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Tag: God

  • NAN Editor dedicates first child after 14yrs of marriage

    NAN Editor dedicates first child after 14yrs of marriage

    Mr Isaac Ukpoju, an Editor with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Lafia office, has expressed gratitude to God for blessing him with a daughter after more than 14 years of marriage and dedicated her to the altar of God.

    Upkoju, while dedicating the child, Blessing Isaac on Sunday at Dunamis, Koroduma Centre, Karu Local Government Area (LGA), appreciated God for answering his prayers 14 years after marriage.

    “I want to thank God for answering my prayer after 14 years of marriage.

    “I will continue to worship God as long as I live, and I pray God to give me the resources and strength to bring her up in the way of the Lord,” he added.

    The NAN Editor also thanked his family members, colleagues, and other well-wishers, who stood and prayed with him and his wife throughout the period.

    Earlier, Elvis Mike-Oche, Pastor of the church, lauded the NAN Editor alongside others, who still remember to present their children to God after blessing them.

    He said that many people hardly remember to thank God for answering their prayers and only remember him again when they are facing another challenge in life.

    The pastor called on parents to ensure the proper upbringing of their children in a Godly way.

    He added that children are a special gift from God, hence the need for parents to take adequate care of them.

    The pastor, who preached from Psalm 127:3-5 said; “children are the heritage of the Lord and happy is the man that had a quiver full of them.”

    He, therefore, congratulated them and wished the child well in life.

    Upkoju married his wife, Juliana Ukpaju in 2008.

  • I can’t forgive God, says Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh

    I can’t forgive God, says Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh

    Controversial Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh said she can’t forgive God after she announced the death of her mother.

    The actress made the announcement via her Instagram stories on Saturday.

    She wrote, “Farewell mama, This one I can’t forgive God.”

    However, her statement has generated a lot of reactions on social media.

  • Contradictions that do not contradict [1] – By Femi Aribisala

    Contradictions that do not contradict [1] – By Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    “God has written some scriptures into our lives”.

    I told God in Lagos that I needed a car. He told someone in Porth Harcourt to send me his car. The Lord told him: “Femi Aribisala needs your car in Lagos. I want you to send it to him.”

    That is how I became the owner of a Toyota Rav 4.

    Nevertheless, when someone asked me, I maintained that a car is not a blessing of God. That is not a contradiction. That is wisdom.

    Solomon says: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22). A car can add sorrow. It can be stolen. It can have an accident. It can kill you.

    I asked God to give someone a car. He did so within a week. Nevertheless, I say a car is an abomination to God. That is not a contradiction. It is wisdom from God.

    Jesus says: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15). A car is highly esteemed among men.

    God says: “Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!” (Isaiah 54:1).

    Nevertheless, when a barren woman comes to see me, I pray for her to bear a child. That is not a contradiction, that is wisdom from God.

    The same bible says: “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land.” (Exodus 23:26). “Even the barren has borne seven,” says barren Hannah. (1 Samuel 2:5).

    God asked me to pray for someone going into politics. He said she should choose a post and I should pray for her to get it. Nevertheless, when a Christian brother asked me if a believer should engage in politics, I said “No!”

    “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4).

    That is not a contradiction. That is wisdom.

    I prayed that God would make a man very wealthy. I prayed that He would put N1 billion naira in another’s bank account. Then I conducted a fellowship where I insisted that God is the God of the poor and not of the rich. The gospel of the kingdom of God is for the poor.

    That is not a contradiction. That is wisdom from God.

    The people rejected the contradictions of Jesus and left His church when He told them to eat His flesh and drink His blood. He did not persuade them to stay and even invited His disciples to leave as well.

    Love of God

    Jesus appeared to me in a dream as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The lion stood in front of me and played with me. He held out His claw and it extended as if by hidden hydraulics. He then used His claw to stroke my eyeball.

    The message was clear to me. Like Abraham, God wanted me to know that He is my friend. Although He is a lion, this lion has a contradiction. This lion will not hurt me. Indeed, this lion turns out to be my friend; a naturally unlikely proposition.

    Before then, the Lord spoke to me through my own lips. He said, “Femi, Femi, Femi, I have loved you from the foundation of the world.” I compared this with what Jesus told God the Father. He said: “You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24).

    So, God loved Jesus BEFORE the foundation of the world. But He loved me FROM the foundation of the world.

    He then gave me a scripture that is about Jesus. When I protested that this is about Jesus, God said: “Femi, it is also talking about you.”

