5 PREREQUISITES FOR MARRIAGE

To study medicine in the higher institution in Nigeria, you are required to have credits in at least 5 important subjects; Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and English. These subjects serve as the foundation for your intended course of study. They are the major science subjects, they seem difficult and challenging to most people. However, our ability to have a credit in this subjects show the possibility of our doing well in Medicine or any other science course in the University.

Similarly, there are 5 (Five) important prerequisites for marriage. These prerequisites have its basis on MATURITY. What is Maturity?

Maturity is a state where our minds have been fully and positively developed by our experience of life. Maturity has absolutely nothing to do with how old we are, how much degree we have obtained, how much skill we have acquired etc. maturity is based on our ability to use our experiences (Good or Bad) in a positive way to develop our mind fully. Most problems encountered in relationships and marriages are as a result of immaturity. The mind is not fully and positively ready for upgrade.

When I was in Secondary School, our population in my class was between 25 and 40. Our teachers know us by name hence we are well behaved. I understood what I was taught in class because I could easily get my teachers attention at any time and they are sincerely interested in us understanding the subjects.

My first lecture in the university brought me to tears. We were over a thousand in class, Students were blabbering and the lecturer cared less- he was just talking to himself. My passion to learn and the excitement of being in the University vanished like an ice thrown into a boiling water.

There was a need for me to learn how to stop depending on what I get from classroom alone- I learned to read my text books, handouts, and notes at home. Why? I needed to upgrade. I did not allow my experience give me justification to fail my courses.

What are the 5 (five) Prerequisites for Marriage?

PHYSICAL MATURITY

This is a visible or tangible form of maturity. We must be physically matured for marriage. Imagine a 12 year old getting married. She is not yet physically matured. In the Northern part of Nigeria, young girls get married and you realize that a number of them die at child birth. This is because she cannot yet endure the excruciating pain that comes with labor.

SPIRITUAL MATURITY

The physical is controlled by the spiritual. As long as we live we are at war. We will always be challenged and these challenges are mostly spiritual challenges. War is meant for soldiers. If you go to war as a farmer, teacher, motivational speaker etc. you won’t last long on the battle field. We must be spiritually ready for marriage. If you don’t mind the devil, the devil will mind you and look for your trouble. Job was minding his business when the devil poked nose into his matter (Job 1:6-12).  We must be spiritually ready like David to fight the Goliath sent to disrupt our marital bliss (1 Samuel 17:45).

EMOTIONAL MATURITY

According to Joshua Harris, Emotion is a physical expression of how we perceive the status of something we value. For Example, a child who wants to wear particular socks but couldn’t because it is dirty cries profusely while the mother feels he could easily wear another socks. For the child, he is upset while his mum is indifference about it. Anger, Joy, fear, gladness, and hatred are all combination of our perception and our values.

Joshua Harris said in his book ‘Boy meets Girl’ that;

‘In a relationship, if our values are godly and our perception of what we value is accurate, our emotions will be appropriate and healthy. But if either is out of sync with the truth, our emotions will be inappropriate and unhealthy. Our goal should be to be properly excited about what is really important.’

We must have emotional stability. Emotional stability is the ability to manage our emotions effectively. We will not always have everything we want. We have to learn compromise. Let us be like Mary who attached all her emotions to Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:38-41) because that is the only place where to find value.

MENTAL MATURITY

This is the state of the mind. We must have the right mindset about marriage. For example, some ladies believe that the husband should provide everything from the furnishing to the spoons in the house while she build her house behind his back while some men believe that the woman have just three functions- To cook his meal, To satisfy him sexually and To nurture his children.

What is common to these examples is the SELF CONSCIOUSNESS. Such mindset is wrong because the focus is not on God. It is only God that can change our mindset. Until we Know God, we cannot Love even our husbands or wives. It is only through the life Christ lived that we can learn what true love is. It will not be easy for wives to submit to their husband and husbands love their wife without them understanding what Christ did for the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Some people have developed mental maturity fault due to the experiences of people around them and earthly wisdom that they have acquired over time.

FINANCIAL MATURITY

This is the state of your wallet. Money is an important factor that cannot be neglected. A lot of marriages have gone down the drain because of financial issues. A man will leave is father and mother and be united to his wife… meaning that he will no longer eat from his mother’s pot and no longer live in his father’s house but will take a wife, get an apartment, put food on the table etc. he has to make a living. Even Jacob that did not have anything worked 14 solid years to earn his wives (Genesis 29: 15-29) He kept on working until he was rich enough to be on his own. Rebekah was not idle when Abraham’s chief servant saw her for Isaac (Genesis 24: 15- 19). Rachel was a Shepherdess (Genesis 29:9). If you speak in tongues but unable to provide for your immediate family, an unbeliever is better than you (1 Timothy 5:8). It is important to be matured financially before getting married. You don’t need to have everything you want but at least you must be independent financially.

