HEIGHT OF LOVE : BANISHED BUT NOT EXPELLED (Part 2)

2 Samuel 14:14, Titus 2:11.

Good day Beloved,
We discussed in the first part some Mysteries of our identities. A close friend got so personal with it that he edited his name and added 'GOD' to it. Well, no worries. After all, the Scripture says 'we are gods and Children of the Most High' (Ps. 82:6). So it's acceptable.
(To read up on the first part, you could check my Facebook wall or ------> zoescripts.blogspot.com )

However, the latter part of 2 Sam. 14:14 says that God devises means so that those He has Banished do not become expelled.

In this part, we will go ahead to discuss that devised means.
For someone to be banished is:
- Not to have access to a particular place or thing.
- To always be on the run, looking over the shoulder.
- To be denied some benefits/privileges once enjoyed.

Well, one general truth is that Man was banished from Eden. Eternal life was taken from man, all the comforts and privileges of Eden were withdrawn and Man lost access to Eden (Gen. 3:22-24).

However, God, true to His Word, devised a means so that His Banished does not become expelled. That means was the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. He sent His Only Son so as to bring many sons (you and I) into glory (Heb. 2:10).

Now, through the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, we have access to Eden once again, we have eternal life again (Jn. 3:16).
Titus 2:11 says ' The GRACE that brings salvation has appeared unto ALL men...'. That GRACE is JESUS.

Without Him, we would all have been all expelled like the devil. But thank God for Jesus. This is the height of love. There is no greater love than this that a man should lay down his life for another (Jn. 15:13).

Please and please, you can put an end to sorrow, Sickness, failure, lack, and all oppressions of the devil. Let Jesus fight for you. He has never lost. Allow Him. Access that GRACE and begin to enjoy a life of ease. It's real. It's here.

THE HEIGHT OF LOVE

Jn.15:13, 2 Sam.14:14.

*a deep sigh*...
Yeah, I had to do that. Let me share with you why.

You know, I have always heard that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8). And that He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins so as to redeem us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13) and make us Kings and priests unto Him (Rev. 1:5-6). Mysterious, you think?

I have heard more than that even to the fact I am now a child of God, heir according to the Abrahamic promise (Gal. 3:29), now a citizen of Heaven (Phil. 3:20), and now partakers of the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:11-13). You think that's a mystery?

How about the fact that you now bear His name (2 Chro. 7:14) - so my name can as well be OLUMADE ZOE TESTIMONY GOD. Yeah, the 'God' isn't there because I am claiming to be God. Far from it. Never will that be. It's rather there because that's my spiritual Surname. I've been baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3), and I bear His marks and seal on my body and in my spirit (Eph. 1:13-14, Gal. 6:17). A deeper mystery?

Then I saw this...
It's in 2 Samuel 14:14.
...
When a man commits a sin, God chastises. He disciplines with love. In doing that, the individual may be banished from His presence. This is not the worst that can happen to any man. To be expelled is. When a man is expelled, there is no hope of return. This is where the devil and his demons stand.

However, the height of love is this, that after He banishes a man, He still goes ahead to put measures in place that such individual isn't expelled. Never seen love so awesome and overwhelming. He's the best Father ever. He really wants absolutely no one to perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). He's always ready to forgive with open arms no matter how grave the sins are (Isa. 1:18).

No man is totally expelled. Some may be banished. Just in case you are banished. You do not hear His voice anymore. You don't see Him like you used to anymore. You don't receive revelations in the Scriptures like you used to. You know beyond doubt that there's been a gulf between you and God. This is a measure by God to make sure that you are not expelled.

The solution is a prayer of repentance. And I can assure you that without doubt, you will be welcomed back into the family of God.

Only Banished! Not Expelled! Hope exists for All!
The Height of Love.

DO IT YOURSELF (D.I.Y)

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

February 11th, 2016 (Thursday)

[Topic] - DO IT YOURSELF (D.I.Y)

[Scripture] - Proverbs 6:9. "...You lazy people, how long are you going to lie there? When will you get up?"

[Message] - Good morning Beloved. For this God is our God for ever and ever.

The statement, 'do it yourself', is one many of us are familiar with. It is meant to get us to do somethings on our own and not rely on others to get them done for us. Many of us want the finished products and want to skip all the labour processes and hardwork. It's time to do it yourself. 

Laziness is one of the traps that the devil uses to keep people down and bound, especially the youths. As the saying goes, 'an idle hand is the devil's workshop'. God doesn't work with lazy people. He is rewarder of them that 'diligently' seek Him (Heb.11:6). Do you see a man who is 'diligent in his business, he willl stand before kings (Prov.22:29).  

I heard from a man of God that God will never substitute diligence for anointing oil. God has never blessed indolence is not about to start. We have got to get up and do something. Particularly, in the things that concern the spirit. Many times we just want to sit back and listen to sermons, read devotionals, and so on, and are never going in search of the Truth ourselves. 

Now that's not to say it's wrong. It's not, but there has to be a personal effort to create your own personal relationship with God. That what He want. I'm pretty sure you can't do that with other areas of your life. For instance, give someone the money to go on a vacation for you, then come back and tell you all about it, while you sit and save yourself the stress. Would you? NO! Would you give your wife/husband to someone else to help you take care of and then bring them when you're old to save yourself the stress. Would you? NO! 

Then, it's time to do the digging in the WORD of God for yourself! Do it yourself! 

#SELAH

PRACTICAL STEP :- A good place to start is with the Bible-in-one-year plan below. 

FURTHER BIBLE STUDY :- Proverbs 6:6-9, Matthew 25:14-30

BIBLE-IN-ONE-YEAR PLAN :- Mark 10:46 - Mark 12:40, Job 20: 1-19

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

NEVER ENGAGE THE DEVIL IN A FIGHT

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

February 10th, 2016 (Wednesday)

[Topic] - NEVER ENGAGE THE DEVIL IN A FIGHT

[Scripture] - 2 Chronicles 20:15 (KJV). "...for the battle is not yours, but God's."

[Message] - Good morning Beloved. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. 

This is a serious one this morning. It deals with our every day activity. It addresses our struggles every blessed day. An awful lot of times, we face challenges and trials and temptations, where the devil brings sin wrapped and packaged with desire written all over it, when in the real sense, it's just lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life, enough to lead any man to hell. 

