Two very different Prayer
Previously https://read.cash/@eLdavis/two-very-different-prayer-introduction-80694a72#comments
We introduced the Pharisees and the tax collectors and how different they were from each other, and how the society sees them.
****The Pharisee's Prayer****
Notice four things about the Pharisee's Prayer;
***Luke 18:11-12 KJV***
***The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.***
**i**, **the Pharisee made no mention of his sin**; Many people today, have the ability to see sin in others but fail to see the sins they commit, we feel when ever we call on God He would answer,we feel we deserve God's unlimited love so we see no need to confess our sins or our faults.
**ii**, **The Pharisee holds up his religious and good deeds as the reason he feels he is right with God**; i have heard many say there is no need to be in church, that their good works is enough,they dont need to study more of Gods word or try to understand Him, all they need is to do good deeds.
**iii**, **The Pharisee had pride**; a person with pride sees no fault in themselves, hence they see no need to be sorry or remorseful because they were never at fault in the first place. From the bible verse above we saw how the Pharisee compared himself with others and how he felt he was better than others.
**iv**, **The Pharisee was being judgemental.** The bible clearly tells us that we should never judge others, that is not our duity, nor do we have the right to do so. To judge is ment for our Heavenly Father, He is the perfect judge. The Pharisee judged others ans also judged himself worthy to talk to God in his Prayers.
****The Tax Collector's Prayer****
Notice two things from the tax collector's prayer
***Luke 18:13 KJV***
***And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.***
**i**, **Submission**; He didnt care about how much wealth he had, nor his status, he accepted and realized that God is Supreme above all, even above the Roman empire he served. Him not lifting up his eyes to heaven is a sign that he knew he is not worthy, he knew he had to submit himself, he had to bring himself down for God to lift him up.
**ii**, **A repentant heart;** one of the reasons why God Loved David so much was his ability to acknowledge his sins and repent, the tax collector, knew he was a sinner, he accepted his sin and begged for mercy.
***1 John 1:9 KJV***
***If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.***
That is exactly what the tax collector did. He knew his sin was great and he had no way of paying for his sin. He did did the next best thing, he begged God for mercy
**Who Are We Comparing Ourselves To?**
*1 John 1:8 KJV*
*If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.*
This a perfect example of what the Pharisee did. He deceived himself into thinking he was without sin, instead of comparing himself to God's perfection and standards he compared him self to man's imperfections and standards. Let me give an illustration
I offer you a glass of water, you looking at the glass noticed dirts. You calling this to my attention i tell you, the glass is dirty but the water is clean, would you still drink it? I guess your answer would be no because no matter how clean the water may be, the glass it self is dirty.
Now lets think of our hearts as the glass and the good deeds as the water that fills the glass. Many people today lived a very bad lives or are living bad lives, their hearts has been filed with a lot of dirts. While others - like the Pharisee are living good and wonderful lives filled with good deeds, but it does not matter what whether you heart is filled with good or bad, once the good deeds we offer to God to earn salvation becomes contaminated by sin, God will not accept it. He will give a new heart to anyone who ask.
***Ezekiel 36:26 KJV***
***A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.***
As Christ heart is pure, so is his sacrifice on the cross and his love for us. God doesn't take good people and make them better, nor does he leave bad people without hope.
Two very Different Prayer: introduction
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is found in the book of Luke 18:9-14, we are going to learn why God accepted one and not the other.
This parable was told by Jesus directly to the people who were trusting on their good works to make themselves right with God. These where people who did alot of good deeds, they were legends, known by many for their works, they received so many praises from men, so they thought they would also receive praise from God.
***Proverbs 14:12 KJV***
***There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.***
The mistake these set of people made was looking at things from man's point of view and perspective instead of God. Jesus had actually met people like this before
***Luke 16:15 KJV***
***And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.***
These two prayers we are going to look into was done by the best and worst the society had to offer as at that time. The Pharisees and the tax collector.
As at then the Pharisees where known for being one of the most elite in the society, they were known for their knowledge and understanding, they were known as leaders,they were a sect of Judaism, their name it self meaning " seperate " they lived a life that was seperate form others by strictly following the law. They belived in many of the things we Christians today belive in,such as the resurrection of the dead, future rewards for the good and punishment for the bad, they belived in angels and demons and even on the books that made up the Old Testament.
Whereas the tax collectors are one of the most hated in the society, they were seen as thieves, who used the money of others to better their lives, they were seen as the devils spawn. They worked for Rome, at a time were the Romans and the Jews never got along, the Jews hated the Roman's because they never paid their own tax, they divided their Roman empire into districts and sold the right to collect tax in each district. Tax collectors were often Jews, therefore they were seen by other jews as traiotrs because they served Rome. Another major reason for the tax collectors to be so hated is because they made their money from collecting double from their fellow Jew. They were known for their greed and most jew would call it, they were doing a shameful business.
***To be Continued*** ...
Food For Thought: Mid Week Edition
The right connection can get you the right opportunity that would change your life, it may take a day, a week, a month or even years for things to change, keep showing up. The right words could calm even the most violent situations, mind what you say, when you say it and how you say it. The right action could change the lives of those around you, you dont always have to do something big to achieve greatness. Even the little things matters, take every opportunity given to you like its your last, no matter how small it may be, you never can tell who id watching.
You may not see it now, but you will accomplish all that you have set out to achieve, the key is not how hard you work, but how smart. Work smart, think outside the box, there are millions of people doing the same thing you do but what makes the difference? Be creative, be unique, it does not matter if others look down on your ideas, or how impossible it may seem, if it's worth it, take the risk, be consistent, believe in your self and keep moving forward.
Helping someone and expecting something in return is another form of business not kindness. If you are in the position to help, do so your rewards awaits you. Never let those you have helped regret accepting you help. Never hold unto anger, no matter how much you have been hurt or how painful the experience may be. Let go, holding anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Anger eats you up from the insides, it causes damage to your soul if not taken care of. Anger is a virus that kills slowly.
You can overcome any fear if you only make up your mind, fear only exist only in the minds, once we can control our minds, we would break limits. We all dream of doing the impossible, start with the little you have, do what is necessary,do the right thing that needs to be done at the right time, and work according to you abilities. Before you know it you are doing the impossible.
The only thing standing between you and your goals is your mindset, the stories you tell yourself as to why its impossible. No one can limit you or stop you, the only person with the ability to stop you is yourself. The man who moved a whole mountain, started by moving small stones first. Start with the little you have, Rome was not built in a day,your result is determined by the effort you put in the little.
