Do our encounters with God leave us changed?

I met a school mate during the course of admission into the university. We had not seen for about a year before then. The moment I set my eye on her, without her even opening her mouth I knew something was different about her. She just had an aura around her that wasn’t there before. I’d known her since my primary school through secondary days. She was so changed, it was almost palpable. I got to know during the course of our conversation that she had become born again and I said within me ‘No wonder’.
Do our encounters with God leave us changed? Or do we remain the same after meeting with God? We are to experience a daily change as we encounter God daily in our devotions, bible studies, fellowships, church services and so on. Today’s passage talks about the return journey of Moses from Mount Sinai, where he went to commune with God. By the time he returned, his face shone. His face was so shiny, even Aaron and all others feared to come near him. He had to encourage them they would not be harmed, before they could come close. His face shone so much, he had to cover it with a veil, but he ensured they saw the glory of God shining as a result of communion each time he returned from communing with God, I guess so that they may see by themselves firsthand what fellowshipping with God can do to man, after which he would now cover his face. By now, our faces should be ‘translucent’ due to our encounters with God. Our lives should be so changed, people around us would know something positive is up with us. It is a daily battle because the devil continually contends with our faith to ensure our fall. Today’s passage should encourage you not to give in to the enemy. Stand your ground, if you fall, rise again, don’t stay down, until your face starts to glow, then shine. I’m working on my face, are you? Exodus 34: 29-35

The photo is striking: three little girls, each bald from chemo treatments

The photo is striking: three little girls, each bald from chemo treatments to battle a different type of cancer, leaning into each other with their eyes closed. They stand beneath the cursive caption, “Sometimes strength comes in knowing that you are not alone!” The image went viral in April, melting the hearts of thousands of Facebook fans but leaving a haunting feeling, too, because we couldn't know how each child’s story would turn out.

Now we know, though, and the news couldn't be better: All three girls are in remission.

“Rheann was the only one still fighting, and she was still pretty sick and still projected to have quite some time to go,” the photographer, Oklahoma-based Lora Scantling, tells Yahoo Health through a Facebook message about the 6-year-old who stood in the center of the photo. She had been battling a rare form of brain cancer called Mucoid Spindle Sarcoma. “So of course when they declared her in remission I cried! About a year before that photo was taken, she was so sick that the doctors told her family to prepare for the worst, because there was no way she would make it. She is a very strong girl.”

The other girls had pretty much won their battles by the time the photo went viral, and the good news still stands, according to their recent follow-up scans: Ryley, 3, has beaten a form of stage-five kidney cancer, while 4-year-old Ainsley remains in remission from acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It’s a lucky three-for-three in beating the odds, because though survival rates have increased drastically over the past few decades, cancer is still the number-one cause of disease-related deaths among children, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization.

The original photo was the work of Scantling, of  Scantling Photography, and her studio partner, Christy Goodger, of Goodger Photography. The two, who share a studio is in Bethany, Oklahoma, decided to create the poignant images after finding the children through Facebook. “The girls had not met before, yet they bonded the instant they saw each other and it was like they knew they had a common bond,” Scantling told Yahoo in April about the studio shoot, for which the three got gussied up in vintage clothing and flapper-style headbands from local boutiques. 

Scantling, who has been thrilled and overwhelmed with the reaction to her work, found inspiration for the photo concept from the cancer that was affecting her own family: Her stepfather was battling stage-four lung cancer at the time, but died in May. “It was very hard losing him,” she tells Yahoo Health. “I know he was very proud of me taking a picture that was so inspiring about such a terrible disease, and I know that he would want me to continue to use my gift this way.”

She’s been doing just that, as she and Goodger have been working with Ally’s House, a children’s cancer foundation in Oklahoma, to create even more poignant images, some of which can be seen on the project’s Facebook page.

And if the mom of superstar survivor Rheann is any indication, the photos make a huge difference in the lives of those who get to pose. “It was so heartwarming, getting all the messages from around the world!” Valerie Franklin tells Yahoo Health through a Facebook message about the public reaction to the viral image. “It has really helped keep our spirits up, and helped us to see the impact that all of our daughters have had on the world with this one photo shoot.”

Between the time of Rheann’s diagnosis in 2012 and now, her mom explains, she has undergone five brain surgeries, chemotherapy, and proton radiation all of which seem to have saved her life. “The doctors didn't think she would make it through last summer,” she says, “but she sure proved them wrong.” Source: yahoo.com

An Enduring Portion

TEXT: JOSHUA 18:21-28

Key verse: “...This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families” (Joshua 18:28).

