“Let your fountain be blessed and enjoy the wife of your youth…Enjoy life with the wife you love…” (PV 5:18; Ecc 9:9)

A relationship is defined as a state of connection between people; an emotional attachment between individuals. An interpersonal relationship is a strong and deep friendly connection between two or more people.  It may range in duration from brief to enduring. It is based on love, family or social commitment, association at the place of work or fellowship in the church. These may be regulated by tradition, specific laws, mutual agreement, prayers or promises made to each other.

We shall now discuss the relationship between Christians and specifically in the marriage. God invented the institution of marriage. God alone has the key to a successful marriage. He gives that secret key to them who are born again and who want to know His ways in all things, including their married life. Because we are born sinners, it is very easy to take love or marriage for granted. To take for granted it means to accept or to use something or someone in a careless manner. In marriage, it means to live together, have children but without true love for one another and without giving glory to God. This is a sad but very common reality even in the Christian homes.

Human beings are created to love God and to love others. God invented marriage so that love can have a place to grow so that He can bless it. True love means to intimately know each other. This intimacy requires mature spiritual and emotional stability. Each partner needs to know himself and the other. Marriage is a deep full time work of love. A lazy man will make a bad husband. A selfish woman will make a bad wife. The fear of intimacy is poison to satisfaction in marriage.  It leads to loneliness and depression even while married. In this way marriage has lost its godly purpose.

Marriage, love, friendship is not easy. There are many snares to avoid, many tests to pass. In the process of knowing one another, we fall into many temptations. Sacrificial love is risky because sin still dwells in the flesh. We dream big but we invest too little for our dreams to come true. Most lovers get disappointed in life. A relationship can be wounded superficially or very deeply. Hurts received in marriage are very painful. The wounds of betrayal, even with prayers and patience, are slow to heal. It is easy to give up and decided to be ‘on your own’. Many married couples have divorced spiritually or emotionally but they still live together. They sleep in the same bed and take care of their children. But their love got sick and died.  You should know that the devil hates Christian marriages. He will fight with all his strength to destroy your home. Pray for yourself and for your spouse. Pray also for the marriage itself, for that invisible cord of the Holy Spirit between the two of you. Marriage is to be enjoyed in the presence of God. Like wine, marriage should mature with time, in the presence of God.

OUR TESTIMONY

My husband and I we are very different in the natural. He is ‘black’ and I am ‘white’. We are from different continents and cultures. We like different types of food and different styles of fashion. We have different natural and spiritual gifts. We have different strategies of solving the challenges of life. But the unity of the Spirit is established between us! In Christ, we are one! We are married for 42 years. Not just married, but happily so. Our marriage is a challenge, an inspiration and a blessing to many. It is also a ministry that gives glory to God. Both of us have learned over the years to be spiritual, humble, grateful, hardworking, wise, strong, faithful, gentle and loving with one another. These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit working in us. We have learned to allow the Holy Spirit to be free in our lives, to change us into the image of Jesus. The secret of the success of our marriage and ministry is the Person of God the Holy Spirit. That is our secret!!! To God be all the glory!

“An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.
Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars” (PV 18:19)
In Hebrew it means that if your true friend betrays you, the friendship is mortally wounded. Love becomes like a beggar, a fugitive on the streets of unfulfilled dreams. The broken heart will look for the home where it grew up but now, the gate is closed, the password forgotten. The split, the divorce will grow to become a monster, bold and loud, rude and wicked, too hard for mercy to conquer. A once close friend, when injured or deceived, becomes a potent and irreconcilable enemy. These are some sayings from wise men of old: ‘bitter are the quarrels of friends; those who love beyond measure will also hate beyond measure; deep friendship once injured is forever lost’. Jesus said this: ‘Woe to the world because of offences! For offences must come but woe to that man by whom the offense comes’ He said that it is better to cut off hand or foot and even pluck your eye than to offend, to injure, to betray ‘a little’ child of God (Mt 18:6-9).

