IT tinz...... na zooo

It's school over, ad I am going home. The sad part is that I am going on IT (Thank GOD!!!) but that means I dont get to see my friends for about 8 months...

Anyway,  the question on my mind, that should also be on the mind of my fellow It students (or those working or in any area of influence), is that, what is my life going to show? Will I be one of those students who will be used to boast, or used for bad examples?
And more than that, what will God say about your lifestyle? Remember that after everything, he's the Boss we gon stand before and give acc of our lives.
Also, for those of u who were at the departure service in school
(stabbers, show yourselves...)
Pastor Ojeme said that if we can decide to do what is right, God will bless us. And that is true, as I have had the privilege to experience some of these things.
So, as we go on IT, apart from me sending you my acc no so u can donate to my life, which is almost as imporant as what I am going to say next (lol), live right. Dont let anyone be confused whether u are God's child or not. Stand strong even when u may stand alone, and I promise you that God will show forth himself in your life this season in Jesus name...
Shalom and be blessed

FFFFFAASSSSST........................................ stuff

Why oh why does everything have to be so fast???
We fastforward when we cant wait, have fast food restaurants, instant noodles, instant INSTANT noodles, 3 minute meals, 2 minute meals, one and half minute meals, instant meals (:) )
It may all seem good and fine, but one of the most important virtues we must have as a Christian includes Patience.
What is patience, you may ask?
a woman with four toddler kids all wanting her attention, the food is burning, and her husband just arrived... and yet she still has a smile on her face ( oookay, thats an extreme example)
Patience isnt just putting up with people, or tolerating them, but it also means loving them anyway.. (and I/m not talking about the somewhere deep deep DEEP down in my heart type of love...)
It is a virtue that can help one to endure the most trying of times, and to savour the best of times. Patience produces character, and character produces a good life. Practice patience this week. Do a home cooked meal instead of eating out. Offer to help your siblings with their assignment   (... yes, even if they are the most annoying people in the world.)
Build up your virtues, and though people migth not agree (or probably call you a wuss...)  but it wont take long before the people that really matter begin to see that good difference in you.
Shalom (which coincidentally means have a nice day in Hebrew), and have a nice day :)

Hard Facts

God wants you, but he doesn’t need you. That’s a hard truth to face, but its true. It’s a new wave of teaching that has been going round for a while, and it has consciously and  unconsciously given some people a form of license to sin and think God just has to forgive them because he cannot live without them. To others, it gives a sort of power over God, in that without you, He cant exist. The fact is that  he was alive before you were born, and will be alive after you die. The bible says that, although he needs praise, (the bible never said he cannot live without it. Prove me wrong by giving a scriptural reference) he doesn’t need us to praise him. He can turn stones into people if need be(Luk 3:8  Make clear by your acts that your hearts have been changed; and do not say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father: for I say to you that God is able from these stones to make children of Abraham. ), or the elements of the earth could simply praise him as they are (Psa 65:12  Falling on the grass of the waste land: and the little hills are glad on every side. ; Psa 65:13  The grass-land is thick with flocks; the valleys are full of grain; they give glad cries and songs of joy. ; Psa 96:11  Let the heavens have joy and the earth be glad; let the sea be thundering with all its waters; Psa 96:12  Let the field be glad, and everything which is in it; yes, let all the trees of the wood be sounding with joy, ). Besides, do you think your praise can compare with the ones that the 24 crowned elders in heaven, or the angels that sing holy, holy, holy day and night? We always say we are looking forward to praise in heaven. That obviously means that its better over there than here.

God loves you, and he wants you, but you are not indispensable. If you feel you are so, just know that there are other humans from which you were picked. If you want to praise God, praise him with all your heart, not just because you were forced to. Its not by force he will take your half praise. Give him praise worthy of his name, and live a lofe worthy of his love. He does love you, but he will not stand you living a half life, a sinful life just because you think you are indispensible. Sin is aleays punished no matter in whom it is found. (He even punished his own only begotten son when sin was found in him with death.) Live a life that is worthy of the God whom you serve.