If you have all these five categories of maturity, then you are good to go into marriage.

Read Also:

Deactivate Marital Malice
 

The Beauty Of Purity- Joshua Harris

After the picture above of Bre and her husband, Josh, went viral, Bre decided to start a blog called The Power of Prayer to share the story behind the picture. Sexual purity isn't easy today. But God calls us to save sexual intimacy for the covenant relationship of marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." For those who have disobeyed God's command there is grace and forgiveness through Jesus. And this same grace should motivate all of us--regardless of our past mistakes--to be holy as our loving heavenly father is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). If you're dating or engaged and struggling to honor the Lord in your physical relationship I pray Bre and Josh's story will encourage you. Obeying God is always best!

The Story Behind the Photo
Moments before I was to walk down the aisle my soon to be mother in law came in the dressing room where my bridesmaids and I were all gushing with giggles and fluttering about finishing last minute details.

"Sweetheart, your groom has called for you!".

In a nervous tizzy I said, "What?! I'm not ready! I have to get my shoes and..." She had already taken my hand and led me to a corner, where my groom was waiting. I barely sat down; I was filled with so much anticipation! So much excitement! So many nerves!

"Is he going to like my dress? Does my hair look pretty? Can he see me?!"

Right around the corner sat my soon to be husband, I so was nervous he might see me yet secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of him. In my excited state I was the first to speak,

"Hi sweetie! We're getting married today!"

"I know baby and I want to pray with you before we do."

There we sat around the corner hand in hand, and together we bowed our heads. People were rushing about; the wedding coordinator directing people here and there, the photographers snapping photos and the bridal party enjoying each others company. Yet in that moment, in the quietness of our hearts and minds, my husband and I were alone in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My husband prayed that God would bless our marriage, that through thick or thin together we would never lose hope in one another. That instead of focusing on each others imperfections we would always rely on Christ's perfection. That we would wake up every day and chose to love one another not through our own strength but by the power of Christ's perfect love.

With our hands clenched tightly to one another together we said "Amen", both with shaky voice and just like that I was whisked away to blot the tears off my face and put on my veil.

After my bridesmaids, mother, mother-in-law and every other girl in the room had finished zipping, curling, tucking and blushing me up I looked in the mirror. There I stood wearing my pure white wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle to my Prince Charming.

See, he is not only my Prince Charming because of his incredibly handsome looks, or wonderful humor, or the fact that we have so much in common. He is my Prince Charming because he helped me protect the most precious gift that I owned, my purity.

Soon after we had started dating I nervously told my Prince that I was a virgin and planned to be until the night of my wedding; to which he replied he would have it no other way.

Throughout our dating relationship and engagement we constantly fought, what at times felt like a losing battle. We fought temptation with prayer, scripture and accountability. I had friends checking up on me if they knew we were together late at night and he regularly met with other Godly men to pray for strength. At times, especially as the wedding grew closer, we thought we were attempting to do the impossible.

"Why are we doing this?" I would ask in my weakness, and he would remind me, that it's because God had told us too.

"I can't do it, I can't... this is too hard!" he would confess to me and I would pray for his strength.

When I walked down the aisle in my white dress, I looked straight into the eyes of the man that had laid himself down to protect and honor the wife that God had given him.

When his eyes first caught mine he looked into the face of the woman that had waited for him, the woman that would support him and love him for the rest of His life, through good times and bad.

I share all of this because in that prayer we prayed, which was captured here on camera we asked the Lord to use our wedding to bring Him all of the glory that He rightfully deserved. We had not gotten where we were by our own strength, but by His hand of protection on our relationship.

God has used this photo to inspire hundreds of thousands of people already and for that we are humbled and honored! I wanted to take it a step further and give God praise and thanks for how we arrived at that quiet corner, holding hands and ready to begin our lives together.

(Photo by Kim Burke.)

Source: www.joshharris.com

"Though You Slay Me" (featuring John Piper)

A Flexible Spirit To Know God's Will- Watchman Nee

You must have a flexible spirit. That is one of the first principles of revival. A meeting that cannot become elastic and subject to the movements of God, becomes a dead block in the way of the Spirit. The human spirit must be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that just as He spoke to Philip, and said "Join yourself to this chariot," so He may make known His will to you, and get as ready a response.

