Kingdom Series- Living Under God's Restrictive Influence

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

If you are like me, you might not have given much thought to the famous verses penned down by David in the 23rd Psalm even though you know it so well. Today I started thinking about the above verse in the Psalm.

You see it was talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Many times we are faced with Life threatening situations and circumstances. I just returned from a trip to the North Central part of Nigeria and on our way there we were told that robbers were on the way we intended to take. When we were returning, a police officer who was in the same vehicle as I, shared stories of how men were shot to death along the same road that we were plying.

The times we are in, sees that the threat of death and dying, is not too far from us. Hence our need to be comforted in the face of all this.

You can receive comfort in the midst of the death threats. Peter who had a wife and maybe children fell asleep between guards even when he had the threat of being beheaded the next day by Herod. What makes a man sleep in the midst of a threat to his life? What stops him from worrying through the night, to sleeping to such an extent that he had to be hit hard at his side by an angel to wake him, when at morning light his children would  have lost their father? It is because there can be comfort from God in the valley where the looming shadow of death seems to overwhelm us.

As I thought on the verse above, I wondered why David said that he found succour in the rod and the staff of God in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. What is this rod and staff that brings comfort in the midst of death threats? I wondered why a shepherd would carry a rod and then a staff. It simply did not make sense to have the two but now I am convinced that the rod and staff are one thing- A shepherds crook.

The Shepherd's Crook is a rod that has a hooked head. It is used by the shepherd to fight off animals to protect the sheep. supports him when he walks, and most importantly(for this write-up)the shepherd uses it to draw back straying sheep. When a sheep begins to wander away from the flock or the shepherd, the shepherd then stretches his crook and catches it by the leg or neck to stop it from straying too far from the shepherds protective presence or the rest of the flock. This crook restricts the sheep from wandering but also keeps him safe where it is not far from the shepherds help and protection.

Many want to live loose, without any control or restrictions placed on them. They do not want to feel any form of resistance on their lives. Some are angry at God's correction or when rebuked by God.They do not want any demands to be made on them to live right and they fail to appreciate the importance of this restrictive influence over their lives.

friend, If you still have this restrictive influence rejoice!

The reason why David said that the rod and staff gives him comfort, is because the Shepherd(God) is never too far when He is using His Crook. As far as, the shepherds crook can still reach the sheep, the sheep can be safe that he will be under the shepherd's protection. Don't seek to live life without Gods restrictions, you would be too far from His protection if you do.

If God still disciplines you, rejoice, because He is not too far from you! God is closest when He still corrects you. If you have noticed that you can do several bad things without feeling guilty, then don't be comfortable in that state of affairs.

Pro 3:11-12  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 

Does God still bring some restrictions to your life? Does His rod and staff bring comfort that He is close to you? That Shepherd's Crook you feel may have saved you from death more than you know!

Seek to live under Gods restrictive influence always!

THE HEART-FIXER

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

First of all, I would like to apologize for uploading this topic before I had written anything on the article. It was a mistake.  I had wanted to just write this topic and leave it until I felt comfortable enough to develop it,(honestly I have several topics that I left as drafts, that I have not developed. I guess if this error did not occur this would have been one of such). so here goes:

In our world today, heart breaks seem to be a common theme. Many suffer from broken relationships that they have invested so much in. In fact, I heard of a young man who drank poison and died because his girlfriend, whom he had been dated for years, broke off the relationship. The pain of a broken heart seemed too much for him to bear. Others have had their hopes dashed, in business deals or huge expectations. The events that unfold before our eyes gives no one the comfort or believe that things would be better. The uncertainty of what tomorrow holds, grips a lot of people with fear.  Still others have been so betrayed, hurt, lied against and misrepresented that deep wounds have been created in their hearts.

Maybe as you read this your heart has been broken and the pieces never seem to mend. The Hurt we feel in our heart can leave us with a lot of negative attitudes that destroy other relationships in our lives or even ourselves. For example, have you noticed how children from broken homes, get so angry and rebellious. They feel betrayed, some even think it is their fault that their parents have separated and cant understand what is happening. Their hearts are broken and battered by the feelings of rejection and the pain of not having both parents like other children.

If you fall into any of the categories above or even if you suffer a broken heart, of which cause is not covered above, then I have good news for you.

Jesus in the above scripture gave a manifesto as to what he was sent to do upon the earth. One of the things he highlighted is that He came to heal the brokenhearted.

If you have ever been in a painful situation, like I have, many people may come with comforting words. Some in their words reveal that they have no idea what you are going through. They seek to deal with the issue on the surface and never can address the core of the matter but I know of one who can go to the very heart and deal with the pain. Thank God that Jesus does not say that He is  just a comforter that helps me deal with the pain but He can ,if I will let him, heal that broken heart.

Don't take your life, give up or become bitter, angry etc

Friend, Take your hurting heart to the Heart-Fixer even if you're in a mess that is of your own making, He still welcomes you. Your broken, bruised and crushed heart can be whole again.

Jesus Loves you more than words can express, so much so, that He died to prove His Love.

KINGDOM SERIES- A YOKE THAT BRINGS PEACE

Mat 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Our world, as it is today, is faced with several challenges, problems and conflicts that makes the heart of men fail them.  A look at the state of affairs of the economies of several countries and the constant threat to the peaceful co-existence of individuals in a nation does not help matters. From the constant beheadings that are so graphic by various terrorist groups, to suicide bombings in various countries by a religion, who by name claims to be peaceful, but has raised so many who have no regard for human life.

In the Light of these sad state of affairs, I would like to share with you the words of Jesus in the Scripture above.