Courage

1Th 4:16  There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first;
1Th 4:17  then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18  So then, encourage one another with these words.
Each time  I see these verses, I am strangely comforted, and I am glad am comforted and not nervous, at least it means I still have a chance. However, each day, I strive to live in a way that will please God, but sadly, I dont remember all the time. Being a christian is a conscious effort. Even though God will give you a spirit that will make handling sin easier, that doesnt make sin any less dangerous. Avoid it, because it annoys God more than anything else. If you want to know just how much, read the books of the judgements in the old testament. After all, sin was what ruined the order of things in the Spirit and made God start thinking of how he was going to come in the person of his Son to die for us. All that work. As a Christian, never take the issue of sin or living righteously with a light hand. But dont be afraid. He who has started a good work in you will finish it. Phil 1:6. Amen
Then we enter chapter five of  1 Thess. Note verses three and four. They were not written for a joke. also, vs 9 and 10.
1Th 5:9  God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.
Encourage one another with these words.
2Th 1:6  God will do what is right: he will bring suffering on those who make you suffer,
2Th 1:7  and he will give relief to you who suffer and to us as well. He will do this when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8  with a flaming fire, to punish those who reject God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus.

EXAMS BEGIN ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... and here am I online. Does anyone have a cure for the situation where you pick up a book but just cant seem to focus? Or when you switch on a computer and ent up browzing facebook instead of the research you originally planned??????

Living a godly Life even within walls of Protection

I enjoy living in a place that has the covering of God on it. Some say that is why there have been no attacks on Living Faith Church (Bishop Oyedepo's church) even with what has been going on in it.  Sadly, it has caused quite a number of people living here to be lax, because they do not fear certain things that we ought to, e.g. God, the fact that we will ALL die and face God's judgement.(Don’t look so shocked- no one leaves this planet alive anyway).

However, there is a downside in living in a place like this. You see we are under the watchful eyes of God, which means he focuses on this part of nigeria a lot (probably more than other parts). Remember in the bible when the Israelites got into the promised land, and they were living right initially, but then they started allowing sin in their midst, in the book of Judges. What did God do? He SENT people to attack them…. Now that sounds a bit wrong. But it is what happened. As we are the Children of God, brought out from spiritual bondage and on our way to the promised land (coincidentially, this place is called Canaan land), we should please remember that just because God says he is a God of grace, does not mean he has forgotten his law which says that the soul that sins shall die. Grace does not mean hiding in the saving power of what Jesus Christ did and keep on sinning, because there will still be judgement for those who do wrong. And the bible says that Judgement will begin with the house of God. This morning, God in his mercies allowed internet to be going in my hall ( something just until recent a rarity) so I could tell you to please get it right. The word of God is not a book of suggestions, just as the work your oga gives you in your place of work really does not have an option. You HAVE to do it, else no pay, and u get fired and someone better takes your place. God is going to fire a lot of people( sadly exposing them to the harsh cruel world of unemployment, which means no food, house, basic amenities; which is quite sad because you cant really steal or kidnap or even get into the place where God will heep his children. He will not allow dangerous people into the place where he keeps his children, and you will be locked outside, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. No beggars  too- God only accepts people who can work- proved by the work we did here on earth), and that’s how things are. Take one minute of your 1140 minute day and think on this. On that day, will you receive a pay ( and maybe a bonus) or get kicked out? Because the only place you can make your decisions is here on earth before you die; and with the boko haram insurgence, the high rates of kidnapping, the accidents, the murders and assasinations, hunger problems and sicknesses in the world, you never really know when that is going to be...

The Book of Ecclesiastes: The Authorized Nigerian Living Translation

This is a must read....though a bit long!

:)

The Book of Ecclesiastes: The Authorized Nigerian Living Translation

 Introduction

 On 1^st October 2010, which marked the 50th anniversary of the coronation of King Adeniji of Naija, Adeniji began reflecting on his life and his Kingdom. He therefore decided to write a book detailing his perspective on the meaning, purpose and implication of life in Nigeria. 

Reflections:  

Here are his reflections: 

The words of King Adeniji, son of Chukwuemeka and the grandson of Danladi: 

Vanity of vanities, says the King, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Absolutely meaningless! 

What do people get for all their dishonesty? What do people get for all their powerful connections? What do people get for all their ill-gotten wealth? What do people get for all their wickedness? Absolutely nothing. No matter how much they steal, they are never satisfied. No matter how many people they oppress, they are never satisfied. No matter how much wealth they acquire, they are never satisfied.