Do not take your marriage for granted. Be very careful to avoid quarrels which cause division. Be sensitive when you sense that ‘the devil is in the room and the quarrel is coming’. The Holy Spirit will prepare your heart to sense that you need to keep quiet and still. Communication is like playing table tennis. Each partner feels like responding to the words of the other. Be careful: if the tone of voice becomes too high, the tendency to argue increases. Show self-restrain. Both love and self-control are fruits of the Holy Spirit. Talking is like driving a car. It is exciting to drive it full speed. It is fun to defend your opinions. But look at the Holy Ghost ‘traffic signs’. Keep below the speed limit. Learn to use your breaks. From time to time check your spiritual brakes, if the pads of patience are still functioning well and the oil of wisdom still intact. Quarrels between close friends, between husband and wife can end in disaster. You can wreck your marriage and it may not be possible to repair it on earth. Behave and speak in such a way that tomorrow, you do not need to apologize for your actions and words of today.

Child of God, when things are hard, when tears freely flow and nothing is able to stop them, when you make mistakes, when you are misunderstood, when friends fail and family withdraws… then remember that God is always faithful! “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!” (Heb 13: 8). He was betrayed by sinners but loved to the end. Crawl into His loving arms and find peace. You may not need to know all the answers. You may not need to have all the deep revelations of conflict because God knows them all. He knows your heart. He knows that you love Him. He knows your weakness and strength. He knows each word even before it comes on your tongue. He loves you with an everlasting love. You are secure in knowing Jesus, your Savior, King and Best Friend. He died for you. He forgives you. He is still with you. Inside your heart, no matter what, you can rejoice always! Love is not easy. But love is still the best gift of God. Be jealous over it! Cherish it! Give thanks!

Today we are very happy! We have entered this building in October 2015. Since then we only use Generators to have electricity, both in the church and in our apartment. NEPA is the Government official agency that supplies electricity in Nigeria. It is very expensive to buy diesel. We have applied to NEPA since then. We filled all their forms and obeyed all their instructions. But they always had so many excuses… We did all things we knew…we begged, we got upset and we prayed on and on… Finally, today, we have NEPA!!! I can say that this trial forced us to learn how be patient! God makes all things beautiful in His time! This is God’s time! For us, this is a miracle. That is why we say: to God be all the glory!

 
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1)
How does guilt come? When we see another person suffering, it causes us pain. It leads to us thinking that we should do something to relieve the suffering of others. If we cannot help another or if we fail in our efforts, we experience feelings of guilt. The criminals have no sense of guilt. We try to over-compensate that and start feeling guilty so that we are not tagged as criminals. Guilt is an emotional experience that occurs when a person believes—accurately or not—that he has compromised his own standards of conduct and bears significant responsibility for that violation. Guilt can be a good feeling for it helps us repent of sin. But guilt can also become a terrible burden that affects the whole life. There is something called ‘the disease of false guilt’. At the root of false guilt is the idea that what you feel must be true. In other words, if you feel guilty, you must be guilty! Feelings, emotions become the king of the soul. Guilt is never single. Anxiety is the wife of guilt. They always walk together. Their children are called depression and inferiority complex.

Feeling guilty is an unpleasant experience. The person tries to avoid guilt in four ways:
*Repression- he hides denies or ignores the negative experience but the guilt resurfaces later.
*Projection- the guilty man blames the victim or other people. For example, children blame the parents for not given them the best in life. This attitude adds false burden upon others and the guilt lives on.
*Sharing in the feelings of guilt is another method widely practiced. They borrow their guilt to others who are willing to take their burden. This is common between husband and wife.
*Self-punishment- others end up punishing themselves for the crime they have committed (or imagined that they did it). They decide ‘not to enjoy life’. Living like a beggar is often the result of uncompensated guilt feelings

Spiritually speaking, the only place to find freedom from sin and guilt is at the Cross of Christ. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved! The devil will attack you with false guilt placing burdens that do not belong to you. This creates a life of bondage. You get addicted to your burden that was not yours in the first place. If you even imagine deliverance the devil comes and tells you that you are selfish for desiring freedom, for wishing that you can enjoy life. The vicious circle of bondage goes on. You need to go back to the Bible and believe the Word of God. Jesus died to save your soul! Jesus died to pay for your sin. His Blood was shed so that you are free from the power and guilt of sin! Doubt in the promise of God will keep you in bondage and make your life miserable.

