and purposes: “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).
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t would seem then that there is nothing that God cannot do. Yet in my walk with God I have discovered that by virtue of who God is and His principles there are indeed some things that God cannot do.
1. God cannot lie: Hebrews 6:18 says “…it is impossible for God to lie ….” Numbers 23:19 says “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” It is impossible for God to lie. If you are struggling in your faith be encouraged with what the Bible says in Habakkuk 2:3 that “… the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” God is faithful to His promises. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He cannot lie to you. He is a covenant keeping God. In Psalm 89:34-35, He says “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.”
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2. God cannot fail: Deuteronomy 31:8, the Bible says “…the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Our God cannot fail. Don’t be afraid of that circumstance. Do not allow the troubles of life to reduce your faith in God. Know that God is God at all times. Hebrews 13:5 says “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In fact, the Psalmist says “no one who hopes in the Lord will ever be put to shame ….” (Psalm 25:3). Be encouraged, you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). 3. God cannot be pleased without faith: Hebrews 11:6 says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Faith is what the Bible declares produces a harvest of assurance which in turn comes through acceptance of divine promises. The Holy Spirit is a voice of divine assurance. I John 4:13 says “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has
unbelief limits God’s move concerning your situation. 7. God cannot tolerate hypocrisy: Look what the Bible says in Matthew 23:27, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” in verse 33 Jesus said of these hypocrites, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell”? Paul said in Romans 6:1 “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?” Know that your obedience to divine instructions is better than your sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).
Dr. Akpo Onduku
given us of His Spirit.” We are encouraged to live by faith for whatever is not of faith is considered as sin. Philippians 1:6 encourages us to be “… confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Kenneth Hagin said “if our faith is based upon feelings, we are just using natural human faith, and we cannot get spiritual results with natural human faith. We have to use scriptural faith, Bible faith, believing in God’s Word.” Rest assured, look up to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). 4. God cannot be unrighteous: Romans 9:14 says “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” The God we serve is a righteous God and His eyes cannot behold iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13). Hence Apostle Paul said that “for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love …” (Hebrews 6:10). God is the best business partner or master you can ever have. 5. God cannot violate His Word: Psalm 119:89 attests to the fact that the word of God is forever settled in heaven. God cannot contradict His Word. John 1:1 says “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This Word according to the Lord Jesus, even though heaven and earth shall pass away, the words of God shall remain forever (Matthew 24:35). 6. God cannot deny Himself: 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” Know that your unbelief or uncertainty does not make God less of who He is or do less of what He says He would. His promises are yea and are, Amen (2 Cor. 1:20). Rather, your
8. God cannot have respect of persons: In Romans 2:1112, the Bible says “for there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” The NKJV explains this verse as that “there is no partiality with God.” This means that God does not change His principles, you will be judged by them just as everyone else. In Acts 10:34, Peter declared, “… God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” For instance, if you are righteous, you will flourish (Psalm 92:12). 9. God cannot change: Malachi 3:6 says “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Know that from everlasting to everlasting, He is God. The Amplified version of the Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).” 10. God cannot praise Himself: He created humans for the main purpose of fellowship with Himself. God deserves our praise. Hence if we don’t praise Him, He will go ahead to raise inanimate objects like rocks and stones to do that for Him. The Message Translation of Luke 19:40 says “… if they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.” While the NLT says “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Please do not compel God to replace you with stones. David said in Psalm 34:1 that “… I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” This is not the ‘praise’ of which God is the author, but of which he is the object; which is due unto him, and is given him on account of the perfections of His nature, and the works of His hands, and the blessings of His providence and grace. This, the psalmist says, should be in his mouth, meaning that he should not only retain in his heart a grateful sense of the divine favours, but should express it with his lips; should both make melody in his heart to the Lord, and vocally sing his praise; and that ‘continually’, as long as he lived, or had any being (Psalm 146:2). Dr. Akpo Onduku (Pastor, RCCG Chapel of Grace Bradford)
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rccg events calendar
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EVENT
DATE(S)
RCCG WORKERS’ RALLY WITH THE GENERAL OVERSEER
16th APRIL
FESTIVAL OF LIFE (FOL) LONDON
19th APRIL
NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY OF PRAYER
11th MAY
PASTORS’ APPRECIATION WEEK
13th – 19th MAY
CHRIST REDEEMER COLLEGE WEEK
20th – 26th MAY
RCCG UK PASTORS’ INDUCTION COURSE (PIC) - SCOTLAND
18th & 25th MAY
AFRICA MISSION UK EVENTS
31st MAY - 1st JUNE
RCCG UK NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
9th JUNE
CALLED BY HIS/HER SIDE - SCOTLAND
15th JUNE
GOOD WOMEN FELLOWSHIP UK CONFERENCE
28th – 29th JUNE
NATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL DAY
14th JULY
FESTIVAL OF LIFE (FOL) MIDLANDS
19th JULY
RCCG UK PASTORS’ INDUCTION COURSE (PIC) - BIRMINGHAM
10th & 17th AUGUST
RCCG UK SPORTS DAY
24th AUGUST
RCCG FEMALE MINISTERS’ RETREAT (South -East England, Midlands, & Scotland) SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND MIDLANDS SCOTLAND
27th – 29th SEPTEMBER 4th-6th OCTOBER 11th - 12th OCTOBER
RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
7th SEPTEMBER
CALLED BY HIS/HER SIDE – MIDLANDS
14th SEPTEMBER
CATALYST TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE (for children, teenagers and youth teachers)
21st SEPTEMBER
COVENANT PARTNERS’ RECEPTION WITH THE GENERAL OVERSEER
10th OCTOBER
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
11th OCTOBER
CHRIST REDEEMER COLLEGE GRADUATION CEREMONY/ SCHOOL OF DISCIPLES UK GRADUATION CEREMONY
12th OCTOBER
FESTIVAL OF LIFE (FOL) PARTNERS’ RECEPTION WITH THE G.O.
14th OCTOBER
RCCG WORKERS’ RALLY WITH THE GENERAL OVERSEER
15th OCTOBER
FESTIVAL OF LIFE (FOL) LONDON
18th OCTOBER
UK ORDINATION CEREMONY
20th OCTOBER
CATALYST WEEKEND (FOR CHILDREN, TEENAGERS AND YOUTHS)
1st – 3rd NOVEMBER
RCCG NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
9th NOVEMBER
CALLED BY HIS/HER SIDE - LONDON
23rd NOVEMBER
RCCG UK PASTORS’ INDUCTION COURSE (PIC) - KNEBWORTH
23rd & 30th NOVEMBER
SUNRISE
Called by
[|áB[xÜ f|wx T
here is often glamour attached to being the pastor’s wife but there is also a lot of expectation attached to the role. She loves everybody, visits the sick, counsels the broken hearted, takes in the homeless, smiles to everyone, preaches too, teaches the women class, holds down a full time job and is the pastors personal assistant. Quite a feat! But what happens when the parish pastor happens to be a lady? I sometimes wonder how their husbands really feel. Their wife is the one who is called to ministry and they as the husband sees himself in a supportive role. The husband of Joyce Meyer for example must know how this feels very well. How does a husband who is supporting his wife in the ministry feel when the congregation side steps him to talk to his wife? What about when she preaches a great message and everyone applauds but when he does, is he so well received? How does he feel when she has to spend time with other senior pastors and attend meetings and retreats while he has to be responsible for the children while she is away and balance his work. How can he prove himself as the head of the home? How can he assert himself equally as a man of God in Church?
I am no expert in these matters but my heart goes out to the ones that have been ‘called by her side’. It is a call to the greatest humility, the greatest letting go and the greatest honour in preferring each other in love. It is a call of laying down your life for her and ultimately for the Lord. It takes a strong man to put his wife forward and take a back seat. A call to ‘dying to self’, a call certainly not for the fainthearted. Do I hear someone saying “too late, I’m fainthearted and already caught up”. Dearly beloved, remember this is not an accident. The One who called you is completely dependable. If He said it, He’ll do it (2 Thes 5:24) The best place to be is in the centre of Gods’ will and He makes no mistakes. You might think you are fainthearted but that’s not the testimony of heaven concerning you. God completely understands your struggles and He is on your side. He wants you to succeed in this sacred assignment and His strength is made perfect in your weakness. If you need answers to any of the questions in this article then why not come for the next Called by His/Her Side meeting and get the answers and support that you need.
This year, there will be three locations for the Called by His/Her side (CBHS) outreach. CBHS primarily reaches out to pastors’ spouses and is a forum for like minds to meet. Please find the location nearest to you and plan to attend. SCOTLAND: 15th June 2013 Dundee MIDLANDS: 14TH September 2013 Manchester LONDON: 23RD November 2013 London
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PSYCHOLOGY
WHY DO I GET EASILY DISCOURAGED? Do you often get so excited about pursuing a goal, a project or a dream but get easily discouraged because the results you expect do not come quickly enough or the negative opinions of others basically sap your energy and enthusiasm? Do you feel you lack the tenacity to follow through?
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ou are not the only one in this situation. Over 95% of the population in any country of the world fall into this category. Discouragement is one of the biggest obstacles to success. You can join the top 3% who have defied the negative force of discouragement to attain unbelievable levels of success. Success has formulae – all of which are learnable. Now, Let us look at some of the possible causes of discouragement and what can be done to overcome them: 1) LACK OF CLEAR VISION: If you do not know what exactly you want, you will live your entire life being controlled by the opinions of others. Every human contains a powerful success mechanism – which is goal-striving. It only becomes activated when a clear goal is in view. So sit down and decide what you really want to accomplish. Do not borrow another person’s dream. Set your life goal and believe in its possibility. If you are not passionate and convinced enough about where you are going in life, someone else will succeed in convincing you to look the other way. Set small and realistic daily goals to move you towards your major goal. Human brains are extremely adaptive. The only way to re-wire your brain to identify itself with success is by collecting small successes. Set small and achievable goals so that each time you complete them and succeed, you send success signals to your brain. And in no time,
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Discouragement is inevitable when you don’t know “how” and what it takes to succeed. you brain reprograms and re-tunes itself for success – having memorised various recent success patterns. This then makes you feel better about yourself. You become happier and have more energy to keep advancing. 2) THE EGO (INNER PRIDE) AND FEAR OF FAILURE: I combine these two elements because they are interrelated. We fear failure because we resent how it makes our Ego feels. The Ego is the false self carved by our wrong perceptions of the expectations of others about us. After the Ego is completely formed, your subconscious mind begins to raise a danger alarm against any undertaking that may potentially challenge or hurt our so called “Ego” or “false Self”. That is why you would rather shrink back from starting a project than experience what your brain as identified as the “pain of failure.” Unless you detach yourself from the false self, the true self, who is creative, energetic
and result-driven, cannot emerge. Highly successful people are those who have tamed their Ego and are willing to start, fail, learn and grow – knowing very well that failure is merely a shortest door to success. They are more passionate to succeed than their pride and fear of failure. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” said Bill Cosby. Ego is the enemy of advancement. It is important that you make up your mind to disengage to identify with your Ego. Refuse to let pride stop you from taking positive actions that will liberate you from mediocrity or poverty. Reprogram your mind through positive affirmations. Declare yourself as someone who loves to learn, is courageous, resilient and the one who finishes what he starts.
Your mind-set controls your productivity. When you choose a mind-set, you choose a future. 3) POOR PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SUCCESS. For some, this is the reason why they get discouraged easily – they never really understand how success happens. At school, we were taught how to read, write, solve simple arithmetic etc. But nobody taught us how to succeed. I remember, as a little boy, thinking that success just happens to people like magic without having to do anything. Success is a skill that must be learnt – just like any other life’s skill such as riding a bike, or swimming. So I recommend you start learning skills for success – there are a lot of success coaches and materials out there for those who are willing to learn. Discouragement is inevitable when you don’t know “how” and what it takes to succeed. Success will require, amongst others, courage, perspiration, faith, patience, quality learning. “Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success,” said Napoleon Hill. Your success will require more than desire, you will have to cultivate valuable skills necessary for high achievements. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” right said by Thomas A. Edison. 4) NEGATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE: Your mental attitude sets the height of your perseverance in any given situation. If the attitude of your mind is negative, it will repel any action that is not consistent with its contents. And since accomplishing a goal is positive, it has no chance to survive because of the powerful resistance coming from your mental attitude. Your mind-set controls your productivity. When you choose a mind-set, you choose a future. If you’ve already been convinced subconsciously that you will not succeed in what you are starting, your outcome will simply confirm it – in the name of the overwhelming discouragement that you feel. “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude,” Said Thomas Jefferson. 5) UNHEALTHY INNER CHATTERING. This is arguably one of the most important skills to master in life – How to communicate effectively with yourself. Whether you
know it or not – you are always dialoguing with yourself – asking questions and answering questions. If the questions you are asking are negative, they automatically attract negative answers – which will then disrupt your focus and send distress signals to the body, secreting feelings of discouragement. If you ask a question such as “Why is it that I am a failure?” You will probably get an answer such as “Because that’s what you are.” So the key skill here is to ask positive and constructive questions such as “How can I be successful? What can I do to achieve? Who can I learn from? What can I learn from this set back?” Master how to give positive answers to all your negative thoughts. Ensure no internal dialogue within you is ended without you coming out in victory. Dominate your inner chattering; it is the key for winning. Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results,” said Willie Nelson. 6) PAST PAINFUL MEMORIES. Your brain was designed to remember past pains and to alert you against going through the same painful experience. But it is your responsibility to override the fearful memory of the past with the possibilities of today. Give up your past failure history and see today as the first day of the rest of your life. In order to BREAKTHROUGH into your FUTURE, you will have to BREAK LOOSE from your PAST. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Use your past pain and failures as springboards to your greatness. There is PURPOSE in every painful experience you have been through. “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future,” said George Bernard Shaw. Those who live in the past cannot leap into the future. Scrutinize the past only for the wisdom it contains, then advance boldly in the directions of your goals. 7) WRONG ASSOCIATIONS. If those you hang out with have no vision, their first assignment is to talk you out of yours. Your association will always determine your acceleration. In fact, research shows most people eventually earn between two to three thousand pounds more or less than their closest friends’ earnings. The quality of your association determines the quality of your life. The bible says, “Those who walk with the wise shall become wise; but the companions of fools will be destroyed.” Wrong association is very costly – more costly than anyone is telling you. What you want to do is to identify quality friends whose vision, passion, and energy are in harmony with yours. Walk away from friends whose only advice is that of discouragement. They do not belong in your future those in whose presence your energy, confidence and motivation diminish. I hope these seven causes and solutions of the question above have added something valuable to your life. Stay persistently focussed and I will see you at the TOP. Wale Oladipo. Wale Oladipo is a Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Counsellor and Psychotherapist with an intense passion to help others achieve their maximum potential and live life to the full physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically. You can contact him via www.waleoladipo.com
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Dear Andrea
Matters of the Heart
A problem is only a problem until you find the solution. Are you searching for a solution to a problem that has so far remained elusive? Maybe you need a second opinion or some advice concerning a situation you are facing? Whatever the need, here at Sunrise Magazine, we want to help, whether it be a problem, an irritant, a matter of the heart, a situation at work, dealing with children, youth issues, suicidal thoughts, finance, the stress of day-to-day living or any other issue. We believe at Sunrise Magazine
that God has called us to bear one another’s burdens.(Gal 6:2) With this in mind Sunrise has created an Agony Aunt Problem page. This is a space for you, the reader, where you can write in with your questions or problems and receive honest and non-judgemental advice concerning your situation. Thank you to those who have already written in with your questions, the questions and answers are printed below, if you would like further input, feel free to get in touch.
