A HEART OF SERVICE - PART 1

 A HEART OF SERVICE - PART 1

Psalms 89:20 "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: with whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen"

Job 36:11 "If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures".

Hallelujah! The starting word for this series; IT PAYS TO SERVE GOD. 

There is nothing on this earth and in the heavens, that can amount to our service unto God. Ever wonder, why some believes slack on this issue of service; why we have so many churchgoers today but not many servants of God. I have come to understand that until we have the understanding of a thing, we can never enjoy all it offers. Hosea 4:6 " my people are destroyed for they lack knowledge...". 

The first and foremost thing I want us to understand is that only those that work for God are entitled to a pay from him. Only genuine servants are entitled to a genuine pay. If you do not serve, then you can't enjoy the blessings of service. We cannot be served by a God we have not first served. We understand from scriptures; to every service you render, there is always a pay (2Timothy 2:6 _"The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits._). Also, we see this in Matthew 20:1-16; the parable of the labourers.

According to God's Word: the husbandman that laboureth must be a partaker of the fruits.  Therefore, It is a must. This means if you do not serve as an husbandman then you are not entitled to a pay by the employer. 

One commandment God gave unto us as his children is that we should serve Him. One proof of our following Him, our obedience to His leading is if we serve Him. From the pilot verse in Job, we see if they shall obey and serve. So service is a proof of your obedience. Let us look at the life of our Father Abraham. He received the instruction (Genesis 12:1-8) "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred into a place where I will show you; He received the word, obeyed it and served it. The Bible made us understand He followed every bit of the word. Your service unto God is in accordance to you following His leading. He gave a commandment or an instruction; you ordinarily following it is a service unto Him. We see in Genesis 4; Abel and Cain rendered an offering unto God. This was done in line with an instruction from Him. This is service. You shall not bow down before a graven image, you shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. It's all service. Romans served; Moses, he served even up to the new Testament Apostles, they all served. There is always a blessing attached to a life given to service. When God created the Heavens and the Earth and put man in control, one of man's primary assignment was to serve (Genesis 1): till the ground, cultivate, rear the animals, even being fruitful is a service before God. But as believers, we have deprived ourselves of all these things we can enjoy by our disobedience. It is just pure disobedience to God's instruction. Ye will have this when you do this. This means if you do not do this, you won't have this. 

I want to believe one reason why God was interested in the Israelites was because of their attitude of service. We see this in Exodus 1; even in the land of captivity as slaves, they continued in their service unto pharaoh and the Egyptians. God is not interested in how much you are flaunting as his son or as his daughter, He is interested in how much you have served and you are ready to serve. Because that is when all He has prepared for us can get to us. All Heavenly blessings are available. They are not for him, He doesn't specialize in hoarding them, He wants to release them to us but because we have not the heart of service, it is impossible. Until your barn of service is full, there won't be an overflow of rewards. Looking at David as a case study, when he was faced with Goliath. What was his testimony? It wasn't that "I am the son of God."; " I go to church every day in a week" or "I pay my tithes and offering". Not this, the testimony was that of service (1Samuel 17). While I was on the field, while I was keeping, while I was watching over. Let us note that these blessings are not just for men but servant-men.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thank you🙏🏻

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LEADER'S ATTITUDE PART 3

LEADER'S ATTITUDE PART 3

The importance of ATTITUDE in Leadership

We have, in recent times seen what Leadership entails. But I will like to add, that Leadership is the act of receiving a mandate and running on it, with people who follow the mandate (vision). On this note, a Man can be a leader even without occupying a position of authority. There is a certain virtue which is responsible for this occurrence.The virtue responsible for this mainly, is Attitude. Our behaviour towards the issues of life defines our position in life. In a secular perspective, Men are selected for certain positions based on how they are able to behave under certain conditions of excitement, anxiety, stress and comfort. Hence, the neeed for a right attitude. Attitude is ones predisposition to a certain issue. How we as Men behave, react, act and live towards life and the issues therein defines our attitude - and extensively, defines how well we are able to go, and how far we are able to run : as Leaders.Leaders are meant to live ready. Proverbs 24:10 "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small." A leader at all times should be prepared for the issues of life. This is the right attitude of a leader who must take giant strides.

Philippians 2 : 1-16

The above Scripture mentions in numerous formats, the kind of attitude to life and Spirituality that is expected of us as believers. And remember, Revelation 5:10 "And has made us unto our God kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth." If we all are ordained as Leaders to reign on Earth, we all, are to emulate Christ's attitude to his ministry. However, what is the importance of having this attitude? Jesus is our model as Believers, and everything he stood for - shows how we are to pattern our lives after. And due to the loving nature of God, everything he does is teaching us how to profit (Isa 48 v 17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.) In essence, there is profit in having the Christ kind of attitude. And that is the essence of this article.

The importance of Attitude in Leadership is thus :

✓ Accurate decision making - any decision made under stress or duress is bound to be inaccurate and misjudged ; unless one has a very good attitude in Leadership - in the ability of one to stay firm and calm and stay Spiritually connected at all times. This was demonstrated in Solomon's deciding who the real mother of the baby was (1 Kings 3 : 16 - 28).  Solomon by the understanding Heart God had given him, was able to calmly discern, and make a good decision. And this can only be possible by the right virtue - the understanding that comes from above : it shows us how to approach challenges.

