#2 Let the Praises Flow

Appreciate your daughter. Girls primarily need love and security. A critical spirit destroys their fat and prospering souls. The aim is to build up rather than destroy.
Be diligent in praising your daughter. For what, you ask?

Not for her achievements…for just being her.

Girls are not naturally competitive like boys. But women that we are, we are more competitive with our own kind. Be it Mother or sister or friend, girls compete among themselves. Only Mother can nurture acceptance and security and confidence. Identify her particular gift and encourage using it instead of imposing your unfulfilled dreams on her.

Daughters, being women ourselves, are quite easy to read and therefore we are harder on them. But a lot of love and patience does go along way. Look back and see that all you had to is to find your particular trigger to success (read that as doing what your mom wanted happily.)

#1 Don’t Criticize Or Compare!

This one’s got such long lasting effects that you have no idea when it’s gonna rear its ugly head up again. A critical spirit is a destructive thing and you must remember to cloak yourselves in tender mercies. Don’t attribute motives, or take offense or lose patience. (I hear some of you asking, “Do you want a tall order of fries with that?”)

Children look at us and learn. If we expect of them to be meek, respectful, submissive, loving, organized, make sure we model that. Are we willingly submissive?

Be a primary example of their future calling!

Mothers And Daughters

In Job 42:15, we see that Job’s daughters were the fairest in the land- not just in beauty and brains but in temperament as well. Now how would we who strive to be good Christian mothers make our daughters beautiful in temperament, attitude and behavior?

I recently found myself being asked this by women I consider my closest sisters in Christ. The first time it happened, I gave in my bit of understanding and left it at that. Then it happened again—not once, not twice, but five different times. Literally, God has been asking me to post on this! How do we live in Christ as mothers to future Women of God? How do we bring our daughters up?

It’s hard for me to accept I’m having difficulty getting thru to my daughter in spite of being a woman myself. But haven’t we all heard of familiarity breeding contempt?

Instead of giving y’all a list of what to do, upcoming is a list of what we must take care not to do: spoken from experience (mine and others).

Prayer ain't Good Enuff!

"Prayer is good and necessary but it will NOT take the place of authority. I give you authority over all of the ability of the enemy and I expect you to use it"
........and I understood what it all meant. Jesus gave us authority.. It is up to us to use it..

When the temptation came.. Eve yielded to it and it says.. she gave to the man to eat.. So Adam was standing by whilst all this was going on.. He should have done something! He had the legal right and the dominion/power to act and get rid of that serpent! He should have said.. "It is said by God.. You shall not eat of that tree, now get out of our garden! NOW!" When he failed to do this, the authority given to him, passed to satan who according to 1Cor 2.. says.. became 'the god of this world.' When Jesus was tempted by the devil.. satan said.. "If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all this, for it was given me".. So who gave it to him? ~ Adam did... Jesus is called.. the second Adam.. This one didn't fail and broke satan's rightful hold over mankind..

So when you pray, do not ask,"Why doesn't God do something!" .. When He created man, He gave him the right, power and legal authority to 'subdue the Earth' This was his commission in Genesis.. Once given, He couldn't take it back. If I give you something, it is yours to do with as you will. It is no longer mine.. Jesus gave us authority.. What we do with it, is up to us..

Favor ain't fair!!

If God were "Fair", I would get what I deserve from Him. But since He is "Merciful", and not "Fair", I am the recipient of his "Grace", which means I get so much more than what I deserve.

I am certainly NOT a Bible Scholar, but I am confident that God always keeps His promises, and His promise is that if we accept that we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory, and accept that when Jesus died at Calvary we died with Him and had our sins paid for with His blood, and trust Him as our own personal Savior, then we have eternal life.

We can do nothing to save ourselves, hence we can do nothing to "un-save" ourselves.
God Bless!

When you've reached the edge of all reason....

Are you tired of it all? Find yourself in a circumstance without hope? Feel all doors and windows are shut and you're getting claustrophobic?

Do you think no one else understands what you are facing? That's probably true, you know.

When viewed through human eyes, no can usually empathize that well with a desperate situation. Even though we've all been there,done that; a desperate situation is still just that- desperate and without hope.

Let me tell you about a woman I know. She found herself in a frightening, pathetic, painful situation just as you are right now. Where, how and who are not important- it can be anyone, anyplace in a desperate situation. But this woman, who was in a situation so hopeless that death was certain, dared to risk enough that she stepped out in faith and obeyed in spite of the obvious.

