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Tag: God

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Great leadership lessons from king David (1)

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 CHRONICLES 11 & 13
    Meditation verse:
    “So, he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (Psalm 78:72).

    David, the man whom God referred to as “a man after my own heart”, was Israel’s greatest king. He lived with such great zeal and is listed in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. What was the secret of David’s successes and why was he such a great leader?
    He waited for God’s perfect timing before ascending the throne. Despite being anointed as king, he did not usurp his predecessor king Saul in any way. Promotion comes from God; allow Him to place you in a leadership role. When He does, nobody can bring you down.
    One of the first things David did on becoming king was to arrange for the ark of God to be brought back to the city. The ark was a symbol of God’s presence, and he knew that he needed God to succeed as king. Psalm 127:1 says, except the Lord builds the house, the builder builds in vain. For your efforts to endure, all your life’s work must have God as the foundation.
    David understood that leadership was for service and not for personal gain. He knew that God had established him as king over Israel because of his people. Great leaders are more concerned about what they can give.
    David had a great army. He surrounded himself with great warriors who were skilled, determined and physically fit (1 Chronicles 12:1-40). Strong leaders are not intimidated by competent followers, only weak leaders are. Surround yourself with a team of competent, skilled, and focused people.
    David had a consultative leadership style. He conferred with his officers and commanders and carried everyone along. He said to the whole assembly, “If it seems good to you, let us…” (1 Chronicles 13:1-3). Do not be an “I will” leader, carry your team along. Great leaders listen to their people and encourage them to contribute to decision making.

  • New wine, new wineskins – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Many Christians are still living frustrating lives. We cannot live lives of victory. We cannot stop smoking. We cannot stop drinking. We cannot stop fornicating. We cannot stop losing our temper. We find it difficult to forgive and forget. We still have ungodly thoughts. We are still held in the bondage of masturbation. We are addicted to pornography. We still find ourselves telling lies.

    And all the time, the devil keeps telling us that we are not Christians. Our hearts continue to condemn us, and we come to believe that we are hypocrites.

    In many respects, the church has been singularly unhelpful in this regard. All that the church does is promise us hell and brimstone. The church has failed to appreciate the new wine of the gospel and continues to serve it in old wineskins.

    The good news of the gospel has become bad news for many. Failing to promote righteousness, the church has emphasised regulations and the punishment of sins, and this has led to witchcraft and bondage. Many of the rules and regulations that are prevalent in the churches today are man-made and cannot lead to salvation.

    God says: “These people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isaiah 29:13).

    The problem with man-made regulations is that they cannot change the heart. Paul says: “These rules may seem good, for rules of this kind require strong devotion and are humiliating and hard on the body, but they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires. They only make him proud.” (Colossians 2:23).

    As a result, churches have become places where people’s hands are cut off in the name of religion. It is the place where people are stoned to death in the name of righteousness.

    Comfort My people

    The Lord has sent me to comfort you, beloved Christian, and to offer you a godly counsel. The very fact that you feel terrible, that you feel frustrated, and that your heart condemns you is actually a confirmation that you are a child of God.

    “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence. Whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” (1John 3:19-20).

    The reason why we keep falling short and keep feeling terrible is that we are disciples of John the Baptist. But we need to become disciples of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist himself counsels: “(Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).

    Without realising it, many Christians are disciples of John the Baptist, and they put Jesus’ new wine in old wineskins. This inevitably creates problems.

    Instead, we need to follow the example of the disciples of John who deserted him and followed Jesus: “John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” (John 1:35-38).

    John the Baptist

    John the Baptist was a powerful preacher. He spoke, and people immediately became convicted. If you were to listen to John the Baptist preach, and you would know immediately that you are finished. If you ever thought you were righteous, by the time you listen to John’s message, you would see yourself in a different light.

    No arguments, no excuses. You would know that have to repent, or else. But there was a problem with the preaching of John the Baptist: it left the people worse off than before.