Generally, there is a sense of sacred and cherished birthright attached to the inheritance of land in many nations by the beneficiary. In Israel, the Lord had promised the people, through Moses and his successor, Joshua, that the land of Canaan would be divided among the tribes as an inheritance. After Joshua had fought all the battles successfully and there was now peace round about, it became imperative to do as the LORD had instructed concerning the land.

The dividing of the land was not without squabbles as Joshua had to cast lot. “And the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families…(verse 11). On the whole, the tribe of Benjamin had a total of twenty six cities, including Jerusalem. The portion lay north of Judah and south of Ephraim. Though the territory was small in size, it was strategically located, commercially and militarily.

Today, many families are held up in scores of litigation over issues of land inheritance. This has had a telling effect on the unity and cohesion of such families. While it is good to inherit land and property from our families because “a prudent man leaveth an inheritance unto his children’s children”, we should be more concerned about our heavenly inheritance “where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God”.

As believers, we are heirs of all things: His grace (1 Peter 3:7); His salvation (Hebrews 1:14); eternal life (Titus 3:7); and His righteousness (Hebrews 11:7). We are therefore advised to set our affection on things above, for our life is already hid with Christ in God. It is wise to split hairs on transient and fleeting material perquisites. How we need to devote our burstling energies into laying for ourselves treasures and inheritances in heaven!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Believers’ portion is a never fading one.

LEAVE IT TO GOD

David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 2 Samuel 12:16

You must learn to leave situations in God's hands when you cannot tell the outcome of an issue.

Sometimes you can get caught in situations where it appears as if you are in a no-win situation and no matter what happens, you will end up with a bad result. In such cases, you must learn to release the situation to the Lord and rest in Him.

King David dealt with such a situation when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the sin of adultery and the murder of his body-guard - Uriah.

The judgment against David was that the consequence of his action would end in the death of the baby to be born out of the adulterous relationship.

David did not know what to do - no matter the outcome; it was going to be bad for him. He prayed and fasted and just lay before the Lord.

He did not stand in prayer to claim any promise of God. He just lay down in surrender, trusting the Lord to handle it in the best way possible.

Later when David heard that the baby was dead, he accepted the outcome and moved on with his life.

He trusted God with the outcome, and accepted the verdict without questioning God or getting bitter.

Like David, we must learn to accept God's judgment in every situation. He is a loving and a righteous Father. All His ways are perfect. Even His judgments are inspired by His unfailing love.

Prayer: I thank You Father, that You are a righteous God. All Your ways are perfect. May You have Your way in me.

Scriptural Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-23

Health: The Ebola Virus What You Must Know

The Ebola Virus is spreading like wild fire across the continent with cases being reported in Ghana our next door neighbor of recent and just this week an alert was raised in Lagos,Nigeria. 

In view of this,we bring to you a little info about the virus and what we can do to avoid this deadly disease that kills faster than HIV/AIDS.

Introduction :
Ebola is a rare but deadly infection that causes bleeding inside and outside the body. Ebola strikes mainly in remote villages of Central Africa and West Africa,but it has spread to some other African Cities too.
The disease also known as Ebola Hemorrhage Fever or Ebola Virus disease,kills up to 90% of the people who are infected.

How Do You Get Ebola?
You can get Ebola by coming into contact with the blood or body fluids of an animal or person who is infected.

People often get sick with Ebola when they care for or bury a person who has the disease. Someone also can catch the virus by touching contaminated needles or surfaces.

Symptoms :
Symptoms of the Ebola virus show up 2 to 21 days after someone is infected. As the virus spreads through the body's cells, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, Ebola causes levels of blood-clotting cells, called platelets, to fall, which can lead to severe bleeding.

Many of the early symptoms of Ebola look like the flu or other mild illnesses. They include:

*Fever
*Headache
*Muscle aches
*Sore throat
*Weakness
*Diarrhea
As the disease gets worse, people who are infected may develop:

*Bleeding inside and outside of the body
*Rash
*Trouble breathing

How Can You Tell if Someone Has Ebola ?
Doctors may first test for other diseases that have the same symptoms as Ebola, such as:

*Cholera
*Hepatitis
*Malaria
*Meningitis
*Typhoid fever
Tests of the blood and tissues, such as the ELISA test, also can help diagnose Ebola.

If someone might have Ebola, they should be isolated from the public immediately to help prevent the spread of Ebola.

Treatment :
Right now there is no real treatment or cure for Ebola. Doctors try to manage people's symptoms by giving them:

*Fluids and electrolytes through a vein
*Nutrition
*Oxygen

Prevention :
There is no vaccine to prevent Ebola. People can avoid catching the disease by not traveling to areas where the virus is found.

Health care workers can prevent infection by wearing masks, gloves, and goggles whenever they come into contact with people who may have Ebola.