When you know your goal, and how bad you want it you will always find a way to achieve it. Set your goals, twenty years from now you might think back in regrets for the things you didnt do, just do it, make the decision, take the risk. be confident in your self, believe in yourself and live the life you imagined. You can waste your years drawing lines and setting limits or you can use your time in breaking limits and crossing lines.
Our time on earth is limited, dont waste it living someone's else life. If you believe things would work out, you will see only opportunities but if you dont believe it will work, you will see only obstacles.
Do not get carried away by how fast others are making it, know your pace, understand who you are, and work according to your pace. Its okay to cry, you can cry as much as you want but make sure once you stop crying you never have to cry for the same reason. In order to achieve your goals, there need to be change. Change how your mindset, how you view things, change how you react to certain actions.
most importantly put God first in all that you do, let God be in every decision, every choice that we make should be directed by God. Have faith in God, because God has faith in you.
***#believe in your self and make the change***
Change
Change, is said to be contant. We constantly change how we few things, how we reason certain things, our eating or dressing habbits etc. Notting actually last except for change. Yet many fear change. To change something means for that particular thing being replaced with something else, to change means binging in something else, it may not necessarily be new, but its different than normal.
Today many have dreams about the world changing to be a better place that promotes love, peace, joy and most of all the eradication of inhumane treatments and actions by humans. It is very easy to talk about change or discuss ways change can come in, ideas on how to change the way others think. But we fail to understand that the government as a body or other groups cannot bring about change to others. It takes just one person to make a difference, it takes just one choice of action to make changes.
In Nigeria today, we find ourselves in the current situation because we believed the change had to come from the effort of others, for example the government, once the government change things would be better, or like the current riots going on by the youths, we belive since the current government failed to bring in the change they promised us, then the government it self needs to be changed. Truth be told we would end up making the same mistakes, the government might actually change but the difference would be a new set of people, with different names, tribes and origins but they would still do the same things we needed change from.
The key to true change, is to stop waiting for others to change. You on your own make the change, and you would see others changing around you. Just one change could be a spark that would ignite a nation. We claim we need change yet we ourselves not wanting to give up our old ways. What do you think would happen if a person who sees notting wrong in lieing and skipping lines at the ATM queue just to be able to get what he/she wants without caring for those standing there for hours?, what would happen if that person becomes a leading figure? Or a part of a new government? He/she would always want to put their needs first before the masses.
The little things we feel doesn't matter, are what matters most, in order to create real change, we need to change how we handle every aspect of life. The Nigerian youth Today are crying for a new government, which is indeed needed and a very good move. But what's to stop us from making the same mistakes our fathers did? We cry for change, yet we still find it easy to cheat one another, we want change yet we still find it hard to be faithful, we request for change, yet we still steal through internet frude and the likes, we want change yet we still fail to put the needs of others before our personal needs.
Change begins with you and i, the difference we make in our little ways, the negative habbits we drop, no matter how small they are. When people see your the difference in you, they would either change to able to work with you or leave you. Many of us today fear change because we worry about who would stay when we change, or what will people say about the new me. If they are nof able to accept who you are, then they were never ment to be in your life.
The Jesus you are missing
If your faith ends at the cross and the fact that He died for you to set you free, then you are missing out on the full blessings Christ Has to offer. Our faith in Christ should affect every area of our lives, the actions we take and our reaction to certain problems and difficulties of life.
***John 3:16 KJV***
***For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.***
You are missing out on a father who not only died for us on the cross to be set free from sin and the devil, you are also missing on a Father who is alive and loves you so much that He would never see you hurt.
***Romans 5:8-9 KJV***
***But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.***
You are missing out on a Father who hears your prayers anytime. Whenever you call, He listerns, even when it feels like He is silent, His presence is never absent, a father who gave the bible as His love letter, that when ever we feel lost or confused we can always fall back to.
***John 1:1 KJV***
***In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.***
You are missing out on a Father who is also a friend, who listerns when you talk, offers solutions, understand you pain, and would never judge you no matter the sin or your faults.
***Matthew 9:13 KJV***
***But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.***
The reason Jesus died for our sins was not just to set us free from sin and the devil, it was also to create a connection between us and the Father, He came down just to build a relationship with us. He was killed just so he could walk with us and be friends with us. He not just someone that knows about our weakness, He is someone that has also been through it.
Believing in the death of Jesus alone would not bring all these, we need to also believe in the gospel He left behind. Have faith, trust Him. As humans, we crave a perfect relationship, where we can be understood, where we can feel a calm touch, where we can feel the heart beat of the one who truely loves us, we crave to be in a relationship where we can be motivated to be better, inspired to do more, never feel neglected or judged by our mistakes or faults.. We can find all these through chirst . All we need is total acceptance and believe.
Regrets
We have all had regrets at one point of our lives,it could be regrets on the things we said at one time, regrets on our past actions or how we handled a particular case. Regret is an emotion, that makes one think or wish they had made a different choice in the past based on the current reaction to their past actions. Regret is a feeling is a feeling of pure sadness and in most cases disappointment based on the current results of our actions. We even have regrets on the things we failed to do in the past. Regret can easily be caused by the question " what if "
Our lives can easily be filled with regrets when we find our selves wondering.... What if i had married a different woman? What if i never dated my ex?, what if had gotten a different job?, what if i reacted a different way.
My life had been full of regrets, somtimes i regret times i never stated my mind about a particular topic or how i felt, and there are times i regret letting the next person know how i truly felt about them. I regret how i did everything possible to please those around me, even when i ended up getting hurt, and in the end they all left me. Sometimes i regret some of the decisions i made in highschool, how i handled most issues.
I regret how i am nolonger in touch with some of my good friends, friends that understood me, friends that made me laugh in my sad moments, friends i did everything with back then. I regret no picking certain calls because i didnt know what to say, i regret not reaching out to others even when they made effort, i regret falling in love and breaking up with some i felt would be my future, perhaps this may be the actual reason for this article. I regret the fact that i still care about someone i am nolonger with, i regret the fact that i cannot change how you reason our situation, i regret the fact that even till now your words still hurt me even when i try to pretend they dont. I regret how i let you see how much power you had over me and my weakness. I regret how i can never change certain decisions i made. And the fact that you may never fully understand why things are like this now.