An adaptable spirit is essential to fulfil the will of God. Christ's spirit was adaptable enough to respond to the needs and questions of Nicodemus. The will of God will be known in your spirit according to the attitude of the person who comes to you. If your spirit is closed, you can pass on no living truth to that person, probably because they are not ready.

If you traced and followed the delicate sense of your spirit it would become acute, and God could then make His will known to you—all in harmony with the written Word, for the Holy Spirit revealing in your spirit God's mind cannot contradict Himself in God's Word. It would mean a great deal if we all walked in the spirit and knew when we were speaking from the spirit and when merely from the mind, and therefore empty of spiritual power.

The spirit should illuminate the mind, but when the spirit drops out of co-operation with the Holy Spirit, the mind is left without the needed assistance, and its product is very poor. When you are in the spiritual plane and know the Holy Spirit in your spirit, you recognise there are grave consequences attached to all you do. You cannot go back from the spirit life without stepping into a pathway of failure. The moment you drop from the plane that you have reached you begin to lose spirit strength, and if you do not recover your place quickly you will ultimately sink into deeper failure. The loss not only affects yourself but everyone with whom you have to deal. You may wrongly interpret or reject the words of a servant of God, and that would cause you to go back without knowing it. This hindrance to your spirit life will be maintained while that wrong thought or attitude is held.

If the Holy Spirit has once had the quickening of your mind so that your mind becomes capable of doing what it could not accomplish naturally, then in order to maintain that you will be obliged to live up to the highest point you have attained, and be satisfied with nothing below.

If, after reaching an altitude in the spirit life, you descend, even without knowing it, you will find yourself in the realm where the powers of darkness can buffet you almost as they like. God only manifests His Divine power when you are living and acting at the point to which you have already attained (see Phil. iii. 16).

Read Also:
Formular for a Burning Heart By A.W. Tozer 

 

Nigeria- One of the 7 terrible countries for Christians

Even in this century, there still exist Martyrs. Christians who are willing to face discrimination, harassment, arrest, jail time and even death for what they believe. 

Nigeria, a non- Islamic Country known for freedom of worship has found its way into group of countries where The Gospel of Truth is restrained.

Here's a look at seven terrible countries for Christians:

North Korea

For the 12th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of places where Christian persecution is most extreme, according to Open Doors, a group that ranks countries in order of persecution.

The organization estimates as many as 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in labor camps.

"The God-like worship of the leader, Kim Jong-Un, and his predecessors leaves no room for any other religion, and Christians face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life," the group says on its website.

"Forced to meet only in secret, they dare not share their faith even with their families, for fear of imprisonment in a labor camp. Anyone discovered engaging in secret religious activity may be subject to arrest, disappearance, torture, even public execution."

Among those imprisoned is Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American.

Pyongyang sentenced him last year to 15 years of hard labor, accusing him of planning to bring down the government through religious activities.

He is widely reported to have been conducting Christian missionary work in North Korea.

Kenneth Bae worried about his health in North Korean camp.

Sudan

Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has tracked the world's worst abusers of religious rights. Sudan has been on the list since its inception.

The country has arrested and deported Western Christians suspected of spreading their faith, according to a State Department report.

Recently, Sudan also arrested and sentenced a woman to die for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. The 27-year old woman was released after weeks of international controversy over her conviction.

She was later detained with her husband and two children, accused of traveling with falsified documents and giving false information.

Eritrea

Just four religious groups are officially allowed to openly practice their faith in this African nation; the rest are subject to detention or worse.

So if you're not an Eritrean Orthodox Christian, a Sunni Muslim, a Roman Catholic or an Evangelical Lutheran, life could be tough for you here. Harsh detentions for religious dissenters are the norm, according to the State Department report.

Members of various religious groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses, face retaliation for refusing to participate in military portions of mandatory national service, the report reads. The government is said to penalize Jehovah's Witnesses by denying them government services and entitlements.

As of November, 52 Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned in Eritrea, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses website. It says none has been formally charged or tried.

Saudi Arabia

The oil-rich monarchy doesn't even pretend to respect religious rights for any faith other than Islam.

Sunni Islam is the official religion, and the country's constitution is based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.

The public practice of any other religion is prohibited, according to the State Department.

Open Doors says most Christians in Saudi Arabia are expatriates from Asia or Africa. Last year, Christian migrant fellowships were raided, and worshipers were detained and deported, the group says.

Nigeria

Nigeria is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.

Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group, vowed in 2009 to rid the nation's north of all non-Muslim influence, including Christians, according to The Voice of the Martyrs, another group that tracks the persecution of Christians.

