I ALSO BROKE BOTTLES

A notable trait I had while growing up was anger. Never make me angry because if you do, you won't like me. I remember fighting my teachers who provoked me. They would flog me quite alright, but I would ensure that they disengaged from everything they were doing just to spend at least an hour on me. 

At home it was the same thing. You dare not beat me if you don't have enough time to spend on me, because I will create one for you. I was so stubborn that my mum called me a devil on several occasions. 

Even when I got born again, anger was still my weak point. I wanted it to leave me but didn't know how. I remember one time, after I had given my life to Christ and was working so hard to please God, my elder brother provoked me. All of a sudden my adrenaline rose up . It was as though my blood vessels would burst. All arteries and viens were out. 

I quickly rushed to my mum to complain, but she was so busy with what she was doing that she didn't pay attention. Then I said to her, wait now and see what will happen. I hurriedly picked a bottle around, broke it and ran towards my elder brother. I was going to stab him. 

Hmmmm.... Guess what? On the way, I suddenly heard a voice say; "but you said you were a Christian". I Immediately held myself back, fell to the ground and started weeping. "So I could still break bottles after all the efforts put in to live right with God?" I asked myself as I cried.

Don't forget at this time I had started leading prayers in church as a young teen. I couldn't imagine what God would say and how my church members would take it. I wept and wept. I lost all confidence in myself. I thought the righteous life wasn't for me. "Maybe I should forget about all these church things and live a wayward life since it is looking impossible for me to live right" I thought. I couldn't stand living in hypocrisy.

I truly gave up on myself. But God didn't give up on me. He held me close and kept me going. He made me see reasons to believe that it was only a failure and that I could still be better. Years have gone by brethren. I can testify that that anger is gone. I have watched myself go through things that I would have otherwise reacted to in anger, but in all of those I've seen God prevail over my heart with peace like a river. 

I don't know what your weaknesses are. I don't know what that besetting sin of yours is. Perhaps you have messed up severally until you've come to believe that holy living is not for you. That's a lie dear. Don't let those failures make you think the worst of yourself. God is still able to bring out sweetness from your life.

You might have promised not to fornicate again, but now, you just did it again. Oh no... I understand how you feel, but don't give up yet. God is still able to clean your mess and help you stand.

Just go to him with all your heart. He is able to succour you. I pray that God will give you feet to stand for him.

Shalom.

@WKG_WAPNETWORK

SPIRITUALLY MINDED

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Every human being is under one influence or the other. Our actions are motivated most of the time by forces that are higher than us. The greatest form of influence that we can have in our lives is the influence of the Holy Spirit.

We become spiritually minded when our thought pattern and dispositions to life are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The NIV version of our anchor scripture above says “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” The key issue here is control. Whatever is in control of our lives will automatically determine the outcome of our lives.

The influence of the Holy Spirit is channeled through the word of God. The more our minds are dominated by the word of God the more spiritually minded we become. This is an influence on our minds that stirs us to take steps and decisions in God’s direction. It literally propels us in God’s purpose and intents for our lives.

The ultimate purpose of the new creation is that the word of God will be written on the tablets of our hearts and minds. It therefore becomes our sole influence from the inside. 

Been spiritually minded is a process. It’s a process in which we give ourselves wholeheartedly to the study and meditation of the word. It takes over our minds and saturates our being. 

The alternative to this is being carnally minded. This is a life that does not agree with God, it contradicts God’s eternal word. We become carnally minded when we choose to see life from human and sinful perspectives other than what is stipulated by the word of God. Such a life can never please God. And when we don’t please God we cannot walk in his purpose for our lives.

I am spiritually minded. My mind is controlled by the word of God. I think and act in the direction of the word.

Pastor Ola Aina

LESSONS FROM 15 CONTEMPORARY PROMINENT MEN & WOMEN!!!

1. Dr. Ben Carson said, "I struggled academically throughout elementary school yet became the best neurosurgeon in the world in 1987."

LESSON: Struggling is a sign that you are on a verge of success. Don't quit yet. 

2. Oprah Winfrey said, "I was raped at the age of 9 yet I am one of the most influential women in the World." 

LESSON: Don't let your past decide your future.

3. Bill Gates said, "I didn't even complete my university education but became the world's richest man." 

LESSON: School does not make you rich. School is only supposed to polish what will make you rich, not make you rich.

4. Joyce Meyer said & I quote, "I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember, until I left home at the age of eighteen, yet I am one of the most influential preachers in the world." 

LESSON: Let your past push you, not define or limit you.

5. Christiano Ronaldo said, "I told my father that we would be very rich but he couldn't believe me. I made it a reality." 