A not-so-pleasant news is that at the beginning of every year, or month or day, we wake up speaking to ourselves and gearing our spirits for a fight we are very sure to lose. We tell ourselves, 'there's no way the devil will get me to fall today', and we forget that this same devil knows our weaknesses, will hit us right in that spot, and then we come back bowing our heads in shame, while some even think God is not paying attention to them at all. 

We must get to the level where we understand that a battle with the devil is one we will never win, as long as we do the fighting. Our anchor scripture has told us the plain truth, 'the battle is not yours'. You're not meant to do the fighting. Like Moses told the Israelites, be still and know that He is God (Exo.14:14). 

Please go through your Bible again to Revelation 12:11, you would find out that the Bible says 'they overcame him BY the blood of the Lamb', and not '...WITH the blood of the Lamb'. You're meant to stand back, worship Him, praise Him, plead the Blood and throw scriptures in the face of the devil. 

This way, I bet you, there's no way the devil is winning. He already lost once (Col. 2:14-15), He will always lose to Christ. That's the way to win - leave the fight for God and trust Him while you do your own part. Don't fight the devil yourself, you won't win.

#SELAH

FURTHER BIBLE STUDY :- 2 chronicles 20

BIBLE-IN-ONE-YEAR PLAN :- Mark 9:14 - Mark 10:45, Job 19:13-29.

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

WHO IS WITH YOU?

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

February 9th, 2016 (Tuesday)

[Topic] - WHO IS WITH YOU?

[Scripture] - Psalm 16:8 (KJV). "I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." 

[Message] - Good morning Beloved. We will sing unto our God because He has dealt bountifully with us. 

'Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are'. Oh how true that statement is. Many of us have placed little or virtually no importance on who our friends are, or who we choose as companions, until it's too late and there's almost no coming back. 

Psalm 1:1-3 gives us 3 categories of companions we must never associate with: the ungodly, sinners, and scornful. If we decide to move with them, it won't be long before they introduce us to their father, the devil (John 8:44). 

Proverbs 13:20 says that if you walk with the wise, you become wise, and a companion of fools shall be destroyed. In simple terms, 'you are who you walk with!' The people we walk with affect us so much they in the end, they either make or mar our destinies. 

David had Jonathan, Joshua had Caleb, Jesus had His disciples, Timothy had Paul, Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys, and so on, and they made it. However, Ahitophel and Absalom, Korah, Abiram and Dathan had the wrong set of companions and it led to their failures. 

Those who are with you are either for you or against you. Don't make the mistake of thinking they are all for you. If God opens your eyes to see that you must drop some people, please do so fast. Who are with you?

#SELAH

PRACTICAL STEP :- Look at all of those you call friends and prayerfully and practically drop those who won't help your destiny. Friendship is by choice and not by force. 

FURTHER BIBLE STUDY :- Zechariah 3

BIBLE-IN-ONE-YEAR PLAN :- Mark 7:1- Mark 9:13, Job 18:20 - Job 19:12

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AS A NECESSITY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH

The Holy Spirit helped me to prepare a seminar on the topic, "Deeper personal relationship with God as a necessity to spiritual growth." 

I will be taking this seminar under 5 major outlines: 

👉 Introduction 

👉 Spiritual growth 

👉 Measure of Spiritual growth 

👉 Key to Spiritual growth

👉 Conclusion 

So we take them one by one...

👌INTRODUCTION 

By way of introduction, growth is very important in any field or sphere of life: home, church, school, ministry, academics, marriage, finance, and so on. 

A child who is not yet walking or talking after celebrating a year old will draw attention.

A business that has not left the level it was when it started can surely never attend the gathering of those that have grown. 

 A student who's Cummulative Grade Point Average did not improve throughout 4 years, obviously has something wrong somewhere....and so on and so forth. 

This is just for us to understand the necessity of growth in our everyday life. 

If growth was not important to God, Jesus will not need to be born as a baby and would have just come a full grown man and launched right. into ministry. Just in case someone asks, 'between the age of 12 when Jesus went to the temple and age 30 when He began His ministry, what was He doing for 18 years?' The answer is this, 'HE WAS GROWING'. (Luke 2:52). 

Now, growth doesn't just happen. It is stimulated. Medically related scientists will confirm that there is something called Growth Hormone (GH), or Somatotropin, in the body and it functions to stimulate growth. 

So, something causes growth to occur. It's not just automatic. NO! You pay the price for growth, you receive the prize of growth! Capish! 

👌SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

Simply put, Spiritual growth means growing in the Spirit. 

As we all know, man is a tri-une being, consisting of body, soul and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23). Man is a spirit, that has a soul and lives in a body. So man is primarily a spirit. Yes! You're a spirit! ...And whatever happens in the spirit, affects both the soul and the body.

 That's why when the spirit of a man is regenerated (John 3:6...'Spirit gives birth to spirit'), the soul is renewed (Rom. 12:2), and the body is transformed (Phil. 3:21). 

👌MEASUREMENT OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

How do I know someone who has grown to a certain extent in the Spirit? How do I differentiate such person from someone who has not grown in the Spirit? 

Let us do a quick study together...

We know a tree that is growing through its production of fruits. That is, it takes nutrients from its root (you remember the xylem and phloem?), and takes them up. We do not know when this nutrient movement takes place but we know that they are moving. How? Because we can see fruits. 

Now, John 15:5 says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." 

According to our illustration, Jesus Christ is the vine (the root) and we are the branches. When we bring forth fruits, it confirms we are tapping nutrients from Jesus Christ and we display them on the outside for the whole world to see. What fruits are we talking about here? The fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The world doesn't need to know when you draw nutrients from Jesus Christ (it takes place in your secret), but they must know that you do, through your exhibition of the fruit of the Spirit, and that's how we measure a man's spiritual growth!!!

Any believer who is not meek, with anger issues, lack of faith, lack of perseverance, and so on, is not there yet.

Let's not make the mistake of measuring spiritual growth through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Its wrong. Don't forget the devil is also a magician, he can perform signs and wonders too...BUT an evil tree will never produce good fruits, NEVER! (Matt. 7:17-18) - the devil can never produce the fruits of the Spirit. 

