There is a very beautiful flower growing in the forests of South America. These are heat producing plants. Their temperature can rise up to 45*C, higher than the normal human temperature, even if the surrounding one is much lower. This plant’s ‘fever’ attracts the insects (especially the beetles) to come and pollinate the plant. The insects are rewarded with heat energy. Another reason for their heat is to prevent tissue damage in cold seasons.
These are poisonous plants. If consumed by humans, they produce painful swelling, stinging and burning effects to the mouth and throat. The patient cannot talk or eat for up to two weeks. These symptoms can lead to death.
Another characteristic about these flowers is that if they are cut off, they do not look beautiful again. They give off a very pungent and foul smell, often resembling a rotten, dead animal. That is why with all their beauty these flowers strangely are called ‘dead horse’.
The dead horse flower is a symbol of sin. It is very attractive from distance. It produces its own heat and attracts ‘followers’ to partake from its pleasures. But this is the truth: once a man sins, the very chemistry of his heart and mind changes. The sweet fragrance of Christ is changed into the smell of death. A backslider is always accompanied by the smell of death. All the seduction in the world cannot wash the disgrace of sin. The only solution is to come back to Christ in true humble repentance, for forgiveness and restoration. The God we serve is the God of the Living and not the God of the dead.
Sinner, forget the dead horse and come home!
‘For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord’ (Rom 6:23)

“You will show me the path of life.
In Your presence is fullness of joy.
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever more” (Ps 16:11)
We were given a glimpse of heaven: over there, no more preaching, just worship God forever in the beauty of His holiness.
The more we pray for revival, the more difficult it is to find strength to preach. The more we pray for revival, the more the Holy Spirit has access to move freely amongst us.
This evening is another service that proves God is moving. We started with prophetic prayer, then praise; then we worshipped:
‘This is the air I breathe…Your Holy Presence, living in me…And I…I am desperate for you…I am lost without You…”
Then the call was made that we should repent of doubt and religious spirits. Everybody obeyed! Then we invited the Person of God the Holy Spirit, ‘to come down and stay’ with us. Each person should invite the Holy Spirit; that we should not depend on our neighbor for this congregational invitation. Everybody was ‘busy’ praying….
Then suddenly the Holy Spirit came, in His strength, in His fullness and in His own special way. There is something about the presence of God. All doubts disappear in a twinkling of an eye. Faith becomes easy and normal. Nothing hard…to pray is easy as drinking water…to prophesy is easy as breathing air…to do warfare is easy as playing ball…
Then the word came that we should ‘not waste this great anointing for small requests’…’why pray for 100 naira when you can pray for a house you did not build’…after all it is the promise of God…we prayed for revival in our lives, in this church and in Warri.
Then we sang, danced and shouted the name of Jesus…the shout of victory was inside the chest, pushing to come out and express itself with words no man can teach…praying is English…praying in tongues…some eyes close….some eyes opened….then the Lord gave us a Word: ‘Warri shall favor you’…we improvised songs and invented new steps of dancing in the Spirit…the chaos was so much that we were either mad or saved…I believe we are saved and drunk with the new wine made from the royal grapes of Jesus…
Lastly, we sang again and again: ‘God bless you…God bless me…God bless you…God bless me…’Blessings covered all of us…joy unspeakable and full of glory…no wonder that the wise get confused when the foolish are led by the Spirit… It pleases God to pour His love in our hearts…humble and expectant…no need for money, no need for connections…just Jesus, just Jesus!
“Halleluiah…Halleluiah…Halleluiah…” (That is all I can say…)

“He who seeks (God) finds (God)” (Mt 7:8)

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN
Climb ev’ry mountain
Search high and low
Follow ev’ry by-way
Every path you know

Climb ev’ry mountain
Ford ev’ry stream
Follow ev’ry rainbow
Till you find your dream

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Everyday of your life
For as long as you live

Climb ev’ry mountain
Ford ev’ry stream
Follow ev’ry rainbow
Till you find your dream

(Song from The movie ‘The sound of music, 1959)

“For we must die, and are like water split on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast from Him” (2Sam 14:14)

