God is Mad at Me and Other Myths - Part 1

One day I put a post on Facebook that simply said, “God’s not mad at you,” and the response was overwhelming. In just a few hours, thousands of people responded, desperately needing to be reassured of this fact.
Through my own personal relationship with God, and through ministering to other people, I have come to believe a large percentage of people either vaguely or perhaps even wholeheartedly believe that God is mad at them.
Where does this belief come from? Perhaps from a parent who was difficult to please, the pain of rejection or maybe even from the church. Wherever these misconceptions about God’s wrath originate, I want to help shed some truth on these false beliefs so you can fully know that God is not mad at you!
“God will never accept me like I am.”
The Bible is a record of sin, deceit and immorality of every kind. It’s also a record of God’s amazing grace and love. The heroes we admire were people just like us. They failed miserably at times, and yet they found love, acceptance, forgiveness, and mercy as free gifts from God. His love drew them into intimate relationships with Him, empowered them to do great things and taught them to enjoy their lives.
Since they experienced that acceptance, I believe we can experience it too. God doesn’t and never will approve of sin, but He does love sinners and will continue to work with us toward positive change in our lives.
I wasted many years living with a vague fear that God was angry with me. Thankfully, over the years I have come to know the amazing, passionate love of God, and I now know that God is not angry with me; He isn’t even annoyed with me! And it isn’t because of anything I’ve done or haven’t done; it is simply because He’s in love with me.
“I’m not doing enough for God.”
We conducted a survey at our office, asking our employees what one of their greatest concerns was in their walk with God. The number one response was, “When can I know that I am doing enough?”
Perfectionism is fueled with the tyranny of the shoulds and oughts. It is the constant nagging feeling of never doing well enough or being good enough. We think things like, I should pray better, read the Bible more, and be kinder. We instinctively want to be pleasing to God, and we are deeply afraid we aren’t. As a result, we believe God is mad at us because we just don’t measure up.
But the pathway to God is not perfection. Some people in a crowd asked what they needed to do to please God, and the answer Jesus gave was, …Believe in the One Whom He has sent … (John 6:29).
That is so simple that we often miss it. More than anything, God wants us to trust Him and believe His Word. You can stop trying to attain perfection because you cannot buy or earn God’s love or favor. It isn’t for sale—it’s free!

REBELLION OR OBIEDIENCE??? You choose.

There were many years in my Christian life when I was stubborn and rebellious. It took about three years for me to learn to submit to the Holy Spirit’s direction to put my grocery cart where it belongs in the parking lot. And it took more years than I want to admit to learn to listen to my husband, Dave, and take his advice without arguing and having a bad attitude about it.
I remember one day when I was praying fervently for my ministry to grow and how God got my attention about my rebellious behavior toward Dave. I was crying out to God and saying, “Oh, Lord, I rebuke the devil! God, please let my ministry grow so I can help more people.” Then He very clearly spoke to my heart and said, “Joyce, I cannot do one more thing in your ministry until you do what I’ve told you to do concerning your husband.”  
This was so hard for me. My rebellious attitude had developed throughout my childhood when I was struggling to survive the abuse I experienced almost daily from my dad. I vowed to myself then that when I was able to leave home and be on my own, I would never let anyone tell me what to do again. So it took awhile for me to let the Holy Spirit heal the wounds in my soul and teach me how to submit to the authority He put in my life.

Giving Up Rebellion Will Get You Out of Trouble

If you’ve got a mess in your life, there’s a good chance you haven’t been doing what God’s been telling you to do. However, if you will start making right choices, God will give you the ability to get through it and things will turn around for you. But be prepared, because when you start making an effort to be submissive, your flesh is going to have a screaming fit and you’ll need to spend a lot of time on your knees.
You may be wondering, If it’s so hard to do, why should I care? Because God withholds blessings from the rebellious for their own good – if He blesses disobedience, it will breed more disobedience.
I can honestly tell you that if I hadn’t surrendered my rebellious heart to God, my marriage wouldn’t be good, my relationship with God would have suffered, and my ministry wouldn’t have grown. You see, rebellion, and the disobedience it causes, keeps us from having the power of God that’s available to us as Christians. I don’t think there’s anyone who would say they don’t want or need more of God’s power in their life.