Not every prophet you see performing signs gets it from God. May we never be misled! 

👌KEY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

There are many keys to spiritual growth:

👉The Word (1 Peter 2:2, Acts 20:32)

👉Prayer (Jude 1:20)

👉Fasting (Matt. 6:16-18)

👉Obedience (John 14:23, NIV).

...and so on, like Suffering for Christ (Heb. 5:8), etc. 

But all of these come down to our topic: Deeper personal relationship as a necessity to spiritual growth. As a matter of fact, I would beg to amend the topic a little to, "Deeper personal relationship with God: the key to spiritual growth." 

...which leads us to our last outline...

👌KEY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

Just like we have discussed, to grow in the Spirit, to produce the fruits of the Spirit the more, to become more robust in the spirit, the key is having a deeper personal relationship with God, and that entails those other things we listed above: Praying, fasting, studying the Word, and so on. 

Until we draw up nutrients from the well that won't run dry, Jesus Christ, our extent of growth will be limited. 

Now, let's do a quick diagnosis on ourselves. Just think on some things. It's a SELAH moment. 

"If Jesus were to be real, flesh and blood, to you, how would He rate your relationship with Him on a scale of 10? Tell yourself the truth, please... you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

How many times do you call Him, text Him, spend time with Him, listen to Him, read His letter to you (the Word), love His people (the gathering of the saints), love His house (the Church)...and so on."

Anything below 7 on that scale of 10, and it's not encouraging. 

👌CONCLUSION 

It's not too late! 

We can begin the process of growth today. Spend quality time with Him, develop your personal relationship with God, and it won't be long before you see positive changes in your spirit, and consequently, your soul and body. 

THERE IS POWER IN UNITY

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL
January 29th, 2016 (Friday)

[Topic] - THERE IS POWER IN UNITY

[Scripture] - Ephesians 4:9 (KJV). "Two are better than one..."

[Message] - Good morning Beloved. All glory, honour, dominion and power, be to God for the gift of life. Amen.

To further illustrate the disservice we will doing to ourselves if we fly solo or do things on our own only, or are not interested in the condition or situation of others, is that there's power when we unite. Just like our anchor scripture says, two are better than one, in every way, provided that they are both 'good'. If not, then 1 good is better than two bad ones. When the two are good, and can only affect each other positively, then their achievements are endless.

First, they help each other. If one fall, the other will lift him up (Eccl. 4:10). When one begins to lag behind in anything, the other will assist to help him back to his feet. This, we can't do if we're on our own. Remember, iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17)

Secondly, when we study the Word on our own, there's a limit that we can go with revelations compared with when we study the Word with others. The Holy Spirit can interpret one portion of scripture to two people in totally different ways and they are both edified. This, is again, another advantage of uniting with others.

Thirdly, when two or more people lift up their voices to God concerning a particular matter. They gain audience quickly. Jesus Himself said, 'where 2 or 3 gather in my name, there I am in their midst' (Matthew 18:20).  This is another reason why Hebrews 10:25 encourages us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. In addition, it's only when we're together that the corporate anointing falls, not when we're on our own.

In conclusion, there is no limit to our achievements when we're united. God Himself said in Genesis 11:6, 'And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do' and 'And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Eccl. 4:12).
#SELAH

PRACTICAL STEP :- Look for about 2 to 3 friends you have who have the same vision as you and form a bond with them to deal with spiritual matters, as well as others.

Further Bible Study :- Ephesians 4:9-12, Gen 11

Bible-in-one-year plan :- Matthew 12:9 - Matthew 13: 43, Job 12:13-25

Zoescripts.blogspot.com

THE "ME, MYSELF & I" SYNDROME

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 28th, 2016 (Thursday) 

[Topic] - THE "ME, MYSELF & I" SYNDROME 

[Scripture] - Philippians 2:3 (KJV)"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

[Message] - Good morning Beloved. All glory, honour, dominion and power, be to God for the gift of life. Amen. 

One challenge with some Christians is that they exhibit the "me, myself and I" syndrome. They only think of themselves. In whatever situation they  find themselves, they only look for ways to help themselves and then leave whoever is affected and helpless to him or herself. They appear to be selfish and stingy because of this syndrome. I'm sure you're probably already thinking of someone around you who's an example of this (be sure to look at yourself first). 

When you try to talk to some of them about their attitude, they make reference to the scripture that says, 'love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12:31). It's true that we're asked to love our neighbours as ourselves and not more than ourselves. However, there's the place of showing 'selfless' love. Jesus exhibited this. He was good at putting others' needs before His. 

There's also an extreme to this that we must consider. Phil. 2:3(NIV) says that, 'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves'. This extreme is that there's a thin line between esteeming others above yourself in humility and trying to impress them. The both of them won't get the same reward. 

When we try to impress people, we probably come back to square one, feeling bad and unfulfilled, plus no reward but when we count others more significant than ourselves in humility, heaven recognizes it and the angels nod in agreement to the fact that, Yes!, this is someone like Christ. 

Jesus describes the believer as the 'light of the world' and 'salt of the earth' (Matthew 5:13-16) and both of them emphasize on affecting the lives of others positively, which is what we should do, in all humility. This is one true way to act like Christ. 

PRACTICAL STEP :- Make sure you put a smile on a face, at the very least, beginning from today. 

Further Bible Study :- Philippians 2:3-7

Bible-in-one-year plan :- Matthew 9:27 - Matthew 12:8, Job 12:1-12. 

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

BUILDING YOURSELF UP (3)

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 27th, 2016 (Wednesday) 

[Topic] - BUILDING YOURSELF UP (3)

[Scripture] - Jude 1:20 (KJV), "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost."

[Message] - Good morning ☺ The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places (Ps. 16:6). 

As we consider building ourselves up, there's a particular aspect that cannot be neglected, and that's a close personal relationship with the One who owns this dispensation, the Holy Spirit. 

Jude 1:20, our anchor scripture, gives a direct step to building ourselves and that's praying in the Holy Spirit. This particular one, is a challenge for many, and the devil makes sure he does all he can to keep them from taking time out to act on this particular step. This is because when we speak the language of the Spirit, the devil doesn't understand, so he's confused when we pray. The best thing to do, then, is to try and stop them from praying in the Spirit at all. 

