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What of politicians

Otilor

That man behind the mask is me

Plz, how do i recover my lost bvn and my acount number?
i lost my phone and all the important files and documents in it, i dont even have my account number off head talkmore of my bvn.

I am looking for a wife. Where is the best place to get her from, and who can recommended one?

Bottom line for all this…

DO NOT MARRY A PREACHER if…

–you do not feel a similar call from God on your life. Otherwise, your expectations will be directed toward your husband and you will be eternally frustrated.

Someone asks, “Where in the Bible do you find God calling ministers’ wives?” Answer: Nowhere. It’s just basic common sense, I think. You don’t find Him calling artists or agriculture specialists or communication consultants, but every mission field has people with gifts in these areas who can testify of God’s call upon them.

–you are not a person of prayer. Only the strength of the Lord is going to protect you and empower your service. Abide in Him always. We “ought always to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).
Of all scriptures, the verse which seems to fit pastors’ wives is 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”

–you think a husband should be home every night for dinner and put you and the children first in his life. (This is about you and your expectations. We can hope the pastor/husband/daddy will get this right, but if you demand it, it’s all downhill from then on.)

My observation is there will often be tension between where a pastor wants to be this evening and where he should be. No one can tell him what to do. Pray for God to give him two things: great wisdom and an understanding wife.

–you do not love the people of the Lord. Nothing helps us to treasure the Lord’s people more than a great love for Him and a healthy understanding of our own sinful, needy natures. “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30) should be the mantra for all of us.

If, however, my love for Him is a sometimes thing and my life revolves around me and my needs, this life is going to be a nightmare.

–you expect church people to always act like Christians. We all—every church leader!–do well to lower the expectations we put upon others. Remember these people are “but dust” (Psalm 103:14). Most will get this right, but some church members can be childish, demanding, mean-spirited, and as carnal as anyone in the worst tavern in town. Do not be blind-sided by their misbehavior. Stay prayed up.

you cannot live with people scrutinizing everything you do, from how you raise your children to the way you wear your hair. You must be able to ignore it or laugh it off. One lady used to tease me relentlessly about the suits I wore. These days, she would be amazed how few preachers wear suits!

I will promise you one thing, wife of a minister: From your home, you will see the worst side of the best people (God’s children). But determine that you will love them anyway, and God will use you in amazing ways.

–and finally, do not marry a preacher if you expect your rewards down here on earth. The great payoff for servants of God comes not in recognitions and bank accounts down here but in the promises of God for a later time. “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14).

If that sounds like so much smoke-blowing, please do the minister a favor and say ‘no’ when he proposes to you. Do not saddle him with the burden of a spouse who is forever unhappy at his life-calling.

So, marry the man–if he asks and you and your folks agree this is “of God.” I will tell you this from personal experience…

–There are 10,000 rewards to serving the Lord as a pastor and wife.

–There are indeed a thousand headaches and stresses. But these come in every career. It’s called life. The minister’s home will have its share but so does every other residence up and down the street.

–Nothing helps you stay focused on keeping close to the Lord like knowing you have to teach that class Sunday morning (or preach that sermon) and need to stay on your knees and in the Word to do it well.

–God has a few sweet Godly saints in every church who will love you and pray for you and will compensate for the ogres. Ask Him to show you who they are. Then, pull them close to you.

If God calls you to marry a minister, I pray He leads you to the right one, and that you will have–as Margaret and I did before the Lord took her to Heaven last January–52 years of service to Him, and a lifetime of satisfaction in knowing you made a lasting difference in people’s lives.

Do not be unequally yoked…” 2 Corinthians 6:14 (a reference to Deuteronomy 22:10 where Israel is told not to plow with a team composed of an ox and a donkey).

We all agree that Scripture teaches believers should not marry unbelievers.

But, would it be an unequal yoke for one called into the ministry to be wed to a Christian who resents his calling and resists the demands that this life places on her?

Surely we can agree that not everyone should marry a preacher.

The obligatory disclaimer: In our denomination, preachers are men. I know some women pastors in other denominations and respect them very much. But I know nothing of the pressures they face. Thus, for me to write for their situation would be highly presumptuous. Please do not write accusing me of sexism or prejudice against women. Thank you.)

When I began this list a few days ago, mostly I intended it as a light-hearted piece since I’m a preacher and love pastors and their families. Any woman who marries a called servant of the Lord should feel special to Him, I’m thinking, and she needs to know what she’s getting into. And then, I decided to ask for help.

I invited Facebook friends to suggest reasons why someone “might not want to marry a preacher.” I expected soft answers. Oh my, the responses.

But first, here is my original list….

1. A preacher lives with his work 24/7/365. Even on his off days and vacations, his mind is always on his work. If you want to be married to a husband who works 8 to 5, this man is not the one for you.

2. A preacher wakes up at night and gets out of bed to look things up and write down ideas. HIs getting up and coming back to bed will disturb you. This is normal. If you would resent such interruptions, do yourself and him a favor and say ‘no’ if he proposes.

3. Preachers live by faith, as depicted in Hebrews 11. They will sometimes do the strangest of things for the flimsiest of reasons and the only explanation they can give is “I felt the Lord wanted me to do this.” If you want a man who is never a mystery, keep looking.

4. Preachers live for others. If you want a husband who is devoted only to you, choose another husband.

5. Preachers do not live as well materially as others, for several reasons. One, the profession is not one of the higher paying careers. Two, they give a tithe and more to their church. Three, they are generous in every other area of their lives. And four, even if money is plentiful, they would not want to live lavishly and set a bad example. If you want to live in a mansion and have servants, choose another husband (and good luck with that!).

So much hurt and anger came spilling out. These ministry wives were quick to say…

–“The preacher is never at home.”

–“You are the last of his priorities. Everyone comes before you and the kids.”

–“The church boards are cruel and selfish and demanding.”

–“A pastor’s wife is never allowed to have friends. I’m so lonely.”

–“I have wished a thousand times I’d never married a preacher.”

–“The pay is insulting, the benefits imaginary, and the support from the churches undependable.”

Yikes. What is this, I wondered. So much hurt, so much pain.

I was surprised that very few wives of ministers countered these statements with their own testimonies, saying how wonderful a life it is, how the rewards outweigh the burdens and stresses, how special a pastor’s wife should feel.

Their silence ought to tell us something.....

To be Continued

Does God tell you who to marry? The answer is simply no. Although some of you may debate over the same based on your personal experiences. Some may think God did show them who they ought to marry. That might be true to some extent, and I will get to that in a short moment. As much as I would want to give you a relevant and ‘accurate’ answer, I won’t misrepresent God’s character to achieve that goal. I have to be honest with all of us here.
Does God tell you who to marry or who your spouse will be?
The answer also greatly depends on the truth of such revelation. Moreover, it must be in line with the word of God. Many ladies have found themselves stagnated in wrong relationships because someone told them that, “God revealed to me that I should marry you.” Just because they had a dream, doesn’t mean it was from the LORD. Most often what people claim to be God’s revelation of their future spouse is always a lie. It is drawn from their minds and not a dream from God. Therefore, it is without dispute that God doesn’t reveal to you your spouse. He only leads you to find the right person if only you seek His counsel.

After Adam accused God of giving him a compromised woman, things have never been the same again. God has given man free will in every aspect of his life, even marriage. Therefore, it is true to say that God does not choose a life partner for anyone. It is our choice to make, however, He is there to give us counsel and direction to make the best decision on whom to marry.

Let me ask you a question. If God was to force you to marry someone how would you feel? God can never contradict Himself. [Romans 3:4]. He can never deprive us of Free Will. By the end of the day, the choice is yours to make. We can choose to listen and obey God’s word in finding a suitable marriage partner or do it our way and suffer the consequences.

God has given us His revelation concerning every area of our lives in the Holy Bible. It describes the character of a good woman (proverbs 31) and even a good man. It also describes God’s will for any marriage and how we can find the right person to marry. How to raise a family and the responsibility of each individual in a marriage or family. If we are careful in obeying and following these principles, surely, we cannot fail. There is always a blessing tied to our obedience to the word of God.

Does God lead you to marry an unbeliever?
Another good example is when the scriptures warn us from relating with unbelievers. [2 Corinthians 6:14-16]. The majority dispute over this text, because they think the Bible is not fair. The answer to that is that God’s Character is not measured in terms of fairness. There is nothing like ‘fair’ with God. He is righteous and just and not fair. Fair according to me means partiality, and it is not necessarily close or equal to justice. God is not partial in His judgment; He is Just and righteous. [James 1:17, Psalms 97:2b].

The reason why God forbids us from marrying unbelievers is the outcomes of such relations. It’s not because God hates them God loves them that’s why He gave His son Jesus as a sacrifice to redeem all of us from our sinful nature. Marrying an unbeliever is like mixing cold water with warm water. It only makes it lukewarm and not warmer. Some may argue that they will ‘change’ their partners. Meaning they will convert them to Christianity. However, the truth is that this will only worsen the circumstances. As the person will feel you are trying to control their life. Remember you are not the Holy Spirit, it’s His work to convict people and not you.

The possibility of the unbelieving partner dragging you down is higher than you leading him/ her to Christ.

Such kind of a relationship can be detrimental to your spiritual life, especially your salvation. This person will be drawing your heart away from God since they are not interested in spiritual matters as you are. Trust me you don’t want to become a victim of Divorce. I am not saying marrying a Christian will assure you of a long-lasting relationship and that you will never experience divorce. I simply mean you will be differing with the unbelieving partner in many areas, especially on spiritual matters pertaining to your salvation.

I am sure you don’t want to put your salvation at stake. For this relationship to thrive, one of you has to sacrifice their spiritual obligations to please the other. In most cases, as the numbers tell us, this would be the Christian. You end up living a carnal life instead of enjoying your salvation. You will not lose your salvation; however, you will not live the life God intended for you to enjoy.