More than 3,000 people have been killed since then, the organization reports.

Boko Haram translates as "Western education is a sin" in the Hausa language. The militant group says its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. Boko Haram's attacks have intensified in recent years and have included the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls.

Somalia

Pressure is increasing on Christians in this country, according to Open Doors.

"Islamic leaders and government officials publicly reinforce that there is no room for Christians, and there is a strong drive to purge Christianity from Somalia. The militant Islamist group, al-Shabaab, targets Christians and local communities," the group says on its site.

The terror group is notorious for prohibiting recreational activities and has banned films, dancing and watching soccer in the past. It had also barred foreign aid organizations from southern Somalia, describing them as Western spies and Christian crusaders.

Iraq

Religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis, make up less than 5% of Iraq's population.

Since 2003, attacks against these minorities by insurgents and religious extremists have driven more than half of the minorities out of the country, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

According to Open Doors, attacks and threats against Christians rose last year as Islamic terrorist groups gained more influence.

Militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, are in the midst of an offensive in Iraq.

In the northern city of Mosul, the site of one of the first major ISIS victories, witnesses told CNN the group used vehicle-mounted loudspeakers to announce that it had decided to form Islamic Sharia courts in the city.

The group also reportedly removed statues of the Christian Virgin Mary, Arab poet Abu Tammam and singer Mulla Othman, witnesses said.

source: CNN

Watch the Official Trailer of the Latest Faith Based Movie- The Song

Tony Young, the movie's producer told The Christian Post in an email this month.

"Our film is a redemptive tale inspired by the life and writings of Solomon,

on his quest for fame, fortune, love, acceptance and ultimate

satisfaction and certainly our film is made by people of faith, but I

think the term 'faith-based' film means different things to different

people," explained Young. "I believe when most people hear that term

today, they think of films that are more 'conversional' in nature as

opposed to 'conversational,' which is what we are trying to create in

our films."

Young and director Richard Ramsey are both committed to aiming for the

latter, though the inspiration for the film's story comes from a

familiar place: The Bible, specifically the life of Solomon. The film

follows the music career of aspiring singer songwriter Jed King as he

rises to fame following the release of a hit song, which he writes,

inspired by his love for his wife. As he finds his stock rising, King,

who has long struggled in the shadow of his father, the musically

successful and ethically troubled David King, soon finds himself and his

own career at a crossroads.

"The Song," the latest faith-based film to hit theaters and set to open

this September. With a soundtrack which evokes the Grammy award winning

British band Mumford and Sons and a protagonist who struggles with

greed, fame and staying faithful to his wife, "The Song" may challenge

audience notions of a stereotypical Christian film.(The Christ Post)

Sudan Mother sentenced to Death Recieves Freedom

The Sudanese mother condemned to die for refusing to renounce her Christian faith has been set free, according to her attorney.

The day after the protest, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement saying that the United States condemned her imprisonment.

"She and the children should be reunited at home with her family rather than held in prison on charges of apostasy," Kerry said, calling Sudan to repeal it's anti-human rights laws.

He also suggested that Sudan repeal any Islamic laws that go against basic human rights.

There is no word of reaction from the White House to Ibrahim's release.

Her husband was born in South Sudan before it gained it's independence from Sudan and has dual citzenship with the United States. He was living in the United States but visited Sudan in 2011, met Meriam and married her there.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim's lawyer, Elshareef Ali, said her husband is elated over his wife's release.

"We are very, very happy about this - and we're going to her now," Ali told the BBC. "They have released her... she's on her way to home."

Late Gospel Singer Keffi's Remains Arrives Nigeria for Burial

The family, friends and fans of the popular Nigerian Gospel Singer Keffi 'Branama' are yet to recover from the shock of her sudden death due to heart failure.

According to reports, Keffi's remains arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 17th June, 2014 at about 4pm through a Delta Airline Aircraft and was recieved by a few family members in preparation for the burial which will hold later this month.

Keffi died on the 13th of June, 2014 from coma of 15 days after collapsing on a 14-hour flight on her way to Chicago. click for more details

A celebration of Life and Memorial Service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles today.

May Her Gentle Soul Rest In Perfect Peace.