Let’s pray: ‘Dear Heavenly Father, have mercy on us! Forgive us for the sin of doubt. I now command these demons of doubt, depression, religion, anxiety and false guilt to go away, in the name of Jesus! I destroy every occult covenant made against your soul! Stop apologizing to the devil! Stop punishing yourself! Jesus Christ made you ‘free indeed’! Believe the Promise of God! You are free! Enjoy your life and your salvation! In Jesus name, amen!”

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God!
Jesus took away my guilt and shame!
There is no condemnation for me!
I am free indeed!
In Jesus name, amen!

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights!

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,

Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not fail nor be discouraged,

Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law” (Is 42:1-4)

On the Cross Jesus cried: It is finished! The grace of God given to us is rooted in the finished work of Christ! This is the revelation of the Word: After the Cross God does not require any other sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus is supreme! It is enough! The Father is satisfied!

The second revelation is this: God can never fail! Jesus did not come to earth hoping to win! He was the Elect One, the Servant of God who was destined to win! Jesus can never fail or be disappointed! In Hebrew the word ‘fail’ means to be low in spirit, to lose strength, to stop functioning normally, to be unsuccessful, to be bankrupt, to disappoint self, to faint, to be hopeless, dull or depressed because of  somebody’s rebuke. To be ‘discouraged’ it means to lack courage and confidence, to stop doing something, to break in pieces because of wicked oppression.  Jesus can never be described like this. Even the child of God who is filled with the Holy Spirit cannot be described like this. No matter what the devil did to Him, Jesus fulfilled the plan and the purpose of God to save sinners like me and you! Jesus is not trying to bring justice: Jesus has established Justice! He is the Judge of all! He is confident, strong and self-sufficient because He is God!  The hope of the world is not a dictator or somebody like Donald Trump! The hope of the world is a Servant!  Jesus is Truth! He will persevere unto victory for the truth! Truth must win! On the Cross truth died but on the third day, truth rose from the grave! Truth can never die again! Let every man be a liar, God will forever be true!

As a Teacher, He is delightful, patient and gentle!  To Jesus, nobody is useless, nobody is hopeless! He can deal with weak people without destroying them! He can surely deal with you and your problems without breaking you! Your hope is Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb! Your hope is Jesus, the Eternal Servant King! Christ in you is the Hope of Glory! That is why your future is better than your past! Be confident of your faith: You worship a God that can never fail! In Christ, you too can never fail! Halleluiah!

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

My God can never fail!

I can never fail!

All things work together for my good!

This is my portion, my song and my testimony!

To the glory of God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“Until the day breaks

And the shadows flee away,

Turn, my beloved,

And be like a gazelle

Or a young stag

Upon the mountains of Bether” (SS 2:17)

This is the voice of the Bridegroom to His bride. Jesus tells His Church: ‘Turn my Beloved…” In Hebrew the word ‘turn’ means to walk by Me; to sit down with Me; when in danger quickly return back to Me. This is a call to close intimate fellowship with Jesus.  This is a walk of faith and not of sight. This is a safe, pure and romantic travel. This holy exercise shall be in the night, before the ‘day breaks’. Jesus is the Light of the world. If you follow Him you shall never stumble. It is in darkness that your faith is trained. The day brings distractions that may hinder your walk with Jesus. This walk is upon the mountains of Bether.  This word means ‘separation’. You need to walk with Jesus and forget the world. He is jealous for you. Divorce the world! On this holy mountain of separation unto Your Lover, your eye shall be single and your heart shall be united with His own! He is so beautiful that I promise: you shall not miss the world. There shall be no more shadows and no more lies. The Shekinah glory of the Holy One shall be all the light you need. The pillar of fire by night shall lead the way and bring you to the Promised Land of Destiny!

