THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Memorise: Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

Read: Ephesians 6:10-13
10 finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Message
When we are told to put on the whole armour of God, one thing becomes clear instantly. This is the fact that there is a God. We cannot be talking of the armour of God if there is no God. Anyone who thinks that there is no God is a fool (Psalm 14:1). You have to pray that God would reveal Himself to you. The Bible in Daniel 11:32b says,

“.....but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

Little wonder, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ in Philippians 3:10 also said:

”That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

These scriptures show that knowing God is a weapon of spiritual warfare! When you know your Maker, your battle is 90% won. From our Bible reading, we also realise that there is the armour of God. This armour is made up of several parts, otherwise we would not be told to put on the whole armour of God. The constituents of this armour are listed for us in Ephesians 6:14-17. The armour of God is not built into us by default as children of God. It is external, and we have to pick it up in order to be able to put it on. The reason many children of God are defeated in the battle of life is because of their failure to fortify themselves with the armour God has made available to them.

From today’s memory verse, it is also clear that there is a devil. The devil is alive and active. In Job 1:7, we read about the instability and unpredictability of his destination. This is one of his wiles. Through this corrupt wisdom, he gets people into trouble. The devil’s attacks are not always direct. They may not come from the direction which you expect. A good example is found in Joshua 7:1&12. Joshua had been victorious all the time; Jericho had just been taken and Joshua was beginning to feel confident. Then the enemy came from behind. He entered one man who stole what God said they should not take. Joshua thought God was still with him so he went against a small town called Ai. The Israelites had to flee from this small town. The enemy had used a new method. It was an indirect attack. Another classical example of an indirect attack of the devil is found in 1 Samuel 18:5-9. David did nothing wrong but the devil used wiles. He got women together and taught them a song: “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousand”. This turned Saul against David. I pray for you that the devil’s wiles against you will be exposed and defeated in Jesus’ Name. However, you must put on the whole armour of God.

Prayer Point: Father, arise and fight on my behalf and on the behalf of my loved ones in Jesus’ Name

By prince Olawale

Some Tips For Preserving Your Kid’s Online Life

While the Internet brings a wealth of information instantly to our fingertips, it also throws our children into an ocean of risk. Too often our kids navigate those waters without a life preserver and become bait for the enemy’s piranha-like feeding frenzy to attack the weak.

Parents today have more than their neighborhoods, schools and kids’ friends to worry about. The enemy is cleverly casting nets online fishing for their souls and God’s men must be aware of where their kids are swimming.

For example, social media has brought the world together, while giving predators tools to connect while disguised in sheep’s clothing. Online video gaming, once a harmless recreation (remember Atari?), now provides realms of obscene and violent behaviors. And with every online search, marketers of all kinds of dangerous material get closer to home.

The lesson from 1 Peter 5:8-9 is as true as it ever was, saying “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

As our kids tune into social media from morning to night on any device, posting, tweeting, instagramming, snap chatting etc., and online gamers disappear from the “real world” to indulge in fantasy worlds, God’s man must be alert, sober minded and resist the enemy.

Here are 3 tips to managing your kids’ online lives:

1. Engage. Your kids need you to “be alert” as “Big Brother” online Get engaged. in their online worlds, whether it’s social media or video games.

Find out what social media they are involved in. Friend them on Facebook, follow their Tweets, become Instagram friends so you can see who they are following and who are following them. And, you can monitor their posts. For the online gamers, spend 30 minutes or so a week to do your own “scouting” of your kid’s “progress” in the game world. 

2.  Enlist Support. We need help. We need other people, including our kids, to watch out for us and who courageously confront us. It’s mission-critical to have additional eyes and ears online, and who will bring issues to the table, help find Biblical answers and share Godly wisdom to sensitive parenting challenges.

Additional practical tips include monitoring their email, download parenting control software to prevent unwanted illicit material from showing up on screen, use privacy settings on your child’s profiles, create safe screen names, keep the computer in open sight, limit data usage on mobile devices, and make sure your kids know what information to keep private i.e. Social security numbers, address, phone numbers and bank, credit card information.

Being of “sober mind” is not just talking about intoxication. It also means to have a  “serious attitude or quality.” Managing your kid’s online life is serious business, not to be taken lightly.

