CONSECRATION!!!

In the world, we hear, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
In the kingdom, you are asked: "Where do you want to serve?"
   To maximise our God-given potentials to the fullest capacity in our lives, our homes, in the kingdom, in our churches, in service to God, then, we ought to live a consecrated life...

A consecrated life is a step higher than the general level of salvation.

God excepts everyone of us to live a consecrated life, however, most of we christians, prefer to live below that expectation because of several limiting factors(some of which are myths,i.e, not true) that we have built up....the popular ones: I don't want to be called "Spiri Coco", I don't want people to say "Your own is too much, when you are not the pastor of your church/parish", "I would be missing out on life(imagine, if God says, I should stop going to certain places, abeg, this life is once and short, Mo fe jaiye"), then, there are other unpopular ones like "What if God now calls me into Full time ministry, ah, someone's knowing at the door: Poverty, Poverty is at the door", "What will my family members say?", "When God did not call me, why should I call myself", "Those little tips I get at work nko", the list goes on and on....

Allow me to extinguish your fears and debunk certain myths(i.e false beliefs) that have been circulated about "Consecration"

Let's take a look at this:
   "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
   Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

   Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Rom. 12 vs 1-2

Q: What is Consecration?
This is consciously & deliberately giving God your body: Physical & Spiritual
"Physical includes the following:
Your Outward appearance
Your Habits
Your Lifestyle
Your Manners, the way you talk
Your Health
Your Finances
Your Job
Your Relationships
Your Material possessions....etc.

Spiritual:
Your Quiet time
Your Prayer life
Your Giving(Tithes, Offerings, giving to the needy)....etc."

because of all He has done for you (Salvation, the gift of life, the gift of time, the gift of Sleep, the gift of protection, the gift of provision, etc...), daily(not only on Sundays or Mid-week services in Church), from the moment you wake up till you close your eyes for the day, in such a way that He(God) would find your life pleasing, recommendable and acceptable...

   Then, when you do all these, God, in turn would cause a transformation of your mind which would take effect on everything else (for the mind is the power horse of your soul).

Then, you would learn to know & walk in God's will per time and guess what?
God's will for you is always good, pleasing and PERFECT, so, you would basically be on top of the world.

Isn't that awesome?

I would love to show you people who made this decision:
- Daniel (Dan. 1:8)
- Paul (Gal. 2:20)
- Jesus (John 14:10, John 8:28b)
- Joseph (Gen 39:9)
The list is countless, even down to ourration.

Consecration is not a burden as some see it to be, but daily putting aside your "self" and making God first and the Center of your existence.

You can do that, Can't you?

ARE YOU FOR REAL? In this 21st Century

We were gisting, chit-chatting, walking towards the bus stop, by the time we got to the junction of the bus stop, probably, she was carried away, so I pulled at her , getting her attention, I pointed towards a black calabash supposedly filled with sacrifice(èbo, as yorubas would call it), I can still picture it vividly.

She cancelled whatever mission it was supposed to carry out in the name of Jesus and we crossed to the other side of the road to board a vehicle (bus).

From then till now, I am still shocked, yes, I know things like this exist bit I thought it was only in movies or in the forest, not outside on tarred roads, in the midst of civilisation.

In some minutes of reflection, I started to pity the individuals involved in that unbecoming act because obviously, the devil's hold on them is so strong and his deception, so deep.

Deception, this is the greatest instrument of the Devil, it is his checkmate move and the oldest tricks in his books, as it dates back to the time of creation in the Garden of Eden to the time in the wilderness with Jesus and up to the future that's yet to come....

Q: What is Deception?
A: It is intentionally managing verbal and /or nonverbal messages so that the message receiver will believe in a way that the message sender knows is false.(Wikipedia, 2016)

The Issue now is "How do we overcome this old, yet dangerous and effective tool of our adverse enemy, the Old Serpent, Satan"?

