You never know the value, until you lose it.

Recently, I gave out my red pair of flat shoes to my kid sister. It was a lovely shoe but I didn't really like it that much and hadn't worn it for once even though i've had it for a while. I fell in love with that shoe the momment I set my eyes on it in a boutique. It just sat there on one of the shoe racks, looking so glossy and attractive. I couldn't resist purchasing it with the money that was meant for something else. Shortly after I came home with it, I realised that I no longer liked it that much. I later concluded
that the shoe looked horrible on me so I finally put it away in a hidden corner of my wardrobe.

My kid sis came visiting one day, saw the shoe and liked it, I gladly gave it to her and she later travelled back with it. Shortly after then, I started dreaming of my red pair of shoes and desperately longing for it. Each time  I put on anything red, may be a red dress or red earings, I would begin to imagine how lovely it would have looked with the matching pair of red shoes. It got so bad that I had to call my sister on the phone to inquire if she was really making use of the shoes. She just laughed and said '' Is someone missing her shoes?''

We never know the value of what we have until we lose it. Why do we sometimes learn to appreciate the people or things in our lives only after we have lost them?. There are somethings in life that we've always had with us, we are so used to them that we don't see anything special about having them. For instance, we might not appreciate the air we breathe or the fact that we can stand, walk around and talk naturally until something happens to us.
How about those special people or that special someone in our lives?

One common mistake people make is to place their jobs, careers and other businesses far above family and loved ones. Sure one needs lots of time and commitment to making money because we need it to survive and carter for our loved ones. But we also need to create time for family and loved ones because some gifts are very vital, better appreciated and cherished. These include love, companionship, phisical and emotional support.

A friend of mine used to say ''I'll do anything for my daddy, I love him so much and he's my role model''. It used to astonish me because he never received much from dad financially or in terms of education. But the man gave the little he had, he was a pillar of love and strenght and support to this boy while growing up.
There have been cases of women who left their wealthy husbands, because the men never had time for them, and rarely came home.
I also heared about a woman of God who was so commited to her ministry that she went around doing Gods work, negleting her husband and family that God gave her to nurture. Her marriage became tumultous.

One reason why people don't cherish what they have is because they might not have imagined what it would be like without them those things

Some people are also oblivious of the fact that some other people have to really struggle hard to get some of the things they take for granted 

We must understand that its not everything or every opportunity we lose that can be regained.

A prominent lady aborted a pregnancy in her teenages against doctors advice. It's almost 30 years into her marriage now and she had never conceived again. The gift of fertility that young girls take for granted!
There's a very thin line between life and death, tears and laughter, joy and pain. Those same lips that smiled in the night could be weeping in the morning, when you wake up to the realisation that that special thing or special someone is gone.
Let's learn to appreciate what God gives us, the people he brings into our lives, family, friends, etc Some oppurtunities may never present itself twice.

by Chioma

The real Prisoner

The first time I ever visited a prison was back in my undergraduate days with a group of youths from my fellowship, we went for prison evangelism. It was an indelible experience for us and many of us left that prison with wet eyes.
Really,we had an amazing time but also some really emotive moments.

Until then, I never really realised that freedom is priceless.

As we talked about Jesus and listened to the inmates recount their experiences, we were moved to tears severally. I tried to imagine what it felt like, knowing that they might never be able to see the outside of those walls again. I'ld practically go insane if I were in their shoes.
My happiness was that many of them were already born again and were even sharing the word with us. I'ld never forget the words of one female inmate from the women's wing. She said ''To men, I'm a prisoner but to God I've been set free. The real prisoners are those of you out there who are unsaved. I dont regret coming here because God brought me here so he can save my soul''. As she spoke I could see the peace within her.

