Havemercylord:
Assuming, death is not a crime or end up in hell, I would have loved to just have a painless death by taking excess sleeping drugs.

I am not depressed , I have gone through therapy and recovered long time ago.


In my research about death, ( life after life) I was talking to a psychic reader from India who communicate with people who have passed to the life beyond, and she told me that most of them who didn't die suddenly or have a painful death always find the experience peaceful and friendly, having family members or friends who have died welcoming them and guirdian angels helping them crossing over to the great beyond.

Assuming I don't have parents anymore, I would have just love to peacefully and happily leave this stressful and sinful World. And our last born is so dear to me too....aside these 3 people in my life, I see life as worthless and waste of time. Especially if you are n extremely good person.

It seems you are a good hearted person that had passed through a lot of cruelty and heartbreak from those you had loved and helped. Some of us are in your shoes. My own saving grace is knowing Jesus Christ, the true lover of my soul who loves me and died for me. Try and enter into a personal intimate relationship with Him and discover the true life and Peace your heart yearns for. Love is sweet but painful when denied.

OPPOSITIONS
God gave Joseph two wonderful and glorious dreams about his future and he was happy about them. In his innocence, he told his family members the dreams, and that marked the beginning of great oppositions against the dreams. His father rebuked him and questioned the reality of the dreams, Genesis 37:10. His brothers mocked, envied, and hated him for the dreams to the extreme extent of planning to kill him in order to kill the dream, Genesis 37:5, 8, 11, 18-20. He was sold into slavery to a foreign land, separated from family members and eventually, he was thrown in the prison due to false accusations by Potiphar’s wife, Genesis 37: 27-28, 36; 39: 20. These were situations that made the wonderful dreams seem unrealistic and unachievable. All these happenings are the works of opposition powers that wanted to forestall, hinder, and prevent the dreams from being fulfilled. These could be very discouraging, terrifying, and disheartening, occurrences. However, Joseph remained strong and courageous and unshaken because he like Apostle Paul knew the God he believed in and was persuaded that He can keep him from all harm, 2 Timothy 1:12.

Oppositions are real! They are inevitable. They are barriers to attainments. This implies they happen to hinder and prevent one from progressing whenever one is about to achieve something new and great, 1 Corinthians 16:9. Although, oppositions often come through fellow humans, however, the real power behind the opposition is the devil. He is the adversary, 1 Peter 5:8. The devil will stop at nothing to prevent a noble dream/advancement from happening! No one fulfills a life dream as glorious as Joseph’s without facing life-threatening oppositions and attacks from the devil the arch enemy of God and man whose aim is to steal, kill and destroy in order to prevent man from fulfilling God’s purpose for his life, John 10: 10. The devil does not try to hinder people who are going down; he is only after the one’s going up.

Joseph’s brothers knew his dreams were true and certain to come to pass. They did not want him to be their leader and bow themselves’ to him, Genesis 37:8. Therefore they planned to kill the dreamer to stop the dreams, Genesis 37:20. They did not succeed because God the giver of the dream was in control of Joseph’s life. God was with Him. His brothers’ evil plot to kill him which was unknown to him was known to God that knows the content of all men’s heart, 1 Chronicles 28:9. They did not succeed in killing him because God protected and delivered him from their evil plans. God delivered him from death just as He had delivered all those who put their trust in Him such as the Hebrew boys He delivered from death by the furnace fire: King David from the evil plans of King Saul; Daniel from the lions’ den. When God is for us no evil plan by our haters can prevail over. Oppositions tried to stop him but failed because it is in the power of our good God to make even the evil plans of the enemies to work out for our good. Josephs’ evil brothers never knew that by their evil plans to oppose Joseph’s destiny, they had actually helped Joseph to be on the way to the place of the fulfillment of the dreams.

One of the great challenges that have prevented many people from fulfilling their dreams is opposition/adversary. One is facing opposition when certain experiences/situations present themselves as the dead end to one’s dreams. Powers of oppositions have hindered so many and have killed some with lofty dreams.

