@Topup, praying is an integral part of fellowship.

Father, thank you for the grace that brings salvation that you have shown to us.  I pray for everyone that have not yet come to the knowledge of your saving grace, that you will reveal yourself unto them.  Especially Topup's friends who you know by their names.  Let your light shine upon their hearts Oh Lord.  Open their eyes to your Truth.  Touch them, Father.  Bring them to a relationship with you.  Save them Oh Lord.

I pray for everyone connected to me in one way or the other that has not yet known you.  May the sacrifice of Jesus never be in vain in their lives, Lord.  Cause them to encounter you.  Help them to realise that you alone are the Way, the Truth and the Life and bring them to eternal life in you.

Help me (and others reading this) that our lives and conducts may bring others to you.  Help us to be shining examples of your love, that we may be instruments in your hands to reach out to others.  May our lives not deter others from accepting you, Lord.  Thank you Lord, for hearing my prayer.  In Jesus name I have prayed.  Amen.

---

You may also wish to visit the thread Can we Pray Together? for your prayer requests

Faith Keeps A Clear Conscience

A man who once walked across the entire United States said that the hardest thing about his walk wasn’t the mountains,
or the extreme weather, or any of the things I would have expected. He said the hardest part of the walk was the sand in his shoes.

The little grains of sand didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but over time, the sand would build up and lead to blisters, infections and ongoing pain.

It can sometimes be the same way with sin. It may not be the big sins that threaten to undo you, but the little ones--a lie here or there,
a lustful thought towards a co-worker, a glance from time to time at pornography.
Because of God’s grace, He doesn’t blast at every wrong turn. But over time, those “little” sins build up and lead to a bigger problem.

The man who walked across America said that he learned to regularly empty out the sand from his shoes before it became a problem.
Today, you may find that your conscience is being pricked about some “little” sins in your life that God wants you to give up. If so, I’d like
to encourage you to follow those promptings, take off your shoes, and empty out the sand before it leads to a bigger problem.

The Apostle Paul knew the value of keeping a clear conscience. He would regularly do whatever it took to ensure that he was honoring God
and others with his thoughts and actions. And the payoff was huge.

In Acts 23, when Paul was arrested and brought before the highest religious leaders in Jerusalem, Paul was asked to speak on his own behalf.
He began by saying this:

“My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day” (Acts 23:1b).

Even though the charges against Paul could have cost him his life, his conscience was clear. He had gone out of his way when he
first entered Jerusalem to enter into the strict purification rites of the Jewish people. He wanted to honor both God and those who
lived in that city (see Acts 22:17-26).

So when the accusations came, Paul was able to say with full confidence that his conscience was clear. By the end of Paul’s testimony,
at the end of chapter 23, the commander overseeing Paul’s case concluded that there was “no charge against him that deserved death
or imprisonment” (Acts 23:29b). Paul survived another day and went on to minister for many more years.

Your faith can help you in so many ways, one of which is to keep your conscience clear.

I’ve heard it said that “a clear conscience makes a soft pillow.” God gave you a conscience for a reason: not to make you feel guilty,
but to keep you headed in the right direction. Like the sensitive nerve endings on your fingertips that keep you from burning your
hand on a hot stove, your conscience serves to warn you from burning yourself in other ways. Not only will you sleep better with a
clear conscience, but it can also save your life, your marriage, your job, your reputation, your ministry and your good witness.

As the Apostle Peter said, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

Faith keeps a clear conscience. Is there sand building up in your shoes today? Take time to empty them out.

If you’ve sinned, confess it to God and then to a trusted friend. If you’re caught in some lies, come clean today by telling the truth.
If you’ve started a habit that’s taking you where neither you nor God want you to go, give it up today. If you’re in a relationship that’s crossing
lines that should never be crossed, break it off now before it destroys you and those around you.

May we all get to the point where we can say like Paul, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day” (Acts 23:1b).