1. You need to have a relationship with your maker through Jesus.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."(John 14 vs 6, NLT)

2. Deepen your relationship by reading the word, for there is nothing greater than the word, even, God is bound by his words(i.e The Bible)

"No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said." (Psalms 89 vs 34, NLT)

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1, NLT).

3. Strengthen and keep your Spiritual man fit by taking part in spiritual exercises, like praying, Fasting(as the Spirit gives you grace), memorising Bible verses, speaking in tongues(if you have not experienced the Baptism of The Holy Spirit, simply ask him; it's a wonderful experience)

4. Spend time meditating on the word of God, and learn to be still and sensitive to the voice/leading of the Holy Spirit.

5. Attend a Bible-believing church, attend the services as regularly as possible.
"Iron sharpens Iron, so a man sharpens another and let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, bit encourage one another... (Psalms 27:17, NIV & Heb. 10:25,NLT)

6. Finally, put on the whole armour of God:
The Helmet of SALVATION
The Body Armour of RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Belt of TRUTH
The Shoes of PEACE
The Shield of FAITH
The Sword of THE SPIRIT(i.e, THE WORD OF GOD) Eph. 6:13-17, NLT

The Lord will help YOU & Me, for by our own strenght, we are like chickens in the hands of the devil about to be slaughtered but with GOD in us, the devil is like a grasshopper to a Giant because the Bible says:
"Greater is He that is in me, than he, that is in the world"... 1 John 4:4, KJV

The Lord is Our Strenght!!!

Would YOU be My Bride?

It was her day, the church was filled to the brim, she was loved by all, despised by some, nonetheless, it was her day..

The Church organ started playing, the whole church was filled with the rhythmic tunes of "Here comes the bride", the whole congregation stood up in unison( it was like it was rehearsed)....

Then, the magnificent wooden doors of the church opened to the sight of the bride...there were sounds of shuffles, everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the " wife to be"....and then, there was a hush....

The bride walked in, with her hands interlocked with her dad's....

"Is this a joke?", "What is this?", "hehehehe"(cynical laughter could be heard across the church hall), comments like this were heard in hushed voices, more like whispers...What happened?

The bride was dressed in a white but brown looking wedding gown(more like she fell into a huge mud puddle), there were huge stains of oil(like she just left the bakery), her hair, it was tangled and looking rather unkept, then, somewhere at the back of her gown, a black linen could be seen(was that supposed to be her underwear, I think so?)

The whispers were increasing in volume, people started talking in louder tones while some, were looking in shock, others in utter disgust....This would be the talk of the town for a very long time...

  "Just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
   He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.
  Instead, she will be holy and without fault".(Eph. 5 vs 25-27,NLT)

At some point in our lives, we are like the bride in the story, dirty, messy, wrinkled, name it, unfortunately, the world we are in right now, does not make it obvious...

At that point, it's like we are falling down a bottomless pit, when we think the worst has happened, something else crops up.
  However, unlike the bride, we have our knight in shining armour...
He's here to wash us clean, remove the spots, the dirt, the wrinkles and present us pure, holy and acceptable...

Sadly enough, some people don't even want to have anything to do with him, which is quite surprising, they have set up different barriers, he can break them down if He wants to but He's the perfect Gentleman, so, he won't...

Sometime ago, I met him and I must confess, since then till now, I don't regret it, because the encounter did not end on the first meeting, I meet him regularly, actually, daily...
  Well, you might have met him and you might have not...still, let me introduce you to My King, My Olowo ori mi, My Strengthner, My Friend, My All in all...He's name is JESUS, THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH!!!

Have you met him, if no, then, I must tell you that you are missing a lot...infact, you are missing on life...because for me, He's My Past, My Present and Definitely My Future...He's My EVERYTHING!

You need to meet him....

Say CHEESE!!!! (Focus)

Say Cheese!!!!
  This is probably one of the oldest and surest tricks for getting the people to focus on the camera....