Generations come and go doing the same evil things, but nothing ever seems to change in Nigeria. History just repeats itself.  Politicians of the sixties and seventies are still recycling themselves and their children in the 21st century. In the mid-nineties we had bank CEO’s and other executives defrauding depositors to the tune of millions of Naira; now in 2010, bank CEO’s are defrauding depositors to the tune of billions of Naira. Nothing changes. Selah

Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

I am Adeniji, the King of Naija and I live in Laguja. I have spent the last couple of years seeking to understand and explore the country Nigeria. I later realized that the poor masses of Nigeria are gradually being tragically trampled to extinction. I observed the rich getting richer, the mighty getting mightier, while the poor were getting poorer and the sick getting sicker. It is all meaningless.  In your mercy Lord, hear our prayers.

I said to myself, “Look, I am more popular than any other Nigerian, living or dead.  I have more wives than any other Nigerian. I own the largest bank in Africa both in terms of assets and depositor’s funds; I own houses in London, Dubai, Johannesburg and New York. So I set to acquire more for myself, but I soon discovered later in life that chasing all these was meaningless. Selah

I undertook great projects: I bought five refineries and twenty oil blocks, I spread my bank’s network across 26 other countries in Africa and acquired two branches in New York and London. I even siphoned the depositor’s funds of my banks to my personal account. I married 50 additional wives and I had at my beck and call, 1,000 of the most beautiful girls in the various universities around the country. I bought the latest cars and acquired 4 private jets in addition to tones of silver, gold and diamonds. I collected 125 chieftaincy titles. I became richer, more powerful, more connected than any other Nigerian living or dead. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired.

Yet, when I looked at all that I had bought, acquired, stolen and misappropriated, everything was meaningless, everything was not worth the effort; everything was like chasing the wind. Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity.

So I hated life itself, because all the wealth that I had acquired was injurious to my neighbours and me.

Woe unto him that builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that uses his neighbour's service without wages, and gives him nothing for his work. Selah

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

There is a time for colonization and a time for independence;
There is a time for civil war and a time for peace;
There is a time for military rule and a time for civilian rule;
There is a time for FEDECO and a time for INEC;
There is a time for FESTAC and a time for SAP;
There is a time for oil boom and a time for financial crisis;
There is a time for indiscipline and a time for WAI;
There is a time for election rigging and a time for election tribunal;
There is a time for AFRC and a time for the National Assembly;
There is a time for June 12 and a time for May 29;
There is a time for Boko Haram and a time for MEND;
There is a time for MASSOB and a time for OPC;
There is a time to defraud depositors and a time to face EFCC;
There is a time for Sunny Ade and a time for Fela;
There is a time for the rich and a time for the poor;
There is a time for generators and a time for NEPA;
There is a time for the oil majors and a time for the Ogoni people;
There is a time for the North and a time for the South;
There is a time for petrol scarcity and a time for diesel scarcity;
There is a time to steal and a time to be caught;
There is a time for suffering and a time for smiling.

And I saw something under the sun:

In the place of fairness- unfairness was there
In the place of justice- injustice was there

I saw the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Life is unfair;

I saw the legislators handsomely rewarded at the expense of hardworking taxpayer’s. Life is unfair;

I saw the masses suffer from the deteriorating healthcare system, while the rich and connected sought medical treatment from world-class hospitals outside of the country. Life is unfair;

I saw the children of the masses experience school closures, lecturers strikes and cult violence, while the children of the wealthy and connected experienced the benefits of private education and education in world class institutions outside the country. Life is unfair;

I saw millions of graduates struggle to get jobs, while the wealthy, powerful and connected got their children and family members the best jobs in the land. Life is unfair;

I saw a man who stole =N=10,000 jailed for ten years, while a banker who stole billions of Naira jailed for less than a year. Life is unfair;

I saw the CEO of big businesses being paid 170 times the average wages of the workers. Life is unfair;

I saw the masses who could not afford three square meals a day, whereas a minority segment of the population could afford to buy imported cereals from the supermarket at the cost of =N=900 per packet. Life is unfair;

I saw the drivers, housemaids and security guards of the rich and mighty treated as lesser human beings by their masters. Life is unfair;

I saw the wealth of the nation shared among a select few rather than spread around for the benefit of the masses. Life is unfair;

I saw the honest people working hard and having nothing to show for their hard work and honesty, while the corrupt, the wicked and the dishonest had plenty to boast about. Life is unfair;

I saw the pastors acquire jets, while members of the congregation struggled to enter into ‘molues’ to get to church. Life is unfair.

I then said to myself, “This is all meaningless. God will bring into judgment both the corrupt and the honest; the rich and the poor; the oppressor and the oppressed; the exploiter and the exploited; the master and the servant, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” Selah.

