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1 Cor 1: 24, 30 .... Jesus Christ is our Wisdom, Power, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption

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Joseph Agbi

Prayer of Peace and Prosperity

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6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

[Psalm 122:6-7]

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
7 And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

[Isaiah 62:7-8]

Prayer Points
Declare Peace and Prosperity upon the Land , upon the Nations, upon you and your family in the name of Jesus.

CHRISTIAN PARENTING [PART II]

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CHRISTIAN PARENTING [PART II] Author: Pastor Godwin Okafor

Today, I continue my write up on Christian Parenting. I am not just writing about child upbringing in the world, which is mainly based on the psychology of children, but on Christian upbringing of their children in godly manners. Why has it been difficult for godly parents to “produce” godly children? This had bothered me for many years, especially after noticing that the “bad kids” come from the homes of ministers of God. I will be bringing excepts from my forthcoming major book, which centres on ministering prayers to children and babies, right from the womb. Prayer is spiritual forth-telling of what would become of something, situation, including a child being prayed for. Enjoy your reading of these pieces.

Matt 19:14: “… Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,… “ said Jesus.

Ministering to children, especially babies, (including those in the womb), is a very challenging matter. It has become too complex, and is almost non-existent in many Christian circles, as the enemy of mankind becomes more subtle in his sinister dealings with earth men, as the last days approach. This is more so, because of the erroneous assumption that the child is innocent till he or she attains the so called “Age of Accountability”. Yet many things, too difficult to explain, happen to children before this age arrives, even while they are still in the wombs of their mothers. The bible affirms that even the unborn child is already tainted by sin, and that God requires that the unborn child should be taught wisdom, even from its mother’s womb.

Ps 51:5-6: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

Yes, God is concerned about the unborn child, and had to send an angel to Samson’s mother before he was conceived, to watch what she ate and drank, because of Samson’s special mission to His people. The doctors still tell expectant mothers today to watch what they eat and drink in order to ensure they had a healthy baby.

Judges 13:3-5: “The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, ‘You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.’”

David, the psalmist, said that wickedness could start right from the womb when a child “does not know anything”, according to our estimation.

Psalm 58:3: “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.”

David seemed to have very deep insights beyond the ordinary person. I believe that was why he was said to be a man after God’s own heart, as the Almighty found him. David seemed to see what only God saw. Should it be a wonder then, if the spirit of an unborn child is initiated into witchcraft or any other evil cult before it is born? We need the Holy Spirit to help us, lest we perish in gross ignorance, wondering and bemused. God desires that unborn children be spoken to, or taught the truth while still in the womb. God is spirit, just as His word is spirit. While a child is unborn, it is more spirit than body; that spirit could learn spiritual truths or wisdom that no flesh could hardly comprehend or interpret. However, the wisdom taught or learned by the unborn child could be demonic and can easily be used against mankind in future. To counter this situation, Christian parents or ministers should learn and practice speaking positive spiritual truths to their unborn children.

Psalm 51:6: “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

It is regrettable to note that the agents of the dark kingdom seem to know this more than the agents of the kingdom of light, and exploit it to contaminate the unborn children, whom they initiate into the dark kingdom while still in the womb, awaiting their birth into the earth’s atmosphere. The spirit of the unborn is older than its physical age, because God’s Spirit, which He breathed into man when he was created, and which gave man life (and which brought man’s spirit into being), is ageless.

Looking Ahead

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Looking Ahead! [Author: Esther Agbi]
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

The London 2012 Olympics is in section while writing this article. All the various sporting activities are interesting to me ,even the sporting events I did not know had been accepted as Olympic sports such as Karate, Judo, Trampolin, just to mention a few! Most interesting to me are the individual sports that require speed like swimming, track race, cycling. e.t.c.

I always watch such sporting events with great interest. I observe that the athletes are physically fit and ready mentally for the event. Years of practice, training and discipline must have gone into their preparedness.

There is always a kind of tenseness when the umpire says on your marks! Hearts racing ,different thoughts going through the mind such as am I going to succeed, are there others better than myself or have I wasted my time all these while preparing for the Olympics.? That brings me back to a picture I took recently while on vacation.

I posed as one boxing! A friend asked, why are you in this posture? I quickly replied in a joking manner that I was preparing for Olympics 2016. I was laughing out loud while responding to that question. This is because I knew that at that level of preparedness, I am going nowhere near the Olympics as an athlete, most probably as a spectator. My husband also laughed out loud because he knows that I am not even an athlete not to mention qualifying for the Olympics!

Coming back to our passage, as Christians, once committed to follow Christ, it is not good or befitting or even beneficial to look towards the back. We are in a race, a heavenly one at that matter.

