DIFFERENTIATION

Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Genesis 1:6

The second protocol that God initiated to deal with chaos and disorder was 'differentiation'. He differentiated between the waters above and the waters beneath. Both were water but they were not supposed to be all over the place.

To do that, He established a 'firmament' or an 'atmosphere' so that the waters above would be in the clouds and the waters beneath would be on the earth. When people cannot differentiate between seemingly similar concepts and situations, it leads to disorder and chaos.

For instance, the state of your spiritual life depends very much on your ability to distinguish between what is spiritual and what is carnal.

The Bible says, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Another example is our ability to discern between good and evil. Sometimes, the difference between what is good and what is evil may not be so obvious. But our success in life hugely depends on our ability to do just that.

In addition to the above, learn to differentiate between your present needs and your future needs, investing for long-term benefits and for immediate gratification. Making these differentiations will enable you to make quality choices and decisions.

Prayer: Lord, teach me discernment.

Scriptural Reading: Genesis 1:6-8

Some Tips to Confronting Your Kids’ ‘Ugly’ Online Life

Have you come across something out of line in your child’s Internet ventures? I suggested engaging in your kid’s online life, enlisting support and encouraging communication. But what happens if you discover a problem? What would you say? What’s the approach?

Let me answer this after sharing a true story.

Recently, I took a minute to engage in my daughter’s social media activity. I noticed one of her Instagram friend’s screen name was “Sexy Betsy” (not the actual name). Sexy Betsy is the 14-year-old daughter of a dad I know and was posting photos of herself in racy attire. I wondered if her dad knew how his daughter was portraying herself and if she realized how her images affected men, young and old, with lustful desire.

So I enlisted the help of a friend who was in the same small group of this dad to share the material with him. He was blindsided with the unfortunate news, and within a week “Sexy Betsy” was renamed Betsy MacIntyre and the revealing photos were taken down.

I noticed one of her followers posted a comment: “Hey, what happened to Sexy Betsy?” Betsy replied, “It’s a long story.”

I’m not sure how Betsy’s dad confronted her with this situation, but guessing by her response, it didn’t go down so smoothly. So here are a few suggestions for what to do if you find out something “ugly” about your kid’s life online:

1. Don’t feel stupid. Be thankful you found out. I’m guessing Betsy’s dad felt embarrassed, then dispensed an anger-ridden reaction that led to some kind of punishment explained as “consequences” for poor behavior.

Let me caution us dads to avoid this reaction. Instead, be thankful that you are now aware of the situation and the danger your child, perhaps unknowingly, faces. Knowing the battle is half the battle. Now you can do something about it.

2. Have the talk like Jesus would. Would Jesus angrily dish out punishment, take away privileges and expect children to eagerly accept the consequences as a learning opportunity? No.

First, He would confirm His love for the person He's talking to. Say something like, “Before we get into this topic, I am [or 'your mother and I are'] crazy about you. We love you. We want the best for you and know God is working His good plan for you. We also know there is an enemy who wants to destroy you and us. Do you understand?”

Now the table is set. Jesus spoke with grace and truth. He was authentic, affirming and accepting. So you do the same. Your tone should be calm, comfortable and confident that you know where this is going and what to do. 

Next—and this is the key to leading by conviction, not consequences—refer to your family values so your child recalls what is important to you as the leader, what you endorse and what is not acceptable. In my family, it's “We love God. We help people.”

Open a discussion about what that looks like online. Provide examples for what is acceptable, even encouraged. And demonstrate examples that cross the line. Now you can inform your child about what you learned about their behavior online. Ask, “Does this show love for God or help people?”

The beauty of this approach is that now you are having a conversation about your convictions and related behaviors—not a tirade about disappointment. Instead, ask your child to brainstorm ideas about how you and they can fix this situation.

This is what I call “discipline without discouragement” and “teaching through conviction, not consequences.”

3. Offer mutual accountability. Ask your child what they would think and feel if they found something “ugly” about their dad online. If they saw him posting photos of himself with hardly any clothes on and with him in a suggestive pose, would that show he loves God and helps people? Obviously not—and it’s a little weird thought, right?

Offer your child to hold you accountable online as well. Say, “You can call me on the carpet if you find something inconsistent with our conversation tonight.” Because you don’t want to misrepresent what you believe or compromise your faith and love for your family, so ask for their help.

4. Provide more time, talk and touch. Model Christ’s example to spend more time with your kids, talking about life and staying connected through touch. This sends your kids a message that they don’t need to look for attention or another male influence. Many dads today have to relearn this, being disciplined to carve out time to be alone with their children.