✓ It helps to draw Men to run with the vision - a leader with a positive character and attitude to things and issues of life and Spirituality will draw favour from God and Man. This was a totally different scenario with King Ahab. He was not able to make godly decisions, he followed other gods, followed his wife Jezebel (1 Kings 16). And due to this, powerful Prophets of God who would have been helpful and beneficial to his ruling all left him to stay hiding in the cave. His bad character, his wrong attitude pushed valuable Men of God who would have run the vision of God for Israel away from him.

✓ It opens us to Divine response, thereby letting us know what to do per time - David was a prime example of this. David was always worshipping God, so at all times he always had Joy. And in 1 Sam 30 v 6, despite the fact that his two wives were taken away when he was out for War, the Bible tells us "David encouraged himself in the Lord.." and afterwards, we can see that when prayed Prayers of enquiry in verse eight "shall I pursue, shall I overtake?" He got prompt response from Heaven.

As Leaders, accurate decision making, favour with Men, and Divine ideas on what to do is very vital for our effectiveness in Leadership. However, these things don't come cheaply. They answer chiefly to our attitude to life and Spirituality, and our attitude to Men. Proverbs 4 verse 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Why don't we look at the successful Leaders in Scriptures, and make it a priority to live and behave like they did under every circumstance? And by his grace, we shall become changed for the better, and become effective leaders in Jesus name. 2 Cor 3:18

Thank you for following us through this series,I believe you have been blessed. Pls you can also make use of the comments box.

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THE LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 2

 THE LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 2

ATTITUDE, CHARACTER AND CAPACITY

Psalms 78:72 (AMP)

_"So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; And guided them with his skillful hands"._

From the above scripture, we see vital tools necessary for a true Leader. King David was such a leader who according to the Bible led well; even right from when King Saul was out to destroy him and he had to escape out of the city with some hundreds; every step of the way He showed us what it meant to be a true leader. The Leadership of David had to do with the three concepts we are looking at today: Attitude, Character, and Capacity. As a leader, one should not lack in any of these three vital requirements if he wants to lead well and have his people follow well. You are not just leading to lead well; you lead to have your followers follow well. This was the same way it was for David. We see from scriptural account; he had the respect of the men and women that were under him.

David's leadership had to do with his heart(character), discernment(Attitude) and with his hands(capacity); as we saw it in the pilot verse. The Heart defines the character of man. Because it is popularly said man is a product of his thoughts, whether it is his character, his beliefs or what he holds in high esteem. We all are products of our thoughts. Where then do these thoughts come from? They are a reflection from our hearts. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Your heart - Your thoughts - Your Character. Also we see in him (King David); these things did not just stop at the level of the integrity of His heart, the Bible made us understand he showed it in his actions - "his Attitude" (he guided them with the skillfulness of his hands). The last part "skillful hands" tells us in every sense that for a leader to lead well, skills are necessary. If as a leader, you are lacking in the necessary skills to having a successful leadership; you cannot lead successfully. All these above are very important for us as they form the framework of Leadership and also it's sustenance. Leadership becomes meaningless and useless without the aforementioned. To everyone you have acclaimed being a leader, make sure you check for these vital components.

Let us take a more closer look into these concepts:

To have integrity of heart means to be complete or undivided in your heart. Integrity simply means oneness i.e. you are what you say you are. Looking expressly at the life of Jesus Christ, He lived his life in all integrity. He never at any time compromised His words or deeds. He was truthful even in his dealings with the very untruthful fellows.  As leaders, we have this commandment also to be like Him. Every leader who wants success will always want to walk in the footsteps of the successful ones before him. Christ's life shows us all these; therefore it is expedient we live like He did. Man is made up of the spirit, soul and body. Incorporating all these parts in integrity is vital. Understanding them and bringing them into unity is key to what we call integrity of heart.

For Attitude, this is what brings you to Leadership while, Capacity is what makes you a true leader. Character on the other hand, sustains you. For every leader to be sustained in leadership, he must build his character or work on his character because character is the real you.Discernment reflects in your attitude; in your actions. It reflects in your perspective, how you look at things or look into things. According to the Oxford dictionary: Discernment is the ability to distinguish between things or the ability to perceive differences that exist. Discernment is a form Attitude takes, which is the state of the mind. It is also the manner in which we see situations and respond to them i.e our belief system. Attitude is the ability to discern a solution in a problem. What brings you to leadership is your ability to discern a solution in a problem and the willingness to set out to solve the problem. The Bible in Proverbs 18:15b (NIV) "the heart of the discerning acquires knowledge". A leader is fearless because of Knowledge - he knows something. Knowledge is what makes the heart to discern. Right knowledge, Right discernment. The power of leadership is their belief and attitude.

Skillfulness of hands can be likened to capacity. It is also important to recognize this basic leadership skill. Every leader must give room to capacity building. Capacity building is what moulds a leader into leadership shape. King David's leadership was questioned by his skills in five major areas:

✓listening skills;

✓communication skills;

✓management skills;

✓learning from failure;

✓raising up other leaders.

As leaders, we are to grow in capacity, build more, acquire skills, be efficient in them; as they are building blocks for our Effective Leadership.