This is the story telling us how Absalom, the rebellious son of David came back to Jerusalem from exile. He killed his half-brother Amnon, because he raped his sister Tamar. He ran away from Jerusalem and for three years he stayed in Geshur, the land of his mother’s people. Joab, the commander of the army, knew that ‘the spirit of the king long to go to Absalom for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death’ (2Sam 13:39). So he thought of a strategy, how to reconcile David to his runaway son. He called ‘a wise woman’ from Tekoa and thought her what to say to David. He literarily ‘put words in her mouth’.
This woman is from Tekoa, a town of the tribe of Judah. The word ‘Tekoa’ in Hebrew it means an enclosure surrounded by a strong fence where prisoners are kept. The wisdom of this woman probably comes from being ‘a prisoner of hope’ (Zec 9:12). In Tekoa, she was a prisoner of circumstances. When Joab approached her to intercede for the king’s son, she knew that it is her hour ‘to shine’. She trusted that the God who brought her before kings, shall supply words of the Spirit and will give her such wisdom that none can resist or reject. It is the privilege of the true believers to have audiences with kings and governors, and to present to them the Gospel of Christ (Mt 10:18-20).She had to combine the gift of a mother, the pain of a widow, the skill of an actress, the strength of a warrior, the anointing of an evangelist and the grace of a queen. David was known for his wisdom, so it will not be easy ‘to deceive’ the king, to change his mind for his own good. Like Esther before the king, she had only one window of grace, only one opportunity to win or to lose. Like Abigail, she spoke words of wisdom and life. She made him review his former decision and she pleads for mercy where there was only judgment.
She preaches the Gospel of Christ to David. There are three main doctrines revelaed in the verse above:
1 The reality of sin, death and God’s judgment
2 The reality of God’s sovereignty
3 The reality of God’s mercy and reconciliation of sinners
Joab was the one who had this strange idea of reconciliation. We are not studying Joab in this letter. But for this wise woman to be selected from among thousands, surely the grace of God was upon her. She trusted God for favor in this assignment. .Like the woman who wept at the feet of Jesus, she is a nameless face and a humble heart. But her story occupies a whole chapter in the Bible. She overcomes evil with good (Rom 12:21). This is a great achievement and an encouragement to us all.
The wise woman of Tekoa impressed King David. He decided to call Absalom back from exile. He forgave him and he gave him a second chance, as a son and heir to the throne. Absalom took his father’s kindness and grace for granted. He proved to be a traitor. He attempted to kill his father and take his throne. He stole the hearts of the people of Israel. He died like a common criminal and his story is a warning to all ungrateful traitors.
The woman of Tekoa, she may have looked foolish, for women were looked down in those days. But God is pleased to use foolishness to confound the so called wise and to use weak people to shame the strong, so that all the glory of goes to Him alone (1Cor 1:27)
But the truths reveled by this sister in Christ stand the test of time.
If any of you need supernatural wisdom, pray in faith and do not doubt, for God gives wisdom to the humble without finding fault (Jam 1:5-8)
Let every man be a liar or a traitor…But God will forever be true and faithful to all His promises!
May we always keep our eyes on Jesus!
May we always be grateful to God!

“O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His doings among the peoples!” (Ps 105:1, AMP)
God is doing things!
God manifests His presence even thru miracles!
Prayers become testimonies!
Testimonies become praise!
Praise becomes ministry to increase God’s glory!
All this blessed holy chain starts with A PRAYER!
May the Holy Spirit remind you of the power and privilege of prayer done in the name of Jesus!

Johan Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is one of the all-time greatest classical musicians. He was born in Germany. He played the church organ and the violin at a professional level. He composed many classical pieces, known for their beauty and depth of feeling. He has no equal in his filed.
As a young man he was employed in a chapel in Weimar. With all his great talent, his work was not musical. He was the cleaner of the church. Soon, he was called to a bigger church in the city of Arnstadt to be the organist. He was paid a good salary and life was better for him. But then he heard of a great organist and composer called Dieterich Buxtehude who lived in a city called Lubeck. He decided to go there to learn more skills. He did not have the money to pay for his transport so he traveled on foot, a distance of 250 miles (this is the same distance from Warri to Lagos). He submitted to that master and learned many musical skills that helped him to become such a great musician later.