    John was a prophet in the tradition of Isaiah. His mandate was designed to frustrate the people to death. God said to Isaiah: “Go, and tell these people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” (Isaiah 6:9).

    John could not answer the most nagging question of the people: “What shall we do?” The answer was clearly beyond his pay grade.

    “The people asked (John), saying, ‘What shall we do then?’ He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’ Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed for you.’ Likewise, the soldiers asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.’” (Luke 3:10-14).

    Futile prescriptions

    The church is full of John the Baptist messages. Do not steal. Do not fornicate. Do not tell lies. Do not cheat. Do not fight. But these injunctions are simply religious, they are completely ineffectual.

    Yes, we know that we should not do all those sinful things. We know! We know! We know! But the knowledge of sin does not promote righteousness. All it does is give us a guilty conscience. The Christian now knows what is sinful. The Christian now hates sin. But the problem is that we cannot seem to stop doing sinful things.

    Let us be instructed by Paul’s confession. He says: “No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:18-19).

    The reason for this is that, because of sin, God has closed the hearts of men. Thus, He gives Isaiah a strange assignment that is repeated more times than any other scripture in the Bible:

    “Make the heart of these people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:10).

    Accordingly, despite the many outstanding miracles of Jesus, nevertheless, the people did not believe in Him. They did not believe because they could not:

    “They could not believe, because Isaiah said again: ‘(God) has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” (John 12:39-40).

    Jesus’ Beatitudes

    On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seemed to worsen the problem. His beatitudes take the Law of Moses to another impracticable level. Before, we were struggling with fornication, but now Jesus says if we even so much as look at a woman lustfully, we have committed adultery.

    Before, we were struggling with anger, but now He says if we say, “you idiot,” to someone we are in trouble with God. Before, we were struggling with the desire to punch that hateful brother in the nose, but now Jesus says if he slaps us on the one cheek, we should turn the other cheek.

    .

    Let us face it, the standards of Christ are impossible to fulfil. But with God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:27).

    CONTINUED

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Protect your self confidence

    By Onyinye Chinye

    “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

    It is almost impossible to live a satisfying or fulfilling life by default; so much gets thrown at us daily. You need to intentionally protect your self-confidence if you desire to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Begin by observing and auditing your focus: Ask yourself regularly: “what am I focusing on and how is this affecting how I feel?” Then change your focus if you need to. By default, the human brain prefers to focus on what could go wrong. It would rather focus on what you have lost, why it happened and whose fault it was than on what you can gain and how you can do better next time. Your goal should be to spend more time on the things that build your confidence and less time on the things that erode it.

    Eliminate outside forces or influence: What is that thing in the outside world that robs you of your self-confidence when you see it? Social media handles of certain people? Other people’s views, advice or presence? Take a diet of whatever it is. Focus on your strengths – figure out what you are good at and become amazing at it. Don’t keep working on your weaknesses as this will slow down your progress or even stop you. Pay others to do what you are not good at.

    Lastly, take charge of your life; get out of the goal post and play. Action breeds confidence, inaction breeds fear. Choose to be a thermostat which controls things rather than a thermometer that fluctuates based on the happenings around it. Control your own outcomes.

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The 3 Ps of purposeful living

    Oke Chinye

    Read: 2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8
    Meditation verse:

    “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)

    Not everyone who begins a race gets to the finish line. Some runners lose their balance and fall by the way, some get distracted, others become too weary to continue. Those who finish strong are the ones who never take their gaze off the finish line. Similarly, in the race of life, some people get distracted by the cares of this present world, others become weary from fighting the battles of life, and many do not even get started. Paul the apostle kept his eyes on the finish line and ended well. In discharging his apostolic mandate, he completed three long missionary journeys, planted at least 14 churches, wrote 13 of the New Testament books and endured some of the toughest conditions, persecutions, and trials. The life that will finish strong must be purpose driven, and there are 3 essentials of purposeful living.