Come to Jesus.

It begins  by encouraging us to come to Him. Come with your burden of sin. Most would run away from a man that has been labouring and has a heavy burden but Jesus asks us to come with our burdens to Him. You are not too filthy for Him, nor your burdens too great for him. He offers you peace if you would but come. Friend, I don't know what you have been labouring with and the burden or yoke that has been placed on your life. Jesus promises you rest! This rest is however dependent on whether you would agree to come to Him in the place of prayer, repentance and absolute surrender to Him. You have been doing things your own way and yet you have never found rest, Why don't you surrender to Him and let Him give you the rest, He promises.

If you are already a believer in Christ Jesus and you have known the rest that he gives from sin already, then this next section refers to you.

As believers we have come to accept a gospel that states that we have no responsibilities and that Jesus did it all,(In a sense this is true. As we obtain forgiveness of our sins based on the price he paid and not based on our righteousness).

However, verse 29 of the scripture above, makes us to understand that when he delivers us from the yoke of the devil and of sin, He(Jesus) has a yoke that we should willingly take upon ourselves, learn of Him if we are to find rest for our souls.

Notice that in the scripture above there are two "rests" being stated here.

One rest is the rest that comes from being made right with God while the second rest comes when we have decided to live our lives for the One that gave His life for us.

Many Christians go about rejoicing(as they should) that they have been delivered from the yoke of sin and hell but never submit their lives to take up His yoke.

Have you met people who have given their lives to Jesus but still live the way they want to? Their relationship with Christ does not affect their conduct, behaviour, friends or any aspect of their lifestyle. A constant conflict rages with regards to who they profess they are and the identity of who they truly are. They are Christians in title but not in lifestyle. Are you such a person?

This mixed lifestyle has opened them up to a plane of existence where Satan can still harass and oppress them because they do not see the need to submit to the yoke of their new |Lord and Master. Where they stand is easily accessible to the enemy of their soul and hence they have no peace.

To these Jesus says: Take My Yoke and My Burden. In case you did not know, Jesus has a Yoke,a burden that is light compared to what we bore before,but nevertheless a Yoke. A yoke may not convenient  at first but if you do yield your life to live only for Him, you will find it easy and have rest for your soul. Learn of Him and stop living for your pleasure, passions and desires. He gave up true comfort to die for you, would you do the same for him? What has your Christianity cost you?

There is a Yoke that brings peace and only if we yield our lives to Jesus totally in words and in our deeds can we share in this experience.

Many acknowledge Him as a Saviour but few know Him as Lord.  You must know Him as both.

Kingdom Series- Is The Church A Place of meeting God?

Exo 33:7  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. Exo 33:8  And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. 
Exo 33:9  And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 
Exo 33:10  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. 

Christianity is not a set of moral principles!

Do not get me wrong here, men will definitely become morally upright by knowing God and walking with Him but any other morality that exists outside of a living relationship with God is the same as what Buddhist Monks do. They are able to  discipline themselves and deny themselves  great pleasures by an act of their will. God considers this righteousness, attained outside of His help and relationship with Him,as filthy rags. What motivates us to live for God should not be the fear of hell or judgement but our love for  and closeness to Him.

How does the above verse of scripture fit into my message for today? Please bear with me and keep reading.

Let me start by giving you some background of what happened before Moses did what he did in the verses above.

In Exodus chapter 32, the High Priest who was in charge of instructing the people of Israel in Spiritual things, in the absence of Moses, fashioned a golden calf for the people to worship the true God before it. The people declared that:these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. If men do not know the God that delivered them, they will give the glory of their deliverance to anything.(I think thats a quote I heard from Pastor Tunde Bakare).

It amazes me that the High Priest did not even know God enough, to defend Him before the people. So why should the people know any better? I have met Christians who quote their Pastors more than they do the bible. When we are engaged in discussions about the Christian Life, you hear them say, My Pastor said this, My Pastor said that. This seems to  point to a void of personal knowledge of God. Again I am not advocating that we despise the words of our Pastors but like the Late Archbishop Benson Idahosa says "1 Peter chapter One verse five says, Acts 2 verse 3 says, I, Benson Idahosa say, What do you have to Say?''

After the incidence of the golden calf happened, Moses realised that the people, and worse still even the High Priest, did not know God!

This made him take a  tabernacle and set it up so that any one that sought God would do so there.
He set it up away from the distractions of their homes, children, friends etc, so that people could truly seek God for themselves.  Unfortunately only Moses and Joshua went to seek God, everyone else still sort to worship God from their tent doors. Not seeing or willing to put in the extra effort it takes to know God personally.

Many have forsaken times of prayer and count on the Pastor to pray for them because that is convenient. Few will cultivate a discipline of seeking God at Night, fasting, personal study of Gods word or even longing for God on a personal level. This has left Christians powerless against the onslaught of the devil.

As bad as the personal state of affairs of most believers may be, it is compounded even further when Churches are no longer tabernacles of meeting God.  Entertaining men seems to be more important than ensuring that men encounter God in our services. A lot of sermons have made believers to think that it all starts and ends here.People are devoid of a real walk with God and many grow lean in the House of God. Many in the house of God, Have come to depend on their Pastor so much, that they can not seek God for themselves.

Worst still is that some Pastors take pleasure in this state of affairs.Why should you be happy that your congregation remains trapped in Spiritual diapers? Why would you have people attend your church for two hours every sunday and leave without having touched the God of Heaven?