The Queen of Sheba also traveled a long distance to come and listen to Solomon’s wisdom (1Kg 10). She could have been satisfied with the rumors or with his books, but she decided to go and listen to him. It was not an easy trip for her to visit King Solomon. Sheba was located in what is now modern Yemen in Arabia. That would make her trip about 1200 miles to Jerusalem (that is two times the distance between Warri and Maiduguri). A camel is said to be able to travel about 30 miles a day making the journey at least 40 days, providing the travel was smooth. The ground she covered was treacherous. Her caravan was large, carrying spices, precious stones and large quantities of gold, so it is safe to assume that her journey was much longer.
Jesus said that the Queen of Sheba shall stand up at the last judgment and she will condemn all people who are too careless or lazy to be mature Christians (Mt 12:42). They have the opportunity to read the Bible and to go to Church to hear the preaching of the Word of God, but they are not willing to pay the price to do so. We shall all be judged for any missed opportunity to listen and obey the Word of God.
This is a great lesson for all of us. Are you ready to pay the price for a greater anointing? The money you pay for fuel, for taxi, God knows about it for He provided it. Are you ready to leave your comfort zone and go to look for a place where the Holy Spirit is pouring on men, causing revival? The price for such an impartation is very small compared with the glory revealed. Nothing good comes easy! Do not offer to God ‘something that cost you nothing’ (2Sam 24:24). Praise is costly!
May divine wisdom be your portion today!

Queen Esther’s Jewish name, Hadassah, means ‘The Myrtle’. This is a very beautiful tree, especially when in bloom. It is an evergreen tree, not too tall, with star- like flowers of purple, reddish and white color and a delicate fragrance. Because it is evergreen, it does not lose all its leaves in the cold season; so it is never naked or bare, but always beautiful to see. The flowers last long, up to four months in a year; the changing of seasons do not affecting its beauty. The myrtle tree is hardy and resistant to disease. The strength and beauty of the myrtle tree is a sign of eternal blessings from God; they are a symbol of His favor and protection.
‘I will make rivers flow on barren heights and spring within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs. I (Jehovah) will put in the desert… the myrtle…so that people may see and know, may consider and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it’ (Is 41:18-20)
The above scripture is an encouragement to the humble and it refers to the grace shown to them. Their oppressors will be destroyed. The people of God will ‘bloom in the desert’. They will prosper in the most difficult circumstances. They are signs that God is alive, that God loves them. The success of a believer has no other explanation than the fact that God is with him and He alone receives all the glory. Like his Lord, the believer ‘will grow up before Him like a tender plant and like a root out of dry ground’ (Is 53: 2). The beauty is not seen by the natural eyes, but it will be revealed in a great harvest and eternal satisfaction at last. God has simplified our lives. He said: ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ (2Cor 12:9). The only thing we need is God’s favor. It is the greatest shield for man. Nobody can destroy the humble, obedient and faithful child of God for ‘God gives grace to the humble’ (Jam 4:6).
This is the secret of people like Joseph or Esther in the Bible.