To dare to be like Joseph is to be able to remain strong and courageous in the face of great oppositions knowing that greater is He who is with you and in you than the opposition powers “when thou passest through the water, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindled upon thee”, Isaiah 43:2; 1 John 4:4. He also promised to defend and protect us in Isaiah 41:10-11; “fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness… all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.” So don’t give up on God; be assured that He is with you.

Know that unexpected happenings do not indicate the end of your God-given dream, so stop being afraid or worrying. Relax and know that God is in control in such a situation, Exodus 13-14. Don’t give up on your dreams because of opposition because faithful is he who has given the dreams and he would help you fulfill it, Hebrews 10:23. God’s plan is to give you an expected end, Jeremiah 29:11. It is not over yet until it is over. Remember God can put the bits and pieces of our shattered dreams and bring a beautiful thing out of it. He is the giver of the dream and He knows how best to help you achieve them. A change in one’s situation does not imply the death of a dream and should never be. Don’t resign to fate, don’t give up your God-given dream, don’t because of a seemingly dead-end stop being good, or make you join the evil gang. Don’t become angry with God or commit suicide. The way God made Joseph’s dream to become a reality proved He works in mysterious ways and that He is reliable!.

Always remember that anytime you are about achieving anything good and great that opposition powers would attempt to stop you. The devil even attempted to oppose our God’s salvation plan for humanity by attempting to kill Jesus as an infant, Matthew 2:7-17. Therefore always commit your ways into God’s hands and pray always that He should deliver you from all evil, Matthew 6:13a. You are unstoppable. Don’t give up!

Relying on Jesus is the only thing that is going to deliver one from the adversities of this life. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivered him out of them,” Psalm 34:19.

ENDURE SUFFERING AND HARDSHIP

The dreams God gave him looked so beautiful and glorious yet with no revelations of all the sufferings and hardships he would encounter on his way to the fulfillment of the dreams. He passed through a lot of hardship which included being thrown into a dry pit and not being given food while there, Genesis 37:24-25. He was sold into slavery and became a slave in the house of Potiphar, Geneses 37:39. While there he was unjustly charged with immorality and was unjustly imprisoned and made to spend years in prison. These experiences were suffering and hardship in the real definition of it. He however endured and persevered in all! No discouragement, no complaint, no murmuring, he adjusted in no time to whatever situations he found himself. While serving at Potiphar’s house, he was so dedicated, hard-working, and faithful that he soon became the head of his entire master’s house. Later, when he was unjustly sent to prison he endured all sufferings there also. He worked so hard and faithfully that he soon became the overseer of the prisoners. He was able to do these because he could see God in all he passed through therefore he did everything with his whole heart as unto the Lord.

Looking critically at the hardships, sufferings, and pains Joseph passed through, one discovers that they were needed in making him realize his dreams. There was no other way to pharaoh’s throne except through slavery and the prison. These are very important lessons for us all to learn from all that God allowed him to pass through. They could be said to be parts of His noble plans for him to learn certain things. Slavery and imprisonment taught him humility and serving others which he probably did not learn from his father’s house being a favorite child. Slavery and imprisonment introduced him to the lifestyle and culture of the high and low-class Egyptians and also trained him in leadership! Joseph himself acknowledged the fact that God had used his sufferings to save the lives of his family members, Genesis 50:20

To dare to be like Joseph is to dare to endure suffering and hardship that come across one’s way to fulfill one’s dreams. The road to success and attainment of great dreams is full of troubles, pains, and suffering. Faithfulness to God does not guarantee freedom from suffering, pains, and hardship as Jesus warned us about, John 16:33. God however promised us His presence and sufficient grace that would see us through. This implies God is involved in our sufferings. Endure hardship and sufferings, 2 Timothy 2:3. Maintain your focus on God in all our sufferings without getting weary. When you focus on God your sufferings and pains become bearable. Endure hardship, God has promised that he will not allow us to pass through what we are unable to bear, 1 Corinthians 10: 13. Remember, no pain no gain! Nothing good in life comes easy! Remember, God loves and cares for you in whatever you are passing through, 1 Peter 5: 7. His grace is sufficient for you.