The Dangers of Rebellion and the Way Out

We need to know what rebellion is to really understand why it’s so dangerous. Rebellion is not just outward behavior but it’s an attitude problem and a heart issue. It resists authority, is likened to witchcraft in the Bible (see 1 Samuel 15:23), makes us unprofitable (see Hebrews 13:17), and brings judgment upon us (see Romans 13:1-2). These are just a few results.
But the good news is, we don’t have to live this way. I’m living proof that God can heal and change your heart to be submissive to His authority, as well as the people in authority over you that He puts in your life.
There’s a popular scripture that says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NIV). The word delight means “to be pliable and moldable in God’s hand.” So if you will be pliable in His hands, allow God to mold your heart, and do with you, in you and through you what He wants to do, then He will give you the desires of your heart.
I say this often and it bears repeating here: Anything God asks you to do is for your benefit. He always has your best interest at heart. And He’ll never ask you to do something without also giving you the ability to do it. 
We just need to spend a lot of time with Him, learn to trust Him completely, and submit our will to Him. As you do these things, the Holy Spirit will faithfully lead you out of trouble and into the life that Jesus died to give you – a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!

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This article is taken from Joyce's four-CD series, The Truth About Obedience.

44 THINGS EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD KNOW AND APPLY

Here are 44 things every believe should know and apply;

1. Yes, God is real.

2. Your gift can make room for you.

3. A baby can heal broken hearts.

4. A mother's love is stronger than distance, more powerful than time and can transcend the grave.

5. Take time to smell the roses but be careful of the bees.

6. God will really make your enemy your footstool.

7. A footstool is only needed when you need to get higher. Let your enemy lift you.

8. God will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies so let them watch you eat.

9. Be careful what you say, life and death truly are in your own words.

10. There will be rough nights but joy really does come in the morning.

11. Fear is a spirit that really can stop you from living.

12. God has not given us a spirit of fear.

13. The joy of The Lord really is strength.

14. Being alone doesn't necessarily mean that you're lonely.

15. True love can come more than once.

17. Life is short but heartache is shorter.

18. Don't share your dreams with everyone and don't be angry with non-dreamers.

19. It takes a while to build a dream.

20. The dream will outlive the dreamer so dream big.

21 If you lie to yourself you will lie to God too.

22. Live where you are so God can meet you at your needs.

23. Never wish to be somebody else.

24. The grass may be greener on the other side but the the water bill is higher.

25. Don't let people change who you are just be who you are with someone else.

26. Heartbreak can make you hard! But don't let it make you bitter.

27. Bitterness is as toxic as stage 4 cancer.

28. While the most dangerous person in the world is a person with nothing to lose, the most powerful person in the world is a person with nothing to prove.

29. Don't try to be seen, God may be hiding you on purpose.

30. Your beginning never dictates your destination.

31. The will to live is as strong as the will to love and be loved.

32. You really will reap what you sew.

33. You can learn something from everything and everybody, especially the elderly.

34. Children's' laughter is like medicine to sadness.

35. Prayer really can change things.

36. If it had not been for The Lord on my side I don't know where I would be.

37. Who you are at 20 will not be who you are at 40 and if it is, SOMETHING IS WRONG!

38. You give away your power when you don't forgive.

39. Always aim for right and avoid doing wrong at all costs.

40. Never argue with what is.

41. Teach but never try to change people because sometimes they change back.

42. Share wisdom with those who will receive it.

43. Be aware of the darkness but your focus should always be the light.

44. Nothing is impossible for God.

i hope you apply these! God bless you!

THE GOSPEL: DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!

