Thriving Words

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia delayed me for twenty-one days; - Daniel 10:13 Why do we experience delays? One of the reasons that we have established is that, God do allows delays in order to show forth His Glory.  Another reason why we experience delay is: Wicked forces and principalities of darkness : It is not every delay that is from God. Some delay are caused by evil forces of this world. We live in an evil world, some things are been orchestrated in the kingdom of darkness. Daniel prayed and God answered Him immediately but the Prince of persia (evil forces) delayed the answers to his prayer for 21days ( Daniel   10:12-13 ). Some folks experience delays they can't even explain how or why, they struggle and struggle through it; that is the enemy at work. When one experience such delays, Prayer is needed to break such grip of the enemy over one's life. We have authority in Christ Jesus and anything we prayed in the name of Jesus in accordance wi...

The Lord is not slow about His promise,  as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9 We continue on our study on 'Delay is not Denial". We have established that God will always bring to pass what He has promised. Why then do we have delays in certain areas of our lives? Sometimes you see fervent Christians who are waiting and trusting God for the fruit of the womb, you wonder why? A prolonged delayed is really dangerous. There are many reasons why believers experience delay some of which Includes: To Show Forth God's Glory -  when then blind man from birth was healed by Jesus, His disciples asked if the man or his parents caused the blindness. Jesus replied them neither the man not his parents was responsible for it but was blind so that God Glory can be shown (John 9:2-3) Every challenges we have,  every waiting period we got through is an avenue for God to show His Gl...

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.  - 2 Corinthians 1:20 Abraham waited for years before he got his promised son.  We become so weary and tired (it's natural though) when we don't get what was promised to us. The way we handle delay matters a lot. Some delay are for our own good while some are battles we need to conqueror, some are also caused by ourselves. Whatever it is, God promises to you will surely come to pass, we must learn to trust in God no matter the delay... The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, "Is it time yet?" But God kept saying, "Not yet." Too many Christians today want 'Fast Food' answers. We are not ...

He gave him First Aid.....- Luke 10:34 (MSG) Always have a bag of flour at hand in the kitchen and let everyone know where it is. 🔥The experience of a woman who burned herself ... 🔥. Some time ago, I cooked corn and pushed my sparkling water into boiling water to see if the corn was  ready.By   mistake my hand had sank into the boiling water .... !! A friend of mine who was a Vietnamese veterinary doctor had come to the  house.As   I howled with pain he asked me if I did not have a sachet of wheat flour ... I pulled out a bit and he poked me in and asked me to wait 10 minutes. He told me that in Vietnam there was a boy who got burned.With   the fire on it, in the panic they threw a sack of flour all over his body to try to extinguish the fire ... But it not only extinguished the fire, trace of burn never stayed !!!! ... Brief history, I put my hand in the bag of flour for 10 minutes, removed it after and I did not even have a r...

With his mouth an evil one destroys his neighbor... - Proverbs 11:9 Long ago, I realise a very important thing in life... you don't need to have a gun to kill someone, you don't even need to have a stick to hit and kill someone, sometimes all you need to have to kill is your mouth. Many lives have been literally killed and destroyed simply because of what was spoken. It's not only those who kill with guns are killers. Unfairly smearing and slanderng innocent people is almost equivalent to killing them. The words we say with our mouth are powerful enough to kill someone's career, destroy a family, literally brings someone down. Many people's lives have been destroyed through slander. You must not allow or partake in slander. Refuse to listen to those who go about slandering other people. Our Mouth is a powerful tool that can be use to kill or save. The words we speak effect the world around us. What we say, and how we communicate with each other...

And as it is appointed unto men once to die...   - Hebrews 8:27 Last night, I heard the news of the passing away of the great evangelist Billy Graham, indeed He was great as God used him to do great things. Evangelist Billy has a popular saying that " My Home is in Heaven. I'm just passing through this world." Evangelist Billy was known for his enormous and vigorous evangelistic journey round the world. At a very small age, He has started witnessing to people. He knew very well that someday he will die, therefore he has to do the will of the Father on this earth.  There are notable lessons to learnt from Evangelist Billy Graham's life on earth; One sure thing is this: we will all die someday. What do you want to be remembered for? What impact would you have made on humanity when you die?  Every action we do should reflect where we believe we are going to after death.  It is appointed for humans to die once, after than is judgement.  ...