You were called to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ(Eph.4:12)

Every Pastor owes it to his congregation, as much as it lies with him, to preach, teach and pray for his congregation till they grow in their walk with God and live out the call of God for their lives.. He should , like Moses, put forth the Tabernacle of meeting or in this case a lifestyle or teachings  that would help the believer know God for himself.

At this point I would like to ask you, Is your church a place of meeting God? Or does God stand at the door of your church and Knock?

Jesus said :Mark 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

KINGDOM SERIES - I, REBEL

Matt. 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 

Rebellion is not considered a positive word.

In fact, whenever the word rebellion is used we conjure up images (mainly of teenagers if you are a parent) of spike hair styles, tattoos, heavy metal rock music or things that are considered deviations from acceptable behaviour.  (Come to think of it, why are rebellious teenagers drawn to these kind of music? I think there is more to be said on this but not today)

Well today, I would like to promote rebellion(I know that the word isn't the proper word to be used as rebellion deals with a struggle against legitimate authority but if you  once lived in sin, like I did, then at that time satan had legitimate authority over you and even though you have left his camp, he still seeks to have you serve his purposes, hence the word Rebellion is adequate to an extent)

I choose to rebel, because in this day and age, an enemy has arisen that seeks to hold me from the fulfillment of the great destiny that God has for me. This enemy is well organized and has found a way to make Christianity look absurd and ridiculous. It focuses all its arsenal to get the one who is a believer to come to conformity with its mould.The whole environment around us does not really support or encourage living for God.

The world clamours that we accept gay marriage as normal, pornography is only a click away, almost every advert or bill board displays an unclothed woman even when what is being advertised is not going to be used on the body or on women. In the traffic, you are insulted so you can resort to the level of trading insults, to do business you are asked to give bribe to buy favor or lose out.

Many in this world rebel against the only One(Jesus Christ) who they should submit to, while submitting to the one(Satan) who they should rebel against. Many have enthroned their intellect as god, not knowing that the true throne that they are bowing to, is to the god of this world-the devil.

The world's system and way of doing things is so opposed to the Christian life that if we choose to live a godly life we must be resolute and rebel against this ungodly system.

If as a Christian, all men speak well of you, or If you are a christian and you have known no battles or nothing has ever opposed your christian life, please do not rejoice. Check the word of God if the Christianity you are practising is of the Bible.

Jesus says in John 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus assures us that we would be victorious but not that we would be trouble free!

Friend, I call you to join the rebels of God and stand against everything that stands to destroy the purpose of God in your life, family and the environment where you live. Live a different life from the world. Point the sinner to the salvation that was purchased for him.Live no longer to gratify the desires of your flesh.

That sinful desire is not there for fun, it seeks to destroy your eternal destiny. Stop playing with it!

Go to God who still has weapons which are mighty. Our weapons are mighty in deed through God.

Stand up against every depression, oppression, weights and sin. Seek that only Jesus would be Lord over your life and no other.

I choose to Rebel, would you?

Kingdom Series: His Kingdom and His Will but Where are His People?

Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

The Jehovah's witness look forward to a time when God's kingdom is set up on the earth. I love the utopia I see in the images they present in their magazine. Little babies cuddling great lions, healthy looking couples taking a walk with smiles on their faces and so on. The sense of peace and security that seems to overflow from these pictures makes you think, Wow! who wouldn't want this?!

As desirable as these images are to me,I have a problem with it.

The problem I have with these images, is that, they seem to endorse the assumption that if its not picture perfect then we haven't began to see the establishment of God's Kingdom on the earth. It seems to suggest that for God's kingdom to be operational on the earth all the troubles of life must first of all give way. 

Do not get me wrong, I believe that as revealed in the book of revelation that we would see the rule of Christ upon all the earth but I believe that this reign of Christ has started in the hearts of men both here and now.

There are men  who though they walk the earth,  have chosen to  march under the banners of a heavenly flag, the dance to the beat of a heavenly drummer, they live their lives to honor only a heavenly King, they are in this world but they are not of this world, their allegiance and loyalty is pledged to a king that is not of this world. They know that they are citizens of  the very kingdom of God.  

These are men who face great storms and still come out strong,  They have faced great conflicts but it did not compromise their stand.I am talking of men that could still worship in the face of great personal loss, men who harbor no bitterness but sustain those that sold them into slavery even when they could pay them back.

I say this because many Christians also have assumed a state where they long for this utopia and forget that, here and now, their King needs them to live by heavenly decrees.

Friend, not everyone is destroyed and burnt by the fires that are kindled in this world (Ask the 3 hebrew children). 

God says In Isa 43:2  

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

These ones can go through the place of weeping and turn it into a place of refreshing. They are willing to yield their lives to serve the purpose of their great King and their love for him makes the trials they face a light thing.These are the ones that hold a song in their hearts in the darkest night, who set their course in life by a distant star-Yes, the bright and the morning Star. They walk by a light that is not the light of the day nor of the night but are guided by the true light that lights every man that comes into the world. These are the men and women who have totally yielded their lives to the King of all kings.

These are the ones that say boldly, It is no longer I that lives but Christ lives. For these ones, the kingdom of God is not a distant or future utopia, it is something they live and walk in daily.

A lot of Christians do not know the peace that comes from taking up their cross to follow Jesus.So many are unwilling to go through any hardship and would easily compromise rather than face any inconvenience for the one they call their Lord.

Oh, I pray that I would be among those who live by a different set of rules and have complete trust in God to cast my anchor completely on Him. 

Did you notice that in the scripture above that it is in the days of "those" kingdoms that God chooses to set up His own Kingdom. Friend, God's kingdom is not coming, it is here already! It exists in the heart of men and women who live by the decrees that issue from heaven in their day to day life. 