LESSON: Your words rule your life. If you mean what you have said, each word will come to pass. You get what you say. 

6. Hear Lionel Messi!, "I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training and still became one of the world's best footballers."

LESSON: Believe in your dream. Don't let your pain tell you how your future will look like. 

7. Steve Jobs penned, "I used to sleep on the floor in my friends' rooms, returning coke bottles for food, money, and getting weekly free meals at a local temple, I later on founded Apple Company." 

LESSON: That you are small today doesn't mean you will be small tomorrow. Keep trusting God.

8. Former British PM, Tony Blair said & I quote, "My teachers used to call me a failure, but I became a Prime Minister."

LESSON: Don't let someone else's opinions of you become your reality.

9. Bishop David Oyedepo said, "I started Living Faith Church from a lawn tennis court with three members only & preached prosperity. Many of my friends criticised me, but today we have the largest church auditorium in the world & two world-class universities."

LESSON: Believe in yourself even if no one does & never think of quitting.

10. Nelson Mandela said, "I was in prison for 27 years & still became president."

LESSON: You can be anything you want to be no matter where you have been or what you have been through.

11. Mike Adenuga said, "I drove a taxi to finance my university education but today I'm a billionaire." 

LESSON: Don't let your past decide the kind of future you need to have.

12. Harland Sanders, Founder of KFC said, "I was on the verge of suicide when an Idea of opening a restaurant hit me after I retired as a cook in the Navy."

LESSON: Nothing is ever too late. "Too late" is a language of failures. Your future can begin at any age. Don't ever let AGE limit you.

13. Aliko Dangote said, "I worked for my uncle since I was a small boy, people looked down on me. I later on took a loan from my uncle to open a tiny shop. I worked hard to make ends meet. Now I am the richest Man in Africa.

LESSON: Failures or limitations of the past have no control over the greatness in you. To him that believes, all things are possible.

14. Barack Hussein Obama said, I am a son of a black immigrant from Kenya, I graduated from Harvard and later on became a Senator in Chicago. I was also the President of the most powerful nation on Earth.

LESSON: Never design your life like a garden where anyone can walk in and out. Design it like the sky where everyone aspires to reach!

15. Arnold Swarzzenegger said, I traveled to America in search of financial independence when I was 15yrs old. I became the world's strongest man 7 times and Mr Universe. I then got my Economics degree, then I became one of Hollywood's best actors before I was voted twice as governor of California."

LESSON: Don't wait for everybody to believe in your ability and dreams.

EMPOWERED BY GOD

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12 

Several Governments over the years had developed empowerment programs for the women, for the youths, for widows and so on. This has been grossly inadequate. There is no Government on the face of the earth that can successfully empower all its citizens. Even in the most advanced countries unemployment rate and poverty rate is on the rise daily.

Beyond human empowerment is a divine empowerment that is equally available for every human being on the face of the earth. It’s an empowerment that covers every group of human being on the face of the earth. It also covers every area of life.

Before any Government devised their empowerment programs, God has put in place his own program to make you a success in life. It’s an empowerment that is beyond the provisions of the economy. 

To be empowered means to be equipped with all it takes and required to function. We are empowered to function at the highest level of wisdom and insight. Christ is made unto us wisdom. Wisdom gives us a sense of direction in every issue of life. We are therefore on the advantage side of lie, because we have a source to draw from that is not limited to what was given us in the four-walls of school.

Receiving Christ into our lives is the greatest decision any of us could have made. His presence in our lives empowers us above failure and the limitations of this world. None of them can hold us down any more.

A government program does not determine our lives any more. We’ve gone ahead of them already.

We have been empowered by God to be all we are created to be. At work in me is divine enablement.

Pastor Ola Aina

LEFT BEHIND!

MATTHEW 24:40-44

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matthew 24:42).

The events of the last days are clearly written in the Bible. The rapture of the saints, that is, the taking away of God's children from the earth to meet Jesus in the air, will soon take place. While this event will bring the deepest joy to friends of Jesus, yet, it is going to be a time of great disaster in human history.

Those who rejected Jesus and have lived their lives in sin will be left behind. Those who are left behind will face a period called the Great Tribulation. That is when Satan will appear in the form of the Antichrist and will rule the world in wickedness. Imagine the joy that awaits you, this should encourage your heart. No matter the temptation and the pains you may be going through now, a moment with Christ in glory will make them seem as nothing. In heaven, your Saviour will wipe away all your tears, embrace you and receive you unto Himself. Endeavour to keep yourself pure and ready for His coming.

Lord Jesus, I pray that I will be ready when You come.

REMEDIES FOR KIDS BED-WETTING

I told us in my last post that I am learning a lot during this lock-down and compulsory stay at home. 