‘For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you; that the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me’ (1Cor 11:23, 24)
We had a wonderful Holy Communion service yesterday. The Lord’s Table was set before us. The Holy Spirit covered us. The Word of God was given to prepare our hearts for the blessings at the Table. The following are some highlights:
If you refuse to be baptized in water or to partake from the Holy Communion, then you are not born again.
We remembered Jesus Christ, His person, His birth, His youth, His baptism in the rived Jordan, His wonderful works amongst men. But we especially remembered His words. You cannot remember Jesus, if you do not know Him personally. The more you study the Word of God, the more you remember Jesus, for He is the Word incarnate. The more you study the Word of God, the more you ‘gain’ from the revelation of the Lord’ Table.
The bread and the wine is a symbol of the Body and Blood of Jesus. As food is for the body, so the Holy Communion taken by faith feeds and strengthens the soul and the spirit. We remembered Jesus not from pictures or from imagination, but especially from the Word of God. That is the sure revelation!
The Holy Communion is a sermon; a visual sermon that speaks especially to the conscience. We proclaim His death until He comes back again. We shall lift up the Cross until He comes back to take it from our hands.
We are coming to the Lord’s Table with the right attitude. We come with faith, with love and with hope.
We do not take the cup ‘unworthily’. This word is an adverb. It is connected with action. It does not mean that we are unworthy of His gift of love. The truth is that indeed, we are unworthy to receive anything from God. But the word here describes the action of taking the bread and the wine, not our standing with God. We are not carless, ignorant, joking, doubting or pretending as we partake from His table.
The Holy Communion cannot be taken alone. You cannot sit alone in your room and partake from the bread and wine. It is designed to be as fellowship with the Lord and the brethren. The Lord’s Table should help us to appreciate the Assembly of God’s people, the power of being one with others in the Body of Christ. The Holy Communion is a gift to open the door for singles in the church to marry other believers. Have faith!
When we take the Holy Communion, Jesus did not ask us to remember names, or places, or things or even doctrines. We are to remember Himself, our Lord and God.
After taking the Holy Communion ‘worthily’, something wonderful happened that sealed our obedience to God’s Word. The Holy Spirit ‘fell’ upon the whole congregation. Suddenly, great joy, ‘inexpressible and full of glory’, came as shower upon a thirsty land. A blanket of compassion and freedom covered the whole congregation. All peoples stood up and shouted for joy, sang and danced for more than an hour. Fear, doubt and depression ran away. Faith, strength and healing came in.
If you have taken the Holy Communion and nothing good, no miracle happened… then you have not taking it well!
Pray for a fresh revelation of the power and glory of the Holy Communion!
All glory to the Lamb upon the Throne who shed His Blood for our salvation!

‘If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place’ (2Chron 7:14, 15)
Revival is a sovereign act of God. History proves that God indeed answers the earnest, desperate prayers of His humble servants to heal the land, according to His promise. Revival is defined as the coming down of the Holy Spirit on a geographical area, with peculiar, supernatural signs following. The born again believers are awakened from slumber and become ready to stand as active witnesses for Christ. The preaching of the Gospel has great impact and many souls are saved. The worship of God flows from hearts humbled by His goodness. Miracles of healing, deliverance and financial breakthrough increase.
The main hindrance for revival is the believers’ infatuation with the spirit of religion. This demon is a fake ‘holy spirit’. It brings people to church but they never get saved. It encourages men to be skillful hypocrites. These false brethren are very difficult to detect. Except for the gift of discernment of spirits given by the Holy Ghost, no natural eye can identify them as false. They just come to church to increase the numbers. They are either passive or become trouble makers. But they do not have any expectation of an encounter with God. They are like stones tied on the neck of the congregation. When the flood of trials comes, the congregation is not able to rise above the tide and drowns helplessly. This resistant attitude coming from the religious fake brethren is a main source of discouragement to the pastors, to the leaders. It takes wisdom and courage to do warfare for a religious infested congregation to be free once more. Then revival comes.
The religious spirits usually say: ‘We don’t want revival. The price is too high. We want blessings! We want money…’
Ignorance of the Person of God the Holy Spirit is another main reason why revival is delayed.
We are to pray earnestly for personal revival and city revival. It is our holy duty and God’s given responsibility. God can truly change a city. We do not have to intervene in the politics but just prayer and intercession opens the door for changes for good.

