Realities and Truth

  SAND AND STONE Ephesians 4:32 KJV [32] And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. We will be looking at a few stories from now as the end of year is fast approaching and I pray it ministers to us.   Two friends were walking through the desert. They had an argument and one of the friends slapped the other in the face. But the one who got slapped didn’t say anything but wrote in the sand, “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME.” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered, he wrote on a stone, “MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” The friend asked him, when I slapped you, you wrote it on the sand, now that I saved you, you wrote on the stone, why? The other friend replied, “When someone hurts you, write it on the sand where wind of forgiveness can blow it ...

  EXERCISING SELF CONTROL   Proverbs 25:28 KJV [28] He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. What does ruling over your spirit mean to you? This is talking about self control. Self control is self restraint and self discipline. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Everybody needs self control. We need to learn how to deal kindly with people and respond to harsh words with tenderness. The Bible considers someone who has control over his own spirit better than the person who conquers a city. We easily identify people who don’t have control over their spirit when they are offended, criticized, attacked or challenged. Some people are easily offended. Offenses will always come but we have to be in charge of our reactions. The Bible says whoever is slow to wrath has great understanding. An example is the reaction of some drivers when another motorist drive rough beside them. They probably want to teach the person a lesson, mak...

  PRESS ON Philippians 3:14 KJV [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The year is running to an end faster than we can imagine. We thank God for His mercies. There are few things we purposed to accomplish this year. Some have been ticked while others are pending. It is not because God is not willing to do His part but because we’re not determined enough. In everything, there’s a part of humanity and that of divinity. Pressing toward the mark is a personal responsibility. When we do what is humanly possible, God will do what is humanly impossible. It is not totally dependent on God. There were quite a bit of distortions this year that were beyond our control like the Covid-19., however that is not enough to stop us. Our level of determination must be greater than the obstacles we’re faced with. It’s not too late to press into those things that we desire for this year and to gain momentum for the coming year. We need to form the habit ...

  LITTLE CAN BE MUCH 2 Kings 4:2 KJV [2] And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Everybody is blessed one way or the other, though in different portions and dimensions. We all have a measure of faith and blessing. Don’t disregard what you have whether it is appreciated by other people or not. God can do a lot with what you have no matter how small it looks if you are willing to lay it down. This woman    needed a miracle and the man of God, Elisha knew that there’s harvest in every seed. Zero multiplied by zero will produce zero. What you hold back can not increase or bless you. So he asked her what she had in the house. The first thing she said was she had nothing in the house before she added that there was a pot of oil. She probably didn’t want to part with the little oil left in the house. It was that pot of oil that looked insignificant t...

  PUSH UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS   Lk18:1-8 The story is told of a widow that wanted justice from an unjust judge. Hear what the unjust judge said: Luke 18:4-5 KJV [4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; [5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Life is a constant battle: don’t let your battle wear you out, instead wear it out. Like the widow, we need to push until something happens. We must persist until we get what we want. Persistence is a firm or obstinate continuation in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Persistence is tenacity, determination, resolve, resolution, purposefulness and staying power. The story of Diana Nyad    emphasizes the power of persistence. This woman has been a long distance swimmer for many years. At age 28 she tried to swim from Cuba to Florida. She tried again and failed. She failed a tot...

  GOD OF VENGEANCE ARISE Job 14:7 KJV [7] For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. [8] Though the root thereof wax    old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; [9] Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth bough like a plant.  Anything of great success starts small. Nothing of great significance happens overnight. That was the journey Nigerian youths embarked on for a better Nigeria. Looking at the present situation in Nigeria where young people took to the street on a peaceful protest against police brutality and harassment, the consistency, tenacity, composure and determination is quite commendable. They were obviously passing across their message and making impact. They have shown more leadership in their coordination especially without having anyone to lead them. And the same thing that they are clamoring for is what is repeating itself even dur...

  NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL   Proverbs 29:2 KJV [2] When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. The story is told about the Israelites in Egypt when Joseph was alive and they enjoyed the place but in the book of Exodus we saw what happened when another king came into power. The story changed.    They set taskmasters over them to afflict them until it became unbearable.    Everything has to do with leadership as we see in the above scripture. Oppression is to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power. It refers to discrimination when the injustice does not target and may not directly afflict everyone in society but instead targets specific groups of people. Oppression can take place anywhere. It can happen in the market place, office, home or church. Nobody functions properly under any form of opp...

  POSSESSING YOUR POSSESSION. Welcome to the last quarter of year 2020. This month is a month of Possession. What does it mean to take possession? It means to seize, appropriate, take, get, acquire,    obtain, secure, procure, occupy,    capture, commandeer e.t.c. These words broken down will give us a better understanding of what we ought to do. Which of these words strike you more? Taking possession requires courage and boldness. Life will not give you what you desire but what you demand.    Things will not fall on your lap, you have to go all out and get them. Jacob had to wrestle to get into the next phase of his destiny. How determined are you? The woman with the issue of blood pushed through the crowd even in her frailty. The kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent takes it by force. God promised the Israelites the land of Canaan, but they had to fight to take possession. Some times you need to contend in battle for what is yours. Your b...

  MAKING PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT (3) Making people feel important has its own benefit. When you help others feel important, you help yourself feel important too. You can’t make people feel important without appreciating them. Nobody likes being taken for granted. People feel important when you let them know you depend on them with comments like “i don’t know what I’ll do without you”,    you always make things easy for me.” Remarks like this make people feel necessary and help them increase their performance. People thrive on compliments. Everyone craves praise and wants to be assured they’re doing a great job. Praise is not only for big accomplishments. Little things matter.    Don’t classify people. Treating someone as second class never makes you a first class. Don’t hug glory, invest it. When you are acknowledged or rewarded for a service, appreciate others who make it happen. Share praise, that way, people sincerely know that you appreciate their value. They’...