Let’s pray,

Father, help me to empty my shoes of the sands of sin in my life before they bring me down completely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Romans 8: 35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or unclothedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
   "For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I was just listening to this song by Ray Boltz and it welled some tears in my eyes:

Thank You for Giving to the Lord

I dreamed I went to Heaven, you were there with me.
We walked upon the streets of gold beside the Crystal Sea.
We heard the angels singing, then someone called your name.
You turned and saw this young man, and he was smiling as he came.

He said, "Friend you may not know me now," and then he said, "But wait -
You used to teach my Sunday School, when I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart."

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you, he said "Remember the time,
A missionary came to your church, His pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money but you gave it anyway.
Jesus took that gift you gave
And that's why I'm in Heaven today"

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came, far as your eyes could see.
Each life somehow touched by your generosity.
Little things that you had done, sacrifices that you made,
They were unnoticed on this earth
In Heaven now proclaimed.

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

And I know up in Heaven you're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand and you stood before the Lord
He said "My child look around you,
Great is your reward."

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave,
I am so glad you gave.

---

Lord, may someone trace his conversion to me. May I contribute to someone's progress in life, however small it is. May someone's story of success and progress have my input. May someone stand at that golden gate and tell me 'Thank you for giving to the Lord'.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good (2 Thess 3:13)

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (Gal 6:9)

Hi ALL,

Ruddy,

Analytical,

Daruche

Its all good eh, we ca all learn.

Analytical, that song always jerks something in my heart.

You know there are sometimes whe we get so caught in living Christ-like

that we forget tha one of Christ's mission was to reach out to others

and we should do the same, Reach out to someone, you dont know how it will save someones life.

God is good and always there.
i thank Him for seeing me through another year.
His grace will continually Abound, Amen Somebody!!

Hi Gamine. I was about asking about you!

You are so right! The essence of His blessing (spiritually, physically, financially etc) is to be a blessing to someone. How happy you will be when someone you have never even met meets you by the pearly gates of heaven and says 'Gamine, thank you for giving. It's because of you that I am here'! So humbling.

Keep living for Him.

I have another poser: Should Christians give alms? If no, why? If yes, to whom and how?

Please answers should be accurate, brief and concise. They could also be educative, enlightening and entertaining.

thank you kola oloye and analytical

The message is key for spiritual maturity in this kingdom race we found ourself.

Analytical thank you for that song, each time i listen to that song it takes me back to the parable of the rich man and lazarus in Luke 16;19-end. it tells me i still have alot to do for the Lord .

My beloved brothers and sisters ,we christians are the bible people in our generation reads, your altitude or disposition to things and people matter alot. We need to operate like the church in antioch, that held on to promises and the mission statement of our faith.

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.

I pray the Lord will make us a testimony in heaven, the way Abraham did concerning Lazarus in that parable (Amen).

Ruddyface:

I have another poser: Should Christians give alms? If no, why? If yes, to whom and how?

The dictionary defines alms as money, food, or other donations given to the poor or needy.  Should we then as christians give to the poor and the needy?  You bet!  In fact it is a duty which we have to carry out:

James1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

To whom should we give?  The poor, the needy, orphans, widows, anyone who asks of us (genuinely), especially those who cannot give back.

Luke 6:
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. . .
33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

@Daruche, the Lord bless you and keep you today and always.  May you continue to shine as light in this world and may your light so shine for others to trace their steps out of darkness into the marvellous light of our dear God.  Amen.

Thursday 28 August, 08

‘FORGIVE AS QUICKLY AND COMPLETELY AS THE MASTER FORGAVE YOU.’ COLOSSIANS 3:13 TM

Jimmy drank too much at the party and embarrassed his wife Lisa. Next morning he felt bad and asked her to forgive him. She said she would, yet she kept bringing it up. One day in discouragement he said, ‘I thought you were going to forgive and forget.’ She said, ‘I have, I just don’t want you to forget that I have forgiven and forgotten.’

Do you forgive like that? Keeping score only works in competitive sports; it’s disastrous in relationships. There’s so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that we’ll spend much of our lives learning to forgive and forget. And forgetting is harder when the offence is great. Small offences can be forgiven quickly; big ones require a healing process. But until you make the decision to forgive, the process can’t even begin.