 

Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

According to reports, Kefee’s remains have arrived Nigeria, ahead of her burial which will hold this month. Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

Kefee’s body arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, June 17, 2014, at about 4PM via a Delta Airline aircraft, and was received by a few family members.Kefee died on Friday, June 13 2014, after being in a coma for 15 days. May her soul continue to rest in peace. A celebration of life and memorial service will hold in her honour in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Read full article here: http://stargist.com/2014/06/18/late-gospel-singer-kefees-remains-arrive-nigeria-amidst-familys-mourning/ | StarGist Nigeria | Celebrity News, Nollywood News, Entertainment, Gossip, Gist & Photos

Deactivate Marital Malice

Malice is an act purposely intended to cause pain, harm or discomfort to another person. It is perplexing to see married couples reacting maliciously towards issues that should rather be sorted amicably. Marriage is a bond that is suppose to be a replica of man's relationship with God. God encouraged Husbands to Love his
wife as Christ loves the church (as his own body) because he that loves his wife loves himself. Wives should also respect her husband and be submissive to him (1 Peter 5: 24-25).

Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, The senior pastor of Fountain of Life Church says, Malice is silent aggression that he has heard exists in three levels:

Partial Malice
This is where the man, for example, continues to meet his responsibilities, like giving money for housekeeping, dropping his wife at work etc, but normal conversation is restricted to innuendoes and communication only occurs when it is absolutely necessary;

Semi Malice
where the couple resort to communication in writing, or using the children as go-between; and

Full Malice
This refers to a total breakdown in communication. Here the couple do not relate at all and everyone goes his/her way, doing his/her own thing.
It was George Savile who said, “Malice, like lust, when it is at the height, doth not know shame.”

Any way you look at it, malice is an assault on the peaceful ambience of the home. It often:

• leads to emotional distress and all kinds of psychopathic illnesses,
• lays the foundation for psychologically disadvantaged children, and
• silently chokes the life out of marriages

Learn how to deactivate malice before it destroys your home here




Read Also:
5 Prerequisites for Marriage

 

Formular For A Burning Heart by A.W Tozer

I have previously said that any Christian who desires to, may experience a radical spiritual renascence, and this altogether independent of the attitude of his fellow Christians. The important question now is How?  Well, here are some suggestions which anyone can follow and which, I am
convinced, will result in a wonderfully improved Christian life.

1. Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself. Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress.  The contented soul is the stagnant soul.  When speaking of earthly goods, Paul could say, “ I have learned … to be content”; but when referring to his spiritual life, he testified, “I press toward the mark.” Stir up the gift of God that is in thee.

2. Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation of your life. Timid experimenters are tagged for failure before they start.  We must throw our whole soul into our desire for God.  “The Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

3. Put yourself in the way of the blessing. It is a mistake to look for grace to visit us as a kind of benign magic, or to expect God’s help to come as a windfall apart from conditions known and met.  There are plainly marked paths which lead straight to the green pastures; let us walk in them.  To desire revival, for instance, and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.

4. Do a thorough job of repenting. Do not hurry to get it over with.  Hasty repentance means shallow spiritual experience and lack of certainty in the whole life.  Let godly sorrow do her healing work.  Until we allow the consciousness of sin to wound us, we will never develop a fear of evil.  It is our wretched habit of tolerating sin that keeps us in our half-dead condition.

5. Make restitution wherever possible. If you owe a debt, pay it, or at least have a frank understanding with your creditor about your intentions to pay, so that your honesty will be above question.  If you have quarreled with anyone, go as far as you can in an effort to achieve reconciliation.  As fully as possible make the crooked things straight.

6. Bring your life into accord with the Sermon on the Mount and such other New Testament Scriptures as are designed to instruct us in the way of righteousness. An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly. I recommend that the self-examination be made on our knees, rising to obey God’s commandments as they are revealed to us from the Word.  There is nothing romantic or colorful about this plain downright way of dealing with ourselves, but it gets the work done.  Issac’s workmen did not look like heroic figures as they digged in the valley, but they got the wells open, and that was what they had set out to do.

7. Be serious – minded. You can well afford to see fewer comedy shows on TV.  Unless you break away from the funny boys, every spiritual impression will continue to be lost to your heart, and that right in your own living room.  The people of the world used to go to the movies to escape serious thinking about God and religion.  You would not join them there, but you now enjoy spiritual communion with them in your own home.    The devils ideals, moral standards, and mental attitudes are being accepted by you without you knowing it. You wonder why you can make no progress in your Christian life.  Your interior climate is not favorable to the growth of spiritual graces.  There must be a radical change in your habits or there will not be any permanent improvement in your interior life.