Think of it this way, you are with someone who just merely respects the Bible and God but doesn’t believe in Him or obey Him at all. Is this the kind of life you want to live? Another thing is that God is interested in a holy union that will eventually bring forth holy offspring...

But God told Hosea to marry Gomer why not me??
You may also debate that God asked Hosea to marry Gomer, then why not me? Of course, God did ask Hosea to marry a prostitute, but not specifically Gomer. [Hosea 1:2-3] Gomer was Hosea’s choice. The instruction was for him to take a wife of harlotry. God didn’t specify who that would be. He left the choice to Hosea. Please do not distort God’s word to suit your needs. If you like someone please approach them the right way and avoid getting their attention through dreams.

What you should know concerning Dreams about marriage.
Man is a triune being as God created him having a body, soul, and spirit. Dreams can be attributed to three things. One, it might be from the man’s spirit and soul (the emotional part). That is, out of his mind drawn out of his desires and fantasies. Two, it might be from the devil who ‘throws’ lies at us and inspires us to rebel against the perfect Will of God.

A good example of this is found in the book of Job where Eliphaz condemned Job as being evil. He claimed that he had received this revelation from the angel of the LORD. However, we know earlier that God had testified of Job being a righteous man. [Job 1:8]. Thirdly, the revelation might be from God. If God revealed it to you, He must reveal it to the other person. Every dream should stand on the integrity of the word of God. It never contradicts the divine scriptures. [Romans 3:4].

Conclusion
The bottom line is that God doesn’t give you a future revelation of who you will marry. If a person tells you that God showed them you are their spouse, be careful it is a deception from hell.

The Bible calls us to be watchful against those that prey on the innocent by seducing them with false prophesies and dreams. Ladies, if a man comes to you with this old philosophy that God told him you are the one, be sure it’s a lie from the devil. Women are too susceptible to this old trick. The reason is that they have a great yearning for spirituality and in the attempt to please God they are tricked.

We have the liberty to choose whoever we love as our partner, however, he or she must be born again as the Bible forbids union with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Things always go wrong if we insist on our own Will. Seeking God’s Will should always be primal.

I'm not against atheism. In fact my father is atheist and my mom is Christian. They were married but now divorced (nothing to do with with religion though). He allowed us to be raised Christian and go to church. He just didn't want do do it himself which is his choice and I respect it. I just don’t know how they did it.

Obviously Atheists and Christians can date it's a free country. But I don't know how it works out. Here's the thing not all but a lot of atheists mocks Christianity, calls it the white mans religion and calls God sky daddy so I wonder then if you think that then why would you date someone who believes in that. That's like me despising Andrew Tate and dating an Andrew Tate supporter.

Same thing goes for Christians. I would have more smoke for them. Even if I date an atheist I don't want to hope that one day he will seek Jesus Christ. I don't believe in changing a man and also I don't believe in conversion. I would feel guilty if a man became Christian because of me. Like he should come to Christianity by himself. So I rather find a good guy who is already Christian.

I'm not saying interfaith couples can't work. There are exceptions. But just like politics, religion also matters in relationships. Especially when it comes to kids.

I believe Christians should stick with Christians for marriage. I mean we should be equally yoked.

[b][/b] Atheists, you're on a date with a beautiful Christian gal. Things are going great, until she abruptly asks you if you believe in Jesus Christ. How would you escape this situation?

One of the most difficult relationship decisions you hope to never have to make is whether or not to give a cheating partner a second chance. Infidelity is incredibly painful, and it might leave you wondering if you should break up or stay in the relationship.

If you discover that your partner lied to you, manipulated you, made a fool out of you, or tried to cover up the affair, ending the relationship might seem like the obvious answer. But what if your partner is usually reliable? What if they regret cheating and promise to be faithful? What if you're convinced that the two of you do love one another?

Everyone has their line in the sand—the one thing that is a deal-breaker. Only you know what that line in the sand is for you

At a Glance
Only you can decide if you should stay or leave if your partner has cheated on you. Cheating doesn't have to mean the end of the relationship, particularly if it was truly a one-time thing and your partner is genuinely regretful and remorseful. Ask yourself important questions about what it means for your relationship and how you might best move foreward. Certain conditions, including couples therapy, may be a condition of staying together.

How Cheating May Affect Your Relationship
Infidelity doesn't always mean a relationship is over, especially if your partner is truly remorseful. In fact, true remorse is a big indicator that there is hope for the relationship, especially if you have been together a long time and have children together.1

But, both of you have to realize that your relationship will never be the same. You can't just pretend like nothing ever happened if you want anything to change. You both have a lot of hard work to do to make the relationship successful.

Questions to Consider After Your Partner Has Cheated
Before you give your partner a second chance, it's important to really think about all that is involved in repairing your relationship like healing from the pain, rebuilding trust, learning to be intimate again, and improving communication. Here are some important questions to ask yourself.

Is this the first time your partner cheated on you?
Does your partner understand the hurt they caused?1
Does your partner recognize the cheating as a problem?
Has your partner accepted responsibility for being unfaithful?2
Regardless of the reasons for the infidelity, will your partner accept that changes are needed in their behavior?
Has your partner apologized?
Do you believe your partner is remorseful and truly regrets being unfaithful?2
Will your partner attend both marital and individual counseling?

Have all ties with the affair partner been severed?
If the person is someone your partner works with, have you discussed how your partner can keep the relationship on a business-only basis?
Do you think you and your partner can have a successful, joyful, long-lasting relationship?
Do you think you can ever trust your partner again?
Do you think your relationship is worth saving?3
Do you think your partner's unfaithfulness will forever haunt your mind and heart?
Can you forgive your partner, or will you hold the infidelity over their head?
Are you considering retaliating or getting revenge?
Will your family and friends support efforts to reconcile, or will they impede the process?
Are you both willing to work on your relationship and learn how to resolve the underlying issues?

Answering these questions honestly can help you decide if you should give your partner a second chance. Look over your answers. Are they mostly positive? Or, are there areas that are cause for concern? You may want to discuss this list with a counselor or another neutral party who can help you evaluate your situation.

Conditions After Your Partner Has Cheated
If you do decide to give your partner a second chance, it might make sense to emphasize that this is a one-time opportunity. They need to understand that there will be no more chances if they cheat again

It's important to emphasize that your willingness to reconcile the relationship doesn't mean you condone the cheating behavior.

Meanwhile, the partner who cheated must be willing to explain why they cheated. They also must be apologetic and honest, and they must keep their promises. They also need to recognize that there will be questions about their commitment. Consequently, they may need to agree to set healthy boundaries around their future behaviors.

Although these boundaries are best discussed with a relationship or marriage counselor, your partner may agree to allow you complete access to their phones, text messages, social media accounts, and emails. They also may agree to not have lunch or dinner alone with someone who may be a potential romantic partner.

It's important to emphasize that your willingness to reconcile the relationship doesn't mean you condone the cheating behavior.

Meanwhile, the partner who cheated must be willing to explain why they cheated. They also must be apologetic and honest, and they must keep their promises. They also need to recognize that there will be questions about their commitment. Consequently, they may need to agree to set healthy boundaries around their future behaviors.

Although these boundaries are best discussed with a relationship or marriage counselor, your partner may agree to allow you complete access to their phones, text messages, social media accounts, and emails. They also may agree to not have lunch or dinner alone with someone who may be a potential romantic partner.

For a long time, you may worry and wonder whether or not they will cheat again. So, these boundaries serve two purposes: They provide you with a sense of security while holding your partner accountable

Red Flags for Further Infidelity
There are times in a relationship when you should reconsider giving your partner a second chance. Of course, the choice is still yours, but giving a second chance when these red flags are present may mean that true reconciliation is unlikely. Think twice about giving a second chance when:

Your partner had an affair with an ex-partner
The affair was full-fledged and long-term
Your partner shows no remorse or does not apologize
The cheating occurred early in the relationship
The cheating is serial or a pattern of behavior
Your partner is abusive or controlling
Although it can be tough to accept, not every relationship can be reconciled. There are times when the cheating partner refuses to end an affair or has an established pattern of cheating.5 In these cases, drastic changes would need to occur before successful reconciliation.

If these red flags are apparent in your situation, consider seeking individual counseling before making any lasting decisions.

Your first priority should be to take care of yourself and then evaluate your relationship.

There are a lot of emotions that come with being cheated on including everything from hurt and anger to frustration, confusion, and even denial. Take your time processing what has happened to you. There's no rush to make a decision about your relationship until you feel strong enough to make the best one for you.

How to Be Realistic
Most people who have been cheated on take it personally.6 They may blame themselves or believe that if they were somehow different or better their partner would not have cheated. But that is a far cry from the truth. Your self-worth should not be tied to your partner's views of you.

What's more, your partner is responsible for the cheating. You did not cause it. While it is true that counseling will require you to address your issues, your issues do not give your partner a license to cheat. Cheating was a choice your partner made alone and must accept responsibility for.

It is vital that you pay close attention to how your partner responds to getting caught.

Are they sorry they got caught? Or, are they sorry for the pain they caused you? There is a big difference.

ANSWER

It is not always God’s will to heal a person physically. A person may sincerely pray and truly have faith that God can heal, but if it is not God’s will to provide the healing at that time, then no healing will come (see 1 John 5:14). Sometimes God’s blessings come in other ways besides physical healing.

If it were always God’s will for people to be healed, then everyone would be healed every time he or she became ill. If good health were always God’s will, then Christians should never die. We can’t blame someone’s malady on a lack of faith, for we know, biblically, that God sometimes uses illness to accomplish His will. Also, it’s not just wayward believers who get sick. Paul “left Trophimus sick in Miletus” (2 Timothy 4:20), and Paul himself had a physical ailment that the Lord declined to heal (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).

Often, Christians have an over-simplified idea of healing. They think that, if they are sick, they have only to ask God to heal them and, because God loves them, He will heal them straightaway. Healing is seen as proof of a person’s faith and of God’s love. This idea persists in some circles in spite of the truth that every mother knows: a parent does not give her child everything he asks for every time, no matter how much she loves him.