I regret about why i worry too much about what others thought about me and the decisions i made, i regret the fact that i used to feel sad because everyone thought i was weird because i didnt go to parties or flex like others did. Or the fact i heard many said i was acting older than my age.
I regret the fact that i never had enough confidence on my self to say what needed to be said, to express how i really felt, to do the things needed to be done. I regret the fact that there are still so many things not within my control and because of these, the one person i want to actually understand me is the one person that never did. I reget not being more friendly to others and giving them a chance when the person i thought i was doing it for, never did it for me even once. But you know the funny thing?
Looking back at my life and all my mistakes i wouldn't change a single thing. I have come to realize that everything happens for a reason, i may not see some of the reasons now, i may never understand why when i see them later. I have come to realize that every choice and decisions i made in the past was what i wanted, no it was what i needed at the moment, if i made mistakes it clearly means i am human, and i have been given a chance to learn, accept my faults and become better, stronger and smarter. All these has made me who i am today. If others forsake me, i believe my Heavenly Father would never forsake me.
Looking back in life I have come to a conclusion that i have no regrets in life, having regrets would only stop me from moving forward or from being a better me.
*I dont know who needs to read this, but do not let your regrets stop you from moving foward*.
A New Week
As we begin a new week, You dont need to be better than anyone else, you just have to be better than you used to be. Life is not about who wears it best, nor is it about who owns it best, its not just about how far you have gone or how well you have achieved. Its also about the stories behind the success, the efforts you put in to get to the position you are now, the lessons you learnt and the experience, live it and love it.
Our fears begins to grow when we remain in one place, to overcome them, you need to take action, take the first step on the things you were scared to do last week, you would never know if it would bring success or failure until you try it. Every success you earn brings you a step closer to you goals, every failure make you an inch better than you were before, its all about how you view it.
Its okay to outgrow people who refuse to grow, do not be decived or blackmailed in remaining in one position, keep moving forward, dont stop moving forward, the road to success is not just about opportunities or hardwork, its also about being consistent. If opportunities fail to find you, create and opportunity by yourself.
One dangerous mistake a man can make is not aiming to high and then missing it, its aiming too low and then reaching it. In that you may feel you have succeeded but you only succeeded on limiting yourself, challange yourself, aim for the best this week, you deserve it,keep dreaming big, if you can dream, you csn make it. The key is to never give up, when others say its not possible, may that be a reason to push harder not a reason to give up.
Twenty-three more days left to end the year 2020, and you are still alive. That alone is a reason to thank God, the year 2020 has been one of the hardest, many lost their lives, their jobs,loved ones, many could not achieve their goals, do not let that put you in pressure as the year comes to an end. You surviving this year is an achievement, it shows you are strong. Never stop giving God thanks, worship Him. He has a plan for you, you may not know it,you may not see it right now, you may not understand it. All you need is to believe.
***Jeremiah 29:11 KJV***
***For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.***
Suicide is real, our mental health also matters, as we begin a new week, be careful about the things you say to others, do not be a medium for others to give up on life or their dreams. Be a source of encouragement, help others build their dreams. By doing so you are sowing seeds that would intercede on your behalf. Normalize God on every aspect of your life and make focusing on your future your daily routine.
When God is Silent
***Matthew 1:23 KJV***
***Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.***
There are times as Christians when we would feel God is silent, we feel He no longer speaks to us in our times of trouble, we feel our prayers are nolonger answered therefore His presence nolonger exist with us. Because of this feeling, we begin to backslide, we are longer faithful with out tithes and offerings, we nolonger see the need to be in Gods presence nor the need to study His word.
This is when many Christians would say, there is no more anointing in their local church, begin to doubt if God actually exists ( forgetting all God did for them in the past) most would even go as far as saying God has forsaken them.
The above scripture, clearly tells us who God is in one word " Emmanuel ". God may be silent at the moment, or we may feel He is silent, but He is never absent. In His silence, His presence exists. When we feel God is Silent trust in His presence.
This article, is not going to talk about God's silence or the reason For God's silence. We are going to talk about what needs to be done in God's silence and what we stand to gain in God's silence.
****Check your Prayer Habbit****
Your old prayer habbit might not be drawing you closer to God. As Christians, we are ment to grow always not to remain in one position
***2 Peter 3:18 KJV***
***But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.***
There are certain levels we would reach in our Christian journey that our old ways or method of prayers might not be able to sustain us. As we grow in Christ, so should our prayer life. Certain times we feel God is silent, or there are no answers to our prayers, it could very well be a sign from God to change our Prayer life or our method of prayer.
****Read More Of The Scripture****
It may feel like God is silent right now, but He had already prepared a message for you. When you feel like you no longer hear God's voice, go through His word
***John 1:1 KJV***
***In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.***
God's word is life, His word is Him Himself. It does not matter if you have read that particular scripture over a thousand times, there is still something new to learn from it. Many Christians today make the mistake of forsaking Gods word when in situations like this. Read your bible, meditate on it, God is present even in His silence.
****A Time to communicate with others****
When we find ourselves in situations where we feel God is silent, its not the time to be in self pity or self isolation, this is the time we should draw near to others higher than your spritual level, go closer to those that would assist you in prayers. As much as God wants to have a relationship with Him, He wants we His children to also get along with each other, and grow together
***Proverbs 27:17 KJV***
***Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.***
****An Opportunity To Run After Christ****
Right from Creation God has been the one chasing man, trying to redeem man, from sin, And man tends to take it for granted. We forget that we serve a jealous God.
***Deuteronomy 4:24 KJV***
***For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.***
When we begin to take God's voice for granted because we feel anytime we call on Him, He would answer, He would allow us experience a period of time without Him, so we can fully understand what we are missing out on, and how much He has done for us.
***#when God is silent is not a time to give up but to check your relationship with Him. Remember in His silence, He is present***
Confidence or Arrogance?
Many people today mistake confidence for arrogance, while others see arrogance as being confident in ones self or in what they being in. Truth be told there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. To be arrogant means having pride beyond normal, they could care less about what others think about them or how they operate or react to certain things. They only care about themselves or what they would benifit, these could be shown even without actual communication, how they carry themselves is enough for anyone to see and notice.
An arrogant person would always want to avoid certain people, only looking forward to talk or associate with others they feel would benifit them, most times they say their minds openly not to help others who cant speak but for their own selfish reasons. They are the ones that would arrive very late to an important gathering without even the slightest bit of care about how others would feel, they dont even care to give an explanation or an apology, they tend to look down on others, saying their minds without an inch of care about the feelings and mental health of others. Because of their ability to care about themselves alone, they never actually listern to your ideas or plans so they could easily cut you off at anytime to put in the ideas that best suits them. They are the types that would have the best comebacks for every verbal attacks, always having the last words even when at fault.