Praying in the Spirit has many benefits, some of which are: we pray according to the will of God, the Holy Spirit helps us put our request before God with strong reasons, we give thanks well, personal edification. My personal favourite benefit is that when I speak in the language of the Spirit, I speak mysteries. Awesome! 

The benefits of praying in the Spirit are innumerable. We should cultivate the habit of praying in the Spirit, for quality time. When we do this, particularly at the early hours of the day, we settle the rest of the day before God and there's nothing the devil can do about it. 

The Holy Spirit is our companion, friend, and comforter. We should cultivate the habit of speaking to Him expressly in His own language. By so doing, we build ourselves.  

PRACTICAL STEP :- Beginning from today, even if just for 30 minutes, take time to pray in the Spirit. If you have not been baptised in the Holy Ghost, ask for it. He promised to give to all who ask (Luke 11:13), however, the conditions must be met: Be born again, and ask in faith. 

Further Bible Study :- Romans 8:26, I cor, 14.

Bible-in-one-year plan :- Matthew 7:1 - Matthew 9:26, Job 11:7-20.

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

BUILDING YOURSELF UP (2)

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 26th, 2016 (Tuesday) 

[Topic] - BUILDING YOURSELF UP 2

[Scripture] - James 1:22 (KJV), "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

[Message] - Good morning ☺. We are loaded today with benefits from God. 

We discussed yesterday that for anyone to grow in whatever field of life we find ourselves in, the Word of God must be taken seriously and diligently. The Holy Spirit, through the Word, is complete and addresses every issue of life where we may need guidance and assistance. We can never be lost or confused (John 8:12).

However, it's not enough to just know what to do to aid our growth. We need to take an extra step of acting and practising it. Our anchor scripture helps us understand this fact. We should not just be hearers but also the doers. The blessing doesn't come from hearing but the doing. Jesus knew that people are tired of hearing and not doing, that was why He made a statement saying that, 'men are dull of hearing' (Matt. 13:15). 

There are a lot of people who can preach sermons, give talks or seminars on how to overcome a particular sin, or succeed in an endeavour, but they themselves, are still slaves of sin, or struggling with growth in that field of life. They have all the knowledge but WISDOM is missing, because wisdom is the right application of knowledge, and the Bible tells us that wisdom is the principal thing (Prov. 4:7). 

It's not enough for us to know that the Word of God is the solution to building ourselves up, we need to act on the Word. It's not enough for us to know that giving to God and the needy is the path to financial success, and then remain stingy. No! We need to begin to act on it. 

" someone will say [to you then], You [say you] have faith, and I have [good] works. Now you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can], and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith." - James 2:18 (AMP). #SELAH 

PRACTICAL STEP :- Make a list of what the Bible says about that issue you are considering, and be careful too begin to act on them from now on. 

Further Bible Study :- James 2: 14-26, James 1:22-25.

Bible-in-one-year plan :- Matthew 4:23 - Matthew 6:34, Job 10:18 - Job 11:6.

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

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BUILDING YOURSELF UP

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 25th, 2016 (Monday) 

[Topic] - BUILDING YOURSELF UP

[Scripture] - Acts 20:32 (KJV), "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."

[Message] - Good morning ☺ Happy new week. 

Sorry for the temporary absence. It came back with a testimony. 

In this life we live, the importance of growth and development cannot be overemphasised. Attention is drawn to a child who is over a year and still can't walk, or a child of 4 years with the height of a year old child, and so on. Not just physically, but also in other areas, materially, academically, maritally, and even Spiritually. 

I want to believe it was but for emphasis of 'growth', amongst other things, that the last Adam, Jesus, was born of a woman, and grew (Luke 2:52), unlike the first Adam, who came complete and still messed up. No child of God is permitted to remain on the same level. 

We just must grow. We must be better than we were yesterday, and must be better tomorrow than we are today. There's no limit with God. 1 Peter 2:2 talks about desiring the sincere milk of the Word, that we may grow thereby. That's the key to growth - the Word! 

Apostle Paul, speaking in our anchor scripture, commended the people to God and the Word of His grace, which was, and is still, able to build us up. We want to grow financially, materially, physically, academically, maritally, and so on? It's in the Word. If we also want to build up spiritual muscles, it's the Word. 

For anyone who's serious with growth and development in all areas of life, he/she must take the Word serious from now on, to study it and to act it. Through frequent study and acting of the Word, growth is guaranteed. 

#SELAH 

PRACTICAL STEP:- Begin today to study the Word day and night. You can start by taking the 'Bible-in-one-year plan' and following it strictly. 

Further Bible Study :- Joshua 1:8, 1 cor. 3:1-2. 

Bible in one year plan :- Matthew 1:1- Matthew 4:22, Job 10: 6-17. 

Zoescripts.blogspot.com 

BBM Channel : C0013ACBD 

WEEP NOT!

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 20th, 2016 (Wednesday) 

[Topic] - WEEP NOT! 

[Scripture] - Luke 7:13 (KJV). "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not."

[Message] - Good morning ☺. 

When we hear this, many think we shouldn't shed tears at all. (I'm sure you're thinking, 'but Jesus did'). There are actually a lot of reasons why humans may weep, broadly classified into two: joy and sorrow. If the reason for the tears is a good one, then tears of joy; however, if the reason for the tears is not a good one, then they are far from being tears of joy, particularly in the case of loss.

God understands this phenomenon, because He's the one who put the emotions there. In fact, to emphasise the perfection of His creation, even Jesus, who came in flesh, also wept when He lost a good friend (John 11:35). So He understands perfectly well when we shed tears. 

So why then does God tell us not to weep? Why the command, 'weep not!'? It all has to do with what's behind the tears. More often than not, when we weep, we weep because we think there's nothing that can be done about it anymore, we think it's a hopeless situation, we think God has been silent and has intentionally allowed us to feel torture from the devil, and so on. It's these thoughts that God doesn't like, hence, the command, weep not! 

So what do we do when situations like that arise? We should look to God. In 1 Samuel 30, David was faced with this same challenge. He also wept, but if he allowed the thoughts behind the weeping to remain, his people would have been gone forever. Instead, he encouraged himself in the Lord and recovered all. This is what we should do. He has promised that He's with us and will never leave us (Heb. 13:5). Jesus also looked to God the Father.