When we are crucified with christ, we are no longer slaves/ prisoners to sin because we are freed from sin (Rom 6: 6-7)

There was this case of a female inmate turned born again, that rocked the world in the eighties to late nineties. Karla Faye Tucker (1959 - 1998)  gained international attention because she would be the first woman to be executed in Texas since the civil war (since 1863) and the first in US since 1984.
Tucker was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She had a very troubled and unruly childhood, majorly due to her parent's divorce. During the divorce proceedings, she learnt she was actually the product of an extra-marital affair.
In her early teenages, karla dropped out of school,  turned to alchohol, drug and prostitution, hanging out with all the wrong kind of people. She had a brief marriage at sixteen that ended in divorce.
In 1983, Tucker was convicted of pick ax murder of a man and a woman who were hacked to death in an apartment by Tucker and an accomplice. She was sentenced to death in 1984.
Soon after her imprisonment Tucker received Christ. She became a model prisoner and succeded in converting many of the inmates of Texas hunstsville prison. She was Passionately spreading the word from her prison cell .
Karla  became Texas's most controversial figure ever on any state's death row. Many distinguished personalities  and groups apealed to the state of texas on her behalf, for her life to be spared . Among  these were the UN commissioner on summary and arbitrary execution, the world council of churches,  Pope John Paul 11, etc. Requests for retrials and appeals were denied.
Finally, Tucker was executed by Lethal injection on february 3, 1998. Sources present revealed that she looked so peaceful and was praising Jesus while she was dying.

Karlas Testimony is an enthralling case of the amazing grace of God. God is able to capture even the most hardened criminal existing. He is also willing to change and use anyone no matter how far they have gone into darkness.

 One might be free to move around and live his live the way he desires  but God's condemnation is still hovering over him because he is unsaved, He hasn't accepted Jesus as his Lord and saviour  .Freedom, is knowing that your soul is free from the bondage of sin and eternal condemnation.

 by Chioma

We make them what they become

Each time I hear the stories, or read about people who turned out bad or by our society's standard, a disappointment to the society, I do not instantly judge or condemn them. I try to peruse their stories, their past experiences, or whatever I feel might have contributed to the form their lives have taken.
I'm refering to the reprobates around us, people that we can never really be proud of like the prostitutes, drug dealers, criminals; armed robbers, rapists, paedophiles and assassins,   then also the mentally insane and beggers on the streets, etc
Actually, many of these people are in their present state due to their own will, wrong choices, bad decisions and mistakes. But really many also never planned to end up the way they did . They are there because of someone else's decisions and mistakes or some terrible past experiences beyond their control. They are victims of circumstances.

I believe that every child is born with something special, a gift, talent or something he/she can naturally do better than others without much stress. Some kids just need the right opportunity as well as the resources  to cultivate their talents.

Every child has a dream, a dream to become something or to be somewhere. The type and nature of the dream, as well as the level and extent of the dream greatly depends on the child's environment as well as his exposure to the world.
For instance, a child being raised in a ranch may begin to dream of owning a large herd of cattles or stable of horses when he's grown. One who is being bred in a church may wish to become a clergy or priest someday. A child always around the TV or around artistes may begin to dream of being a movie star. Quite unfortunately, time and opportunity play a vital role in shaping a child's destiny.

Many brilliant and endowed kids have ended up in the streets as pilferers, pick pockets and junkies either because they couldn't get good education or didn't have the support and guidance needed to help them actualise their dreams.
Think about the girl child left under the care of ruthless foster parents, male relatives or family friend who sexually abuses or molests her, turning her into a sex tool without even giving her  proper education.
Or that little girl who is sent to hawk/peddle items around dangerous streets to make ends meet (as is common in Africa). She ends up being raped, getting pregnant and aborting it, or keeping it and being thrown out into the streets. Finally, the only available option left to her is prostitution. Did she not once have a dream like i did?
She was made to become what she is by someone whom she trusted with her life and future. Even her own parents who may have abondoned her to the care of people who didn't care.
Some boys turn out as criminals because they were born out of wedlock, abandoned by the father who probably denied them at conception and then a mother who did not want to commit herself to motherhood. They abandon these kids without proper arrangements for their care/upkeep and thus their future.  live in a selfish world!
I've read stories of rapists and paedophiles who became mentally deranged because they were equally abused and maltreated as kids.Thers's a story of a serial killer who murdered women because his own mother left him as an infant.