8. Deliberately narrow your interests. The Jack-of-all-trades is the master of none.  The Christian life requires that we be specialists.  Too many projects use up time and energy without bringing us nearer to God.  If you will narrow your interests, God will enlarge your heart.
“Jesus only” seems to the unconverted man to be the motto of death.  But a great company of happy men and women can testify that it became to them a way into a world infinitely wider and richer than anything they had ever known before.      Christ is the essence of all wisdom, beauty and virtue.  To know Him in growing intimacy is to increase in appreciation of all things good and beautiful.  The mansions of the heart will become larger when their doors are thrown open to Christ and closed against the world and sin.  Try it.

9. Begin to witness. Find something to do for God and your fellow men.  Refuse to rust out.  Make yourself available to your pastor and do anything you are asked to do.  Do not insist upon a place of leadership.  Learn to obey.  Take the low place until such time as God sees fit to set you in a higher one.  Back your new intentions with your money and your gifts, such as they are.

10. Have faith in God. Begin to expect.  Look up toward the throne where your Advocate sits at the right hand of God.  All heaven is on your side.   God will not disappoint you.      If you will follow these suggestions, you will most surely experience revival in your own heart.  And who can tell how far it may spread?   God knows how desperately the church needs a spiritual resurrection.  And it can only come through the revived individual.

Prodigious Teens Blog Gives Solace To Community

In April, less than two months before his death, Rodriguez wrote on his blog 

I’ve been meditating on heaven a lot lately, and I must say, it wells my eyes with tears of joy every now and then. What a beautiful thought that one day, I will be completely in the presence of God and will actually be able to feel the magnitude of all his love and peace with no earthly fears or worries to distract me. The joy that I feel now, the serenity I feel now, will finally be made perfect...I love the image of Heaven because it is perfect, perfect peace. Every quarrel, every hurt, it’s all gonna be resolved.

(Norfolk, VA)– The 17-year-old boy killed by a suspect on a shooting rampage in Norfolk Friday night was on his way home from graduation activities. According to a report on WAVY News, Rodriguez—a devout Christian who loved photography—was a "rising senior at Norfolk Christian Schools" and "wise beyond his years."

And now hundreds of parents, faculty, and staff, have lost a young man they say was a shining star. His former teacher said Rodriguez was wise beyond his years, a leader in the classroom and in church.

McCarty emailed the blog post out to the Norfolk Christian community Saturday, and now it’s bringing peace to those reeling from his sudden and tragic loss. Those that knew and loved Mark say they’re confident he’s now in Heaven.

“We take great comfort in knowing we know where he is. He wrote about it,” McCarty said.

To read this amazing young man's faith-building post in its entirety, including a poem he wrote about the Bride of Christ, click here.

Massive Christian Outreach Kicks Off in Brazil with World Cup

"Fair Play Brazil was inspired by the vision that led the Apostle Paul to travel to Corinth in Acts 18. Corinth was one of the largest and busiest cities of the Roman Empire and hosted one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar—the Isthmian Games. There, Paul found the opportunity to preach the Gospel to people from all over the world. We and our partners share that same vision now—both for the World Cup this year and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016." -Dr. Rudi Zimmer

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)—As 600,000 football fans across the world pour into Brazil this week to join the three million local fans attending the FIFA World Cup, the Bible Society of Brazil and its partners will begin a massive program of outreach and Scripture distribution. (Photo via Joga Limpo Brasil)

"Brazilians are football-mad and their obsession with football will reach fever pitch over the next few weeks, when we host the World Cup," notes Dr. Rudi Zimmer of the Bible Society of Brazil. "We want the Bible to have a prominent presence amidst all the excitement. It's an unprecedented opportunity for churches and Christians here to share God's Word with local and foreign fans, and we want to equip and encourage them to do that."

The Bible Society has provided four million Scripture booklets and 20,000 copies of the Gospel of John in Portuguese and eight other world languages for free distribution. It has also published special World Cup editions of the Portuguese Bible and New Testament, available at subsidized prices to Christians and ministries wishing to use them for evangelism.

The distribution will take place through the 1,600 churches and Christian ministries that the Bible Society has brought together through its Joga Limpo Brasil movement (Fair Play Brazil).

"Fair Play Brazil was inspired by the vision that led the Apostle Paul to travel to Corinth in Acts 18," explains Dr. Zimmer. "Corinth was one of the largest and busiest cities of the Roman Empire and hosted one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar—the Isthmian Games. There, Paul found the opportunity to preach the Gospel to people from all over the world. We and our partners share that same vision now—both for the World Cup this year and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016."

Many hundreds of volunteers will be on the frontline of the outreach, helping football fans in the 12 host cities to find their way around, talking to them about faith and offering them Scriptures.