So it's not bad to shed tears. You are free to express yourself, even in God's presence. Whatever may have happened to cause the tears, God understands and is not just silent. Look to Him (Heb. 12:2), and you will discover the message in that mess, and the testimony out of the test. 

PRACTICAL STEP: Take a list of things/events that have made you weep this year, and go to God in prayers declaring your total dependence on Him. You'd be surprised how things turn out. 

#SELAH 

Further Bible Study :- 1 Samuel 30, John 11. 

Bible in one year plan :- Deuteronomy 25:5 - Deuteronomy 27:26, Job 7:7-21. 

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BEWARE OF WRONG DOCTRINES

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 19th, 2016 (Tuesday) 

[Topic] - BEWARE OF WRONG DOCTRINES 

[Scripture] - Ephesians 4:14 (KJV)."That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

[Message] - Good morning ☺. Today delivers unimaginable favour to you. Amen. 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 tells us that in these last days, people will begin to have itchy ears, and gather teachers for themselves who will satisfy their likings and foster the errors they hold. They will turn away from the truth and begin to follow people who tell them what they want to hear, and do not condemn their errors. 

The bitter truth is that we are already in those last days and they are already happening around us. There are false doctrines all around us, and the unfortunate part of the story is that many are blindly following those who bear these false doctrines. 

This is why we should be careful what kind of doctrines and messages we listen to. It's not everybody we are supposed to listen to. If we do so, we will also listen to people who will lead us away from the truth. This is because there are many false prophets out there, and except with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will never know they are actually wolves in sheep clothing. 

The young prophet in 1 Kings 13 listened to the old prophet was only there to mislead him, and that led to his death. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 warns that there could be prophets who can use dreams, signs or wonders to mislead people, we should be careful. Not every sign or wonder is from God, the devil is still a magician. 

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can help us differentiate between a true and a false prophet. This is one major reason why every believer should have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

PRACTICAL STEP :- Take a list of all prophets you listen to. If they speak contrary to the Word, or do not bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, cancel their names and stop listening to them. 

#SELAH 

Further Bible Study :- Acts 20:28-30, 2 Peter 2:1-3

Bible in one year plan :- Deuteronomy 22:13 - Deuteronomy 25:4, Job 6:24 - Job 7:6.

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HEARTY PRAYERS

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 17th, 2016 (Sunday) 

[Topic] - HEARTY PRAYERS

[Scripture] - 1 Samuel 1:9 (KJV)."Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken."

[Message] - Good morning ☺. Happy Sunday.

Many wonder why they pray and they do not get answers. One reason could be that they may not have prayed from their hearts. 

Prayer is a heart-to-heart communication with God. One heart speaking to the other and the other responding. Prayer is man connecting with Divinity through the heart. Prayer should not be vain repetitions which is, sadly, what many do.

When we pray, we should pour our hearts to God and not speak through feelings of emotions. If we channel our prayers through anger, bitterness, sadness, dejection etc, we would pray the wrong prayer points and say the wrong things. This was the case with Elijah and Samson (I kings 19:1-4, Judges 16:27-30). Rather, prayer should be done through the heart, forgetting emotions and truly speaking hearty matters to God. 

In our text, Hannah was in bitterness of soul, yet when she prayed, it was from her heart to God. Jabez, in I Chro. 4:9-10, prayed a prayer directly from the heart. And such prayers, God cannot overlook (Psalm 51:17).

God knows exactly how we feel, He knows our needs, even before we ask for them. As long as all conditions for what you're asking for have been met (faith, soul winning, sacrifice), as soon as we ask, and we ask according to His will, we receive. 

Praying from emotions of fear, sadness, dejection, loss, bitterness and anger will make us raise our voices at God, talk with disrespect and complain.

#SELAH

Further Bible Study :- 1 Samuel 1:9-19, Luke18 : 1-9 

Bible in one year plan :- Deuteronomy 16:18. - Deuteronomy 19:14, Job 5:17 - Job 6:7 

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COME AND SEE

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL
January 15th, 2016 (Friday)

[Topic] - COME. AND SEE

[Scripture] - John 1:46. (AMP) "Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!"

[Message] - Special greetings to you this morning.

The Great Commission, like we all know it in Mark 16:15, 'And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature', is evangelism. It's our number one assignment as believers and our rate of fruitfulness, as described in John 15:16, is directly proportional to the number of souls we win into the kingdom. Maybe the first question should be, how many souls have you won into the kingdom this year? If none, then, you haven't been fruitful this year?

Still on the topic of evangelism, there are many ways this can be done. The best way to evangelise is to live a godly life and let people see it (Matt 5:16, 1 Thess. 1:5-9). Once people see your good works, the way you live, it will attract them to your God. However, we shouldn't substitute this for the Great Commission, because we are asked to 'go..and preach'. So we must preach. Beyond living the God-kind of life (ZOE), we must also talk about it.

One of the best ways to preach the gospel to the whole world is what we see Philip telling Nathaniel in our anchor scripture, 'Come and see!'. In John 4:5-30, we see this strategy of evangelism used by a woman of Samaria who met with Jesus at the well. Those 3 words brought the whole city to Jesus (Johh 4:29), and that should be how we evangelise too, telling them to 'come and see'.

However, you can't ask anyone to come and see what you have not seen. That's absolutely impossible. You must have seen. Only then, can you call other people to come join you. You must have had an encounter with Christ, you must have seen Him, before you can call others to also come and see Him.

Have you seen Him? Have you experienced genuine salvation? If you have, then go and tell others what you have seen, asking them to also come and see. This is the big secret to evangelism, an important key to fruitfulness in 2016. No stress. No fears. You have a proof of what you're talking about.
COME AND SEE!
#SELAH

Further Bible Study :- Luke 7:22, Matthew 11:4.