Some of us might remember the shocking case of the austrian man Joseph Fritzle convicted of imprisoning and raping his own daughter for 24 years beneath his home and fathering seven children with her. He claimed to have been unloved, phisically maltreated and emotionally abused by his mother as a boy.
There's absolutely no justification for such horrible acts anyway, but I believe that if people could learn to take responsibility for their actions and also take care of the people, lives and destinies placed under their care, there'll be less evil in the world.

I examined some terrible cases of high school shootings in America like the Columbine high school massacre of 1999, Red Lake high school Massacre (2005) and Virginia Tech Massacre (2007). The kids who carried out these shootings  were depressed or emotionally troubled kids from probably unstable homes, most commit suicide after the shootings.
Some mentally deranged people on the streets are there because of someone. Some beggers are on the streets because they were thrown out or abandoned by someone who was sopposed to care, and some were duped in the past and thrown into penury. Its a wicked world.

If God commits a life(s) into our hands, we should endeavour to do whatever we can (no matter how little) to contribute to that person's future. you never can tell what that person might turn out to be tomorrow. Even if you cant help, don't contribute to ruining people's lives by what you say or do to them.

About children,Jesus said ''if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large milestone hung around his neck and to be drawned in the depths of the sea''  (Mathew 18: 6)

Remember, on the judgement day when Jesus would commend his sheeps for giving him something to eat and drink when he was hungry and thirsty and shelter when he was a stranger (Mathew 25: 34-40)  He would be refering to the things we did to the people on earth.
May God give us all a loving human heart.

by Chioma Morah

Does the End Justify the Means?

A question we might have asked ourselves on several occasions.
The slogan 'The end justifies the Means' also known as 'situation ethics' originated from Niccolo Benardo dei Marchiavelli, an Itallian diplomat, political theorist and Philosopher. He is also the founder of modern political sciences. Machiavelli first used the cliché in his master piece, 'the prince'
This slogan is used to comment on the ethics or morality of an action. But what does it really mean?

We live in a society today where most people often judge actions by their result. In this era of moral decadence, greed and insatiable thirst for money, fame and power, people no longer care about rules and regulations, morality and ethics. Many young people are now willing to do whatever it takes them to get to the top, and they want it real quick. Any fast but dangerous means is very much a welcomed idea to them.

In the society I live here in Nigeria, making it big as a young bachelor is what is in vogue now. For the young ladies, hooking the richest guys available by whatever means (including trapping him with pregnancy) is also the obtainable now.
The ladies in the corporate world especially marketers would do almost anything, including sleeping with their clients and bosses in order to secure contracts and promotions. This is also common in the movie industry. As for the politicians, their story is nothing to write home about . When they  finally get to the top, only few people would actually care to know how they got there.

Scholars have interpreted the phrase to mean doing anything whatsoever that is required to get the result one desires, regardless of the method used whether it is good or evil, legal or illegal, moral or not.
Some have also interpreted the phrase to mean that morally wrong actions are sometimes neccesary to achieve morally right outcomes.

What is God's Opinion on this matter?
Paul was against the opinion that we should do evil so that good may arise, as he was wrongly accused of (Romans 3:5).
One man rightly called the end justifies the means slogan, 'using the devils tool to do God's work'

If Jesus said ''do unto others what you'll have them do to you''  (mathew 7:12 )  why then do we think he would permit us to hurt, injure or kill our fellow man in the process of achieving our selfish desires.
When God gives us a mission or assignment, whether he specifies the means or not, he expects us to not disobey any of his words. Obedience must apply in both the means and the end.
When saul was sent to destroy the Amalekites, he spared some animals to sacrifise to God (a good end i'll say, but contrary to Gods instruction to destroy everything). God was angry with saul and purnished him.