Dear Andrea, Thank You for your article titled- '20 Ways to revive Your Marriage' in SUNRISE magazine. I have really learned a lot to share with my fiancée from the article. Please I have a question about Christian courtship and romance/sex 1. Is it correct for courting partners to call themselves - Dear, Sweetie, Darling, Wife, etc (use of other love language and pet names)? 2. Is it correct to repeatedly use the word 'I LOVE YOU'; 'I MISS YOU'; 'I LIKE THE WAY YOU LOOK'. In summary, what is the possibility of romance in relationship without sinning? 3. Is there allowance for physical contact as long as it doesn't lead to intercourse between them (I mean hugging & holding, but not pecking, kissing or caressing). 4. Please can you explain the separating line between LOVE and LUST? Emmanuel
monthly cycle. Triggers can also be spiritual in origin. Sometimes temptations come from nowhere, with no emotional or physical stimulus that you can identify. Temptations can arise from Satan, our enemy (see 2 Corinthians 11:3). But often these whispers from the enemy come in conjunction with some physical or emotional vulnerability (for example, Jesus had been in the wilderness fasting for forty days when finally Satan appeared to him-Matthew 4:2). Other triggers include loneliness, seeking affirmation, desiring companionship, avoiding boredom, feeling close to someone else, seeking excitement etc. Most of these reasons are nonsexual. They are social and emotional. Therefore, I think it is wise to always check our motivations. This would dictate the names that we call each other. The problem is that the words 'I love you' are often exchanged based on romantic feelings rather than a real commitment remembering the biblical definition of ‘love’ which is about being selfless. It is very challenging especially for women which such words are exchanged insincerely and can cause a lot of heart break if the relationship ends. The dividing line really between love and lust is that love will deprive itself for the benefit of the loved one whereas lust wants to be fulfilled. For example, statements like 'you are beautiful' is better than 'I like the way you look'. Taking 'I' out of the sentence makes a subtle difference. Finally, I would suggest that you develop preventive strategies in avoiding temptation as you are clearly doing already. I would also suggest that you let your pastors know about the relationship if you haven't already which will help with accountability and also sign up for pre-marital counselling. I hope that you find this little information helpful and I pray that you will continue to walk in a way that glorifies God and you will make Heaven in Jesus name
Emmanuel, thanks for getting in touch and I am glad that you were blessed by the article. I think it is great that you are asking these questions as it means that you are aware of the need to keep the marriage bed undefiled and are being proactive. I would say that the answers to some of these questions are specific for each couple. For some, any physical contact even hugging can spark sexual feelings. This is because sexual purity can be violated even in thoughts that never proceed to outward acts (Job 31:1; Matt. 5:28; Phil. 4:8; James 1:14-15). You would need to have an honest conversation about what degree of closeness is difficult for either of you to avoid sinning physically and in your thought life. Of course you already stated that kissing and caressing is off limits. Also pet names and romance may be challenging for a lady as it leads to increased intimacy and a feeling of possession that 'he is mine'. It is also necessary to identify your triggers to temptation. Everyone has patterns of temptation. For some, they are attacked with sexual thoughts upon waking up or just prior to falling asleep. Others are susceptible when they are tired later in the day or during times of stress. There are also seasonal factors. Men tend to struggle more in the summer, when everyone dresses in skimpier clothing and the visual stimulation soars. Others dread family holidays like Christmas or Mother’s Day, when feelings of loneliness can lead to overwhelming sexual temptations. For women (and some men), temptation levels can also follow a
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Dear Andrea, Please I have a few questions about courtship. 1. I have heard that nothing good comes easy. What does working on your relationship mean? 2. How should one say no without hurting the other person if you do not feel comfortable about a suggestion, not because it is sinful but you just don’t feel like it? 3. I realise that my fiancé & I disagree a lot these days. It makes me tired most times. What can I do?
4. Does being engaged change who you are? 5. I know that endurance is a good virtue. How far should this go in courtship? 6 There are times I get so tired & I wonder if I should get married at all. Is this normal? 7. How can one tell that a relationship is healthy? Tolu Tolu, thank you for getting in touch and being so honest in your questions. It is a good realisation that you need to work on your relationship as many expect it just to happen and progress to a healthy marriage with no effort. Working on your relationship is two-fold. To be in a relationship, you need to be working on yourself so that you can give your best to the other person and treat them in a Christ like way which is ultimately selfless. On the other, hand working on a relationship means investing in good and effective communication. It is the unspoken things that will cause mistrust and conflict. Taking time to discover each other’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and views on life and situations especially in courtship will help you to deduce whether you can live with the dislikes and weaknesses for the rest of your lives. You can’t get into a relationship thinking that you will change the other person. If there is something you don’t like now, you need to discuss it so that you will know whether a compromise can be reached or whether you will have to live with it or whether you cannot live with it. I believe it is best to be honest if you are not comfortable about a suggestion otherwise seeds of resentment will be sown. However, as a godly relationship is about being selfless, there are times when for example you may have to go to an Italian restaurant even though you prefer Chinese because the other person likes Italian. You will definitely need endurance throughout your married life as 1 Peter 4:8 says “Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a
multitude of sins [forgives and [a]disregards the offenses of others]”.You cannot always please yourself but you cannot be so scared of losing the person that you do not speak your mind as that would not be a good foundation for marriage. You need not be afraid of disagreement as it is a period of getting to know one another and it is a time of forging forward and making compromises. However prayer is central in courtship, if the relationship has problems, you can ask God to direct your steps and help you through the issues to come out stronger or whether indeed it is the right person for you. There may be some smaller irritants that you can overlook so that life will not have constant arguments. Keep sight of the larger picture, what do you like about each other, what has God said about your relationship and keep this in focus. Try to limit disagreements to larger issues that need to be thrashed out to move forward and focus less on those small irritants as they are usually just symptoms of a larger issue underneath. It is also good to discuss these larger issues in premarital counselling as you may be able to find a compromise with a mediator helping you to see things clearer. It is normal to wonder if it is all worth the effort because it is more comfortable to please ourselves. That is why being engaged will cause change because you must learn to consider another person and be more prayerful and wise. Always considering another person and their feeling is tiring but the benefits are plentiful, the biggest being that we are fulfilling the will of God. The purpose of marriage is to reflect the ultimate marriage between God and His Church and therefore marriage is beautiful and brings great joy. As to your final question, you can see this edition’s article which will give further insight. I pray that God will direct your steps and you will find great joy and favour in your courtship and marriage in Jesus name. Send your problems or questions, which will be treated in the strictest confidence, to Andrea at info@mattersofheart.org
Books You Just Must Read...
...contact your local Christian book shop. SUNRISE
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THE ORACLES OF SIGNS AND WONDERS In the castle of “yea and amen” lives Promise His kitchen is fitted with the Word of power For cooking miracle meals daily as the Sun rises It is your turn to be served signs and wonders In the garden of promise, there is no disguise Pray; seek and you’ll find the flower of wonder And in the Omega’s mega kitchen of promise Ask & you’ll be given the miracle meal answer The Possessor of heaven and earth and no other Owns and rules the Wonderful’s land of Promise You and your children are for signs and wonders It’s your turn to shine brightly for all to see, arise The accuser is your spy, no wonder he wanders Your blessings to hinder; so take heed & be wise He cannot put your God-given wonders asunder If your code name is faith & the angels your allies In pure regret, Satan goes bonkers as he wonders How God with wonders stages hell’s work demise The destroyer is destroyed as God in fury thunders I have Canaan for Egypt, the devil shudders & cries Heaven is the pinnacle of indescribable wonders It unravels the marvel of mortals beyond the skies Oh! endless worship forever I’ll render as I ponder And at Iast behold the home of eternal surprises… Selah (C)Bukky Fatokun, 2013
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jÉÇwxÜ
Make Me A Meditate on: Psalm 71:7 (NKJV) I have become as a wonder to many, but you are my strong refuge. Psalm 77:14 (NKJV) You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
me, fearfully and wonderfully made me, wonderful are your works Oh Lord and I am one of them (Psalm 139:14). So make me a wonder like David and full of virtue like Jesus who amazed many with bewildering wonders. Let me be all that You want me to be. Also wrought your wonders through
me like You did in the lives of Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel. May I be a wonderful instrument in your hands. Amen. Culled from Everyday Victorious Living, A Medita on and Prayer Guide By Dr. Foyeke Chris ana Tolani
Isaiah 8:18 (KJV) Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion. Further Reading Psalm 86:2 (AMP), 107:8, 136:4, Ma hew 13:54 (AMP), Mark 6:51, Isaiah 60:15b (NKJV) Prayer Make Me A Wonder Make me a wonder and not a disappointment Make me a delight and not a source of sorrow Make me an eternal excellence, a joy to many na ons Make me the head and not the tail Make me a success and not a failure Make me a victor and not a loser Make me an over comer and more than a conqueror Make me a blessing and not a curse Make me a virtuous person and not an unpleasant one Make me an encourager and not a discourager Make me an enabler and not a disabler Make me Oh Lord what You created me to be Make me a true resemblance of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Make me a wonder and wrought Your wonders through me Profession of Belief Dear Lord You invested so much in
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INSPIRATION
HOW TO TURN YOUR IDEAS INTO REALITIES When you ask God to make you financially buoyant, He gives you an idea. When you ask God for a harvest, He gives you a seed. When you ask God for greatness and fame, He gives you a talent. The birth of an idea could be the emergence of a business empire. The death of a seed could be the death of a forest. The dormancy of a talent could be the death of greatness.
A
ll that you have is all that you need to get whatever it is you want. Whatever you don’t have, you don’t need. Use what you have right now to get whatever it is that you need. As a matter of fact, if you can think long enough what you have is enough. There is a world class idea you possess. It is God’s gift to you. Be sensitive to it. God’s answer to many of your prayers are ideas you have probably ignored. Every year, at least 4 ideas that are capable of changing our financial status come to us. One idea worked on and realized is all you need to leave your name in the sands of time. Search for that idea. Write down every idea that comes to you. Take once a week to look at the various ideas you have written. One of them is usually ‘It’. One of them can dramatically change your story. One of them can bring you streams of income. One of them is big enough to be bequeathed to your next generation. Something in your subconscious will tell you which one is the one. But you have got to be sensitive to the ideas you are receiving. Are you ignoring ideas? Are you taking note of them? Never forget this: Ideas are God’s answers to your prayers. Always take note of your ideas. As a matter of fact, your break through idea may be that idea that came with small passion. Yet if you write and brood on all your ideas you will notice it. Some ideas need to be brooded upon for the fire, the potency in them to break out from the literal capsule covering them. Have a diary and a note pad around you always. Leave it by the stool by your bed even when you sleep. I do. That is the attitude of expecting God to speak to you through ideas. Also, have a note pad when you read a book, when you read the Bible or when you are listening to a sermon or inspired message. Always take notes. Now, let me show you other ways to turn your ideas into realities. Didn’t get the first? The first is to WRITE IDEAS DOWN. Why? Because the first time your ideas become real is when they are written on paper. That is the beginning process. Writing is creation. It is the beginning process of putting ‘flesh to the word’. That said, here is the next one. Draft out your ideas into GOALS. Simply put, a goal is an idea with a deadline. You see, deadlines inspire positive tension. When there is this tension, this pressure, everything in you begins to move. This movement inspires energy and this energy is your power to succeed. Goals facilitate the realization of an idea. It is an idea projected and fixed with a deadline. It keeps the idea always in mind. That is
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the second way to begin. Write out the idea then make it a goal. Fix a deadline for its accomplishment. Third, create a PLAN. A plan is an idea drafted out. A plan is a series of actions you will take. Success begins with a plan. A plan tells you the people you are suppose to meet or call. A plan tells you the skills you must acquire, the books you must read, the seminars you must attend, the education you must get. The success of any idea is in the plan, not necessarily in the execution. If the plan is right and accurate, execution would not be as hard. The reason for most failures is inaccurate plan. Success isn’t by hard work but by smart work. Success is work intelligently directed. Fourth, develop a STRATEGY. A strategy is an idea drafted out with outwitting the competition or obstacle at the back of your mind. Strategy is greater than a plan. It is developing action plans that overcome every possible obstacle that may arise. Strategy is a military term. It answers questions on paper. It anticipates difficulties. It looks for an entry point into the market place in spite of the competition. Fifth, take ACTION. An action is a moving idea. Ideas, on their own, have a short life span. They can fizzle out quickly. Our initiatives are what sustain ideas. Actions – continuous and consistent actions – is the breath of life of any idea. An idea is useless if it is not bombarded with actions. The hope of an idea is the action backing it. There are a lot to talk about ideas but for space. Like the fact that you are probably ONE IDEA away from your major breakthrough. Like the fact just one idea can make an entire difference is your life. Like the fact that there are 8 different kinds of ideas. Like the fact that ideas have the capacity to live longer than the brains that gave birth to them. Like the fact that when a man of money meets a man of ideas EXCHANGE invariably occurs. Like the fact that every idea experiences 6 evolutions. Like the fact that ideas have strong magnetic tendencies. And many more!....But for space. I hope, however, you picked some ideas from what has been shared already. JUST DO THEM. You will succeed. By George Essien A television delight and radio regular, George’s motivational expertise enables him to be a much sought after speaker. He has worked with many organizations, helping them motivate their staff members to be more productive and effective. He can be contacted via www.georgeessien.com or one of his blogs www.singletalks.wordpress.com.