**** Most importantly to we Nigerians,we should be careful with eating of "Bush Meat" (Eran Igbe) as the source of the virus has been traced to infected animals such as Monkeys,Chimps,Fruits Bats,Antelopes,Porcupines,Pigs etc. They must be THOROUGHLY cooked if we must eat.
***** Please endeavor to educate our local hunters on this. A mere contact with blood or body fluid of infected animals is enough for one to be infected.
Hand gloves and other preventive gadgets MUST be worn when attending to an Ebola infected patient at home. So also when burying a dead victim of the virus.
Such dead victim should be properly buried to avoid the spread of the virus.
Regular washing of our hands after EVERY visit to the hospital is also very important as a means of prevention.
Once a person is infected,he/she can spread it to others !

9 Reasons God Wants to Do Miracles Through Teenagers

 Revival is what happens when God's power explodes onto the scene, Heaven comes to earth, and people see God's Kingdom. Revival brings change. People repent and abandon their past sins. People who love God can bring Him into schools, churches, restaurants, malls, and homes. Whole cities and even countries can turn to God as people begin to see with faith. Peace, healing, and joy come and kick out the kingdom of darkness, hatred, sickness, and fear. God's Kingdom of light rules in a revival.

Signs and wonders help make revival happen as people see miracles. They get a firsthand look at God's presence and power, and suddenly, they can't ignore Him anymore.

Before you can get your driver's license, chances are you'll have to pass a test that proves you recognize all the different road signs and understand what they mean. Signs like these are everywhere in our world, and they're extremely helpful and important. Without them, no one would be safe on the roads.

Have you ever taken a road trip to somewhere awesome? Where did you go? If it was a long trip, maybe you remember the first time you saw a sign for your destination and knew you were close. "New York City: 60 miles," "Welcome to Disneyland" pretty exciting, right? You might even whip out the camera and take a picture of the sign. But did you even think about stopping and staying at the sign? Not likely! Why? Because the sign wasn't the destination. It was pointing to something even better, and it was exciting, but if you decided to hang out by the sign itself, you'd miss out on all the fun!

When you think of a miraculous healing, or even someone being raised from the dead, did it ever occur to you that those signs, wonders, and miracles are just like that road sign? They help us get to our revival they point the way to something even greater. But God's signs even the most exciting ones aren't the best part. What's the best part? Well, let's follow the signs and see where they take us.

1) Miracles Show What God Is Like
You are here to be a witness for God that means you show what God is like, and that includes God's power. God isn't helpless and hopeless in the face of sickness, death, blind eyes, and deaf ears. Miracles show us what He's really like.

He's like sickness vanishing and leaving you feeling like a million bucks. He's like the deaf person being able to listen to music again, like the once-blind person now watching the sun rise. He's like life instead of death. Without miracles, people won't get to see this side of God. They will miss out on knowing that His powerful love can and will take care of them because that's how much He cares.

2) Miracles Help People Choose Right or Wrong
Luke 5 tells the story of how Peter was recruited as Jesus' disciple. He had been fishing all night long without catching anything. Jesus stepped into his boat and asked him to row out a bit, giving Him a handy platform to preach from. After the message, He told Peter to throw out his net and give it one more shot. There were no fish around, so it seemed like a dumb idea, but Peter obeyed anyway. The next thing he knew, he had so many fish in his net that it nearly sank his boat.

Peter saw this as a sign of God's power and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me I'm too much of a sinner to be around You" (Luke 5:8). Jesus didn't have to tell Peter that. Miracles are just like a light that turns on and shows us what's in our hearts. In the face of signs and wonders, it's easy to see the sin in our lives and repent.

There are, however, some people who choose not to follow God, even when they see miracles. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, turned against the Hebrews when he saw the signs and wonders of the ten plagues. The Bible says his heart was hard. (Read Exodus 9:35.) The religious leaders also turned against Jesus even after they saw all of His great miracles. They refused to repent. When people see signs and wonders, they will make a choice either to come to God's love or to reject Him.

3) Miracles Give Us Courage
It's hugely important that we tell others about the miracles God has done and is doing these are our testimonies, and they're made for sharing. Why do we have to keep repeating stories we've already heard? Because our memories are short! Think about it would you remember all your friends' birthdays without Facebook reminding you? Maybe, maybe not, but the reminder sure helps you plan the party or buy the present!

Sharing testimonies reminds us how amazing our heavenly Father is and how special we are as sons and daughters of the King. Remembering how God's power destroys the works of the devil gives us courage to bravely face down the enemy. In the Old Testament, there was a group of brave warriors the sons of Ephraim. They were powerful fighters, but on the day the battle started, they panicked and ran. Why? The Bible says, "They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His instructions. They forgot what He had done-the great wonders He had shown them, the miracles He did for their ancestors" (Ps. 78:10-12). When the sons of Ephraim forgot how powerful their God was, they forgot who they were. They lost their courage to fight and win the battle.