Today, people justify abortion, Euthanasia and suicide, they say its better to eliminate an unborn baby than to bring it into misery. And it's also better to end ones life to spare them of the agony and suffering. Some countries even legalise these terribly ungodly acts. Lies of the devil, its all murder! God says they will all pay for it, God is not mocked. (Gal 6:7)
The armed robbers, corrupt politicians and rulers, drug pushers and criminals; they build facilities, schools and mega churches, donate to charity with money gotten from evil means. Also the fake pastors and ministers who win souls and perform miracles with occultic powers, all is sin.

Jesus said '' On that day, many will say to me, did i not prophesy in your name, perform miracles, do this and that for you....but I will tell them plainly, I never knew you, Away from me you evil doers (Mathew 7: 22-23)

Well, do you still think that how you make it doesnt matter? If yes, please do re-consider your stand on this.

We must do all things the way God approves of it, that is the right way stipulated by his word. To Him, the end certainly doesn't justify the means.

by Chioma Morah

When God hurts your feet.

Hurdles and obstacles are normal occurences in life. Most often when we meet these disappointments, we say "it's just one of those temptations, satan is a liar, I must get there''
Have you ever paused in such a situation to ponder, 'Is this really from the devil? what if God is trying to tell me something'
When I was given admission into the university many years  back to study Medical Radiography, I felt it was the worst thing to happen to me. I was angry and disappointed because it wasn't what I really applied for. I had something else in mind, my own plan for my life.
For three good years I was angry and depressed, I tried all I could to change programme, including writing fresh admission examinations and completing several change of course forms. I used to wonder why the all-knowing God nullified my efforts. Thank God my plans never worked out anyway because as I reminisce about the past, I realise how lucky I am today. Great career, great job.

The bible story of Balaam and the talking donkey used to be one  my favourite bible stories as a child
Balaam was a world famous diviner or sorcerer who lived in the city of pether, current Iraq. He was a man in love with worldly fame and money.
The Moabite king Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites so he could defeat them. Initially, Balaam rejected the offer as God instructed him but when more prominent delegates arrived with a more enticing offer, Balaam was tempted. God could see Balaam's heart and greed. He reluctantly permited Balaam to go with the moabites
That God  doesn't always restrain us from sin or from our own direction  doesn't always mean that he approves of it.
According to Mathew Henry's Bible commentry,  'God sometimes denies the prayer of his people in love, while he sometimes grants the prayer of the wicked in wrath'
But God was very angry with Balaam for embarking on the journey to curse israel and the angel of the lord with a drawn sword in his hand stood on the road to oppose balaam and his donkey. Three times the angel blocked them and on each occasion, the donkey refused to carry balaam further despite the beatings received.
The second time the angel blocked them, God made the donkey press close to the wall,  crushing balaams foot against the wall. (a warning sign ) still Ballaam insisted on making the trip with his injured foot  smacking the donkey again.

It was at this point that the Lord caused the donkey to speak and also opened Balaam's eyes to see the angel. Balaam learnt that the donkey had saved his life, the angel would have killed him if the donkey hadn't rebelled. Balaam was later allowed to proceed to the israelites but with God's instruction.
This is very much like many of us christians today. We find ourselves pushing and forcing ourselves into where we do not belong or a life that was never meant for us, maybe because of greed for fame and fortune despite how often God has tried stoping us.

Peter said of such people '' They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam...who loved the wages of wickedness''  (1 peter 2: 15)
When God allows us to sin, it doesnt mean that we have outwitted God. God granted us freewill so that we can make our own choices, having in mind that we ought to follow God's path with a pure heart.

by Chioma Morah

Chariots and Horses

The chariot in the ancient times was a light vehicle usually of two wheels, drawn by one or more horses often carrying two standing persons, a fighter usually with his bow and arrow or javellins, and then his driver or charioteer.
 From ancient history, the chariot was the supreme or ultimate millitary weapon in the great empires of the past like ancient Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. it was used majorly in warefare, racing, processions, hunting and in sporting contests like the olympic games in Rome and also in circuses.

Chariots and Horses were also a symbol of authority and power and were quite expensive. Julius ceasar is often depicted as riding in one.
In warefare, the chariot was of inestimable importance because of the speed with which it could be driven against the enemy
According to Gills exposition of the bible, chariots and horses in battles terrified the enemies and were greatly trusted  in by those who owned them. In fact, they constituted a major reliance in determining the outcome of a battle.