Think on These Things “Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8, Contemporary English Version). By Dr Yinka Oduwole
Y
ou and I presently live in what is perhaps one of the most frenzied dispensations in the history of our planet. Dizzying advances in science and technology, manifest in the astonishing progress being recorded almost daily in global telecommunications leave some of us breathless, as we try to keep up with these momentous changes. Think, for instance, about the developments in social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; these platforms for interactive communication are radically changing the way we relate with one another in very fundamental ways. From the way we do evangelism to how we brand our ministries, everything is changing speedily and God help anyone or organisation which is slow to keep up with the times. The difficulty, however, is that these sweeping and profound changes in the manner we construct our personal or group identities, communicate, do business, sometimes even meet our marriage partners, or share the gospel almost now afford us little precious time to engage in a vital mental and spiritual exercise: thinking. Thinking? Yes, thinking - that taken-for-granted activity during which we consciously reflect, reason and hopefully come to intelligent judgments about matters that are of importance to us. It is as if the challenging demands of modern life now make it burdensome, even unfashionable, to stop and think things through. We seem under such pressure in our Age of Immediacy to keep saying something, engaging in some activity irrespective of how relevant these might be, or continually responding to stimuli from an environment constantly filled with messages. I encourage you to now stop for a moment and think on these things: Do you definitely have to sleep with your ‘mobile’ phone next to your bed or under your pillow just in case you must respond to a call or text message which can’t wait until you wake up?; have you felt slighted (even if just a bit) when your text message was not immediately responded to?; do you shake off some slight irritation when someone does not immediately pick up your call to their mobile phone? – hence, the now common ‘accusation’: ‘I called you today and you refused to pick my call’ (if you laughed at that, then you’re probably like myself and truth be told, that person you telephoned or texted may have either been sleeping or engaged in some perfectly legitimate personal endeavour which means your call could really wait a few moments). Don’t be surprised when we all learn that the new addictions which doctors and psychologists may have to address will be linked to the internet, particularly to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Personally, I
marvel at why people come under intense pressure to post tweets on Twitter even if they have nothing meaningful to say at the time. All these may well be a sign of the times. Yet, there is a case that can be made for silence, for the practice of that legitimate activity known as the practice of silence. Cultivating a habit of regular silent reflection is not necessarily indicative of a disconnection with God and spiritual matters. In fact, it is profoundly spiritual to take time out to think, as Paul the great Apostle who penned a good part of the New Testament encourages us to do in his letter to the Early Church at Philippi. And Paul should know; his several letters reflect the thoughts of one who had meditated quite deeply on crucial matters of faith and eternity, which explains why they remain immensely popular and inspiring across Christendom till this day. In his letter from a Philippian jail where he was being held for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul indeed urges the Church at Philippi to think the same way as the Messiah did. How, do you ask, can one take control of their thoughts and live a disciplined, sanctified thought life? The answer is simple really, even if not always readily obvious to us: you and I have already been programmed to think the way God wants us to, because as Paul explains elsewhere in another letter to the Church at Corinth, if we are truly born again, we have been given “the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16b). In his admonition to the Philippian Church, Paul says that because you belong to Christ, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand, adding that “this peace will control the way you think and feel” (Philippians 4:7b). What are we think to about? - Whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. As you consciously take time out to think, you might want to ask yourself: is this thing true?; is it noble?; is it right or just?; is it pure or holy?; is it lovely?; is it of good report?; is it virtuous?; is it praiseworthy? In an age characterised by distraction in which silence – whether verbal or electronic – can appear unnerving and even seem anti-social, let us take active steps to reclaim our God-given mental spaces and restore the spiritual exercises of silent reflection and meditation to their rightful positions in our lives. Don’t get me wrong; do communicate with as many friends as you desire, but resist a compulsive need to keep saying something or doing something – even electronically when you do not feel comfortable with doing so. There are times when even God is silent. Enough said; now go ahead and think on these things. Dr Oduwole is the Parish Pastor of RCCG The Risen Christ, Knebworth and the Managing Editor of Sunrise Magazine.
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You are
extraordinary! T
hen God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen 1:26-27). I doubt that we truly understand what that means. The bible describes God as magnificent, perfect. An image is a copy or duplicate, so we are a copy/duplicate of God Almighty? Psalm 82:6 says I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High’. If this is correct then my understanding is that we as gods should possess a lot of Godattributes. However, this is not seen in our lives, man has not fully exhibited his true potential of existing as the God-image. Why are you holding back? The bible makes us understand that we are so powerful, ladies and gentlemen we do not fully understand the extent of our strength and power. You will only go as far as we understand in this world we live in. knowledge is power! Microsoft was created with a little extra information that no one else had except himself, Mr. Gates, knowledge can really make the difference. Knowledge can distinguish you from men and make you outstanding. My people perish for lack of knowledge – Hosea4:6 (NKJV). Don’t settle for being mediocre! You are extraordinary! Don’t underestimate the extent of your abilities and talents. Cultivate, develop and use them. Take a look at some amazing
In a nutshell you are truly the one thing that stops you from greatness
Daniel Tammet
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feats undertaken by some individuals who are human just like you! If you discover and cultivate your talent, could your name be among them? Kim Peek – This man was able to memorize books when he was only 16-20 months, he can remember almost everything he has ever read! He can recall numerous things on various subjects like history, geography, literature, and numbers to dates and music, sports, and dates. They call him a Superhuman, Walking Google, Brainman, Human Computer, and a lot more. The times Newspaper says he could accurately remember the contents of at least 12,000 books. Stephen Wiltshire –Stephen Wiltshire is able to remember what he has seen for days, not only can he remember these images he can draw them accurately and proportionally to almost perfection after seeing them just once. WOW! Stephen Wiltshire is an artist who has gained popularity by drawing and painting detailed cityscapes. He has a talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly. In 2006 he was awarded an MBE for services to the art world. His work is popular worldwide, and is held in a number of important collections all over the world. His gallery is open to the public in London at the Royal Opera Arcade, where he works on his commissions. He is accessible and the public can also meet him at his gallery. Stephen has created several famous panorama drawings of iconic cities all around the world in recent years, including London, Tokyo, New York, Rome, Jerusalem, Madrid and Dubai. These artworks were all drawn from memory but he had to be flown over the ity in a short helicopter ride over the city.
Stephen Wiltshire drawing Sydney
Daniel Tammet – Is a British writer and essayist. In his mind’s eye, he sees numbers; each positive integer up to 10,000 has its own unique colour, texture, shape and even feel. He has described his visual representation of 289 as particularly ugly, 333 as very attractive, and pi (3.141…) as beautiful as usual. He continues, the number 6 apparently has no distinct image yet what he describes as an almost small nothingness, opposite to the number 9 which he calls large and towering. In his memoir, Tammet states experiencing a synaesthetic and emotional response for numbers and words. He holds the European record for reciting pi from memory to 22,514 digits in five hours and nine minutes; he received the record on 14 March 2004. Tammet has reportedly learned 10 languages, including Romanian, Gaelic, Welsh, and Icelandic. Ben Underwood – He lost his sight to cancer at the age of two. He discovered echolocation (echolocation is used by bats and dolphins to see and feel their environment) at the age of five. By making frequent clicking noises with his tongue he is able to see what is around him with adapted ears. A mystery explained in 20/20:medical mysteries. Ben Underwood used echolocation to accomplish such feats as running, riding a bicycle, playing basketball, playing football, skateboarding and rollerblading. Orlando Serrell – Orlando Serrell did not possess any special skills until he was struck on the head by a baseball. He was struck on the left side of his head on January 15, 1979 when he was ten years old. Serrell fell to the ground, but eventually got
up and continued playing baseball. No medical treatment was given to him because he did not tell mum and dad; he suffered from a headache for a while. The headaches seized eventually, but Orlando soon noticed he had the ability to perform certain calculations; he could perform calendrical calculations of staggering complexity. Orlando Serrell can also recall the weather, as well as (to a varying degree) where he was and what he has done for every day since the accident. If you do a little research you will discover that some of the people we have discussed in this article may have been sick/autistic and some not, you will discover that what is common among ALL of these geniuses is that a change/alteration occurred in each one of them! That is the key thing you need to understand, and until you understand that your mindset has to change understanding that we are not mere men and women but that we are God’s image, small gods, it will be difficult to attain the position God set for you to reign, rule and dominate. The men discussed above are great because of that one little extra thing that happened to them. That’s all that has made the difference. In a nutshell you are truly the one thing that stops you from greatness. Once you understand that you are limitless and unstoppable you begin to live as a god, it’s as simple as that. The disciples could not do much until they received that power, that extra one thing. They were ordinary until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. That extra one thing was all they needed to be effective witnesses. (Acts 1:4-5,8) Idorenyin Eno
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PARENTING
Recognise the wonders deposited in your child
I
wonder why parents that show a high propensity of commitment towards their children are often tagged as pushy parents? Commitment may mean different things to people, but in this instance, where parenthood is concerned, it simply means ‘to be obligated or under the pledge to a particular cause’. On the other hand, pushy can be referred to as an informal kind of word which means you’re being a bit bossy or trying to talk someone into something they don’t want to do. Recognising the talents that God has deposited in a child at whatever stage in their lives, can either be instantaneous, or could take years of patience, grooming, supporting, encouraging and re-affirmation before the talent can be realised fully. The only way to succeed in realising those gifts is through total commitment to that cause in which you believe in and sense with an instinct. Reading through 1st Samuel chapter 16 gave me a simple, clear yet very deep insight into the life of David as a youth. David had so many talents entrusted to him by God and it manifested in such diverse ways. If he didn’t have a father that thought he needed to work in the fields, he would have never been able to prove himself as a shepherd; neither would he have proven his bravery when he offered to confront the Goliath on the battle field. David was also an accomplished harpist and musician; his talent relived King Saul from the evil torments. He would eventually write many of the psalms found in the bible. Surely David would have been encouraged to develop these skills as he grew older. A pushy parent is one who has no revelation of what God has deposited in their child. Parents need to be more discerning and study their children more closely as God created every human being for a particular reason. Every child born has an assignment on earth, and it is our duty to help or assist that child to discover the reason why they are born into this world. Making a child engage in what they are not interested in or have a flare for, is the quickest way to delaying the process of determining a child’s gift or talent, as well as resulting to an unhappy /rebelling child, but living an enriched life of constant communication, listening and observing what they enjoy doing, setting reasonable goals and providing learning opportunities, is crucial. Children also show interest and talents at different stages of their lives, so parents have to be discerning and understand
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that a change in interest is not necessarily the child moving out of their destiny. No knowledge is lost nor wasted. According to the word of God, ‘all things work together for our own good……’ Parents have to understand that success is a product of passion and perseverance. Those that understand this are the ones that show commitment and encourage their children to remain steadfast. Hence why it appears like being PUSHY to the less discerning parent. Often times, children with special gifts and talents grow up into the selfless, honest, hardworking, empowered and disciplined members of the society that we crave to produce in every generation. There is therefore a need to encourage and recognise children for their achievements. One such organisation ‘Trutalk’ aims to recognise and empower children to be the best they can by rewarding extra efforts. Last year the debut award ceremony was held at Trinity Chapel London (RCCG). Children were recognised and awarded for the following categories: • TruLittle Samaritan Hero: children who have supported community causes; helped care for a sick relative; or gone the extra mile for an elderly neighbour. • TruLittle Sport Hero: children who have represented their schools/clubs; or community in various sporting events or demonstrating excellence in a particular type of sport. • TruLittle Artistic Hero: children who have represented their schools/community in musical or dance events or are thriving well in playing musical instruments. • TruLittle Entrepreneur Hero: children who are running their own businesses or have supported community or relatives with their businesses. • TruLittle Inventor Hero: children who have developed new product items such as games or toys or published books. On a final note, I encourage every parent to remain committed to their children. After all God blessed us with our children to care and nurture on His behalf. I pray He endows us with the strength to do so. Amen BY ABI ADEYANJU
THE DIARIES OF AN OLD GENTLEMAN: ENTRY ONE
I
am 81 years old of age. I have been married for 55 years and I am currently with my wife and 6 grandchildren in my 362 capacity seat Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental airplane flying at an altitude of 33,000ft over the beautiful landscapes of Kenya, Africa on my way to the famous breakfast restaurant called Los Arcos in Antigua, Central America. My wife and I were in Washington-Slagbaai National Park in the North of Kralendijk, Bonaire 6 days ago just to view the lowland flamingos and the parrots that perch on shrubs. I have been asked, what has been my most major key to success in my life and business. Well, it is this…Balance. I am a man of few words. I will be brief.
Balance A few years back, when I was 25 years old : ), I created a list of the most important areas to me in life; I will proceed to list them in the order of importance; Spiritual: This forms the base for every other area of life. It belies a reliance and assurance of a bigger force, a more supreme being lording over you and your affairs. You need your spiritual life to be strong and firm. For anytime you fall flat, you fall back to your base, and your base is always your spirituality. Personally I would recommend following the way of Jesus Christ. Emotional: This comes right after the spiritual. With the confidence accrued from having a strong spiritual backing, you need to ensure emotional stability. This aids you in building and keeping strong and meaningful relationships. I am an old gentleman with a lot of accomplishments under his belt, but I tell you this one thing dear reader, life is not measured in terms of amount of accolades or accomplishments, it is measured in terms of the relationships you keep. Physical: Health is wealth. There would be no point to my great amassed wealth if I do not have the strength or health to enjoy it. I see many young folks these days who refuse to eat right, or exercise adequately. They drink too much and thus reduce their already shortened life spans. Make yourself physically fit.
Mental: The mind is like a muscle. Spend resources in building this muscle and you will be amazed at the size of the weights it will carry for you. Don’t replace brain-time for sports-time or for jolly-time. Spend resources on your brain and your mind. Have this Balance in your life, and you are on your way to be a R.A.R.E – Real.All.Round.Excellent person. Business, like life, must be lived purposefully. Do this one thing, on purpose, that I did to set me off on the right track.
The 90-days Challenge: Set a milestone goal for each of these four areas of your life; Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Mental, to be achieved within 90 days. Achieving them will prove to yourself that you are ready for the pain and the glory that lie ahead. It means you have the leverage to dream and believe in your dreams. Failing to accomplish them means you have another opportunity to do better. Remember, the will to succeed must be greatly partnered with and supported by the will to prepare. I am deeply sorry but that is all the time I can spare. I will surely complete this piece of writing at a more opportune time. We are currently on a descent. My plane will land in 15 minutes. I can’t wait to see how the food at Antigua differs from that of Curacao. Till I write to you again, and you read from me…be sure to always redeem the time and walk not as a foolish person but as one who is wise in the conduct of affairs.