Because she was obedient, a ray of hope came into her life.Read up more on this woman in 1 Kings 17:8-16. Obedience is the key;when you are at the edge of all reason to hope, obedience unlocks the door for blessing and hope to follow.

Perhaps right now, your life's hurtling at breakneck speed to a dead end wall. Do you want to just get off this particular journey and end it all? but Your God has a message for you," I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me?" Jer 32:27.

If you are thinking,"Yea right! My situation is different,nobody can help me out here." know that God is God and nothing is too difficult for Him. Look back to the woman in the story- she obeyed faithfully in a situation where sucide was the only answer and God supplied! Ask yourself today,"Is my __________ too difficult for God? (fill in with your own burden.)
No matter how impossible it seems to you, the answer is always the same from God," Nothing is too difficult for me!!"

Is it wrong for a Christian to want to be rich?

A lot of people I know criticize new generation churches for proclaiming the prosperity gospel. But, in actuality, what's the prosperity gospel all about? Jesus has promised each of us peace and prosperity. As the children of the King of Kings, are we not prince and princess who can lay claim to their Heavenly Fathers ' bountiful riches? We are! So can we actively pursue money generating works? But isn't money the root of all evil?

Let's take it from 1 Timothy6:6-10.

6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Our MAIN AIM is to pursue Godliness. The way to that is CONTENTMENT or gratefulness. If you are grateful , truly grateful for what you have, then it's hard to want anything more. Once we are thus able to control our wants, we are no longer vulnerable to the trickery of our desires. Those who "want to get rich" precariously perch themselves at the edge of a BIG fall. By focusing on what money can buy us, we are taking our eyes off what is really important.

So, is it wrong to be rich? Well, the world in general considers you rich by the number of material blessings you possess. Our desire to meet this standard is what makes it so wrong. By wanting what we don't have, we express a lack of contentment.We are in fact proclaiming,"God hasn't done this right!"

The Scripture commands us on this accord to flee from our lusts for things and to seek the kingdom of God. Pursue godliness. Don't put your hope and security on a fickle master like money.Our Ever Dependable God is more than capable of richly supplying us with things to enjoy!

Discernment can be developed

We live in a fast-paced world that demands instant results. For many people, waiting has become a lost art. God’s way of maturing us in our faith is quite different. The character qualities that He values take time to develop.

Discernment is a trait that does not come instantaneously. Rather, it is cultivated by saturating the heart and mind with Scripture. The transcendent Lord of the universe wants to share His thinking with us through His Word. What could be more important or valuable in life than having the capacity to know the mind of God?

Our lives are filled with situations that require discernment. Sometimes we can be so busy trying to find the will of God and direction for our next step that we fail to hear His voice. He is calling us to come to Him and spend some quiet, unhurried time absorbing the truth of His Word. After listening to the Lord, we can begin applying what we have learned. Only as we put His Word into practice in our lives will we have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (v. 14).

The Scriptures open our eyes to see all of our experiences from God’s perspective so that we can make wise choices.

Our challenge for today and every day is to make it a priority to spend time with the Lord in His Word. We may have to reorganize our schedule or wake up earlier. But it’s worth the effort—discernment and wisdom await us if we put into practice the truths we absorb each day.

You are not a believer!

A disciple or believer is one who receives instruction from another and is persuaded of the truth or reality of some doctrine, person, or thing. Do you think that in all the years Jesus ministered He had only 12 disciples?