An arrogant person does not care what needs to be done to be at the top, they could use others as a steping stone, as long as they get to the top notting else matters, they lack the ability to discern when to speak and when not too, thus speaking bluntly to people when its not required. An arrogant person tends to put the blame on others rather than themselves. Because they feel they are never at fault.
One of the major reasons why many confuse arrogance for confidence, is the ability for both to speak up on how they feel. But the major difference is that a confident person knows when to speak and when its totally not called for. Confident person tend to listern to others and their ideas, they only state their mimds when needed for learning purpose or better clarification.
Confident people tend let others know the hard works done by team members, because they are confident that it would not stop them for also climbing to the top, they are confident in their own abilities so they see no need to put down others.
The truth about arrogant people is that, they use arrogance to mask their fear, insecurities, imperfections and worry. They tend to be that way to distract others from seeing how weak they are. But there is always a way out, the key is to acknowledge it.
*Pride could also turn confidence into arrogance.*
***What are you?***
His Pain our Access
*Matthew 26:36-38 KJV*
*Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. [37] And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. [38] Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.*
We can never fully understand Christ pain in the garden of Gethsemane, but at least we dont have to misunderstand what it means and how it affects us today. The event of the Garden of Gethsemane was like the pain of God and man all in one person, coming face to face with sin.
The event of Gathsemane and Calvary represent something painful yet important, it represents the agony of Christ and the gateway to salvation for man, it represents the love of the father, and the acceptance of man and his sinful nature in exchange for salvation.
The pain and fear Jesus felt on the garden of Gethsemane was not His death on the cross, infact His major purpose on earth was to die for man, His fear was the fact that He might not get through the struggle as the son of man, He was very confident He could overcome it as the son of God, which proves to us how much Christ loves us, that He came in Human from, even with all our emotions such as fear, anger etc. The pain He went through was for us to gain access to the father, He gave us unlimited access to the father, He released grace on the cross, that is why we can access forgiveness even with all our ways.
***how well have you made use of these access?***
God and Sin
***1 Peter 2:24 KJV***
***Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.***
The cross is a sign and symbol of God's judgment on sin, the cross symbolize the total and complete triumph over the devil and sin that shook the very foundation of hell itself.
There is notting in history or eternity that can be compared with sacrifice that Jesus did at the cross, it can never be replaced nor can it be changed. He made it totally and completely possible for the entire human race to be connected and have a close and personal relationship with God. He made redemption and salvation a free gift and the foundation of our human race, His sacrifice made it possible for us to communicate with the Father without having to do series of sacrifices.
The event of the cross was not just something that happened to Christ along His stay on earth, the cross was His mission from the very beginning, it was His purpose in coming that had already been ordained since the foundation of the world.
***Revelation 13:8 KJV***
***And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.***
The coming of Christ in Human form would have been useless without the event of the cross. He came in human form so he could be able to absorb our sins for Himself in exchange for salvation and the power to sin no more.
***2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV***
***For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.***
God came in human form to set us free from sin, that we may nolonger be slaves to sin, His coming to earth was not to accomplish a name for Himself. The cross is the final solution to all sins and all our problems, it can never be understood or comprehended by mere human understanding.
Through the event of the Cross, we are able to see God's true nature, which is love, never a love so pure has been seen in all of history, the cross is a symbol of Christ undieing love.
***John 3:16 KJV***
***For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.***
The cross was the place where God and sinful man merged, no matter your faults or your sin, Christ has made a way.
Dare to Fail
it does not matter the number of times you fail, or how hard you fall. Failure in most cases serves as a teacher, to achieve greatness, you should be able to accept failures as well. Our generation today nolonger have the capacity to accept failure, that is why you see and hear cases of people commiting suicide or giving up in their dreams. Failure is not rhe problem, but your ability to stand again is. When you fail, learn from it and try again. Never givee up.
***2 Timothy 1:7 KJV***
***For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.***
The harder you fall, the stronger you become when you stand again. Dont be angry when people reject your ideas, they hsve only given you the perfect opportunity to prove and convince them why your idea is best. If you dont like something, or how things are going, change if. If you cant change it, change your attitude towards it, remove negativity from your mindset and focus you will always find something positive from every failure.
No matter how much you fail, or how hard you fall, dont give up,keep pushing foward, never take no for an answer. Keep on fighting for your dream, no one else we do it for you. It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you dont stop, you will surely get to the top.
When we let the fear of failure rule over us, we can never be free. The challanges we face are what makes like intresting, overcoming these challenges are what makes like meaningful. On your quest for success, never loose sight of the things you love, do not make money your sole purpose, focus on your salvation, focus on the things you love and God we take care of it all.
***Psalm 73:26 KJV***
***My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.***
Always be optimistic, even in the face of failure, remember notting can be done without God. Put your hope on Him. We all have problems, we all face failures even the most successful amoung us today. But the difference is the choices we make in the face of failure. Do not be pushed by the fears of failure, but be moved by the dreams in your heart.
*****Have a blessed Thursday*****
Road To Success
Many would say success is doing the best we can with the little we have and achieving heights beyound expectation, but many fail to see the other expect of what success truely means. We feel until we get our dream homes, dream cars or job then we have not succeeded. Success is not just about the things gotten, success is also the doings, the tryings, its also about the effort you put in to achieve a particular goal.
Fall in love with the process, not just the result. You leveling up from one stage of life to the next is a success on its own, appreciate the efforts, the hardwork because in the its not the results that made you who you are or successful, its the effort you put in that makes you. Never set your goals on the success level of others, we all move in different pace, and we all have different difficulties, dont compare, rather accept the process.
What is the point of trying to succeed in life for years, when you have never acknowledged the process that leads to your success. On our journey to success every day is a chance to do something remarkable. The end result matters but how you got there, the experience, would define how well you accept the end result.
To succeed you must be willing and ready to showcase your potential, people we laugh, they we talk, they will try to discourage you. Make your move in the end the same people who laughed and judged you would be the ones asking for motivational talks on how you made it.
One of the secret to success is to focus,and have a positive mindset, when others see and obstacle, there is always a way as long as you have God by your side. You dont have to start great to succeed, but you have to start to be great to achieve success.