THE STORY OF GLASGOW
The city called of Glasgow in Scotland was founded by a Christian Catholic man called St Mungo. His motto over the city was this: ‘Let Glasgow flourish, by the preaching of God’s word and the praising of His name’. This blessing was written over the old buildings of the city. Some time ago, the government officials decided to ‘edit’ the blessing of their founder. They only kept the first three words: ‘Let Glasgow flourish. You can see it written on the buses and on their flags. Since they ‘removed’ God from their motto, the crime has increased. The streets crime, especially the attacks with knives is now double than it is in London. Glasgow has per-capita the highest amount of murders/violent crimes, and the highest number of organized crime groups. Also Glasgow is the third easy place in the United Kingdom to acquire a firearm due to its abundance of highly organized sectarian groups. Another problem is that nobody seems to care about the poor parts of Glasgow which are home to some of the worst social deprivation in Europe, if not in the civilized world.
The only explanation for this tragedy is that they grieved the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray for Glasgow, for revival, for a change that will glorify God!
Let’s also pray for Warri, Nigeria!
Holy Spirit, Glasgow, Scotland needs You!
Holy Spirit, Warri, Nigeria needs You!
Please come!

‘When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased because for a long time he had wanted to see Him. From what he had heard about Him, he hoped to see Him performed some miracles. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. …The Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him…’ (Lk 23:8-11)
Herod the tetrarch was not a true Jewish king. His father, Herod the Great was a puppet of Rome. He became king thru politics. He became friends with the Caesar in Rome who just placed him on a throne in Jerusalem. He was the one who killed all the babies in Jerusalem trying to kill the infant Jesus. After his death, his kingdom was divided into four, a part for each of his sons. This is how Herod ‘junior’ became king. He divorced his wife to marry his sister in law, Herodias, who was also his niece. John the Baptist rebuked him and for that, the prophet died.
Herod was a worldly man. He was also a religious man. Jesus calls him ‘a fox’. This animal symbolizes a low class, weak and deceitful man; someone who lacks power and dignity; the total opposite of what it means to be a king. It also represents a dangerous, secretive, doubting, gossiping, slandering and unstable person. In other words, Herod was a doubter.
Herod liked to listen to John the Baptist. He enjoined the prophetic anointing as the best entertainment there is. But at last, when faced with the decision to kill John or to displease Herodias and his political guests, he killed John. This is a great lesson here: it is not enough to like going to church, to enjoy prophetic utterances. If faith is absent, doubt will manifest and prevail at last and kill the very thing you treasure.
When Jesus became ‘famous’ in Palestine, Herod thought the He is John risen from the dead. This gives us a hint of a troubled conscience. It is possible that Herod regretted his decision to kill John. But the same doubt tried to convince him that it was a necessary crime, to save his marriage and status as a king.
It is a terrible thing to live with a troubled conscience. The only cure is to come to the cross and repent. Only the Blood of Jesus cleanses and heals a weak, evil and troubled conscience.
The conscience is a warning system, as part of the spirit of man. God planted it there to warn against any evil or trespass against the law of God. Just like pain is given as a gift to the body, so that we know when there is a sickness, so also the conscience is for the soul. To ignore the warning of the conscience is to weaken and eventually destroy its sensitive work. A man with a dead conscience can kill another without feeling any regret. I heard that Hitler’s strategy was to desensitize the consciences of his people. The young soldiers will say again and again: ‘Hitler is my conscience! Hitler is my conscience!’ That is how they could do horrors and feel no fear or regret. It is the same strategy the suicide bombers use in terrorists attacks. It is not courage that sends them to die. It is an evil, dead conscience that helps them to feel nothing.
The final stage for Herod is seen later, when face to face with Jesus, the only thing he wants is just some magic, some miracles or pure entertainment. Gone are the days when he wanted to listen to the Word of God thru the mouth of John. Now the Word incarnate stands before him and he is not interested at all. Jesus keeps silent. No Word, no Miracle…Herod did not know that on his birthday, when he silenced John the Baptist, he silenced the God who sent him.
It is said that for as long as there is life, there is hope. But from the picture of silent Jesus in front of a doubting king, we should say that for as long as Jesus speaks, there is hope. For faith comes by hearing of the Word of God. But once the Word of God shuts His mouth, the man is doomed. He may still carry a crown on his head, but the life and the hope is gone forever! Selah!
Rejected by Jesus, Herod mocks Jesus. Doubt hates to be defeated. When doubt prevails, it kills the God who holds its breath.
After Jesus died, Herod was betrayed by Herodias’ brother who went to Rome and convinced the new Caesar that Herod is an enemy to the empire. The Caesar convicted Herod of treason and sent him into exile to a village in today France. Herodias was given a choice to stay or to follow. She chose to follow him. They both died there. Nobody knows where they are buried. This is the tragic end of a weak, doubting and reprobate man and his wicked wife. God forbid!
Doubt is a criminal! If it sits on the throne of your heart, it will eventually destroy your worship and destiny.
Repent! Seek the Lord and His mercy! Do not rest in prayer until God speaks a fresh word to your heart!
Speak Lord!
Let Your Word speak!
Let Your altar speak!
Let Your fire speaks!
Let Your Spirit speak!
Let Your prophets speak!
In Jesus name, Amen!
(Jam 1:1-8; Mk 6:14-29; Lk 13:31-32; 23:1-12; Heb 9:14)

