#We are Gearing Up for April Edition (Bi-Monthly Prayer & Intercession) April 6th to be precise.

Theme -Upstage.

Brethren, there are stuffs that are inimical to your progress and growth. They won't go away because, you wish they do. Everything is provoked by a M.O.V.E.

🔰WORD4TODAY🔰

Jeremiah 31:13 MSG
.. I'll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy.👇🏼

Found this passage very mid-blowing.👆🏽

Two things;
"I'll convert their weeping into laughter , lavishing comfort, *invading their grief with joy."

You are about to experience a *CONVERTION
👉🏼God will convert the bad times to good times.
👉🏼He will convert your days of weeping into new days of laughter.
👉🏼He will convert your FEW into plenty.
👉🏼He will convert your LOSSES to gains.

AGAIN ;
👉🏼He will LAVISH you with comfort.

👉🏼Lavish you with EXTRAVAGANT BLESSINGS
👉🏼Lavish you with all manner of good things.

*AGAIN* ;
👉🏼He will INVADE your grief with joy.
👉🏼Invade every disappointment with new opportunities.
👉🏼Invade every CLOSED OPPORTUNITY with new doors.

#Lamentations Chapter 5 sums up everything happening in NIGERIA. From banditry-kidnapping-herdsmen-landgrabbers-bad governance-Ineptitude etc.

Powerfully described in the scriptures, but, there is a solution at the end

Lamentations 5:1 MSG
"Remember, God, all we've been through. Study our plight, the black mark we've made in history. (THE NEEDLESS PLIGHT OF NIGERIANS BROUGHT ABOUT BY BAD GOVERNANCE IS UNPRECEDENTED)

Lamentations 5:2 Our precious land has been given to outsiders, our homes to strangers. (FOREIGN HERDSMEN FREELY & FORCEFULLY GIVEN OUR LAND

Lamentations 5:3 Orphans we are, not a father in sight, and our mothers no better than widows. (THE NARRATIVES OF SOME NIGERIANS WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE MERCY OF BANDITS, TERRORISTS & HERDSMEN)

Lamentations 5:4 We have to pay to drink our own water. Even our firewood comes at a price (IS THERE ANYONE NOT PAYING MORE FOR BASIC NEEDS, EVEN, INSPITE OF HEAVY TAXATIONS & CHARGES.)

The Children of Ephraim got dressed for battle.
They got dressed, probably to appear impressive to unlookers.
They had all they needed to fight & take territories, but, they bailed out at d last minute...at d critical time.

Psalms 78:9 MSG says;
d Ephraimites, armed to d teeth,

ran off when d battle began.
Hmmmmm, what a sad note.

Many 2day, appear dressed up for battles.
Some of us appear dressed up to take territories.
We look as good as warriors.
We speak in tongues, pray d loudest at prayer meetings, attend church d most, yet, lack d real substance

There is a job God has given each of us to do, but, ironically, we focus on the fringe benefits of the kingdom.

There are souls to win, territories to conquer, thrones to dethrone, altars to pull down etc.

Jeremiah 1:10 MSG (spells out our job in clear terms.)👇🏼
See what I've done? I've given you a JOB to do among nations & governments-a red-letter day! Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart & demolish, & then start over, building and planting." Stand Up & Say Your Piece

What have you done with the job or task God gave you?

It's not just about kingdom benefits.
There is a good fight of faith out there.

We need to get off the milk diet and eat meat like warriors... we cannot do stuffs if we are passive about the things of God..

WHY SHOOT OUR WOUNDED? - Ps. 109:21-31

A Detroit newspaper reportd that a patient in a local hospital was shot and killed as he lay in his bed recovering from a previous gunshot wound. The victim had been listed in fair condition prior to the shooting and was looking forward to

going home. Hospital patients and employees were stunned. A spokesperson said that nothing like this had happened in the 50yrs of the hospital's existence.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could say the same for our churches?

Wouldn't it be encouraging if we were able to say

that in 50yrs of meeting together for worship, fellowship and spiritual healing, we had not had a single instance of a wounded member being cut down by the unkindness of a fellow Christian?

Many among us have experienced the pain that David expressed in Psalm 109.

When he was hurt and vulnerable, insensitive people took advantage of him. Certainly, if he had sinned, he needed their loving correction. what he didn't need was their scorn, gossip, and selfish neglect. Who shoots his foot after stubbing his toe? No one in his right mind,

neither should anyone with the mind of Christ act unmercifully toward a wounded brother or sister in the body of Christ. Rather, we must "show mercy" (v.16).

Give me, Lord, a lot of mercy
For my fellow men each day,
Mercy in their many failures
As they struggle on their way.

A SHORT EXHORTATION, this 1st Day of August.

Theme -A FRESH START.

Today can mark the day God gave you a fresh start..

It can mark the day you had a new beginning and have you celebrating this 1st day of August as a memorial for the rest of your life.

For sure, everyone desires a break from 1 thing or d other, a respite from disappointments, setbacks. That break is called a FRESH START.

We all desire a fresh lease of life from all that has been unpleasant.

1 Sam 7:12b MSG
saying,"This marks d place where God helped us."

This day too can mark d day God Indeed MARVELOUSLY HELPED you

1st STEP

1. Psalms 18:20 God made my life complete WHEN I PLACED ALL d PIECES b4 HIM.WHEN I GOT MY ACT TOGETHER,He gave me a fresh start

A. Place all d pieces b4 Him
B. Get your acts 2geda & quit sulking & whinning

2.
Psalms 32:1 MSG
Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be - you get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean.