***The road to success is not easy, but never give up, be consistent***
Child Labour & Child Marriage
According to the United States Department of labour, more than thirty-one percent (31%) of Nigerian children (roughly over 14,000,000 children) aged five to fourteen are working children, who are engaged in various kinds of job, be it forced labour or voluntary in various sectors. Cases of child labour has been noticed in the agricultural sector for example, where children participate in the production of cassava, yam, etc. Even in the mining industry were they mine and crush granite.
Underage children can also be found on highways, chasing cars begging for aems or selling various goods like pure water, drinks,eggs, groundnut etc. Many Nigerian farms today totally depends on family labour in the operation of these farms. In most cases these families cannot afford to send these children to school,hence they used them in the fields. While in other cases the children and even the parents value their farms than education. A perfect example for these is Cross River State in Nigeria,Bateriko Boki East local Government to be precise. Were children would skip school all through the term only to show up on exams days with the excuse that they have been busy at the farm. Were a father could spend money on drinks but find it hard to pay school fees.
Early marriage is prevalent in Nigeria most especially in the northern region, based on the belief that early marriage prevent their young ones from way-ward life style. in most cases one of the major cause of early marriage has been associated with poverty. Many young girls are married off at the age fifteen to one rich chief or elder who has more than one wife, some are even married off at the age of nine. These girls are easily subjected to disease and domestic violence and no access to education due to entering motherhood at an early age.
All these clearly goes againt the Human Right
#***Right To Education***
What can be done?
It is the duity of the government to protect the right of their future leaders, by at least creating free education in most of these commmunities, the people should be enlightened about the benifits of education and the effects of early marriage. It is not just the job of the government alone, tho they play a major role. Those with resources should also reach out to these communities, it could be an NGO or a group of persons. What about you? Are there children who lack education around you? You dont need to have all the wealth in the world to help out. On your own teach them. Reach out the little ways you can.
Born To Intercede
Who is an intercessor? An intercessor is someone that is ready to stand in the gap for others, its someone who puts the needs and wants of others in prayer, an intercessor is a person who makes sure the problems of others are solved through consistent prayers without expecting anything in return. When we hear these word, our mind goes down to the prayer warriors or the Pastors in our local Church. What about you?
John 17 is known as the *High Priestly Prayer.* It is the longest prayer of Christ ever recorded in all the gospel. What does these Prayer actually mean to us and what does it teach us? This scripture clearly shows the innermost part of Christ's Heart. The prayer of John 17 can be divided into three
***John 17:1-5 KJV***
As seen above this part was dedicated to Himself, Christ,He told God about His mission here on earth, how far He had gone for the task to be accomplished, He knew He was about to take on the sin of the world as His own, and the father does not associate with sin, thus He asked to be glorified with the glory He had before coming to earth.
****Lesson****
With this our Father has taught us to always be thankful, to always glorify God, to always carry out the task God has given to you no matter how hard it maybe, Christ knew the journey ahead and what He was about to face but it never stoped Him from praying.
***John 17:6-19 KJV***
Here we could see the genuine love Christ had for His disciples, there is no greater love than these, He thank God for giving Him these men, He prayed for them, Christ actually interceded for His disciples on earth, He did not pray for them to leave this wicked world behind nor did He pray that all men should be good to them. Rather He prayed that they have the power to overcome, even as they would be hated here on earth because of their faith, they should be glorified. These are the same disciples who forsook Him when He was nailed to the cross, these are the same men who vanished when He was tortured and left to carry the heavy cross. Christ being aware of all these, was grateful, He acted as an intercessor between the disciples and the Father, commiting them in Gods hands.
****Lesson****
It is our duity as children of God to commit every one in prayers, it does not matter what they had done in the past or what they would do. Our duity is to intercede for them. We can never escape from the trials of life, rather pray for grace and strength to overcome.
***John 17:20-26 KJV***
***Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; [21] That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. [22] And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: [23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. [24] Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. [25] O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.***
The greatest part about these prayer is that Christ prayed for us, we were mentioned, you and i. Even before we were born Christ prayed for us, even before we knew Him, He interceded for us, even before we accepted Him, He had already accept us. There is indeed no greater love than these. This could very well be the greatest lesson in these chapter
****Lesson****
No matter the difficulties you see before you, no matter what you pass through,no matter how broken you feel Christ has prayed for you. You are loved, all you need to do is come to Him.
#dont forget to intercede for others.
Food for thought : December edition
Many times we break our own hearts, by making others more important to us than we are to them, we let those that are not worth it get too close while leting go of the genuine ones. Making friends is a good thing, communicating with others is equally good, but be careful the things you say and the things you do. Not every one that smiles with you truely loves you. As the year comes to end, learn to discern the bad eggs from the good ones. Do not cut them off totally, learn to also work with them but there should be a limit on how you relate with them.
Dream about your future, believe in your dream and build it. It does not matter what others say about your dream, or how impossible they may make it to be, if you can dream, then it is possible to realize it all you need to do is believe and take the first step.
Life is not just about finding yourself, finding what you like, what you hate, the things you love doing. Life is also about creating your self, create your self to be the person you want to be not the person others want you to be. The key to success is to focus on goals and not the obstacles before you.
Things maybe hard right now, from January till now being first of December might have have not been easy but never forget with God all things are possible, never give up, the God that saw you through from January till now has not forsaken you. Every morning keep waking up with determination and passion for what is to come, and go to bed with satisfaction. Be thankful for the little things.
Today marking the start of the last month of the year 2020, dont stop when you are tired, stop when you are done. Keep pushing forward, the harder you work for something, the greater you would feel when you finally achieve it. Success doesn't just find you, work for it, look for it and you will see it. Most great things never come from our comfort zones.
Sometimes later becomes never, do what you need to do now, before the year ends push your self above you limit and every limitations because no one else will be consistent in pushing you forward than your very self. Live your life to the fullest with, keep on learning to improve yourself with God on every step you take. Do not be decived by the devil or the things of the world draw near to God because the devil that would do everything to push you away from God is the same one who goes back to pray to God for your punishment.
*#remember you are never to young to start and empire, nor are you too old to follow you dream... It is never too late*
**Happy new month and good night from eLdavis**.
When Jesus Sang Part Two
Previously on https://read.cash/@eLdavis/when-jesus-sang-part-one-28612a04 we talk about a very rare and wonderful event which was the one time it was mentioned, "Jesus sang "
****What hymn did Christ actually sing******?**
Many writers and scholars has agreed that it was Psalm 118. For over two thousand years till date the Jews have concluded each passover by singing Psalm 118, if you go through that chapter you we find it appropriate for that particular situation.