The gospel is very great indeed, its message has freed me from my guilt and condemnation, it has freed me from all laws and traditional practices and it is great to know that above all, God loves me unconditionally and nothing can separate me from his love, not even sin. My name is Jude Asuqua, a 200L student of the Dept of micro biology, UNIBEN and this is a story of how I took God for levity because of my misunderstanding of the Gospel, its implication on my life and how I escaped. It was in June 2008 when I first heard the true Gospel; it is a great and wonderful news, I have previously heard the gospel but all I heard was guilt instead of freedom, fearful worship instead of joyful worship, mandatory giving instead of willful “out of love” giving etc. hearing the true gospel was awesome and great, I thought I was in the light, I never knew I was in darkness up until June 2008. I discovered scriptures like romans 8:38-39, Colossians 2:14, 1 Thess 4:17, Colossians 2:9-10 and many more great scripture. I was excited about this and I just worshipped God all the way for I experienced what the scripture says in 1 peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” and Romans 5:20 “The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly”, I was so happy, this was when my lackluster began. It started in May 2009, I discovered that I don’t even commune with God any more talk less of a serious relationship with him,” Grace has done it all” I would say to myself, in fact, I barely had time for God, I focused all my attention on something else, at times, I wouldn’t even go to church, I felt I knew it all, I felt I have completely known God and this continued until the 6th of January 2010, my family got into financial crisis, I trusted God for a breakthrough because of his word in eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” I believed I did not need to talk to God about it, I would say to myself “God knows”, this crisis continued and it tore my family apart, my mother left home because of it and yet, I still didn’t commune to God about it. Things turned out for worse as the year wore on, my father could barely pay my fees, I became frustrated, I began to question God and wondered if he was still alive, my faith in him began to quiver, I was mad at God, my father and myself for having them both, at times, I will just sit and cry and wonder if God truly cares. One morning, 16th of Oct 2010 to be precise, something that changed my whole paradigm happened. I woke up without even regarding God because was bitter. I got up from the bed and went to the kitchen to check if there is going to be breakfast for that morning and to my shock, there was nothing, I was pissed and angry and in my anger, I heard a very still voice and it said “have you spoken to God about it”, I couldn’t believe my ears, I have never heard such calm voice before, was it the Holy Spirit talking to me? I asked myself. I sat down to think about it “have you spoken to God about it”, these words kept echoing in my mind and then I realized God was calling me to order and there was a surety in me that it was the Holy Spirit. It is true, I haven’t spoken to God for a very long time now, I got down on my knee and told God that I was sorry, I told him things about my life and the areas I needed change in, I talked to him about my family and what we were going through, I didn’t realize until after the prayer that I spoke to God for 1hr 30mins, I was happy, I felt peace in my heart, I called all the members of my family and we prayed together, I could feel the atmosphere of change settling In my life, three days after, my mom returned home and my dad’s shipping consignment was released, I went back to my bible to read and I asked the holy spirit for better understanding. I discovered that Grace is to make us even worship God the more and not sideline God, I discovered the scripture in the book of Titus2:11-12 telling us what Grace has done for us and what it will do for us ”For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” I also discovered that the whole essence of our salvation is for us to be closer to God and have a wonderful relationship with him and not being full of ourselves and eternal life is all about knowing God in John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ”. I just hope this little story of mine inspires you and I pray it touches you where it supposed to and if you are in this shoe right not, please run back to God, his arms are outstretched waiting for you.

Thanks to Jude Asuqua 400L, Dept of microbiology, UNIBEN, for sharing.

Recovering From The Heartache of Disappointments; Story of My Life

Reaction is key, it is the basis upon which our whole life flows, reaction determines the longevity of an experience and God gave us memory to decide how long an experience last, not the bad experiences but the good and pleasurable ones. The purpose of memory is to help us remember the good experiences.

God’s system is not a system of numbers, God’s system is a system of names, he knows us by ours name even before we were formed in our mothers belly. For two months now, I have been reminiscing about my life as a believer and my ministry, there are some things I have personally learnt since I became a believer and I really want to share this with you. Our life as a believer is totally not a bed of roses, God did not say our life as a believer will be a smooth one but he promised to take good care of us and see us through.