You may suffer in the evil and unjust world but the ultimate purpose of God for you will triumph over your suffering as it happened in Joseph’s life.

To be continued…
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
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Yima13:
I need someone to talk to

Please, talk to me.

Joseph had two dreams when he was about seventeen years of age. Genesis 37:5-10. These dreams were divine prophetic dreams foreshadowing his future greatness and the position he would attain in his family and life. However, God didn’t reveal the time and place of manifestation/destination to him. Joseph interpreted the dreams rightly, accepted, and believed them without questioning the reality and possibilities of them becoming true because he knew they were from God who is the Truth and One that does not tell lies, Numbers 23:19. He took a step of faith towards the fulfillment of the dreams by revealing and confessing them to his father and brothers. His father was very surprised and questioned the dreams and his brothers ridiculed, envied and hated him the more because of the dream, Genesis 37:10-11. His brothers’ evil plot to kill him which was unknown to him but known to God who used Reuben, Judah and a company of Ish’me-eli-tes from Gilead to stop them from carrying out was in connection with the dreams, Genesis 37:18-22, 25-28.

Many terrible things he faced such as separation from his loved ones, being sold into slavery, the baseless and false accusation by his mistress, and years of imprisonment that seemed to be in opposition to the fulfillment of the dreams could not make him give up on life/his dreams.

While in slavery he did not get morbid, discouraged, and mourn his hard fate. He accepted wherever he was and the position he found himself and put his whole heart and strength in his assigned duties and was favored above all others. He interpreted dreams for co-prisoners while in castration in prison even though his dreams of many years were yet to be fulfilled. Had Joseph not interpreted his co-prisoners’ dreams, he wouldn’t have been brought to the notice of the king. In the long run, his gift of dream interpretations made way for him to the place of his destiny and the fulfillment of his dreams.

WE ALL HAVE DREAMS.

God who created man in His image and likeness has plans and purposes (destiny) for each man to fulfill in life. His plans and purposes for individuals are sometimes revealed in prophetic dreams/visions, by direct revelation, by intuition, the Scripture and the indwelling Holy Spirit, Acts 2:17; John 15:7; James 1:20; Romans 8:1-17; Galatians 5:16 – 26. Aspirations and ambitions still come under dreams. God’s plan and purpose for each of us are good, Jeremiah 29:11. When the dreams about our life’s purpose are divinely given, they are true and sure to come to pass. The time of fulfillment and the modalities of fulfilling them depends on God because they are usually beyond human understanding and comprehension. One thing we should know is that God desires that we fulfill our dreams.

Unfortunately, many wonderful divinely given dreams have been left unfulfilled as a result of activities of haters and dream killers, oppositions, impatience, hardship, adversaries, and many more encountered by the dreamers.

Ironically, Joseph encountered all of the things listed above and probably more and he came out triumphantly fulfilling his dreams. What did he do and how did he overcome them all? Let’s check them out here:

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR DREAM

To dare to be like Joseph in fulfillng on to one’s dream amidst all odds is to believe and accept the dreams one has about one’s future and life from God and also to believe in oneself as he did. The reason why some dreams die on arrival is that those given the dreams don’t believe or accept the dreams either because (i) they consider it unattainable or not achievable (ii) or that they believed they are unworthy vessels to be used by God for such.

Such people forget that (a) God picks whosoever He pleases for His purpose and makes them fit for His purpose as He did with Moses, King David, and Apostle Paul, Philippians 2:13. God often uses foolish and weak things to confound the wise and mighty, 1 Corinthians 1:27-28. They also fail to remember that (b) God gave them the dreams because He sees and believes in them that they have all it takes to fulfill the dreams. They also forget that (c) All things are possible with God and to them that believe, Mark 9: 23; 14:36.

If Joseph had considered his age, his position in his family, his lack of experience and other circumstances of his life, he wouldn’t have believed in his dreams. Joseph believed in God and himself. He believed and accepted the dreams because he could see the presence of God in his life and could see himself in the light of the great God, his Creator he believed in.