Joni Eareckson Tada struggled with this issue for a long time. As she recounts in her book Joni, she sought physical healing of her quadriplegia. She prayed and fully believed that God would heal her. In her words, “I certainly believed. I was calling up my girlfriends saying, ‘Next time you see me I’m going to be running up your sidewalk. God’s going to heal me’” (quoted in an interview with Marvin Olasky, January 17, 2013). Yet Joni is still in a wheelchair today. Forty-five years after the accident that left her paralyzed, God has still not healed her. Her perspective is one of great faith: “God may remove your suffering, and that will be great cause for praise. But if not, He will use it, He will use anything and everything that stands in the way of His fellowship with you. So let God mold you and make you, transform you from glory to glory. That’s the deeper healing” (quoted on Grace to You, October 16, 2013). Some feel that God will never heal anyone miraculously today. Others feel that God will always heal a person if he or she has enough faith. But God will not be put into either box.

We need to understand that healings, even in the Bible, are very rare indeed. For the first 2,500 years of biblical history, there is no mention of any healings whatsoever. Then during the life of Abraham we have a possible healing, although it is only implied (Genesis 12:17–20). Then we have to wait until the life of Moses, who performs a number of signs to authenticate his authority as God’s leader. However, the only healing associated with Moses is Miriam’s cleansing from leprosy (Numbers 12:13–15).

In the covenant God gave to Israel, there were a number of provisions to regulate their lives, and there is an emphasis on physicality and material things in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 28, God promises to reward Israel’s faithfulness with freedom from disease. This is the clue to the meaning of miracles in the Bible. God promised Israel health, long life, children, flocks, corn, grapes, etc.—and victory over their enemies—if they stayed faithful to the Lord. At the same time, God threatened them with sickness, barrenness, disease, drought, famine, the loss of livestock, and enemy occupation if they forsook the Lord. This is the context of Israel’s relationship with sickness and healing. The promise to be kept “free from every disease” in Deuteronomy 7:15 was specifically part of the Mosaic Covenant with Israel under the theocracy; such a promise is not given to the church.

With the coming of Christ, we have the fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant (Matthew 5:17) and a reversal of the effects of Israel’s spiritual backslidings. Wherever Christ went, He healed the sick, but this was not just because of kindness on His part; His healings were always a sign from heaven of Christ’s authority as Messiah (John 7:31). He was giving Israel a taste of the kingdom of God (Luke 11:20). Those who refused His authority were often left sick (Matthew 13:58). At the pool of Bethsaida, for example, Jesus healed only one in a huge multitude (John 5).

The apostles were also given the specific power to heal the sick, and for thirty-seven years they went everywhere healing those who heard their message. Again, their miracles, including healing, were confirmation of the truth of the gospel the apostles proclaimed.

The twelve apostles did not heal everyone, either. Often, there were Christians left unwell in spite of the apostolic power. Paul says to Timothy, “Use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Why didn’t Paul just lay hands on Timothy and heal him? It wasn’t because Timothy didn’t have enough faith; it was because it was not God’s will to heal Timothy that way. The healing ministry was not for anyone’s personal convenience; rather, it was a sign from God—to the Jews of the Old Covenant primarily—of the validity of the apostles’ message.

We are not living in the apostolic days today. Of course, God can and does heal today when He wants to. The question we need to ask in any given situation is, what does God want? Does He desire to heal the individual in this life, or does He have another plan to show His glory through weakness? Someday, all sickness and death will be eradicated (see Revelation 21:4). Joni Eareckson Tada will walk again. Until then, there is a greater healing, the cleansing of sinful hearts, that God performs every day.

Do other "gods" answer prayers too?

The reason I ask, is because I personally know people from different faiths who are convinced that they have had their prayers answered by the god whom they worship. This makes it difficult for me to make a case for Jesus in front of them, because they are being delivered from their difficulties without Jesus' help.

This is a great question, and a scenario that many of us will have to face at some point in time, if we are to be faithful in sharing the gospel with others.

A central truth found throughout all of Scripture is that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). In fact, this is the first of all the commandments. Meaning, when we approach the Bible in an attempt to know God, the very first thing He reveals about Himself to us, is that there are no other gods but Him. When speaking through His prophet Isaiah, the Lord says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.” (Isaiah 45:5). Jesus reminds us, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!’” (Mark 12:29)

We know that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1-2:4), and because “all things” were made through Him (John 1:3), including those things, “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him” (Colossians 1:16-17), we can be confident that there are no other gods in all creation, except the idols of false religion (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:4).

What are we to make of “other gods” then? The Bible clearly addresses “other gods” in 1 Corinthians 8, which is a chapter that gives instructions to Christians about a serious dilemma in their culture, which was foods offered to idols (i.e. false gods). In this chapter Paul says, “... we know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). What Paul is saying, is that the false gods of other religions have “no real existence”, and the reason we can be sure of this is because “there is no God but one”.

As far as people from other faiths having their prayers answered, there is a simple and logical answer for this as well. Those who pray to false gods have no more chance of receiving an answer to prayer than the 450 false prophets of Baal did, when challenged by Elijah on top of Mount Carmel (cf. 1 Kings 18:20-39). How can I explain then, the prayers that they make to their gods that do get answered? I believe there is a simple answer for this.

Jesus tells us that our Heavenly Father, “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). In other words God blesses the righteous and the wicked, the Christian, and the non-Christian. It doesn’t mean that the unjust receive eternal blessings, or any of the promises of God contained in Scripture that are exclusively for believers (they must first receive Jesus), but it does mean that God will bless, help, and provide for those who reject Jesus.

The Apostle Paul preached this same message to the men of Lystra who were trying to worship Barnabas (as Zeus) and Paul (as Hermes) after he healed a crippled man (Acts 14:8-14). When the Apostle Paul saw this he said, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:15-17). Here we read that Paul is acknowledging the fact that God blesses those who worship other gods, by giving them “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons”, even “satisfying” their “hearts with food and gladness”. So we see that even in the bible those who worship and pray to false gods still receive blessings and good things from God.

How do I witness to people from different faiths, when they believe their god answers prayers too?

When witnessing to your friends of different faiths, or anyone for that matter, I would encourage you not to focus on one’s experience in having their prayers answered, because experience is very subjective and can be quite misleading. What I would encourage you to focus on is the gospel. The Gospel is our weapon to cut through the lies of the enemy. The Bible tells us that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Therefore, with discernment and in God’s timing, I want to encourage you to share the gospel with confidence. Let them know that all of us have a deadly virus called sin running through our bodies (Romans 3:23; 6:23), and the only cure for this virus is Jesus (Romans 5:. It’s not up to us to convince other people of this. That is the Holy Spirit’s department (John 16:8-11), we are just called to faithfully present the truth to them so that they have an opportunity to turn to Jesus for salvation (Acts 4:12).

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons
The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Are these just three different ways of looking at God, or simply ways of referring to three different roles that God plays?

The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33). Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son.

In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). In John 1:1 it is affirmed that Jesus is God and, at the same time, that He was “with God”- thereby indicating that Jesus is a distinct Person from God the Father (cf. also 1:18). And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son.

The fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons means, in other words, that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God.

The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. Thus, they relate to each other personally — the Father regards Himself as “I,” while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as “You.” Likewise the Son regards Himself as “I,” but the Father and the Holy Spirit as “You.”

Often it is objected that “If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth.” But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. In fact, it is precisely the continuing dialogue between the Father and the Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:19; 11:41-42; 17:1ff ) which furnishes the best evidence that they are distinct Persons with distinct centers of consciousness.

Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a “force” than a Person. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14).

These are all qualities of personhood. In addition to these texts, the others we mentioned above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Personhood of the Son and the Father. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays.

Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. Contrary to this, the passages we have seen imply that God always was and always will be three Persons. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. They are all eternal.

While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities.

Each Person is fully God
If God is three Persons, does this mean that each Person is “one-third” of God? Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts?

The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. For example, it says of Christ that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).

We should not think of God as like a “pie” cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. Rather, “the being of each Person is equal to the whole being of God.”[1] The divine essence is not something that is divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into “parts.”

Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, “When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.

There is only one God
If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? Obviously we cannot, for Scripture is clear that there is only one God: “There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60).

Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons.

If there is one passage which most clearly brings all of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” First, notice that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinguished as distinct Persons. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? Surely not. Therefore each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity.

Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. This can only be if they share one essence.

Is the Trinity Contradictory?
This leads us to investigate more closely a very helpful definition of the Trinity which I mentioned earlier: God is one in essence, but three in Person. This formulation can show us why there are not three Gods, and why the Trinity is not a contradiction.

In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. This law states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not) at the same time and in the same relationship. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. For example, if I say that the moon is made entirely of cheese but then also say that the moon is not made entirely of cheese, I have contradicted myself.

Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. Theologian R.C. Sproul cites as an example Dickens’ famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. But he avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times, but in another sense it was the worst of times.

Carrying this concept over to the Trinity, it is not a contradiction for God to be both three and one because He is not three and one in the same way. He is three in a different way than He is one. Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue — we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. This is very important: God is one and three at the same time, but not in the same way.

How is God one? He is one in essence. How is God three? He is three in Person. Essence and person are not the same thing. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one.

So a closer look at the fact that God is one in essence but three in person has helped to show why the Trinity is not a contradiction. But how does it show us why there is only one God instead of three? It is very simple:

All three Persons are one God because, as we saw above, they are all the same essence. Essence means the same thing as “being.” Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. For if we deny this, we have denied God’s unity and affirmed that there is more than one being of God (i.e., that there is more than one God).

What we have seen so far provides a good basic understanding of the Trinity. But it is possible to go deeper. If we can understand more precisely what is meant by essence and person, how these two terms differ, and how they relate, we will then have a more complete understanding of the Trinity.

Essence and Person
Essence
What does essence mean? As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. God’s essence is His being. To be even more precise, essence is what you are. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the “stuff ” that you “consist of.”

Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Further, we clearly should not think of God as “consisting of ” anything other than divinity. The “substance” of God is God, not a bunch of “ingredients” that taken together yield deity.

Person
In regards to the Trinity, we use the term “Person” differently than we generally use it in everyday life. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. What we do not mean by Person is an “independent individual” in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another.

What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as “I” and others as “You.” So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a “You,” even though He regards Himself as “I.” Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that “Person” means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an “I” and the other two as a “You.” These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but “a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.”[3]

How do they relate? The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. Within God’s one, undivided being is an “unfolding” into three personal distinctions. These personal distinctions are modes of existence within the divine being, but are not divisions of the divine being. They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being.

The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: “The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and — using a common illustration —as the open palm differs from a closed fist.”[4]

Because each of these “forms of existence” are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as “I” and the others as “You.” Nonetheless, these three Persons all “consist of ” the same “stuff ” (that is, the same “what,” or essence). As theologian and apologist Norman Geisler has explained it, while essence is what you are, person is who you are. So God is one “what” but three “whos.”

The divine essence is thus not something that exists “above” or “separate from” the three Persons, but the divine essence is the being of the three Persons. Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Wayne Grudem explains:

But if each person is fully God and has all of God’s being, then we also should not think that the personal distinctions are any kind of additional attributes added on to the being of God . . . Rather, each person of the Trinity has all of the attributes of God, and no one Person has any attributes that are not possessed by the others.

On the other hand, we must say that the Persons are real, that they are not just different ways of looking at the one being of God...The only way it seems possible to do this is to say that the distinction between the persons is not a difference of "being" but a difference of "relationships." This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. Somehow God’s being is so much greater than ours that within his one undivided being there can be an unfolding into interpersonal relationships, so that there can be three distinct persons.[5]

Trinitarian Illustrations?
There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error.

One illustration to beware of is the one which says, “I am one person, but I am a student, son, and brother. This explains how God can be both one and three.” The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles.

Summary
Let us quickly review what we have seen.

The Trinity is not belief in three gods. There is only one God, and we must never stray from this.
This one God exists as three Persons.
The three Persons are not each part of God, but are each fully God and equally God. Within God’s one undivided being there is an unfolding into three interpersonal relationships such that there are three Persons. The distinctions within the Godhead are not distinctions of His essence and neither are they something added on to His essence, but they are the unfolding of God’s one, undivided being into three interpersonal relationships such that there are three real Persons.
God is not one person who took three consecutive roles. That is the heresy of modalism. The Father did not become the Son and then the Holy Spirit. Instead, there have always been and always will be three distinct persons in the Godhead.
The Trinity is not a contradiction because God is not three in the same way that He is one. God is one in essence, three in Person.

Application
The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. To understand more fully what God is like is a way of honoring God. Further, we should allow the fact that God is triune to deepen our worship. We exist to worship God. And God seeks people to worship Him in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God — in truth as well as in our hearts.

The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. The general pattern of prayer in the Bible is to pray to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Our fellowship with God should be enhanced by consciously knowing that we are relating to a tri-personal God!

Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person has, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons are not involved. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another.

ReacherSaidNoth:
Back this claim with evidence or remain a fool. Depression is no respecter of belief, faith in imaginary gods and the paradise they promise will not save a mind that is truly suicidal.

The primary cause of the depressing life of Atheists in undeveloped societies is a conflict between beliefs and actions. They have different beliefs, but the environment, family, and friends force them to perform different actions. In this situation, depression is obvious when you are doing acts forcefully. You don’t want to perform. Still, perform.

This is an ideal situation to trigger depression .because your will is compromised, all you are doing to praise someone else .you are not prepared to do, but you must obey.

Sometimes it happens in emotional blackmailing like you have to perform prayer to make happy to your parents, and sometimes your parents force you to perform such things. In both cases, your own will be compromised, and you are inviting depression for yourself.

ReacherSaidNoth:
Back this claim with evidence or remain a fool. Depression is no respecter of belief, faith in imaginary gods and the paradise they promise will not save a mind that is truly suicidal.

Fewer Friends
An atheist in such societies is a picky person. He has very few friends. He is not comfortable with everyone. He speaks carefully. His surroundings judge his words and actions.

He doesn’t believe in the majority’s religion. He must be very picky while making friends; any carelessness can put his life in danger. He often cannot discuss his beliefs with his friends openly. He remains silent, so his mind blows, but his tongue remains silent. He wants to share his thoughts, but he can’t. So the second big reason is Fewer friends.

Dtruthspeaker:
Yes they do! They just can't kill themselves.

Atheist and death are like man and smelly vagina.

Hahahahaha 😛😂😂

olaric:
Inspirational

Indeed

What makes it a story?

burp18:
Story

Depression is a serious problem with in the greater atheist community and far too often, that depression has led to suicide. This is something many of my fellow atheists often don’t like to admit, but it is true. I know a lot of atheists, myself included, would all like to believe that atheists are happier people than religious believers and in many ways we are. But we also have to accept the reality that in some very important ways we are not.

There are of course many valid reasons why atheists are sometimes more prone to suicide than religious believers. Interestingly enough, one of those reasons is religious believers themselves. We live in a world dominated by people who often fervently believe ancient superstitions and who many times demonize, harass, ostracize, and disown those who lack belief in those ancient superstitions. Atheists on the receiving end of this treatment are understandably stressed and isolated. They often experience anxiety and depression as a result.

Imagine you are a young person who has just come to the realization that God is imaginary. You have just realized that everything your religious tradition and your parents have taught you is make-believe. Your whole world has just come undone and for the first time in your life, you now have to wrestle with the great existential questions of life on your own and without any support networks. What does it mean to live a meaningful life without a supernatural deity? Without an afterlife to live for, what is the purpose of life?

Not only does this young person have to struggle with these existential questions on their own, but they also have to do so under the backdrop of fear and anxiety about revealing their doubts and atheism to family and friends. Maybe they already have and as a result, they have been ostracized and/or disowned. Left with no friends, no family, no church community… they are alone, in the philosophical dark, and probably facing the bullying and harassment of their former religious community.

I wrote about atheism’s suicide problem before and got a variety of responses. Some atheists questioned whether the statistics actually showed that a problem exists at all. For the record, it does. I can also tell you anecdotally, that it does. Like I said in that previous article, I have had friends who have died or who very likely have died from suicide. Since that post, I know even more atheists who have taken their own lives. But even if the suicide rate among atheists were exactly the same as among religious believes, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to lower that number. This life is after all the only life we have.

There were Christians who responded both privately and publicly to my previous article on this subject. They were often quick to point fingers and say things like, “See, atheism causes suicide,” or “Maybe atheists have a higher suicide rate because they know that their life means nothing without God, but are too arrogant to beg him for forgiveness even though they know inside they are guilty, they choose to die forever with their sin.” Yes, those were real comments from real religious believers. It is what has been called, #ChristianLove. Even the odious Bill Donohue of the Catholic League got in on the action. In his book, “The Catholic Advantage: Why Health, Happiness, and Heaven Await the Faithful,” Donohue mentions me by name as he misrepresented and flat out made stuff up about my previous article, which he was attempting to use as source material. These responses, of course, entirely missed the point. Let me lay it out. Yes, atheists like many other marginalized minorities can be prone to depression and even suicide in large part due to the horrible behavior of many in the religious majority.

I acknowledge that while ignorance really is bliss and people may be happier when they believe in magical paradises after death, it is only when people accept reality that they are in a better position to make themselves and others truly happy. It is the difference between being high on drugs and being high on life. Or in this case high on Jesus vs. high on the vast wonders of the universe. Obviously, I think being high on life is the better kind of happiness. But that is just my opinion.

As a community, atheists should be reminding each other about the wonders around us. It is far too easy to get lost in our day-to-day struggles and problems. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, life moves pretty fast sometimes and if you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you just might miss it. We only have one life. There are no do-overs and no magically perfect kingdoms awaiting us when we die. This is it. Life’s too short to waste. If your life sucks, work to make it better… if not for you, for those who come after you. Again, there is a vast cosmos out there and we are links in the chain of human achievement.

One thing I have noticed is that after someone commits suicide, there is suddenly an outpouring of support for them. If only that outpouring could have come a little sooner… Well, it kind of can (not for them obviously, but for the next them). That’s right; we can be there for our friends and family right now. We don’t have to wait until someone commits suicide to say nice things to and about them. We don’t have to wait to check in with people we know are struggling. We can be there for people right now. This is one area in which religion has an actual advantage. They have a support system and a community. But atheists can have that too. There is no need to believe in ridiculous superstitions on insufficient evidence to have a community willing to help each other. We got this.

Atheists are notorious for being contrarians and people who are not always joiners. You get three atheists in a room together and it won’t be long before there is some minor issue that divides them. South Park famously satirized this and in the past few years, we have seen this at our local and national meetings and events. But the fact is that if religion has done anything right, it has been to form actual communities for people to gather and share their struggles. We don’t have to all agree on every issue. There are going to be both minor and major issues that atheists are going to have with each other. However, we are all on this tiny blue dot together and we need to be there for each other because there is no magic deity to help us and no one is perfect.

But it cuts both ways. Not only do we have a responsibility to help each other, but we also have a responsibility to communicate our struggles with each other and ask for support. There is no magic deity peering into our souls. Hell, there aren’t even souls to be peered into. Did I just say “hell?” That’s not even a real place. But I digress. Anyway, my point is that we have to offer help to others and we have to ask for help when we need it. That’s on us and there is no shame in admitting that we need help.

OAM4J)

I was born in a Sunni Muslim home in Bangladesh, where I learned the meaning of stern discipline from my father, a major general in the military with responsibilities in the intelligence service. We lived on different army bases in elaborate quarters reserved for officers and their families. Servants catered to our every need. The business and political elite of Bangladesh and Pakistan frequented social events in our home.