Jesus asked his disciples to do four things that churches and other training institutions rarely do. He asked them to abandon everything, to immerse themselves into a life of constant ministry, to depend on God and no one else for their resources, and to live in community.
In John 6:66, by their reactions to this radical command we can reduce Jesus’ followers into four categories:
1) The Curious
Curious disciples followed Jesus in fascination. They were intrigued by what He said. But when Jesus said to them, "Unless you are willing to affirm My total lordship in your life you cannot be My disciple or enter My Kingdom." Not willing to make a full commitment to Christ, "...many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him" (Jn. 6:66).
2) The Committed
In contrast, the Twelve showed that they were more than just followers: When Jesus asked them, "Will ye also go away?" Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Jn. 6:67-69). In other words, Peter said, "We're not the kind of disciples who are just curious; we're the kind who are committed. We know that You speak the truth."
3) The Convinced
These were the disciples who were intellectually convinced. Nicodemus is a classic illustration: Having listened to what Jesus said, and having seen what He did, Nicodemus came to Him by night and said, "You must be from God." He was intellectually convinced, but he didn't believe in Christ in the fullest sense then because he didn't forsake all to follow Him.
4) The Clandestine
There were some disciples like Joseph of Arimathea, who kept their belief a secret.
Which category would you classify yourself in? Why? There is a progression in the stages of discipleship. Which do you think occurs first? According to the parable of the sower, why do you think one cannot remain an intellectually convinced or a clandestine believer for very long? What will a committed believer give evidence of in his life? (Mt. 5:3-12; 13:23; Jn. 8:31) If you are not yet a committed believer, what is preventing you from being one? Find out if you don't know and make the necessary changes. If you are one, help someone you know who is in one of the other three categories to become more spiritually mature.

Can't Trust God?

Are you currently facing a trial? What do think God may be teaching you through it? Do you think He may just be trying to get your attention so that you can depend more upon Him?
Every test that you have experienced is the kind that every person on this earth faces sometime or the other. It’s neither unique nor is your situation different from another. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 to confirm this. In the same verse, you can see that God keeps His promises and will not allow you to be tested beyond your limits of endurance. Not only will you be given the strength to endure it while it lasts, He’ll also show you a way out.
Commit yourself to trusting Him in the situation at hand, realizing that the test you are experiencing has been made just for you. Have there been times when you faced a crisis that showed you didn't fully believe that Jesus cared about you or was able to help you. Mull over the expressions of God's love and power in Ps. 103:2-6; Jn. 17:10; 1 Jn. 4:8-19; and Jer. 32:17; Eph. 1:18-21; and 3:20.

The God I serve is ALL POWERFUL!!

This is long, but take your time. You may need a few days to fully digest this meal. It’s as much as I can remember of Pastors sermon on the Sunday before last:
What is the power that God has?
The Lord has the power to recreate the earth and reverse the curse. And I believe Jesus came to show us that power. He came into the world to declare that He is God the Son and that He has the power to bring the Kingdom of God to a cursed earth. He came to show that He is the promised King and Messiah who could give back sovereignty to man by restoring the earth and eliminating sin.
Mathew 8 and 9 are a series of miracles that portray Jesus’ authority and power. The miracles were foretastes of Kingdom power. When Jesus healed the sick, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no sickness. When He raised the dead, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no dying. When He calmed the waves on the sea, He was previewing a glorious Kingdom where natural elements would never be out of control. When He cast out demons, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no demonic activity at all. When He spoke the truth, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no lies but only truth. When He manifested His holiness, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be only righteousness. Everything He did declared to man, "I am the One who can reverse the curse, and restore sovereignty to man in a glorified eternal Kingdom."
Who is given the Power of God?
All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Christ.
Luke 10:18-20 18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Satan, the unemployed, jobless choirboy that he is, has no power to operate in the heavenly realms anymore. So he tries to make on earth-his dominion-HELL.
Jesus says to us though, “ I’m giving YOU authority over him.”The Greek word used here in the original biblical manuscript for authority is Exusia or delegated authority.
Jesus had the exusia to forgive sin, heal sickness and cast out demons. We, his followers have been given the very same exusia to preach, teach, heal and deliver (Mark 3:15.)
In other words, with exusia we can overcome the power of the enemy.
The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It signifies exploding power that manifests or is visible. The manifested or visible dunamis of Satan (sickness, debt, death, evil practices, harmful things ) can be overcome by our exusia. An example to further clarify this:
At a traffic junction, a heavy laden lorry hurtles towards the busy epicenter. The traffic police at the centre may be thin and scrawny. But he’s in his uniform and in the right place at the right time. The lorry can kill the policeman if required. Yet, it STOPS when he shows the STOP board.
The lorry’s dunamis was overcome by the policeman’s exusia.
Jesus can give you both Exusia and Dunamis. Exusia is the right to use our Dunamis, or might.
As a child of God, you are given both authority and power over Satan’s.
Eph 6:10, “10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” reminds you to exercise the power you have been given and at the same time you are also called to remember that you are shielded by His power as well. 1 Peter 1:5 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The God I serve is POWERFUL!!