Jesus compares you with a gazelle. These are thin, graceful antelopes that live in Africa and Asia. They are very beautiful animals. Men hunt them as trophies. They live in herds and are highly social. Their diet of grass and leaves keeps them constantly grazing and they have little need for water, being able to extract moisture from their food. They have many enemies like the cheetahs and the wild dogs. They are exceptionally alert and rely heavily upon their impressive senses of hearing, sight and smell to detect any threat. They run very fast with speeds of almost 100 Km per hour. From time to time, when running, gazelles leap, springing high into the air with all four feet to distract the enemy. These jumps intimidate the enemies and they stop pursuing them.

Spiritually, you are like the gazelle. Jesus sees you beautiful. You should see yourself the way Jesus sees you. He says that you are beautiful! Believe Him! You need to be alert and watchful. There are many enemies. If in danger, you need to flee from sin, turn back and run to Jesus! You need to jump in the air proving the power of resurrection. This is the dance of eternal life. You need to learn its steps! The enemies will get tired to follow you and go back. You need to stay close to Jesus and to one another.

Can you hear your Lover’s voice of concern? Can you feel His jealousy? Can you touch His heart of love? Jesus loves you more than you shall ever know! This night, leave the valley of sin and death and climb the mountain of Bether called Zion. May you have a fresh revelation of God’s love for you! Be like a gazelle!

.

“And I find more bitter than death

The woman whose heart is snares and nets,

Whose hands are fetters.

He who pleases God shall escape from her,

But the sinner shall be trapped by her” (Ecc 7:26)

We assume that the worst news you can ever hear is connected with death. Death is bitter. Death separates body and soul. Death separates man from family and friends. Death is bitter because it is the curse of God upon sin. But the Bible says that there is something worse and ‘more bitter’ than death itself. What can that thing be? The surprising answer is ‘a woman’!!!

How can I describe this woman? She may be beautiful, educated and religious. She is not any woman but a strange type of woman. Her main description is that she is rebellious and very bitter. In Hebrew, the word ‘bitter’ means to be angry, dissatisfied and restless. She is grieved with herself, angry with life and easily provoked. She is one who is often unhappy; one who bears a grudge from a sense of a thwarted ambition; one who is in active opposition to an established order. She is a seductive adulteress. Her heart and her arms are snares, nets and fetters. Observe that each word is plural. Her lips and speech are sweet and attractive but poisonous at last. This woman has many devices to ensnare the souls of men. If one fails she will use another. I hope you remember that it is the immoral women who trapped King Solomon and lead him astray. He was the wisest man alive and even him got caught into the tragic net of pagan women. It is the same with Samson. This immoral woman is like a skillful fowler who has many devices to catch birds. A fowler uses food, water or decoy birds to attract the real birds. The conclusion is that you can’t love God and love ungodly women in the same time!

What is the solution? You need to ‘please God’! Nothing else can save you from that bitterest cursed trap called Jezebel! Religion, common sense and the wisdom of men, education or wealth, all these are not able to save you. It is only the man who is born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, the one who truly loves and fears God shall be able to escape that wicked hunter of souls. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to see the danger of sympathizing with rebellion, flirting with evil and falling prey to the attraction of the sexual occult. The fowler attracts thru food and water placed strategically.  Be satisfied with Christ alone! Jesus is enough for you! You have the Word of God as food and the Holy Spirit as the water of life. Keep to the narrow path! The danger of spiritual kidnapping is real. But the escape provided by God is real too. The difference between living in prison and living in freedom is more that words can say. May God deliver you from the reckless foolishness and bold presumption of backsliders! May God help you to run away from Potiphar’s wife! And for you who are free indeed, may God help you to appreciate the freedom you have in Christ! I have experienced the mighty power of the Holy Ghost as the Deliverer from extreme trouble! To God be all the glory for the great salvation, for the sweet deliverance and for the freedom purchased for us on the Cross of Calvary! Amen!

“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (Job 5:9).