I grew up attending an Islamic madrasa (religious school), where we studied the Qur’an and learned classical Arabic from an imam. My father could trace his lineage back to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (the name derives from Hashem, grandson of the prophet Muhammad’s great-grandfather). His heritage qualified me as a direct descendant of Islam’s founder.

I was respected for my holy ancestry. Yet my childhood was often painful, especially after my parents divorced and my father remarried unexpectedly. I was eight years old, feeling abandoned and missing my mother.

My stepmother regularly abused me mentally and physically. Screaming curses, she would hit me with a cricket wicket or dig her sharp fingernails into my ears, which caused them to bleed. Sores peppered my body. My father ignored my pleas for help and beat me for supposedly lying about the abuse.

When I turned 13, I joined a prestigious air force college as a cadet aiming at a career like my father’s. However, I left the military in 1975 when I was 21. Unhealed wounds from my childhood sent me into a downhill spiral. Suicidal thoughts haunted me. Then a seemingly random incident changed my life forever.

Willing to die
While walking in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, to buy an electric water heater, I noticed a Caucasian man on a street corner giving out gospel tracts. Wearing scruffy jeans, he looked like a hippie. He was well over six feet tall and stood out from the normal rush of shoppers, honking autos, weaving motorbikes, three-wheeler taxis, donkey carts, and pungent aromas from food vendors. Curious about his demeanor, which radiated inner peace, I approached him and asked, “Who are you, and where are you from?”

He said he was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ from England. He belonged to a street evangelism team from the Jesus People movement, known for traveling around the world during the 1970s. From my Muslim upbringing, I had only encountered Jesus as a prophet who appeared before Muhammad. And I didn’t believe he had died on a cross—the Jews, we were told, had crucified Judas instead.

After exchanging a few words with this English man—later, I learned his name was Keith—I walked away, about 50 yards or so, before returning. Although I believed in Islam, I wanted to know more about his own faith. Keith told me Christ would set me free and give me a new life. Though I doubted his God was interested in my despair, or even existed, I bowed and prayed to receive Christ on the crowded sidewalk in front of a shoe store.

I sensed this was what I had been waiting for all my life. It felt like a huge boulder had been lifted off my back. I saw everything in technicolor, and I wanted to sing and laugh.

Keith and I arranged to meet the next morning at the Lahore YMCA so I could learn more about the Christian faith. I waited there for several hours, but he never appeared—and he didn’t show up the next day either. Returning to the YMCA on the third day, I sat in the lobby for a while before spotting a couple sorting and arranging the same tracts as Keith had. They were from the same evangelism team, I learned. When I asked about Keith, they told me he had left the country straightaway because of a family emergency. I never saw him again.

After I related my encounter with Keith, we enjoyed a wonderful conversation. They encouraged me by reading from a burgundy leather Bible and asked me to hold it. Initially, I refused because Muslims cannot touch a holy book with unwashed hands.

The couple stressed Luke 9:23–25, where Jesus explains the meaning of denying yourself and taking up your cross. They challenged me: “If you are not willing to die for Jesus, then you are not fit to live for him. He wants you to take up your cross every day.”

I did not realize that within a few weeks, those verses would seriously test my new faith.

Under house arrest
As a new convert, I joined the evangelism team. They discipled me and gave me a pocket-size New Testament to study. I sensed their love and genuine concern. While alone one afternoon, amid a grove of trees away from the congestion, I heard an audible voice: “This is what you will do for the rest of your life. I will take you around the world and you will tell people about Jesus.”

Although fear gripped me, I believed it was God speaking.

By denying Islam, I knew I was courting disgrace from my family and risking an honor killing. At the time, I lived with friends in Lahore who turned furious when I admitted I had accepted Jesus into my life. They wrote to my father, a devout Muslim who prayed five times daily facing Mecca and was discipled by a holy man. Enraged, he rushed to Lahore to confront my apostasy. He enlisted friends to harass me and force me to recant. When that didn’t work, they committed me to a mental facility.

Isolated in the hospital’s psychiatric ward for two weeks, I was sedated and guarded by soldiers. Even so, I gained comfort from covertly reading my smuggled New Testament, and I was able to lead several people to Jesus. God intervened when a psychiatrist verified my sanity and discharged me.

My father was furious. He kept me under house arrest at his home in Multan, in Pakistan’s southern Punjab region. While armed sentries stood guard outside, I was confined for several weeks before I could escape by bus to Christian friends in Lahore. When I learned the police were searching for me, I fled to Karachi to join an evangelism team. Even under duress, my faith grew as I devoured the Bible, memorized Scripture, shared my testimony, and distributed tracts.

Our street evangelism flourished until my father demonstrated his political power in early 1976. The police arrested five of us for anti-Islamic activities. Jammed into a tiny, filthy cell, we slept on vomit-caked blankets on a brick floor and shared a small can for our toilet.

Four of my Christian brothers were from other countries, and they were released within a few days and deported. But my ID card and passport were confiscated. I was warned, “You will leave a Muslim or die.”

The jailers moved me to a ward for political prisoners, where I spent almost one year. Despite the shame and isolation, the Holy Spirit sustained me along with the New Testament I had smuggled in and hidden. The glory of God filled my cell many times. I felt especially encouraged while reading Acts 16:25, which recounts Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns in prison. It was mind-blowing that God counted me worthy to suffer for Jesus.

After threatening my father with litigation in Pakistan’s supreme court, I was released to his control. Under the terms of the settlement, I remained a political prisoner and could not leave the country, own a Bible, or associate with Christians. Living with my father wore me down, especially after getting arrested again for hiding the New Testament under my mattress. (I had occasionally managed to sneak out for fellowship with Christians, despite fearing retribution.)

In 1977, with my father’s pressure to renounce Christianity as relentless as ever—he would threaten to have me beheaded for apostasy—I made the fateful decision to flee Pakistan. There was no other choice.

Underground Christians risked retaliation by hiding me and providing travel funds (I was penniless at the time). They helped me obtain a new passport and visa to Afghanistan. Although the army and police were tracking me, I was able to pass through the Afghan immigration checkpoint, aided by an army officer two Iranian diplomats. I walked across the border in old jeans, lugging a backpack and guitar. The generous Iranians drove me to Kandahar and paid my bus fare to Kabul.

During my seven-month escape journey, God always provided. Openhearted brothers and sisters supported me generously. From Kabul I passed through Turkey, Russia, Belgium, Holland, and finally to Sweden. After I endured some bureaucratic hassles, the government finally granted me political asylum.

Call to missions

Sweden became my new home. I learned the language and joined an evangelical Lutheran church where I met my wife, Brita, whom I married in 1979. I attended Torchbearers International Bible School in Holsby before moving to Uppsala, where I ministered to Muslim immigrants. Brita worked as a nurse, and I found a janitorial position in an office building. I learned God could use me even while I cleaned bathrooms and floors.

All the while, he was preparing me to fulfill the mission he had revealed back in Lahore, to preach Jesus all over the world. We moved to America for further Bible training and returned to Sweden a year later, after which I taught at the Word of Life Training Center in Uppsala for four years.

I was also active in the church and with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, doing street evangelism and praying for the sick. My call to missions solidified in 1983 in Poland. I accompanied two couples driving a van there loaded with food for needy families. I was asked to preach at Catholic youth camps. Invitations to return followed, setting the stage for large audiences and many young people making commitments to Christ.

Shortly thereafter, I founded Dynamis World Ministries, a precursor to conducting mass evangelistic meetings in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In 1993 we moved our headquarters to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Over the past 40 years I have been privileged to preach in more than 75 nations and plant churches in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

In the account from John’s gospel of Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000, the original loaves and fishes come courtesy of an unknown boy (6:9). The story reminds us that God can use even the smallest things—and the unlikeliest people—to dramatic effect. When I first became a Christian, my only ambition was doing street-level evangelism and giving out tracts. I’m humbled to see how God has multiplied these efforts, ensuring that more and more people can taste the Bread of Life.





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Find out through 17 signs.
I’ll cut straight to the chase. This post answers a simple but important question: “How do I know I’m called to be a prophet?

Called To Be A Prophet? 2 Important Points
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s important to understand a couple of things:


1.People are called in different ways and to different missions (with many kinds of gifts).

2.There’s a difference between a calling to the prophetic gifts and calling to the office of prophet.

People Are Called In Different Ways And To Different Missions
God calls his sons and daughters to all kinds of people, places and ministries.

God’s church is represented in scripture as the body of Christ and there’s a reason for that. We are all built differently and each of us is unique, forming the separate parts of His body.

That means that each of us has a unique set of gifts, including the gifts of the spirit. Even those who have similar prophetic gifts will express them in different ways.

So, while I’ve tried to make the list of signs below as exhaustive as possible, not all of them will be applicable to you, even if you have been called to be a prophet.

As you read them through, work out which signs apply to you and which don’t.

If the majority of them resonate with you then you may have a calling on your life. But please don’t treat it as a tick-list exercise: God has the final say!

Difference Between Calling To The Prophetic Gifts And Calling To The Office Of Prophet
I often say that not everyone is called to be a prophet and not everyone has a prophetic gift.

In the same way, just because you have a prophetic gifting doesn’t mean that you are called to be a prophet.

The key is to ask God what his opinion is, particularly as you read through the rest of this article.

If you get to the end and realise that you aren’t called to be a prophet then you don’t have to be disappointed. That’s actually good news because you can ask the Lord what he has called you to!

Called To Be A Prophet In 3 Relationships
Every prophet is called into 3 specific relationships. (3 different aspects of prophetic ministry).

If you are called, then you are called to be a prophet:

in relationship with God
in relation to yourself
in relationship with other people
As I already mentioned, you may not recognise some of the signs below as being for you.

However, I would expect that those who are called to be prophets to express at least one sign from each of these 3 key relationships.

Called To Be A Prophet In Relationship With God
All Christians are called into relationship with God. He is the originator and prime motivator of all our hopes and desires. The Bible describes Jesus as “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

But God has a special relationship with his prophets. Let’s explore that now.