Bible in one year plan :- Deuteronomy 12-13, Job 4:7-21

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ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 11)

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 11)

You remember that saying that the baby snake that you think is harmless and refuse to kill today will be the one to grow and bite your child tomorrow, or so is it said. Many times, experiences of elders around us are enough for us to learn, only so that we learn from them and not make the same mistakes or fall in the same portholes they did. We have them around us for a reason, from our biological parents, to spiritual parents, to mentors, to elders generally, in the church and our environment. If only every generation would learn from the mistakes of the preceding generation, this world would surely be a better place.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case. In the ears of youths nowadays, when we are warned about actions we're about to take, we feel like we're hated and are only denied satisfaction or enjoyment and then we blindly walk into the exact mistakes our parents already warned us about. The truth is that, while its good to make mistakes and learn from them so that there isn't a repetition, it's better to learn from the mistake of others and not make them at all. However, there's something still better than learning from the mistakes of others and not repeating them, and that's having the Holy Spirit as our ally. 

For me, even if I didn't listen to Paul and my mom, and I had a relationship with the Holy Spirit back then, my life would have been better off today. I thank God for my faith and the time I gave my life to Christ, but to be honest with myself, I have some regrets. I wish I was born again earlier. I wish I knew the Lord during my teenage years. I wish I had a relationship with the Holy Spirit earlier in my life, I can only imagine where I would be today. However, I have the confidence that in Christ Jesus, I'm recovering all my lost years. If you don't have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, today is the day. Don't make it one day later. He's the best teacher. He knows what will happen tomorrow and can warn you about it today. He's your best bet and will surely never disappoint you. 

Let me conclude my story...

I didn't know where I was. It seemed like I was suspended and gravity lost it's effect on me. Where I was seemed like an empty space and was dirty, not beautiful at all. All of a sudden, a door opened in front of me, and I saw this man in white garment walk out of the door towards me. He was beaming with smile as he walked towards me. The closer he got, the weaker I became that I couldn't stand anymore and eventually fell on my face as he got closer still. When he got to me, I could only see his legs and yeah, that injury was there, the one He received on the cross. He lifted me up, removed the tattered clothes I was putting on and changed my clothes to one that looked like his. Then He hugged me and led me back the way He came. Just as I walked through the door, a bright light shone on my eyes and then I woke up. It was a dream. 

Of course, I woke up on another bed in one of the hospital wards. It was then I remembered that I had fainted and was out for about 4 hours. I woke up with a smile that I surely was now a different person and was already recognised in the kingdom of God, but then I was in tears again because I remembered who I used to be, how much I hated Him, how much I despised Him. Yet I came back to Him and He didn't hesitate to take me back and make me His own. My mom joined in the tears and we prayed. Just after we prayed, it poped up in my head why I fainted in the first instance, Gabriel! 

I was warned about him though. He was the baby snake I refused to kill and was waiting to kill my dad 20 years later. He wasn't who he said he was. His trips were actually missions of robbery and assassination. The judgement was life imprisonment and there was nothing we could do about it. 

Just about 2 hours after that, my dad fully gained consciousness and was ready to be discharged but to be placed on observation for another 2 weeks. The woman and child who were innocent casualties of my old life were also discharged and after settling the bills, I also gave them a cheque of 5,000 dollars, which they appreciated. 

My dear brother and sister, a very good friend of mine said, 'all life and no Christ is no life at all', and it's the absolute truth. John 1:4 says, 'in Him was life and that life was the light of men', and John 8:12, tells us that a life free of confusion can only come with Christ in it. It doesn't matter how long you have gone without Christ, it's not too late to come back to Him. Trust me, He's ever ready to receive and His arms are open wide to welcome you. Please, don't allow the devil deceive you. It may be rosy today but I can bet you, the end is destruction, and you won't like it. The devil will give you 5 naira and ask for 5 million naira in return, in fact, he will not stop until you're bankrupt. 

Never go into anything, be it marriage, relationship, career, investment, or what have you, without the permission of the Holy Spirit. It's dangerous. 

You have my life to learn from now so that you do not make the same mistakes, however, there's one person who can guide you through life effortlessly and joyfully, and He's the Holy Spirit. 

My dad is now perfectly fine, my kids and I go to visit Gabriel in the prison who is now also born again and we're trusting that God would intervene so that he's released. And that reminds me, I got back home to meet my kids waiting for me. They went with the school bus and the hall mistress mistook my kids for someone else's who were taken home by a driver.

Remember, all life and no Christ is no life at all. 

Thank you for listening. God bless you."

When I finished, and made the altar call, I'm sure I wouldn't be exaggerating to say that almost a thousand of them made a decision to follow Christ. I left that meeting fulfilled that God used my story to touch lives. 

                                         ***** THE END***** 

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 10)

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 10) 

Just like the story of the prodigal son in the bible, it doesn't matter how far we have gone, how lost we have been with the world, how deep down with trash we have been buried. The moment we realise that we have been wrong and come back to Him, He's always ready to take us back. His arms are open wide ready to receive us. Isaiah 1:18 tells us, that though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, meaning that there's no sin too much for Him to wash, no iniquity too grave for Him to deal with and permanently take away. Just like with Apostle Paul, the chiefest of sinners can become the chiefest of Apostles. 

I wasn't a saint. I didn't look like it at that point but I was determined that if God saved my dad and those innocent souls who became casualties of my own foolishness, I owed Him my entire life. I made a decision to live my life for God if he would only do me this good. My mom encouraged me and did a lot of talking to me about what my christian faith now entailed, what I needed to do to keep growing and make sure I did not go back on my promises to God. 

In my mind, I already thought that the vision Paul had was going to be fulfilled that day. I thought my dad would be declared dead. The doctor was sweating profusely, but smiling as he addressed us. The woman's husband was now around and I already  explained all happened to him. He was both sad and angry. He threatened to get me arrested for murder if his wife and child didn't make it. I didn't know where the faith came from but I told him that his wife and child would be okay, and God did it. 

'I have both good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear before the other?', the doctor asked. 

'the bad news', I said.

'Alright, the bad news is that we have removed the bullet from your father's chest and administered some treatments. However, he is in an unconscious state, in coma, and there's no way we can determine if he's responding or not. If you know how to pray, now is the time. Only prayers can bring him back.

And the good news is that I'm happy to announce to you that the woman and her child are okay. Just a few minor bruises. They would be treated and should be discharged in about 2 days.'

My heart jumped for joy because I wasn't going to be sued for murder. All that was left was just paying the bills which would not be a problem. However, they news concerning my dad gave me hope that since the doctor didn't come out to tell me he's dead, probably God was still considering my plight, whether to save him or leave him to die.