4) Miracles Show God's Glory
In John 2, Jesus attended a wedding. Disaster struck when they ran out of wine. (Can you imagine a wedding reception with no cake? It was that much of a problem.) Jesus had not done any miracles yet, but His mother, Mary, knew who her Son was. Mary told Jesus:

"They have no more wine."
"Dear woman, that's not our problem," Jesus replied.
"My time has not yet come."
But His mother told the servants, "Do whatever He
tells you" (John 2:3-5).

Remember, Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing in Heaven. If He didn't turn the water into wine at first, it was because He didn't see His Father doing it. But when Mary used her faith and told everyone to do what her Son said, something happened in Heaven. Jesus took another look at His Father, and God was turning water into wine. Jesus saw what the Father was doing through the faith of His mother.

Now was the time for Jesus to be glorified. Jesus' first miracle happened because of His mom's faith, and when miracles happen, God gets the glory. His power pushes away satan's kingdom of darkness with the light of God's presence. The glory of God makes darkness disappear, and God's Kingdom of light takes its place. The Kingdom of Heaven rules and you get to do this too! You can bring God's Kingdom of light and glory into the darkness.

5) Miracles Help People Give Glory to God
Matthew 9:8 says that when the people saw the man healed, they glorified God. The man in this story could not move until Jesus met him and forgave his sins. Then He told the man to get up and walk, and he did. Seriously impressed, the people started to praise God and give Him glory.

When signs, wonders, and miracles happen, it gets people's attention. When they watch as God's power destroys the works of the devil, something happens inside of them. Their hearts open wide, and they start to praise! It's like the way you feel when your favorite sports team wins, only better! The more God stories you hear, the more your heart will praise and glorify your Father.

6) Miracles Reveal Jesus
Jesus was trying to tell the Jews that He was their Savior, but many did not believe Him. Then He said, "But if I do His work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe Me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father" (John 10:38). Jesus knew that if people would just believe in the concrete signs of His miracles, they would find their way to Him. Miracles reveal who Jesus really is.

7) Miracles Help People Hear God's Voice
Most people in their everyday lives don't spend a lot of time thinking about Heaven. They have too many earthly things to worry about. But when people hear testimonies of God's power, their hearts turn toward Heaven. They start to take a serious look at God's invisible Kingdom, and Heaven starts to look a little more real and relevant. When Heaven looks and feels real, people realize that they need to repent and get serious with God.

8) Miracles Make People Hungry For God,
Signs and wonders show what a good God He truly is. People get hungry when they get a taste of God's goodness. They want more, the ears of their hearts open, and they start to listen. That's when they can finally hear what the Father has to say to them.

9) Miracles Reveal Jesus and His Church
The Bible says Jesus is the head, or leader, of the church. (Read Ephesians 5:23.) We are His followers. We are called His Body, the Church. (Read 1 Corinthians 12:27.) Your head doesn't have any plans to cut itself off and leave your body, right? Let's hope not! The head and the body stick together things work out better that way for both of them. Jesus, as the Head of the Church, made a promise to you, His Body He will never leave you. God's presence comforts us and brings us close to Him. His presence also gives us courage to show His great power and love.

Miracles prove that God Himself is with you. They help you complete your royal mission to bring Heaven to earth. Signs and wonders are key. They point to something greater God Himself! Signs help us get from where we are to the new places the Holy Spirit wants to take us. He has some crazy adventures for you in His Kingdom. His presence and power will lead you just follow the signs.

By Michael Seth

DECLARATION FOR YOU

Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Your thoughts are precious towards me.
Therefore, my soul trusts in You.
Lead me Lord; Lead me in Your righteousness.
Make Your way clear before me.
Lord, I call upon You, today.
Order my steps in Your word.
Guide my thoughts.
Hold my hand.
Plant my feet on higher ground.
In the name of Jesus
I cast out chaos and darkness from my dwelling.
I receive God’s Light.
It is written, ‘the plans of the diligent shall surely lead to plenty’.
Therefore with all diligence.
I pursue order in my life.
Order in my family.
Order in my finances.
By faith, I possess God’s promises to me.
Day by day.
Night by night.
His promises unfold.
The invisible becomes visible.
Precept upon precept.
Line upon line.
Here a little; there a little.
I see the wonders of the Lord.
The impossible becomes possible.
Thank You Lord,
You have caused my lines to fall in pleasant places,
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
You subdue the waves.
You calm the winds.
Therefore I offer my life; my all.
You’re my hope; You’re my end.
The praise belongs to You.
The worship belongs to You.
Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory Forever And Ever.