These people face great conflict because their laws seem to contradict the laws of the land where they dwell. Their way of life opposes the way the nation, in which they dwell, have chosen to live. Laws have been set up by these kingdoms to oppose the establishment of their kingdom on the earth but they still do not back down.To these ones I want to say to you: Be encouraged! You are among those heaven applauds as an overcomer. We suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together with Him. 

I have heard of God's kingdom, I have heard of His will but where are the people who would live for this great King no matter the cost? 

Oh, May I be found to be one.

When God Seems Unfaithful

Job 13:15  Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 

As a Christian, have you ever faced a situation that makes you doubt the faithfulness of God? Has a trouble, so overwhelmed your heart that when you look up, cry out and you wonder if there is a God that hears your cry? Have you gone through a wilderness and seem unable to find your way out? Has your vision ever been made blurry  by the tears that has filled your eyes?

Friend, have you ever held on to the hand of God as if for your dear life. Paul said 

2Co 1:8-10  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 

Have you ever come to a place where you despaired for your life?  This fellow has been through a few crisis(maybe mine is nothing compared to what you are going through) and you can read my Testimony Series to find  out more.

What is your attitude in the midst of the crisis of life?

Do you give up or give in? Do you accuse God of being unfaithful and hence turn your back on him? 

Too many Christians seem to want to serve God on their own terms. They seek to follow when it is convenient, sing only in the sunshine of life and whistle a merry tune when all is well but if the situation turns contrary, they begin to lament their lot in life,blaming God for every misfortune. 

The three Hebrew Children in Daniel made a profound statement of faith. in Daniel 3:17 they said 

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 

Hallelujah!! Our God can deliver and he will deliver. No Matter the trouble you face, Rest assured that God can deliver and will deliver you from it! 

The problem now comes in the second part of their statement, that part started with a but.

Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

this is where we find hard to accept, the first part of the statement was what we wanted to hear but, the 'but', seems to contradict their faith confession. 

When the but is introduce is the point where we are tested if we truly have faith. 

When the but is introduced, some Christians would advice that we apply wisdom at this point. No need to throw-away your life if a simple small act of bowing to idol was all is required to appease the wrath of the king. They would ask that these Children just bow their heads even if their hearts are not bowing. Don't be an extremist especially when several have bowed.

 I am sure you know what I mean

Most believe that faith always leads us to what we consider as 'positive outcomes'. We fill our heads that nothing that can cause pain can come out of our faith and contrary to what the famous chapter of faith(Hebrews 11) says, we do not believe that a man can have faith and still die. We do not believe that a man can believe God for something and yet in his life time not see that which he believed God for. (You may choose to read the chapter again to confirm what I have said here).

The essence of this piece is to tell us that when we choose to remain faithful in the midst of a seemingly "unfaithful'"  God, we show our faith in Him.

Job said though He slay me I will trust Him.  I will maintain my ways before Him. Even with my dying breathe I will praise him, I will keep holding on to him, even when the situation isn't pleasant. It wont stop me coming to church or praying With the last once of my strength I will keep holding on and calling on Him, knowing fully well that God is a better option than the devil.

Friend Hold on to Him. He is too faithful to fail you but even if your expectations are not met trust that he knows the way in the midst of your wilderness.

God bless and keep you.

HIS ARMS ARE UNDER YOU!!!

Deut. 33:27  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. 

As I consider this scripture, I get the picture of a man who has been asked to fall from a height, after a safety net that can hold him has been put under him. 

In my experience, I have found out that I do not know every information about the trials or pains I am going through, at the time I am experiencing them. I feel helpless like every other man and pain feels my heart but I have come to understand that even when I don't have the answers I serve a God that has all the answers and knows the way through every wilderness.

Do you feel as though you are on a free fall right now? Have you tried to hold on, but your grip seems to have slipped completely? Does it seem as though events have gone beyond what you can manage or control? Has all your hope been dashed and your confidence in your ability gone?

Then friend you have come to the place where God can help you. At the end of your strength, His strength begins.

Our God is a refuge in the times of trouble, a very present help in times of trouble. He does not abandon us when trouble comes. You can run to Him in the place of prayer and feel the embrace of a true Father. 

Note that the scripture calls him the eternal God, that means that He does not get exhausted. He is self-sustaining and gives life to all, but His life originates and is sustained from no one. He has neither beginning of days nor end of days yet He is the ancient of days. 

The bible goes on to talk about His everlasting arms being underneath you, so you can be sure that before you hit the ground He will catch you. His arms are wide and big enough to accommodate you. You are not finished yet, His arms are underneath you.

Those that have tried to make you fall, will fail completely because they have to locate a place beyond the reach of His arms to cause you to hit the ground. If you are a child of God, I would like to tell you that where you are is not rock bottom. If you still maintain a relationship with God, He holds you in His arms and his strength does wear out!

Hold on dear friend and he will thrust your enemies out before you for you to have a victory that you did not fight for.

Underneath you are Gods everlasting arms, stay with Him.

LIVING UNDER AN INFLUENCE-ARE YOU DRUNK?

Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

He staggered as he walked, a bottle under his arm. His breathe was so foul ,that if he turned in your direction to speak you would almost fall over from the stench that hits you. He is no longer in control of his action nor his words but seems to be moved by the contents of the bottle under his arm. Totally under the influence and control of alcohol.

I painted this scene above because of the scripture above and what I have seen in our society.