TO BE CONTINUED

Thank you

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A LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 1

 A LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 1

From our earlier articles, we must have come to understand by now that Leadership is a designated position occupied by a person called a leader and is in order other to serve some people or certain entities, whether it be an organization, a community, a sect, a religious group, etc. Something we must first understand is that it is designed. According to Romans 8:29-30, we see that before the showing forth, there is always a predestination. Yes, no man was born a leader but present in us are certain qualities that make us thrive even as such.  If we take a close look into the lives of our biblical patriarchs, beginning with Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David; all these men didn't just assume the post of leadership. At that point, there was a word that came in unto them that made to really walk in that Leadership plan of God. For Abraham, it was "get out of thy kindred to a place that I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation". For Moses, it was "I have seen the affliction of my people and now you are sent into their midst to rescue them from the hands of Pharaoh". Thus, by this, we see that Leadership is a Divine arrangement. Leadership is also the role a leader takes in order to serve his people. This we have seen in the course of our articles that no true leader just wants all things for himself, he is only there that the needs of others might be met. Yes, the objectives and the goals may come from him, being the leader; but through his leadership, others around must benefit i.e. find their own purpose. According to Bernard Law Montgomery: Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and woman to a common purpose and the character that inspires confidence. In this definition, we see the true essence of leadership. You are not leading for yourself but for the men and women that are under you.  This definition also makes us understand that a leader is someone who has already discovered his purpose or a problem and he is committed to solving it or addressing it with the help of men and women. I have come to understand that in the school of purpose or living out purpose; it's not one man's job. This is why the scripture teaches in Habakkuk 2:3paraphrased, there are some that will see the vision, write the vision and there are some that will run with the vision. This verse tells us clearly that in this school of fulfilling a vision, every one is valuable. So, a leader has the vision, but he  certainly will not be able to fulfil the demands if there are no runners of the vision with him. Let us understand that it is not that the leader has to rely on the followers, NO. But in order,that the followers might also be made, there is a need to associate themselves with their leader. This is what True leadership and follower-ship mean. A branch that wants to keep bearing fruit must remain resident with the tree that is bearing the branch, the same way a tree cut away from the roots can never thrive alone. As a leader, there is always a serving you've got to do; one is either serving his gifts, serving his time, energy or resources, for the betterment of the vision and also of others who are running with it.  Let us know that true leaders do not need followers to become a leader; the only reason is as we have stated earlier; in order that there might be runners together with the vision and that through his found light, others might come into that same light. We see from scriptures, whenever God wanted to speak to His people, He speaks through the mouths of certain persons. This persons don't need to have followers in order to hear or receive from God; because even from the realm without followers, they were receiving from God. Moses was just a shepherd boy when he got the light, David had been undergoing series of pruning in the wild before he became the King. A leader is someone  who has prior discovered his gift and he gets committed to serving it, followers not withstanding. 

We must also understand that in every follower, there is a hidden leader. We see this in the lives of our scriptural fathers. Elisha was a servant or a follower to Elijah but we see that he did not end there, he transcended into that level of Leadership.  You are a leader when you are able to recognize a problem or situation confronting even others around and you see solutions, strive to proffer solution or go in search of the right answers. This is what makes a leader truly different from a follower (Nehemiah as a case study). The disposition to attack such situation is called ATTITUDE.

What then is ATTITUDE?

According to Oxford dictionary; Attitude is a disposition or a state of the mind. Attitude is the product of our belief system. It is the manifestation of our philosophy and our philosophy, the product of our ideas. Before any follower can transform into a leader, he must believe in his mind that he carries a leadership spirit within him. You are what you think you are(Proverbs 23). As a true leader, your attitude is never to the negative; where others see a stumbling block, you see a head way; where others see thick darkness, you see opportunities to shine the best. This is the mindset of a true leader. A true leader never gives room to the thoughts of "I cannot do it", " This is an entirely impossible task". "I'm sorry for leading you guys on a journey as futile as this". These are never the words of a true leader; but there is a level where he gets to in the class of Attitude before he can exhibit this dimension. He is always positive in his mindset, and this among others form the foundation of a good attitude. When you fill your mind with bad things, you end up with a bad attitude and vice-versa.

Therefore, Leadership is 80% mentality (Attitude) and 20% of skills. A leader looks at a problem and all he sees is solution while when a follower looks at problem, all he sees are obstacles and challenges. Leaders think differently from their followers and that is what makes them operate at this level of Leadership.  Leaders don't just look into things, they see into things. This is why it is possible you can cause a follower to derail from a particular way He follows but it is very impossible to cause the one who leads to default out. Leaders don’t see through their physical eyes, they do through their beliefs and ATTITUDE.

TO BE CONTINUED

Thank you

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THE AFTERMATH OF CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMIC PART 3

 

*THE AFTERMATH OF CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMIC PART 3*

To overcome fear is not days job, but it is something we should not give room for in our lives. confidence is the key ingredient in overcoming fear , once you are confident of yourself you are bound to succeed.

The fear you have might be as a result of goals , you set for your self, in this case let your goals be realistic enough so it could serve as a driving force for you to achieve greatness. As said fear reduce grades as it does not allow you express your self or maximize your potential so how can you turn it around. I always say as a student going for an exam,"am confident that I will pass" but I don't relax on this I prepare vigorously for that exam. The word of encouragement is to remove any for of fear or doubtful mind. 