By Donald Tombia Donald Tombia is passionate about God and is an active JF. His blog sleeickstories resonates from a deep cry to reach people and preach about God, creatively, through storytelling. You can visit the blog via www.sleeickstories.wordpress.com
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YOUTH
ACHIEVING YOUR
GOALS T
he Olympic Games attracted millions of international sports enthusiasts into London. of the 110m hurdles race, success was retaining the Some came to participate in the games, some title; which unfortunately was lost to the American to cheer the athletes, some as support mechanisms sprinter. for the competing teams while others came to enjoy Something else to note is to run one’s personal the thrills of the games. The fever that accompanied race. Don’t run the race of your siblings or that of your the games in itself was scintillating and exhilarating best friend. It’s important to discover one’s area of Great as it is to get entertained by sports and strength and to build on it. The fastest man in the events, it is important to observe certain trends world today, Usain Bolt will be considered a failure if especially those that are repeated in success stories. he attempted running the 10,000mm race where Mo Success in the Olympic Games, as it is in life, does not Farah excelled brilliantly. Sanya Richards Ross might be come cheap. Neither does it happen by accident. A great lesson deemed mediocre if she focused on the heptathlon Success is planned and executed. Sustained success for achieving competitions where Jessica Ennis sparkled brightly like on the other hand takes time and concerted efforts. a piece of finely polished diamond. For Sanya, the In listening to the relay race champions, a success is taking women’s 400m races have proven to bring out her best message that resonated throughout their she struggles in the shorter races. It was therefore conversations was on how each ran his/her own race. the time and while not a wonder that she won bronze in the 400m at the In the words of Sanya Richards-Ross and Jessica Ennis effort to def ine 2008 Olympics, gold at the 2009 World Championships of the UK, “I just ran my own race and gave it my and finally gold in London 2012. best”. Each of the athletes attested to focusing on the what success is in Berlin I imagine what the world of sports would have task at hand and running their own races. It is to you. In that made of Serena Williams if she tried running in Christine important to stay on course as a Christian youth by Ohuruogu’s shoes simply because they have similar focusing on Christ. Heb 12:2 way, you can body builds and complexion. If either of the girls had It’s interesting that none of them spoke of walked the other’s journey, probably they would have checking if a competitor was in the right shape or align yourself in existed as common human beings instead of the world form. There was no discussion of getting out to the the right track stars that we know them to be. Again, it goes without tracks to monitor the performances from the other saying that it is very important to find your own lane person; it was all about focusing on individual targets, for reaching the and run your best race. on the task ahead and running a personal race. 2Cor Most importantly, remember that the object of all standard that 10:12 tells us that comparison is unwise. It shrinks and the exercises is winning. Winning in this regard means reduces one’s abilities. you have set. attaining your goals. It would be pointless to define A great lesson for achieving success is taking the success and goals without putting any efforts into time and effort to define what success is to you. In achieving them. In sports as well as in life, consistent winnings boost that way, you can align yourself in the right track for reaching the your confidence while constant failures get you to an all-time low. standard that you have set. Success to me should not be what my Even though you might not win all the races, it is great to win the friends define it to be and not what society dictates. Okay, let me put significant ones. It is imperative that you set attainable goals at each it this way: your life is all about you first before anybody else. Your stage and move up the ladder for tougher goals. This ensures that personal desires, dreams and aspirations matter more than what you attain the short-term, easy-to achieve goals thereby developing other people consider as being important for you. Many a young self-confidence in the process. That built-up confidence will be an person would excel in life if they understand this principle without invaluable asset for greater future challenges. being selfish and self-centred. The truth is that you can never attain Overall, remember that nothing gigantic starts big. Tiny steps and your maximum potentials if others dictate your race in life without strides add up to create the bigger picture. Put in all your efforts; putting you, the main subject, at the centre. stretch yourself beyond the limits until you reach the heights. Then This reminds me of Lawrence Clarke who came fourth in the and only then can you look back and say: NO MORE LIMITS. You can men’s 110m hurdles race for Great Britain. On facing the cameras, do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Phil 4:13 he said that his target was reaching the semi-finals of the competition. He surpassed his own target not only by reaching the Olanike Adebayo finals but by winning in the fourth position. The pleasure Lawrence Olanike Adebayo is an inspirational speaker, writer and author. She expressed at his performance could be mistaken for that of an athlete speaks at various youth conferences and events within and outside who won the gold medal. That’s what I am talking about when I say the UK. to define what success is to you and you only. To Lawrence, success www.nikeinspires.wordpress.com and 07401255565 was reaching the semi-finals while to the former defending champion
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HEALTH
JUST BEFORE YOU SAY "I DO"
J
B4 is a non-profit organisa on which creates awareness about the need for single people to be aware of their genotype status before entering into marriage in order to prevent the possibility of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). JB4 operates from the premise that since SCD is preventable, crea ng public awareness especially amongst yet-to-be married people is paramount. Just before you say "I do", amongst many other things, why not make sure: • He/ She is born again; and • That you share similar values • That you are informed of your genotype so that there is less likelihood of producing children that would experience episodes of painful crises as a result of Sickle Cell Disease throughout their life me except God intervenes. Now, let's now visualise a scenario which goes like this: JB4: Ti lope, it's obvious that you and Tobi are really into a serious and steady rela onship. Ti lope: (Smiling coyly and shrugging her shoulders) yeah, he's the best thing that happened to me a er Jesus... And a er mum and dad of course. JB4: Hmmmmn!! Anyway! Have you checked each other’s genotype before you get deeply emo onally involved? Ti lope: I know my blood group and all is well. JB4: I mean GENOTYPE? The blood result that informs you if you have the sickle cell trait or not. Ti lope: I'll think about it now that you've brought it up. JB4: What if you and your fiancé suddenly realise you are both sickle cell carriers and therefore, are likely have children who have the disease, would you s ll go ahead and marry him? Ti lope: Why not? JB4: Would you be thinking of having children? Ti lope: (with a look of bewilderment) what a ques on? My great grandma had 9, my grandma had 7, my mother has 4, at least I should have 2 by God's special grace. girl and boy, that's all. Even the Bible says in Genesis 1:28 that we should be frui ul and replenish the earth also Psalm 128:3 also says that I shall be as a frui ul vine in
my husband’s house, with my children as olive plants round about our table. JB4: Very correct! What if all your children inherit the S genes from both of you? That will make them sickle cell sufferers. Ti lope: God forbid! The Bible says in Ma hew 7:7: "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you". I reject sickle cell suffering. The mercy of God will prevent any of our children from having sickle cell disease! JB4: Ti lope, Can I show you a diagram? Ti lope: Why not? Go ahead.
control because as Luke 1:37 says, "With God, all things are possible."
‘THE FACTS By Akinola Idowu ADEWUNMI
S Jane: I have seen it. So what are you sugges ng? JB4: As with any decision on marriage, if you really want to go ahead, you MUST then hear CLEARLY from God to make sure that He has said you should marry unless you have made up your mind not to have children. Jane: What if we don’t have any child who is a sickle cell sufferer? JB4: But what if you do? You need to be aware of the facts and make an informed decision. Imagine that during a sickle cell related illness, your child asks on the hospital bed if you and your spouse knew before ge ng married about the poten al of him/her inheri ng the S genes from both of you. What would you then say? Jane:Ehm, Ehm, it depends ... but my aunty and her husband are both sickle cell carriers and none of their children are sufferers. JB4: Really? You know my friend Tony? His wife and himself are both carriers and they have two children who are sufferers. Anyway, my advice is let us pray that you will only marry God's perfect will and that if this means going ahead with your decision despite being carriers He will be in
ickle Cell Disease (SCD)affects the red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. Red blood cells with normal haemoglobin ‘A’ are flexible and move easily through blood vessels to carry oxygen. The abnormal haemoglobin ‘S’ causes the red blood cells to become s ff and elongated like a sickle-shape. When this happens, they get stuck and block the blood vessels. The blockage of blood flow through the blood vessels leads to severe pain known as a 'crisis'. This blood disorder is most common in England among people of African and African-Caribbean origin. Cases also occur in families origina ng from the Middle East, India and the eastern Mediterranean. SCD has been recognised as a major public health problem especially in Africa by the World Health Organiza on (WHO) and the United Na on Educa onal, Scien fic and Cultural Organiza on (UNESCO). SCD is a gene c and trauma zing disease which is preventable and is not contagious. SCD sufferers should not be neglected or s gma sed. They need help, support, and love. Now that you have all the informa on you will be be er equipped to support those with this illness and to make well informed choices. For more informa on visit h p://www.sicklecellsociety.org/
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SINGLES
WARNING SIGNALS DURING COURTSHIP It is a true saying that it is better to break a courtship than a marriage. Yet many are in unhealthy courtship relationships but continue in it to the point of marriage without addressing the issues because they are afraid of the repercussions of breaking it off.
F
ears such as embarrassment, loneliness, fear of hurting the other person, fear of not finding anyone else, missing the ‘one’ or being out of God’s will are common reasons for ignoring warning signs. Addressing warning signals may not mean the end of the relationship, it may be possible to talk through the issues and resolve them. It is better to voice your concerns than keeping them hidden. A joyful marriage must be based on trust and so starting married life with unspoken worries and fears would affect the relationship. It is possible that you have misunderstood an action or behavior of the other person and an honest exchange will resolve it or perhaps the other person didn’t realize that their behavior was upsetting for you and they will be happy to change. It would be wise for you to fast and pray before approaching them so that the situation would not result in an argument but rather an honest discussion where you address your concerns in a nonaccusatory and loving way. If the issue cannot be resolved when you have tried to address it then I would suggest getting your pastor involved. Your pastor should meet with both of you so that the discussion can be honest, open and frank with
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no secrets. After much prayer, deliberation and counsel you may decide to end the courtship. Below are some examples of warning signals during courtship. If you recognize any of them in your relationship, don’t ignore them but address them honestly. The success of your married life depends on developing a healthy relationship during courtship and ensuring that you are getting married for the right reasons.
Fear and loss of peace of mind For a Christian couple their journey toward marriage has Christ at the centre. Courtship has been entered because both parties felt God’s leading and blessing on their union. Therefore if at any point you begin to lose the peace you had about the relationship, then it is dangerous and you need to be prayerful to analyse if it is God’s intention for you to marry each other. Peace is a hallmark of knowing that you are in God’s will. This does not mean that there will not be challenges in the courtship but if it is right you will be able to work out those challenges and maintain your inner peace, facing them together. If you feel sick at the thought of going through with
the wedding or you feel fear then press the pause button. Slow down and find out God’s will then address your feelings with the other person. You must be absolutely sure and have your peace back before getting married. Don’t confuse nerves with fear, it is natural to be a bit anxious about taking such a big step but fear is not of God and must be dealt with. If you are experiencing fear because of physical or emotional abuse then you must tell your Pastor as things could escalate without the appropriate help.
When lust is in control If the relationship has become just about sex then lust is in control and you need to be careful not to confuse lust with love as Godly love is the foundation for a good marriage not lust. When couples have sex in courtship, they become one flesh which is supposed to happen after marriage. You have linked physically, emotionally and spiritually and it will be hard to make clear headed decisions regarding the relationship. Address the issue as a couple, determine to put boundaries back in place and have someone that you can be accountable to. Be sure that the other person is not wasting your time and just wants sex. Ensure that the relationship is headed toward s marriage and keep the marital bed undefiled. Also never marry just to fulfil sexual lust or to legalise sex. A marriage built on that foundation alone cannot stand.
The success of your married life depends on developing a healthy relationship during courtship and ensuring that you are getting married for the right reasons. Do not marry only out of pity or fear of being left on the shelf If you agreed to marry because you felt you couldn’t say no to the person or you felt that no-one else would marry you then you need to seek counsel. This is not the right reason to get married as there is someone special for you. You cannot just marry anyone, you must find the one that is part of God’s plan for your life.
When your partner becomes indifferent or is spiritually cold, be careful Your relationship must have Christ at the centre, if the other person becomes lukewarm or cold spiritually, then you should address it quickly as their spiritual life will either directly or indirectly have an effect on yours. If your service to God is declining since you got into courtship, then you need to analyse if the relationship is healthy. You should be increasing
in fervour, preparing for entering into a marriage covenant before God, your study of the word, prayer and fasting should be increasing as you are making this decision and not reducing.
When there is no give and take Marriage needs a lot of compromise and if neither of you can compromise in courtship then it will be difficult to have a joyful and healthy marriage. There must be willingness to be selfless and consider the other person. If this does not happen in the relationship then you are not yet ready to get married and need counsel to proceed.
Distrust Trust is essential for a healthy relationship. If there has been deceit of any kind, this is a warning signal that must be addressed. The reason behind the deceit is very important. If the person did not want you to be hurt or was afraid of losing you then while this does not excuse their behaviour it is possible to work through it, taking extra effort to ensure honest by complete transparency from that point on. However if they lied due to selfish ambition or to get you to do something that you felt was wrong then you need to question the merits of the relationship. A liar in courtship will be a liar in marriage and marriage is forever. Again seek counsel to see whether after repentance the relationship can be salvaged.