"We want as many people as possible to get the chance to hear about God's love for them, so please pray for this outreach at the World Cup," says Dr. Zimmer. "Pray for God's blessing and guidance for the volunteers and pray that the football fans will have open hearts to hear and welcome the message of God's Word."

Source : Breaking Christian News

Our Singleness is a Destiny Call

So many of us, especially ladies who are of 'marriage age' bracket feels that being single is a sickness that needs to be cured as soon as possible. These most often than not leads to desperation, which in turn lead to vulnerability. Have you ever experienced 'famish' in the real sense? i tell you from experience, everything will taste real good to you.

However, we cannot escape the 'single' phase of life, simply because it is the destiny of everyone. We just must be single at some particular point of our lives. So, I have decided to share an article of Michelle Hammond McKinney with us.

OUR SINGLENESS IS A DESTINY CALL

Michelle says you got to know that you know that you are dedicated and committed to waiting on God’s choice as well as His timing. While this is easier said than done for most singles, Michelle says singles can walk in that place of contentment. “You have to proactively decide that you want to be happy single or not,” says Michelle. Every single should decide that they want that because they’re not going to be a happy married person unless they are a happy single person.

You have to be a whole person on your own first. It helps you make better choices. It helps you clarify what you want and what you don’t want, and it helps you not have unrealistic expectations once you do find your mate.

It is important for the single person to “Get a Life.” Michelle says too many single people put their lives on hold waiting for their spouse and idolizing the institution of marriage. The real truth is that there are just as many miserable people married as there are single. So marriage is not the end all. “Marriage should be the inspiration when you meet the right person, that you want to wake up with every day,” says Michelle.

You need to have your act together. Hopefully you will then become what you want to attract. If you have your life together, that dismisses all the people that don’t have their life together. So you need to think about what you want and then become what you want to attract. Michelle states, “I’m waiting on God’s timing for my life. But in the meantime, I’m having a blast.”

Many singles have bought into the idea that there’s something that’s going to make us complete. “I’m only complete if someone else loves me. Jesus loves me. I’m only complete if someone else needs me. Look around…there’s a million people who need you,” says Michelle.

God strategically aligned people in Scripture to reflect Him, to glorify Him, to hold down specific areas and regions. We have to become kingdom minded in every aspect, in every choice that we make. Michelle challenges each person to ask, “Am I glorifying God to the ultimate in the decision that I’m making? How is this helping the kingdom? This is not just about me.”
 
Over the years I have come to love Michelle Hammond McKinney, a best selling author, singer, speaker and television co-host. I fell head over heels

in love with her books especially , 'Secrets of an Irresistible Woman'. It is exactly the book every woman must have on her bookshelf.

The Ironic Blessing

Have you ever been through a situation that seems like God is no more on your side? The feeling of helplessness putting doubt in your mind that puffs out the little faith left  in you. You are not alone in this situation. I have walked that part also at one point or the other in my life. 

The Good News is that God is never late. He is always on time to get us out of that messy situation. Not only that, He also goes the extra mile to make us laugh rather than smile. The way of the Lord is so so amazing and I just cannot fathom it. As a matter of fact, God is the most Romantic of all that is in existence yesterday, today and afterwards.

What am I talking about? Exodus chapter 1 to 3 got me elated. 

The Isrealites  probably felt hopeless and helpless in their situation. Asides the fact that they were enslaved, they also cannot freely have children. Once the woman gets pregnant, she is worried about the sex. I imagined them going for scanning to see the sex of the baby in the womb and rather have an abortion than to have the baby after Nine months to see him drowned in the river and fed to crocodiles.

There was a Levi family who had a son in Egypt when Isrealite sons were not allowed to live. The woman was so devastated about the gender of the child that she hid him for three months. I can not but imagine how she successfully did that without anyone hearing the cry of the baby. I am sure she would have kept holding unto the boy if possible.

She decided to weave a basket for the baby and put him along the bank of the River Nile. I imagined her taking this decision because she rather put her son in the river gently than have an Egytian drown him. She could not let go, she asked her daughter to watch out for what his fate would be.

Pharaoh Daughter came to have her bath, then she saw the child and had compassion on him. The Levi woman's daughter ceased the opportunity and ask if she should get someone to nurse the child for  Pharaoh's Daughter. Of course, she ran to her mother to help  Pharaoh's Daughter nurse the child. 

Guess what? the Levite nursed her child and got payed for it. This same child had education she could never have been able to afford. He lived a royal life and the Lord also used him to rescue the Isrealite from the claws of the Egyptians.

That situation might seem unfavorable.  Put your trust in the Lord and see him prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.

Stay Blessed.