Therefore speak into existence, speak words of encouragement to your self. Also remember word are vague without action so don't fall short in the aspect of doing your part in terms of achieving success.

Also when you are in a state of fear before any event find a confident in person of a Friend, parents, siblings who can motivate you and give you a reason to believe once again so never miss the place of speaking out. A closed mouth is a closed destiny.

Procastination might not as a result of laziness but  attitude to work. 

When you have so many things to cover or do , because of the ambiguity you are faced with and not knowing when to start you procastinate on doing or starting later until you end up not doing anything. 

My dear brother and sister in a state of confusion of not knowing what to do, just start with one instead of procastinating and ask for God's direction. For example, you wanted to read a particular course with about 9 topics you haven't done previously and you have limited time but you don't know where to start from. 

Brethren start from somewhere and break the procastination thought already building up in you. Always remember Procastination is a killer of time and it is your enemy.

Finally, the place of God can not be overemphasized, as believers , you should pray from time to time communicating you problems to heavenly father and he surely will answer. It's not until you have exam before you pray or talk to God. 

Thanks

I hope this piece has met you at the point of youd need.

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THE AFTERMATH OF CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMIC PART 2

THE AFTERMATH OF CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMIC PART 2

In our last article we made an introduction into what student passed through during the pandemic.

Today's focus will be basically on the problems that will be  encounted after resumption. The problem to watchout for include:

✓ FEAR : This is an emotion induced by perceived danger or threat which cause  physiological changes and ultimately behavioral changes.The fear of so many accumulated tests , exams will be so much in the mind of many students, the fear of failure as a result of goals you have set for yourself as a student will also be rampant but I can assure you all will be well, don't let the fear overwhelm you, "fear are not good for grade".Take a deep breath and assure yourself that the Lord your God has not given you the spirit of fear but of sound mind..

✓ Procastination : Thisis the act of delaying or postponing something. During these period of resumption, there will be a lot of words like " I will do it tomorrow", " I will read Tomorrow" but ladies and gentlemen " tomorrow no dey come oo 😂😂"Watch out and call yourself back to order when you say these words.For more on Procastination, visit our blog and read our wonderful article on PROCASTINATION

✓ Indiscipline : this reflect on the aspect of distraction. Many students that have become very active on social Media may find it difficult to control the urge during this period.As student, you have to Know when to yield and when not to yield to distraction.There are other distractions that we need to be aware of during this period which may arise as a result of our Indiscipline.

✓ Lack of motivation : motivation is the process that initiate, guides and maintain goal oriented behavior. With most students now enterprenure and "CEO" one small scale business of the other, some have made alot of money. These might reduce the motivation to read and strive for academic excellence. After all you will hear things like what are we reading for , is it not to have money, words like this reduce the motivation toward academics.

✓ Bad attitude to work : if there is lack of motivation, there is poor attitude to work. Therefore as a student, if bad attitude has set in , it will be disastrous to excel in one way or the other.

✓ Laziness : this is the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy. With so much money in the account of some students, some political connect, some small scale business opened on their own ,this could lead to laziness in the path of academics with thought that education is for them to make money at long run so since they have the Money then why overstress oneself on academic excellence.

All of the above are problems that might be been faced Or will be faced during and after the resumption, please beware and take heed , watch out for them in your daily life.

Solutions will be provided in our next article.

To be continued

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THE AFTERMATH OF THE CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMICS

 THE AFTERMATH OF THE CORONAVIRUS BREAK ON ACADEMICS

Early March last year, the federal government of Nigeria announced a Nationwide lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This affected the educational sector the most causing all school both tertiary institution, secondary and primary schools to shut down.Coupled with the ASUU strike , students of public tertiary institution stayed at home longer than expected for almost 10months.As students staying at home for almost 10months with no motivation, no active day to day school activities, reading during this period was always going to be tedious.

From some research conducted, student were still eager to read during the first month of lockdown as resumption was thought to be near but the lockdown was extended for some more period. At this point, the motivation began to reduce and many began to look for alternative ways of utilizing there time ; some took to online courses for personal development, some took to learning one handwork or the other with the aim of making money, while the final year student took the time to complete their projects .All this activities created little or no time for academic (school) activities such as reading but not withstanding some where still having a review of past works.

As the Corona break and ASUU strike draged long, it finally came to a halt for most school in December and resumption were scheduled for January with some schools going the physical way while some explored the online Class mode.

We must understand that magic is believing in yourself, if you can make that happen,you can make anything happen, follow us as this article will be considering the possible problems students will be facing in effort to get back to their very and utmost best in school.

Such problem include: Fear, procastination, lack of motivation, laziness, bad attitude to work , indiscipline and distractions.

To be continued

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THE MANUFACTURER - PART 3

 THE MANUFACTURER - PART 3

We have come to understand that every manufacturer's glory is in his product. Remember the Bible in 1 Peter 2:9b paraphrased; "we have been ordained to show forth the praises of Him who has called us..." Ephesians 1:10 also says "for we are His workmanship created unto every "good work" that he had before ordained..." Romans 8:28-30 "...for whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called; them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified".  There has been a predestined plan from the creator for every of his edifice. Every maker's creation is His beauty, the same way we are the beauties of the Father. He looked and saw that everything he had created was so beautiful ( Genesis 1:31).