    PURPOSE: Your Purpose is what you were made for. It is your God-ordained assignment. You are on earth to solve a particular problem, add value to the lives of those around you and impact your world. Your purpose is the vehicle you will use to accomplish this. God has put inside you everything you need to accomplish your purpose. The greatest love you can give to yourself is to discover the reason you were created and accomplish it.

    PROGRAM /PLAN: You should have a program(s) or plan of action for actualizing your purpose. Paul’s programs for fulfilling his apostolic mandate were missionary journeys, church planting, letters and follow-up visits.

    PEOPLE: In Mark 4:32, Jesus likened God’s kingdom to a small mustard seed that was sown in the ground, and which became a great herb with large branches such that the birds of the air nested under its shade. Your purpose is not for you. There are people whose destinies are tied to your purpose. These are the people you are called to serve; they are meant to nest under the shade of your purpose. Do you want to end well? Identify your purpose, create a plan of action, then find and engage your people.

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Who do men say you are

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: MATHEW 16:13-20
    Meditation verse:
    “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mathew 16:15)
    As you interact with people daily, they form impressions about you which inform
    who they think you are. Their opinions – which are entirely dependent on their
    interpretations of what you say and do – may not necessarily be a true
    representation of who you are.

    Whilst Jesus was on earth, He ate with sinners, visited the home of a tax
    collector, ate without washing His hands, healed on the Sabbath and allowed a
    former prostitute to anoint His feet. To Jesus, these were all acts of love- His way
    of saying “I do not condemn but love you”. However, the pious Pharisees and
    Sadducees saw things differently. Based on their own interpretations, they
    called Jesus a wine bibber, breaker of sabbath laws and a friend of sinners and
    outcasts. They even accused Him of heresy when He said He was the son of God.
    Jesus was not distracted by their accusations. He knew who He was and
    remained focused on the task at hand.

    If you are adversely affected by what others say of you or get distracted, you are
    undermining your progress and doing yourself a huge disfavor. The bible says in
    Ecclesiastes 7:21, “do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your
    servant cursing you”. If Jesus was unfairly and wrongly accused, why do you
    suppose you will not be spoken ill of?

    When Jesus wanted to know the truth about what others thought, He asked
    those closest to Him; His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”. If you truly
    desire to know what others think of you, ask those closest to you and they will
    tell you, warts and all. But be sure to ask those whose judgement you trust.
    Nothing means anything except the meaning we give to it, and the meaning we
    give to things differs based on our lens of interpretation. Do yourself a favor and
    stop whining over what others think about you. You cannot be the most popular
    person on earth. Instead, focus on what God wants you to do. Let Jesus’ example
    encourage you today.

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: A new wave

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: MATTHEW 28:16–20

    Meditation verse:
    “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

    The coronavirus pandemic that hit the world in 2020, took everyone by surprise. Suddenly, the world stood still and watched in horror as the death toll increased by the second. It didn’t matter how much you had in your account or how many luxury cars you owned or which exotic destinations you could vacation in. All that mattered was to be able to breathe on your own.

    However, amidst the horror and hopelessness, scripture was being fulfilled. From the ashes of despair arose a new wave of glory. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord began to cover the whole earth. As the world went online, carrying out processes and activities virtually, God’s word was not left out. The gospel was being preached continuously. Church services took place online. Bible studies and prayer meetings were held online. We listened to the word of God and prayed whilst cooking, bathing, eating, and walking. In the twinkling of an eye, physical pulpits became virtual ones.

    Before Jesus left the earth, He gave us the great commission; to go make disciples of all nations. God will not initiate the advancement of this cause and halt it midway. This new wave will continue even when the tides of the corona plague have been stemmed. The world is witnessing a revival. A new wave of glory has been ushered in. The pandemic opened our eyes to the fact that we can preach the word of God and share the good news of salvation to anyone in any location in the world. It showed us that we can pray for anyone at any time and from any place. The salvation message can no longer be restrained by geographical location, time, or space.

    How can you and I plug into this new wave? Wherever you find yourself, share the good news. Your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, office, school, and shop have become churches. Your social media handles, phones and laptops have become pulpits. You no longer need to wait to enter a physical pulpit before sharing the gospel. And you do not have to be a pastor. The great commission is for all of us.

