Christianity

SEEK GOD FIRST

🔰 YOUTH DEVOTIONAL

Our lives would have been better if we sought God the way we sought after our daily bread, money, power, and fame. Many of our mates have gone far in life. Why? They obeyed God 100%, likewise, many of our mates have died of sudden death. Why? Disobedience, sin, and ignorance.

Does it mean that we are alive because we are righteous and obedient to God? No! We are alive today because of the mercy of God. Some who died were far better and very obedient to God, yet they are no more. It’s a big privilege to be alive today. Don’t take God’s mercy and love for granted! Be obedient to his commandments and study his word. Be humble and submissive to God. You’re not a fool, don’t mind what people say; don’t look at what people are doing today. Mind your business, and seek God first.

Not everyone great in life is a thief or a fraudster. Not every business is illegal. There are young rich Christians out there, who are making cool money and doing great things in life. Some of them are younger than we are; their blessings have attracted honor and respect that those older than them call them daddy or mummy. The blessings of God will make older people prostrate before you. The blessings of God bring unexplainable honor.

You are also destined for greatness in life. You’re not created to remain poor in life. Many of us should have gone far in life if we were obedient to God 100%. You can attend church all the days of your life and remain poor. Yes! Because going to church doesn’t bring God’s blessing; but 100% obedience to God’s word and instructions.

Joshua 1:8 is one of the words and instructions of God to the youths today. If you want to prosper in life. You must read, speak, and do the word of God every day of your life.

Meaning, that you will keep struggling in life if you refuse to study and do the word of God. You will be adding more problems and more delays to your life if you keep refusing to obey God and obey his commandments. Your helpers will never see you if you refuse to obey God. Do you want your story to change? Do you want the blessings of God? Do you want your helpers to remember you today?

PRAY THIS PRAYER TODAY:
● Father, in any way I have disobeyed you, I’m sorry… have mercy on me.

● Father, help me to always obey you; help me to love you more and to study your word more.

● Father, I don’t know who you will send, send help to me for my dreams in life to be fulfilled!

ASSIGNMENTS:
Tell a friend about Jesus today. Tomorrow might be too late. Invite your friends to join us at Youthful Praise Nation Today. God bless you! Read more on WhatsApp here

We Are Smarter Than God

It is good to be smart, but anyone who thinks he or she is too smart than God will surely fall. Definitely, no man on earth, not even the angels in heaven can ever be smarter than God. Never!

Revelations 12:7-12 — Lucifer the Angel was disgraced and casted out of heaven to hell, because he thought he was smarter than God. He was chased out, and dethroned. Also in Daniel 4:28-37 — A King called Nebuchadnezzar in the history of the Bible was disgraced, because he thought he was smarter than God. He became an animal, feeding on grasses like an Ox 🐂 for 7 years. Don’t joke with God!

How do I know if I’m becoming smarter than God? We are smarter than God when we ignore him and disobey his word. We are smarter than God when we think we know more than God. You’re smarter than God when the Bible is no longer important to you. We lack understanding and knowledge, and that’s the reason why many perish; suffer, and die for nothing. The Devil is using many youths to count scores; winning souls to hell.

The Word of God is like Oxygen. It is life! You cannot survive without the word of God. The word of God is JESUS CHRIST — John 1:1-4. When you ignore the word, you’re ignoring Jesus Christ, and permitting the devil to win you over to hell.

This life is more spiritual than physical. There are so many unseen and seen battles that our Lord JESUS is fighting for us, else we won’t be alive today. But how do we pay back this loving God? By ignoring him? Let’s return back to God!

Today, Most Christians no longer read the Bible again, especially Christian youths, and so-called church workers, who only open their Bible on Sunday mornings. No man can deceive God! God can not be mocked.

It’s so sad that when the word of God is shared on platforms, 5 out of 100 will read, while 95 will ignore or feel less concerned. But post about worldly trends and see how the whole place become a bomb. What a funny generation!

When the word of God is posted, 1 or 2 out of 100 will read and react, while others will snub, acting too big for God, confidently ignoring the word of God. Is that wisdom or foolishness?