When you always quarrelling, disagreeing and provoking each other Disagreeing does not mean that you should end the courtship as it is a natural part of getting to know each other. However if the disagreements become petty and disrespectful then this is a symptom of something deeper that is going on underneath. Somewhere resentment or bitterness has set in which is causing the couple to pick on every issue and quarrel. Search deeper as to what the real issues are and work hard to resolve them. If you are using words that are hurtful and wounding this is not healthy. Your words are like arrows and can have long lasting effects. This needs to be addressed before the relationship moves on as you should be building each other up not tearing each other down. These are just a few of many possible warning signs which can be particular to each individual or couple. If things are not right you will know. Don’t ignore that inner voice until it is too late. However you do not want a string of broken courtships. Do your best to salvage the relationship when you feel that God led you to the person but seek counsel from a trusted Pastor and make sure you both meet with them so that you can sort out the issues together with their help and God’s. Be aware that the enemy will try to stop you uniting with your spouse because two are better than one. Be aware of his strategies and determine to fight for your marriage, keeping your eyes open and using wisdom and discernment. Andrea Onduku You can contact Andrea via www.mattersofheart.org or email her via info@mattersofheart.org
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A Reflection on the Life of Ruth: A Woman Totally Sold Out For God
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t the beginning of the book of Ruth, we are introduced to Naomi whose sons and husband had all died leaving her alone with her two daughters in law. Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Judah where she and her husband had left because of famine. After much persuasion Orpah returned to Moab but Ruth clung to her mother- in- law (Ruth 1:14). In Ruth 1:16 Ruth told Naomi “…your God will be my God”. This shows her faith in the God of Israel whom she had come to know through 10 years of marriage. Ruth was a born a Moabite and if we look at the history of the Moabites we can see were a cursed people because they were idol worshippers. Ruth was delivered from the curse that ran in her foundation because of her love for the God of Israel. She escaped suffering from the iniquities of her fathers and she escaped
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the bondage of the curse that operated in her family because she came to the God of Israel and she found refuge. Whatever your background or your family history, if you run to God for refuge you will be delivered. You would wonder why would a young woman that was still vibrant and full of life be willing to follow an old woman to a foreign land? Ruth was not selfish or self centred. She was not thinking of what would become of her own life. She was just concerned about the plight of her mother-in-law who did not only lose her husband but also her two sons. She could not stand the thought of leaving her alone to die of loneliness in the midst of her people. She offered herself to be a helper, a comforter and a companion. Ruth was resolute in her decision. She had a strong faith in the God of Israel, trusting Him that her future lies in His
Everlasting arms. On arriving in Bethlehem, Judah, Ruth immediately took up the responsibility of caring for her mother in-law. As she set out to provide for her, the God of Israel was leading her. She did not get to Bethlehem and start looking for young men in the land. She was focussed, she stood in the place of her divine assignment and God met with her. God led Ruth to the field that belonged to Boaz who was a relative of Naomi’s husband where she could gather grain left by the reapers. Ruth 2: 11 & 12 says: “And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” (NKJV). What do people say about us? What will be our testimonies when people are given the opportunity to talk about us? When we pass through the challenges of life, when we go through tribulations, trials, tests and the temptations that we are daily loaded with, which are inevitable in our Christian race, how do we react? God is not the only one watching, people around us are also watching to see our actions and our reactions speak volumes about who we are as individuals and also about our God. Again, for every good work you do in Him, there is always a reward. The word ‘steadfast’ and ‘immovable’ in 1 Cor.15: 58. suggests to us that there could be distraction, disappointment, discouragement, stress, frustration, insult and embarrassment in fact the list is endless as we serve in His vineyard but as many as would still hold on in His service inspite of all these with faith and patience, a full reward is guaranteed in Him.
When we pass through the challenges of life, when we go through tribulations, trials, tests and the temptations that we are daily loaded with, which are inevitable in our Christian race, how do we react? In chapter 3, we read how Ruth simply followed the instructions of her mother-in-law. This gives us a picture of the kind of relationship between her and her mother-in-law. Ruth saw her mother-in-law as her spiritual Mother, an elder with wealth of knowledge and experience in life, hence her respect and submission. Little wonder she did not argue when instructed, she did not try to rationalise the counsel given her, she just walked in faith. How do we react to the
counsel of those we call our spiritual Mothers and Fathers in the Lord? Do we care to take heed to their advice? Do we just ignore them and call them “old school”? In Chapter 4, Boaz took Ruth as his wife. There is a lesson here for us, in Heb.10:39, the scripture says “But we are not of those that draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul”. Orpah had decided to go back to Moab not realising that God would have made provision for her in Judah. She missed out of God’s provision. She went back to her gods and we don’t hear of her again. While Ruth saw hope in God because her focus was on the God of Israel, Orpah saw hopelessness in following an old widow to an unknown land because her focus was on the circumstances surrounding her. She refused to leave certainty for uncertainty which characterised the wisdom of the world. When God appeared to Abraham in the book of Gen. 12:1, God told him to get out of his country to go to a land that He will show him. Abraham did not know where he was going, he just obeyed God (Heb. 11:8). Everyone that would please God and live a righteous life before Him, must walk and step out in faith. When Jesus was speaking about the parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18:8, He asked a fundamental question “…Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” When we ponder on this question again and again upon our hearts, it should stir us up to pray more for ourselves and for the entire body of Christ because of what we see in our days. In Ruth 4:15, we saw another beautiful testimony about Ruth after the birth of her son “…for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” This was not just flattery, it was a divine commendation. If Ruth was worth more than seven sons, it means that Naomi got more than what she had lost because we read that she lost two sons. Our God is a God of restoration and when He restores, he does it in a greater proportion. He gives back to you more than what you have lost. As many that look up to God for restoration, expect a greater measure of that which you have lost in Jesus Mighty Name! Ruth became the great, great grandmother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When we look at the genealogy of Jesus Christ as recorded in the book of Mathew chapter 1, Ruth was mentioned, what an honour! What a great privilege! Ruth found favour from the God of Israel, she became the wife of a very wealthy man in Israel. God transformed her life from poverty to prosperity, from barrenness to fruitfulness. Ruth’s destiny was rewritten. If God can do it for Ruth, a Moabite, He will show up for you and you will be totally set free from all forms of captivity in Jesus Mighty name, God has not changed, He is the same yesterday, today and forever more Amen! And Amen!!! Happiness Olayemi E-mail: happiness.onasanya@yahoo.co.uk
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RECIPES Salmon is a versa le, oil-rich fish which is a popular restaurant choice but you can work wonders with it at home too. Why not treat yourself and try one of these delicious recipes?
GRIDDLED SALMON ON PARMESAN POTATOES
QUICK SALMON TIKKA WITH CUCUMBER YOGHURT
Serves 4 INGREDIENTS • 4 175g-200g rectangular pieces skinned MSC cer fied pacific or organically farmed salmon, lapia or trout fillet (pavés) * • Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and to serve • 2 tsp lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve For the Parmesan potatoes • 750g new potatoes, unpeeled • 25g bu er • Bunch of spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced • 40g fresh Parmesan, shaved • 4 tbsp finely shredded fresh basil • 3 tbsp olive oil
If you're a fan of chicken kka masala, give this one a go. Serves 2 INGREDIENTS • 2 naan breads • 1 fresh red chilli • ½ a cucumber • 1 lemon • 1 lemon • 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • A few sprigs of fresh coriander • 2 x 200g MSC cer fied pacific or organically farmed salmon, lapia or trout fillets, skin on • Scaled and bones removed • 1 heaped tablespoon Patak's tandoori curry paste • Olive oil
METHOD How to make salmon on parmesan potatoes 1. Scrape the potatoes if very new. Put the potatoes into a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes un l tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel, return to the pan and crush against the sides with a fork un l they burst. Cover to keep warm. 2. Melt the bu er in a small pan, add the onions and cook gently for 3-4 minutes. S r into the potatoes with the Parmesan, basil, olive oil and seasoning. Cover and keep warm. 3. Brush the salmon with oil and season, then put on a smoking hot griddle, skinned-side down, and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes, pressing gently with a pale e knife un l it takes on golden bar marks. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cook for a few seconds, then turn and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and leave on the grill for 30 seconds. The salmon should be slightly rare inside. 4. Spoon the potatoes onto 4 warm plates and rest the fish on top. Drizzle with a li le oil, sprinkle with pepper and sea salt. 5. Serve with lemon wedges. © delicious. magazine
METHOD How to prepare quick salmon kka with cucumber yoghurt 1. Preheat your oven to 110°C/225°F/gas¼. 2. Pop your naan breads into the oven to warm through. 3. Halve, deseed and finely chop your chilli. 4. Peel and halve your cucumber lengthways, then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. 5. Roughly chop the cucumber and put most of it into a bowl. 6. Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl. 7. Add the yoghurt, a pinch of salt and pepper and half the chopped chilli. 8. Pick the coriander leaves and put to one side. 9. Slice each salmon fillet across lengthways into three 1.5cm wide slices and use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to smear the tandoori paste all over each piece. 10. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. 11. Once hot, add a lug of olive oil, put the salmon into the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side, un l cooked through. How to serve quick salmon kka with cucumber yoghurt 1. Place a warmed naan bread on each plate. 2. Top each one with a good dollop of cucumber yoghurt and 3 pieces of salmon. 3. Sca er over a li le of the reserved cucumber, chilli and coriander leaves and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
SALMON WITH SALSA VERDE A delicious and fresh Mediterranean baked fish dish with herby green sauce, olives and lemon with freshly ground black pepper. Cook Serves 4 in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or un l METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas cooked through. 6. To make the salsa verde, put the 3. If serving with the rice, cook the rice herbs, mustard, capers, pine nuts, olives according to the packet instruc ons. Mix and the juice of the 1 ½ lemons in a food together the olives, pine nuts and red processor and pulse un l roughly pepper. Once the rice is cooked, s r chopped. through the olive mix. 2. Put the salmon fillets on a lightly oiled 4. Pile the salsa verde on top of the salmon baking sheet. Squeeze over the juice of fillets. Serve with the rice. the remaining half lemon and season Recipe by Caroline Hire
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Authenticity of
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Grace
cold morning witnessing the increasing warmth of a rising sun; a drying stream receiving the intensifying drops of a downpour; a dying man holding on to life with a strong will footed within an illuminated heart. There is a Mighty Hand that rules in the affairs of men and a small still voice that continuously instructs at every teachable moment. The glory of the latter days and the years ahead are totally veiled to the reprobate mind, but like a light that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day, the secret things of Graceful Divinity are glaring to the perceptive hearts of those who fear the Lord. I stood and from afar, I saw an ever Flowing Fountain that is bound not to go dry for all eternity. I drew nigh and drank of the waters thereat. I thought for once my thirst would be quenched and I will have no need to purge myself of weariness again, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. When each passing day life’s propositions and dispositions weighed me down, I became desperate for the Flowing Fountain and I knew I was lost without my found Source of Strength. Over time and as the years went by, I have learnt one thing and two things had kept on the highways of following peace embodied in holiness, there is a fountain whose streams make glad the choice city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High; and whoever believes in this Cascade of Divinity out of his belly, shall flow rivers of living water.
All the roads I had taken led to my regret, but one broken road led me to True Providence. In my darkest hours of struggling with what seemed like a vicious cycle of sorrow and pain, I learnt a New Song. I have tarried on my knees and waited in reverence, obeisance and obedience without getting answers to the mind-boggling questions in my heart; in all, I have grown to see the beautiful undulating pictures of a promised future through the eyes of faith. I have had disappointed promised commitments in the best of friendships and relationships; I have witnessed colossal failures from prospective opportunities and many a time, my outstretched hand of camaraderie had been made to retreat owing to reservations not utterly clear to me; but through it all, I’ve understood what it takes to love unconditionally. I became wholly equipped to accept people for what and who they are…today, I am what I am by the grace of the Lord and His grace to me was not without effect.
Olusola M. Akinsolu Olusola M. Akinsolu is a prolific and philosophical author, who has an immense gifted ability to turn facts, observations, inferences and imaginations into beautiful words culminating into sensational poems and stories;
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MEN
UNDERSTANDING THE
PURPOSE OF MAN More than ever before there are major conflicting views of man. Traditionally, men were defined by the role and status we played in the family and in the society. However today, things have changed. It is said that “what men can do women can even do better”. Women since the Second World War are now able to do exactly what men used to do. The exact jobs that men used to define their role as men are now equally done by women. In our generation today, we find women CEO’s and leaders of great institutions, something that traditionally were noted to be roles for males. It is no doubt that today men are struggling to solidly define what it means to be a male. This had led to men being confused as to what makes them useful and important to society. This has resulted in many men losing their identity and in some cases becoming even more domineering against women and family to assert their masculinity. 40
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s Christian men wishing to thrive in this society, we must first of all understand that, the question is not about masculinity, but purpose. The key to understanding manhood is first understanding our Godhood. Why? Because the Bible says we are gods. “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” Psalm 82:6 (KJV). “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” John 10:34 (KJV) The reason for what is generationally happening is that traditionally and contemporarily, we have relied so much on our manhood forgetting our Godhood. This is why it is important for every man to understand his Godhood in to function effectively in the home, society and most importantly in the kingdom of God. Men are the root and foundation to everything God has created, including the family and society as a whole therefore men cannot afford to fail in our purpose. Have you not noticed that as a foundational man, when you fail, you cause your whole family and even the entire society to also fail? I believe that if a society is not functioning well, men are to be blamed. This is because if men are to fulfil our purpose, we cause the rest of the family to do the same. Just as the root of a plant is the source of its energy, so is man to the family. Usually, if a tree is not bearing fruits, you do not need to focus more on the stem or its leaves but rather the roots. So is a man in the family and automatically in the society. God has mandated the man to be the foundation on which He builds His plan for mankind.
Every man therefore need knowledge (information), understanding (comprehension) and wisdom (application of the two), in order to function as God has ordained him. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 (KJV), also read Proverbs 2: 1-7 For us to discover, rediscover and understand our Godhood as men we must always search for our purpose through the scripture rather than what traditions, culture or even how the contemporary world tries to define us. Let us now get into the Word of God to identify and briefly explain Gods original assignment for the male man
8 KEY PURPOSES OF MAN 1. Worship: To worship simple means to serve. Man was created for fellowship and relationship with God. (1 kings 2:1-4, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3) The level of spirituality of our family will depend on a man’s relationship with God. Any man who is not committed to the word of God and prayer is bound to fail because we are the root of the family. 2. Creative thinker: Men sit down and think creatively. This is why when a man refuses to think, there is always a disaster. Men cannot afford to rest our minds as we are to think generationally even for our grandchildren. “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” Proverbs 13:22. 3. Cultivate: To cultivate simply means to bring out the best out of everything including our children and everything God has placed in our care. In so doing, we guarantee fruitfulness as we are the roots. (Genesis 2:1-5) 4. Teacher: Men must study before teaching. As a man, my wife must not read more than I do. I need more information to teach my wife and children. Any man who is not teaching his family the Word of God must from today begin to do so. It is not enough to just put food on the table, God has designed us to be teachers of His Word in our homes and not vice versa. 5. Care takers: We protect everything God has made. “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it”. Genesis 2:15. 6. Work: Work is defined as what we do for the benefit of others. It is not what we do for the benefit for ourselves. Men ought not to live selfish lives. “This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we commanded you before”. 1 Thessalonians. 4:11 (NLT) 7. Leader: We lead by teaching. Every man must lead his family into the future. Men must have a vision on paper for the family. A vision is a preview of the future. For man to have a vision, it is a prerequisite to discover and understand his purpose. 8. Love: Every foundational male must seek to be connected to the love of God so that it will be easy to transfer the love of God into his wife, children and righteousness.