MY LETTER TO A FAMILY FRIEND, A PASTOR WHOSE WIFE JUST COMMITTED SUICIDE LEAVING HIM BEHIND AS A SINGLE FATHER TO A TEENAGE DAUGHTER
(please pray for a miracle of healing and revival for them)

Dear Pastor…
I have been praying for you and your daughter. This is the revelation I have received so far. Pray and see if it is useful to you in the process of recovery. Your wife’s self-inflicted death has left behind pain that no words can describe. I can only point you to the God of all grace who alone can truly heal.

The impression I have is that your wife was not a wicked woman but a weak one. There is great difference between these two words. The devil took advantage of her unsanctified weakness and like a coward he is, he attacked her there. But she was not a wicked, selfish or hateful person. The reason for this weakness was her inability to hold on the anchor of hope that goes behind the veil, straight into the heart of the Father. She was not established in the intimacy of God and like a ship without an anchor, she drifted away in the storm that took her life. I see her suicide more like an accident at sea than a planned crime.

In the medical school we were taught that the main reason for malign depression and suicide is the loss of hope. To recognize the value and to hold onto the hope of Glory, that is life and sanity. Sometimes the hope is deferred, the fulfillment of promises are delayed. That is when we have to go on trusting ‘the bare’ Word of God. Like Abraham, against all hope, in hope we believe.

Your wife could not appropriate her strength of HOPE. It means that she left behind a great treasure of unused blessings. You are to take charge of that storage of hope. It belongs to you and to your daughter. Opened it and used it for the glory of God, for the shame of the devil and for your encouragement. That will be your testimony as a family. That the hope left behind is not lost but used by you and your daughter to fulfill God’s destiny. I believe even your wife will like you to use and invest the hope she left behind as ministry to the poor and hopeless. Then her death is not a loss but gain to the Kingdom of God! The words given to me this morning by the Holy Spirit for you give me the assurance that your wife was truly saved and now she is in heaven. I believe!

Let hope be your friend. Hope is useful to chastise children. You need hope to train your daughter in the way she should go as a woman of God. Hope is a detergent and it will wash away any shame of failure for sins and weakness of the past.
(PV 13:12; 19:18; Rom 5:5; Col 1:27; Heb 6:18, 19)

This is what I received from the Holy Spirit for you. I pray that your heart and your daughter’s heart will be revived by the power of resurrection. Let Hope rise! Let Hope work! Let Hope do exploits on your behalf!
Love in Christ alone
Lia.

Mary Slessor was born in Scotland. She came from a poor family. Her father was a violent drunkard but her mother was a born again Christian. She was convinced that God called her to go to Africa, to Calabar in particular. At that time Nigeria was an English colony. Very few English men wanted to go and live there. Because of malaria and other infectious diseases it was called ‘the white man’s grave’. She was a single woman of 28 when she went to Calabar as a missionary. It is hard to understand the terrible and mysterious forces against which missionaries are ranged.
Witchcraft was interwoven with life in such a way as practically to rule the land. Superstition was rife everywhere. When a chief died numbers of people were murdered, and his wives, after dressing in their finery, were strangled, in order to go with him to the spirit land. Blood sacrifices were offered to ‘jujus’. The human skull was worshipped. Guilt was decided by eating poisoned beans or the hands plunged into boiling oil. When twins were born they were always killed, for they said one belongs to the devil and they did not know which one is that. Their mother sent away into the bush to do the best she could, generally to starve and die, or to be killed by wild beasts.