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed and they had no comforter

I saw the tears of Dimeji whose sick father (in a state of coma) fell from his hospital bed due to the deplorable condition of the Nigerian health sector. Dimeji had no comforter;

I saw the tears of Chioma who could not realize her dream of becoming a medical doctor in 2010 due to an ASUU strike resulting from the diversion of school funds by state governments. Chioma had no comforter;

I saw the tears of Mr. and Mrs. Awuzie. Mr. Awuzie had recently retired and used his gratuity to invest in the shares of a large bank based in Lagos. Likewise, Mrs. Awuzie deposited her life savings into the same bank. Unfortunately for them, the CEO and other executives of the bank used the proceeds from the bank’s IPO in addition to depositor’s funds to fund their extravagant lifestyle. Eventually, the bank went into liquidation and Mr. and Mrs. Awuzie lost their pension and life savings. Mr. and Mrs. Awuzie had no comforter;

I saw the tears of the families of the 17,000 people that have died in 31,000 road accidents between 2007 and 2009. Most of these accidents have occurred due to poor road maintenance and apathy on the part of government. The families of the dead had no comforter;

I saw the tears of Ken from Bayelsa State who is undergoing treatment for lung cancer caused by the continuous flaring of gas by the international oil companies. The doctors have told him that he has only six months to live. Ken had no comforter.

And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one, who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done in the land. Selah

Awake, awake, O Naija, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Laguja, the great city, for unclean and evil people will enter your gates no longer.

Where does the wealth go?

What happens to the people for all their hard work under the sun? What happens to the riches amassed under the sun? What happens to the loot stolen under the sun? We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can't take our riches with us.

Then I asked myself “So I can’t take my wealth and influence with me to the grave when I die?” I then heard a voice telling me that:
“All your mansions will be left behind because when you die you cannot take them with you to the grave”;

“All your wives and lovely girlfriends will be left behind because when you die you cannot take them with you to the grave”;

“All your investments in commodities, shares and bonds diversified all around the world will be left behind because when you die you cannot take them with you to the grave”;

“All your rich friends, club members and influential friends and contacts will be left behind because when you die you cannot take them with you to the grave”;

“All your Dollars, Sterling, Euro and Rand will be left behind because when you die you cannot take them with you to the grave”

Whoever loves wealth never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. Surely, the love of money is the root of all evil.

THIS IS TERRIBLE!!! Selah.

Words of Wisdom

A good name is better than ill-gotten silver, gold and diamond.

It is better to go into the house of the honest than feast in the house of the corrupt.

For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?

The heart of the wise is in the house of the content, but the heart of the fool is in the house of the greedy.

Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

The sleep of a corrupt man is full of nightmares, twisting and turning, but the sleep of the honest is peaceful.

Every day for the greedy politician, but one day for the masses and taxpayers.

Many are the afflictions of the oppressed, but in due season the oppressor will compensate the oppressed ten fold.

The friends of the corrupt are like a house built on sand, they disappear at the first sign of misfortune, but the friends of the honest remain forever.

Just as the corrupt thinks he has gotten away with his misdeed, destruction welcomes him around the corner with open arms.
The Conclusion of the Matter

So I reflected on all this and concluded that:

The race is not to him that steals the most
   or the victory to the corrupt,
nor does happiness come to the wealthy
   or prosperity to the dishonest
   or favor to the connected;
but in due season, we shall all reap what we sow. 

For Naija's sake I will not keep silent. For Laguja's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbour as yourself. Also, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Selah.

The Oath- Frank Peretti

I just finished reading Frank Peretti's book "The Oath" and it was a fantastic piece of work. Thank you Frank, for listening to God. Thank you God for writing this book.

However, what I want to get across is what I learned from the book, in relation to it.

       Sin dwells in the heart of any man not in submission to God. You may think you are in charge of yourself, but sin is in charge of you, and when it wants to, it will kill you, just like the dragon the book. At first one feels pangs in the heart when he does something wrong, but if you stop caring, you will eventually not feel the pain anymore, at which point, the dragon has set his mark visibly on you. Death will ooze out of your heart, and before you know it, you will be truly dead, as your contract signed with him demands: If this is sin, then let Sin be served.

        However, the only thing the dragon fears is Jesus in your heart, at which point even the feiry flames from his mouth can do you no harm. He may try to set his subjects against you (few of which will actually know they are being controlled) but ultimately, when you come face to face with the dragon, through Christ, you will be victorious and he's going to have to back down.