Situations make some Christians to look back especially when going through difficult circumstances, disappointments, failures and the like .I pray that the Spirit of God would comfort and uplift anyone going through unpalatable circumstances.

When the umpire fires the gun in the air and says “GO” simultaneously, the athlete moves with speed, obeying the rules of the sport. Why? I believe because he has a goal! A medal is at stake, gold, silver or bronze. If this were not the case, he would not have appeared for the competition. If the athlete who is looking for an earthly reward or fame can subject himself to such stringent rules and no small discipline, how much more Christians aspiring to have a heavenly reward.

Some of these races are won by fractions of hundreds of a second. Just enough time to blink the eyes, that tells you how close. As I watch closely the cycling event, two athletes were neck to neck ,very close to the mark. Suddenly, one looked back and lost time. The other over took him and won the gold medal!

The Lord will help us always to look ahead that we may obtain the reward in Jesus name.
Your time spent serving the Lord shall not be in vain. You will reach the mark and obtain the prize.

Prayer Point
Oh Lord, strengthen me as I focus on heaven and heaven alone with the cross before me and the world behind me in Jesus name.

Where is your Focus?

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Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

2 Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

Imagine while taking the kids to school as you go to work, other road users doing the exact same thing, dashing to get there on time. Drivers who are early risers and could not get a bite before leaving home would want to pop something in their mouths or sip coffee from their coffee mugs. Cars coming out from different directions, drivers discovering new and shorter routes, all for one purpose and that is, not to be late. As if driving in this condition are not chaotic enough, pedestrians dashing across the road unexpectedly, car horns blaring and cell phones beeping! All these could lead to accidents when one is not careful. Distractions here and there could lead to disaster. This is why the ‘Distracted driving law’ in where I reside is very welcome.

The spiritual atmosphere is not too different from the physical. People are busy with different activities. The physical activities intertwined with the spiritual activities, thereby choking the spiritual. One has to know where to draw the line and cut back on too many activities within a given period of time. This reminds me of a sweet little 6 year old girl where I teach Sunday school. She was asked why she could not recite her memory verse for the week when asked to do so. Her response; too many activities, mom took me for barley dance class, then swimming, clinic and then I got tired and did not have time, and I forgot all about it! At first it was funny; then I became empathetic and encouraged her that it was not all that bad. I told her she could learn it for the next week. From the bible passage above, when we are focussed, there is intense light, clarity and better vision.

Elisha’s story suggests that when something good is about to happen, there is bound to be distractions even from close pals. Elisha was one of the prophets and the sons of the prophets tried to dissuade him from having his life time promise fulfilled. He refused to be distracted. He stayed focussed. Using his own words in verse 5……..Hold your peace. This is like saying, don’t bother me, I know what I am doing! You have to watch out and remain focussed.

We pray that God would open our spiritual eyes and understanding as we focus on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith so that our spiritual lives would blossom and be robust to be like the ever green plant by the water side.

Prayer Points
1. Oh Lord, help me to remain quiet in my spirit to receive divine guidance from You in Jesus name.
2. Oh Lord, open my eyes to find your blueprints for my life in Jesus name.

Author: Esther Agbi

The Excellent Wisdom of Solomon

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Solomon was a very wise king. Of his wisdom Jesus commended that there was no king as wise as Solomon [Luke 11:31; Matt 6:28-30]. Divinely inspired, he wrote the book of Proverbs, a goldmine of wisdom nuggets, and later in life in what appears to be progressive repentance after living a life of unbriddled passions and the pursuit of vanities, he had enough inspiration to write the book of Ecclesiastes. Other kings from foreign lands came to seek the king’s counsel.

How did Solomon get this excellent wisdom? He asked God for it in visions of the night! In his quiet moment with God, he was given the choice to ask for anything. Solomon asked for one thing: wisdom and understanding to judge the people aright. God was so pleased with his singular choice that He also blessed Solomon with riches and honour in addition to his wisdom, promising Solomon a long life based on continued obedience [1 Kings 3:5-13].

29And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser than all men;………… 32And he spake three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 33And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 34And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom [1 Kings 4:29-34].

From the above Scriptures, you need wisdom and understanding from God to live and enjoy success spiritually and in other aspects of life. God enlarged Solomon’s heart and planted His wisdom into it, that is, there was nothing his heart could not fathom. That is the type of largeness of heart you and I need, not the one filled with stress accentuated by the vanities of life. He exceeded in wisdom than other kings around him and all other people. Solomon sought after wisdom with all his heart and got it. He chose the right thing and his request pleased God [1 Kings 3:5-14]. Recommending his wise choice to everyone, he wrote in Prov. 4:7, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Solomon advocated for his blessings, using the covenant God had with David to facilitate his plea. God had committed Himself to fulfilling the covenant He had with David and when He found that Solomon had the right heart, He included the blessings of prosperity and peace that Solomon did not ask for but nevertheless would make Solomon’s reign as king most comfortable.