Don’t be in hurry with your kids. Often quality time results from quantity time. In other words, special memories don’t always occur during scheduled appointments. They arrive unsuspected over time.

Source: charismamag.com

TIPS ON HOW TO TRANSITION YOUR FAMILY TO BETTER ORAL HEALTH

If you have gone through the trouble of upgrading your home oral care, you may be wondering how best to encourage your family to get on that pathway with you.
Well, you can start by making sure that your whole family has access to the products which will provide better oral health care results.
That may sound pretty expensive at first, but if you do some savvy online shopping, you and your family can start using more effective oral hygiene products right away.

1. Ionic Toothbrushes

Television commercials only promote rinses and toothpastes for plaque reduction and prevention. A little known tool with a small price tag is very effective in plaque control; an ionic toothbrush. Brushing with an ionic toothbrush works to repel plaque to your teeth when used regularly.  This type of toothbrush actually turns off the magnetic attraction that plaque has to your teeth, making it easy to brush away much more plaque than with a conventional toothbrush.  It draws plaque out from hard to reach places in your mouth, which cuts down on flossing time.  Everyone in your family can easily get the hang of using this type of toothbrush, which makes transitioning your family to better oral health care a snap.

Some simple maintenance will extend the life of your family’s ionic toothbrushes; each toothbrush should have a snap-on toothbrush sanitizer, an inexpensive product that comes in packs of four. They are easy to use and will help to keep everyone's toothbrushes bacteria free during their recommended time of usage. You do not have to make a lot of complicated changes in order to upgrade home oral care for your household.

2.Tongue Cleaners

Having good quality tongue cleaners is also the key to having a good home oral care routine.  The best kinds are manufactured with stainless steel to prevent the buildup of bacteria. Once again, this is a low cost item to own, but one that can result in fewer trips to the dentists for problems down the line. Many people neglect to address their tongues when brushing their teeth not realizing neglecting to do so is one of the major causes of bad breath. Proper tongue scraping should be a step in every trip to the bathroom sink.

3.Elasticized Dental Floss

We’ve been told to floss with dental floss for decades to remove food and plaque from between our teeth. Elasticized dental floss does this job best because it is gentle on the gums. When flossing causes pain and bleeding, the user is less inclined to floss on a regular basis. The comfort of the dental floss encourages more regular flossing behavior.

All three of the above oral hygiene products are low cost items that can help cut down on money spent down the line at dentists, oral surgeons and periodontists and set your family up for better oral health habits for the rest of their lives. Although these items do eventually require replacement, they are affordable enough for a family of any income. Great oral health need not be limited to families with more disposable income; any family can afford to incorporate these simple items into their brushing routines and develop good habits to maintain healthier teeth for the rest of their lives.

By: Michael Kamen

Prophetic Gifts of Divine Visitation

With the birth of each child, great preparations are put in place. Pregnant women shop for all to make their babies comfortable on their arrival. Nurseries, gadgets, etc even hospitals these days try to brighten up their delivery rooms to improve the ambiance in the environment both to put mother at ease and to welcome baby. How sad and frustrating it will be for a woman who after having a birth plan and decorating her nursery has to deliver in a nondescript in the middle of nowhere.

 I had an experience where I was in a city looking for accommodation for hours unending, I just had a baby less than two weeks before and the whole city seemed to be filled up and tempers were short. This happened in these days of improved transportation and what have you. I had a taste of what Mary felt that night, seemingly stranded on a compulsory trip enforced by the government.
Luke 2: 7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

We are probably all familiar with the nativity story. Each year at carols, the discomfort of the manger is portrayed by the producers of the story. In fact, I was very surprised not to find Joseph actually banging doors and having doors being shut on his face, because that is the earliest nativity story I was exposed to, lol, but after my experience trying to get accommodation in a strange land, if I have to do a nativity play, Joseph is going to be pounding a few doors just out of sheer frustration. He and Mary are going to be snapping at each other due to cold, hunger, being cramped etc. It will be one great play sharpened by my experience as is what I believe may have happened to the writer of my childhood nativity. Eventually, they had to make do with some stable and fancy cots had to give way to some manger! I mean Mary's husband was a carpenter for crying out loud, so if nothing, a fancy cot would have been expected or already made. All that was dashed by that trip on a donkey to Bethlehem. Why did it have to be that way? Well for one, the shepherds that were to be Jesus' first visitors needed a sign and all 'these' were the signs the angels gave to them. I ask, 'what is the significance of shepherds visiting baby Jesus'?