This is long, but take your time. You may need a few days to fully digest this meal. It’s as much as I can remember of Pastors sermon on the Sunday before last:
What is the power that God has?
The Lord has the power to recreate the earth and reverse the curse. And I believe Jesus came to show us that power. He came into the world to declare that He is God the Son and that He has the power to bring the Kingdom of God to a cursed earth. He came to show that He is the promised King and Messiah who could give back sovereignty to man by restoring the earth and eliminating sin.
Mathew 8 and 9 are a series of miracles that portray Jesus’ authority and power. The miracles were foretastes of Kingdom power. When Jesus healed the sick, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no sickness. When He raised the dead, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no dying. When He calmed the waves on the sea, He was previewing a glorious Kingdom where natural elements would never be out of control. When He cast out demons, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no demonic activity at all. When He spoke the truth, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no lies but only truth. When He manifested His holiness, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be only righteousness. Everything He did declared to man, "I am the One who can reverse the curse, and restore sovereignty to man in a glorified eternal Kingdom."
Who is given the Power of God?
All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Christ.
Luke 10:18-20 18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Satan, the unemployed, jobless choirboy that he is, has no power to operate in the heavenly realms anymore. So he tries to make on earth-his dominion-HELL.
Jesus says to us though, “ I’m giving YOU authority over him.”The Greek word used here in the original biblical manuscript for authority is Exusia or delegated authority.
Jesus had the exusia to forgive sin, heal sickness and cast out demons. We, his followers have been given the very same exusia to preach, teach, heal and deliver (Mark 3:15.)
In other words, with exusia we can overcome the power of the enemy.
The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It signifies exploding power that manifests or is visible. The manifested or visible dunamis of Satan (sickness, debt, death, evil practices, harmful things ) can be overcome by our exusia. An example to further clarify this:
At a traffic junction, a heavy laden lorry hurtles towards the busy epicenter. The traffic police at the centre may be thin and scrawny. But he’s in his uniform and in the right place at the right time. The lorry can kill the policeman if required. Yet, it STOPS when he shows the STOP board.
The lorry’s dunamis was overcome by the policeman’s exusia.
Jesus can give you both Exusia and Dunamis. Exusia is the right to use our Dunamis, or might.
As a child of God, you are given both authority and power over Satan’s.
Eph 6:10, “10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” reminds you to exercise the power you have been given and at the same time you are also called to remember that you are shielded by His power as well. 1 Peter 1:5 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Gospel Exusia

Our Exusia has never been rescinded (John 14:12). Powerless ministries become powerful on discovering the exusia power of the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:18 18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
In the above verse, the message of the Cross is the Gospel and wholly about Jesus. Jesus is the Wisdom and Power of God. To those who accept the power of the Cross is given the Power of God.
When you share the Gospel, you are allowing the power of Jesus to manifest in the person you are ministering THRU which he is saved. It’s the power of God that acts on his willing accepting heart to save him from everlasting death.
So by sharing the gospel you are given the very same authority.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 tells us that there is power in the Good News. The gospel can break any shackles. Only the fullness of the Power of God can be the remedy for the illness of the world.

Stormy Nights

There are two ways God could go about clearing the storm currently raging in your life:
Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Othertimes, He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace,which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His Peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (No, I didn't come up with something so profound..that wud be Philippians 4:6-7)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirirt. Rom15:13

Don't Despair!

If the situation seems beyond repair and you are convinced by the world that prayer isn't going to get you anywhere...not even fasting and prayer, then this post is intended for you...

The purpose of prayer is not to change God,but to allow God to change us.It is to discover and do God's will,not to obligate Him to do ours. The purpose of prayer is that God's splendour will be displayed on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Rock On, Triune!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but to me as I grow in intimacy with the Triune, I can see they all have different personalities.

The Father I relate to is, to my mind, an elderly person, with a big forehead and white hair combed back. No long white beard or any facial hair. Tall and strong with an iron grip. (yea, his handshakes hurt!)

The Son I would see like my Elder Brother. Loving and has all the liberties I would give an elder brother in chastising me. Watches out for me and makes sure I don’t get into unnecessary trouble. The first person I would run to when I’m in trouble. He will get me straight with my Father. Both the Father and Son share the family resemblance in stature. Both are quiet and generally calm in their ways. Slow to anger, but when angry watch out!