You may not be like the drunkard who goes about with a bottle under the arm, but none the less, I have seen drunk men who are not drunk with alcohol. I have seen drunkards who look 'respectable' to society but are none the less drunk. 

Some are drunk with power, beauty,ambition, possession or pleasure. You name it.

So drunk with their pursuits that they have no interest in God or in the word of God. The influence of what occupies their heart, just like the drunkard, finds expression in their manner of life, speech and general conduct. A man who is drunk with power, would be upset if he is not revered or recognized. He will ask, if he feels slighted, whether you do not know him. Those drunk with possession, show great devotion to what they have and are greatly offended if any of it is touched or damaged. Some are drunk on their intellect and refinement. Their attitudes become offensive to everyone around them but themselves!

A drunkard is one who is overcome or under an influence that dictates the direction of his life or actions.

His money, attention and passion goes to it.

Friend, from the scripture above there is only one kind of drunkenness that is allowed, and that is to be filled with the Spirit!  When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the book of Acts they were considered drunkards, because they behaved strangely.

Many believers are empty and have never experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Yet they go about unmoved by the emptiness they feel and like the Church of Laodicean in Rev. 3:14 where we declare that we are rich yet are unaware of our deep poverty. Their lifestyle has not changed, their friends are still the same, their language is still the same and people do not see in them any influence of the world from which they claim they belong. This is the great tragedy of our generation! 

Pastors stand to change a people without the presence of the Holy Spirit but the Apostles in Acts sent Peter to pray for Phillip's converts to receive the Holy Spirit knowing how important He is to the Christian life and that no true or lasting change can occur without Him.

Friend there is a fountain that flows from the throne of grace, that we must drink from, if we are to be effective in our walk with God(I am not talking about our work but our walk with God). Free yourself from the influence of the world and come under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit.

For it is as many as are led by the Spirit of God(and not by their Pastors, Evangelists, Prophets, Teachers or Apostles) that are  they sons of God!

Act_19:2  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Today, I encourage you to wake up the hunger and seek to  be filled by Him that sustains all life. 

Your world will know the difference if you dare to drink of that fountain!

SPIRITUAL PARENTHOOD- GIVING YOUR KIDS POSITIVE FEEDBACK

Mark 1:11:  A voice from heaven said, "You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you." 

I know that Jesus said that the comment above was made for the benefit of those around Him at that time but imagine what hearing the approval of His Father would have meant for Him.

I heard a great man of God,who grew up with his grandmother,talk about how she believed the best of him. That strong belief  was expressed to him by her positive confessions and approval towards him. This helped shape his life and give him a strong self belief.

So I want to write on the Power of giving Positive feed back to our kids. 

In the scripture above, God risked it all by speaking directly from heaven about a son of whom he was well pleased. Notice He didn't send an angel or a prophet to talk about his son, so don't just bribe your kid with gifts that replace your approval of them. God tore up the heavens and shouted out his approval of Jesus even before he fulfilled what God had destined for him. Now that was a risk cause if Jesus failed, God would have expressed an approval for him already.

Some of us(and I admit I am one of them) are waiting for our children to be almost everything we expect them to be before we show our approval of them. We place huge demands on them to perform that we forget to praise the efforts they make to achieve these expectations. God did not! Long before Jesus died to fulfill God's will and purposes, God tore up heaven and shouted his approval for his son! That's quite radical!

 How much do we express our approval of our children. Some times it could mean our attending their school sports games and shouting out our lungs in support for them or just telling them how much we love them. I think the approval of a parent is the most important praise a kid can have.

Some times we get so caught up in all that they have done wrong but never acknowledge what they have done right! 

I think the time has come for us to continually tell our children that we appreciate the little efforts they make to obey and honor us.

Tell them how much you love them. Thank them for obeying us or doing what we asked them to do. 

You can teach your kids to say thank you, please and sorry but if you never use those words towards them they may not learn that you can say sorry when you are in a place of authority or older.

Lets not spend the whole of our time pointing out all they have done wrong. 

You cant find a better father than God yet He tore the heavens to tell His son how pleased He was with Him. 

Would you dare to follow God's lead? and tell that kid how much you love them today or how pleased you are with them?

Ray Boltz - I pledge allegiance to the Lamb [with lyrics]

I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

I have heard how Christians long ago
Were brought before a tyrants throne
They were told that he would spare their lives
If they would renounce the name of Christ

But one by one, they chose to die
The Son of God, they would not deny
Like a great angelic choir sings
I can almost hear their voices ring

I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

Now, the years have come and the years have gone
And the 'cause of Jesus still goes on
Now, our time has come to count the cost
To reject this world, to embrace the Cross

And one by one let us live our lives
For the One who died to give us life
Till the trumpet sounds on the final day
Let us gladly stand and boldly say

I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

To the Lamb of God who bore my pain
Who took my place, who wore my shame
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

Read more: Ray Boltz - I Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

SPIRITUAL PARENTHOOD-Are Your Passions Reflecting On Your Children?

Deut 6:6-7 says

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

A popular statement I often hear about child training is that 'Children have a short attention span.' Have you ever heard those words?

As I start this piece, I wonder if that statement is really completely true.

The reason I am left wondering this is that as I consider the word of God especially the verse above,it seems to suggest that we use every opportunity to teach. The verse above seems very intense when it comes to training and teaching our children. Now, please note that I am not against having fun with our children and neither is the verse above against that, but it seems to me that when we are engaged in those relaxing exercises with our children(notice that the bible talks about when we lie down, now what could be more relaxing than lying down, we should still teach), we should be able to use those fun activities we do together to train them in the way of the Lord.