I tried Gabriel's number again, it was now switched off. I sent him a text explaining all that had happened that day and told him to give me a call as soon as he got the text. Then it occurred to me that if my dad died in that state, he would go to hell fire. I went on my knees again and prayed that even if he had to die, God should please give him an opportunity to repent of all his sins and be born again. While praying, I felt something inside me tell me to go to the ward where he was laid to pray for him. I told my mom and she said she had the same feeling in her heart. 

We moved towards the nurse who was sitting behind a long desk at the reception and asked if we could go into the ward to see my dad. She placed a call to the doctor and the doctor told her to lead us there. As we walked through wards on the right and left, I saw different cases of people who were sick and admitted, young and old, male and female. It suddenly dawned on me that I had not been admitted for any major illness for the past 25 years and for the first time in a very long time, I heard myself say the words, 'Thank You Jesus'. 

Then we came to the ward where my dad was laid. It was a little different from other wards. It was not too big but I could see tubes and machines everywhere. Then I remembered they called the place Intense Care Unit. My dad had tubes all over his face to his hands and chest. He was almost not breathing at all. I sat on a chair beside his bed, held his hands in mine and began to talk to God on his behalf. We prayed for him for about 30 minutes and just as we were about to conclude the prayer session, he began to cough really seriously. I ran to the nurse to explain what was happening. 

Before I knew it, everyone was running to and fro that room again. I didn't know what was happening because the doctor told us to return to the reception. We returned to the reception and continued the prayers. That was the first time in my life that I would pray for almost 2 hours at a stretch. I poured my heart out to God, making several promises and thanking Him for saving the woman and her child. We were still praying when the nurse turned on the television and it was the local news. The person speaking spoke about the robbery that happened at my dad's office and said that the only casualty was my dad, the Chief Executive Officer, but that the culprits had been apprehended and arrested and they listed their names with pictures.

I was shocked and fainted when I saw that the number one name on the list was Gabriel. 

"ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST" comes to an end with Part 11 following soon. 

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 9)

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 9)

I thought we were going to a hospital until my group took me through another turning along the road and I began to think I was also going to be kidnapped. I was helpless with no one to call or ask for assistance. Gabriel was on one of his trips, I called his number but he didn't  pick up.  

'he must be in one of those executive meetings', I thought.  

Then my mind went to my kids wherever they must be, and then to my dad again. I wasn't even sure if he was still alive anymore. 

'oh, this is too much for me to handle', I whispered into the ears of God, with no assurance if He was even listening at all.

Not long  after that, we pulled over at an uncompleted building and I was taken in. Apparently, the group I went with, saw the car I drove and thought I must be from a wealthy home. So, in addition to footing the medical bills of the woman and child I had hit, I must also give them something. I wasn't thinking clearly. The devil did a good job at bringing the worst of ideas into my head, and because I needed to leave for the hospital as soon as possible, I requested for an account number, made a few calls and transferred the money they wanted. After they confirmed the credit alert, they let me go. 

When I got to Blue Cross Hospital, it was the same hospital the woman and her child were brought to, so everyone: the doctors, nurses, cleaners, In fact, every single soul in that hospital was running here and there trying to do one thing or the other. Anyone who passed by would have gotten the ideaa that they were with more than one emergency. 

'This must be serious. You mean, I am the cause of all these running here and there?', I thought as I walked into the hospital. 

I met my mom at the reception already, sitting in tears but praying to God. 

'Mom! Where is dad? What happened? How did it happen? Will he be okay? What are the doctors saying? Have they been able to provide a solution? Will he survive it?', the questions followed each other as tears began to well up in my eyes also. 

All she said was, 'It is well.' 

Just as she said that, a doctor came out of the theatre and walked in our direction. 

'who is Mr. Johnson please?, the doctor asked a number of us who were waiting at the reception. 

'Here I am', a voice responded from behind me.

When I looked back, it was Paul Johnson, the same Paul who wrote me a letter. I had no idea he was there all along, and he didn't say anything to me. He must have seen my drama and pathetic state at that moment. 

Just as we looked at each other's eyes, I instantly remembered the vision he said he had in the letter he wrote to me about 15 years ago. He said he saw me in the corridors of an hospital in tears because someone related to me was in a critical condition. I remember that he said he heard the doctors say, 'We're sorry, we lost him.' Just as all of that came rushing back at me, I broke down, took my seat and thought, 'my life is officially in shambles'. I was so sure when the doctors come out and ask for us, they would tell us he was dead. 

Paul walked up to meet the doctor beaming with smiles and joyful. Then, I heard the doctor whisper to him, 'Congratulations sir, your wife has put to bed. It's twins. A boy and a girl.' He fell on his face and kept on saying, 'Thank You Jesus', for another 15 minutes. All he was saying looked like drama to me. I think the last time I said the words, 'Thank You Jesus', was about 20 years ago at our very last fellowship before leaving the secondary school. 

My mom quickly grabbed the doctor's laboratory coat and asked him how my dad was doing before he went back to the theatre. He said he was coming from a different theatre, the labour room, but that he was sure the doctors at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were doing their best, and that we should just keep praying. My mom continued the praying. I just sat there in tears, speechless with nothing to say. I couldn't even tell my mom that the young man rolling on the floor in front of us used to be a friend, has had a vision of today in the past, told me, and I know where all of this ends. 

I decided to summon up courage and talk to God. Even if he was going to kill me, that would probably be the worst to happen. I went on my knees and decided I was going to pray. 

'Lord Jesus, I know I'm the last person you want to hear from right now. I'm not even sure you're listening to whatever it is that I want to say. I know I haven't a good child at all. I have played away my life. I have been a pawn on the chessboard of the devil and he has done with me as he pleased. I didn't give you attention at all and I was foolish to think I could live life without you. Here I am, a wretched sinner and not worthy of your mercy but humble enough to come back to you and make a promise that I will serve you, and do all that you ask me to, till the day I close my eyes in death. All I ask is that you save me, make me your child once again and deliver me from all that has happened to me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen' 

Well, I was not sure if he heard me or not but I was sure the Comfort who went on her kneels was not the Comfort who stood up. Something changed, but I didn't know what it was. Immediately I stood up, my mom hugged me and said, 'congratulations'. Just as she said that, another doctor came out of the theatre and walked in our direction.