I told us earlier how I had turned a professional plate washer, I can bath the kids now conveniently, put cream on them and wear them clothes. I can conveniently now clean them up when they pee or poo. I have learnt how to tuck them to bed too. The only thing I have not turned pro to is to apply the dusting powder on them when there is excessive heat. I find it difficult somehow, only their mother knows how to do that well and it really looks fine on them. The times I tried it even myself was scared of the result and kids look. I won't tell you how they look, am sure you can guess. That story is for another day when I am ready to laugh at myself really well.

Now back to our topic. The remedy is simple but it required a lot of discipline and sacrifice.

Let me tell you how God did help us with our own kids, although 99% of the credit belong to their mother. I will manage the 1% shaaaaa. This is what we do...

Before going to bed she will take them to pee. At night whenever she wakes up, she will do the same. Sometimes in the middle of the night up to 2 to 3 times at night before day break and the kids will sleep very soundly. After a while she gets use to it except maybe when she is ill or not feeling too well that is when I assist if I am at home and to the glory of God none of them have issues with peeing in bed while asleep or bed-wetting.

You can do the same. As parents you must be disciplined and you must sacrifice your own comfort and convenience for your kids so they and you can be happy at the long run.

There are other remedies though which I personally have not tried and I really cannot recommend them because I am not a medical personnel but if you feel it resonates with you, you can give it a try. That is making sure you reduce their liquid intake before they go to bed and making sure they eat earlier so whatever digestion needs to take place in them can be done before they go to bed and they too might have done the peeing or wee wee themselves before bed time. Like I said earlier I have not tried it but you can consult your doctor to find out if the recommendation is okay for kids. But, the one that worked for us as parent is the one I recommend initially that if we can sacrifice our sleep a little and be disciplined enough to take responsibility just for a space of one year or two, that is when the kids are between one to three years old, with God on our side, I want to believe bed-wetting will be a thing of the past in the lives of our children.

For those who are already experiencing a chronic type of kids bed-wetting I have the following recommendations:

1. Always pray with your kids before going to bed. If they are already asleep, you do not need to wake them for the prayers, just pray on them while they sleep.

2. Follow the recommendations above. I am sure if you really love your kids, it is not a sacrifice that is too heavy to pay

3. Seek medical advice or counsel

4. Don't be afraid and ashamed of them, with time and God on your side they will outgrow it no matter how long.

5. If you feel it is not normal or ordinary when they get to certain age like I said earlier, seek medical help and you can also seek for help or prayers from a genuine man of God.

You will not be ashamed of your children and no matter how long you live, you will not cry over any of your children in Jesus name. 

Thanks for reading

Bamishaye Bamidele Emmanuel

YOU NEED WISDOM WHEN DEALING WITH CHILDREN

I have learnt a lot during this lockdown and the compulsory stay at home instruction by the government. Aside turning to a professional plate washer, kids bather and maintenance erudite pro, I learnt also how to relate with kids with less stress and hassle.

So, my two year old daughter recently went to the tap where I wanted to carry out my usual professional plate and utensils washing, took the 500g powdered soap that i want to use for washing and turned it all into a bowl of water containing the plates.

When I came to the scene I was not happy at all. I snapped her hand and bombom and she began to cry. I did'nt want her to cry. I didn't want to snap her either, but, it was the last soap at home that we also use for washing other things. Beside the fact that i don't even have a dime to purchase another one during the lockdown, there was no way I could have bought another one even if i have the cash without stepping outside. I felt bad I made her cry even though I made her realise what she did was not right but what will a two year old understand?

It didn't end there. When the mother wanted to wash some clothing at home, the same incidence occur. She just stepped into the house to collect somethings for washing. Before she came back sister MoyinOluwa has done the same thing. She has turned another 500g of powdered soup into a dirty water and when the mother came back, trust me, the next thing I heard is the voice of sister MoyinOluwa the commander in chief of our family. Yes, she cried and I didn't like it one more time. But, something happened that amazes me and that is the fact that her mother found a solution to the problem and sister MoyinOluwa was saved from constant snapping.

So, the mother bought another soap, this time however, instead of leaving it in the sachet she turned the whole powdered soap into a one litre plastic bottle and covered it very well, something sister Moyin will not be able to uncover and that is how we solved the problem of soap wastage and sister Moyin receiving enough snapping of her bombom. There lies the wisdom.

Whenever, we are dealing with kids and a particular issue is re-occurring, sometimes snapping the kids or shouting at them may not solve the problem. let us ask God for wisdom to deal with the issues bothering them and when God gives you wisdom to solve it, everyone will be happy for it.

James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Bamishaye Bamidele Emmanuel