Two reasons were given to me.

First if Shepherds did not visit, a certain class of people may say Jesus did not come because of them. This class cuts across the middle class and the working class of the society. So they don't have excuse. Secondly Shepherds spiritually stand for Pastors, Priests etc, I guess this was symbolic as to the great commission God has for Men of God, and we see in vs 17 and 18 that they immediately became evangelists, proclaiming the birth of Jesus, creating the first awareness of the birth of the long awaited Messiah.
Second, if the Men from the east did not come to visit Jesus, another class of people will say Jesus did not come for them. The birth of Jesus in a manger is therefore all encompassing. Removing all barriers as to who salvation is meant for. The men from the east bore gifts of significance with them. Most importantly all these symbolic events were not lost on Mary vs 19. The nativity story would have been different if the import of the happenings were lost on her. We might have had one cranky new mother, hastening to get out of the shabby stable, snapping at her husband, not staying long enough for the visitation of the Shepherds or quitting the accommodation immediately after the Shepherds visit because she did not want the stigma of the Stable birth, thereby loosing the opportunity of the visit of the Men from the east and loosing the gifts of significance. The gifts in which the story of the life of Jesus was wrapped, the prophetic gifts for a discerning mummy.

Mary kept all these and pondered in her heart. I'm sure as Jesus grew, she would review his birth events and relate them with the pattern his life was following. Any station you find yourself, especially when things are not going according to plan, you need to pause, review the happenings and ponder in your heart. Are they in line with the word God has released concerning you? We all have plans but life sometimes happens, if you are observant, you will see God in the happening of life. This enables you to calm down enough to take the next right step. This helps you to smell the flowers as you go along. It helps you see God in the little things and maintain a grateful heart and an upbeat attitude till you reach your desired destination.

 Even in our unlikely locations, prophetic divine visitations will locate us because God would have given our destiny helpers signs with which to find us and if we aren't patient enough to hear what the spirit is saying we would have relocated from our divine accommodation in haste ahead of fulfillment of divine destiny. Always remember, it was right there in the manger that rich intellectuals from the east came to see Jesus, it was right there that hardworking Shepherds who turned evangelists came to see Jesus, your location is therefore not the issue, but the assurance that it is where you are meant to be for that season. Inquire your divine location for 2014 and stay connected. Keep your revelations in your heart or diary as the case may be and ponder on them. You won't go wrong.

Shallom.By Oludunni.

 

THE FIFTEEN GREATEST BENEFITS OF BANANAS

Bananas are a very good fruit for your health. This fruit is one of the most nutritious foods, but not only. Bananas, in fact, have many medicinal virtues. It is also often used as a natural remedy.

Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose. They are also rich in protein, fiber, phosphorus, iron, vitamins and minerals. Energetic and very rich in water, generally the banana is important for the proper functioning of the body.

Here is a list of the fifteen greatest benefits of bananas.
Depression: bananas contain tryptophan, a protein that the body converts into serotonin. Serotonin is known to be an excellent natural relaxant. Therefore consumption of bananas help you to have a good emotional state, to feel happier and thus considerably diminish depression.

Concentration: this fruit is strong in potassium, a vital mineral, which helps concentration and learning because it makes brain pupils more alert.

Nervousness: Banana is rich in vitamin B, which helps to relax the nervous system.

Stress: Potassium present in banana helps to send oxygen to the brain and keep a normal pulse. During a time of stress, lack of oxygen tends to increase with the pulse quicken and potassium decrease. A banana will help you regulate everything.

Anemia: Bananas are rich in iron which increases the production of hemoglobin in the blood, an important factor in anemia occurrence.

Constipation: high in fiber, bananas prevent constipation. Eat them daily without fear and this will regulate the body's stomach and intestinal functions.

Heartburn: a natural anti-acid is present in bananas which can relieve intestinal burns. When you feel burning, eating bananas can relieve the pain.

Morning sickness: bananas regulate sugar levels in the blood. Therefore, eating a banana as a snack between meals will stabilize the blood sugar and will help you to avoid morning sickness.

Ulcers: The banana is very effective against intestinal problems, but not only. It protects the stomach by stopping the acidity and reduces irritation.

Heart attacks: according to one particular research made ​​by "The New England Journal of Medicine" eating bananas regularly, diminish by about 40% the risk of heart attacks.