Do you remember the biblical narrative of the crossing of the Red sea? (Exodus 14:22-26)
When the Israelites were crossing the red sea, escaping from the egyptians, bible records that the egyptians; pharoah's horsemen,  chariots and horses pursued  them, following them into the sea. But God looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the egyptian army into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving.
Then the egyptians said ''Let's get away from the israelites, their Lord is fighting for them against us''. But it was too late, for God made Moses stretch out his hands over the sea so that the devided waters flowed back and swallowed the chariots, horsemen and the entire army of pharoah, none survived. OMG! I so love this story!
No wonder the psalmist said  ''some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright''  (ps 20:7-8).

I learnt alot from this story. Even Jesus said that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (mathew 28:18). Thus, if God is for a people, no man or power can stand against them. Why then should one rely on the arms of the flesh? Here, I chose to call all our human arms, resources and instruments 'chariots and horses' because they would fail us.

These chariots and horses are always available to us, they are those things or people we put our trust in, to take us where we want to be. These could be your leaders, influential parents or relatives, god fathers, some political connection you have somewhere, your official position, wealth, bank accounts and chain of bussinesses.
If God blesses you with somethings, it is so that you can rejoice in him and use them to serve him, fellow men, and to help the needy. some will prefer to use these privilledges to pursue their selfish interest, commit atrocities and oppress the poor.These things will fail you some day, if not now, may be someday when you'll be standing before the judgement throne.
Man can fail you anytime, your most loyal friends, your parents, even that person that once promised you heaven and earth. Everything on earth is temporary.
whenever you are helpless or in need, remember the past instances of God's goodness and power. It may seem like God is silent concerning your situation but he's working it out for you. Do not listen to the lies of the devil, he has NOTHING to offer you. Blessed are those that put their trust in the Lord, for they will NEVER be put to shame.
by Chioma

And God Opened Her Eyes.

Have you ever needed or wanted something so desperately that you kept on praying and searching for it only to discover a while later that you've had it with you all the while and yet you never knew that.

I cannot forget a particular examination I sat for in my final year in the university a couple of years ago. I had a hectic time preparing for that exam. The course was though and the lecturer was unpredictable. I kept on hoping on God for some revelations.

One morning,  a day before the exam, as I sat on my table at home I picked up a sheet of paper that had suddenly caught my attention. It had been lying carelessly on my reading table for weeks, looking so old and rumpled from the stress of being used consecutively as a provisional hand fan. I just wondered why I hadn't disposed of it.
I opened the paper and discovered it was an old question paper on the same course I was going to write the next day. Almost immediately,  I heard a voice inside me say, "drop every other  book and revise that paper thoroughly". I didn't argue with that voice despite the fact that I hadn't finished revising my notes . It's  funny that I spent the entire  day and the last moments before the exam solving the questions on that paper.
Well, guess what happened when I got into the exam hall the next day, the exam question paper was a duplicate of the past question paper I just revised. I couldn't believe it, the holy spirit had given me a divine exposition.  The answer to my prayers has been with me all the while.  If God hadn't opened my eyes!

Sometimes,  the answer to our prayer is right there before us and yet we can't see it. Sometimes,  we may need to change our prayer points to "Dear Lord,  please open my eyes to see this, or know that....."  it could be in the case of a prayer for a life partner,  a contract,  job etc.

Remember the story of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:8-20). Hagar was the egyptian maid to Sarah who bore a son Ishmael for her master Abraham. Sarah disliked Hagar and her son, and she made her husband send them away into the desert. Hagar wondered in the desert until her food and water was  exhausted. When she was convinced that her hungry exhausted and dying child wasn't going to make it, She hid the crying child under the shade of a bush, then she sobbed some distance away so that  she might not witness the boy's death. God heared the voice of the lad crying.  He called Hagar and then made promises of life to her.
The Bible records in Genesis 21: 19, "....and God opened  her eyes, and she saw a well of water, she filled the bottle and gave the boy to drink and he lived"
This bible passage never implied or mentioned  anything about God creating a well, or taking her to a distant well somewhere. Rather he showed her a well of water which  she could see right from where she was. It's obvious that the well had been there all the while, not so far from her and yet she couldn't see it.