Is the blessing of divine wisdom Solomon had superior to that you and I have from God today. No! Because Jesus is greater than Solomon in wisdom and in all respects as a member of the godhead and He is our advocate before God the Father in heaven. Through His shed blood on the cross, He made a covenant with the Father on our behalf. You and I have the singular opportunity to ask God for anything in the name of Jesus. Jesus said if you ask God for anything in His name God the Father will do it for you [John 14:12-14]. That requires faith, a necessary and sufficient condition to claim your blessings. Your faith is the spiritual catalyst which activates the word of God for you. If your faith is dormant, you will not receive anything from God. The blessings may have been released in the spiritual but your faith is required to call them into reality.

Note that only those things asked in the name of Jesus, that is, those things asked in line with the will of God, would be responded to by God. Otherwise your prayers will not be answered. The name of Jesus is the “master key” to God’s heart. Because Jesus is the Son of God whom He loved dearly and yet sent Him to die for us, God responds to the earnest prayer of anyone who comes to Him by faith. Solomon asked for wisdom to govern the people and that his heart would learn to distinguish and choose right from wrong. God filled Solomon’s heart with wisdom but ours in Christ is fuller in breadth, depth and height if we ask by faith, and the revelation of that knowledge was Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Christians [Eph. chapter 1]. Ask for an influx of God’s wisdom into your heart through Christ today and you will have His excellent wisdom that is superior to Solomon’s. Isn’t that a superior priviledge!

Prayer Points
1. Lord, give me largeness of heart filled with your wisdom and understanding in the name of Jesus.

2. Oh Lord, saturate my heart with your Spirit of excellence; grant me understanding in all things in the name of Jesus.

3. Oh Lord, make me a blessing to my generation and the generations after in the name of Jesus.

CHRISTIAN PARENTING [PART I]

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CHRISTIAN PARENTING by PASTOR GODWIN OKAFOR
The other time, I responded to a father’s concern that his kids do not have any interests in the things of God. He had wanted to know how others whose kids seem to have greater interests in the things of God have achieved their successes.
By God’s grace, and as ministerial time permits, I intend to share some spiritual insights which the LORD has enabled me to gather from His word over the years I have been on the pilgrim’s journey and in ministry.
The task of bringing up godly kids is a huge one, and lack of knowledge of God’s mind on this has resulted in all sorts of spiritual mishaps in this venture. So many Christian homes with beautiful Christian couples have made complete shipwreck of parenting.
In this first write up on Parenting Tips, I wish to call the attention of Christian parents that ours is a spiritual walk, and anything we do, including parenting, must be guided by spiritual principles. And since the spiritual knowledge of the Christian comes from the word of God (John 6:63), we must turn often to it, to discover the foundation of raising godly kids.
However, the fundamental question we need to deal with, first and foremost, is: How many Christians are spiritual, or how many Christian parents raise their kids according to God’s mind on the issue? I hope I will not be misunderstood here. Knowledge of the Bible, “the letter” of it, does not suffice. The application of God’s word holds the key in making godly homes, and then raising godly kids in such godly homes. The formula could go like this: godly couples = to godly homes; godly homes = godly kids. And of course, godly kids = godly society, et cetera.
I have seen may Christian homes who started their journey with carnal considerations, thereby violating God’s rules of holiness in starting up godly families. One of these is the placing of emphasis on what a man has accumulated before proposing marriage to a Christian lady, and in fact, his capability to support the carnal needs after the marriage. What of the Christian man who looks for beautiful Christian sisters who work in banks or other such places, have cars, or who must be well educated and have rich parents.
Or the more sinful ones (in our sight), of those who want to ensure that the intending couples are “compatible” (whatever that means), before marriage. What of those who want to make sure that the lady would have children for the family after marriage? I have been told of ladies who would make sure that their future husbands could get them pregnant before they agree to marry them.
Let me ask us, would God’s favour rest in such homes later, when they face the challenge of unruly or ungodly kids? When the foundation of the home is destroyed from the onset, why hope to raise godly children? The “god” the couple served before marriage would certainly seek to dominate the home thereafter. (See Psalm 11:13). What can the righteous do? Repent, do restitution, and ask God for mercy, and ask Him to show you how to remedy the situation. Surely, such children would have encounters with Jehovah, if their parents seek the LORD in repentance.
I will continue from here in my next write up. I appreciate those who are concerned in this issue of Christian Parenting, especially Sister Emem, with that broad smile. Remain blessed all of you.