Temperature control: in different cultures banana is seen as a refreshing fruit. In Thailand, for example, the banana would reduce the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. Thus the Thai pregnant women eat bananas to ensure that their baby will be born with a low temperature.
The Hangover: you drink too much that evening and you are sore the next day, here's a remedy to get into shape. Make porridge with a banana and honey. Bananas will calm the stomach and honey will increase the level of sugar in the blood.

Stop smoking: you want to quit smoking but without much success. Bananas can help. They are rich in vitamin B, especially B6 and B12. These two vitamins combined with magnesium and potassium in bananas, help the body to feel less cravings for nicotine.

Bites: used against insect bites, the banana peel can relieve you. Indeed, rub the affected area with the inside of the banana peel and the swelling and itching will decrease in the affected area.

Warts: With a banana you can also remove your ugly warts. Take the inside of the banana skin and place it on the wart. Attach it with medical tape and wait for it to act.
By domehealth

The 6 Different Types of Prayer

Prayer can be frustrating if we don't understand God's Word and His ways.

Most Christians aren't aware that there are several types of prayer discussed in God's Word, and if you use one type when you should be using another, it won't work. You would be applying the wrong spiritual tool to your needs or request. God intended for each of the six forms of prayer mentioned in the Bible to have different functions, as described below.

1. The Prayer of Agreement: In Matthew 18:19, Jesus introduced the prayer of agreement when He said, "'Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven'" (NKJV).

Right off the bat you can see that for the prayer of agreement to work, the people involved in the prayer have to agree! You cannot know what someone else wants—what someone is believing for—and God cannot answer your prayer for someone else against his or her will. To use the prayer of agreement, you must be sure that the person with whom you are agreeing is in line with what you are asking for. If someone asks me to pray in agreement with them, I ask, "What specifically do you want me to pray for?" You absolutely must make sure you are in perfect agreement about what your prayer request is before you join with another believer in the prayer of agreement.

2. The Prayer of Faith: The prayer of faith, also known as petition prayer, is the prayer that most people think of when they use the term "prayer." Petition prayer is between you and God. It is you asking God for a particular outcome.

The key verse for the prayer of faith is Mark 11:24, in which Jesus says, 'Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.'

The rule to consider here is when you pray—not after you pray, not when you feel something, not when you see something. When you pray (the moment that you pray) you must believe that you receive what you asked for.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Your faith is substance—it is something real, something tangible. It is evidence of things you cannot see.

Notice that Mark 11:24 does not say when you will actually see the result of your prayer. It does not tell you how long it will take for that prayer result to appear, and this is where many Christians get hung up. God lives in one eternal now. There is no past or present for Him. But we are temporal beings who live in the context of time. When you pray in faith, God immediately gives you what you prayed for—in the spirit realm. But in the natural world, due to a number of factors, it may take time for the answer to manifest itself.

God answers prayers, and He will answer your specific prayer in line with His Word, but it is your faith that brings that answer out of the spiritual world and into the physical world. How many times in Scripture does Jesus say to someone, "According to your faith"?

He referred to peoples' faith constantly, and even though it was His power that healed them, He always credited their faith with being the catalyst. In fact, when Jesus went to His hometown, we are told that "He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief" (Matt. 13:58).

Did Jesus suddenly lose His power on that visit to Nazareth? No!

His power never changed. What changed? It was the people's level of faith mixed with His power.

There is a simple spiritual explanation for this. God will not do something against your will. God cannot violate free will. If you don't have faith to do something, He won't arbitrarily override your lack of faith.

3. The Prayer of Consecration and Dedication: In Luke 22:41-42, we see outlined the prayer of consecration and dedication: "And He [Jesus] was withdrawn from them [Peter, James and John] about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.'"

He was praying, in effect, "If there is any other way to do this, let's do it that way." But the key for Jesus, and for us, is, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

You pray that God's will would be done when you don't know His will or don't know if an alternative path that appears is equally "correct" or godly. In the absence of direct instructions, the prayer of consecration and dedication says you will allow God to set your direction or make your decisions.

The prayer of consecration and dedication works when you have two (or more) godly alternatives before you, and you are not getting a clear sense at that time about which option God wants you to take. When the direction is unclear—but any of the options appear to be legitimate, righteous options—that is the perfect time to say, "Lord, if it be Your will, I'm going to go with option A."

Believe me, He will let you know if you are taking the wrong fork in the road.

4. The Prayer of Praise and Worship: In this prayer, you are not asking God to do something for you or to give you something. You are not even asking for direction and dedicating your life to whatever it is God has called you to do. Rather, you just want to praise the Lord, to thank Him for His many blessings and mercy. You want to tell Him how much you love Him.