***Psalm 42:8New International Version***
*8 By day the Lord directs his love,(**A**)*
*at night(**B**) his song(**C**) is with me*
*a prayer to the God of my life* https://www-biblegateway-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042%3A8&version=NIV&interface=amp&_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#cen-NIV-14564A https://www-biblegateway-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042%3A8&version=NIV&interface=amp&_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#cen-NIV-14564B https://www-biblegateway-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042%3A8&version=NIV&interface=amp&_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#cen-NIV-14564C
****When Did Christ Sing****?
It was after the solemn passover service and the supper, and just before the events the garden and Calvary. All through the life and times of Jesus on earth, even in all His Gospels and parable, Chirst singing was never mentioned until now. Perhaps Him doing so at this particular moment was so peculiar and also a perfect lesson for us to learn. His last note was a cheerful note, though He knew what was in the future. He still sang with His disciples even when He knew they would forsake Him on the cross, He sang cheerfully to the Father even when He knew the people He healed, prayed for, fed and even studied the word together would be the ones to shout crucify Him. What does that teach you?
Let us learn to keep our friends from sorrow, and also keep ourself from it as well for as long as we can. Even in the face of difficulties sing to your father, even when you are very much aware of the things to come and they are not in your favour, sing to the lord. Instead of worring over it, if we can do as Christ did, our Heavenly Father would give us the grace and courage to overcome.
****When Will Christ Sing Again****?
Surely we would love to hear our Saviour sing again, and it would be great. When He comes again, Christ we lead a great number of the redeemed whom no man can number, in songs of praise.
After Christ and the disciples had sang these hymns they were all filled with joy, their spirits were elevated. But Christ gave a warning word to them
*" All of you shall be offended because of me this night, But i we not forsake you, i we go before you into Galilee"*
But the disciples with their little understanding did not believe these words and felt lost after the crucifixion of Jesus.
When Jesus sang Part One
*Matthew 26:30 KJV*
*And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.*
No man ever spoke like Jesus did, so it is safe to say no man has ever sang like He did as well. Did the angels also listerned like the prisoners listerned to the singing of Paul and Silas? I know i would, what about you?
Christ sang, and the disciples joined in. Most of Christ disciples were known to be fishermen, and fishermen were know for their hearty singings at sea. It would have been great to have heard that hymm sang by Jesus and His disciples. How sweet the combined melody of Christ & His disciples would have been, And even the prayer in John 17 **( an article on John 17 coming soon)**
Christ singing shows the reality of how human Christ was on earth. It is said that no one has ever head the god Jupiter sing, that it would be beneath him to do so. But Christ did it, He proved to us that He was truely one of us, He was not just the son of God in human form or a God in human for. He was truely Human. He completely became Human so He could understand our pains, our joys and so He could see things from our point of view,and to redeem us from sin it self. There is no greater love than this.
We like singing songs and hymn, especially in times of affliction, it is belived that even the three youths in the book of Daniel sang when they were in the fiery furnace, it is more unselfish to sing songs and hymns than to pray, because singing expresses our love and gratitude to the father, we nolonger talk about our problems, we nolonger complain about the situation before us, all we do is praise the father.
Christ was on the eve of the most terrifying event ever to take place on earth, the garden and the cross was already before Him, His singing was a means of fortifying Himself. He summons to His every aid the Heavens it self, His eyes were on the father not the cross before Him. He prepared Himself.
Why did Christ sing? As His children what has this taught us?
***To be continued....***
Evening Reminder
God connects with us in many ways and through different means, it could be in little ways we do not expect, it could be through people we feel are less spritual than us, it could be through our phones maybe a message we come across on the internet, it could even be through signs or animals as seen in the bible all we have to do is discern the times and anything that comes our way And never take God's word for granted.
***Ezekiel 44:23 KJV***
***And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.***
Do not wait for the right moment to confess your sins, God is ready and willing to forgive your sins anytime any day as long as you come to Him with an open heart, no matter how broken you are He is ready to accept and amend you.
***2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV***
***If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.***
We serve a God who does unique things to meet up with His children for we are special and unique. As His children we are to live in His presence for it is our natural habitat, therefore they cannot be seperation nor disconnection. Notting can compare to the home He is preparing for us.
***Genesis 1:27 KJV***
***So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.***
You are special and unique never let anyone tell you otherwise Jesus loves you the way you are but He would never leave you like that.
Mans inhumanity to Man
As humans, it is expected that we should have human feelings towards one another, irrespective of our age, gender, culture, tribe or even religion. It does not matter we all belong to one race, it does not matter if we are black nor white we are all humans.
Over the years we have come to discover that man's greatest enemy is man himself, there have been so many cases of killings, rapes, violence and even torture. Even the security bodies sworn to protect us has become a cause of fear and panic. Like the recent case in Nigeria, the #End SARS protest and stop police brutality,that took alot of lives and left most injured.
Man nolonger have human feelings towards their kinds, we have seen cases of terrorist attacks all over the world, humans killing humans in the most brutal way ever, humans paying and sponsoring humans to kill other humans, for reasons that can never be understood. Cases like Boko Haram comes to mind. In most cases Domestic animals now even show more compassion than we humans. We have seen and heard so many stories on the internet and even in the news about how animals step out to save the day.
Humans has fallen to the point that they nolonger care, it is always about personal gains and how to be better than the next person. All our actions are driven by selfish desires with the perfect defence that " trust no one"
It is indeed true that you cannot fully trust another person with how the world is today, but dont let the negativity of today change who you are today. Always try to help out when you can.
#have a blessed week.
Be your Self
When you allow things or what people say to bother you, you are giving them power over you, be your self, keep your positive attitude and keep moving forward. Do not let your negative past influence who you are now, or change you from being yourself. When thinking about life, always remember this: no amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of anxiety can change your future it would only keep you hooked in one position without moving forward.
When God gives you a new beginning, take it, make use of it, do not repeat the old mistakes you made. He created you as you are because He knows you are perfect, be your self and the God that created you we fix the little faults. Before He formed you, He knew you and set you apart from others, you are different, you are special and you are unique. Keep on being your self
Stop worrying about what you cant do or change, and start doing what you can do. Dont focus on your limitations, acknowledge them, but focus more on the grace God has given you to overcome what ever limitations. There is notting wrong in being different, you dont have to change to fit in, you can only improve yourself to be a better version, but not change to be understood. Keep on being your self, understand yourself, love your self and the right ones will put in effort to know, understand and love the real you.