    “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.” “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’” (Isaiah 49:1-3).

    If you have read any of my books, you will find this scripture at the beginning of every one of them. If you have been to my YouTube Channel, you will find that I quote it in my Introductory Video.

    What conclusion can I draw from all this?

    Assurance of salvation

    Whatever happens, I will end up in heaven. Whatever happens, I will spend eternity with God. Since God says He has loved me from the foundation of the world, I know He cannot stop loving me. For He says: “I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Malachi 3:6).

    Even if I backslide, God will save me. Even if I deny Him like Peter, Jesus will pray for me that my faith should not fail. He even assured me of this by giving me another scripture:

    “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).

    If you ever get to Isaiah 41:10 in the bible, you must not read it. That scripture is now my exclusive property. When the Lord gave it to me, I told Him I would never need any other reassurance from Him. Whatever happens, I know He will uphold me with His righteous right hand.

    Nevertheless, when I read Romans 8:38-39, I could not receive it.

    Paul says: “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    This scripture obviously agrees with the assurances God has given me. Nevertheless, I disagreed with it. I said: “No! Sin can separate me from the love of God.”

    Is that not a big contradiction? No, it is not. It is wisdom from God.

    Revelation

    God has written some scriptures into our lives. We do not need to read them in the bible, they are already in our hearts.

    I asked Martins Hile: “Are there things you discovered you know even though you never learnt them?” Martins was very excited because he knew exactly what I was talking about.

    The Holy Spirit cleanses us from all sin by writing scriptures in our hearts. He knew us even when we did not know Him. He has been working in us from the foundation of the world.

    “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” (Romans 2:14-16).

     

    (TO BE CONTINUED).

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Tell God exactly as it is

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Tell God exactly as it is

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Psalm 103:1-22

    Meditation verse:

    “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13).

    When my last child was three years old, we had a party for her and as expected, I was all over the place making sure everything was going as planned. As I went about delegating, giving instructions, she came to me and said “mummy, I want to weewee”. I told her I was coming but continued attending to guests. She came a second time and repeated her request, again I said I was coming. A few moments later, she came a third time and said in a desperate tone “mummy, please don’t let me weewee on myself”. I dropped everything I was doing and quickly took her to the bathroom. By letting me know the consequences of my delay, she promptly caught my attention.

    Psalm 103:13-14 says that “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust”. Tell God exactly as it is with you. Tell Him that you are about to give up and without His help, you cannot make it in life. Tell Him not to allow your marriage fail. Tell Him that if He does not help you, your business will collapse. Tell Him that you have no one else to turn to. He knows your condition anyway; He is just wants to know that you depend on Him.

    Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud. Psalm 123:1-4.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder of The 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: God will always make a way of escape

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: God will always make a way of escape

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13

    Meditation verse:

    “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

    It is often said the only thing that is constant in life is change. What this means is that we have little control over certain events, and so life can suddenly happen. Things can happen suddenly that disrupt the normal course of our lives. However, no matter how badly disrupted our lives and plans become, God can never be taken by surprise. He always makes provision for you to overcome any disruption. You may however fail to see the provision due to several reasons.

    If you keep focusing on the problem. Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. Look to God and ask Him to show you the route of escape to that problem. Psalm 123:2 says “behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us”.

    If you refuse to step out of your comfort zone and move forward. Due to fear of the unknown, we stay rooted in the same spot even when God has shown us what to do to navigate the problem. God had to rebuke Moses; “why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! (Exodus 14:15, NLT). God had already guaranteed them a safe passage to the promised land. Yet as they approached the red sea, with Pharoah and his men behind them, they were afraid and kept crying out to God. They choose to keep their eyes on the problem instead of on God.

    If you desperately hold on to old plans you will not be able to create a new way. When things fall apart, something new can rise to replace it. Collapse does not only mean devastation, but it can also mean opportunity. Life is a lively process of becoming. If your previous plans have been disrupted due to an unexpected occurrence, make new plans. Until you try, you may never know.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder of The 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: Increase comes from God

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Increase comes from God

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15

    Meditation verse:

    “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

    We were created to work and not to be idle. Ephesians 2:10 says, “we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. As soon as God created the first man, he gave him an assignment; to till the garden, be fruitful and dominate the earth. You were put on this earth to fulfill your own assignment and take dominion over the earth. There will always be work for you to do. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says that whatever your hand finds to do, do it well. The size of a task is immaterial, your responsibility is to always give it your best. The outcomes and results you get whilst accomplishing a task are up to God.