A good example of this type of prayer appears in Luke 2:20, which describes the reaction of the shepherds who had seen baby Jesus: "Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told them."

In Luke 18:43, the blind man who was healed was described as "glorifying God." The verse also says all the people who witnessed the miracle "gave praise to God." They prayed prayers of thanksgiving.

Look at the way Jesus prayed in John 11:41: "'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me," referring to His previous prayer regarding Lazarus. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus told His disciples, "'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name'" (Luke 11:2).

Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6, emphasis added). This says that even when we pray the prayer of faith, we should always intersperse worship and praise.

5. The Prayer of Intercession: Intercession means you are interceding—acting in prayer—on behalf of someone else. The person may be incapable of praying for himself. Perhaps he is on drugs or mentally confused by demonic doctrines. Perhaps the person is so sick he can't muster the energy to stay awake, let alone pray.

Intercession involves praying for others. It may involve praying in a general way for such things as the church or the government, or offering up more specific prayers based on your knowledge of a person's need.

In Ephesians 1:15-18, Paul wrote: "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Here Paul makes it plain that he prayed regularly for the church at Ephesus and for the individuals there to receive these blessings. He does not set himself in agreement with anyone, so this seems to be a good example of intercessory prayer.

Likewise, in his greeting to the Philippians, he wrote, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy" (Phil. 1:3-4). The fact that Paul said he made requests for them suggests that this also was an example of intercessory prayer.

6. The Prayer of Binding and Loosing: This prayer is found in Matthew 18:18-19. Jesus says: "'Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.'"

There are several important nuggets in Jesus' statements here, the first being that we have authority here on this earth by virtue of our covenant rights through Jesus. The second thing we notice is the direction of the action. Things do not begin in heaven and come to Earth, but rather the action starts here on Earth. Notice that it says, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Like all things in God's system, this type of prayer works only in line with God's Word and His laws. You cannot bind things willy-nilly. Binding a team to lose in the Super Bowl won't work anymore than loosing someone to love you.

You can, however, bind foul spirits that are at work in people's lives or loose angelic spirits to work on your behalf in those areas where God has already promised you results. When you pray in this manner, God affirms it in heaven and puts His seal of approval on your prayer. Binding and loosing have to be based on the authority God has granted you in Scripture, not on some desire you have.

God has provided each type of prayer for a specific purpose. Though you may use more than one at any given time, it is important to be clear about which type you are using and why, and to be aware of its limitations. If you follow the examples in the Bible, you'll be sure to use them properly.

BY Frederick K.C.

Keep The Devil OUT!

It is the Lord’s doing that we are alive and well to see 2014. We didn’t have to do anything to see it. Left to the devil, we would all be dead, not celebrating another new year. But God in His mercies chose to keep us. And since He kept us, I’m confident He has a purpose for doing so

I watched a movie where there was a killer on the loose. When the authorities started closing in on him, he hibernated in a caravan and started shooting sporadically. Needless to say, he killed a policewoman in the line of duty as well as other civilians. The Police brought in his girlfriend to talk him out of his insanity. He refused to budge. Instead he responded with more shooting and this time, he shot a policeman in the arm. The authorities realized the case was beyond them and they brought in the SWAT team! SWAT team is no-nonsense and their role is to get results by every means possible. They moved in and with heavy equipment and a skilled marksman, the killer was dead in minutes. Job done! But there was carnage left behind. A policewoman’s family left in mourning. Other civilians badly injured. I was upset! I mean why didn’t they bring in the SWAT team earlier?? He was already a confirmed killer on the loose and it was obvious he would kill again given the chance. Oh boy!

This year, do not leave room to chance. Do not allow the enemy on the loose to floor you. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:4 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Come on, you have the SWAT team on your side already! Don’t wait till the last minute to use the weapons of your warfare! Never allow the enemy to kill your dreams, your hopes, your joy, your faith. Keep your eyes single, in order words focused looking unto Jesus, the author (beginning) and finisher (ending) of our faith. This year is a wonderful year full of God’s great plans and He desires to give us the best. Don’t let the devil cheat you out of it.

You know he is like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour (1st Peter 5:8). Why should you be the prey he would devour?

Build up your most holy faith by praying in the spirit (Jude 1:20)

Activate the mercy of Christ by keeping yourself in the love of God - Jude 1:21 - Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (NKJV)

This year, you win!

Shalom.

Ephesians 6:10-18 – 10: finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (NKJV)

James 4:7 - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (NKJV)

By Deby Okoh.