Why then do we as this wonderful creation of God do not live up to the standards of His purpose for our creation? 

According to the scriptures in Genesis 1-2;  He gave us all things at our disposal; yet it looks like we are even subject to these things. This is why some may say that they don't even have meaning to life. Well life is not supposed to make meaning if you have not discovered purpose.  It's just like a car with no fuel in it; you cannot drive it; and as such it has defeated the purpose for its creation. Our purpose is supposed to be the fuel that drives our every day life but when we have not truly discovered it; our reason for living becomes vague. We have been made to understand that without the manual of the manufacturer;  it is totally impossible for that product to be used. As such without our understanding of the Father's intent for our creation;  we cannot fully show forth this glory. The manual as we have come to know is the Holy Scripture; the Word of God in print. This word as we see from scriptures has been given to us by God himself through men who are inspired by His Holy spirit; and it is so that there might be a yard stick for our living;  a control box for our daily life activities. His word says in 2Timothy 3:17 "that ye may be perfect and furnished unto all good works". You ever wonder what it will be like if there are no laws in a society; no laws guiding the members of the community; everyone lives according as He pleases. In no time anarchy will set in; because every man decides how he lives his life and how I live will definitely be differeent from another person. Hence,  we must have this manual guide us into Purpose and also help us grow into its full actualization.

We must again also know that in every product lies the glory of the Manufacturer. Thus, we were created by God to reveal his Glory and the only way we can reveal his Glory by doing such good works as have been shown us. How do we know this good works when we have not even found them out. Yes, the bible says in Matthew 13:11; unto us it is given to know the secrets of the kingdom; but how can we know when we have not even understood how to access them. Thus; it becomes imperative that we set out in search of these things. According to the scripture;  it is a treasure that must be sought for and when found kept (Matthew 13:44) so that it is not taken (the parable of the sower). 

The scripture talks about ways we can profit in this word that is made FREELY available unto us (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

✓ Profitable for Doctrine:  Doctrine here, can also be termed as Principle. Principles are a set of rules that is to be followed and also intended to guide a certain path of life. From scriptures; we see God dealing with man on the altar of these instructions. Right from creation in the garden of Eden even to how He dealt with the israelites all through their journet from the land of Egypt to Canaan. There are various laws that God want us to obey, so that we can have a better ending. Deut 28:1-13 talks about the rewards in obeying these laws.

✓ Profitable for Reproof: To reproof simply means to rebuke i.e make an expression of strong disapproval. Embedded in God's words are not just principles and instructions; also in them are proven words of rebuke; to help straighten us and make us right before Him. Once we go against His instructions;  He sends the words again in reproof that we may know we have strayed from His intentions towards us. This, He did many times through Moses to the people of Israel;  the same way He is doing to us in our world today through the mouths of prophets, pastors and teachers.

✓ Profitable for Correction:  Also in God's words are words of correction. To make anew; to make afresh; to restore. All these are deposited in His word and they are all for our profiting. Whether it be in our thoughts, reasoning, actions; we must give in to these Holy corrections as I would like to put it. 

✓ Profitable for instructions in righteousness: We have been made to see this earlier.  The word will not only instruct us in our natural life by giving us principles that guide our day-to-day life; "thou shall not steal"; "thou shalt not commit adultery"; "thou shalt not covet your neighbour's property". It doesn't do this alone, it also guides our personal walk with Him; our relationship with The Father. Our God is a Holy and Righteous God; the same way He told Abraham our father; walk before me and be thou blameless (Genesis 17:1) is the same way He expects us to do today also. And all that we will ever require, He has provided for us in His Word. All we need do now is to sit with the Word; study the Word; let it form a major part of our daily life; meditate upon the Word. REMEMBER, the Word you don't sit with; you don't study, you don't meditate and you certainly don't make a part of your life will NEVER profit you. Only those that are ready to receive and also willing to abide by will enjoy the fruits. _Every tree sows fruits; but not every one benefits from these fruits._ It takes your decision to move close; then reach out for these fruits before you can enjoy them. 

God bless you.. Amen!!!!

Thank you for following us through this series,pls note that you can also make use the comments box.

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THE MANUFACTURER - PART 1

 THE MANUFACTURER - PART 1

Genesis 1: 26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:     

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them".

This week, we will be looking at the subject of THE MANUFACTURER; and we will understand what the Father's purpose as far as creation is concerned. 

Who is a manufacturer?

A manufacturer is a person that produces a finished product from raw materials by using various tools, equipment and processes and then sells the product to consumers.Growing up, we were thought the levels of production: primary which involves extraction and; secondary which involves construction  and tertiary which involves the distribution and provision of services. The manufacturer takes charge of the extraction and construction part.This illustration show us that God is the manufacturer of every man on Earth.God is the manufacturer, man is the product while the World is the consumer,so God created man with an hidden potential or gifts so as to serve it the world.

The manufacturer is very vital in the production of goods and services and without his input; we cannot fully understand or know the usefulness of a product. He defines what the outcome of a product will be and He structures that product into fulfilling its purpose.  