Mary had heard about all these things in faraway Dundee, Scotland. Now she was going to see them for herself, to fight the demons in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. She had nothing except faith in the Lord who had died to save these poor uncivilized people. Born again herself, and overflowing with love to her Savior, she had a salvation worth speaking about, a real, definite thing, and with this treasure to share with all who would, she went forward eagerly, joyfully, into the dim, mysterious future now opening before her.

She quickly learned the Efik –Calabar language fluently. She eat the native food. She always dressed in a straight baggy sleepless dress. Her red hair was always cut short, like a boy, for she never had time to dress it. God gave her favor with the elders, the chiefs and the rest native people. She had the courage of a man, better said of a lion. Each time the elders gathered to convict someone of stealing, witchcraft or other crimes punishable with death, she will go in their midst and argue as the lawyer of the accused. She was a smallish woman with a strong voice. Almost always she got the death sentence changed into public beating, saving the lives of many. Then she will take care of their wounds in her hut and preach Christ to them. This is how many became saved. All abandoned children were adopted by her and many grew up to help in her ministry. She was engaged once to a man from her home town, but later he became afraid and he refused to come to live with her in Calabar. The relationship ended and she never married another. She never had natural children but left behind a great harvest of fruit that still abides.
She was sometimes lonely. She lived in the deep jungle villages most of the time. When her mother and sister died and she did not hear of it until a year later.

Her motto was: ‘One with God is in majority’
This is what the High Commissioner of Nigeria said in 1909:
‘Miss Slessor can go where no white man can go. She can sway the people when we cannot sway them’
The Calabar elders gave her the title of ‘Eka kpukpro Owo’, ‘Mother of All The Peoples’
These are her words spoken before she died:
‘Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain. My life is one daily, hourly record of answered prayer….for guidance given marvelously, for errors and dangers averted, for enmity to the gospel subdued, for food provided at the exact hour needed, for everything that goes to make up my life and my poor service. I can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that I believe God answers prayer… I know God answers prayer. Glory be His wonderful name!’
Her very last words were not in English, but in Efik:
“O Abasi, sana mi yok…” (O Lord, release me…)
She grew old but her work and ministry never stopped. She collapsed and died in one of the villages in the forest. The villagers she loved so much brought her corpse to the city by canoe. She had a state funeral with all honors. She left behind Calabar a much better place; thousands heard the Gospel of Christ and multitudes of souls got saved. Only God can reward such a labor of love. Amen!
(in the picture there is Mary and some of her adopted children)

Absalom called Joab but he refused to come. He called him the second time, but his call was still ignored. Then he thought of a way to attract his attention. He remembered that Joab’s field of barley was next to his own. He then told his servants to set it on fire. That was enough for Joab. He came immediately and did what Absalom wanted (2Sam 14:28-33).
These are two wicked and manipulating men. But the story has a greater spiritual meaning. When God is calling you and you refuse to answer, He can burn your field with fire. Your ‘field’ is next to God’s own. You are God’s neighbor. God is not far from you. He knows everything you do, good or bad.
What is your ‘barley field’? God can burn your property, your marriage, your money, your health…The loss may be painful but the gain is greater if you come back to God. Many a man answered God’s call for ministry thru the burning of his field. Jesus baptizes with fire, so He has all what is necessary to burn the things you love more than Him.
Some people, like Jaob, answered the call. But there are many, even with all the destruction around them, they still refuse to come to God. Their ashes remain bitter and never turn to beauty. The truth is that once your filed is burn, there is not much God can do to still call your attention. God says: ‘My Spirit will not strive with man forever’ (Gen 6:3). If the infatuation with idols is too great, like Ephraim’s own, God says: ‘Leave him alone…’ (Hos 4:17). It is painful for fire to destroy the thing you love. But it is even worse if God decides to leave you alone to the useless ‘comfort’ of your fake idols.
The best thing to do is this: If God is calling you then please come to Him immediately. Why are you stubborn? Why tempt God? Why suffer so much loss and pain? God loves you and He will do anything to attract your attention… you need a Savior, a Deliverer and a Friend Forever! God is calling you…Come home!