How can you ‘Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you’? Paul answers, ‘Clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others’ (Colossians 3:12-13 NLT). To practice this kind of forgiveness you must focus on a person’s worth, not their weaknesses. You must turn your heart away from what was, to what can be. You say, ‘Why should I forgive and forget?’

a) because God’s Word tells you to

b) because you yourself will continue to need forgiveness

c) because you weren’t built to carry the stress that goes with resentment.

http://gsafnigeria.org/devotional.aspx?

E-fellowship?!!!

Amen, It is our right to take care of the people mention earlier by analytical,

Deu 15:11   For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command you saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land.

Brother Paul also runs department that over sees the issue of giving alms to the poor in the churches he ministered.

2Co 9:9  As it is written, "He scatters everywhere and gives to the poor; his righteousness lasts forever."
Gal 2:10  The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.

Hope we all remember the protest in the Church in the Acts of Apostles that brethren who are widows,were neglected by the church. This was the point Brother Stephen started his ministry among the disciples,
Act 6:1  In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ told us how to operate the ministry of giving,
Mat 6:2  So whenever you give to the poor, don't blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. Truly I tell you, they have their full reward!
Mat 6:3  But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

I will conclude by referring us to the story of our brother cornelius in Acts of Apostle Chapter 10. The key reason for his salvation was the heart of prayer and giving, he operated,
Act 10:4  He stared at the angel in terror and asked, "What is it, Lord?" He answered him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial before God.

amen!

i can feel God's presence in this forum,


somebody south haleluyah!

kingsikaz:

i can feel God's presence in this forum,


somebody south haleluyah!

lol. . .

Hi to all the saints in here. I don't comment much but I read all your posts and take a lot away so thanks for sharing.

  I am being awed right now by God's faithfulness over an issue I've been praying and waiting on God for about a 1yr n half. I hope I shall be sharing and telling that story of God's goodness in here very soon. Make una pray for me and that God will continue to teach us all to be patient and hope and trust in Him without wavering, because it is so true that

"those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint."

Godbless you all!

ibi like i no feel d presence again! word ttoo much . ha ha!

Do you think giving alms would encourage some to be receivers of alms and therefore become lazy and dependant?

Remember, giving precedes receiving and there are receivers only because there are givers. Discuss.

Analytical and Daruche, thanks for your previous contributions. God bless you.

@JeSoul, thanks a bunch for your encouragement. Thank God for His faithfulness to you. Our God is indeed a faithful God. I pray you will continue to live to tell of His faithfulness. The Lord will perfect everything that concerns you for He who has started that good work in you is always faithful to complete it. He will grant you the grace to be patient. May He hold you in the hollow of His Hands and keep you by His warm embrace. Amen.

Very eager to hear your testimony soon, sister. Be blessed.

James 3; 13-18

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility
       that comes from wisdom.

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Ruddyface:

Do you think giving alms would encourage some to be receivers of alms and therefore become lazy and dependant?

How are you doing Ruddyface?

There are people who are really in need.  We should minister to such needs as God grants us grace.  The list I gave above qualifies for such.  Added to that are people  in an emergency or disaster, invalids and truly disabled folks and the aged.

Remember that not all widows are widows indeed.  Paul gave a guideline on that as widows above the age of 60, who have no one else.  The reason being that anyone below that age can actually still work with their own hands without having to depend on anyone.

I don't think anyone should give any alms to a full and able-bodied human being simply because he/she is begging.  A lazy man can never have my sympathy.  It's amazing the kind of things we see even in churches.  People just want to take advantage of your benevolence.  This is wrong and we shouldn't encourage such indolence.  The scriptures say any man who doesn't work should not eat.  Period.

JUST BELIEVE

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! "The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favour.God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing,

Analytical,

You have earned my respect. Please continue with this mature, level-headed and balanced Christian views. May God bless you.

Oh, so great what y'all are doing here.
Let me ask: is any one here intrested in writing christian/inspirational novels ? I am coming up with something.Please send me a blank mail at cml_wa@yahoo.co.uk, (that's an "underscore b/w cml & wa)and I will get back to you.
God bless.

In John 13: 3 - 15

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

It is interesting that at this point Jesus knew He had all power and everything and everyone was subject to Him. However, unlike us, Jesus did not go around flexing his muscles and trying to let everyone see how much power he has. What he did at the point was to serve!!! It is really peculiar that Jesus, at the point of having ALL power decided to do what the basest of servants would be expected to do - He served his disciples by washing their feet.

How do we act when we feel that we have authority over people? Do we think that we have authority or power in order to oppress people? What do we do with the power that God allows us to have? What do we do with the money that God allows us to have? Do we see the gift of God as something with which to oppress our fellow human beings?

I think it's time to start seeing the purpose of what God gives to us at every point.

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you

God bless

Share a Thot

The Rich Young Man
Matt 19:17-30

Hi y'all. I was reading the above passage and something caught my attention. Let me share it with you guys.
Its the story of the rich young man who caught up with Jesus one day and asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life. He said that he had kept the commandment from his youth and wanted to know what was missing. So, Jesus tells him:

v21, if thou will be perfect, go & sell that thou hast, & give to the poor, thou shall have treasure in heaven: & come and follow me.

Do you notice what Jesus' reply actually is? Come follow me. The rest is really the how- He is saying in essence that keeping all the laws alone, or religiousness( goodness) will not save. But to follow, you need togive up certain strapping; matthew, peter gave up their careers,others walked away from family & family obligations. Notice also that Jesus takes the time to assure the RYM that what he would sell would not make him poor, he would not loose a thing.

v.22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

What happens next is that the RYM goes away and refuses to follow Jesus because he wouldnt part with his "great possessions"

v.23 Then Jesus said unto his disciles, verilu I say unto you: that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Then Jesus comments that it would be hard or dificult, not impossible, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Why, following Jesus is that way into the kingdom of God.

v.27 Then peter said unto him, behold , we have forsaken all, & followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

Now, peter asks a smart question at this point; though not having "great possessions" in the magnitue of the RYM's estate, each one of us has givenup some important thing to follow you. Tell us, what's the spiritual value of these things, are they too convertible into spiritual currency(heavenly treasures)?

Again Jesus assures them that none of them would loose what ever they gave up to follow him.
Finally, he sums up thus:

v.30 But many that are first shall be last; & the last shall be first.

In other words, though it may appear that one has much( by withholding) now, time will tell who is truely rich.

I have come to the conclusion therefore,that it is not what you have but what you are willing to give up to be a true disciple. The problem is not that one has riches, the problem is withholding or clinging to those things we consider so dear.

Please, add your comments.[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

quite reasonable.

a man's life does not consist on the multitudes of things he gathered. it's when a man come to term with these that he'll become a good disciple

Goodmorning all,
Am very happy to visit this forum. This is a good initiative. Let us support it all.
God bless

Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker –


Read this devotional as a prayer:


Help me, Lord, to develop a strong prayer life. I know you desire intimacy with me, and you want me to watch with you and pray (Matthew 26:40).


Yet, I never seem to find the time to pray in a deep, fervent, consistent, persistent way. What draws me to my knees the most is when I have a problem, when I want something from you, when I need your help.


I’m flipping through my calendar, stressing with commitments, and you just want to hang out – with me. Help me turn my prayers into conversations with you that keep flowing throughout the day, an on-going communication where I never say “Amen.”


Keep me close to you, no matter what it takes. I’m not sure I really want to pray that; I have bruises and scars from “whatever it takes” discipleship, but, then again, I confess the crush of these moments have taught me to throw myself on the stone before the stone falls on me.


And that has moved me closer to the love that compels my obedience, closer to becoming one with your heart. So, I’m asking that you change me until my deepest want is to be with you.


With this I pray that you will create me worthy of my calling and that your power will fulfill every good purpose you plan for me and energize everything I do in faith.


My prayer is that your life will emerge in my face and in my hands, in my thoughts and in my words. I know your grace will make it so (paraphrase of 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, NIV).

If you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers,
any book better than the Bible,
any house better than the house of God,
any table better than the Lord's table,
any person better than Christ,
any indulgence better than the hope of heaven-
take alarm!