See yourself as God sees you. God knows you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think because you were created in His image and likeness and have his type of life. Rely on God and rest upon him concerning any dream He has given unto you and He will help you fulfill them. Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it, 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Have faith in your dreams as without faith in one’s dream nothing can be achieved. Have faith in yourself. Remember the statement “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. Be self-confident as Joseph was.

GOD-GIVEN DREAMS ARE SPIRITUAL MATTERS

To dare to be like Joseph in fulfilling one’s dreams despite all odds is to know that dreams from God are spiritual matters that need to be handled spiritually and understood by faith and not by sight, nor by flesh or by natural thinking. Looking at Joseph’s dreams and their fulfillment, one knows that it was beyond the physical. It was only God Himself that made the dream he gave to Joseph became a reality considering who Joseph was and all the terrible things that happened in the course of accomplishing the dreams. Joseph must have understood that since they were divinely revealed dreams, they were fixed, and would surely come to pass and that no power that can thwart them. Therefore, he maintained his calm in the face of adversaries. He must also have known that to fulfill them he must continue living a life pleasing unto God, which is a life of faith, love, purity, and obedience.

The troubles Joseph passed through in the course of fulfilling his dreams were enough to make him lose faith in God who gave him the dream. yet he did not. He remained loyal and trusted God in everything. He believed that God was in all he passed through and would carry him through, the giver of the dreams and dream interpretations. He held on to God in faith and committed everything into His able hand while living in total obedience, holiness dependence, submission, and abiding in His love. He could see the hand of God in all that befalls him.

If not for his faith in God, most of the sad experiences and negative situations he passed through would have discouraged him and made him give up. However, since he was focused on God, he remained strong and unmovable, “Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in God,” Psalm 112: 6.

The reason why many gave up on their God-given dreams midway is that they started well in the spirit and with faith in God, however, they gave room to the flesh to take over as they stopped being spiritually-minded and relying on God. They started claiming the dream to be “my dream” and started relying on their strength, talents, and natural reasoning. They removed their focus from God unto natural situations. Therefore, when the storms of life came upon them they get confused, discouraged, and soon give up. They forget that spiritual matters can only be handled spiritually and that depending on natural abilities will fail one. No tangible thing can be achieved without faith in God.

Fulfilling any God-given dream demands that everything should be handed over to God as one maintains focus on Him. We must keep on abiding in Him and obeying Him. For this reason, we are advised to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Hebrews 12:2.

God knows what to do concerning every individual to make him/her fulfill any divine given dreams and assignments. All one needs to do is to keep on trusting and obeying Him.

To be continued...

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Jacob was a shepherd and so were all his sons. Genesis 46:32, 34; 47:3. The 10 older sons and Joseph their younger brother who was in his teenage years used to take their family’s flocks and herds for grazing to places where there was good pasture from time to time. While away from their home to the grazing land the older sons committed some atrocities and Joseph reported them, “Joseph brought unto his father their evil report” Genesis 37:2.

Joseph’s action implied a) he did not join them in doing the evil they perpetuated because God demanded separation and perfection from those under His covenant Genesis 12:1; 17:1. (b) His not partaking in their evil deeds and reporting them was in line with God’s injunction for believers not to be neutral or silent with respect to works of darkness and immorality but to reprove them – expose, rebuke, and speak against wickedness in all forms, John 7:7; Ephesians 5:11. (c) He reported them out of his love for them and so that they would be reprimanded and so that they would stop their evil deeds, Jude 22-23. Joseph’s report of their evil deeds could not be said to be made out of prejudice because their other actions and behaviors as recorded in the Scripture confirmed them as workers of iniquity evil, Genesis 34;25-29; 37:18-28, 31-32.