Isaiah 43:1-2 when you pass through the waters I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, it will not sweep over you, when you walk through fire, you will not be burned, the flames will set you ablaze. So sit back and learn from my story so far as a believer.

§   

• GOD DIDN'T CALL EVERYONE TO DO WHAT HE CALLED YOU TO DO.

• THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION (We may understand some truths but applying them to our lives is another thing entirely. This is balance)

• THE WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN IS THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY

• PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU TO BE IN  A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU (Else you’ll completely waste your time)

• YOU'RE NEVER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PAIN OF THOSE YOU COUNSEL (Leave out the emotions and just do your job)

• SILENCE CAN NEVER BE MISQUOTED BUT WILL SURELY BE MISUNDERSTOOD (Don’t over think it)

•  DON'T HIRE INCOMPETENT PEOPLE. (That’s clear enough)
• YOU CONFRONT A SUBORDINATE, YOU CONFER WITH AN EQUAL AND YOU COUNSEL AN AUTHORITY. (Know how to deal with people)
• THOSE WITHOUT YOUR MEMORY CANNOT FEEL YOUR FAITH
• THOSE WHO CANNOT FEEL YOUR PAIN CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOUR GOAL
• THOSE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR GOAL WILL DISAGREE WITH YOUR DECISIONS
• THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH YOUR DECISIONS WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME AN ADVERSARY (Every decision you make will surely activate an adversary)
• SOME PEOPLE ARE THERE TO REFRESH YOU, REACH OUT TO THEM. (They want to deposit in you and not to withdraw, allow them)
• ALWAYS WORSHIP GOD (If you have a prayer language work with it)
• YOU CAN'T ENJOY LIFE IF YOU DON'T ENJOY YOU
• EVERY MAN FALL BUT THE GREAT ONES GET BACK UP (You are great)
• NOTHING IS AS EASY AS IT FIRST APPEARS (Don’t get too excited)

So there you have it, story of my life, please take heed to this and avoid certain pit falls. Until next time friends, keep it righteous!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, and of power and of sound mind

5 SIGNS TO KNOW IF YOUR CHURCH IS UNHEALTHY

I encourage you to share this article on Facebook and other social network to create a conversation within your personal network of ministry friends. There is no such thing as a “perfect” church. Honestly, there will never be a perfect church because the people who occupy the church are imperfect. The only thing perfect in church is the message and purity of the Gospel. Though there is no perfect church, there are healthy and unhealthy churches. I have been in church literally my entire life, so I have seen the great, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. After witnessing and having endless discussions about the church culture, I have compiled a list of five signs that signal you are a part of an unhealthy church.

1. Leadership Does Not Have a Clear Vision. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” A church whose leadership has not explained or formed a vision that states, “This is who we are, this is where we’re going, and this is how we’re going to get there,” is unhealthy in the highest form. How can a church or any organization function or truly exist without vision? Jesus was the ultimate vision-caster. He stated his vision for not only what the church should look like, but, ultimately, what the role of the church is and its purpose. Unfortunately, I have seen churches that had no mission and absolutely no vision, and Scripture is 100 percent correct; the people did perish. If you don’t know what the mission and vision is of your church, chances are you are in an unhealthy church. Additionally, if your church has a mission and vision statement, but you don’t see the mission and vision being executed within the church’s setup and organizational structure, programs and/or ministries that are offered, you are probably in an unhealthy church.

2. Leadership Can Never be Challenged. If you are part of a church where leadership can never be questioned or challenged, run! I have witnessed this, and I can tell you this will not end very well. Please remember, church leaders are there to cast vision and to steer the church in the direction to which God is leading. Church leaders are not and should not be dictators. What I mean is this; members should never fear asking a question against a proposed idea or direction from leadership in the church. With that being said, there should also be a level of respect given when challenging church leadership. The key is to be concerned, not confrontational. Ultimately, you should be able to ask questions regarding where your church is headed without feeling fearful of church leadership.