From the anchor verses, we see all these described above in just one person; our creator, God himself. Our God is a manufacturer and just as any manufacturer; He didn't by accident create the products of his handiwork. We must understand that no manufacturer goes into the manufacturing industry with the aim of making fun of his work or making nothing out of it. Hence, He had a purpose for creating us into this world and was careful in his selection of that purpose. The Bible makes us to understand that in the beginning there was nothing (Genesis 1:1) and if we look at the product of the Father's creation, we see "Sequence". He made the lights before the firmaments; the firmaments before the birds of the air and all these before Man. So, we see it was a carefully designed and programmed task. And even while he was to create man; his "special" product; Nothing that he had created was enough to produce us. When we talk about DNA synthesis or DNA replication; there is an original cell from which others are formed. The FATHER didn't look at the lights He had created to create us; nor the birds of the air but He looked first at himself and created us in his own likeness; that we may show forth His works that He had designed and destined us for. No man is ever born to this world an accident. You only feel so if you have not outrightly discovered what is the Father's purpose for your existence. He didn't go through the whole rigour of manufacturing you to become less than what He has deposited. 

Thus,  we understand that there is something deposited in us to serve our world with. Inasmuch as a maker of a product will not make a fake product because he will not sell; you are the best version of yourself. Sugar will not copy salt because they were both created to serve different purposes. When they take over each other's purpose; this is where the problem sets in. Can you visualize the outcome of using sugar as your food sweetener - problem. We must also understand that the process of production does not involve only the Producer i.e. the manufacturer and you i.e. the goods produced but in actual sense involves a whole lot of processing and refining; and also the delivery to the consumers i.e. of what profit are you to the world around you? You see a commodity in the store and you are like "Wow! this is beautiful; can I get a hundred pieces; and then you see some, and you are like "Whoever made this creation?. We don't just get to this level, as have been said earlier; there is a stage of processing and refining we have to undergo until we are there. Even after discovering purpose, we still need to define well that purpose and set out fulfilling them. Our God created man with an hidden potential also called his gift so as to serve it to  the world.

Furthermore; what does it mean to make in an image as used in Genesis 1:26?The word "image" in Hebrew is literally a shadow which is the outline or representation of the original. God had placed within man a shadow or representation of His own function - goal, purpose, thought, etc. It is then our responsibility to live our lives as representatives of God, acting in the same manner as he would. God's primarily  intention was to create a being that will represent Him on the planet Earth. Also, in Genesis 2:7-8; _("and the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden.  eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed")_, we see man was created from the Earth. You can only maximize your worth as a  product if you are placed in a place valuable for you to thrive i.e. if you are in an optimum environment. You cannot place a beautiful work of art in the cemetery and expect that it will sell. This was one of the many beautiful things in creation that the Father did. He formed man of the dust because His primary assignment was to be fulfilled in that area. Most times, when we are not prospering in that which we do; we have to first stop and ask ourselves Am i in the Right environment?. There is a right environment for that thing deposited inside of us to thrive. If we have not found it out; we will just be on a futile adventure of Purpose.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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THE ADAMIC NATURE -PART 3

THE ADAMIC NATURE -PART 3

THE NEW LIFE

John 3:1 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him".

Today, we will be talking more on the ADAMIC nature bit looking into the aspect of Our New Life. We have understood from earlier sessions that there is a life given to sin and there is a life without sin which is the life of Christ. To get more understanding on this,  we can read the book of Ephesians 4. I want us to understand that there is a life where sin is no longer the order of the day for us, where we are made superintendents above it (Ephesians 2:26)

This was what Nicodemus needed an understanding on, that was why He had to come to Him who he thoughts was in the best position to make him understand. Note from the verse 2 in that anchor scipture; "except God be with him".  

 How then can I live a life free from sin?

1. Be Born Again: Being born again is the first step in our Christian race and it is the prime step that makes us truly ineligible to sin. We see from the scripture above; unless a man be in God,  it becomes certainly impossible to work these things. John 3:3 "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". The kingdom of God is one free from lying, free from fornication, backbiting,  adultery,  idolatry, witchcraft, etc. And we can only access this if we are born again and not just born-born but truly born again with the evidence of the Holy Spirit in us. The Bible makes us understand that we must be born of both water and of the Spirit.  Sin is a thing of the flesh and if you must overcome the thing of the flesh, then you must be filled with the Spirit. 

2. Understand that there are forces behind sin: Until our understanding be fruitful, our results cannot be fruitful. Ephesians 2:2 makes us see that there are really forces that make a man to commit sin. Until you understand that they are not just works of nature but carefully mapped out strategies to rid you of your inheritance, it will not be easy to walk free of them. If Adam and Eve had only understood what stood against them in the garden of Eden, they could have steered clear of it and thus not lost their inheritance. 2Corinthians 2:11 " Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices".

3. BELIEVE that you can be free from the power of sin: The Bible in Colossians 1:13 paraphrased  tells us that we have been made free from sin,  delivered from the powers of darkness and in redemption,  we now have the forgiveness of sins. We put ourselves under bondage when we say it is not possible to be free from sin.  If the harlot in the Bible could be forgiven,  then anyone can be forgiven. No matter the nature of sin in you, you are free when he says you are free.