The Holy Spirit- Wow! He’s different altogether. I see Him as quick to move, extremely fast in His actions. The Mover and Shaker of today’s times. He’s here and there and everywhere all the time. Never still-quite hyperactive in today’s parenting terms. Quite attractive and “with it”. Very Volatile and the best Army In Command as we launch Warfare. Slighter in stature but equally commanding in Presence.

What I’m coming to say is: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are not just influences or Power or an unseen presence. All three of them are PERSONS. Any one who knows and feels and wills is a person. Would you say you are who you are because of how you look or what physical traits you have? No, I am who I am coz of the way I think, act, know, feel and desire.

This is where most people go wrong. They think they need to channel this “UNSEEN POWER” to use according to their will. But No! Remember you are made to suit and fulfil His (Their)Purpose. Not vice versa!

Get to know them personally. I love getting to know each of them personally and I love being part of the family. With these strong men around, how could I, weak lil’ me, possibly not be in for a mollycoddle? :D

Turn Right Here- Shortcuts to Blessings

Here’s the shortest route to a life filled with blessings- Fish men!

The primary call Jesus gave was the Great Commission. We are all meant to be Fishers of Men. It’s our greatest wealth. Paul in Romans 15:16 says each new soul you win to Christ is a crown that you can adorn. It’s an offering God finds acceptable.

The Power of God

In the world’s eyes, power and strength usually brings to mind Rambo or the six or eight packs so favorite of today’s action heroes. In the Bible however, we most often see that tasks requiring strength and might are not accomplished through the force of an army or the muscular power and physical stamina of workmen but through the empowering Spirit of God.

It’s indeed very encouraging to note that the supremacy of God’s power is most often seen in the ways he accomplishes His purposes through mere jars of clay like you and me. We are made mighty because he has infused us with His Power (Exusia and Dunamis).

If you are about to succumb to discouragement, remember your God has the ability to grace and empower your human soul. His might and power is seen through all that he has accomplished thru the weak and insignificant. Examples abound. The Babe in the manger, the motley crew of twelve, a timid Gideon, Shamgar, a melancholy Jeremiah.

All they had in common was a childlike faith and trust and faith in Him. You will accomplish all He has called you to do.

The Power of God

In the world’s eyes, power and strength usually brings to mind Rambo or the six or eight packs so favorite of today’s action heroes. In the Bible however, we most often see that tasks requiring strength and might are not accomplished through the force of an army or the muscular power and physical stamina of workmen but through the empowering Spirit of God.

It’s indeed very encouraging to note that the supremacy of God’s power is most often seen in the ways he accomplishes His purposes through mere jars of clay like you and me. We are made mighty because he has infused us with His Power (Exusia and Dunamis).

If you are about to succumb to discouragement, remember your God has the ability to grace and empower your human soul. His might and power is seen through all that he has accomplished thru the weak and insignificant. Examples abound. The Babe in the manger, the motley crew of twelve, a timid Gideon, Shamgar, a melancholy Jeremiah.

All they had in common was a childlike faith and trust and faith in Him. You will accomplish all He has called you to do.

Why me,Lord?

Ok, all hands up those of you who have asked this at least once! I have news for you people - even Jesus did this! He knew He has sent to earth fwith a single purpose.Yet hours before the ultimate act of obedience, He asked His Father," Why me? Do I really have to do this? ( Matt 26:39)

Consider the scenario of guy yappin' away on his mobile while navigating heavy traffic. A lady jaywalks. He loses control of his vehicle and rams into a crowd of pedestrians. She made a poor choice. He made the wrong choice of time to be on his phone. Either way, people hurt all over. The ripple effect...
Bad stuff can also happen coz we live in a world that isn't perfect.

So are you telling me that either way I'm a goner??

Not by a long way! There's Someone who has promised to stick with you thru thick and thin. Read it all over again in Matt:28:20.You can count on Him anytime. Bad things are bound to happen on earth.That's the way of the world.

But keep in mind, there are no tears or sadness in Heaven. He will wipe away your tears. Don't we,loving parents, go out of our way to comfort and console a crying child? Do we not wrap them in our arms until the pain subsides? Are we above and better than our creator at Godly parenting? (Read Psalm 56:8, Rev 21:14,Matt 5:4)

For those of you still singing the chorus at the pity party-Two wrongs do not make a right. Learn to ask for His decision before consulting self. Even Jesus did this. The world is most often wrong.