3.  Encourage Communication. God’s man must nurture an environment where openness and honesty are welcomed, for good and bad behavior. It’s best if ease of communication is established in your kid’s early years, but it’s never too late. Talk with your kids about what’s going on online—good or bad. Make your values and beliefs a common topic, and compare them with behavior online.

At my house, our values are (1) love God, and (2) we help people. My kids know this. So it’s easy to ask, “Is what you’re doing online accomplishing either of these values?” If so, that’s great. Kudos if not, then dives deeper into the values and why they are important, and imagine the risks created should those values be removed.

That’s being alert, sober minded and resisting the enemy. If that doesn’t help, try throwing a life preserver over the keyboard.

Source: charismamag.com

 

Stick To Your Own Mirror! Stick To The Word!!

Each day, after I have had my bath, I look into the mirror and after a few touch ups based on what I see in the mirror, I feel good and ready to face the world. Then as I walk down the road, I see many cars and of course, like a typical lady, I see another opportunity to look at myself in the mirrors again.

 I walk past the lines of car stealing glances at myself in the mirrors and by the time I am at the other side of the road, I feel sad, unhappy and fat! The mirrors have shown me a different/different version(s) of me and many times have given me a serious blow in my self-confidence and throughout the day, in a corner of my heart, I don’t feel like the queen I thought I was, I see myself ugly and definitely not queenly.

One day, my spirit spoke to me laughing “why don’t you just stick to the image of what you saw at home and stop looking at other mirrors for affirmation?’
Just then something dropped into my heart, many times we look into God’s word and we remember God’s love, His promises and assurance, and we feel good and ready to tackle the world but throughout the day, we begin to focus on what our circumstances, our friends, the economy say and by the end of the day, we are grumpy, tired and depressed forgetting what His word has said.

We must learn to stick to the Word. The bible calls the ‘word’ a mirror, just like the mirror reflects your physical self, the word reveals the true you: how you are and how you should be. Stick to that mirror, don’t be looking into other mirrors no matter how good or true they look. Its only when we behold and continue to focus on the mirror, we are changed into glory.
2Co 3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
So my dear Folks, stick to your own mirror, stick to the word.

By Mo

INSPIRATIONAL WORD

FRIENDS SHAPE YOUR LIFE.

LAZY FRIENDS divert vision.

FOCUSED FRIENDS direct vision.

Some friends add to you; others take away. BE A FRIEND WHO ADDS.

To win in life you need these friends:

1 .MORAL GUIDES – those who help you do the right thing.

2. FAITH BUILDERS – those who believe in you and in your potential.

3. DREAM MAKERS – those who create opportunities and help you achieve your dreams.

Do your friends celebrate when you win? Are they envious of your achievements? Are you a true friend to your friends?

MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH TRUE FRIENDS!

-By PASTOR MENSA OTABIL.

5 BENEFITS OF EATING EGGPLANT!

The benefits of eggplant are very famous, as it is very popular for treating various kinds of illnesses and different kinds of diseases. Eggplants belong to the family of vegetables in which sweet potatoes and tomatoes are also included. They originated in India and were first cultivated in ancient China. They have a glossy beauty and are purple in colour. They grow in a manner similar to that of tomatoes, i.e., they grow by hanging out from the vines of the plant that is several feet tall.

These vegetables are of the best quality from August to October, though they are generally available throughout the year. Eggplants vary a lot in their taste and texture. However, the general characteristics of the eggplants are that they are quite bitter in taste and are spongy in nature. Eggplants are also called by different names such as brinjal or melongene.

Health Benefits

•    Prevention of cancer:
Eggplant prevents cancer, especially colon cancer. This is because eggplants have very rich fibre content, which is a porous nutrient. Because of this nature, it absorbs the toxins and the chemicals, which might provoke the outbreak of the colon cancer. It does so as it moves through the digestive tract of the body. It is due to this reason that people who want to reduce the chances of having colon cancer should include eggplant skin in their daily food as different researches have proven that the skin of this vegetable has more fibre than the actual vegetable itself.

•    Reduces cholesterol level:
Eggplant also affects cholesterol level. Various studies have shown that consuming the eggplant juice lowers cholesterol level in the artery walls and the aortas. People who drink this juice benefit from a better flow of blood because the walls of the blood vessels are relaxed. Thus, they enjoy a balanced level of cholesterol.