4. Believe that you have been saved from sin: To them that receiveth he gave power to become sons of God even to them that believed upon his name. Also in Mark 9:23 we are made to understand that all things are possible to him that believe that.  If you believe you have been saved from sin, then you have been saved from sin. 2Corinthians 5:17 "old things are passed away and behold all things are become new". When you are born of God, you automatically become a child of God;  this now becomes your new identity.

5. Continue to declare boldly your salvation:  With mouth,  the Bible says confession is made unto salvation. His word also says in Luke 21:15 "for I will give you a mouth and a wisdom that no adversary will be able to gainsay nor resist". It does not take you accepting the word alone in faith but you also doing the word. Let your salvation show in your deeds; declare boldly that you have been saved from the powers of darkness. We understand from scriptures that the spirits behind sin have ears. Mark 9:25 where Jesus casted out the dumb and deaf spirit. Learn to use the power of the mouth to declare those things you want to be free from.

6. Continue to STUDY the WORD of GOD: John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free". God's word is the truth. Until we have this truth in us, we cannot steer clear of the falsehood in our world today. We need to have an understanding from God's word "What has He said concerning this issue I am facing?" "How has He said it?". Hosea 4:6 "my people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge". Be steadfast in the place of seeking the Word that sets free. Remember Christ is the Word and He sets free (John 1:1).

7. Engage in Spiritual exercises: Spiritual exercises are one way to build up our strength against all forms of adversities. The Bible made us understand in Mark 9:28-29 "howbeit this kind goeth not but by prayer and fasting".  Remember in the strength  of the flesh, we are powerless against these forces of darkness. Ephesians 6:12 "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,  against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places". Hence, we cannot afford to be without the Spiritual  weapons of our warfare (Ephesians 6:11-20)

8. Obey God's commandments: The cure of disobedience is simple obedience. Just obey. The Bible makes us to understand that there are blessings when we obey God's words. We must understand that every commandment from Him is for our profiting (Isaiah 48:17) and also his commandments are not grievous (1John 5:3 "for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous"). Obedience to God and to His word make high flyers of men.

9. Flee all appearances of evil: 1Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearances of evil". You have identified that these are the works of the flesh in your life; you have understood that they are forces of the devil;  the next step is to flee from them. Avoid all things that will cause you to derail from this new life. Is it in the things you do, the friends you hang out with it? Have this understanding in you, that who you are now is no longer who you were before. You have been transformed into a Spirit being and have the nature of Christ. 

_Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision,  which worship God in the spirit,  and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh"._

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THE ADAMIC NATURE - PART 2

THE ADAMIC NATURE - PART 2

THE SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE

Earlier this week, we started out on understanding the ADAMIC nature. We were made to understand that everything according to God's creation was good even mankind but along the line, man lost his inheritance in the Father through sin (Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God"). The original intent for dominion and authority reserved for man was lost in the garden of Eden hence, man was thrown into confusion and he became subject to the ills of this world. One of the sins of man that encompasses many sins altogether is the Sin of Disobedience. 

If we take a look at Genesis 2-3,  we see that one sin man committed that now led to his suffering and peril was that he disobeyed God. _You shall not eat out of this fruit of knowledge of good and evil_ - this was the commandment, this was the law but man fell short of it and lost every other inheritance he had possessed before time. The same way it is in our world today, whether a person steals or a person lies, at the root of it all is the spirit of disobedience.  Yes, there is a spirit behind sin. We will come to understand this. Galatians 5 verse 22-23 talks about the fruits of the Spirit. But according to Ephesians 2:2, we see that there is another spirit that worketh disobedience in man ("wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience "). Every other works declared in Galatians 5 from verse 19 _adultery, fornication,  uncleanness,  lasciviousness, wrath, strife_ all of these are workings of this other spirit. The same way the same Spirit (i.e. one) worketh out all the fruits of righteousness in us according to 1Corinthians 12 :12-13, is the same way this other spirit worketh unrighteousness. How can we explain Pharaoh despite the plagues and destruction that befell his land,  the sea turning to blood, pestilence, drought, even up to the death of the first born,  cattle and human beings;  he still would not let the children of Israel go which led to his destruction and that of his men in the red Sea.  There is a spirit behind our disobedience unto God. God gave a commandment unto the children of Israel, it was just expedient that they followed the commandments but as we see from scriptures they were the "disobedient" type. Exodus 20 "Thou shall not make any graven image; thou shall not bow before any graven image, commit adultery, steal", but we see them doing everything that God told them not to do, even after warning them. 

Today, we find it easy to disobey than to just obey; the same thing that caused Adam and Eve their inheritance. And when this happens, instead of the blessings that follow obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-13) to the commandment,  we inherit curses upon our lives as it was the case of Achan (1 Chronicles 2) and also Gehazi in the Bible (2Kings 5). I have also come to understand when the spirit of disobedience is at work in our lives; it is because we have not come under His covering. Christ does not cover from sickness and diseases alone, He covers from sins. That is why the Bible says in Isaiah 53:4-5 "surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrow...wounded for our transgressions".  