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

  • Jesus the heavenly commando – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Jesus came into the world as a heavenly commando sent by God to destroy the works of Satan single-handedly. The devil holds men in bondage through the singular sin of the love of life; the foundation of all sin. We steal, cheat, fight, kill and commit adultery to save our lives.

    God required Jesus to call us to repentance and tell us about His spiritual kingdom. He would then demonstrate that our fear of death is baseless by laying down His life and then rising from the dead.

    Hebrews says of Jesus: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

    Exposed secret agent

    But how can Jesus survive in Satan’s kingdom on earth when His arrival was broadcast by angels? How can he survive when wise men from the East are foolish enough to make enquiries about Him in the king’s palace?

    Herod’s response on hearing of the birth of a rival “king of the Jews” was to kill all the infants in Bethlehem. However, God was always one step ahead of Jesus’ adversaries. An angel forewarned Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt for refuge. Thereafter, the devil was bound and rendered powerless for the duration of Jesus’ ministry.

    Jesus was not secretive about his mission on earth. He preached about the establishment of his alternative kingdom everywhere he went. He also validated his message with supernatural signs.

    He cast out demons, demonstrating the overthrow of Satan’s kingdom. He raised the dead, signaling the triumph of life over death. He healed the sick, announcing the end of human suffering. He multiplied loaves of bread, pointing to the satisfaction of all physical need. He stilled the storm, heralding the emergence of peace on earth. And He forgave sins, proclaiming the dawning of righteousness.

    Recognising Jesus’ superior authority and powers, the devil sought an unholy alliance with Him. He said to Him: “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:6-7).

    When Jesus refused the offer, he resorted to his time-honoured strategy of employing the fear of death. He threatened Jesus’ life; knowing Jesus could easily save it. But if Jesus saved his life, he would be entrapped by the word of God which says: “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it.” (Luke 17:33).

    The devil even attempted to use one of Jesus’ disciples against Him. When Jesus revealed that God’s plan was for him to be killed and then rise from the dead, Peter objected, saying this should not happen to Jesus.

    But Jesus rebuked him sharply. He said to him: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23).

    A house divided

    In Satan’s camp were the Jewish pastors who were incensed that the more Jesus preached, the more he exposed their ungodliness. If He were to continue unabated, they feared they would soon lose their meal-ticket; the goodwill of the people.

    They were also concerned that Jesus’ popularity would grow into a revolutionary fervor against Roman occupation; prompting Caesar to crush it with characteristic ruthlessness. Since this would jeopardize their privileged position under Roman rule, they decided to accuse Jesus to the Roman authorities of plotting to overthrow Caesar, a crime punishable by death.

    However, Jesus knew Satan had no interest in killing Him; he only wanted Him to save His life. Satan knew he could not kill Jesus. Any attempt to kill Yim would prompt the rescue of angels. Satan said to Jesus: “It is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over You,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest you dash Your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6).

    But Jesus was determined to allow Himself to be killed so that Satan’s captivity of men through the love of life and the fear of death would finally be broken. When Satan realised this was Jesus’ resolve, he decided to call the whole thing off at the last minute.

    Pilate, another one of his agents, looked desperately for a way to free Jesus, declaring him to be innocent. He said to Jesus’ accusers: “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 19:4). He then sought to release Jesus through a clemency order in honour of the Passover.

    However, the pastors, Satan’s other agents, would not consent to Jesus’ release, insisting He must be crucified. In effect, Jesus’ non-resistance divided Satan against himself. Jesus says: “Every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25).

    Concerned not to jeopardise his position as Governor by inciting a riot, Pilate was forced to succumb to the demands of Jesus’ persecutors.

    Provoking righteousness

    But Satan had one last gambit. He engineered the rulers of the Jews as well as passers-by to mock Jesus, hoping to provoke him to jump down from the cross and save his life. They taunted him, saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” (Luke 23:37). “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (Luke 23:35).