3. You are Comfortable, but Never Convicted. If you are attending a church and you have a) never been convicted b) never been offended in your sin when the Gospel is preached or taught, hightail it out of there! It is very dangerous when a church’s preaching and teaching team operates in what I call the “Ren and Stimpy Theology.” What I mean by this is every sermon and lesson that comes from the preaching/teaching team is always “happy, happy, joy, joy,” but there are never heart-piercing, convicting messages that will challenge people. Church shouldn’t be designed to just make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but church should be there to bring conviction through the Word of God to bring correction in a person’s life. Additionally, if your church is not balanced in its teaching, your walk with God becomes stunted; you will not grow. If you have ever had to go to a hospital to get better, then you know that most times in your healing process, there is pain involved. It’s the same thing with church; your healing process won’t be joyful all the time. There will be and should be times you are broken, convicted and offended in your sin.

4. Congregants are Content With Being Pew Warmers. I can generally tell if a church’s culture is unhealthy if its congregants are content with being pew warmers. What is a pew warmer? A pew warmer is a person who does not get involved in their church; they only attend church on Sundays, and they are content in doing so. When a church is healthy, people are excited about lending their gifts to the up building of their local church and the Body of Christ as a whole. However, if the only time a church sees a rise in volunteerism is when the pastor lays a huge guilt trip on his or her congregation, something is wrong. When a church’s environment is a healthy one, you should never have to inflict guilt upon people in order to get them involved. They will have a heart to serve, not out of guilt but out of desire.

5. Outreach is Never Planned or Preached. A church that never plans or even preaches outreach is unhealthy. When a church feels no need or desire to not only preach helping those outside of the four walls, but never does anything in its surrounding community, it speaks volumes. Outreach was and is the heart of Jesus. Having worship on Sundays is not church; it’s simply a meeting. The work that is done in the community to show God’s love is church. It is one thing to talk church, but it’s another thing to actually BE the church. If the church that you attend never preaches or plans outreach in the community, country or world, you are definitely part of an unhealthy church. Real church takes place by rendering service, usually outside the four walls of a building.

DO YOU LOVE ME? PLS JUST LIE AND SAY YES!

ONE DAY I DECIDED TO QUIT I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with god “God”, I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”. His answer surprised me… “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo ? “Yes”, I replied. “When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light.I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said. “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said. “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.” He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”. “I would not quit on the bamboo.I will never quit on you.” “Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said.”The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”"Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high”. “How high should I rise?” I asked. “How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return. “As high as it can?” I questioned.”Yes.” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.” I left the forest and brought back this story.I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.Never, Never, Never, Give up. Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

THE SECRET TO WEALTH

The secret to wealth is this; find a way to mindfully live within your means, save and invest the extra. Revisit and revise your goals and values at different stages of your life. Give generously and wisely. Sow consistently and wisely. Recognize what drains you and what lifts you up. Turn your pains into gains. Make your life simple, embrace contentment and do not covet or castigate others. You cannot become what you despise. Be inspired by the wealthy to work harder and smarter. There's always something to learn from others. The less you judge, the more you'll learn. Your excuses for failing can also be your reasons for succeeding. YOU have the power of CHOICE! If you want more, create more, you have the gift of abundance. Develop the discipline to say 'NO' or 'YES' when appropriate. Experience life with extraordinary joy!

THE REVELATION ON THE GOD HEAD

THE ONE MINDEDNESS, UNITY AND WORKING TOGETHER OF THE GOD HEAD Many believers see God as one which is good, but they see him as one individual or personality, they fail to recognize that there are three distinct personalities THAT MAKE UP THE NAME GOD. In this write up, I will be showing you some proof from the scriptures that GOD IS ONE and three personalities make up the GOD HEAD.  

THE REVELATION

1- Before this was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit, I wasn’t sure about the trinity, people used to tell me that Jesus is God and I used to wonder who I should pray to, is it to God or Jesus. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus clearly distinguished the personalities in the God head and made it known that the personalities are one. Notice this: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. you’ll see that Jesus said baptizing them in the “name”, he did not say names, this shows that they are one and peter understood it, now notice this scripture in acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Jesus told the disciples to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost but peter knew that Jesus is God and the God head is in Christ and we can call the full God head is Christ and they can be called Christ. Now let’s see this scripture in Colossians 1:19, “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; the fullness of the God head is in Christ and peter understood that.