The key to understanding manhood is f irst understanding our Godhood.
7 WAYS TO LIVE OUR PURPOSE As we conclude on this important topic, permit me to share with you seven ways to achieve your purpose using the acoustic of
P-U-R-P-O-S-E P – Prayer: The only way as men we can stay connected to God is through prayer. Prayer is your spiritually breath. If you are to fulfil your purpose as a man, you ought to pray without ceasing. Prayer is man seeking heaven’s intervention here on earth. U - Understanding the mind of Christ: Men must always seek to unite and understand the mind of Christ. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5. What is this mind of Christ? It is the mind of worship, humility, obedience that results in fulfilling the will of God and receiving your reward.
R – Risk: To risk is to venture upon, to take or run the chance of something. As we pray and walk in the mind of Christ, we must not be afraid to take necessary risks. Thomas Edison, the man who invented light bulbs, had to fail a thousand times before he could make a light bulb. When asked about the risk he took before reaching his purpose he said, he had “I learnt a thousand ways not to produce a light bulb”.
P - Plan / Priorities: Let’s not make a mistake here. My plans as a man must come from Gods purpose for my life. God’s purpose precedes our plans. A good plan is one derived directly from Gods purpose and not vice versa. “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail”. Proverbs 19:21 O- Observe: When a man observes with his eyes, his ears shall always understand. It is your ability to see and more over recognise what you see. To fulfil our purpose, what this simply means is that a foundational man cannot afford to be ignorant both physically and spiritually. “If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!” Proverbs 20:13
S- Searching: To search is to look through one’s life carefully to find something concealed or missing. It is adding value to a discovered purpose as a male man. “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.” Proverbs 25:2. Men are responsible to search and discover what the Glory of God has concealed or hidden for us to find.
E- Expectation: This is man living in purpose and anticipating positive results out of life.“And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee. Psalm 39:7 (KJV). “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” Psalm 62:5 (KJV) My prayer together with all men is that, God will empower all of us to understand and fulfil His purpose for all of us in Jesus name. Amen. By Kofi Owusu Deacon Kofi Owusu is an author and teacher. His current book “Alive For A Purpose” gives more insight on discovering the purpose of God for your life as a male or female. Contact him via www.purposeachievinglife.com
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RELATIONSHIPS
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Mistakes Women and Men Make in Marriage
A mistake is defined as an act or judgement that is misguided. Often times we are misguided when it comes to our marital relationships.
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ur reasoning is often shaped on our own individual experiences but we know that men and women have been created differently with their own unique qualities. I believe that every married couple on the day that they say ‘I do’ intend to have a joyful and productive marriage otherwise they would not make the vows, however out of lack of knowledge they act in a way that is misguided and this can result in conflict, unhappiness and relationship breakdown. Gary Chapman has written an excellent resource about the Five Love Languages which teach us that there are 5 different ways that we give and receive love. This book applies to both men and women equally. However there are also differences between how men and women give and receive love. Receiving love is all about how we interpret our spouse’s behaviour. A woman may feel unloved if her husband doesn’t respond to her in a particular way. However it is not his intention to make her feel that way. He may not even realise his reasoning has been in error because he is
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responding to her how he would want to be treated, not realising that he was created in a different way. That is why we need to really study our spouse so that we understand what makes them happy, sad, angry, disappointed, excited etc. If we are confused most of the time in our relationship, then we have not taken time to study each other and adapt as necessary. Genesis 2:18 says “Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him”. This means that if God has joined you together then you are suitable and complementary for each other. It may not feel like it at times but you have within you what you need to make your spouse happy in your relationship
5 Marriage Mistakes Women Make 1. Not showing their husband respect. If we are to understand marriage, we need to ask its creator how it should be. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:33 “So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband”. Everyone likes and needs to be respected regardless of their gender but in marriage there is something unique that happens when this divine order is followed. When a man is respected by his wife, he feels inches higher and can be much more productive. If you always put your husband down and
undermine him, he will eventually stop trying and you will have a man with no drive or ambition. Respect his judgment and don’t constantly question his decisions in front of others, wait until you get home and respectfully question his actions if necessary. Respect his abilities, for example give him a chance to fix the sink before you call the plumber or your dad. 2. Not affirming their husband as a man. Your husband needs to feel needed and telling him he did a good job shows him that you appreciate and respect him. Thank him for being a good father and provider. Don’t take what he does for granted but let him know that he is needed and his manly qualities add to the home. If you insinuate that you could do a better job yourself, he might just leave you to it and spend more time at work where he feels useful. 3. Not putting their husband before their children. Don’t let your life revolve around your children. Make your relationship with your husband a top priority. Help your children to understand that daddy is the king of the home and that he deserves honour and respect. If he leaves for work before you and the children, why not get up a little earlier to prepare his breakfast rather than leaving him to sort himself out while you focus on the children. You are sending him out to his workplace where other ladies will be more than happy to attend to his needs and make him feel special. Make him feel like a king and he will rush home in the evening. 4. Not trusting their husband. Trust can be difficult, but it is necessary. Without it, you will never feel secure in your marriage and, your husband will never feel like he is worthy of your trust. A marriage without trust is built not on a rock, but on the sand. Ask God to help you in this area as it does take grace to open up to another person without fear and to trust that you will not be hurt. If trust has been broken by your husband, he will need to earn it back and you have to allow him to take the necessary steps to restore it. 5. Not wanting their husband physically. Physical intimacy is extremely important to a man. It releases tension and to know that he is desired by his wife makes him feel like he is important. Your husband wants to be wanted so make physical intimacy a priority in your marriage. You will see the impact in every area of your marriage when he is fulfilled in this area and he will not look elsewhere when he has all he needs at home.
5 Marriage Mistakes Men Make 1. Not thinking of the needs of their wife. Imagine the scene, you schedule an evening out with your wife. Good job! However, you wait until you are walking out of the door to say, “What do you feel like doing?” Don’t do it.
Plan ahead. Make a reservation at your wife’s favourite restaurant. You will get an “A” for effort! It is the little touches that make the difference. Don’t just see her as a mother and wife but as your special queen who has her own emotional needs. Try to take time out to know what she needs and how you can help. If she is upset, she may need a hug, not you cracking jokes, whereas other times the jokes may be welcome. You need to study her and if you don’t get it right apologise and try again. She will appreciate your effort and honesty. 2. Not listening. Don’t assume you know what your wife is going to say. Don’t tune her out because you have heard it all before. Just listen with your ears and your eyes. In other words, give her your full attention. It means everything to a woman, to feel heard and understood. If you don’t understand, ask for clarification, don’t just nod and hope she stops talking! 3. Not understanding their wife. Don’t try to “fix” problems rather than understand what your wife is feeling. Sometimes, she just wants you to feel what she feels without giving advice and without trying to fix it. If you’re not sure, you could ask “Do you want my advice on this or do you just want me to listen?” She won’t mind you asking, she will be happy that you are showing a genuine interest in what she needs. 4. Not knowing their wife. Do you remember getting to know your wife when you were courting? When was the last time you just spent time talking with her, not to her. Ask what her dreams are; where she would like to go on holiday; what good book she has read lately and what her opinions are about life. Can you say you know what your wife’s favourite chocolate bar is or her favourite colour? These are things that will seem unimportant to you but she will see it as a sign that you don’t care enough to find out. 5. Not confiding in their wife. Your wife wants to be included in your entire world. Confide in her—your dreams; your work; your life. Your marriage bond will only be strengthened the more you trust her to share every detail of your life. Women like details, they want to know what you said to person x, what they said in return, what expressions you both had when talking and what you felt during the conversation! We are a product of our decisions. We can decide to educate ourselves so that we don’t make unnecessary mistakes. We can decide to implement some of the changes in this article and we can decide to have better marriages. Andrea Onduku You can contact Andrea via www.mattersofheart.org or email info@mattersofheart.org
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RCCG Parish Pastors’ Retreat 2012
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CCG Parish Pastors’ Retreat took place in November 2012 at Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton. The Retreat was conceived in furtherance of the RCCG's commitment to equipping pastors for more effec ve ministries to the Church and Society. In par cular, it focused on themes rela ng to Spiritual Leadership and Efficient Management of Churches. The main speaker at the retreat was Pastor Agu Irukwu, Chairman, Board of Trustees and Head, Execu ve Council of RCCG UK. Other senior leaders of the mission in the UK also spoke at the retreat, including Pastor Kola Bamigbade and Pastor Andrew Adeleke who are also Trustees and Execu ve Council Members. Some of our leaders had the opportunity to share vital personal experiences in ministry that proved to be edifying for all. The gathering was also a pla orm for pastors to bond as fellow workers in God's vineyard. Some Feedback: This is to register my deep hear elt gra tude to you for the mely and heavenly sent pastors' retreat at Brighton. I will forever be grateful to you and to God for that program. To me it was a milestone encounter. I pray the Lord will bless you and reward you abundantly. God bless you all in a most wonderful way. Amen. Pastor David I just want to say thank you to the Central Office for the just concluded Pastors retreat. This is a program that if I had missed, I would have felt so bad. It is well packaged, with loca on, speakers, hotel accommoda on, food etc. I am so blessed and pray that RCCG UK will break new grounds in Jesus Name. Thank you & God bless. – Pastor Sola
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Annual General Meeting 2012
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osted at Jesus House London, this was an inspiring event for all Pastors and Ordained Ministers in RCCG where a progress report of the year was shared and all were encouraged and exhorted by Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Chris an Church of God. Amid much joy and celebra on there were awards given to over 200 churches for being faithful in contribu ng ďŹ nancially to the mission.
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COVENANT PARTNERS' RECEPTION WITH PASTOR ADEBOYE, 2012
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n evening of prayers and exhorta on for for those who covenant to fast and pray during the year for The General Overseer, Pastor Adeboye, his family, various RCCG events throughout the year, RCCG as a whole as well partnering with the ministry ďŹ nancially.
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Ordination Service 2012
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n emo onal and joyful service hosted at Jesus House London which saw hundreds ordained in categories of Deacons/Deaconesses, Assistant Pastors and Pastors.
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Festival of Life October 2012
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es val of Life, a ended by tens of thousands of people is a free event hosted by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of RCCG at the London Excel Centre. It is a joyful and celebratory fes val ďŹ lled with music, dancing, drama, prayers, and ministra on, tes monies and impac ul teaching from a variety of anointed ministers including the host himself.
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RCCG Workers Rally October 2012
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eld at the Excel Centre London, the Workers Rally provides a forum for all those serving as workers in RCCG to be encouraged and exhorted by Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Chris an Church of God.
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Ordained Ministers Conference 2012
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his as always was a wonderful chance for all the Ordained Ministers and Pastors of RCCG to congregate together and be hosted by Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Chris an Church of God for 3 days to be refreshed, encouraged and challenged in their personal walk with God and ministry.
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Snapshots of God's faithfulness at OMC over the years
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PASTORS INDUCTION COURSE (PIC) 2013 KICKS OFF The Pastors' Induc on Course (PIC) is a strategic ini a ve of RCCG UK, being the training programme designed for those who are about to take on responsibili es as heads of local churches.
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ar cipants who complete the course by a ending the two PIC sessions receive a Cer ficate of A endance. Parish Pastors who assumed their posi ons within the last three years but are yet to a end the PIC are also encouraged to par cipate. In addi on, pastors in need of a refresher course to further develop their church leadership and management skills a end the programme. Ministers a ending the PIC benefit from the many years of experience of the course facilitators comprised of senior church and ministry leaders. There is no fee to a end the course. This year, a deliberate step was taken by the Central Office to extend the delivery of the PIC across the regions of the UK. This has proved a most successful strategy, as the courses have proved quite popular since they were announced. In the two February 2013 PIC courses held at our Knebworth Headquarters, ckets were sold out within a short period. Feedback from course par cipants in February 2013 was overwhelmingly posi ve, as they commended the ini a ve.
Feedback: It was very educa ve and informa ve. It contains all you need when you are sent out as a new pastor or to assist new pastors. I have someone in mind I would recommend it to. – Mariam I have been a Parish Pastor for about 2 years and didn’t know what I had missed un l I got to this programme. It has been wonderful and thought provoking. It has
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challenged me and I would be going back to correct things I didn’t do properly. -Parish Pastor
It has been very insigh ul – Wife of Parish pastor
A – Z of RCCG Unreached Areas in the UK To the Glory of God, the RCCG continues to extend its presence in the United Kingdom by planting new churches in areas previously unreached by the mission. Please find below a list of yet-to-be-reached locations by the church in the UK. Through God’s guidance, these territories will soon be thriving mission fields. Please pray along with us.