    Even God restrained Himself from saving Jesus when Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

    However, the love of God for humanity ensured Jesus was forsaken on the cross. Thereby, Jesus fulfilled the word of God that says: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25).

    “Since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15;21).

    Thus, Jesus’ death became paradoxically His greatest triumph. Once He willingly laid down His life for God, the devil’s stranglehold on the lives of men was broken for the very first time. His resurrection ushered in a new era of the resurrection of the dead unto eternal life with God. (John 6:38-40).

    As a result, all the righteous dead began to rise from the dead: “The graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53).

    By overcoming the love of life and the fear of death, Jesus opened “the gates of righteousness,” that men may thereafter follow His shining example. Thanks to Jesus, we are no longer held captive by sin and Satan:

    “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:7-8).

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Who are the people around you

    By Oke Chinye

    Meditation verse:
    “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us’” (Exodus 32:1).

    The people you surround yourself with can either help or derail you from your destiny. It is often said that if you want to know how far a person will go in life, check out the people they surround themselves with. The people around you affect your life because they counsel you, speak into your life and make ties with you in business or some other area of life. The bible is replete with examples of individuals who deviated from God’s purpose for their lives because they listened to counsel from people.

    In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul defeated the Amalekites, but spared the king and took the best of the spoils, even though God had instructed him to destroy everything. When the prophet, Samuel confronted him, he said “they have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” As a result of his disobedience, God rejected him as king and tore the kingdom from his hands. Samson lost his sight and anointing because he listened to Delilah (Judges 16). In today’s reading, Joshua listened to the people’s demand to make a golden image for them to worship.

    Proverbs 11:14 states that “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” However, you must weigh the counsel from others against God’s counsel or His word. If it is in line, then follow it, but if it contradicts God’s word or His purpose for your life, you should reject it. When Jesus told His disciples about His sufferings, death, and resurrection, one of His closest disciples, Peter, took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22). But Jesus turned and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23). Bottom line; be careful of the people around you as well as their counsel.

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

    IN HIS PRESENCE: A daily devotional of

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: It can’t be me

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: MATTHEW 7:3–5

    Meditation verse:
    “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3).

    Most of us are masters at seeing what is wrong with others; we can explicitly describe the details. But when it comes to seeing our faults, we become rookies. We are so blind to our faults. When issues arise, we focus on looking for the cause outside of us. We have perfected the blame game. Have you not noticed that when you point your forefinger at the other person, your thumb is pointing right back at you?

    Televangelist and best-selling author, Joyce Meyer, told a hilarious story of a conversation she had with God. She said she had reported her husband, Dave, to God, but God said that Dave was not the problem. So, she asked, “if Dave isn’t the problem, then who is? There’s just two of us in this home”. As far as she was concerned, it couldn’t be her.

    How often do you blame the other person for everything going wrong, whilst failing to look inwards; that annoying spouse, sibling, friend, child, co-worker, or boss? Is there a remote chance that the problem lies with you? Does it even cross your mind to look inwards? If you are prone to saying, “it can’t be me”, here’s God’s word for you today:

    Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:1–5

    Let the change begin with you!

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com
    or call +2348155525555
    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org

  • Insecurity: Some Nigerians playing God, fail to believe in Him – Buhari

    Insecurity: Some Nigerians playing God, fail to believe in Him – Buhari

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said some set of Nigerians are already playing the role of God by failing to put their faith in Him as insecurity persists in the country today.

    This is just as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said that a new Nigerian nation has already been birthed, but currently covered by a dark cloud occasioned by a myriad of crisis.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports Buhari and Osinbajo spoke at the 11th National Prayer Breakfast organized by the Christian Legislators Fellowship of the National Assembly with the theme “Faith in a Time of Crisis.”

    The President who was represented by Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF,Dr Maurice Mbaeri, said sincere prayers would bring about the change and betterment of the country desired by all.