When we are desperately in need, the devil can manipulate  our feelings. Sadness and sorrow have blinding effect on people. We need to constantly ask God for the grace, wisdom and strength in such situations, so we can see and act properly.

by Chioma

My Life Beyond The Cross - The Sanctified Life

When I gave my life to Jesus, I didn't know what it really meant or entailed. I had just hit puberty, I just turned twelve and was in my second year in high school. All I knew then was that I had always loved Jesus since when I can't even remember but I needed to specially welcome him into my life though I knew he had always been with me. It happened in my school fellowship. I remember vividly, it felt like something strange just got into me, stired my heart and just broke  me. When I returned home that day, I went on my knees and wept soberly.
                                                                                                                     
Naturally, I was a good child but at that point I felt so miserable,  condemned, and empty. I could feel Jesus wipe my tears, take me in his arms and give me a new heart. A heart that I've been too careful not to lose, all these years.
When I just got born again, I was told that everything would just become alright.  As a child then, I fantasised about a perfect sweet life without stress, pain and tears. I was convinced that Jesus would give me every thing I ever dreamt of or desired even if it wasn't part of his will for me. In my opinion, all  I needed to do was just to ask.
Nobody told me that life wasn't going to be easy, never will!
well, they were right anyway, when they said all would become okey because I became an heir of God and a partaker of the grace and salvation that the death of Jesus on the cross provided for us.

As I grew older, I got to learn through personal experiences, some painful and heart aching, that God had to take me through different roads in my journey through life. Some of these paths were narrow, some crooked,  and some full of stones that hurt the feet  and can even make one fall. All these were designed and programmed by God to take me to where He wants me to be, and to mould me into who he wants me to become.

Did God not make it clear in  Jeremiah 29: 11- 13, that he has good thoughts towards us, to give us a good future. Paul also said in Romans 8 : 28 " And we know that all things work together for good to them that  are called according to his purpose"

I also understood that it takes constant and daily effort and sacrificing to remain in Christ. With the new birth, God expects us to conform no longer to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance. God expects us to be holy because he is holy (1 Peter 1: 14-16)
Paul knew that as humans, we would have carnal desires so he admonishes us, to see ourselves as strangers or sojourners on earth since we don't belong here. The implication is that we abstain from earthly lust and worldly things that war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11)

In the first few years that followed my new birth, I was afraid of the future.  I feared for the fate of my salvation. Would I remain in the race, or as in the parable of the sower become like the one who received the word but  ends up being carried away and choked by the  worries and problems of the world. Many started out with Christ,  but fell along the way . Some have remained in the race but their hearts are still with the world.
Fortunately for me, I learnt on time that it helps a lot, to spend more time around God, godly people and godly things. Create time to study the word daily, entertain and educate yourself with gospel books, movies and music. Attend gospel programmes.

As God continued to mould me, Jesus became the center of my life and the holy spirit became a permanent resident in me. I developed this insatiable thirst for God and always wanted to involve him in every aspect of my life. I spoke about Jesus all the time and I wanted people around me to see Jesus through me. As far as I'm concerned,  that is Christianity and true Christianity is practical.  The Holy spirit began to teach me, guide me, control and use me. I then realised that I couldn't do many things that people of the world do, enjoy the things they enjoyed, go where they went, say the things they say, or watch the things they watched. My life became consecrated.

I'll be a liar if I say I have lived my life perfectly,  the way Christ wants it. No man is perfect.  I have had my fair share of temptations. There were times I know that I had failed God, by making wrong decisions and disappointing him. But what makes us different as true Christians is the ability to rise when we fall or tend to stray, and retrace our path back to Christ in total repentance  and submission. Every Christian has the ability to live a sanctified life. God has always been my help, God is our strength.