Partially unreached areas in SCOTLAND: - Aberchirder and Marnoch - Aberdour and Tyrie - Aboyne - Alvah and Forglen - Arbuthnott - Auchindoir - Auchterless and Inverkeithny - Balhalgardy - Ballater - Balmedie - Balmoral - Banchory - Banff - Belhelvie - Benholm and Johnshaven - Benthoul - Boddam - Braemar - Bullars of Buchan - Burnhervie - Catterline Kinneff and Dunnottar - Claybokie - Cock Bridge - Coull - Craigearn - Craigievar - Crathes - Crathie - Crawton - Crimond - Crofts of Haddo - Cruden - Daviot - Denside - Dinnet - Dunnottar - Echt and Skene - Ellon - Feughdee West - Fintray and Kinellar - Fordyce, Sandend - Forgue - Foveran - Fraserburgh - Fyvie Rothie Monquhitter
- Gardenstown - Garioch - Garlogie - Gourdon - Hardgate - Huntly - Insch - Inverallochy - Inveramsay - Inverbervie. Royal Burgh of, - Invercairn - Inverey - Inverharroch - Inverugie Mill - Inverurie - Kemnay - Kennethmont - Kildrummy - King Edward and Gamrie - Kinkell - Kintore - Kirkton of Glenbuchat - Largie - Longside - Lumphanan - Lumsden - Macduff - Macduff - Manar House - Maud - Mearns - Meldrum and Bourtie - Memsie - Methlick - Mid-Deeside - Miltown of Rothiemay - Mintlaw - Mossat - Netherley - New Deer - New Pitsligo - Newburgh - Newmachar - Newtonhill, Muchalls, Cammachmore - North Kincardine Rural - Old Deer - Old Rayne - Oldmeldrum
- Ordie - Pennan - Peterhead - Pitmedden - Port Elphinstone - Portlethen - Portsoy - Potarch - Redhill - Rosehearty - Royal Deeside - Sandhaven and Pitullie - Schoolhill - St. Combs - St. Cyrus - St. Fergus, Crimond and Lonmay - Stonehaven - Strathbogie - Strathdon - Strichen - Stuartfield - Tap o\' Noth - Tarland - Tarves - Tillydrine - Torphins - Turriff - Udny - West Garioch - Westhill - Whitehills - Ythanbank Compiled by the Parish Liaison Department, Central Office. October 2012. Unreached Areas in WALES Aberaeron, Aberavon, Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Aberdare, Abergavenny, Abergele, Aberporth, Abertillery, Aberystwyth, Afonwen, Amlwch, Ammanford Bagillt, Bala, Bangor, Bargoed, Barmouth, Barry, Beaumaris, Bedwas, Benllech, Bethesda, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Blaenavon, Blackwood, Blaina, Brecon, Bridgend, Briton Ferry, Brynmawr, Buckley, Builth Wells, Burry Port Caernarfon, Caerphilly, Caerwys, Caldicot, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Chepstow, Chirk, Cilgerran, Colwyn Bay, Connah's Quay, Conwy, Corwen, Cowbridge, Criccieth, Crickhowell, Crumlin, Cwmamman, Cwmbran Denbigh, Dolgellau Ebbw Vale, Ewloe Ferndale, Ffestiniog, Fishguard, Flint
Gelligaer, Glanaman, Glynneath, Goodwick, Gorseinon Hakin, Harlech, Haverfordwest, Hay-onWye, Holt, Holyhead, Holywell Kidwelly, Knighton Lampeter, Laugharne, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llandysul, Llanelli, Llanfair Caereinion, Llanfairfechan, Llanfyllin, Llangefni, Llangollen, Llanidloes, Llanrwst, Llantrisant, Llantwit Major, Llanwrtyd Wells, Llanybydder, Loughor,Llanethne Machynlleth, Maesteg, Menai Bridge, Merthyr Tydfil, Milford Haven, Mold, Monmouth, Montgomery, Mountain Ash Narberth, Neath, Nefyn, Newbridge, Newcastle Emlyn, Newport, Newport (Pembrokeshire), New Quay, Newtown, Neyland Old Colwyn, Old Radnor, Overton-on-Dee Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Penarth, Pencoed, Penmaenmawr, Penrhyn Bay, Pontardawe, Pontarddulais, Pontypool, Pontypridd, Port Talbot, Porth, Porthcawl, Porthmadog, Prestatyn, Presteigne, Pwllheli Queensferry Rhayader, Rhuddlan, Rhyl, Rhymney, Ruthin, Risca St Asaph, St Clears, St David's, Senghenydd, Saltney, Shotton, Talgarth, Templeton, Tenby, Tonypandy, Tredegar, Tregaron, Treharris, Tywyn Usk Welshpool, Whitland, Wrexham Ystradgynlais, Ystrad Mynach
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ENVIRONMENT
Eco-congregations
Over-emphasis in one area usually means under-emphasis in another - we find this to be true in almost any area of life and the result of this imbalance often leads to illness or dysfunction of an organism or structure. The bible makes it clear that the relationship between man and environment is important.
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n fact, while we live, we are tied to the conditions of the environment surrounding us, and commanded to take good care of it (Genesis 2:15). Eco-congregations are an example of a movement of change in the churches across the world in an area that has for too long been neglected.
What is all this “eco-business” about? In Hosea 4:6 God says that His people perish due to ignorance and lack of knowledge. we look at the meaning of ecology as the study of household (coming from the Greek word οκος, “house”; -λογία, “study of”), or the study of the relationships between the living organisms and their environment, and economy as the management of that household, our role as stewards becomes much clearer. But as it appears, we have a lot to learn in this day and age of climate change, financial crisis, food insecurity, poverty and other problems. In other words, we must approach our stewardship of Earth wits wisdom and understanding, so let’s look at what the bible has to say particularly on the topic of Earth-care.
The principles of good care The bible says that in the beginning all that God created was good (Genesis 1:1, 31). Still today we find that nature performs
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like a fine-tuned clock, according to laws that complement each other - and all the Earth testifies of God’s good work (Romans 1:20). However, as sin entered world through Adam and Eve, the man’s dominion & rule became a struggle, even a failure. Jeremiah 2:7 says: “I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.”
Do not waste, pollute and destroy Just as you look after your body as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the bible says “you shall not pollute the land in which you live” (Numbers 35:33). There is a reason why God says in Leviticus 18:28: “if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” Perhaps you have heard of the fate of the Easter Island where human activity and overpopulation led to gradual deforestation and extinction of natural resources, which caused the demise of the Rapa Nui civilization? We live on an Earth where there are limited resources - but enough for us all if we use them wisely. FACT: Bees are the key to the survival of our ecosystem because they help to pollinate plants. It has been proven that neonicotinoids used in pesticides are responsible for the grave decline of bee population around the world.
TIP: You could help by avoiding any products containing components that harm the environment and planting bee-friendly plants in your garden or windowsills. God has never been ignorant or apathetic of the environmental destruction people are capable of bringing about, so He told us not to pollute, not to waste, not to destroy unnecessarily. A provoking example of God’s alarm over human carelessness and wastefulness is brought in Ezekiel 34:17-18: “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?” FACT: Plastics can be both a blessing and a curse. Most plastics are made of none-renewable resources such as oil or natural gas and do not biodegrade. This plastic, if disposed of improperly, ends up in small pieces, inside animals and fish and eventually in our bodies. Due to the adverse affect of plastic residue on the environment, a number of countries have banned the use of plastic shopping bags, including Rwanda, which is now considered one of the cleanest African countries. TIP: When shopping, re-use your plastic bags several times, or better yet, use an alternative like a basket or cotton bag. Avoid excessive packaging.
How can your church become an Ecocongregation and how can you help? • Buy local produce as much as possible - farmers’ markets and family-run businesses are often a great way to find more of this type. Avoid excessive packaging and processed foods. • Buy fair trade and organic but be mindful that the labels can normally be afforded only by bigger companies, so do not miss out on other local ecological, ethical and healthy produce! • Recycle! Nowadays you can recycle most of the household waste and Britian is taking it very seriously! If you have a recycling bin, use it accordingly! If you have a garden, try to compost any organic waste, or separate food waste from other types - some local councils operate separate food waste collection service. Anything that is potentially dangerous or cannot be recycled at home can usually be taken to household recycling centres. Establish a system in your church as well as your home whereby your recycling becomes easily manageable. Our biggest obstacle is laziness and ignorance! • You can also up-cycle, which is a word for reusing old items and creating something new out of them. These DIY projects are often fun to do with your whole family or during Sunday school with kids. • Plant some trees and other plants! Even if you don’t have a garden you may find some space on the patio or windowsill. You could grow herbs, tomatoes, bee-attracting flowers and so forth. Indoor plants help to clean the air, although try not to have too many in the bedroom as at night time they consume oxygen.
• Don’t collect too many material possessions that will lead to waste when they are no longer wanted- collect your riches to the heaven where they cannot be destroyed. Surely, God will provide all you need! • Use household cleaning products that do not harm the environment (or your health). • Turn off lights and other electrical appliances when not being used. • Insulate the building to avoid heat-loss in colder seasons. • Try and use public transportation, or even better, cycle of walk where possible! Air travel is one of the most polluting means of travel. • If you are a farmer or have a garden, check out permaculture design. If you are a business-man or woman, you may be interested in the circular economy and biomimicry concepts. Read Job. 12:7 • Get active and use your political rights - in many cases the governments are not fulfilling their purpose because not all people are exercising their power and obligation to be good stewards. As a consumer and as a citizen you have the power to put pressure on the government, companies and change your own way of life. Take charge!
A Question of Cost You may be thinking that you would love to become more ecofriendly or make your church an eco congregation but are worried about the cost to do so. The facts is the real cost of buying cheap products can be much higher than investing in a good quality but more expensive one. A lot of items nowadays are made to break or go out of trend quickly because companies want you to buy more to increase their profits iPhone 1, 2, 3, 4... Sounds familiar? Up-cycling is a word for reusing old items and creating something new out of them. These DIY projects are often fun to do with your whole family or during Sunday school with kids. Where possible, buy locally grown food on farmers’ markets or from local business. Although Fairtrade and Organic produce may be more expensive, it is generally better for your body, environment and provide more social justice. The real cost is often not reflected on the price tag you see but it is the actual impact and value of making a product or building something and knowing that you are contributing to making the world a better place. Will you commit to making your world a better place from today? We are a product of our decisions, make a positive one today. Maarja Hallik
Will you commit to making your world a better place from today? We are a product of our decisions, make a positive one today.
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CULTIVATING INTIMACY WITH Mankind was created for relationships. Relationships are so important in our lives that we cannot do without them. John Bowlby is a psychiatrist who studied the effects of relational deprivation in the lives of children and he drew together such empirical evidence as existed at the time from across Europe and the USA, including Spitz (1946) and Goldfarb (1943, 1945). His main conclusions were that “the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment” and that not to do so might have significant and irreversible mental health consequences.
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God W
e all know the pleasure of meeting with a loved one. We all know and understand the joyful anticipation of going home after a long time away from home. We all feel the pain of losing those close to us. In short, we all understand the language of intimacy.
WE’RE HARD-WIRED THAT WAY This need for intimacy, we must bear in mind, was not fixed by us. We were created that way. It was God who left inside each one of us that deep yearning to love and be loved. It was God who left in all of us that desire to be close to others in an intimate way. God himself has a need. He wants people to need him; He wants people to love him. Do not forget He
created us in His own image and likeness. That is, He created us to be just like Himself. God desires relationship too, and yearns for intimacy. He is not satisfied with superficial relationships. He wants to see people really love Him and worship Him. Jesus, speaking about the Father’s desire for intimacy in John 4:23, said: “The time is coming, yes, it is here now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants that kind of worshipers.” (New Life Version) Do you notice that the Father is seeking people who will worship Him? To seek is to express desire – a desire that is intense enough to elicit active labour in order to bring about the realization of that which is desired. God wants you to be close to Him. He desires intimacy with you. That is why we were created in the first instance. Can you now understand why God, in the Garden of Eden, would go out to fellowship with the man in the cool of the day? He loved the man and enjoyed his company.
A FLURRY OF ACTIVITIES? In Luke 10:38-42, we learn a handful of lessons about the priority of God. Today, we live in a hyperactive age – an age where activity reigns. We seem to be perpetually out of breath in trying to catch up with our ever-tightening schedules and we seem to like it so, for the busier we are, the more relevant it seems to us we are. Like Martha, we have welcomed Jesus into our lives, but we are so busy trying to work for Him that in the end we actually pay no attention to Him. We read that Martha was “cumbered” about much serving. I looked up the word “cumbered” and this is what I found: impeded, troubled, burdened, worried, obstructed, blinded and blunted. Can you beat that? This is exactly what our hyperactive age has done to our relationship with God. It has impeded the free flow of communication between us and God and as a result, we are troubled and worried about things that ought not to have held our attention in the first place. Our lives are burdened and weighed down with mundane concerns, yet Christ told us to be anxious about nothing. Our view about the greatness and majesty of God is obstructed to the point that we become blinded to spiritual realities and we are left struggling over the daily problems of life because we can no longer appreciate the ability of God to save us from the things that stand against us. And what is the overall result? We become ineffective in our Christian life and witness since that cutting-age sharpness which we acquire in His presence is blunted by a host of competing activities. Please don’t misunderstand me. I do not believe that inactivity is a virtue in itself, neither do I deride labour. After God created man, He put him in the garden to tend it. So, work has been God’s plan from the beginning. The problem, however, is that the very thing which God gave us, and through which we express the creativity in us, often become a tool for alienating ourselves from God. Like our forefather Adam, we hide under the trees and apron strings of our jobs and busy schedules and use then as excuses for not courting the fellowship of the one who made us for Himself.
THE EXCUSES ARE UNACCEPTABLE Looking closely at these excuses we give, they often lack substance. We’re too busy to observe our quiet time. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is neglected. But at what are we busy? We’re busy at the things we consider important. It is a known fact that our resources flow in the direction of our passions, including our time resource. We’ll always find time for the things we consider important. We give much time to our jobs because we consider them important to our wellbeing. A look at the allocation of your time will tell whether you love God. Where there’s a will, there’ll always be a way. If there’s currently no way, perhaps the will hasn’t been sufficiently engaged. The reason for not cultivating intimacy with God is the absence of real desire, for the proof of desire is pursuit. Does God want us to work and make money? Yes. Does God want us to work for Him and spend time in His service? Again, the answer is yes. But these things should never take the place of God in our lives. Martha, from the story in our text, did no wrong in seeking to serve Jesus. The problem was that the service obstructed her enjoyment of the company of Jesus. It took His place.
GOD’S GREATEST PRIORITY But what was Jesus’ verdict? In an unambiguous, unequivocal, no-tongue-in-cheek clarity, Jesus thundered: “One thing is needful”. When the chips are down, what you really need is God’s presence. Intimacy with Him guarantees that presence. God’s presence will only be where He is loved. So, what’s God’s greatest priority? God’s greatest priority is intimacy. Let me say it again: God’s greatest priority is intimacy. The person who knows the presence of God has achieved the needful thing. That person has fulfilled the very purpose for which he exists, because, like a songwriter has rightly sung, the reason we live is to worship Him. Your Father really desires your company. And it hurts Him when you keep away from Him. Are you fulfilling the purpose for which He created you? Are you giving Him pleasure? When we love people, we want to be with them. We want to talk to them and hear them talk to us. We want to spend time with them. So it is with God. Map out time and spend it with God. Don’t leave it to chance. Come into His presence. Come away and let Him know you love Him. Never, ever, forget this: God’s greatest priority is intimacy. Begin today. Begin now. Cultivate intimacy with God.