A. After a fresh start, your slate is automatically wiped clean. Nothing to bring you bad memories again. If it's God, then, it is indeed a fresh start, no scars.

3.
Psalms 51:10 MSG
God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis wk from d chaos of my life.

A. Bc, u have a fresh start,it's a GENESIS WK from d past chaos of your life

Hosea 14:5a MSG
I will make a fresh start with Israel. He'll burst into bloom like a crocus in d spring

Have you prayed at least 5mins for NIGERIA today?
It's the least we can all do.

Psalms 83:17 MSG
Bring them to the end of their rope, and leave them there dangling, helpless.

Wickedness will no longer reign in NIGERIA.

And to all perpetuating and sponsoring bloodshed, stealing

from our common wealth, Father, bring them to the end of their ropes.

Break the pride of their power Lord.

Leviticus 26:19-21 KJV
And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

#Let their entire strength be continually

spent in vain.

[20] And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. .

#With your help, leaders will rule well.

Prov 8:15 MSG
With my help, leaders rule, & lawmakers legislate fairly;

My short testimony.
1.
Title -With God, there are no dead ends.

It was late, it was past time, yet, God stepped in and made sure I got what I asked for.

It was 1997 and I was unsure whether or not to run a Master's program in one of the federal universities in the Southwest.

2.
Although, my work schedule was flexible, I just wasn't in d mood again for acada work at this time

After some dilly-dilly, I decided to give it a short. Sadly, applications for d master's program in Industrial & Labour Relations closed 7 weeks earlier. My "village" people

3.
were whispering, "you had your chance, but you blew it..." and I was downcast.

Well, on that fateful day at about 4pm, I had that unction to go purchase the application form, and inspite of the fact that sales closed 7 weeks earlier, I went ahead, and proceeded to the

4.
postgraduate school to get the application form and to my surprise, I was able to buy the form, fill it and then submit the following day. Meanwhile, written boldly on the doorpost was, "APPLICATION FORMS CLOSED"

Why they sold the form to me even after 7 weeks of closure was

5.
the beginning of divine intervention.

Through a friend, I met one of the lecturers in the department whom we felt could pull some strings to get me in, alas, we were disappointed. He said, "as we speak, the University Senate had already met and decided on the admissions,

A SHORT EXHORTATION

The Holy Spirit Helps in many ways and in every way

This is just a very brief testimony.of how I lost something valuable yesterday and later found it this morning.

Woke up to the news that my wallet was missing... missing ke? How, where? My biggest concerns

were all my ATM cards therein etc.

My son and I began turning the entire house up side down with no comforting result.

Afterall, I only stepped up briefly yesterday to get some fruits and it was a distance of about 200mtrs.

I said to myself, this cannot happen. I have never

lost anything and not recover it, not even when one of my staff defrauded the branch of a bank I was managing some years ago.

I said a short prayer. Holy Spirit, thank you for covering my wallet wherever it's been since yesterday. Thank you for leading me to wherever it is. As I

step out in search of it, let me come back home with it.

I stepped out in faith and viola, as I got to the fruit seller's shop, everyone was gazing at me in a funny and unusual way. Suddenly and in one accord, they all asked me "what are you looking for?

There and then, I knew

my wallet was in safe hand. Infact, the elderly woman said, someone found it on the floor and since the fellow knew I was a regular customer here, dropped it at her shop. Infact, she said, she was about sending her daughter to bring it to my house. Long and short of it, I came

#Anytime God is involved..the outcome is predictable. Part 1

Of a truth, everytime the Almighty God steps in, the outcome is predictable.

Here I am studying once again, the book of Exodus 14....

it must have been a time of fear & trepidation for the israelites...

they were indeed stuck between the red sea & Pharaoh's merciless army who obviously had the advantage, however, Pharaoh could only see as "far" as his eyes could see.

He thought to himself, "I have closed them in...
Exodus 14:3 MSG
"Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are lost;

they're confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.'

And here was God laughing in heaven, seeing how a mere man was acting like the alpha & omega.

The pressure was now on Moses to do something...only God knows what was going through Moses' mind at that time, & while he was

waiting on God, he heard God speaking again, "don't wait on Me anymore, Move.. the deed is done."

Exodus 14:13
Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you're never

going to see them again.

What reassuring words

Exodus 14:15 God said to Moses: "Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving.
Exodus 14:17 "Meanwhile I'll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase -I'll use Pharaoh & his entire army,

God, Help Me.(three underrated words)

Oftentimes, It is awfully difficult to ask "man" for help.

Sometimes, You ask, and you get helped.

You ask, they are willing to help, but, are not available.

Sometimes too, they are available, but, lack the capacity to help.

Some help you and it comes at a cost....they make you feel like a failure, a begger and even make you feel less of yourself.

The Bible therefore puts it this way in
Psalm 60:11 KJV
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

Some men may even want to help, but, expect something in return.... something you may not be willing to give if not for the unpalatable situation you found yourself in.

Others put conditions ahead, before they help.

Some help you and you become a public ridicule.

But, there is one who is a ready help in times of trouble. Available at all times.

Bishop Benson Idahosa put it this way;
"No One that said "God help me" has God ever denied help"

He went further to say;

When it's rough, say, God, Help me.
When it's tough, say, God, Help me.

When you don't know what to do, say, God, Help me.

When you're in trouble, say, God, Help me.
When you're weak, say, God, Help me.
When you're down, say God, Help me.

When you're in the valley of confusion, say, God, help me.