Also I have also watched my son to determine how long his attention span is, and I find to my amazement that he can pay attention to anything as long as he is Enjoying it!

He can spend hours on-end watching cartoons but when I call him away from it to eat, pray or study his bible, he comes away from "Tom and Jerry" with a great sense of reluctance. Its almost as if I was punishing him! This observation of mine is the reason for my questioning this popular saying about kids attention span.

Please note that I am not a child psychologist or expert in child training and I would like to admit that a lot of what I am writing I am a Dad-in-training and I am learning on the job, But I think that statement is not correct or rather is incomplete.

So I turned to the word of God again, knowing that my experience is not enough to make me an authority on this topic(and to be honest in any subject at all) but I think you would agree with me that if the bible says its true then we can trust the word of God to be true and accurate.

I find quickened in my heart this verse that helped give my insight on this issue.


2 Tim 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

1Sam. 2:18  But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

Timothy and Samuel seem to have paid attention as kids!

As I consider the scriptures above I would have loved to interview Timothy's parents to know how they did it. I find that the scripture is almost silent about this except to mention the fact that Timothy's faith seems to have come from his grandma and his mum. But in the case of Samuel, he was involved in ministering to the Lord. God got a hold of him because of a mothers prayer and kept him in the midst of Eli's children who were not living right. (Now hold onto these insights we will come back to it at the end of this write-up.)

Having considered the above I would like to say then that, I think Children have a short attention span when something does not interest them, but if they get interested in a thing you can have their full and undivided attention!(come to think about it, the same statement holds true for adults. Check out men when they watch football and you would understand.)   

The problem then becomes, how do I get my children interested in the word of God? How do I make my children enjoy hearing the word of God and praying?(Won't our Sunday schools be a better place if most parents take time to get their children use to hearing the word of God? I am sure a lot of Sunday school teachers would be relieved if this were the case).

The answer  to these questions may lie in the questions below:

What holds your attention? What are you passionate about? What do you love doing? Do you love God so much that it finds expression in your daily life? How is your devotion to God? Does God have your full and undivided attention?

One reason a lot of parents cant teach, is because the bible isn't a part of their daily life or rather don't apply it in their every day living instead its a "Sunday Sunday" thing. They don't find expressions of God's word in their day to day life. 

If you do, it would be easier to teach your children because things would happen and you would tell them what the word of God says about that thing. It doesn't have to be a solemn affair before you teach.

So the sickness of the fathers and mothers is what is bothering the child!  A man came to Jesus and said to him heal my son but Jesus addresses the faith or lack of it in the man. Mark 9:17-25

The source or cure to all our problems do not necessarily lie on the other person but sometimes it lies with a change occurring in us. For our children to start paying attention we must start paying attention and praying that the love of God would be created in the hearts of our children as well.

I would like to end with this illustration, My son supports the same football club I do and I never sat him down to tell him to support my team. He knows the names of the players, and feels bad when they lose. This told me that my passions where becoming his passions.(I have started trying to develop a new and godly passion with him now)

Why did this happen you may ask? The only answer I can give is that my passions rubbed off on him.

Are your passions reflecting on your children?

MOVE BEYOND SALVATION TO SUBMISSION

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Gal 2:20  so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

Our sins no matter how few or many they may be, have condemned us to face an eternity separate from God. 

I spoke to  someone who said to me, that he was essentially a good person(and to be honest he is) and felt it would be unjust for God to condemn him to the same hell that 'other' worse sinners are headed to, since his sins where fewer and less grievous.

I said to him that if a man obeyed all the laws of a land and broke just one, would the state let him off the hook for that one misdeed? To this he said that of-course he could get a light sentence or the court would be merciful as he was a first offender.  I then asked him, what if his first offence was a coup against the government? and that he actual wanted to overthrow the government, would that not be a very grievous crime? Would he get a suspended sentence then?

The greatest sin that we are all guilty of is the same for each of us if we ignore the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

That sin is the rejection of the Lordship of Jesus and the looking to other things than him to cleanse our sins. This rejection of God's authority and Lordship is the same as rebellion that Satan had towards God. If Satan's rebellion then condemned him to hell, why do we think that rejecting the authority of Jesus in our lives would result in a different outcome.

Jesus came to save sinners, that is true but also he came to draw a people to himself. 

He is our Savior who saves us from sin, the world and the devil but also he longs to be the Lord our lives.

You may read this and you have repeated a few words to accept him and you may feel secure in this knowledge but is He the Lord of your life? Does he determine where you go? what you do? How you live? 

The time has come for us to move beyond being saved and delivered to submitting our lives to Him to control/lead us. Yes, Jesus saves us from all sins but are we also willing to give up our all for him as He did for us?

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

1Co 9:16  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 

Leonard Ravenhill in his book Why Revival Tarries recounts the last moments of Charlie Peace's life:

He was taken on the death-walk. Before him went the prison chaplain, routinely and sleepily reading some Bible verses. The criminal touched the preacher and asked what he was reading. “The Consolations of Religion,” was the reply.

Charlie Peace was shocked at the way he professionally read about hell. Could a man be so unmoved under the very shadow of the scaffold as to lead a fellow-human there and yet, dry-eyed, read of a pit that has no bottom into which this fellow must fall? Could this preacher believe the words that there is an eternal fire that never consumes its victims, and yet slide over the phrase without a tremor? Is a man human at all who can say with no tears, “You will be eternally dying and yet never know the relief that death brings”?

All this was too much for Charlie Peace. “Sir”, he addressed the preacher, “if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worth while living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!”^[5]

Having read the above, I would like to ask you how far would you go to share the gospel? 

