Posts Tagged ‘First Epistle to the Corinthians’

So how do I know Chukwuka?

I saw a comment he left on one of the entries for this #31Days31Writers series and it just occurred to me to ask if he would be interested in sending in an entry. And he said yes! And reading this, I know it was God that wanted him to share his story to encourage everyone who would read, including me.

The year’s been a bit dodgy for some, ups and downs, and lefts and rights. Only constant thing is the One who made us, fashioned the earth, and is already in 2016 waiting to show us His greatness! I’m so encouraged by this!

I’m experiencing what it is to live by faith. When I heard Micah Stampley do the song ‘Heaven On Earth”, I never understood what he meant until I began to meditate upon those lyrics that “to be living in His favour and grace is just like heaven on earth”.  I usually don’t like speaking about what I’ve gone through in the past, rather I choose to sit in my quiet times and allow those tranquil thoughts go off my subconscious mind. 2015 has been a year of tests, trials and lessons for me.

2015 January started for me with fresh memories of my Mom’s burial ceremony in December 2014, I couldn’t think straight because there is nothing more painful than the loss of a mother. Later on when I thought all was going well, I lost my job.

At the time, it seemed like an orchestrated process by the devil to pull me back to square one as if a volcano had just erupted over me. I started getting addicted to alcohol gradually to suppress my deep hurt but I found no hope. Sometimes ladies think they are the only ones engulfed in the race of keeping pace with the realities of life. We guys do too! When our friend proposes to his bae, we smile and clink glasses but deep inside you feel like you aren’t measuring up! Yeah? When half of your friends suddenly hibernate only to appear on Instagram on the streets of Denmark, there is a feeling in you that makes you want to fly away too! It looks like some things have eluded you each time you compare yourself to people, and that was my case.

I was heartbroken; looked like the whole world had moved ahead of me, like really? I got rejuvenated after reading 1 Corinthians 15:41. I focused on developing myself, praying daily and leaning on God. It was during those periods of being out of a job that I got introduced to the Winners Family and joined in the daily 5.30am prayer sessions. Thereafter, I was introduced to what is known as “Kingdom Advancement Prayers”. These prayers ushered in a new dawn for my life in all areas. Where I saw lack I began to see abundance, where I had rejection, I began to see love, where I saw hopelessness, I saw light and things began to take shape.

My major lesson is this: I’ve learnt that friends are angels in human form; they exist in our lives to help us build a family away from ‘family’. God be praised for friends.

I’ve come to terms with investing in my relationships with people, my friends and even neighbours. I count myself lucky to have been blessed with godly, disciplined and purpose-driven friends.

I’ve learnt never to compare myself with anyone.

If there be anything I wish I could unmake or change, it will be that I will learn to take actions quickly.

Truly Heaven on earth has been my experience all through this year; I have no regrets rather I see my mistakes as a refining fire to bring out a better version of me. I might not be yet married, I might not have the type of cars my friends are driving but I am contented with the gift of life God has blessed me with – a passion for teaching.

I have channeled this gift into practical use for three years now volunteering with Beyond The Classroom Foundation. I am involved in a project initiated by Microsoft Nigeria –One Million Fingers Coding” where I teach the basics of coding to students in primary 4. My biggest dream in 2016 is to see these children come up with ideas about what their future careers will be and?

My next desire in 2016 is to be seriously engaged in advancing the Kingdom of God on earth, for that is the key to all of life’s breakthroughs.

My name is Chukwuka Anslem Ozor, I work and reside in Lagos, I like teaching. I work as Content Deployment Executive at Imaginarium Creative.

Amazing work!

Amazing work!

First off, my condolences on your mom… Here’s praying God’s great comfort on your entire family. Second, a very big yay! Very well done Chukwuka, my dad’s semi namesake (My dad’s Chuka, no full-form)… Here’s to a brilliant 2016 for you!!

PS: Have you heard of TechHer? I think we should do some work together next year when TechHer goes to Lagos….

Who else has noticed that over 60% of the posts on here have become centered around church, Christ, and living right? I don’t know why jor, maybe it’s because with each passing day I realize that even if I wrote from today till tomorrow nonstop, I wouldn’t cover half of the awesomeness that God is!

Ok, Bibles out, welcome to church! Today (actually this was from a service I attended three Sunday’s ago) I was at Winners Chapel Dartford. Now I haven’t been there on a Sunday for a veeeeery long time, and only started attending midweek services because I need the comfort and encouragement that can only be gotten from being amongst God’s people.

Anyway, so this service was really difficult for me to sit through, not only because it had been exactly one week since my aunty passed but because the last time I was here on a Sunday my precious aunty Pat literally dragged me here. I remember vividly how she begged, cajoled, and then blackmailed me till I agreed to go with her. Your memories will never die aunty, never!

Back to the sermon, forgive my digression.

The title was ‘unveiling kingdom mysteries for supernatural breakthroughs’, and the anchor scripture was Revelations 4:2, and 5: 10. We are redeemed to reign, not to be ruined. Romans 8:9

1 John 5: 4 –

John 3: 31

Obadiah 1:21

Isaiah 60: 22, Job 29: 4 – 10.

What do you do to possess a breakthrough mentality?

Proverbs 23:7 – my mentality determines my reality; therefore the more I think it, the better I will be at ‘being’ it.

1. A breakthrough mentality is a faith-loaded mentality.

Jeremiah 32:27, Mark 9: 23. To this mentality, impossibility doesn’t exist.

Hebrews 4:2 –  For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.

Job 8:7 – And though you started with little, you will end with much. (Amen)!!!!