We are in the days of so many distractions, and the Devil is seriously working to complete his mission before the end of this world, by keeping many youths, and church workers very busy for eternal damnation, hell fire. John 10:10 says it all — the devil has come to steal, kill, and destroy…

A word is enough for the wise! Please share. God bless you! https://tinyurl.com/whatsapp-ypn1

David And Goliath

I took my time to study the story of David and Goliath and I discovered something there.

David stood in front of Goliath and instead of seeing the gigantic nature of Goliath, he saw the mightiness of God whose armies have been defiled. Goliath thought it was all about the small nature of David and he made mockery of the weapons of David, little did he know that just one stone out of the five he was mocking, will be his end.

How can David come to a fully dressed and armed man with sling and stones, is he not scared of death? Yet what we think is the foolishness of David and his God became the greatest wisdom of David and his God. Could it be that the reason you are still swallowed by those challenges is because you tell God how big/gigantic your challenges are, instead of looking fearless at the challenges and reminding them how big and mighty your God is.

Stop giving your problems or challenges upper hand by thinking they are big and gigantic, our God is bigger. Dearly beloved, we are advantaged because we have a God who is more powerful and mighty than any challenge staring at us.

Rise above the self pity; Rise above the insecurities. Rise above the fears. Our God is capable and the moment you start seeing that, that’s the moment you become closer to your miracle. We are not disadvantaged; When the challenges come facing you fearlessly, smile and adjust your crown reminding them whose daughter you are.
Your testimonies are nearer than you think.

You are more beloved!!

The Killer Nurse

“Don’t cry I am helping you, don’t you see the pain you’re going through?, “Each morning when I come here and see you crying from pains, It hurts me”. She said to the sobbing patient who could hardly move or speak.

The old woman was shivering, and shaking on the hospital bed, as the Nurse adjusted the drip; she brought a syringe, peeled off the needle cap, and injected an overdose of insulin into the old woman’s drip. The old woman slips into shock.

“Doctor! Doctor! Please your attention is needed in ward five, the old patient is having a crisis.” Nurse Audrey called the Head Doctor over the intercom 📞 The Doctor came rushing down.

“What happened Nurse? ” He asked.
“Sir I was administering medication to her when suddenly she began to convulse.” The Doctor fought in futility, Mama who was a very jovial patient, slept the forever sleep. “I thought she was going to make it, she was responding to treatment. Cover her, and inform her children.” The Doctor said.

He was stepping out of the room, when Rhoda, grandma’s grandchild stepped in. “Doctor, what’s wrong with my grandma? Why is that Nurse covering my grandma up?”

The Doctor shook his head as he patted her shoulder while heading out of the room. “My dear am so sorry, your grandma did not make it, I thought she would.” “What do you mean my grandma did not make it?

“She was here gisting with me, she asked me to get her food from the cafeteria, when the nurse came in to give her afternoon injection, how can my grandma just die?” She threw away the the plate of beans and plantain she had bought for her grandma, and pushed the nurse covering her grandma up away.

“Get away from my grandma! She cannot die! Grandma was okay! What did you do to my grandma?” The Doctor held Rhoda who cried uncontrollably. “Aaah Anini you cannot leave me now! Anini you promised to be at my wedding” She wept and rolled.

The Nurse covered the corpse up, the nurse assistant pushed the corpse away to the mortuary. Nurse Audrey went to the nurses’ station, and brought out her jotter with a big grin buttered across her face while she ticked a table she had drawn on the book – “two for this month, two more to go.”

She laughed hysterically rolling in her office; she quickly got up and cleaned herself when she sensed someone was standing outside her office… (to be continued) — The Killer Nurse.

Accomplished Woman

The woman called “Accomplished” is armed with the road map of her destination and she won’t stop until she gets there. She is a diamond that started as coal but has turned into a jewel. She is not scared of fire because she is made of fire. Though she was created last in the creation story, she is in no way an afterthought.

She is a woman who has survived many earthquakes of life troubles because she is indomitable. She is inspired by her Faith and fueled by her convictions. She is a partner, a lover, a friend, a mother, and a leader. In the space of a few hours, she can move from running a business to making lunch, playing with the kids, reading bedtime stories and still playing with her husband at night.

She understands that it is a challenge to master all these roles but much more dangerous to get stuck in a particular role at the expense of the others, so she consistently wears the bracelet of wisdom, that sponsors her resolve to be “Balanced.”

She is not a toy that men play with. She is that table in an occasion marked reserved. She is the envy of the ordinary and an inspiration to the elites. She is that woman her world calls impossible. She understands that houses are bought but homes are created so she is intentional. She is a model to her children, a trophy to her husband, and a treasure to her generation.

I am an extraordinary woman, fiercely on an assignment to recruit many into this army of women called accomplished. I have come to remind you that it is time to take your world by storm. Share with every Extraordinary woman you know.

— Faith Oyita ✍️

Don’t Walk Alone

I was reminiscing yesterday and remembered when I was job hunting in Lagos. I would go through the newspapers every week, to find vacancies and apply. I was called for an interview and the office seemed like a shop divided into two. I was casually asked to wait, and found out that it was a receptionist job. No activity was going on, except for one or two persons going in and out.

As at afternoon, I was still waiting patiently, and was advised to come back the next day so I could be interviewed, transport fare wasted. I jumped on a bus and went back home, seriously hoping that I would return the next day.

I got home and narrated my experience with my Dad, and how I’ll go back the next day… My Dad calmly said, Grace don’t go back there, that’s not the kind of job you should be looking for. You are more than this. Don’t worry, you will get something better. For some seconds, I jolted back to reality. I am actually more than this. I just graduated from school with good grades, why should I settle for this really…even though I was desperate..

Months later I got a good job and it struck me that if I had taken that job, it may have changed the direction of my life and made me forget my worth. So I ask, Have you become an Island? Do you have someone around you who can jolt you back to reality sometimes? Do you have someone who can guide you even when you don’t realise you are veering off the right path?

It’s great to have that one person, a friend, a mentor, a coach, a business colleague, your parents. You don’t know it all and sometimes your mind is so clouded, you cannot see the bigger picture, and just a nudge may be all you need to get you back on track again. Find that one person. Don’t walk alone.

— Grace Omotosho ✍️

Unity And Vision

It is impossible to have unity without vision. We live in a world of men. Everyone has their own personal pursuit and ambition. Therefore, it is practically impossible to build a relationship, family, ministry, business, or anything at all without a vision.

A vision must be compelling enough to allow someone give up his or her personal agenda for something bigger. If you are the only one who understands your vision, then be ready to work alone. And never call someone to join you over a vision that you don’t understand yourself.

Vision is the ability to see things the way they ought to be, not just as they are, alongside the determination to bring what you are seeing to manifestation. Many people already in a relationship can’t exactly tell where they are going after being in relationship for two years. Why does your ministry exist? Why does your business exist? Why do you want to get married? Why do you want to get that MSc/PhD?

Vision gives you focus, it gives you the legitimacy to say no to many things. It’s not only bad things that kill, good things that aren’t needed in your life can also kill. Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. God also has a clear vision for your life, that’s why you can’t walk with Him when you have your own personal agenda. You must lay down your plan as proof that you believe and trust Him. Go write a clear vision defined for your life, home, career, education, ministry, health, business.

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— Benjamin Michael✍️

Beware Of Pride

As a Believer, beware of Pride, before it consume you. Do check up on yourself daily. Who do you think the serpent really was? It was the enemy himself, Satan. Pride led to his downfall too.

Pride transformed Lucifer, an anointed cherub of God, the very “seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty,” into Satan, the devil, the father of lies. A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour – Proverbs 29:23

— Mary T Melody ✍️

Just A Reminder

Just a reminder that not having all the answers doesn’t have to be debilitating. It’s okay to be a student. It’s okay to do more listening than talking. It’s okay to wait until you’re in the best place physically, emotionally, and spiritually before offering advice or solutions.