    The Apostle Paul said he planted, and Apollos watered but God was the one who gave the increase. In order words, the results of their efforts were in God’s hands. This is an important insight for anyone feeling discouraged by the outcomes of their efforts in whatever task they are doing. If you have toiled in a particular endeavor but have seen minimal results, keep toiling. Proverbs 16:33 (NLT) says “we may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall” Ecclesiastes 11:5 says as we do understand the path of the wind or how the bones grow in a woman with a child, so we do not understand the working of God. Psalm 75:6 says that promotion does not come from the East, West, or South. Romans 9:16 says that it does not therefore depend on man’s efforts.

    Increase comes from God. Keep working at the tasks you have been given. Commit to whatever your hand finds to do. Stay faithful and do not relent. “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38). Do not cast away your confidence, for in due season, you will reap if you do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9). Be rest assured that whatever God is involved in must grow. So, commit your work to Him and you will succeed.

     

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

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • God’s fullness of joy – By Femi Aribisala

    God’s fullness of joy – By Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    “Many Christians have the joy of the Lord but do not realise it”.

    Joy is one of many things that only come from God. It is the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23). That means it can only find true expression in those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and have been gifted with His Spirit.

    In effect, joy is one thing that many claim they have but do not have. This is because it is only God that makes us joyful. (Ezra 6:22).

    Counterfeits

    Since joy only comes from God, there are many counterfeits. Be suspicious of anything that gives you joy outside of Christ. There is no real joy in anything you do without the Holy Spirit. There is no joy in anything you cannot do in the presence of God.

    Counterfeit joy includes the so-called joy that comes from buying and selling. It includes the “joy” that comes from possessions, the joy that comes from achievements, and the “joy” that comes from eating and drinking.

    “But the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17).

    When we eat and drink, we are never full. Soon, we have to eat and drink again and again. But with joy in the Holy Spirit, we can be full and fulfilled.

    Accordingly, Jesus told a Samaritan woman by the well of Jacob: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14).

    That water that flows from the city of God is the Holy Spirit. It is water drawn from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3).

    Happiness

    What is the point of joy that does not last? What is the point of happiness that only happens occasionally? What is the point of the fleeting joy that is here today but gone tomorrow? What is the point of joy that is never full and always incomplete?

    But the joy of the Lord is full and fulfilling. It is immune to the vagaries of life. It is not subject to situations and circumstances. It remains and abides forever. It ensures that even when we are sorrowful, nevertheless, we are always rejoicing. (2 Corinthians 6:10). It guarantees that we are exceedingly joyful even in all our tribulations. (2 Corinthians 7:4).

    Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

    The bleaker things are in the world: the snugger we feel in Christ. The darker the night: the brighter the day. The darker the berry: the sweeter the juice. Whatever happens, the joy of the Lord remains.

    Many Christians who have the joy of the Lord do not even know they have it. This is because if we have it, we need to express it. But many have it and do not realise it.

    Joy of the Lord

    God desires that we have His joy. He wants us to: “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:9). He gave us His commandments because He does not want sin to impede our joyfulness.

    Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:11-12).

    God, Himself, is our joy. Therefore, all our joy must be in Him and from Him. Nine times in the scriptures we are told to rejoice in the Lord. We are told to rejoice in the salvation of God, to rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and to rejoice because our names are written in heaven.

    Accordingly, Paul says: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

    When barren Hannah travailed in prayer and finally gave birth to a son, she did not rejoice in the child. She said: ‘My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1).

    The same thing happened with Mary when she was told by the angel that she would have a child by the Holy Spirit. She said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47).

    The joy of the Lord is the satisfaction and sense of well-being that we get when we are secure in the love of God. That makes it more of a lifestyle than an emotion. Our emotions are controlled by our flesh. But joy comes from the Holy Spirit.

    It comes from having a loving and cordial relationship with God. It comes from knowing that all things work together for our good. (Romans 8:38). It comes from knowing that it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13). It comes from knowing we are accepted in God’s beloved. (Ephesians 1:6).

    Nobody else gives what God gives and God is the only person who gives anything that is valuable.

    Man gives perishable goods. If a man is pleased with you today, he can be displeased with you tomorrow. If he gives you something today, he can ask for it back tomorrow. In any case, whatever he gives will soon run out or expire.

    But God’s favour everlasting: “His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5).

    God is exciting, exuberant, and fulfilling. There is no good thing outside of the Lord. (Psalm 15:2). Therefore, our fullness of joy is realised from fellowshipping with God the Father and Jesus the Son.