What the world calls a miracle is anything different than the ordinary. But what we the believers call a miracle, is when God changes the natural laws He has created and personally intervenes in the lives of men and women on earth. Jesus did miracles. In His name we are commanded to trust God for genuine miracles. The very definition implies that miracles are rare. They cannot be bought with money and no man can ‘produce’ them. The devil can make fake miracles but these do not give gory to God. There are many Christians who do not believe in miracles. The evil spirit of religion is in charge in many churches. The pastors preach good character and positive attitude. But Christianity is much more than that.  Jesus did not suffer and die just to make us ‘better’ people. He died to save our souls. On the Cross of Calvary He paid the debt of death we owed but could not pay.

Please think of this truth until your very soul start burning with fire and passion for the King of kings. Let all spiritual trash burn off. Let all the chaff be blown away by the wind of the Spirit. Let your heart be purified! Let your spirit awake to the call of the Holy God! Come back to the Cross! If you are sick or in need, pray for a genuine miracle that will give glory to God! Nothing is impossible with God! Worship the Lamb of God! Jesus is Lord!

“If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked” (PV 29:12)

The evening prayer meeting was wonderful. I am always so grateful when the unity of the Spirit is fast established from the beginning. The progress is faster. The faith opens its wings and soars. The worship is sustained by the Holy Spirit and not by the keyboard’s strings. The prayers gain momentum and rise from grateful hearts. The Word lands gently but strongly on the softened hearts. Oh, I love doing ministry in the Holy Ghost…

We have entered in a season of great breakthroughs. There shall be healings (plural) and prosperity at all levels. Child of God, you who have faithfully served Him all these years, God had approved your promotion. It shall be seen in your life, marriage, office, finances and ministry. Your friends who prayed for you shall rejoice with you. Your enemies who have secretly trailed behind hoping for a opportunity to drag you back, shall weep and gnash their teeth. They shall fall into the pit they dug for you. The snare that they hid for you shall trap their feet and they shall suddenly fall out of the picture. You shall look for them but shall see them no more.

God shall promote you! You shall become a ruler, a leader. You need wisdom. You need to be prepared for the peculiar attack of the devil. The way the devil attacks the poor men and the way he attacks the rich ones is different.  He shall send fake believers to you. These agents are liars, deceivers and skillful flatterers. They shall praise you, your gifts and your achievements. But their heart is not with you. They hate you. They are jealous on you. When you were down, they did not see you, they did not help you. Now that you are high, they shall come. Shamelessly they shall draw near you. They shall speak lies, sugar coated words, oily and sweet praises. If you allow your ears to receive such poison, your ears shall be damaged. In the last days many shall develop itchy ears, addicted to lies and foolish talk. They shall hate and reject the truth that sets men free. These foolish men love chains. They prefer the bondage of Egypt, the cucumbers of unfulfilled dreams and the leeks of shameful disappointment. They love to eat the pottage of betrayal and failure. Truth is too far for their broken wings. The goodness of Christ is too strong for their unprepared teeth.

If you are deceived and permit lies to enter your ears and land in your heart, things will change for the worse. Your ‘officials’, your family, your friends, your workers, your counselors shall become ‘wicked’. They shall be troubled, jealous and angry with you. Your life will rotate around vanity and vexation of spirit.  This down running spiral started with lies and damaged ears. As God promotes you, prepare for this attack.

But there is mercy with God. There is healing with Jehovah Rapha. There are no spare parts for the computer of the spiritual ears. Only God heals. Only God forgives. Only God restores. Make a vow to forward all praises given to you, to the living God. For He alone is worthy to receive all honor and praises! Worship the Lord!

“I need You, Lord I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

O God, I need You…”

I need You more than yesterday

So much more than words can say

I need You more than ever before

I need You

Every hour I need You

I need You Jesus, my Lord!”

The mighty Angel Gabriel was sent by God to Zechariah with wonderful news. Face to face with the angel, the old priest became afraid. Listen to the gracious words coming from the angel, spoken in a human language he can understand:  “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Lk 1:13). The angel gives him clear proof of God’s love, faithfulness, mercy and grace. But Zechariah doubts the promise of God. He is chastised immediately. For the next nine months he shall be dumb. He will not be able to encourage the worshippers waiting for him outside the temple. He will not be able to comfort his wife. Ministry comes to stand still.