1. Close Relationship With Father
The Lord places special demands on his prophets.

Reading through the biblical narrative we can see that God sets his prophets apart for himself in a way not reserved for others.

Just like the priests of old, the prophet is called to minister to God first and to the people, second.

As a result, prophets have a very close relationship with their heavenly Father and a deep desire for more of him.

2. Special Moments Of Intimacy
Jesus, who was himself described as a prophet by those who met him, also spent long hours alone with his Father.

This often happened prior to important events in his ministry. The calling of his disciples and the garden of Gethsemane are good examples.

In Matthew 26 we get an extraordinary window onto Jesus’ thoughts and emotions as he approached his final mission on the cross.

The prophets of the old covenant also experienced moments of tremendous intimacy with God.

In the case of Ezekiel, he was so overwhelmed by his encounter with God’s throne that he was rendered exhausted and mute for days afterwards.

In the same way, modern-day prophets may experience particularly intimate moments with their God.

3. Download Of Power From Holy Spirit
Some prophets received an injection of power from God at the inauguration of their ministry.

We can again look to Jesus for an example:

When Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit came down “like a dove” and anointed him for his mission (Luke 3:22).

Immediately following this important event, we see the outworking of that anointing.

First, Jesus heads out into the desert and is tempted by the devil, successfully passing the test.

In the very next scene, we see Jesus speaking boldly in the synagogue. He announces his intentions for his ministry, directly from scripture. And he identifies himself explicitly as the fulfilment of the prophecy.

Bill’s Power Encounter
Bill Johnson describes a time where he was praying and Holy Spirit descended on him in power. For over an hour, he was unable to move but could only feel the pulsing of Holy Spirit power throughout his body.

Although Bill may not see himself as a prophet, he has certainly had a visionary ministry, reaching out from Bethel church in California to build up churches across the world.

4. A Specific Word From God Himself That He Is Calling You
God told both Jeremiah and Isaiah specifically that he had called them to the office of prophet.

Isaiah saw a vision of God’s throne in heaven and a flaming creature with 6 wings touched his lips with a burning coal.

The Lord asked who would speak for him and Isaiah responded. So God told him to “go and give the people this message” (Isaiah 6:9, GNT) and began to detail what would happen in the future.

Jeremiah’s call was even more explicit:

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

(Jeremiah 1:4-5)

He tried to excuse himself, saying that he was too young and didn’t know how to speak. But the Lord said not to be afraid and touched his mouth also.

If you are called to be a prophet, you too may receive a direct revelation from God about it.

It may not be as dramatic as the examples here, but it will be clear what he wants you to do.

5. Prophets Do Only What The Father Does
Prophets sometimes have to do strange things for God with very little explanation.

Ezekiel was told to lie on his side for many days and to build a model of Jerusalem and lay siege to it in front of his people.

Whether he fully understood what the Lord wanted beforehand is unclear, but he chose to exercise his faith and do what he was told.

If you are called to be a prophet, you may sometimes find God asking you to do or say things you don’t understand, at first.

In such situations, obedience becomes really important!

Prophetic Training
God trains his prophets to be obedient and to trust him. Full understanding may come later if that is the Lord’s will.

Jesus showed us how important obedience is when he said that he only did what he saw his Father doing.

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19)

For the prophet, the outworking of this is that you’ll always want to be obedient to God and do what he asks in everything.

That also means that you always want the Lord’s opinion on things, even if people around you say something different.

Called To Be A Prophet In Relation To Yourself
Although we don't have a “relationship” with ourselves, as such, we can cultivate positive attitudes and God’s presence in our lives.

As we seek to please God, we may begin to demonstrate telltale signs through our character that he has placed a prophetic calling on us.

6. Strong Sense Of Justice
Prophets often have a strong sense of justice.

They hate to see people suffering, particularly the vulnerable who cannot defend themselves.

This may lead them to speak out about unjust situations, but it may also give them a tendency to become judgmental.

If you have a strong sense of justice like that, then it may be a “mark of the prophet”, but you’ll need to guard your heart against that judgmental tendency.

Make sure you balance the desire for justice with a deep understanding of God’s love for the world. Part of that comes from understanding the Bible but part of that also comes as you are filled (and re-filled) with Holy Spirit.

Modern Day Prophet
One of my heroes is Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who I believe was a modern-day prophet.

Aside from the visionary and uplifting nature of his famous speeches, what comes across to me is his desire to bring true freedom to his people.

In the midst of terrible injustices suffered by ethnic groups in the USA, his was a voice that stood out and was not afraid to rock the boat.

And yet, he also had the courage to call for love and reconciliation, not hate and violence.

As he said:
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
7. Visions Of Heaven
If we revisit the visions of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we see clear pictures of heaven in each one.

God sometimes does this as part of his calling, in order to impress upon the prophet the true reality of who he is.

He may also give such visions to those prophets who are called to be seers. Seers can literally see into heaven. They may also see things in the spirit that others can’t see.

A couple of years ago, I met a lady who regularly saw visions of God’s “war room”.

She would see Jesus and the Father at a table covered in maps and plans. They were surrounded by angels who were sent on assignments to help the saints.

She didn’t really know how to respond to these visions, other than to ask God to explain them to her.

I suggested that they may be a sign that she is called to be a prophet. Looking back, I would say that if she is called, then she is almost certainly a seer.

8. May Have Many Dreams From God
Some people get dreams instead of waking visions.

A good friend of mine receives dreams from the Lord regularly. They tend to be detailed and occasionally complex.

The key that distinguishes dreams from God is that there is a clarity to them not found in a normal dream.

More importantly, dreams take time to interpret and fully understand.

We sometimes talk through his latest dreams and I help him to unpick the events and symbols portrayed in them.

As we have spent time together he has begun to realise that God has a calling on his life as a prophet.

If you get dreams from God on a regular basis, ask him if you are called too.

9. May See Biblical Symbols In Everyday Life
Prophets are on a journey in the significant.

The church may talk about “signs and wonders” and prophets often appreciate signs.

Sometimes, this can be a handicap, in that prophetic people can see significance in everything - even when it isn’t God speaking!

However, the positive side to this is that prophets may understand the times through signs in the world around them.

Prophets may see those signs as biblical symbols in everyday life and certain “coincidences” that happen on the way to work. Or they may identify specific stories in the news which reveal what God is about to do.

I love birds of prey and the Lord sometimes speaks to me by sending Red Kites over our house.

This is a reminder for me that God the Father is represented in scripture as an Eagle. The Eagle flies very high and has a view of the world that is so much greater than mine!
This may sound like a coincidence but sometimes this has happened at exactly the moment I needed the reminder.

If you see such signs regularly then you might be called as a prophet.

10. Standard For Righteousness And Holiness
Prophets don’t just want to “preach it”, they want to live it too!

They set a high bar for themselves in terms of holiness and righteous living.

They have to be careful not to turn this into a judgmental attitude when it comes to others. But they can also end up in times of deep repentance, on their knees before the Lord.

Prophets usually take the command to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) very seriously.

11. Motivation To Learn More About Prophecy
Prophets also want to go deeper. Deeper into God and deeper into his gifts.

They want to get more and more detail from God in the prophetic. And they often want more of the gifts of the Spirit, so they can become more effective in their calling.

They may follow other prophets (online or off) and attend prophecy schools. They will actively put themselves into places where they can hear about and practice the prophetic.

If you don't feel that motivation, then I would seriously question whether you have a prophetic calling on your life.

Called To Be A Prophet In Relationship With Other People
Not only are prophets called to be in relationship with God, they are also called into relationship with others.

In the same way that God has a special relationship with his prophets, prophets may relate to people differently than others.

Prophets are expected to represent God to others and may petition the Lord on other people’s behalf.

They are often held to a higher standard (just as church leaders are), but by the same token may sometimes feel lonely.

This leads on to some additional signs that you may be called to be a prophet.

12. Ongoing Ministry In Prophetic Words
Prophecy isn’t a one off event.

And having a gift from Holy Spirit is for the benefit of others, not just yourself.

This implies you’ll be sharing that gift in an ongoing, continuous basis. This continual use of the gift is where it becomes a ministry.

In public prayer meetings, the prophet may be be the first to share a prophecy rather than simply ask God to intervene in a situation.

But they won’t just do this once and forget about it. They’ll continue to do so, as often as possible.

If you’re called to be a prophet, you’ll love praying for people and will most likely long to prophesy whenever you get the opportunity.

13. You Pray In A Prophetic Way (And People Notice)
I mentioned above about prophets sharing prophecies in public meetings, but you may also pray prophetically.

In other words, a prayer of petition or intercession becomes prophetic in itself. It may also move a prayer from asking God for something to declaring God’s plans and intentions over the situation.

This type of prayer commonly resonates with those around, perhaps generating a loud “amen” from those assembled!

14. Experience Of Prophecies Coming True
Some prophecy predicts what will happen in the future or proclaims what God is going to do next.

The true prophet will see these events come to pass. It becomes really exciting when you see your prophecies actually happening in the world around you.

You might discover a true prophecy through reading an article in a newspaper. Equally, someone else may tell you that the word you gave them the other week came true since.

Either way, the mark of the prophet is that what they say from heaven consistently becomes earthly reality.

15. You Sometimes Feel Set Apart And May Feel Lonely
Being called to be a prophet isn’t glamorous. It can be a hard graft and prophets may be misunderstood.

Sometimes it’s exciting as you share prophecies with others, but at others, it can be very lonely. You may sometimes feel that people don’t understand you.

Isaiah is a case in point. When God called Isaiah to the office of prophet he said:

“Go and tell this people,
‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

(Isaiah 6:9-10)

Isaiah may have been shocked at what he heard next. When he asked “how long, O Lord?” the Lord answered, “until the cities lie in ruins …and the land is left desolate and ravaged”.

The implication here is not only for the people of Israel, but also for Isaiah himself. He will face many years prophesying to a people who will not even listen to his message!

Thankfully, most prophets don’t have to face that kind of opposition, but it’s a stark warning we should be aware of.