    Exciting God

    God is someone to be enjoyed by man. The whole point of our privileged personal relationship with God is to have fun with him. Our joy in Him comes from the fact that believers dwell in God and God dwells in us. (John 14:20). God has put gladness in our hearts: “more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.” (Psalm 4:7).

    By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are now seated: “together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6).

    Jesus reveals that at the resurrection: “All our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. (Matthew 22:30). Moreover, “In (God’s) presence is fullness of joy; at (His) right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11).

    “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

  • In 2020 I lost my faith in God – film producer, Editi Effiong

    In 2020 I lost my faith in God – film producer, Editi Effiong

    Film producer and writer Editi Effiong has opened up on being an atheist.

    Effiong, who is a producer of ‘Up North,’ took to his Twitter page to reveal his religious status.

    According to him, he would never go back to religion again.

    He stressed: “I’m probably never going back to religion but I could never shake the feeling that God is there. We are not cool but I’m willing to try,” he said.

    “I lost my faith in 2020. Went through 2021 without God. Don’t invite me to your church abeg. And don’t preach in my mentions.”

  • God did it (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    God did it (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    “God not only makes us do the evil we want to do”.

    Let me first address the contrarian who says if God is the author of everything, how can man be held responsible for his actions? Such a dilemma arises from knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29).

    The God of the Bible is the uncaused cause of everything. The power of God ensures that God’s determinism never contradicts man’s responsibility. God not only makes us do the evil we want to do, He also makes us do the good we do not want to do.

    In this equation, the devil is merely a servant of God. He only does what God purposes. God says: “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7). Amos echoes this: “If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?” (Amos 3:6).

    Nothing good or bad happens outside of the will of God. “Who can speak, and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? (Lamentations 3:37-38). Thus, Job asks his wife: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).

    Indeed, God takes issues with those inclined to make Him one-dimensional: “I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.’” (Zephaniah 1:12).

    Jesus maintains evil is a necessary feature of life: “Each day has enough evil of its own.” (Matthew 6:34). We need trouble so the power of Christ in deliverance and salvation may be revealed in us. (John 9:1-3). We need evil, in order to partake of God’s divine nature in overcoming it.

    However, believers have this assurance: “The Lord will deliver (us) from every evil work and preserve (us) for His heavenly kingdom. (2 Timothy 4:18).

    Self-denial

    God has already done this. Jesus says: “I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:20). This means the believer no longer exists. Jesus says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself.” (Matthew 16:24). Let him understand that he no longer exists.

    Accordingly, Paul says: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

    If you are a believer then, concerning you: “the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3). The books on you are closed. In that book is every word you will speak in your lifetime and every step you will take.

    “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30).

    Observe that everything about you is expressed in the past tense. It is all already accomplished: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

    It is finished

    This means nothing can be added or subtracted from the works and purposes of God in your life. You can now enter into God’s rest. Perfect calmness and peace of mind is achieved once we recognise not only that our times are in God’s hand (Psalm 31:15), but also that “God has done it.”

    He has done all the needful. He has perfected everything that concerns you. (Psalm 138:8). Therefore, nobody can do anything for you. Only God. Nobody can help you. Only God. Do not ask God to make somebody do something for you. Ask God to do it Himself.

    Remember this: “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; (God) does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:35).

    All your actions are going to originate from God. Therefore, determine what you want God to do, then do it. “Use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:13).

    Recognise this: if you are praying about something, then God is working on it. Before you even started praying, He already had the answer. (Isaiah 65:24). In any case, God is the One who makes you pray. The psalmist says to God: “Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.” (Psalm 80:18). Without God’s enablement, we can do nothing. (John 15:5).

    New creatures

    Because of Jesus’ atonement, we are new creations who can no longer sin. John says: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.: (1 John 3:9).

    Here is how you know this applies to you. When you sin, you are remorseful. When you sin, your heart condemns you: “By this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:19-20).

    God knows you are no longer a sinner, but that the sins that are still in you have nothing to do with you any longer. They are only in your good-for-nothing flesh and not in your newly created spirit. These sins are now in you as outlaws. They are in you as strangers and foreigners.

    But rest assured: “The foreigners (shall) fade away and come frightened from their hideouts.” (2 Samuel 22:46).

    That is why Paul says: “I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:17-20).

    Here is wisdom. If you want God to use you for His good purposes, be good. If you want Him to use you for His evil purposes, be evil. Whatever you do is what God has purposed for you. That is the power of God.