So, today I went to the market to get some stuffs....I had to be quick as possible.
  Now, we all know that, you can meet anyone at the market(that is, it is an unofficial reunion meeting place)so, I have become self-conscious, looking out for anyone I can meet while on a shopping spree....

Today, I met a very good friend but for the first time, I didn't spend less than 2 mins, I had my eyes on the time, I couldn't afford to spend much time than allocated for the shopping...Chit-chating would ve reduced that time...
  Then, this thought occurred to me and made so much sense...

# When you have focus, nothing else matters
# When you have focus, you can sieve the needful from the un-neccessary
# When you have focus, it defines your path: you know what the obstructions are, even if they come in glittery wrappers in form of friends, a lover, a habit.
# When you have focus, everything involved is aligned
# When you have focus, you can feel it when things are not right
# When you have focus, you are motivated, even when things don't seem to rhyme...

However, What is your focus on?
For the Bible says "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.(Phil. 4:8, NLT)

For, as wonderful and powerful as Focus is, It has the ability to destroy a man, all he has worked for and all he'll ever be...

When a man is focused on a thing, there's nothing except for the intervention of God, that can change his mind,
  For, The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
   Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”(Gen. 11:6-7, NLT)

So, once again, I ask, Where is your focus at?

Is it pure(without greedy motives), Is it true(or is it painted with lies), Is it honourable(or it had better be kept with the remaining buried secrets of your heart), Is it right(or you can't do without taking the backdoor), Is it lovely(or at the expense of people's happiness and peace), Is it admirable(Would Jesus be proud to call you his child in front of the Devil without an iota of doubt?)

What is your focus on?
For your focus determines your past, present and future...You are a model and practical example of your focus.....

Focus is a strong virtue....Use it wisely!!!

HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH!!!!

(Note: "Church" mentioned in this post is referred to "The Body of Christ" and not Denomination(s))

I believe this topic is a really touchy one, however, I will relate it to you in a very simple yet technical way(Ironic, right).

"We were all lined up in the church, It was a really long and large church. Each person was assigned to individual bed spaces. However, it was noticed that certain spaces were occupied by two persons....

  A stage light shone upon these sets of twos and what was seen was one of the most despicable acts been carried out right there in the Church, Homosexual Acts(which include Intercourse, fondling of another's genitals and other unimaginable acts), the disgusting act of masturbation(if only it stopped there.....#sighs)

  At some open spaces, still in this large church, some people could be seen urinating and defecating in the "supposed" House of God (What happened to the toilets?)"

   This is blasphemy (someone might say) but I will say, HOLD IT THERE before you jump into conclusions.
  Through the help of the Holy Spirit, intensive research and listening to the words of the wise and aged ones, I discovered this and would love to share it with you. (Yes,....YOU!)

Q: WHAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY?
A: This is a romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behaviour between members of the same sex or gender. (Wikipedia, 2016)

Q: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT "HOMOSEXUALITY"?
A: (IN SUMMARY) In the beginning,
"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."(Gen. 1:27, NLT),
However,
"They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”(Gen. 19:5), still,

Wicked men of the city:(Pounding on the door), “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.

Old man: “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing." (Judg. 19:22b,NIV-23,NLT)

ARE YOU STILL NOT COVINCED?

Check this out,
“If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense."(Lev. 20:13)

"That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
  Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
   They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too." (Rom. 1:26,27...32)

Q: HOW HAS THE CHURCH CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROPAGATION & GRADUAL ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUALITY INTO ITS BODY?
A :

1. She has begun to lower her standards( in following the Bible standards) in wanting to fit in with the crowd and be socially/morally acceptable with the world, by gradually taking a little shift from its Foundation of Truth.