The people you would need to speak to may be neighbors, friends, colleagues, family members etc. 

Paul said necessity is laid upon me! is it necessary for you to preach in your business? work place? God placed you there for a purpose. 

Think of these Statements:

You may be the only christian these people may meet or may come to know.

You may have been put in that organization by God to reach out to the lost there and not many Christians may be able to reach the people that you work with.

You're life is either drawing men to Christ or drawing them away from Christ.

Though Charlie Peace was sinner but I pray I could have that passion for the lost, that he spoke about, to show my believe in Christ saving grace that can deliver from sin and a hell that is real.

SPIRITUAL PARENTHOOD- WHEN THE TRAINER NEEDS TRAINING

After writing the blog on Raising a Godly Seed, I have had to face my role as a father with a new sense of responsibility.  

As I study the bible, I find that the responsibility of teaching a household to follow God, rests squarely on the shoulders of fathers. Yes, mothers may help but fathers are the ones who are charged with this responsibility. 

Its like, you are the one who was handed the keys to take care and drive the company car. If you hand over this responsibility to another person who is also a driver by giving them the keys, you will not be let off the hook if that person has an accident with the car!

To drive home my point, of fathers being the ones responsible for teaching the home, please read the scriptures below:

God speaking of Abraham says:

Gen 18:19  I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised." (CEV)

God choose Abraham to do this not Sarah. .

1 Timothy 3:2-5:  An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

Psalms 78:2-8

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

Jdg 6:13  And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 

Friend I could go on and on, in showing you scripture after scripture that point to the role of a father in teaching the children. In fact, some verses raise his responsibility to commanding his children to serve the Lord. Check through the bible for yourself and see if I am right.

When Eli's Kids where misbehaving, It was their father that God rebuked and laid the blame on. We never heard about Eli's wife or God rebuking her. This tells me that if a father neglects his role as a teacher in the home a lot of harm could come to the home.

Having said all the above, I would like to tell you that even though I have found that I have a great responsibility to teach my home(not just my children but also my wife), I am overwhelmed by the size of that responsibility and how intense the bible wants us to take our teaching assignment.

Deut 6:6-7 says

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Teach when you sit down, when you walk, when you are relaxing and when you rise up. 

That's a very intense training right? and there seems to be no letting up! 

Having understood the size of the responsibility and knowing that I can't back off from my responsibility, I have come to acknowledge that I need God to help me to know how to be a father. (Cause honestly I really don't think I measure up to what the bible says as of yet)

 I hope and pray that God will bring me across the paths of men who take their teaching responsibility seriously and model their lives to honor God in their home but this is no excuse as Abraham came from an idolatrous background but yet taught his children. 

Fatherhood is not just about getting a woman pregnant, Its responsibility!

I find that I can ask help to do the right thing in life from my heavenly father and today I wish all men,who have become fathers, would raise a genuine cry from their hearts to God and say simply: 

Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness-Ps143:10

For every woman reading this, I ask that You pray for the man in you life that they would be able to carry out this responsibility well.

God bless you.

PS: For those of you who care to know more, I would recommend a set of teachings i found online by Paul Washer on Biblical Manhood and his family series. I have found that even though his teachings may seem hard, it is like the bitter pill that I have to swallow to be cured of my ignorance and to get me back to the narrow way.

Go to this website, listen and freely download as much of his teachings as you can.

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=442&min=60&orderby=titleA&show=20

SPIRITUAL PARENTHOOD-CALL FORTH THE WAILING WOMEN (PART 2)-A MOTHERS STUBBORN LOVE

2 Kings 4:30  And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. 

I heard a preacher speak about a woman, who on her death bed, called her five children to her. She had been praying that they commit their hearts to Jesus Christ for years and yet on her death bed, none had come to know the Lord.

She calls them to her  Bedside and says ' I have prayed for you all these years, that you would be saved, and I know God has answered my prayers'. Her kids did not take her seriously and after her death they went back to their drug dealing ways.

Years later these kids had gone to a church program and the last of the five of them was saved in that service. A mother had prayed and God had answered!

A mothers love is a strong force. 

A mother loves at all times. 

She isn't going to easily disown the baby she carried in her womb for nine months.I wonder what would happen if women turn this fierce love over in the place of prayer. I think I am right to assume that if they did, impossible things would become possible! Situations would change.

In the scripture above we read about a mother whose only son had died in her arms. She went to meet Elisha who had prophesied the child into her life. Elisha sends a servant to go and raise her child but she hangs on to him, refusing to let go. 

I wonder what would happen if women would choose to hold on to God in desperation for their homes, like this women did for her son.Instead of crying, complaining and getting upset, woman of God, why don't you rise up, go into your room, shut the door and get a hold of God.

I know your marriage isn't the best it can be, your kids may not be the best behaved, your husband is drunk half the time, its all messed up right now. Quit complaining and telling every one else about your business, it hasn't changed anything and it wouldn't change anything.

Like the woman in our story that dead marriage can work again. If only you can learn to take that burden to God and lay it out before him.

I know it hurts but God can turn it around. Your husband may not be saved but don't quit the marriage yet. Go to God in the place of prayer and see him work a miracle.

The only reason why it is called a miracle is because it defies human solution. Your kids can be saved, your husband can love you again, your home can know peace again but I dare you to rise up and pray!

Take hold of God, don't be worried if you haven't got the right vocabulary, He hears your heart.

Where are those mothers who can pray down heaven on their homes, family, children and the church? Wake up and cry, that we may join you. Heaven needs you and so do we.