You’re a human and sometimes existing breeds more fragility than resiliency. When the lessons are learned and the truth becomes clear you’ll move with power, but for now all you have to do is find a way to rest in the learning —

— Sarah Jakes Roberts ✍️

Root Of Captivity (Bondage)

The Bible Said, “Love Your Neighbour as yourself”, not more than yourself. When you’re doing it more than yourself, then something is wrong with your mentality. Your thoughts affects your results. Some people’s greatest opposition is not the devil, but themselves. Anything you think about your life possible. If you think that you can, you’re right, and if you think that you cannot, you’re right. There are people that celebrate everybody else apart don’t celebrate themselves. They will serve their visitors with wine and prefer to take water or zobo.

The Wrong or Limiting Mindset:
When somebody has a mind set, when he thinks he’s a failure, he will be a failure; when he thinks he’s successful, he’ll be successful; when he thinks the calamity of his generation will affect him, it will definitely affect him – Proverbs 23:7.

So, your thoughts affect your results.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says “Pulling down of stronghold”, what is a stronghold? Anything that holds you strong, “the thing wey hold you strong”. How do we pull down strongholds? “By casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought that puts us in captivity”. I saw this Scripture 2 Timothy 2:25 and it blew my mind, it might do the same to you. There are people, their greatest opposition is not the devil. 2 Timothy 2:25-26. That is, it is not a wizard that is fighting the man, he’s the one fighting himself. They say, “come, let me assist you with some money”, he will say, “who dash monkey banana?” They will say, “this is going to happen for you”, he will say, “it’s not possible”.

You know, there are some people, when you’re declaring in Church, they will be winking their nose, “I’ve hear it before. Amen, it’s true, let’s finish on time, let’s go, it’s true”. 2 Timothy 2:25-26 Because of the way they have been thinking and opposing themselves, satan has taken them as captives. Anything you think about your life is possible. If you think you can, you’re right and if you think you can’t, you’re right.

Anything you think, you’re right. Even though we talked about generational and ancestral curse now, I qualified and I said, it is working mostly especially for those who are out of the Faith or who are not of the Faith because Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, Christ gave us escape from family and generational curses. If you have tried and you failed 3 or 4,5 times and you brought yourself to the conclusion that failure is your destination, you’re right. If you say, “as long as I have life, no devil can stop me from becoming what God wants me to become”, you’re right. “Instruct those who oppose themselves”, their opposition is not from hell or from a witch, their opposition is from themselves. They speak negative words to themselves, they resist themselves, their mind is blocked concerning themselves.

One thing I know about myself is that I gave myself the permission to succeed and excel. I gave myself the permission to be above only and never beneath. I gave myself the permission to live a qualitative life, not an inferior life. I gave myself the permission to stand out. When we were children, if we went to the market and you bought us new shoes, I would wear that new shoe from the market and leave the old one. When they say, “I bought a new shoe, keep it till Christmas” for where? Except you didn’t show it to me today, I will wear it today. That behaviour is still on till today. “Will you keep it till tomorrow?” Tomorrow’s own is coming.

My wife cannot recover from it, one day, we went out, I don’t know what happened and I was looking as sharp as just as you’re ready to meet anybody and she said, “I now understand why you look your best all the time”. I said, “yeah, when I go out, I’m ready to meet president, meet anybody. I don’t know who I’ll meet, so I refuse to dress shabby”. From this day, you must make up your mind that you will not oppose yourself, you will facilitate, assist, accelerate and celebrate yourself!

The Bible said, “love your neighbour as yourself” not more than yourself. So, how you love yourself, you just extend it to your neighbour. Church Gist. Just love yourself at a realm and extend that realm to your neighbour. When you’re doing it more than yourself, then, something is wrong with your mentality.

So, when you go back home today, celebrate yourself. You bring out all the plates you’ve been keeping inside and bring out the wine and everything and somebody asks you, “which visitor are you expecting?” You say, “myself”. You cross your life, decorate your life and celebrate the goodness of God and you behave it to become it.

You continuously behave it and then you live in that realm. If you didn’t hear anything this morning, you must make up your mind that from henceforth, you’re not going to oppose yourself in the way you think, reason or coordinate your affairs but you’re going to assist yourself and give yourself the permission to succeed.

15th October 2023 Sunday Service¹ — Credit: Church Gist.

— Dr Paul Enenche 🎤