“A religion without mystery must be a religion without God”
(Jeremy Taylor)

The younger son went away, to ‘a far country’ to waste his inheritance (Lk 15). He lived a prodigal life. The world ‘waste’ means to scatter something that was whole into small, useless pieces. He spent all his money on ‘riotous living’, from party to night club and back. Losers gathered around him and encouraged him in his wild dreams. Until all the wealth was gone. He then ‘joined himself’ to a man, hired to feed swine. Hungry and cold, lost and lonely, he arrived at the bottom of the valley of life. But that is the point of grace. He remembered the bread in the father’s house. That bread was always on the table, more than enough for sons and servants. He thought he will never remember the father’s love and provision, but now, all he could think of was the fresh baked bread at the Father’s House.
The backslider will always remember what he wants to forget. He will remember the taste of the Word of God, feeding the soul. He will remember the sound of worship and the touch of the Spirit. None like it. The world has no idea of what is best in this life. God will so arrange the circumstances of your life that you will not have peace in the world and the longing for the reality of the Spirit will draw your heart home.
Son, come home!

“Lie has traveled half the world already when TRUTH is just putting on his shoes. But TRUTH always wins the race at last”

“The grass wither, the flower fades: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Is 40:8)
Because of sin, life has many problems. Our natural tendency is to focus directly on our problems and ask God to remove them. But that is an immature and selfish desire.
The correct strategy is this: in the middle of your problems, remove your eyes from them and look to God with faith and worship. As you ‘identify’ God in the middle of the crisis, that vision is enough to bring peace to your soul, wisdom to your mind and the strength to do God’s will.
For example, Job was tormented by the devil and suddenly he found himself living in hell on earth. He had problems of health, of marriage, the loss of children and all his wealth. When attacked with so many problems, Job fell into the trap of complaining.
Please note: it is very easy to grumble in the midst of life’s problems. It is very hard to ignore them and seek God in the midst of them all. Like the clouds cover the sun, the problems hide God. You must find God in midst of them and they shall disappear!
For a long time God kept silent. But when God finally speaks to Job, He does not address his problems. What God does is to point Job to Himself, to His power and glory. Once Job sees that, he repents of doubt, foolishness and impatience. He worships God and the problems become like dust under his feet.
If men create problems to you…do not look at the men!
If moneys create problems to you…do not look at your account!
If microbes create problems to you…do not quickly go to the lab for ‘blood test’!
In sickness and in health, in poverty and riches, in old age and in youth…seek God, His Kingdom and His glory!!!
We are like the grass and like the flowers. We are strong and beautiful just for a season. But life on earth is short. Even problems have to bow at the hour of death! We should remember that God gave us this life as a gift. He will ask what did we do with it? How often did we seek God in the midst of it all!
The problems, like our mortal bodies, are only temporary…Let’s go to the Word of God who never shakes and never fails! The Word of God stands forever! Though it all, learn to trust in Jesus and in His Word! Do not fear the problems of life! Let the same problems fear you, for you have found the secret key of success! It is the eternal strength found in God’s Word alone!
I do not trust my beauty! Like the flowers on the field, it slowly fades!
I do not trust my mind! Like the reed by the river, it can bend under much pressure!
I do not trust my emotions! Like the grass, it is fresh in spring time but pales in July!
I do not trust my wealth! Like paper, it can be burnt by a stray spark coming thru the window!
BUT I TRUST GOD AND HIS WORD!
IN CHRIST, I STAND FOREVER!
MY BODY MAY BE OLD, BUT MY SPIRIT IS RENEWED EVER DAY!
I WORSHIP GOD! I TRUST GOD! I LOVE GOD!
I STUDY AND BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD! ALL HIS PROMISES IN CHRIST ARE YES AND AMEN!
THIS IS MY CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES!
IN JESUS NAME!
AMEN!