Jer 9:17-18  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

SPIRITUAL HUNGER- WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR?

Joh 20:8-9  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 

John 20:10-16  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master

In Luke 2:36-37 you would notice that a woman had stayed in the place of fasting and prayers (night and day) for years! Such a tenacity and stubborn resolution not to let go is normal to the woman as you would also see from Matt. 15:22-27. A woman was called a dog, yet she kept coming! Her head did not kick in nor did her ego get in the way of her miracle. Did she get her request? You bet she did!

There are several scriptures that point to the tenacity of women when they focus their heart to seek God but I want to focus on this scene in John chapter 20.

Jesus was dead by this time and had been buried. On the third day, Mary went to the tomb(notice that it was the women not the men that still went). Her love for Jesus would not let her just give up even when the situation seemed hopeless. She was going to the tomb to seek out a man that had died three days earlier. Others had given up on Jesus but not Mary!Others had buried Jesus and tried to move on with their lives but not Mary. What tenacity! She went to the tomb early and when it was still dark and saw that the stone had been rolled away.

She informed the men, who energetically out ran her, got to the tomb saw it empty and believed.

At this point, could you pause for a minute and think about this, what did these men believe? 

They could not have believed that Jesus had risen from the dead because the next verse tells us they didn't know that. What then did they believe? They believed the report of Mary that Jesus' body had been taken away. What an error that would have been!

The bible says that Mary stayed put after the men had left and looked inside. She saw angels but that did not satisfy her inner hunger. She was looking for Jesus. She spoke to angels but wasn't impressed by them because she turned away from them. Her heart and her hunger was after Jesus!

My dear friend whether you are male or female, what is your heart crying out for? Some are desperate to see the supernatural, Mary saw angels and turned her back on it. She wanted to see Jesus. Her passion and single goal was to see Jesus. What has stopped you from seeking Jesus? It may even be because you have started experiencing miracles or the anointing of God on your life or even the supernatural. Friend, Mary saw and spoke to angels but still craved for Jesus. What is your heart panting for?

Can you hear her heartfelt appeal? with tears in her eyes she says: 

Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

What is your heart craving for? In every one of us, whether male or female, God has placed a hunger that only him can fill. 

What are you desperately longing for? 

Some may try to satisfy themselves with money,position, power,  some may seek to drown that cry of their heart with alcohol or pleasure or loud rock and roll music but friend that hunger is still there. They have dug the wells of pleasure and explored every drug imaginable but like the woman of Samaria that Jesus met at the well of Jacob, he that drinks from these wells will thirst again. It holds no satisfaction!

 What are you truly passionate in life about? When You achieve it, then you will find that it doesn't truly satisfy. 

Will you seek Jesus today? 

Maybe there is someone who read this and scuffed at the article I guess you have not come to the place where you are truly hungry for God. Only Jesus can truly Satisfy.

Let me leave you with this verse:


Pro 27:7  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 

Paul cried out saying : That I may know thee. Moses said show me thy glory. 

What are you hungry for?

Writer's note: When I started this article I wrote it as a continuation of the cry for the wailing women article but I think with a heading like that a lot of men would not read it. So I had to rename the article and I would continue the Cry for the wailing women article in another post but will leave this as it is.

SPIRITUAL PARENTHOOD-CALL FORTH THE WAILING WOMEN (PART 1)

Jer 9:17-18  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

When I was a child, my family always loved to have dogs in our house and I remember one particular black and white puppy we had, called Rambo (we loved action movies obviously). 

Rambo wasn't a big puppy but he had a lot of heart and fight in him. Like all the dogs before him we had trained Rambo to understand two words at least, attack and sit.

I remember an incidence that happened with one of our neighbors, a tall guy who came to visit my sister and wore a jean. Rambo was by my side playing but got very upset as my neighbor walked pass and barked at him. He said some unpleasant things to the dog, and boasted that if it came close to him he would step on Rambo. 

Well, I didn't like that, so I said one of the two words that we had taught Rambo(guess which. wicked smile)

Rambo took off after him like a bullet out of a gun and sunk his teeth into my neighbors jeans and all the dancing the guy did to get the dog off him didn't help. I  had to come pull Rambo off and force his jaws open to let the guy go. Years when I read a quote that says its not the size of the dog in the fight that counts but the size of the fight in the dog, I thought of Rambo.

Today, However, I remember my dog again because I want to speak on the tenacity of praying women.

When situations get tough and you need to pray through, I would rather have a bunch of women who are full compassion than a bunch of men who have strength. Women can be tenacious (Have you ever seen them when the nag to get something? I don't think you would get much peace if you refuse!). 

Naturally, women are created to be able to endure stuff that we men can't imagine. Think about the pain of child birth and you would understand. 

Women have wombs that can carry a baby and bear all the discomforts till the baby is born. Discomforts such as early morning sickness at the early stages, back aches, swollen feet, hormones are all over the place and then when she has to sleep, at the latter stages, she doesn't have a lot of choice sleeping positions.

This natural attribute and added to the fact that they are emotional makes them candidates to move mountains in the place of prayer. 

You see God listens to the words from your heart and not necessarily from your head. Women can easily connect with their hearts.

In Prayer a prepared heart is better then a prepared head!

This article is already too long and I haven't even got to speak about the scriptures I wrote above. I guess I will stop here and write a second part.

What I would like you to take away is what is the state of your heart. Every human being has a womb that can carry the purposes of God whether he be male or female but the female has a unique advantage of being able to understand this in the natural sense and a spiritual sense.

To be continued.....hoping I haven't lost you.