•    Helps against Type 2 diabetes: 
Eggplant treats and manages Type 2 diabetes because it is rich in fibre and low soluble carbohydrate. Studies have shown that the phenolic-rich  extracts of this vegetable inhibit the enzymes which provide a strong basis of biochemical nature by inducing proper control of glucose and reducing high blood pressure condition resulting from hypertension. In this way, eggplant helps in the Type 2 diabetes management.

•    Presence of anti-oxidants:
Eggplants are very rich in anti-oxidants. The anti-oxidant called nasunin guard the cells from the harmful effects of the toxic and free radicals, whereas, the anti-oxidant phenolic protects from different infections caused by bacteria and oxidative stress.

•    Controls weight:
 Eggplants are devoid of any fat content and very rich in fibre, which gives a filling effect when the vegetable is consumed. Moreover, the calorie count is also very low. Thus, another factor of eggplant is that it controls weight

BY DOMEHEALTH

Yaya Toure Had Been Named CAF African Player of The Year 2013

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure has been named the African Player of the Year 2013 by the Confederation of African Football at an awards ceremony held in Lagos on Thursday evening.
The Ivoirian won the title for a third straight time beating off competition from compatriot Didier Drogba and local favourite John Obi Mikel to the title.

In a ceremony dominated by Nigeria who swept the Coach of the Year and Team of the Year awards, many had expected Chelsea’s Mikel to win the top gong on the back of the Super Eagles’ victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, it was the Ivoirian Toure who was called up to the podium again, walking in the footsteps of Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o who won it thrice between 2003 and 2005.

Toure told media that he felt ‘lucky’ to win it considering the size of the competition. In the other awards given on the evening, Egyptian Mohamed Aboutreika won the award for best African player based on the continent. It was a good send off for the 35-year-old who announced his retirement from football at the end of last season.

Aboutreika beat off competition from compatriot Ahmed Fathy and Nigerian midfielder Sunday Mba.  It wasn’t all gloom for Nigeria as their coach Stephen Keshi was named best coach and the Super Eagles won the award for Team of the Year.

Youngster Kelechi Iheanacho who led Nigeria to the Fifa U17 World Cup victory was named Promising Young Player while his team was named the Youth Team of the Year.

Four Nigerians also made it into CAF Team of the Year.

The Full Awards
National Team of the Year
Nigeria
Youth National Team of the Year
Nigeria U17
Club of the Year
Al Ahly of Egypt
Fair Play Award
Nigeria Supporters Club
Referee of the Year
Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)
Most Promising Talent
Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria U17)
Coach of the Year
Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
African XI:
Enyeama; Fathy, Benatia, Constant, Mikel, Yaya, Aboutreika, Pitroipa, Emenike, Gyan, Aubameyang
Coach: Keshi
African Player of the Year (Africa-based)
Mohamed Aboutreika (Egypt)
African Player of the Year
Yaya Toure (Cote D’Ivoire)
CAF Legend Award
Bruno Metsu
Jose Mehdi Faria

Culled from:247nigerianewsupdate.com

BOUNDARIES

Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. Genesis 1:9

The third protocol is 'boundaries'. God established boundaries for the waters and the dry land. Each had their space of operation. Each knew how far it had to go.

To have order in our lives, we must establish personal boundaries. We must know our limits. We must determine the kinds of things we would do and the kinds of things we will not do.

We must know how far we can go in a relationship so that it does not degenerate to bring dishonour to the Lord.

Personal boundaries can also serve as limits or borders that define the amount of physical and emotional space you allow between yourself and others.

The type of boundaries you set defines whether you have healthy or unhealthy relationships.

Setting clear personal boundaries will ensure your relationships are mutually respectful and supportive.

They also will protect you from exploitative relationships and help you avoid getting too close to people who don't have your best interests at heart.

On the other hand, weak boundaries leave you vulnerable and likely to be taken for granted or taken advantage of by others.

Setting personal boundaries will also protect you from violating God's eternal principles, and make your journey to success and prosperity a joyous adventure.

Where there are no boundaries, chaos and disorder reign. So set some personal boundaries for yourself.

Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom to set boundaries for myself

Scriptural Reading: Genesis 1:9-13