So if you are committed to doing the works of disobedience, check yourself;  you are not truly a born again child of God. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free;  not partially free but wholly free. Who amongst the persons that Jesus Christ healed returned back to him with the same infirmity. If you still do this work of the flesh, you reside in the flesh. According to God's word in Galatians 5:24 "and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lust". This is now our identity, this is our sign to show the world. Once we were this; but now through redemption we have been translated. *1Peter 2:9 "that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.  Which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy but have now obtained mercy"

We have now being adopted to the kingdom of the dear son as joint heirs with Christ;  hence the things of the world that doth appeal to us should not anymore. For if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. If you are more of the Spirit than the natural man,  it becomes difficult for you to walk in the ways of the natural man because you have access to the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23  _"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law"_) We see here "against which there is no law". This is to tell us that we have also the fruit of Obedience. When you disobey,  you go against the law; but when you have the fruits of righteousness in you, you are no longer its subject. But we cannot do this in the manner of the flesh. 1Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned". 

It takes our Spiritual discernment to understand the Spiritual things. How do you explain Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 13-14); they also saw the giants in the land, huge and mighty, as the rest of the twelve spies; but via the Spirit of Obedience in them. God had said this land will I give unto you; they trusted in the God who had declared with his mouth after all he made the whole firmaments with that same mouth. Thus, they didn't see their weakness, they saw their strength in Obedience. Hence, they were able to possess the land. And according to Num 14:24 "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereunto he went; and his seed shall possess it". Because he had another spirit, he earned posterity. The benefits of Obedience will always outweigh the costs of disobedience.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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THE ADAMIC NATURE - PART 1

 THE ADAMIC NATURE - PART 1

Genesis 2:8 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.",

Genesis 3:8 "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden".

HALLELUJAH!!!

Happy New month Fam❣️. You are welcome into another exciting series here @TMTL.

We all understand as believers that the ADAMIC nature is man's nature to sin or better still the nature of sin, as we see in Genesis 3 when man being tempted of the devil; fell and lost his inheritance in the garden of Eden.

But we must understand also that the ADAMIC nature as was created by God wasn't created to sin. From God's word, we understand in Ecclesiastes 3:11, that everything HE makes is beautiful and wonderful.  We see this also in Genesis 1:31 " and God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good". After He had created all including man; he looked at his creations and all was good. This makes us understand that his intention was never to make man a creature of sin; instead the Bible makes us understand he even gave man total control over everything in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:28-30); every beast of the earth, every fowl of the air; all things that creepeth upon the earth and every green herb. All things were given to man to dominate. 

The Bible also made us understand that before God created man; he first looked at himself and said "let us create man in our own image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). God's image is the image of Righteousness and Holiness as we see from His Word. Psalm 92:15 paraphrased "To shew that our God is upright and there is no unrighteousness in Him". According to Ephesians 1:10, "for we are His workmanship;  the products of his hands, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ordained...".

But why then did MAN's NATURE change from the Original intent of God?

We see in verse 7 of Genesis 2; "And the Lord God formed man of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul". 

The "breath of life" here is The Father's breath as we see in Ezekiel 37:5. Man became a living soul after this order until the enemy who is the form of the serpent came and tore man away from his inheritance.  If man was a living soul; why was he then vulnerable to the wiles of the serpent.  We see from scriptures (1Thessalonians 5:23), that man constitutes of the body, the soul which is the mind and the spirit which is the candle of God (Proverbs 20:27). The latter is what HE uses to see into us and communicate the content of his hearts. *1Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of GOD".

Romans 8:16 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God".

We see from scriptures also that the spirit is God's connection with us. When He speaks to either warn, to bring revelation or cause us to understand certain things; he does it to our Spirit-man; He reveals it to our spirit man. But at that time of creation,  man did not need to have the Spirit of God in him because according to the Word; the Garden of Eden was the presence of God. Verse 8 of chapter 3 "and they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day". 

The Bible makes us to understand that it was His habitation with man. Genesis 3:24 says "So he drove out the man and placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims". Cherubims are God's own angels that surround His throne; thus man was driven out of His presence.  At that time, there was still the presence of God with man so He didn't have to need the Spirit inside of him. Genesis 6:3 "And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man..."

But we see from the scriptures in Genesis 3 that the serpent could only gain access to man because he was outside of HIS presence. We see this when God called out to Adam while he was hiding away from the presence.  We will come to understand that if the serpent was in the midst of the other creatures and Eve also away from the forbidden fruit; she wouldn't have had to give in to the devil or cause her husband to give in also. Yes, man was made in the likeness of God but was still vulnerable in the sense that He could still be tempted by the devil. Psalm 82:5 "for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels". Man was never meant to have failed in the garden of Eden if not first his desire (Genesis 2:20 "but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. And Adam said this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh"_): the spirit of disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17 "And the LORD God commanded man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"); and  the wiles of the devil which caused him to fall and became responsible for his woes (Genesis 3:4-5 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil"). 

After God commanded man to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that he would die thereafter. Man forgot about this commandment the same way He is forgetting about it today. We must understand that we must obey fully to be able to enjoy fully.  We see in the latter verses of Genesis 3; God dealt with man regardless of the means by which he fell short (Genesis 3:12). In the same vein, He has given us the Holy Spirit to put us in check just as He was to man in the garden of Eden (John 16:7-8 " Nevertheless I  tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I  go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,  and of judgement). But, because man found an alternative to The Presence, the same way He is doing today in that He chose the comfort of another to that which is of God; he loved the presence of another than that of the Father; he wanted that something extra and thus became vulnerable to the devil's devices (Genesis 3:6-7).

2 Corinthians 2:11

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

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