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been  in that condition  a long time, He said to him,  “Do you want to be made well?”   The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” - John 5:6-7 There is this story of a man in the Bible, John 15:1-15.  This man has an infirmity for 38 years. But there is some thing that struck me while mediating on this man story. He was regularly present at the 'healing pool' because he believe that is it where his healing can come from. He was so used to the pool that when Jesus wanted to heal him, he was still like, some one got to put him into their pool.  I realise so many folks are like that, they are so myopic and narrow minded. Its obvious the man at the pool doesn't that God can heal him anytime and anywhere. Most times, we limited the scope of our breakthrough because if how we belit...

“A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” - Mark 10:7-9 Does God truly created just one person that you can marry or He did create like five persons from which you can choose from? At times, its laughable when you listen/read arguments that supports that We all have one special person created for us. Eve was created out of Adam doesn’t literally mean God keeps on taking a man’s ribs to create wives for them. Aiit, Let say truly God created a partner for every human, what if one of the ‘supposed partner’ marry another person, will the other partner be single’? Or what about those who married more than one wives, are we to say they have married someone else wife? Lol… Even the dictionary meaning of Soulmates is simply someone you are deeply close with. It is never meant to be someone you 'must' to marry. ...

A question was asked in church yesterday, does SoulMates Exist? I heard many answers but I really had to go do some studying about it.   The concept of soul mates first appears in Genesis 2:19, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” From the beginning, God designed the concept of companionship and created a picture of partnership in the first relationship between Adam and Eve, which is further evidenced throughout Scripture in the lives of Abraham and Sarah; and Mary and Joseph; and many others. From what I know about God’s mission and everything I read in Scripture, God wants to give His children the desires of our hearts, including companionship. In fact, it was God who placed that longing within us, we know He wants what is best for us and has a plan for us in regards to friendships, dating — and especially, marriage. With marriage often mirroring God’s relationship with the church, why wouldn’t he want the...

Made a way is a song written and sang by award winning artist Travis Greene in the year 2015. Many people knows the song but few actually know the story behind the song. The song was actually borne out of a personal testimony of Travis Greene. According to the artist, 'Made a Way' was written during an impossible situation. His pregnant wife’s water broke at 21 weeks, when pregnancy normally takes between 37-42 weeks. The doctors said the possibility of the baby’s survival is slim to none, and it was during this period when his wife was on bed rest for two months that he wrote the song. There was nothing else for them to hold on to but faith, and the good news is that as slim as the chance was, it didn’t break because faith held it together and today their baby boy is alive.  When Jesus was on His way to heal Jairus’s daughter and news came that things had gone from bad to worse, that the girl was dead. Jesus overheard and said, "Don't be upset. Just trust me...

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 14:12 Anytime we try to seek shortcut to riches, fame, etc, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. God is a God of process. Yes, he can jump protocol for us but He won't jump process for us.  Delayed gratification, or deferred gratification, is the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Generally, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later. Gehazi try to smuggle his way through and he messed up. Joseph could have slept with Photiphar's wife and enjoyed but he would never have become the prime minister.  These days, folks doesn't want to delay Gratification. They want everything to be fast. Solomon warn that there is a road that looks good to you but the end thereof is destruction. Not all that glitters is gold.  Never ...

Love must be sincere.... - Romans 12:9 February 14th is popularly called Valentine Day; a day where people 'show love' to their loved ones. I really don't know the true origin of Valentine'a as there are so many stories to that, but it is generally acceptable that it is good to show love. My qualms with this are:  A show of Love shouldn't be limited to a particular day of the year. I mean you don't have to wait  February 14th to show Love.  Folks around the world buys gifts for their loved ones on valentine's day. In fact businesses do have record sales on Valentine's day. It is good to show love through gifts but you don't have to break the bank to buy a gift. Far more important than the gift is the motive and the heart behind the gift. Unfortunately this days, show of Love have become something else, a guy buys a lady a lot of goodies to show his love for her and in return, the lady will offer her body also as a way of sexually pl...