    “The theme of this year’s national prayer breakfast, ‘Faith in the Time of Crisis’, clearly speaks to what we need as individuals and as a collective in these times when most Nigerians seem to have forgotten their faith because it appears that we are facing insurmountable hurdles. However, in actual fact, a good number of Nigerians have taken over the role of God by failing to place their trust in Him and placing it entirely on themselves and other men.

    “Of course it is very difficult to keep faith in times of crisis, especially when all we think we can do and agree as humans, and most especially policy makers, is not yielding the desired results of calming the stormy waves. As such we begin to ask God, where are you? We begin to debate whether there is need to trust God.

    “I am confident that this keynote address that has been delivered by the Presiding Bishop, Living Faith Goshen City Abuja, Bishop David Abioye has encapsulated these thoughts in a more elaborate and succinct manner and further encourages us all on how to keep our faith in times of crisis. Our hope is in God Almighty and our strength is in his will concerning us and that is why we are confident that these prayers are not in vain but will work out for our good as a people and as a nation.

    “Prayer is a source of strength regardless of religion and it brings forth solutions at all times. In our multi-layered society where there is an obvious combination of various tribes and religions, it is fair to say that we believe that sincere prayer would bring about the desired change and betterment of our families, local communities and of course the society at large,” Buhari said.

    He said the country shall continue to join hands together to pray for its sustenance and good until the desired result is achieved.

    Vice President Osinbajo, who was represented by the State House Chaplain, Pastor Seyi Molomo said the destiny of the Nigerian nation was in the hand of the children of God as the scripture enjoined them to always cry to God when there are challenges.

    “In the throes of the pandemic well over a year leading to severe economic downturn, there were loss of jobs and Source of livelihood. As we climb out of the recession, we have been faced with an unprecedented scale of insecurity in different zones of the nation.

    “But for us who are gathered here today, Christian legislators, who trust in the God that answers prayers and who lead by faith and not by sight, would see the invisible.

    “By our faith we have knowledge that every time that a nation is challenged, it is God’s call for to his people to take action, to rise up in faith, seize the opportunity for God to demonstrate that he is all over the nations, he is the creator of the heavens and the earth and that he knows the beginning from the end.

    “Apostle Paul describes the type of faith we have to demonstrate in crisis. Second Corinthians 4:13 says ‘and since we have the same spirit of faith according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke’. We also believe and therefore speak. God has ordained us to speak concerning the things that we want to see in the time of crisis.

    Quoting the scripture in Jeremiah, 1:9-10 he said the destiny of nations is in the hands of children of God.

    “From Zerubabbel to Nehemiah, we see ordinary men and women nations at the direction of God and by prophetic action. The scripture has consistently shown us that the children of God by their faith are central to the deliverance of their nation in time of crisis. They must desire the change, they must cry to God and be ready to make the sacrifice of repentance.

    “The word of God does not agree with logic or with our thinking. God is saying here that it is not the nation that repents. It is his own people who are called upon to repent and turn from their evil ways. As we are the salt, we are also the light. The light ends the darkness. It marks the end of a night of weeping and marks the glorious sunlight of the morning of joy.

    “As we pray, we prophesy our crisis will end. A new nation would be birthed. One where like the city to which Elisha went, the land was healed and the people prospered and peace and joy prevailed.

    “I speak these words also to our nation. Thus says the Lord I have healed this waters. From it there shall be no more death or barrenness. According to the words of Elisha which he spoke, we say the same words to our nation as well that there is an end to the crisis. There is a dawning of a new day, the birthing of a new nation. As the scripture says, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.

    “The new nation is birthed already but covered by the clouds of crisis, one crisis or the other, but I want to let us know the clouds would clear and God Almighty would take all the glory for the birthing of this new nation.”

    Guest Speaker, Bishop David Abioye in his sermon, said faith is the life wire of Christianity and what is needed to overcome the challenges facing the country.

    Abioye, who is the Presiding Bishop, Living Faith Church, Goshen City, Abuja, said however the people need to turn away from evil and turn to God as faith goes with integrity.

    He urged that despite everything, the nation must remain committed to the will of God.