'Mrs. Adetayo?',

'Yes? We're here', my mom and I both chorused, and walked up to him. 

What did he say?

"ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST" continues in Part 10

TOO SMALL A THING?

WORDS OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

January 12th, 2016 (Tuesday) 

[Topic] - TOO SMALL A THING?

[Scripture] - Numbers 16:9 (ESV)."Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them"

[Message] - Good morning ☺ 

One thing with people of the world is that they are ungrateful. The little things you do for them, they will never appreciate it. When you stop it, they turn around and attack you and it's as though you never did anything good for them in the first instance. This doesn't just happen with people of the world but also in the church. 

Whatever we receive from God is a total privilege, and not a right. The absolute truth is we deserve nothing from God. For instance, what have you done that will make you think you qualify for life and breath for the next 24hours? What is your qualification before God? How righteous are you that you think there are somethings that should be given to you? 

Whatever we receive from God is as a result of grace and mercy. Truth is that we do not qualify for anything from God, but still, in his infinite mercies, has decided to give us somethings freely. We should never label these things as 'too small', or we present ourselves as proud and ungrateful. 

The breath in your nostrils, the job you have, your position in the church, that money in your pocket, that brain you have, those nice kids He gave you, that beauty He blessed you with, that great C.G.P.A, and whatsoever it is that you are or have comes from God and is totally a product of grace and mercy. Never tag them 'too small' or you begin to lose them one after the other, and come to nothing. 

Nothing from God is too small. Let's be grateful for the 'small' things we receive and hope for the 'big' things. Until we thank Him for the 'small' things, the 'big' things will never come. Shun ingratitude. 

#SELAH 

Further Bible Study :- Numbers 16, Isaiah 49:6.

Bible-in-one-year plan :- Deuteronomy 4:32 - Deuteronomy 6:25, Job 2:7 - Job 3:2. 

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ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST (Part 8)

ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST ( Part 8)

You see, we humans make some big mistakes that ruin a lot in our families, relationships, career, academics, marriages, finances, and our future in general. We are always looking for shortcuts to everything. We want it all very quickly and fast, the way we want it, and then in the process, go to the devil for it. We cast our pearls before swine, and ofcourse, because they absolutely do not understand who we are, or where we come from, they trample on our pearls, and still come for our heads. 

It's in the interest of the devil to destroy your joy. It's his duty to make sure that you're not happy wherever you find yourself, and just when joy is around the corner, he diverts it by showing you a fake in the eye and taking the real deal from you. 

Nothing good comes from the devil. At the very best, a few years, but hey, will you compare a few years with eternity? 

I allowed the devil to lead me to what I thought was 'good life', not knowing it was just a graveyard with a perfect interior decoration. A decorated monkey is still a monkey, it doesn't change that fact. It doesn't matter how beautiful the devil wraps a package, it's still meant to steal, kill and destroy. 

A bomb that's wrapped beautifully well doesn't stop it from detonating after its unwrapped. Let's be wise please...

Back to my story...

"The following week, as I always did, I went to pick my kids from school, only to get there and hear that the driver already came to pick them from school.

'which driver?', I asked hall mistress,

'your driver ma.'

'My Driver? How did you know that? Have I ever sent a driver to come pick my kids from school? Why would you release my children to a complete stranger without my permission? Is that the way things are done here? How many children have been kidnapped from this school since inception?', I angrily returned all the words to the mistress. 

'I'm sorry ma', she quickly apologised, 'He came here with a car just like yours, mentioned your name, the name of your kids and said he works for you and that you sent him to come pick the kids because you were a little indisposed.'

It was sounding funny. I quickly picked my phone, called all the servants at home and questioned them all to find out who came to pick my kids from school without my permission. Their responses were not in the affirmative. None of them came to pick my kids from school. 

I turned back at the hall mistress in anger,

'If I return home and do not meet my kids waiting for me at home, I will not only get you arrested, but also sue this school.', and then I angrily walked out of the school premises. 

Just as I was about to get into my car and zoom off, my phone rang. It was my mom. I thought she was the one who sent someone to come pick my kids from school. I didn't wait for her to say anything before pouring out all the words in my head for her.

'Oh, mom, the Holy Spirit, also asked you to come pick my kids from school without my permission?'

'Your kids? Far from it, my dear, I didn't pick your kids from school', her voice was shaking and she was in tears. I quickly got rid of the anger, apologised, and calmly asked what the cause of the tears was. 

'It's your dad. He was shot in the chest at the office and was just rushed to the hospital, Blue Cross Hospital, about 5 minutes ago. You should hurry dear, it's bad.'

I took about a minutes to process all that was going on. My kids were missing and now my dad was shot. I decided come deal with the school later, and quickly rush down to the hospital. On my way, I hoped that it would all just be a dream and that i'd wake up to realise none of all these was real. The more I thought about it, the more real it all looked. I prayed a short prayer that God would just deliver me from all of these bad events rolling up on each other like a snowball. Then I thought,

'Will He even answer me? I've ignored Him all my life and never paid any attention to Him. If He was flesh and blood, and heard all I just said, wouldn't He shoot me in the head?' I felt worse. It was not just me. My dad in question that I was praying to be saved also didn't give this Jesus any attention at all. I was so sure there was no way He would deliver me from all of these. 

Just as I was doing all the thinking, I was so lost in thought that I didn't know I had gotten to a four-way road and that the traffic light was 'red'. I sped past at a high speed and ran into another car. It was just as my head hit the steering wheel from the accident that I became conscious of the number three tragedy in my life that day, all in one day. 

Before I knew it, a lot of people surrounded me, seized the car keys from me and held me down to make sure I didn't run away. When they checked the car I hit, it was a woman and a baby that wasn't a year old yet. The woman was bleeding from her nose and the side of her head while the baby was laying unconscious on the floor mat of the back seat. The baby didn't look like she was breathing. 

The mob quickly divided themselves into two. One group quickly rushed the woman and her child to the hospital, while the other group was determined to make sure I suffered for what I had just done. All efforts to explain what really happened to them were in vain. I still hoped I would wake up from this dream, and I was too ashamed of myself to ask God for deliverance. 

How did things turn out? 

'ALL LIFE AND NO CHRIST' continues in Part 9