2- The second revelation to hit me is in the creation story, I know Jesus was with God the father in the beginning of the world, John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and I saw from scriptures that nothing was made in this world without Christ John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made”. So it was God the father that said that “let there be light” and Jesus made it happen “and there was light”, check this scripture out in the book of Hebrews 1:8-10 “But to the Son he said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. And, You, Lord, in the beginning have laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of your hands:” notice that God called Jesus GOD because God the father knows that they are the same and one and everything that was made on earth was the work of Jesus. It’s like this, GOD SPOKE THE WORD AND JESUS MADE THINGS HAPPEN. 

3- The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God and of Christ. now lets the book of john 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you”. God the father will send the Holy Spirit through Christ. Now notice Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” The Holy Spirit PRECEEDS FROM THE FATHER AND THE SON this shows that they are one and they work together.  

THE SUBMISSION AND LOVE IN THE GOD HEAD

 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Why God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 God the father gave him a name above all names and this means even HIS NAME. that why the father, son and holy spirit can be called JESUS CHRIST. From acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Jesus submits to the father and does the will of the father, they are equal in every way but he submits to the father. John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Hebrews 10:9 Then said he, See, I come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second. You see that Jesus does submits to the father. So friends, the name GOD, is the name for the FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST, they are one minded, they submit to one another and thy work together.

SEXUAL IMMORALITY; how do i overcome it?

Sexual sin is a major problem in the life of youths today, many of my friends have asked me how I manage to stay out of it and how they can be free from sexual perversions. I have tried to answer their questions but I could not answer them by myself and this made we go into solitary to hear from God through his word. So this is it. The word of God (the bible) cannot tell you how to overcome sexual perversions but the spirit of God that lives in you can teach you how. Looking into scriptures, I found a profound statement in 1 Corinthians 6:18 ‘Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body’. You must flee sexual temptations like Joseph did, don’t ever think that you can fight because you can’t, and so flee. Looking at that passage closely, you will discover that sexual sin affects the body, your health (STI's) etc.  

HOW WE FALL INTO SEXUAL SIN 

Sexual sin like every other sin starts from  

• TEMPTATION: 

it may be a thought or something you see like pornography, after temptation, something happens and most of us fails to realize it,  

• CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH (‘I know I can handle this’) 

Apostle Paul said we should not trust our flesh because if you put confidence in the flesh, it will put you on the dark side. Sin starts with confidence in the flesh just like sexual sin, don’t be confident about your flesh, run like Joseph did. After you have put so much confidence in your flesh, then it results to

• SIN 

Because our flesh is weak. After sinning,  

• GUILT (new resolutions) 

This comes in then you start making hopeless resolutions like ‘I will never open the computer again’, ‘I will never talk to the opposite sex again’, ‘and I will never look at the opposite sex again’. Resolution don’t work because it presumes on man’s strength like the law. The more you distrust yourself on sexual perversions the better for you. So when you are done making all these helpless resolutions, fresh temptations comes all over again.  

HOW CAN ONE BREAK FREE FROM SEXUAL SIN? 

We have the life of ‘no condemnation’ and this empowers us, when the woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus, he said ‘I do not condemn you, go and sin no more’ that empowered her to go and never do it again but today the church has turned it around, it’s now ‘go and sin no more then we will not condemn you’ so my dear reader, when you fail, remember that God does not condemn you he always says ‘I do not condemn you, go and sin no more’ this empowers us as believers. Look at Romans 8:1 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit’. This gift of grace is given to empower us to live a victorious life. This does not make us to live a careless life  

(if you think grace makes people to live a reckless life, then you don’t have a full revelation of grace which is embracing Jesus, his love and life, you only have a fraction of it which is freedom from the law) it empowers us to live the life God desires for us.

For more, contact Michael on 07061548676, Facebook: Michael.s.ekanem, email: michaelekanem92@gmail.com