Optimistic Omotola

The Word Will Change Your Circumstance By Rev. Keneth E. Hagin

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Ps 107:20)

A pastor friend of mine once said to the Lord, “Lord, You know I believe in divine healing, but no one in my church is receiving. What’s the matter?”

The Lord said to him, “Why don’t you preach on it?”

So he started preaching on divine healing, and his whole church got healed.

Before, nearly all of them were sick. But they all got healed. That’s what happens when the Word of God is preached. The Word of God is what does the work.

We are affected by the words we hear—whether it’s truth or untruth. You could listen to someone talk who is worried and oppressed. And when you left his presence, you’d feel oppressed yourself. Some people are so full of doubt and unbelief that the very atmosphere around them is charged with darkness. That kind of atmosphere is created by words.

Thank God for the Word of God! His Word is His will. Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Let’s talk about the Word of God. Let’s talk about healing from the standpoint of God’s Word.

Confession I speak the Word of God. I speak faith-filled, life-filled words that change the circumstances around me. I refuse to speak doubt and unbelief.

Copyright © Kenneth Hagin Ministries  - Used by Permission

Nigerian Gospel Singer 'Keffi Branama' Sleeps in The Lord

Multiple award-winning gospel singer, Kefee Don Momoh, has been confirmed dead. She passed on in the early hours of today, after being in coma for weeks in an undisclosed American hospital.

She went into a coma, after collapsing on a 14-hour flight on her way to Chicago for an event about a two weeks ago. A close family source revealed she was diagnosed of having pre-eclampsia – pregnancy induced high blood pressure.

However,  an official statement from Kefee's UK publicist confirming her passing debunked all earlier rumors and stories in circulation that Kefee was 6 months pregnant and had pre-eclampsia.

"On behalf of the family….It is with a great sadness but grateful hearts that we announce the passing to glory due to lungs failure this morning of our God’s mouth piece, chorus leader, daughter, wife, sister, friend Kefee Branama Queen … May her beautiful, gentle and precious soul rest in perfect peace. Amen!!"
For the family
Adeline Adelicious Adebayo, (Kefee’s UK Manager)

OAP Yaw, a close friend of her husband, OAP Teddy Don Momoh confirmed the news on Wazobia Fm this morning, saying: “One of her our very own is dead. May her soul rest in peace.”

Kefee whose music career started at age eight in her church choir, was famous for her gospel songs ‘Branama’ and ‘Kokoroko’. She won several awards including the best collaboration Headies Award in 2010. (Source: Daily Post Nigeria Online News and Bella Naija)


'The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time'-  Mark Twain. Death is inevitable. We should live everyday like there is no tomorrow because every morrow is a gift received not by all. If we know when we will die, would we live differently?

Protestation For The Freedom of Sudan Mother On Death Row

Dozens of human rights and faith groups began demonstrating Thursday, June 12, in front of the White House for the release of Meriam Ibrahim, the 27-year-old mother of two sentenced to death for apostasy in Sudan.

Before her execution by hanging, she is to receive 100 lashes for her marriage to a South Sudanese Christian. "Because the Shariah court in Khartoum considers her a Muslim, it does not recognize her marriage to Daniel Wani, who is an American citizen, originally from South Sudan," said Faith J. H. McDonnell, an official of the influential Institute on Religion and Democracy.

McDonell, who directs the Institute's Religious Liberty Program and Church Alliance for a New Sudan, said there had been a delay in the sentencing. "The court will wait until her newborn baby, Maya, has been weaned. Meriam will then be killed, according to Shariah, for the crime of refusing to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ and “revert” to Islam."

Thursday's demonstration, backed by 37 advocacy groups, will be followed up the next day at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. Both rallies were scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time.

The rallies come days after an appeals court in Khartoum agreed to look in to the case again amid international pressure. During the deliberations Meriam Ibrahim as well as her 20-month-old son Martin and newborn daughter Maya, will remain incarcerated in the Omdurman Federal Women's Prison.

U.S. President Barack Obama administration has been been criticized for allegedly failing to take action in the case.

 "It is completely unacceptable for the United States to stand passively by as the wife and children of a U.S. citizen sit on death row because of her Christian beliefs," said Issaac Six, advocacy director of rights group International Christian Concern (ICC).

Meriam's husband is a resident of New Hampshire and a U.S. citizen, making both of his children U.S. citizens by default. The U.S. State Department, however, is currently requesting a DNA test from Daniel to prove his paternity for both children.

The additional protest planned at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. follows similar rallies in front of Sudanese missions in several capitals, including London, Beirut and Ottawa.