2. The Church keeps undermining the power of the spirit of Sodomy(as in, Sodom and Gomorrah). Check Gen. 19:5-9,NLT

3. The Church is sleeping in the ignorance of this topic, thereby, it's not preached or taught to show and warn brethens of the consequences of this grave act, including the doom behind this doctrine from hell, as the Bible suggests in Rev. 2:20,NLT.

4. The Church is keeping silent about the issue on a global scale, neither frowning at or speaking out to let the world know its stand on the issue....

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, CHECK THIS OUT!!!

The Buzzing of the Mosquitoes, (it was like I could trace their every flying directions), the stillness of the air in the room could be felt, as the windows were locked to prevent the remaining mosquitoes family ganging up outside after the scent of the sprayed insecticide was long gone.
  I could count the ceiling slabs, however, there was no light (Well-done PHCN, rather called NEPA)....

I checked through my phone for incoming chats, obviously none, as this was 2am, who would be awake?

I put on my earpieces, listening to inspiring Gospel slow rhythms from my phone, hoping to fall asleep, to no avail.

I sat up on my bed, I laid down, I tried different sleeping positions, still to no avail, it was like sleep decided to abandon me.

I decided to write, read, anything to make me fall asleep.

- 3am had come to meet me, I tried all I could,
- 4am, you must be kidding...

  At 4:16 am, the local chickens in the neighbourhood started their wake-up morning cry routine, I increased the volume of the music entering into my ears( Story.....No Sleep)

5am, 6am, 7am....No sleep, when it's not a vigil.

So, I am supposed to be out of the house by 9am, My Mom walks into my room.

Mom: Good Morning, How are you?
Me: I've not slept since yesterday (P.S: I don't take coffee)
Mom: Did you pray?
LONG SILENCE...
She lays her hands on my head and prays a simple prayer of sleep.
Mom: And we were supposed to leave early
Me: I don't feel sleepy
Mom: Don't say that, Sleep.

Trust me, I slept soundly for the next 2hrs. Not being able to sleep is a Nightmare(from experience) but the Bible tells us in Psalm 127 vs 2(NIV):"In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves"...

From this, we can see that "Sleep" or "being able to sleep" is a gift from God; So,

1. The Next time you are about to sleep, Thank God for the gift of Sleep

2. When you see that you can't sleep, simply remind the giver of the gift of sleep his promise through this simple prayer: " Lord Jesus, your word tells me you grant sleep to those you love, I know you definitely love me for you word tells me so.
I really need to sleep now, Thank you for the gift of sleep, I receive it now with everything in me, In Jesus name I pray...Amen"

P.S: If Symptoms persists after 3 days, say the prayer all over again...Shalom!

WE ARE BACK AGAIN!!!

So, it's been a while since any article of value has been posted...
To be sincere, I can say I was going through that blank phase every writer goes through at some point and says "I don't have inspiration, I don't have what to write about(even though there are more than a billion things to write about)".

  However, God was faithful, through the help of certain friends and the constant but gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit (P.S: because the Holy Spirit is gentle, that is why it is so easy to procrastinate and ignore His requests), I can say I am back on my feet....

  Now, don't think I've gotten a whole load of inspiration, sincerely, I still feel (blank) but there was something a friend told me:
" If you feel you need that Wooow moment to feel inspired...you might really wait a loooooooong time! ",and that struck a cord...

I don't know how tomorrow is going to be like or what it is going to bring, however, I am making this pledge today(June 1, 2016):

" Not by power nor by might, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

- I pledge to write daily, send out spoken words as much as I can; positively impacting on the lives around me, including yours,

- Shedding the light on certain areas that seem like shades of darkness,

- Bringing peace to the comfort of your home, your heart (despite the challenges that may arise)

and so help me God, Amen!

So whether or not, my posts makes sense to you, Share it out with someone else, on your Phone contact, your WhatsApp chats, your Facebook friends, your Twitter Peeps and every social media angle you are inclined to, even your conventional text messaging would go a long way!

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, Inspire Me IS BACK IN FULL FORCE!
Shalom!