        However, for those who are still living in sin, who have not yet seen it fit to confess to Jesus, who have decided to block out the pain of sin, either because of pride or because of fear; be careful. Be very careful. Because that dragon is still out there, searching, honing in on the mark it has on the hearts of those who have not yet acknowledged the authority of Christ, seeking whom it will devour. It is closer than ever, and it smells death. Pray you would never have to see those glistening eyes staring into the depth of your soul, holding you in its claws, while you realizing at that point that it  might just be too late. The dragon hasn’t caught up yet, there is still a bit of time. Use it wisely, before it really is too late...

What If you could see things in the future before they actually happened?

Yeah, that would really be cool. You would be able to see your test questions before they actually came out; and would see what was for lunch before time so you could decide whether to eat, or whether it was safer to just buy takeout.
I know someone who had that power on earth before he died. Yeah..... it is Jesus, ..but just look at this with me for a minute.
    I mean, it must have really been cool right? He told a friend of his, Peter by name, to go catch a fish and take the gold coin in its mouth to pay for their taxes. He had probably seen that a fish that had randomly swallowed a coin was going to swim by at the exact same moment that Peter would reach the river after he had been sent. Or the time when he gave his friends direction to a place (the Bible never recorded he had been there before) to meet a person who would just happen to be passing by with a jug of water on his neck, to ask him to meet his master so they could have dinner in his house. Really Cool.
   But, you see, things like that had a downside. When it was time for him to die, he knew exactly how it was going to be. The pain from the whips that he was flogged with wasnt going to be a shock, but he knew exactly how excruciating the pain would be. when the pharisee who professed to serve his father gathered spit in his mouth, he knew exactly how it would land on his face, and when.
When the flagellas were used to tear him apart, he was probably shaking in fear, the human side of him (which at the time was all of him, because he had to become completely human. He didnt even have the backing of his father anymore...), because he remembered into the future how exactly it would land on his back, how much skin and blood each lash would remove, at what angle it would fall, and how 39 lashes would transform him from a man into a monster (he was virtually unrecognizable that he was a human)
He knew how heavy his cross would be. He had probably watched that particular tree grow. He knew he wouldnt be able to carry it all the way outside Jerusalem. He also knew of a man called Simon of Cyrene. He could remember that all his friends who said they loved him would abandon him when he would need them the most, so that their lives would be spared. He knew Judas would sell him, and would sadly die without repenting.
   He remembered, even as he walked to Golgotha, how the nails would go into his hands, and how he would be stripped and disgraced. He remembered how he would carry our sins, our fears, our sickness and our shame. He remembered that even as he did this, there would still be people that would lookmat him with hatred. He remembered all this before it actually happened.
He remembered how he would really be thirsty, and ask for a drink, only to be offered bile instead. He remembered that he would have to face Satan with the world's sin on his back and descend down into hades as a prisoner. He remembered how the spear would be thrust into his side and all that would gush out was water, because he had no more blood to give. Every single ounce would be drained. HE REMEMBERED EVERYTHING.
And then, he also remembered that you would someday come across this article, and get to know about him. He remembered you  laughing; healthy, clean, stressfree, at peace. Free from destruction and illnesses and fear and regrets. Full of love, and eventually his friend.
Yes, he remembered. And so, at that instant when God asked who would willingly go down to the world and face all these, he remembered and said "I Will Go. For your Sake"
When the bible says that God loves you, please do not take that fact for granted, because you'll come to see that his love is different than what the world defines love to be, and is so much better. Let him show you...

Verse For the Week.

Jam 1:25  But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don't just hear and forget.

God's Word is like a very annoying mirror. you know how we look in one and want to see a smooth face, but instead see pimples? Yup, like that. His word is not a `Objects in the mirror are uglier than they appear`, but shows a picture of your true self.     However, it lets you see it in a way that you can change yourself. check it out , and see what happens.

Am back... again

I resumed school this semester, only to enter a world that had been put on fast forward.


     It was horrible......
and worst of all, the semester itself was really short. We resumed in March, and Exams are starting in 3 weeks time (who does That?)
But I want too thank God for keeping me through........ I'll try to be online more often now, and if i have any interesting news, I'll be sure to put it online so that you wont get bored.
Ta Ta
Oh, and by the way, If you were bored with the rest of my post ( though i wonder how that'll happen :)  ), check out this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201155113946076