    “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

  • God did it – By Femi Aribisala

    God did it – By Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    If you give something to someone, thank God for giving it to him.

    When I met the Lord, I became suddenly open to the spirit world. Jesus said to me: “Femi, blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16).

    However, this was double-edged. I could see and hear both the positive and the negative spiritual. After a few months, the pastor in my church came to see me. He had a dream where the devil was laughing at me, boasting that he would drive me mad.

    The Lord asked me to wait on Him for three days because He has something to reveal to me.

    Divine revelation

    On the third day of my fast, I was sitting in my study all by myself, when something mind-blowing happened. The power of God suddenly overshadowed the room, and the Lord started to talk to me. What was so dramatic about this, and it has never happened to me like that since then, is that the voice came from “heaven.” It did not come from within me. It came from somewhere in the ceiling.

    The Lord told me to take a pen and write down what he wanted to tell me. Then He said: “Femi, there are two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Everybody you are ever going to meet will come from one of these two kingdoms. It is your responsibility to determine which kingdom the people you meet are from.”

    “If the person is from the kingdom of your Father, you must determine why I want you to meet him. Every person you meet, you will meet for a reason, and you will meet by appointment. Nothing that will ever happen to you will be coincidental. Nothing will ever happen to you by happenstance. Everything that will happen in your life will happen for a reason. It is your responsibility to determine precisely what the reason is.”

    As I was writing this down, I was covered with tears. I wept uncontrollably. I could not believe the Almighty God was giving nonentity me such privileged information. What did I do to deserve this Almighty visitation? What did I do to deserve God’s private tutorial on life? I was overwhelmed.

    Kingdom dynamics

    This revelation goes to the heart of God’s providence. It means everything about a man’s life works according to God’s script. As David observes to God:

    “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” (Psalm 139:16).

    It means that if you stand on the street and a car passes by it did not just happen. It was “programmed” to happen. Everything is by divine contrivance. God leaves nothing to chance: “We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.” (Proverbs 16:33).

    “All things are of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18). “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.” (Romans 11:36).

    God weaves the lives of everyone together as a weaver does the threads of a cloth. Combined, they are all designed to form a particular pattern and design. To those who find this difficult to believe, Jesus says: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29).

    Just think; there are over 8 billion people alive today. In your lifetime, you are unlikely to meet even 10,000 of them. There is a reason why you meet the few that you meet.

    Look again at this episode in the bible:

    “As (Jesus) was walking along, He saw a man blind from birth. ‘Master,’ His disciples asked Him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?’ ‘Neither,’ Jesus answered. ‘But to demonstrate the power of God. All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end.’” (John 9:1-4).

    According to Jesus, everything happens for a divine reason. God’s purposes were served even by this man’s blindness. He was blind in order that he might be healed, and that God would thereby be glorified.

    No coincidences

    This means nothing about a man’s life is haphazard. Since Jesus died for everybody, we are too important to God for Him to just leave us at the whims and caprices of the devil. Neither are we under situations and circumstances. On the contrary, we have dominion over them.

    Jesus reaffirmed this quoting the psalmist: “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Psalm 82:6. John 10:34). Therefore, take nothing for granted. Gather up even the fragments of your life so that nothing is lost. (John 6:12).

    Everything that will happen to you is going to be from God. If someone takes you out to eat, it is God. If someone gives you money, it is God. If someone abuses you it is God that is behind it. “Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge (God), and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

    If you give something to someone, thank God for giving it to him. God did it. It is God: “who performs all things for (us).” (Psalm 57:2).

    Jigsaw puzzle

    The life of a man is a jigsaw puzzle that God assembles. That jigsaw includes every word you speak on earth: “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:1). It includes everything you do: “The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23).

    That is why you could not have been born in another century. You could not have been anywhere else except where you are right now. You could not have been doing anything else right now except reading this article.

    Without interfering with your free will, God puts you in a particular space where your dispositions are precisely suited to his will. It is like acting in a play. The Director told you that you could say whatever you liked and do whatever you wanted in every scene.

    But He foreknew you. He knew your character and your inclinations. He knew if you saw certain things, you would not stand idly by. He knew those situations where you would be inclined to react in a particular way.

    So, He told you: “Be yourself.” But by being yourself, you acted exactly according to His script, because He is the Uncaused cause of everything: “(He) works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Ephesians 1:11).

    There is no situation that God does not control. There is no heart that is immune to His power. Therefore: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

    “In everything give thanks.” (2 Thessalonians 5:18).