Even if you’re called to be a prophet to those who eagerly accept your message, you may still experience such times of loneliness.

It's a common issue today (more common that you might think), so know what you’re getting into.

16. You May Not Be Recognised As A Prophet (Yet)
Since prophecy involves sharing God’s words, prophets can occasionally be perceived as arrogant or over-insistent.

Prophets may desire recognition in their gift and can find it difficult when others don’t listen to what they have to say.

Recognition for your calling may only come later, once you are established in your ministry.

However, that recognition comes first from God himself and from people after that.

That doesn’t mean that we should completely ignore what other people say about our ministry and calling. There is great wisdom in the body of Christ.

It simply means that we must weigh everything that we hear and ensure that we are not deluding ourselves into believing we have a particular ministry, when we don’t.

17. You Receive A Prophecy About Your Calling
Lastly, you may receive a prophetic word from another prophet to say that you are called likewise.

This is where God enables one prophet to recognise another.

Receiving a prophecy like this can be very encouraging, particularly if it is given through a well established prophet with their own ministry.

Getting recognised in this way can set you up to grow in the gift for years to come.

Called To Be A Prophet? Your Turn
Prophets are called into relationship with God, themselves and others. And each of these relationships may include signs of that calling.

But don't just take my word for it. Make sure that you pray it through fully with the Lord and don't take any one of these signs as the "gospel truth".

Test your calling rigorously because God (and others) will anyway!

Genotype AS Turned To AA By The God Of Chosen

Psalm 126:1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

The God that changes ugly situations showed up in the life of our sister and gave her the testimony below: My name is Sister Ijeoma Okere, I live at No. 6 Orisele Street, Mechanic bus stop, Lagos state, Nigeria. I thank God for making me a member of The Lord’s Chosen Church.

I also thank Him for changing my genotype from AS to AA. For some time now, I’ve been praying and asking God to change my genotype. I do present it as a request each time my pastor tells us to ask God for something; during the prayers of my Daddy G.O, he also mentions the case and I always claim it. On a Sunday service, after the program titled, “From Sorrow To Joy” 2021, he mentioned it again, as usual, I claimed it.

This time, I went home and throughout that week, I lost my peace: my mind kept on bothering me to go and check up on my genotype in order to confirm the prayers and declarations of my G.O. Days later, I went to another laboratory for a test, and the result came out and had it that my genotype is AA, I couldn’t believe the news, so I decided to reconfirm it in the previous hospital where I was confirmed AS, the test was carried out, and the result still read AA. I became overwhelmed at the doings of this Wonderful God

To Him who has done all things well for me( God) I return all the glory, praises, and adoration, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

There are many unanswered questions in life - the essence of life, existence beyond our planet, and what lies ahead after death. These mysteries have perplexed brilliant minds worldwide, with divergent beliefs about the afterlife.

While some strongly believe in heaven and hell or reincarnation, others deny the existence of an afterlife, proclaiming that we simply cease to exist. However, one man's encounter during a near-death experience challenges this disbelief.

Jose Hernandez, an avowed atheist, shares how a life-altering incident transformed his perspective. Speaking to the YouTube channel Shaman Oaks, Hernandez recounts his extraordinary journey that began with a routine work assignment as an engineer.

Hernandez's near-death experience occurred while fixing an electrical issue from atop a bucket truck.

I was a staunch atheist. As an engineer, I focused solely on logical explanations," he said. "But that day, everything changed. We were running late, and my partner, concerned for my safety, inadvertently crashed our truck into a tree. The impact left me with multiple broken ribs, and I was rushed to the emergency room.

The critical moment
At the hospital, Hernandez's breathing ceased, and the medical staff fought desperately to save his life.

In that critical moment, he found himself contemplating God, making a promise, "If you get me through this, I'll change."

It was then that he noticed a mysterious presence in the room.

There are many unanswered questions in life - the essence of life, existence beyond our planet, and what lies ahead after death. These mysteries have perplexed brilliant minds worldwide, with divergent beliefs about the afterlife.

While some strongly believe in heaven and hell or reincarnation, others deny the existence of an afterlife, proclaiming that we simply cease to exist. However, one man's encounter during a near-death experience challenges this disbelief.

Jose Hernandez, an avowed atheist, shares how a life-altering incident transformed his perspective. Speaking to the YouTube channel Shaman Oaks, Hernandez recounts his extraordinary journey that began with a routine work assignment as an engineer.

Hernandez's near-death experience occurred while fixing an electrical issue from atop a bucket truck.


"I was a staunch atheist. As an engineer, I focused solely on logical explanations," he said. "But that day, everything changed. We were running late, and my partner, concerned for my safety, inadvertently crashed our truck into a tree. The impact left me with multiple broken ribs, and I was rushed to the emergency room."


The critical moment
At the hospital, Hernandez's breathing ceased, and the medical staff fought desperately to save his life.

In that critical moment, he found himself contemplating God, making a promise, "If you get me through this, I'll change."

It was then that he noticed a mysterious presence in the room.

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"I saw a shadow standing by the door. At that point, I thought, 'I've endured so much in life. Perhaps it's fine to let go.' And the moment the shadow touched my toe, an overwhelming sense of relief, calm, peace, and love engulfed me. It was euphoric."

As medical professionals performed CPR on him, Hernandez claims that the shadow spoke to him.

"Next, I found myself suspended in the corner of the room, observing the resuscitation efforts. A voice beside me said, 'Think of your body as a car. This vehicle has traveled 8 million miles, and there's nothing more we can fix. It's time to bid farewell to your body.' The voice instructed me, 'Okay, it's time to move on.'"

Following this, Hernandez describes a descent into a black hole, where he experienced flying and witnessed mesmerizing cities, breathtaking forests, and wild herds of animals in motion. In this celestial realm, he was assured that he would be able to see his children and, most significantly, he was reunited with his father.

\"When I met my father on the other side, I realized that sometimes we may be unable to express certain things here, but elsewhere, we can.

I grew up in a church that encouraged me to become an atheist. I didn’t leave Christianity because of any moral objections or being hurt by a church. I left because of that church’s grounding for its faith.

They offered an apologetics class where the teacher very confidently explained many geological, cosmological, and historical reasons why everyone who wasn’t Christian was either willfully or naturally stupid. My faith in God rested on arguments that Noah’s ark might be in the Himalayas, creation took seven literal days, and evolution had to be a myth. I was sold on all these reasons, ready to defend any of them to anyone.

When I was exposed to a world outside my Christian bubble, these arguments started to crumble.
I realized none of the arguments necessitated the existence of an all-powerful, personal God, and my faith crumbled with them. For this reason, I am extremely cautious when explaining the reason for my faith in the Bible. Today, it is the foundation of my faith. If one believes the Bible is authored ultimately by God and can therefore be trusted wholly, all Christian life will follow. The existence of God, His character, and the resurrection of Jesus can be shown if the Bible is clear, authoritative, and inerrant.

If we are careless in defending the foundation of our faith, those we teach will lay a poor foundation for their faith.

But why should we believe those things about the Bible? How should we explain our belief that the Bible is God’s word? If we are careless in defending the foundation of our faith, those we teach will lay a poor foundation for their faith. Just as a building with a poor foundation will soon crumble, so too will their faith in Jesus Christ. So for the sake of their eternal souls, let us proceed with extreme caution.

Historical Evidence, But…
In my experience, most Christians’ first defense of the Bible is that many of its claims can be historically validated. As I discovered, this is absolutely true. Here are a few examples of claims which are verifiable and have been corroborated:

Caiaphas was Israel’s high priest at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion (Jn. 11:49-50).
Belshazzar was the final king of the Babylonian empire (Dan. 5:30).
A people known as the Hittites occupied parts of the Ancient Near East (Josh. 1:4).
Now let’s dig into one of the Bible’s claims a little deeper.

How can we believe that Jesus was a real man who was crucified in Jerusalem during Tiberius Caesar’s reign?
One reason is that two independent non-Christian ancient historians talk about a man named Jesus who lived during this time. Flavius Josephus, in his Antiquities Book 18, Chapter 3, Part 3, wrote of a Jesus called Christ who was crucified by Pilate. Tacitus, in his Annals Book 15, Part 44, explained the origins of the Christian movement in Rome as the crucifixion of “Christus” under Pilate. These two sources, in combination with each other, lend significant credibility to the claim that Jesus Christ was a real man.

However, the existence of Jesus the man does not necessarily prove the existence of Jesus the God-man. Imagine reading a history textbook that is incredibly well cited and accurate in all its historical claims. What if the author of this book inserted a short claim to deity in a random passage? Do the surrounding historical claims in any way validate this author as a god? Of course not.

Similarly, there has to be something beyond historical evidence that can convince us that God is the Bible’s author.

God Reveals
Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthian church, addressed a similar issue. How could the Jewish people be convinced that Jesus was the fulfillment of the old covenant? Though our questions seem different, their essence is the same. The essential question is: how can we be sure that a message is from God?

Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.…For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:15-16, 4:6 ESV)

For brief context, when Moses would speak with God, seeing the glory of God would cause his face to literally shine with glory. After speaking with God and before speaking to Israel, Moses would wear a veil over his face to conceal this shining. Paul interprets that Moses wore this veil so Israel could not see his progressing old age. Symbolically Moses represented the old covenant, so Moses’ fading glory was equal to the old covenant’s fading glory. Therefore the veil Moses wore is a symbol of preventing glory from being seen.

What Paul is asserting here is that a similar veil lies over the hearts of people. This new veil results from peoples’ sinfulness and Satan’s influence (v. 3-4). This new veil prevents them from seeing not the glory of God in Moses’ face, but the glory of God in Jesus’ face. So it was their sinful nature that prevented them from seeing that a unique glory, one that could only come from God Himself, was found in Christ and His gospel.

What then are we to do about the same veil which lies over our hearts?
How are we supposed to see God’s glory? It requires action both on our part and on God’s part. We have to turn to the Lord. We have to ask a God we do not yet believe in to show us that He is real, that Jesus is His Son, and that the Bible is His word. Then God, with the very same powerful word with which He created us and everything else, must shine His glory and light into our hearts to remove this veil.