Hebrews 10:35 – So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!

2. A breakthrough mentality is a triumph-loaded mentality. 2 Timothy 2:3

1 Corinthians 10:13

Psalm 121: 4, 1 Timothy 6:12. Don’t speak like the world, so you don’t see what the world sees.

How to build/develop a breakthrough mentality 

1. I must build my thinking on the word of God. Joshua 1: 8, Psalm 1:2-3

2. Connect to other breakthrough destinies. Hebrews 6:12

3. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit, especially on the altar of prayer.. 1 Corinthians 2: 9

May God bless the reading of His word in our hearts in Jesus name!

Have a super productive week!!

Welcome to church!

The message for today’s drawn from a service I attended in February which I can say I enjoyed thoroughly. As always, I saved it so I could share with you. Quick prayer now – Lord help me take in this word, and let it bear fruit through my speech and deeds. I trust you for help, trust your Spirit for understanding, and thank you in advance because you love me and are awesome! In Jesus name, Amen.

Bible, notepad and pens ready?

The Pastor started by saying, “when faith is at work, man begins to experience only what God can command; it takes man from humanity to divinity”.

He followed that quickly with, “the secret to a life full of triumph is the force of faith”.

What then is faith?

Faith is a supernatural trigger that induces the miraculous. It is committing the integrity of God to perform. Luke 1:45 says “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil His promises to her!”

Why should we have Faith in the Lord?

One reason – because He never fails. Never ever.

Numbers 23:19 – “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

3rd John 1:2 – “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

Deuteronomy 15:6 – “For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.”

Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”

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Faith doesn’t only believe what God has said but it drives the believer to performance.

Please note 1 Corinthians 8:9 which says, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”

Our actions give credence to our faith. So for example, giving is a vital key for prosperity as evidenced by Proverbs 11:24 – 25 (One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed).

Faith in that word means you won’t slack on your givings to God. Simples! James 2:18 says, “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”

Work is another vital key for prosperity as seen in Proverbs 14:23 (All hard work brings a profit but mere talk leads only to poverty).

Faith here again means you put in the hours and not just be content with praying for hours on end without getting any work done.

How To See The Fulfilment Of Prophecies.

  1. Rejoice in the Lord
  2. Be at peace. Exodus 14:14. Psalm 46:10. 2Chronicles 20:17
  3. Remain steadfast in faith. 1 Corinthians 15:5-9.

 

Let’s wrap with this popular scripture, Hebrews 10:38 – “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

Will you engage the weapon of faith this week? God bless you as you do!

 

 

Ok, I hope you went to church today! You know we are admonished in the Bible to ‘forsake not the gathering of the brethren’ – Hebrews 10:25. I did, and I had a great time! Matter of fact, Sundays at church are always the highlight of my week, honestly!

I have decided that there must be something from God’s Word every Sunday on this blog, and so far I’m grateful for the testimonies from people who have been encouraged, or uplifted as a result of a chronicle they read here. What else are we here for anyway, if not to lift our brothers and sisters?

This week’s sermon is about two years old (yes, I have church notes from that long), and I decided to put it up because it was a big blessing to me that day in church, and because the word of the Lord is new every morning, I know there will be fresh understanding for everyone who reads this today. In Jesus name!

The church was COZA (Commonwealth of Zion Assembly), in Abuja, and it was the 5th of July 2009. There was a special service that day that I had been invited for, and I remember the choir’s ministration that day was ‘You are the source of my strength’. Pastor Biodun (don’t know his surname) titled his message ‘I know the Lord will help me’.

You sure you are? Then you are entitled to his help!

He started by saying that anything we believe God to be is what/who He’ll be to us. Genesis 1:26 says “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” We are made in His image, and so should carry around that consciousness everywhere we go!

Deut 33:26. 1 Peter 5:9 says “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Psalm 23:1 – 6 1 Cor 6:19

Isaiah 50:7, 9. Genesis 1:31, 2:18

Note that even when we don’t know we need it, God always identifies help, and helpers for us. Psalm 60:11

Jeremiah 31:17

By the way, don’t you ever forget, without the help of God, we are nothing. Isaiah 31:1 says “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

2Kings 6:27 Hebrews 13: 5-6

WHAT TO DO TO INVOKE THE HELP OF GOD?

1. Ask. Mathew 7:7. James 4:3,2. Yes God knows everything, but He still wants us to ask. I’ve heard men of God say that after Adam ‘blamed’ God for giving him Eve in the garden of Eden, He wants us to ask ourselves.

2. Know that God will use a man to help. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” So you don’t pray for finances and then start expecting to wake up and find the amount you need under your pillow!

3. Be a channel of help yourself. Eph 6:8. A saying goes, “the pipe carrying water can never be dry”. Is it all about you, you, you, or are you a blessing to other people, even with the little you have?

4. Be organized. 1 Corinthians 14:10. At different times in the Bible, people were told to ‘put their house in order’. Sometimes, reducing the chaos/clutter around us automatically reduces the crisis around us.

5. Sow towards it. Remember King Solomon? 2 Chronicles 1:6. His offering caught God’s attention. What do you give God, and how do you give? Grudgingly, because you’ll look funny if you don’t, or with a heart full of gratitude?

6. Declare it. God speaking to us in the book of Numbers says that “as surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do unto you” Numbers 14:28. What are you declaring/saying into His ears? Speaking positively or negatively? No need telling you how powerful our words are; bet you know that already.

Very true!!!

Enter the new week with the consciousness of who you are in Christ, and the power and help available to you as a child of the Kingdom. Nothing will confound you this week in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen!