₦airaland Forum

How to influence and impact others

Fri, 12 Jul 2024

‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,’ James 1:19

There is no magic trick when it comes to influencing and impacting others. The Bible gives you the formula, and here it is:

1) Try to listen carefully. The truth is that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. They tend to filter what they hear through their own life experiences, hang-ups, and the particular problem that’s on their mind at that moment. So, if you want people to listen when you speak, listen carefully to them.

2) Don’t say too much. If you tend to talk too much, or too fast, here are three tips to slow yourself down:

a) Stop. Just stop talking. Inhale. Count to ten. Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom.

b) Practise not interrupting. Allow the other person to finish what he or she is saying.

c) Ask yourself why you’re talking so much. Is it insecurity? Or anxiety? Or a need to control? Or a desire to impress? The reason many of us try to convince, impress, or control others is because we have a hard time trusting God to work things out. Just deliver the message and trust God to do the rest.

3) Keep your anger in check. If you implement the first two principles, you will tend to do fine on number three. It will just happen.

The good news is, starting today you can learn to do all three things. And if you practise them consistently year after year, when you get to the end of your life, looking back, you will be glad you took God’s Word and His wisdom seriously.

Kudos 👍

Who helps you?

Thu, 11 Jul 2024

‘Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.’ Romans 1 6:2

Captain Charlie Plumb was a US Navy fighter pilot in Vietnam. After seventy-five combat missions, his plane was demolished by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected from the plane and parachuted into enemy hands. He spent the next six years in a Communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on what he learned from his experience.

One day when he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man from another table walked over and said, ‘You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!’ Plumb said, ‘How in the world did you know that?’ The man replied, ‘I packed your parachute.’ Then the man grabbed his hand and said, ‘I guess it worked!’ Plumb assured him it had: ‘If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.’

That night he couldn’t sleep, wondering about the man. What had he looked like in a Navy uniform? How many times had Plumb seen him without even asking, ‘How are you?’, or anything else, because Plumb was a fighter pilot and the other man was only a sailor. He pondered the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship, meticulously weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands the destiny of a stranger. As a result, when Plumb gives a presentation, he routinely asks his audience an important question: ‘Who’s packing your parachute?’

All of us have someone who provides what we need to make it through the day. In Romans 16:2, Paul said Phoebe ‘ … has been helpful to many, and especially to me’. Who helps you? Today show them your appreciation.

doggedfighter:
This life......

All the money will be spent and enjoyed by other people.

All the houses and cars mean nothing to him now.


The only thing we have are those little things that we enjoyed that truly gave us joy.


Is it Ekiti or national flag that will be flown half mast. ?

Ekiti ba wo? 🤔

Imagine?

DaddyCoool:
Is she Nigerian?

very irrelevant. What has Tinubu done for his Nigeria people? 🤷

Running to win

Wed, 10 Jul 2024

‘It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ Matthew 5:29

Desperate situations sometimes call for desperate measures, and severing your supply line to your flesh means getting radical. Jesus puts it like this: ‘“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”’ (Matthew 5:29-30 NIV). Jesus is advocating moral and spiritual surgery—and that’s radical!

There is no way to argue, reason, or negotiate with sin. Whatever your personal battle, whether it’s gambling, alcohol, drugs, wrong relationships, or internet porn, its purpose is to destroy you and it needs to be eradicated. The apostle Paul was familiar with Old Testament Scripture. He knew that when faced with similar temptation, Samson fell while Joseph stood strong. That’s why he wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, warning him about the sin that could disqualify him and keep him from winning the race: ‘Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.’ (2 Timothy 2:22 NASB20).

Life in today’s environment is saturated with seductive influences, which means we can’t always eliminate the source. So. Paul tells Timothy—when you can’t remove the influence, remove yourself! And furthermore, run, don’t walk. You can be free, but your carnal mind will only give you a few seconds before it decides for you. So don’t hesitate, don’t deviate, and don’t procrastinate. Do what needs to be done—and do it quickly.

Stop covering up sin

Tue, 9 Jul 2024

‘He who covers his sins will not prosper ...’ Proverbs 28:13

The Bible says, ‘He who covers his sins will not prosper. But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy’ (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). Could this be the reason you’re not succeeding? Unresolved guilt has the ability to corrode your confidence like acid. But there is an answer: ‘Whoever confesses and forsakes [his sins] will have mercy.’ Confess it to God! He already knows what you have done—He is just waiting for you to deal with it so He can forgive you and bless you again. ‘… God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.’ (1 John 1:5 ESV).

The light of God reveals things. When a light is switched on in a room, we can see dust and bugs scattering. And when God gets involved in our lives, He begins to show us things we may prefer not to see; things we have been hiding, even from ourselves. We’re often deceived, especially about ourselves. We don’t want to deal with our faults, and we don’t enjoy having them exposed. Privately we feel condemned about them, but at least we feel like they’re hidden. But anything hidden has power over us because we fear it may be discovered. Refuse to live that way.

The best and most liberating thing you can do is to face what God wants to take care of and get beyond the fear of it. David said, ‘I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin’ (Psalm 32:5 NKJV).

Do what God’s Word says

Mon, 8 Jul 2024

‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ James 1:22

When you listen to or read God’s Word but don’t apply it to your life, you deceive yourself. How so?

1) You settle for knowledge rather than experience. The Bible says, ‘If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them’ (James 4:17 NIV). How does that grab you? When you know the truth but don’t act on it, you’re not simply making a mistake or exercising poor judgement, you’re sinning. The Bible says knowledge without obedience is sin.

2) You compare yourself with others. Paul writes, ‘Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,' Galatians 6:4 NIV). ‘… When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise’ (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV). That enables you to remain carnal but comfortable, and the older you get, the more seasoned you become at doing it. Over time you build a reservoir of responses, and when the truth gets too close for comfort, you have 101 reasons why it applies to everyone except you.

3) The Word moves you briefly but doesn’t change you permanently. There is nothing wrong with responding emotionally to spiritual truth. But if you go merrily on your way without changing your behaviour in the slightest, your spirituality boils down to nothing more than a vapid emotional experience.

4) You substitute communication for transformation. You talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. You think if you speak eloquently and convincingly about a point of Scripture, you’re off the hook. You’re not! James says, ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ James 1:22 NIV

Are you stressed out? (3)

Sun, 7 Jul 2024

‘I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.’ John 16:33

Stress is like kryptonite (Superman’s nemesis), and it’s out to knock off your cape and diminish you to a heap of trembling, useless mush. What should you do?

1) Immerse your exhaustion. Try a bubble bath. Even simply standing in the shower can assist in washing away fatigue and reviving your breathless body tissues and brain cells. Feel the moment and focus on the water’s invigorating sensory contribution to your skin; allow it to spread resilience to your spirit. You say, ‘That doesn’t sound very spiritual.’ Job’s friend Zophar would disagree with you – he said to Job, who had more troubles than you will ever see: ‘You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away’ (Job 11:16 NLT).

2) Ask for help! Allocate responsibilities and chores. When everyone does their portion, no one is left depleted. ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV).

3) Release perfectionism. Nobody is perfect but Jesus, and you’re not Him. Let some things go. Tomorrow, give up a few more. Over time, those chores will stop nagging at you, and you will truly feel the stress in the pit of your stomach disintegrate. You will never be totally free from stress, but you can learn to cope with it and conquer it. Jesus said, ‘“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”’ (John 16:33 NIV).

Are you stressed out? (2)

Sat, 6 Jul 2024

‘For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; ...’ Isaiah 55:12

Let’s look at three proven and effective strategies for dealing with stress.

1) Place yourself on your daily to-do list. Designate fifteen minutes twice a day to renew, regroup, and restore. Distance yourself from the stress source, even if that simply means stepping outside for a few minutes and going for a walk to refresh your brain. Sing your favourite song or do whatever helps you to chill. And persevere when other events threaten to crowd you out. You’re important – learn to value yourself.

2) Lighten up! The Bible says, ‘… for the joy of the LORD is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV), and when your joy goes, so does your strength and ability to cope. Some people think Christians should always be sober, humourless, and as quiet as the grave. But Jesus arose from the grave – and that’s one of the best reasons in the world to celebrate.

3) Relax your stiff muscles with five-minute stress-relievers throughout the day. Stop thinking and move! Stretch out, bend over, roll your tense shoulders, chase the dog, get that invigorating blood flowing throughout your body while your mind takes a mini-break. Turn up the praise music and line dance while pushing a vacuum cleaner. Swing dance while stirring the food on the stove, and boogie with the shopping trolley in the cereal aisle! Physical activity triggers your brain to secrete beta-endorphin, which helps calm you. You weren’t meant to live under stress. The Bible says, ‘For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; ...’ (Isaiah 55:12 NKJV). And that came straight from the mouth of the One who created and redeemed you.

Are you stressed out? (1)

Fri, 5 Jul 2024

‘You will stand firm and without fear.’ Job 11:15

When you ignore the warning signs, chronic stress can take a toll on your body. So, what are some of the signals? Well for starters, your stomach churns at any form of disagreement. When you can’t find an outlet for pent-up frustration, you may resort to overeating, smoking, drinking, drugs, and generally abusing your body. You isolate yourself, which affects your loved ones.

However, it’s the signs you don’t see that can do the most damage. Cortisol, a hormone our bodies release in the grasp of stress, adds to out-of-control feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. And studies verify that over time, stress raises your blood pressure, contributes to migraines and tension headaches, and results in the plaque that leads to heart disease. Chronic stress has been observed to increase cardiovascular risk by almost 50 per cent! Not to mention documented connections to alcoholism, anxiety attacks, asthma, cancer, colds, depression, flu, insomnia, obesity, strokes, and ulcers. And those uncontrolled crying spells you encounter when you’re exhausted are no coincidence. Stress lowers oestrogen levels, which can activate emotional outbursts.

If this describes you, take action! Rearrange your priorities, slow down, start taking control of your life, and turn to God. ‘"Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favour.’ (Job 11:13-19 NIV).

APOPTOSIS:
Not even up to ordinary $4000 😭😭😭
Thank God I left that country...
What would have become of me now?

....well, happy for you. But we here are still grateful 🙏.

Odin13:
Thank you bro

I always look forward to your post..

Is well with you

thank you sir 🙏

Keep renewing your mind with God’s Word

Thu, 4 Jul 2024

‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. …’ Romans 12:2

How do we renew our minds? One pastor wrote: ‘The way to upgrade your mind is to download Scripture. Doctors … of the National Institute of Mental Health did a fascinating study asking subjects to perform a simple motor task—a finger-tapping exercise. As subjects tapped, the doctors conducted an MRI to identify what part of the brain was being activated. The subjects then practised the finger-tapping exercise daily for four weeks. At the end of the four-week period, the brain scan was repeated. In each instance, it revealed that the area of the brain involved in the task had expanded. That simple task—a finger-tapping exercise—literally recruited new nerve cells and rewired neuronal connections. When we read Scripture, we are recruiting new nerve cells and rewiring neuronal connections. In a sense, we are downloading a new operating system that reconfigures the mind. We stop thinking human thoughts and start thinking God thoughts.’ ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5 NKJV).

How do we fulfil that command? Paul tells us how: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord’ (Colossians 3:16 NKJV). Whether through preaching, teaching, reading, or singing, our brains are rewired in alignment with God’s Word, and we develop the mind of Christ. We think His thoughts. As a result, we end up doing His will instead of being led by our own will. So, keep renewing your mind with God’s Word.

Be like this Wike no get mirror for house ooo .....🤔

Wrestling with Satan up close and personal!

Wed, 3 Jul 2024

‘We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … spiritual hosts of wickedness ...’ Ephesians 6:12

Before doing battle with Syria, Joab told his brother, ‘…If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you’ (1 Chronicles 19:12 NKJV). If one was overwhelmed, the other could step in and help. Spiritual warfare is different, however. We’re not wrestling with ‘flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness’ (see Ephesians 6:12). And wrestling is a one-on-one struggle that means getting up close and personal, going toe-to-toe with your opponent.

When David faced Goliath, the giant was so sure of himself that he announced to all Israel, ‘If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’ (1 Samuel 17:9 NKJV). Think about the long-term implications of this. If Goliath prevailed, God’s people would spend their lives serving the enemy! The stakes were incredibly high for Israel—and they are for you too.

Satan is out to defeat you, and if you wrestle according to the rules of the flesh, you will lose. Just like professional wrestlers have rules they must abide by, there are fail-safe spiritual rules designed to work for you. Paul says, ‘The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.’ (2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV). The only hope you have of defeating Satan lies in prayer, Christian fellowship, God’s Word, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus. These five things top the list of powerful weapons given to you to defeat the Enemy. So, use them today!

Start at his feet

Tue, 2 Jul 2024

‘Uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.’ Ruth 3:4

As a Moabitess, the law said Ruth was unqualified to mix with Jews. ‘An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; … ’ (Deuteronomy 23:3 NKJV). But when God has a plan for your life, He steps in and says, ‘… I have called you by your name; you are Mine … Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honoured, … Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life’ (Isaiah 43:1, 4 NKJV). When Boaz began showering Ruth with kindness, she knelt before him saying, ‘… Why have I found favour in your eyes…?’ (Ruth 2:10 NKJV). Notice how Boaz answered: ‘… It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, …’ (Ruth 2:11 NKJV).

Aware that Ruth has become the object of Boaz’s affection, Naomi instructs her: ‘… he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do’ (Ruth 3:2-4 NKJV).

Ruth started at his feet and ended up by his side. ‘Do not make yourself known.’ Don’t push, don’t try to impress God with your performance, just stay at His feet and He will raise you up to His side. ‘Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time’ (1 Peter 5:6 NKJV).

onadana:
Thank you so much I appreciate it.

🙏

The picture above looks like Agama Lizard to me though 🤔

.......he will Dare not try it with any of mine. Masquerade go collect.

Werey!

JASONjnr:
I don't have any RIP to waste....


If he's a contributor to the deteriorating situation of Nigeria, may almighty release his wrath upon his soul...

If he made efforts to better the deteriorating situation of Nigeria, may almighty God forgive him and take his soul.

when you've already said it 😂😂

onadana:
Sometimes it's just unavoidable,life is everything that comes with it.Life becomes painful when you want to choose the good sides only,life is a complete package.Lately I saw my wedding picture we were four in the picture myself, my wife,my dad and mum.Am the only one standing.Mum died 2010,Dad 2017,my wonderful wife, friend and mother,2019.Bury my dad,yes,bury my mum, yes but nothing in life prepared me I would bury my wife I always thought she would bury me.

I am so sorry to read this 😭. May the Lord give you the strength to be happy again in Jesus name 🙏.

HeatSeeker:
The past will always come back to haunt you!

definitely, but you must not give it a chance to rule over you.

Don’t get stuck in the past

Mon, 1 Jul 2024

‘Run for your lives! And don't look back or stop anywhere in the valley! …’ Genesis 19:17

Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of town: When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, ‘“Run for your lives! And don't look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ ... But Lot's wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.’ (Genesis 19:17, 26 NLT). By looking back, Lot’s wife disobeyed a direct instruction from God. As a result, she died—stuck in the past. There are three important lessons here for you.

1) ‘Don’t … stop anywhere in the valley!’ We all go through valley experiences in life, but we must not get stuck in them or set up residence in them.

2) ‘And don’t look back.’ The reason the windscreen in your car is larger than the rear-view mirror is because you’re supposed to spend most of your time looking through that one, and only periodically glancing in the other in order to make corrections so that you can continue to move forwards safely and reach your destination. Getting the idea?

3) ‘Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ When someone hurts you, you have two choices: take the high road or the low road. When you take the low road and retaliate, something within you begins to die spiritually. But when you take the high road, you grow stronger, wiser, and more mature. When you get stuck in the past, it’s always at the expense of the future. Always! God has better days and better things in store for you. So, forgive, forget, and move forwards.

Happy New Month.... May the month of July bring us a lot of good news in Jesus name 🙏.

judatech:
Will the marriage fly?

Of-course it will.

onadana:
To what extent and value is that?This is science, fact.He has lived a good life.He has Dementia,the illness gets worse with time.He has no value to himself or family.Sadly,he is a burden.That's life good,bad,sweet,bitter,success,failure,life,death.

true.....but still we don't pray that one dies... A bi ba wo nii? 🤷

The Lord will prolong his life in Jesus name 🙏

The law of entropy

Sun, 30 Jun 2024

‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: ...’ Proverbs 29:18

A pastor wrote: ‘The second law of thermodynamics states this physical truth: If left to their own devices, everything in the universe moves towards disorder and decay. Cars rust. Food rots…It’s also called the law of entropy. And the only way to prevent entropy is to introduce an outside energy source to counteract it. The technical term for this is negentropy. And the refrigerator is a good example. You plug it into an electrical outlet, and it produces cold air that keeps food from rotting. If the refrigerator gets disconnected from its energy source, entropy will take over again. And things will get smelly.

Isn’t that what happens when we get disconnected from God? Life moves towards decay and disorder. So how do we overcome our entropic tendencies? Solomon said in Proverbs 29:18 ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ If sin is entropy, then investing our energies in a God-sized vision is negentropy. The word perish comes from the Hebrew word para, and “entropy” is a fair translation.’

Perhaps many church problems don’t come from an abundance of sin but rather from a lack of vision? We’re not suggesting that there aren’t sin problems or that those problems don’t need to be dealt with. But in too many instances, there isn’t enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn’t big enough to demand all our energies, so we focus on petty problems to keep us busy. The same is true on a personal level. If we had a larger vision of what God wanted to accomplish in us and through us, our problems would diminish because we are consumed by a cause greater than ourselves.

All op mentioned are truly good. But true love making with the one you love is dope. God has HIS reason for creating mating mate. So, never you underestimate the power of a good sexing.

Why do we resist change? (4)

Sat, 29 Jun 2024

‘Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.’ Ecclesiastes 7:10

Two more reasons we resist change are these:

1) Because it feels awkward and uncomfortable. When was the last time you tried something for the first time? Can you name it specifically? If you can’t remember, your comfort zone may have turned into a rut. A sign on a wall contained two statements. The first had an X through it. It said, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ The second read, ‘If it ain’t broke, break it!’ Sometimes, the only way to ‘get out of the box’ is to break out.

2) Because we cling to tradition. The Pharisees could not receive the truth Jesus shared because they were bound by their traditions. And many of us still cling to tradition. We assume that if something is a tradition (a long-established pattern of behaviour), it has to be a better way. That’s not necessarily so, as change agents like American inventors Thomas Edison and Henry Ford demonstrated.

Question: How many traditionalists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Four—one to change it, and three to talk about how wonderful the old light bulb was! Bottom line: when a tradition connects you to other people or to your personal history, it can be good. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to try something new.

The Bible says, ‘The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over’ (Proverbs 4:18-19 NLT). So, what changes do you need to make in your life?

hisgrace090:
Yes, men need to change not God.
God is constant but men are not.

@hisgrace os right. God never changes, but humans does. But we need to change from our bad attitudes to a good one.