There are great lessons here. We learn that God punishes doubt in His children. The more grace is given to you, the more is expected from you. This story is amazing to me. First of all, listen to this simple but wonderful sentence spoken by the Angel: “Your prayer is heard!” God invented prayer! God listens to our prayers! No matter how long it takes, God answers our prayers! Another thing that surprises me is that even when God punishes, He is still merciful. God could have stroke Zechariah dead, but He did not. Lastly, it amazes me that even in the presence of His servant’s doubt God’s promise was still fulfilled. Even when we are unfaithful, God remains faithful! The long expected son called John was born in exactly nine months from this dramatic encounter.

This is my prayer today: “Let it be unto me according to Your Word!”  May you repent of doubt and unbelief! The longer you know God, the less excuse you have to query God with foolish questions. If your faith is weak, pray that it will be strengthen! There is no excuse to continue your Christian life with a handicapped faith! And for you who trust God and remain faithful to the original vision given to you, well done! Rejoice that you know the Living God! Worship this mighty, merciful, faithful, miracle working God! Praise the Lord!

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

God has heard my prayer!

My testimony is sure!

Faith 100%!

Doubt 0%!

To the glory of God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

 
THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY
I received a letter from a man who was once happily married with children. But he fell into the sin of adultery, lying and manipulation. That sin damaged his marriage almost to the point of breaking. Both of them are born again. The wife is a woman of God and she prayed for years that God will help them. God indeed is faithful and He had mercy on them. Not too long ago they have reconciled and rededicated their marriage to God. But the husband still struggles with negative patterns of thinking. Please pray for them. The devil is a liar. In Christ, there is hope!

“Hello MaLia, I am just reconnecting to give you feedback on my progress. Not too proud of it. I’m still struggling with lying and misleading. Sometimes on minor issues that just require a straight forward answer. This is one strong hold that MUST come down, as it still affects deeply our road to full recovery. I see the ill effect of such habit and I have decided to listen to my wife as Pastor Leigh once told me. The gravity of what I did is so great and deep that I HAVE to humble myself and give my wife more respect and consideration than ever before, especially when she, rightly so, questions me on my whereabouts. I have integrated it now and my request to you is to keep me in your prayers so that God cleanses me of the spirit of lies, the spirit of unnecessary defensiveness. I must not feel threatened when she inquires on matters that disturb her. She wants to know and I just have to tell her. My prayer is also that God helps me to keep my memory fresh so that I can recall events causing the inquiry. On many occasions, I found myself refusing to accept some facts, just because I could not remember them. Later I realize their veracity by taking the time to going back and putting all the pieces together. All I had to say to my wife was: “I can’t recall that event. But I will find out and get back to you ASAP” Instead, I tend to refuse on the spot. Please still pray for me…pray for us…”

This is my answer to him:
“Sanctification is the hardest thing to do as a believer. Salvation is free because Jesus paid it all for us on the Cross. But sanctification, the process in which we change to become like Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that is hard because we have to pay the price for it. Some people are more willing than others to pay the price. That is why some make faster progress than others. You are born to be a champion. That is why you will not be happy to trail at the back of the class. One reason why your progress may be slow is that your vision is not clear enough. You change to become like Jesus, your Savior, Lord and Lover. Out of that change you become a better husband and father. God must always be first! Another reason why the process of sanctification is slow may be greed. “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Tim 6:10). This is because there is a price to pay to change. If you love money (in your spirit) you will bargain with God and waste time. Pray that you shall be a cheerful giver, a generous soul to God and to your wife; in all things, words, extra mile actions and even money. God will open your eyes to see these truths. I wish you well. God bless you! Love in Christ alone, Malia”

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8)

It is said that politicians or wicked men are like sharks. They have no pity on the other. If one is wounded and bleeds in the water, all the sharks come around, attack and kill the victim. The shack can detect a drop of raw fresh blood in a million drops of water. Once it detects a vulnerable prey, the predator swiftly shifts from the inert lethargic mode to an aggressively restless form. All the senses are telling the shark: it’s time to move in for the kill.