If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. - Matthew 6:14-15 We continue on our study of Forgiveness.  There are a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about forgiveness. Yesterday I share what forgiveness really is, today we study what forgiveness is not;  Forgiveness does not mean we pretend that it never happen. We must understand that forgiveness is not the same as ignoring the hurt. It's one things to forgive and it's another thing to forget. Forgiveness is not forgetting the offence. Sometimes forgetting takes time. Forgive and forget is no alway a reality. Forgiveness doesn't mean you should condole what is wrong and bad. You can forgive and offender without excusing the offence. Forgiveness is not conditional. You dont demand beforehand you forgive. Forgiveness is not based on the actiona of them offender. We forgive regardless of whether the offender has ask for forgiveness or not. For...

Father, Forgive them.... - Luke 23:34 One of the most powerful moments of Forgiveness recorded down in the Bible is the moment when Jesus prayed unto God to have mercy on the people who want him killed because they don't know what they are doing.  Forgiveness is easy to say or preach until you are hurt and you get to realise forgiveness is not that alway easy especially when you get hurt by those close to you. Forgiveness can take time to process for some, forgiveness is a healing process for others. Whatever it is for you, there is need for us to forgive and let go. Not forgiving makes life miserable in the sense that you become bitter about the offence.  Jesus was asking God to forgive His attackers  because true that forgiveness, they will come to know the true love of God. While we are yet sinners (offenders), Christ died for us. God forgave us unconditionally, in the same way, we are to forgive others. Maybe someone has hurt you so bad and you fin...

We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming. - Hebrews 10:25 Since when I was small, I love going to church. Mom always make sure we go to Church not just on Sundays but also during the week. Though these days, I only go to church in sundays. But do we really know why we go to Church? At least when I was small, I know I go to Church because I had to follow mom But of course I can't say that now. Most people go to Church simply because it's Sunday and they are 'Christian by religion'. Far beyond being a Christian or because it's Sunday, going to church has a far more reaching impact on us. The biblical text for today advised that we shouldn't forsake the gathering of the Brethren,  He was simply saying don't forsake church. Any gathering of the Brethren is church. The body of Christ is the church which also the...

David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. - 1 Samuel 22:1-2 There come a time in David's life where he was downcasted, depressed and demoralised. King Saul wants to kill him. He has been running and hiding for a while. In the midst of this all, he escaped to a cave known as Adullam. David entered into the Adullam Cave as a hopeless man but on coming out of the cave. He was no longer hopeless. David entered into Adullam Cave as a weak man but he came our as a strong man.  So what's so special about Adullam Cave that made David a Mighty Man? Adullam was cave of recovery, strength, replenishment, rest and preparation for David. While at Adullam Cave, other depre...

What  does it  profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? - James 2:14 Background:  I live in a country where we over-pray more than we should act. In fact I dare say my country Nigeria is the most praying nation in the world. (Honestly, Nigerians can pray). The Problem : Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with prayer, as a matter of fact, I believe in prayer. But this is where the problem comes, folks have come to even substitute action for prayer. When we are to Act, We Pray.  Our economy is bad, we pray without taking the necessary steps to Act. When there is an infrastructural decay, we pray instead of addressing the issue.  Jesus is our model. We are to do what He did.  When thousands of people were hungry, Jesus didn't pray for them. He got them food. We must understand these is the place of prayer and there is a place of action.  Economical, social, Environmental, me...

I started my year with a new song by the world renowned worship artist Michael W Smith titled 'Surrounded'. The first time I heard that song, I had to put it on replay for so many times.  "Surrounded" plays with themes of surrender in a counterintuitive way - when the world is set against us, "it may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You." The track builds until the bridge, rising with drums, keyboard, and guitar. Finally, when the song reaches its peak, the track descends into a quiet and reflective moment - a chance to think about the battles that the Savior has fought and won.   The theme of this beautiful music is God's power in battle. Those who know so well the story of Elijah and his servant in 2Kings 6:8-23 will relate with the songs so well. Elijah and his servant were surrounded by the king's armies and the servant was sorely afraid. Elijah prayed to God to open the eyes of his servant; the servant eyes were op...

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” ( Col. 3:1–4 ). How can we develop a heavenly mindset? Some have said it is possible to be “so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” However, when you look at the history of the church, it was those who were the most heavenly minded who did the most good. Listen to what Christ said: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” ( Matt. 11:12 ). The people who forcefully grabbed hold of the kingdom of heaven are the ones advancing it. Though on the earth, they had a heavenly mindset. Having a heavenly mindset is very important for advancing the kingdom, not...