***#be your self every other person is taken.***
The Silence Chapter Three.
Previously on the silence https://read.cash/@eLdavis/the-silence-chapter-two-1681b03d
We introduced the adulterous woman,and what Christ silence ment for her. How Christ took her sins and replaced it with salvation.
We dont do much good by speaking too much about the faults of others. If we could learn Christ way of speaking a little, we would be much more likely to reach our end. He never exposed the faults of His disciples, even when others would find faults in them. When they were blamed for plucking the ears of corn He defended them, when they were blamed for not fasting, he gave reasons as to why they didnt at the moment.
What about when they all forsook Him and fled, He was never offended. When Peter denied Him, He never utter a word of reproach, He only gave him a look that was silent but how it touched Peter's soul.
Peter remembered when Jesus asked him by the see of Galilee three times " Do you love me? " three times. There was evidently an allusion to his thrice-repeated denial. Peter longed to have Christ speak of his betrayal, so he could confess his sins and be forgiven. But Christ never said more about it. When Christ spoke about His disciples in ***John 17,*** you would think these men are faultless. He said they have kept His word, they are not of this world even as He is not of this world, He never speeks of their failures but their faith. He is not an accuser like the devil, he is ready to accept you with all your flaws, He speaks of your faith to the Father,His love is so endless.
The very height of His love can be seen with John the beloved. No man had a broken heart than John, when he came back and stood at the cross for some hours before his master died. John who used to lay his head oj Chirst's bosom, had forsaken Him and fled but Christ said not a single word of rebuke for him.
Christ looked John and said, " there is my mother, she is your mother now. Take her home with you. I forgive you. That was all John needed to hear, he was scared, he felt broken, he belived he had committed the greatest sin on earth but Christ forgave him.
HE IS STILL THE SAME, COME TO CHRIST NOW HE IS WAITING FOR YOU.
The Silence Chapter Two
Previously on the silence https://read.cash/@eLdavis/the-silence-chapter-one-3aa200a6 ( for dose yet to read it) we introduce the theme silence, what it means when Chirst is silent.
Christ silence to our sin, is a sign that He does not care about our faults, all He is after is our salvation. When Christ heard what the accusers of the adulterous woman said, He turned away amd began to write on the ground as if to give a silent rebuke to them. He lifted Himself up and looked at them, He did not say one word to the woman, instead He said a searching word to those round her.
*John 8:7 KJV*
*So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.*
When He looked up the second time, her accusers had all disappeared. Then He said to the woman " neither do i conderm thee"
***John 8:11 KJV***
***She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.***
He did not reject her, He acted as a sin-bearer. He was casting her sins into the depths of the sea, in exchange for the power to sin no more. It was not because her sin was small, it was because of His endless love. When you take your sin to Him, He will not rebuke you, He we not scold you, He will never cast you out.
Most times we may feel God does not notice our sin because of His silent. He is only giving you time for repentance.
***TO BE CONTINUED...***
Never Doubt
If your reason to succeed is solely based on your need to prove others wrong, it clearly means you are being controlled by what others think about you. Do better, be better, achieve greater heights for yourself alone, and those who thought the worse about you would be put to shame.
Everyday, God's grace grants us freedom to live a life filled with love and happiness. You dont need to have all the wealth in the world before you can be happy, you being alive alone gives you hope for a better tomorrow.
The only thing seperating your dream from reality is distance. Take the first step, make use of the little you have, time we make your dream a reality. Dont regret knowing the people that refused to help im your darkest hour, they were placed in your life to teach you a lesson, learn it.
Your determination, would give you the strength to carry on but have this in mind, bad things Are alway going to happen. People will hurt you, break you and use you but never use this as an excuse to hurt others, life doesn't stop, move on, never change for anyone be who you are.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Never doubt yourself. Tell your self i am good enough, i am smart enough, i am qualified enough.
***Never doubt yourself***
The silence Chapter One
***Ecclesiastes 3:7 KJV***
***A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;***
It is expcted that a man as great as Jesus, His birth would create natural and unnatural phenomenons here on earth. But His coming was so silent unto a choir of angels made it known. Then after fleeing from King Herod, we heard notting about him (with one exception) for thirty years. Christ had never referred to those thirty years. Why did he keep silent? He did this to teach us the nature of obidence.
obidence is not just doing everything God says, it is not drawing the attention of others to what we are doing, He was also teaching us to be content with the father's approval. Is God's approval enough for you even when men despise and hate you?. Christ with all His anointing waited for thirty years for His Father's approval before He could act.
****Christ Silence In Receiving Sinners****
*Isaiah 57:11 KJV*
*And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?*
The woman who washed Christ feet, was a great sinner. To the point that even peter wondered why his master allowed her to touch Him. Christ did not speak of her sin, He allowed her wash His feet and weep at His feet, there was no casting up of her old sins, no upbraiding. Without Him speaking a word she knew she was
***Does God not also do this to us?***
The woman feared Jesus like the others would rebuke her, her heart might have been broken with pains. But the silence of Jesus drew her closer.
#find out more about this woman in John 8KJV.
***TO BE CONTINUED..***.
The Nigeria Police
The Nigeria Police was established in the year 1930. When asked today what you think about the Nigeria Police, the answers you would get are very shocking. No one wants to associate themselves with the Nigerian Police, even the police logo " the police is your friend " is being countered with never trust a man on uniform, some go as far as rejecting it in the name of God, that their children can never join the police force.
In Nigeria, the Nigeria police force has been viewed as inefficient and corrupt. The Nigeria Police Force has been known for inadequate and violent response to crimes and crime suspects, the Nigeria police force have been involved in killings & torture of suspects without trials, these alone has violates human rights.
It is belived that there is high level of corruption in the Nigerian Poloce which includes extortion and embezzlement. The police force takes advantage of the citizens by putting up illegal road blocks that requires a fee to pass and taking money for no legal reasons.
With the Nigeria Police force, there is no equal protection under the law. The rich are able to buy the police for security expecting they would turn a blind eye to their crimes and wrong doings. But is the Nigeria police actually the problem?
One of the major factor responsible for how far the Nigerian police has fallen is the Nigerian Government.