“In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul… Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me! You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the works of Your hands” (Psalm 138)

For the children of God Psalm 138 is a song of confidence that no matter the trials and temptations, in Christ, we have the victory. We declare that God is with us always, even in the midst of trouble. By the grace of God pain should not lead us to depression, doubt and backsliding but closer to God. As the pain increases, so the faith will increase! Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more! We are determined to pray even more. If we do not know what to pray about, we shall pray in tongues. God will give us a wonderful testimony that we are His children! God shall hear and answer our prayer! This is His promise!

You shall rejoice not only at the answer, but that God has vindicated you. Your enemies who slander your name shall see that you are not a sinner, but a child of God! For a child of God the pain is not forever. The trial will end in praise! The trouble will end in revival. Like a woman in labor, pain will open the womb and the baby is born. So the pain inflicted by your enemies will open your spiritual womb and inexpressibly joy shall be born. Looking back you shall say: ‘Thank You Jesus! It was all worth it!’  That is why I say: ‘No matter the circumstances, don’t ever give up on God! His mercy is eternal! Don’t even give up on yourself! God has not finished His work in you!’

This is my declaration and my confidence: ‘I am a Child of God! The Lord works in me of His good pleasure! God’s purpose must be fulfilled in my life! God will perfect His work in me! My perfection is not from men on earth but from God in heaven! I am a work in progress to the glory of God! I am not perfect now, just justified by God’s grace! Jesus died for me on the Cross. My perfection is in the future! My future is better than my present! Jesus sent me as a sheep in the midst of wolves to witness for Him! The enemies shall not consume me, for God’s hand is my shield! My shield is not ‘a dead thing’. My shield is alive. If you try to wound me, you shall wound the hand of the Living God. That is why I am not afraid of trouble. For who can fight God and win? Nobody!

This is my prayer: ‘Father, do not forsake the works of Your hands… (The word ‘forsake’ means to drop down)… Father, if You drop me, I will fall and be scattered. Please perfect Your work in me. I appreciate Your work in me. Do not put me on hold. I trust in You! Let Your gracious work in me make some advance today! I vow to give You alone all the glory! I love You Lord! In Jesus name, amen!’

Many Christians complain that the only sermons they want to hear is about material prosperity; how to make money and how to prosper on earth. They do not want to think about deep spiritual blessings, about heaven or eternal things. But ‘life is more than food’- Jesus said. I appreciate when people give me gifts of food or money. But I appreciate even more when people come, and led by the Holy Spirit, they give me their hearts and time.

A dear daughter in Christ came today with a little vase and with a fresh flower in it. I tried to perceive the perfume but I felt nothing. She told me that it is still in a bud and it will bloom by tomorrow. Then the fragrance shall come forth. She wanted the flower to bloom in my house. Her words and gesture touched my heart. This is a gift for the soul, for the spirit, for my heart. I thank God for her life, for her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, knowing when to come, what to say and how to bless me. I tell you the truth, the “oyibo’ in me was very happy tonight.

Please pray for her! Pray that God will delight Himself in her life, that she will fulfill destiny as a woman of God! In Jesus name, amen!

“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Ac 4:31)

In the Bible we are commanded to pray always and with all types of prayers. We need to obey this command! Prayer is not man’s invention. God invented prayer as a means of communion with Him. Men are religious by nature but saved by grace thru faith. The only people who can pray ‘acceptable-to-God’ type of prayers are the children of God. This is the revelation of the Bible. This revelation excludes millions of religious people all over the world who pray to some god of their imagination. Jehovah God does not listen to their voices. This revelation challenges us, the born again believers in Christ Jesus to pray more and to pray better. We should pray big prayers for our God is a BIG GOD! He is in fact the Almighty God of the Universe and our Heavenly Father as well! God promised to listen and to answer our prayers.

Now, this is a good question: Why do we not pray well? What are the hindrances? These are some of the reasons:

We are spiritually dead in sins. This is a test: if you do not pray, you are not born again!