It is by seeing “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” that the Jewish people could understand Jesus as the fulfillment of the old covenant. And it is by seeing “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” that we can understand the Bible as God’s Word. So we believe the Bible is God’s word because He shows us such a peculiar glory in it that it can only be from God.

This is the power that convinced me the Bible is God’s word.
I couldn’t be shown by any man that the Bible is true. No moral, ethical, or philosophical argument would suffice. It could only be God working in His sovereign power working in my heart to see His glory. So we shouldn’t expect that we can argue anyone into faith.

Apologetics may open the door to faith, to show Christianity is a reasonable and consistent worldview, but it cannot enforce saving faith. Only God by His power can reveal to us the truth of His word.

That’s what He did for me.

A 44-year-old man, Mr. Olanrewaju Kolawole, wept profusely after DNA test results revealed that he was not the biological father of his four children.

The man, an indigene of Ikire in Osun State, and his wife, Mrs. Tella Toyin, share four kids aged 16, 12, 8 and 5.

However, reacting to the development, his wife, Toyin, disagreed with the results, saying that she was not there when they took the sample and did not know which samples were taken.

She said: “I don’t accept the result. I don’t accept it because I was not there when they took samples, and I don’t know which sample they took, so I don’t accept it.

“I can’t accept it because I know how I conceived those children.”

Paternity fraud?
The paternity crisis was revealed when Kolawole and Toyin appeared on the popular radio show; ‘Kokoro Alate’, on Agidigbo FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, anchored by Oriyomi Hamzat.

Following the first DNA test of the first child, which revealed that the child was not his, the man claimed to have subsequently carried out tests on the three other children. And all returned negative results.

He said: “I want Nigerians to come to my rescue because I must not suffer this in vain. I married Toyin in 2007 and gave birth to four children.

“But none of the children belongs to me after findings from a DNA test.”

Asked why he decided to conduct the test in the first place, he said he made the decision to carry out the tests on his children after observing some promiscuous moves from his wife.

The DNA test was conducted at the DDC DNA Diagnostic Centre in Osogbo.

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The couple got married in 2007 and are members of the same church in the Ikoyi area of Osun State.

"After our wedding a sister started calling my husband. She will even pray for us on the phone and advise him like a good sister.

Some weeks later my husband asked me to follow him to a friend's office, that the friend wants to give us our wedding present because she missed our wedding. I followed him to her office, we spent hours and she was just running Helter skelter, opening and closing her drawers till we finished the soft drinks she offered us and left without any wedding present as she promised.

One evening my husband asked me to follow him to some where, that a friend invited him over. So we drove to town. To my greatest surprise it was the same sister in the Lord, in her dimly light room with the blues playing and her anointed body hug. That day she didn't even offer us any drink and no meaningful conversation. She was just fiddling with her phone all through then we left. She reduced the rate at which she calls because each time she calls my husband will make sure he gives me the phone to greet her even though he did not explain anything to me, I already caught the joke and was so proud of him.

Finally, we were sleeping one night around 11pm. This sister called, that she was stranded on the road with 5 other sisters that the anointing program dismissed so late and they could not get transport back to town that my husband should please help them. I heard her clearly in the loud silence of the night. My husband got up, sat for sometime before tapping me. He begged me that I should please accompany him. Honestly it was a very big disturbance to my sleep but I just had to get up.

As we got close to the junction she mentioned, I was busy looking out for a group of ladies only to see one person standing there like a ghost. She was even carrying her very big sized Bible. Immediately my husband stopped, she rushed to hop into the front seat where I was perfectly glued. My dear husband then directed her to move to the back seat. As we dropped her at her gate, she was so furious to the extent she couldn't say thank you and bluntly refused to respond to the goodnight I managed to greet her. I watched my husband as he silently smiled till we got home. Since then she has not called again" from her story she thought us that

1. It is not easy for these our husbands especially the ones that are good looking and can feed themselves.

2. it doesn't matter how sanctimonious the sister might pretend to be, the devil can use anyone.

3. Don't overgeneralize that all men just love cheating, some of these ladies never give up easily.

4. When you don't pray for your spouse, expect anything in your marriage.

5. Be there for your spouse always, you don't need much arguments and accusations all the time, just your companionship is enough in most cases.

Some of us might conclude that she was just lucky to have such a dedicated and God fearing husband, but believe me, you too are lucky. So always pray for your spouse and be there for him or her.

Single lady, marry a God fearing man. A man who fears God will never cheat on you.

May our husbands never fall into the traps of strange women in Jesus name

So you won't see them as cheap, ignore them, disregard their feelings or outright reject them (rejection hurts like hell!) This can make a woman break down emotionally, become frigid, hate sex and see herself as worthless.

Sexual rejection from a husband can make a woman see herself as less desirable and ruin her self esteem by 80%! One of the ways you can boost your wife's self esteem is to make her know she is super hot, super sexy, and sexually desirable to you.

Why is your wife cold in bed and doesn't respond sexually to you? Why does she hate sex? Why is she frigid? May be because you don't know these10 things and she is sick or afraid of telling you. Get to know them now and set her loose from all inhibition. By the time you are through and practice them continuously, your wife should have become a glorified husband seductress you never imagined! Let's go!

1. Women love variety in bed: Same touch, same way, same method, same place, same time is super boring to a woman! Women love adventure. That is why we don't wear same clothe 7 days a week. Variety is the spice of sex. How you touch her yesterday may not be how she wants to be touched today. She may want back rub yesterday but toe massage today. It is your job to notice her, read her like a book and know when she wants passion or tenderness.

2. Women love romance: gentle, passionate kisses, soft touches at the right places gradually sets a woman on fire!

3. Women love to talk before sex. Listening to her about how her day went makes you super sexy to a woman. Do not UnCloth her till you have undressed her heart.

4. Women love to be on top: may be not all women but most. It keeps her in charge, control the depth and watch you enjoy her front view.

5. Women will gladly give a quickie in the kitchen, toilet, anywhere, any how you want it if you will respect her, show love, be tender, affectionate and not see her as a sex object for quick release.

6. Women love to have their clitoris stroked tenderly, affectionately, appropriately at the right time before and during sex.

7. Women don't care about the size of your penis as long as you know how to make good use of it, hit the right place, position at the right angle and get her moan in pleasure.

8. Women will gladly oblige to any sexual position as long as it gives her orgasm.

9. The fuel of sexual passion for a woman is love, care, attention, affection and generosity which you make a lifestyle, give her all the time not just at the moment you want sex. It makes her bond with you emotionally and eagerly makes love to you.

10. Women love long drive and hate premature ejaculation. If you can withhold long enough before shooting and give her some pleasure, she will enjoy love making, enjoy you, pursue you and eagerly have sex with you.

Note that SEX IS STRICTLY FOR THE MARRIED.

The post is strictly for legally married couples not kids who should be facing their studies. If you go into premarital sex, you lose favour with God, experience shame, sorrow and a crises laden marriage awaits you.

Waiting for sex in marriage pays. You will have all the sex you want and enjoy it to the maximum if you do things right!

There is absolutely no need to rush.

May your marital sex life catch fire!

Thanks for reading. God bless you. Cheers

I don't Cheat not because I Cant, And I don't stay Loyal because I am, But I don't wanna be a Reason That someone stop Believing in love💟💖💛 cause of me, I don't want Someone to Stay awake at night crying 😭😭because of me, I don't wanna Turn Someone's Child into a laughing stock, and I'm not saying I'm PERFECT
I just Realised at this Age, Cheating is Immature and Disgusting😫.

Coming from a hook up girl

Yesterday, I told my ladies you can marry a man who you are older than if he is God's will for you, you respect and admire him, he is not a mummy's boy, he is more mature and wiser than you are and the age gap is not too much.

Some ladies blatantly told me a man who is younger than they are CAN NEVER be God's will for them.

Some guys with ego issues also argued with the post claiming Adam was created before Eve so God is against that kind of marriage and it can never be His will!

To start with, if you use your head to analyse the scriptures, you will become very confused! The Bible is not written by logic, it is written by the Holy Spirit, you need your spiritual dimension to explain the things of the spirit lest you miss God and your miracle! I won't be going into unnecessary arguments lest someone experiences analysis paralysis!

No where from Genesis to Revelation is it written a woman must marry a man older than her or she will go to hell fire! Nothing under heaven makes it wrong, bad, sinful or against God's will!

You can only have issues marrying a man younger than you are if you don't respect him, he is not honourable! He doesn't have a good source of income, he is emotionally, physically, financially, psychologically immature, he fears you, he is not man enough to husband you, he fears you, etc!

What makes you respect a man is not age , it is MATURITY. Maturity is the acceptance of responsibility! How mature is he?

There are men far older than their wives who are very irresponsible and immature! They don't take any leadership role in the home and feed off their wives 24\7 all the days of their lives without any shame! They are not handicapped, nothing, they just chose to be irresponsible!

And there are husbands who are younger than their wives who are very responsible, more mature, wiser than their wives and take their leadership role in the home very serious.

Their wives bless God daily for blessing them with godly husbands, submit to their leadership, honour them, adore them and celebrate them.

Its better you marry a man who who is godly though younger and enjoy your marriage than a devil incarnate though decades older than you are!

The age gap should not be too much though. 1-3 years is okay. Women have the tendency to look older than their husbands especially when they are on the big side. You will do well to watch your weight, stay trim, match your husband's looks and endeavour not to look far older than you are. Having a small, trim stature is a big plus in this regard.

However, this is not a rule! It is not compulsory you must marry a man you are older than. If you honestly feel you can't cope for reasons best known to you and you know it is not God's will for you, please don't try it, your marriage will not work.

The post is basically for those who know the man is God's will for them but are confused because he is younger!

May you not be confused!

Thanks for reading. God bless you. Cheers!