****Reasons****
****Inadequate Training****: Those recruited into the Nigerian Police, are not properly trained. Be it on the field or intellectually,the lack proper training. Many of the police today, do not even know the human rights so how can they protect it?
****Little Or No Pay******:** The salary given to an ordinary field worker is extremely small, thus they have to find other means. Hence the creation of illegal road blocks and embezzlement.
****Lack Of Supplies****: They lack modern equipments to even carry out proper investigation. You we hardly see any police station with a computer system, not to mention machines to run plate numbers, DNA samples, finger prints, Name data base etc.
With all these issues and so much more, it is safe to say the Government does not care about the countries international image.
Food For Thought
The right connection can get you the right opportunity that can change your life. It may take 1 week , a month or even a year either way, keep showing up. Never give up, the day you least expect could be the day that would change your life. The key is always be ready at all times.
Forget about the people that left you, their leaving you is not the problem. The problem is meeting you the same place they left you. Strive towards growth. The greatest payback you can give to those who left you is showing you can do better than they left you.
Never let peer pressure control your actions and decisions, one of the greatest mistake man can make is letting the decisions of others control the choices we make, we nolonger act because we want to but because others are doing it. Once we become pressurized by peer groups, we nolonger have the ability to differentiate between a person who wants to build with you and a person who just want to use you.
Be who you are, stay strong, never give up on your dreams. It is not about how fast we make it, it is about how well. Dont feel bad when others make it before you
#focus.
Human Rights violations in Democratic States
Advocates of human rights, have agreed that even after all these years, declaration of human rights is still more of a dream than reality. All around the world, violation of human rights exist, women and children are marginalized in many ways, the press are no longer free to speak for the masses in various countries, the worse part is that all these are happening in democratic states.
Democratic states or countries that pratice democracy are the best places for human rights to be praticed because democracy it self promotes human right and the protection of human rights
****Various ways human rights have been violated****
****The Right To Free Living**** : Everyone has the right to life but this is nolonger the case we hear of stories of security personals taking lives that they were ment to protect, we hear news of how does in high positions show little regard for lives.
****Freedom To Move****
Freedom to move is a must, in any democratic state, but this may nolonger be the case most of the times. In kenya, authorities violated international refugee law when they closed the border to thousands of people fleeing from war in Somalia. Movements have been limited so many times in Nigeria without proper notifications to the citizens, and reasons for the curfew.
****No Torture****
No one is to be subjected to torture or any inhumane treatment, but that is nolonger the case. Those charged with protecting our human rights are the ones violating them. We have heard case of the inhumane treatment give to people by the police, even when they have not been found guilty of any crimes.
Are we actually practicing democracy or is it just an illusion.
Far From Home
I still remember the first Easter i spent away from home, i mean who wouldn't? It was epic, filled with more food than i could eat, the fun i had was endless......
Or so i imagined my first easter away from home would be. Hahaha reality hit me hard, it was the exact opposite of everything you just read, it was one of the worst easter ever.
I just got admitted into college in Benin Republic, with the economy of things in Nigeria back then and how our currency had fallen, things were pretty bad for us over there. We could only have access to our money and bank accounts with the Nigerian banks at the border, so anytime we needed cash we had to travel to the border which would cost alot from were i was.
Back then i had two roommates, my self making us three. It was easter Friday, and one of my roommates Judy by name had plans to travel to Nigeria to get some supplies and come back the next day, we had notting in the house. It was the perfect plan i thought, i would simply give her my debit card and she would help me get some money on her way back in that way i wount have to spend anything on transportation. I really thought i was smart but faith had something else in store for me.
Judy travelled, i was happy expecting to get a little cash latest the following morning. With possibilities flashing before my eyes, i mean all the things i could buy with the cash, i could already taste them. The following day which is on saturday, we waited and waited Judy was nowere to be found, her number was not even going, hell there was no money to even buy credit for calling and there was notting to eat, we survived that day with only water.
Easter sunday came she was still nowhere to be found, all we had in the house was onions..... What in Gods name do we make out of that?
The hunger was real, the last me and danny my second roommate ate was on Friday morning, and its already sunday i was already see stars, i had to remain in one sport all through the weekend in other to save energy, only getting up to use the bathroom when needed.
Danny suddenly brought some vegetables from our backyard, saying they were eatable. At that point in time we nolonger cared who owns the vegetables or what would happen if they found out we took without permission.... Food was all that matters.
We boiled the vegetables with onion since that was all we had, i can still remember the taste. After that experience, i had a new found respect for salt. The vegetables without salt tasted like vomit, even with the hunger i couldn't bring my self to eat it. After two spoons i was in tears.. Is this how i die?
Would i be the second Jesus that died on Easter?
By monday morning we had given up hope, i was already crying in my heart (no energy to even cry out) confessing my sins to God before i die suddenly, Judy walked in. I no longer saw her as Judy, all i could see was money walking towards me in shinning light, i was in heaven i thought, am i finally dead? Next thing i was Judy giving me my money and explaining how she decided to stay for the easter with her loved ones.
Till now i still dont know how i got the strength, my feet moved like they had minds of its own, before i knew i found my self at the mini market behind us buying food. On my way back i saw Danny and judy laughing while looking for me, joining them we all laughed about the issue but really... It got me thinking how do goats enjoy grass?
Relocating To Locate Your God Given Position
***1 Corinthians 15:22 KJV***
***For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.***
In Adam, man lost his God given position. You must relocate from this Adamic nature to meet Christ in order for you to locate that God given position. After Adam lost the original location God gace him, man has been in search of this original location. But we fail to understand that we cannot locate this position through your canal wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
****How Did Adam Loose His Position****
Adam lost the position his position because of greed, he had a choice not to listern to his wife or the serpent but he choose too. We tend to find interest in doing the things God ask us not to do, we end up confisticating our tithe, vows, our time for our own benifits etc.
Adam suddenly became so wise, in the world today, when we become born again we act like fools to unbelievers, we dont question the word of God or the instructions given to us, but as times goes on we feel we have become wise, we start questioning God and how He operates. We begin to feel that we deserve more than what God gives.
Adam also lost his position because of shame, he was so ashamed at the fact that he was naked and he went into hiding. We serve a merciful God, He is willing and ready to forgive as long as we repent.
In other for us to reclaim our lost position, there need to be relocation, it may not actually geographical relocation, our hearts and trust needs to be relocated back to God.
@eLdavis