Bryce Edem Bryce Edem is an editor, wordsmith, creative writer, freelance journalist, skilled communicator and prolific bible teacher. You can contact him via www. bryceedem.wordpress.com or bryce.edem@gmail.com
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FINANCE
How to be wiser with God’s money
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ome time ago my wife Sylvia & I attended a course on biblical financial principles. After one session Sylvia said to me I didn’t realise it was God’s money, and now if she wants some money she will say Tony can I have some of God’s money! God wants us to learn that it is His money not ours, He wants us to be good stewards of His money and He wants us to become moneywise. So how do we become moneywise? Firstly let me share with you 5 key characteristics of being moneywise, learning how money works, understanding our own attitudes towards money, getting value for money, making sensible financial decisions, and being in control of money. Here are some questions for us all to consider, Are we in control of money? Or is money in control of us? Do we want to gain and maintain control? Would we like to become debt free? Let’s look at 10 practical steps on how to gain control of money
1. Talk to your spouse and older children Talk to your partner and older children before you make financial decisions. Imagine for a moment that organising your family finances is like running a family business. You would work out and agree a business plan, including a budget and you would meet regularly to discuss how your business was doing. 2. Allocate time How much time each week do you spend watching the television or engaged in leisure pursuits? How much time do you spend organising your family finances? 3. Plan Ever heard the expression if you fail to plan you are planning to fail? Preparing a plan will help you to succeed, you should set financial goals for the short term (up to 1 year e.g. Christmas), medium-term (1 to 5 years e.g. new car) and long-term (5 years plus e.g. retirement). 4. Work to a budget Prepare and work to a budget for the short term. You’re probably nodding right now agreeing it’s a good idea but feeling a little daunted by the prospect of all those numbers? Let’s face it budgeting isn’t the most exciting task in the world; but it is one of the most important tools to becoming moneywise! If you have access to the internet there are a number of very useful budget calculators. I particularly like the one from the Money Advice Service
5. Set priorities When you have completed your first budget you may find that you are potentially overspending and then you will have to set priorities. I suggest you look at your spending priorities as high, medium or low .This is a great opportunity to involve your partner and older children in discussion 6. Be aware of the pressures The “world” puts enormous pressures on you, should you rent or buy your home? Buy a new or second hand car? Have the latest gadgets? Use credit cards? These are just some of the many choices you have to make and each one has to be either a personal or a family decision 7. Do some research If you remember two of the characteristics of being moneywise are learning about how money works and getting value for money. The best way to get value for money is to shop around, literally walking around the shops and /or using the Internet. 8. Have a system for managing everyday money A system based on your budget that helps you keep within your spending limits. If you can, use cash, if not use a debit card and if you do use a credit card please please pay off the full balance at the end of the month. 9. Live within your means Putting it very simply “Don’t buy stuff you CANNOT afford!” 10.Seek assistance If you need advice on a pension, investment or mortgage consult a Professional Financial Adviser, if you have a debt problem consult a Professional Debt Adviser who offers free debt advice I firmly believe if you follow these steps you will become wiser with God’s money Tony Cunliffe Tony Cunliffe is a Moneywise Coach, Founder of Christian Moneywise, and specialises in spiritual and practical teaching on managing God’s money. For more details visit www.christianmoneywise.org
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Debt Free by Discovering Your Talent How to Become
People get into debts due to many reasons that might include loss of employment, mismanagement of financial resources, lack of financial management knowledge, loss of a family breadwinner, bad investment. Being a Christian in itself does not protect you from getting into a serious debt problem, you need to exercise wisdom and follow certain principles.
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n 2 Kings 4:1, a Christian Minister that feared the Lord died suddenly leaving his family in a terrible debt problem. The family was on the verge of losing everything including the next generation before a series of events led them to experience a turnaround in their financial situation; they received a breakthrough and became debt free. Are you on the verge of drowning in debt? Do you desire to experience a financial breakthrough that will lead you into your debt free season? Then following the model of this family will lead you to your personal encounter of financial breakthrough and generational debt free living.
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Seek Help (2 Kings 4:2) If you find yourself in a debt problem irrespective of the reasons, it is crucial you seek professional advice. It is vital practice to maintain communication with your creditors, explore various options to resolve the debt problem; learn more about managing your finances and begin to practise budgeting and financial discipline. It is essential to seek long term practical solutions that will resolve the debts problem. More importantly, as a Christian, seek help from God, He is a merciful and loving Father who has all the power to forgive your past errors and rescue you from financial ruin. In 2 Kings 4:1, the woman cried to Prophet Elisha, the servant of God and she obtained grace and mercy in her time of need.
Discover Your Talent (2 Kings 4:2, Isaiah 48:17). Elisha asked the woman a very simple question – what do you have in the house? The initial response of the woman was quite revealing of her mental state. As far as she was aware, she had nothing in her house. It took a probing question from Elisha for the woman to discover she had a small pot of oil. You need to answer this probing question to discover your ‘small pot of oil’. Of course, if you examine your house right now, you will discover you have different containers of various types of oil. Invariably your ‘small pot of oil’ is symbolic of something you rightfully own and can use profitably to bring in the financial resources you need to sort out your debts. Your talent will be your own ‘small pot of oil’. A talent is a latent skill you possess; a passion you have; a creative gift within your capacity. A talent discovered, when properly harnessed, will provide a solution to the problems of others. When properly developed and deployed, a discovered talent will meet the needs of others and be a blessing to you and many generations. Ask yourself, “What is my talent?” Make a list of 5 things you enjoy doing; activities you have a passion about and would gladly do without receiving a remuneration. Prayerfully consider this list and chose one to develop and deploy; you will be amazed at the opportunities that will open for you through this discovery journey. Develop Your Talent (2 Kings 4:4 – 5, Ecclesiastes 10:10). The woman received specific instructions on what to do with her discovered talent – ‘small pot of oil’. She followed these instructions to the letter. She did something she never thought she could have done with a resource she never believed she had. She nurtured and developed her talent and it began to increase. She stepped out of her comfort zone and was rewarded with a breakthrough. She increased her skill base and doors of opportunity opened for her. Have you discovered your talent, begin to nurture and develop it. In reality you will make mistakes but these will be learning curves for your future benefit. Deploy Your Talent (2 Kings 4:4 – 5, Proverbs 14:23). By this time, this woman has learnt a couple of new things in her quest to become debt free. She realised she must actively be engaged in the process to discover, develop and deploy talent. No other person would do it for her. She had to begin to organise herself, explore strategies that would bring the best out of her talent and learn and apply new skills to harness the potentials in her talent. After discovering and developing your talent, you need to begin to use it. The more you use your discovered talent, the more you become a master of your discovered talent; the more you become positioned to receive your breakthrough. This woman kept pouring her oil, she was not weary, she was not tired, she kept at the work of pouring her oil with a strong sense of conviction for a mighty breakthrough. Network with Your Partners of Destiny (2 Kings 4:3). Elisha asked a woman who was in a serious debt problem to approach her neighbours and borrow empty vessels; that
might seem odd. However, irrespective of your current debt situation, there is some level of credibility that is available for you to use to develop and deploy your discovered talent. Paramount of this credibility is divine favour before God and people. Divine favour will cause doors to open for you; it will move people to grant you support in your journey to become debt free. However, you have to make the effort to network with your partners of destiny, people God has ordained to favour and help you to fulfil your purpose. Your partners of destiny include members of your immediate family, your spiritual leaders, extended family, friends and colleagues. Promote Your Talent (2 Kings 4:7). Every stage of this woman’s journey to become debt free was a learning experience. She followed the instructions given to her by Elisha and received abundance from developing and deploying her discovered talent. Elisha told her to do something new again; to convert her discovered talent into money through selling it. This woman became a marketer, she began to sell her oil and in the process of time raised enough financial resources to become and remain debt free; and sustain the future of the next generation. You need to promote your talent; start selling the products and services that you developed from your talent. Maintain the network with your partners of destiny and use these associations to convert your products and services into money. Obtain referrals, get feedback and reviews; work on improving your concepts and diversify your product base. The beauty of following this model is that you position yourself to discover spin – off talents that you can equally develop, deploy and promote. This will leverage your initial discovered talent bringing in more financial returns. Give Thanks for becoming Debt Free (Deuteronomy 8:18, Psalm 92:1 – 15). It was not documented that this woman gave thanks but I strongly believe she would have done so. She would have become a partner of destiny for the ministry of Elisha; she would have appreciated her neighbours that gladly gave her empty vessels; she would have given thanks to Almighty God for the breakthrough to become debt free. It is vital that when you receive your breakthrough and become debt free, you upgrade your thanksgiving to God, His work on earth and His Church. Please don’t forget your partners of destiny, your family that endured the period of hardship, your friends and colleagues that supported you, your spiritual leaders that prayed for you and others that might be experiencing a serious debt situation. You will surely testify of the goodness and favour of the Lord; you will not die in that debt problem; you will be celebrated. Adeyinka Oshin is a seasoned author. His books include Judge Theo – The Final Judgment, God Has Got Talent – ME, Health and Safety Bible, A Global Plan for A Global Problem & How I Became Debt Free by Discovering my Talent – Writing? He can be contacted via discovery@thetalentjournal.com or www.thetalentjournal.com.
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LEGAL
The Law on Smacking Smacking has become a topical issue in this country of late. This subject will interest a lot of parents and non-parents alike in view of the current societal attitude. Parents, teachers and those who stand in the position of loco parentis will like to know how they stand on this issue.
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he popular questions adults and children have been asking of recent are: In what circumstances can I smack my child? Can my parent smack me? As a teacher, can I smack my
pupil? Permit me to state at this stage that I may not be able to answer all these questions individually but I propose to highlight the basic principles upon which these related questions can be answered. What is smacking or what is it to smack? The Cambridge dictionary defines smack as: “to hit someone or something forcefully with the flat inside part of your hand, producing a short loud noise, especially as a way of punishing a child” A careful analysis of the definition will reveal that, to constitute smacking, there must be the use of flat inside part of ones’ hand producing a short loud noise as a way of punishing a child. I have underlined the key words here for emphasis. Therefore, it will not constitute smacking to use a closed fist or weapon such as a belt, stick, shoe, etc to hit a child; such use of excess force will constitute a serious criminal offence.
...correcting a child, this should be done in love as our God is a God of love. What does the UK law say about smacking? Firstly, it is an offence under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to do an act either intentionally or recklessly which causes another to apprehend immediate unlawful violence. The maximum penalty for this offence (common assault) is 6 months imprisonment. What this means in summary is that, if you hit another or cause them to apprehend immediate unlawful violence without their consent, you have committed an offence. It does not matter whether the victim is a child or an adult. Please note that there are other more serious offences that may be committed under various legislations depending on the circumstances and the injuries sustained by the victim. The general rule is as stated above and of course to which there are exceptions. One of the exceptions or defence to common assault is lawful correction or reasonable chastisement. Simply
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put, a parent would have committed no offence where he/she has carried out a punishment which will constitute common assault provided it is moderate and proportionate [underlined for emphasis] (excluding offences where there are visible marks left on the child by reason of punishment and which may constitute more serious offences under other legislations. The exclusion is by virtue of Section 58 of the Children Act 2004. Therefore in order to successfully rely on the defence of lawful correction or reasonable chastisement, the following ingredients must be present: That you have smacked the child with the inside of your hand for the purpose of correcting that child and you have left no visible mark or injury on the child’s body. In practice, the courts will usually accept that defence where the smack is on the child’s buttocks or legs and not on the child’s face or head. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on which angle you look at it, similar rights enjoyed by teachers have since been eroded by legislation and in particular Section 548 of the Education Act 1996 which have left little or no room for teachers to rely on the defence of reasonable chastisement or lawful correction for pupils. In other words, that defence is not available to a teacher who decides to smack a child/pupil. Be that as it may, what is the Bible’s stand point on this topical issue? I refer you to the popular passage in Proverbs 22.15 which says that; “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, the rod of correction shall drive it far from him”. Proverbs 13:24 – “He who spares his rod hates his son but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” . See also: Proverbs 22.6, Proverbs 23:13-14, Proverbs 29:15. I know that the debate will still continue, whether or not it is right or wrong to smack a child for correction purposes but my personal view is that, the position of the Bible is quite clear on this point and it is not a mere coincidence that the UK parliament made provisions in the UK laws that accord with Biblical principles. For those who argue against smacking, I respect their views and I do not seek to argue against that view point. All I seek to do is set out the position of the UK law on smacking. I know this is a topical issue and the debate will go on with divergent opinions on the subject. In closing, it is important to point out that, in correcting a child, this should be done in love as our God is a God of love. Dapo Olorunsola-Elias Solicitor & Partner, Simon Bethel Solicitors
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YOUR JOURNEY IS OUR PASSION
Unfolding Agenda in the Entertainment Industry You may have heard about the conspiracy of hidden messages in the music and entertainment industry. The rumours of a “global elite” society that is either in control of the world, or is seeking to take control of the world is rife and those suspected are people in positions of high authority in world politics and also plentiful in the music and entertainment industry.
W
hether the conspiracy theories and rumours are true or not we must be aware of the influence that music and entertainment have on us and watch what we allow to consume our time. Music has the ability to alter our mood, emotions, thoughts and actions. Many secular musicians are immensely talented. Secular music can be very entertaining. There are many secular songs that have catchy melodies, thoughtful insights, and positive messages but be careful and make deliberate effort to find out the purpose, style and content of the lyrics. There are many demonic undertones in today’s music, movies and TV shows and even in children’s cartoons so much so that it is obvious that the devil is using the entertainment industry as a vehicle to further his agenda. We worship and idolize the elite/celebrities because they seemingly have it all. You will find in the online profiles of some celebrities in the music and entertainment industry some posts with almost completely nude photos, the ones that blasphemes against God and those meant to advertise idol worship. The same celebrities will post Biblical scriptures; which confuses everyday people! The average vulnerable teenager that already idolizes celebrities’ sees something like this and may think; well if these celebrities believes in God, and also does all these unholy things, it must be okay! No it’s
Whatever a person allows to occupy his mind will sooner or later determine his speech and his actions. 66
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not! Psalms 73 is clear about it. Obviously, the best kind of music is that which praises and glorifies God. While not specifically speaking of the entertainment industry, Philippians 4:8 is an excellent guide “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Surely those are the things we should invite into our minds through music, lyrics and other forms of entertainments. Can the lyrics in a secular song be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Apostle Paul instructs Christians to encourage one another with music: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19). Whatever a person allows to occupy his mind will sooner or later determine his speech and his actions. Secular music and entertainments often promotes immorality and violence while belittling purity and integrity. If a song or performances, glorifies what opposes God, a Christian should not listen or pay attention to it. Many artists have been produced and payrolled to pollute our understanding, our thought and our tastes. Being in Christ means we are no more of the world. We have been delivered from the darkness and are now nigh to the marvellous light of God in Christ. This is why every Christian must grow to a point in their life where they can boldly say NO to secular music and entertainments with all the profanity and deception that go with it. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” - Peter 5:8 It is about time to free your mind! Haruna Isah
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