We are too comfortable, too self-sufficient. We do not really see the need to pray! We think that we can solve the problems by our own efforts.

We are too busy and do not have time for prayers. We think that prayers are a waste of time. We think that prayers are meant for losers or lazy people. We assume that we are champions and do not need prayer.

We are spiritually weak, dry, internally backsliding. We may be born again but the cares and pleasures of this world are oppressing the spirit. That is why the desire to study the Word and to pray is quenched.

We feel too unworthy to pray. We have failed too many times in the past and now, we feel ashamed or discouraged to pray once more. Inferiority complexes are poison to the spirit. If you think that you are not good enough as a person, as a wife or as a mother, for example, you will soon be tired to pray. Your ‘credit’ with God is low. You give up on yourself as a person in general and as a prayer warrior in particular. Look back and see that there was a moment when you just decided to stop prayer. You said to yourself: ‘God listens to others but does not listen to me’. That is a lie of the devil but you believed that lie; and you stop praying. Since then you are suffering silently.

We are ignorant of the will of God about different situations. You can only find what God likes and what God hates in the Word of God. Prayer must adjust to the scriptures. Prayer must be according to the truth! The study of the Word of God and prayer are twins. They both grow together hand in hand. If you neglect one, the other will suffer.

Finally, what is the solution? This is an emergency! Do not waste more time! Wake up! Open your eyes! See Jesus!

Go back to God, back to the Cross! Draw near to God by the Blood of Jesus! The best Man who has ever lived on earth died so that you pray! If this revelation does not touch your heart, it means that you are not a child of God. Give your life to Christ! Pray big serious prayers and not just some small requests. Pray like this: “God I want to know You! Have mercy on me!  Show me Your face! Show me Your glory! Glorify Yourself in my life! Save my soul! Use me for Your glory! Help me to worship You in Spirit and in Truth! Help me to love Your Word! Fill me Holy Spirit! Give me the Spirit of prayer, grace and supplication! Reveal to me the power of God! I want to fulfill Your plan and purpose in my life! Help me to be spiritually fruitful! Help me to die to self, to the devil and to the world! Help me to live for You! Revive my soul! Help me to love You Father! Help me to Love You Son! Help me to love You Holy Ghost! Help me to be like Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord! Help me to stand for You as a city on a hill! Help me to be wise! Help me to intercede for the salvation of souls! Help me to sing a new song to You! Help me to become Your servant, a worshipper of God! Thank You Father in heaven! In Jesus name I pray, amen!”

“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never!!!

Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of My hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding (the debt you are paying) are never out of My sight. Your builders are faster than your wreckers. The demolition crews are gone for good.

PRAYER REQUEST

I just received a letter from a daughter in Christ. She was struggling with obesity and now she fell badly injuring her knees. Please pray for a miracle of healing! Nothing is impossible for him who believes! God bless you as you intercede for a sister in great need!

“Hi Malia… On December 29th, 2015, I accompanied my son to play in trampoline, I fell when I attempted to jump on the trampoline. I got excited because I see both my hubby and son jumping happily. Unfortunately, because of my weight problem (obesity), my right knee got dislocated badly. I had to wait for 7 hours in great pain while waiting for the anesthetic and orthopedic doctors to come because it happened at night. Plus it was almost the end of the year which a lot of doctor went away for vacation. Finally they came and the orthopedic doctor repositioned my right knee. It was him and few doctors that I have seen saying all the scary diagnosis for me after monitoring the MRI and the Doppler results. They said that my ligaments are torn apart. There is a possibility that the four “ropes” that tied up the ligaments, bones, and the thing that covers up the knees (I don’t know the medical term, but it looks like coconut shell divided by two) are totally damaged. There is no way medically that it could repaired because once it’s torn, the only way is to so arthroscopy which cause a huge amount of money which I couldn’t afford, and once I did that, I read on the internet that I could never squat anymore. The doctor said there is a thrombus that makes the area above my toenails has no sensations when they try to tickle me.