One of the greatest challenges confronting many in Christendom especially the youths is them joining older members of their families, peer groups/friends/schoolmates, and others in their immediate environment and in the world at large to perpetuate works of darkness and immorality. As a result of their involvement in sinful acts, their relationships with God have been destroyed, many great destinies have been truncated and many lives have been lost. SEPARATE YOURSELF MORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY FROM SIN

The Omniscient God knows that man has the inclination to imitate, copy and be influenced by others for both good and bad, therefore He has required right from the Old Testament to the New Testament that His people should separate themselves to Him by drawing near to Him in a close and intimate fellowship and also separate themselves morally and spiritually from sin and from everything that is contrary to Jesus Christ, righteousness and the Word of God (Exodus 23-24; Ezra 9:2; John 17:15-16; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; James 1:27; 4:4). Their separation will help them to remain in faith (1 Timothy 1:9; 6:10, 20-21), to be holy (John 17:14-21; 2 Corinthians 7:1) and live wholly to God as their Lord and Father (Matthew 22:7; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18).

Many people believe separation unto God is a demand not achievable. However, Joseph demonstrated to us the possibility of a true believer in God through Jesus Christ to be different and holy and separated from all other people in order to belong to God as His very own and living for Him as He requested us to do, 1 John 2:6. Although, it is a known fact that older children have a great influence on their younger ones and can compel them to do their wishes and also that younger ones look up to their older ones and imitate/copy the way they do things whether good and bad.

See complete post here...http://lovelashblog.com/2020/05/07/dare-to-be-like-joseph-series-part-4-not-joining-the-multitude-to-commit-sin/

Among the things that can make grieving difficult or unhealthy for a youth is intense grief that involves uncontrollable weeping and sorrowing as Rachel was said to have done in Jeremiah 31:15. Doing this causes serious health hazards in that one develops serious headaches, lack of appetite, physical exhaustion, sleeplessness, and several others. It is important to know that no amount of grieving/mourning could bring back our loved ones. It is good to grief reasonably!

The other side of this is denying or suppressing one's emotions and feelings of expressing its sadness and pains for reasons such as not being seen a weakling and traditions that discourage one from doing so. Grief as an important natural response like every other will always find a way of out, and when it does it is usually explosive! Suppressed emotions and feelings cause an outburst of anger, mental anguish, and other unhealthy emotions. There is nothing bad about grieving and mourning for the loss of our loved ones. Weeping releases inner tension, Matthew 54. Weeping is not a sign of weakness and neither is not weeping a sign of strength. Crying does not make one less Christian. Remember our Lord Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave, John 11:35. He even encourages us saying "blessed are those that mourn: for they shall be comforted", Matthew 5:4. The outburst of suppressed grieve is harmful because it is toxic!

Another thing that can make grieving difficult and unhealthy for a youth is having an intense feeling of guilt especially of being handicap/helpless and not being able to prevent the death. Feeling this way is very wrong. It is harmful. This is self-condemning and this leads to unnecessary anger, alienation from others, and feeling of unworthiness and failure which could lead to self-harm. It is important to point it out here that there is nothing anyone even the most experienced human physician could do to prevent a person whose time to die is up from death, Hebrews 9:27. God alone can. No matter what anyone does can never bring back to life a person that had died. Don't even entertain the feeling of guilt at all.

Another one is to believe the death of a loved parent/person is the end of one's lives, end of the road to success, and the breaking of one's backbones. This type of belief makes one become helpless, hopeless, depressed with a desire to die and be with the dead loved one. At this state nothing in this life matters. This usually happens when children are insecure and are over-dependent on their parents.
In as much as it is a fact that the death of a parent is a colossal loss that creates a great vacuum that no one else can occupy/fill in one's heart life, yet it is not the end of life or end of destiny fulfillment for their children. Their death is just the end of their own lives' journey here on earth but it is not the end of their children's. Children have their own lives separate from their parents' lives. If not so, Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother; who was born the day their mother Rachel died could not have survived after his mother's death. Since Benjamin could survive and fulfill destiny, any fatherless or motherless child or orphan could. The only Being, no one cannot survive without is God, the owner, and giver of life! Each individual has his/her own potentials to succeed in life. Visualize yourself doing exploits without them. Try not to associate everything negative that happens to you to their death, because doing so would increase your grief and also hinder your progress. DEPEND ONLY ON GOD.

In as much as it is a known fact that losing one's parents can cause a serious setback, undue suffering, hardship, and hindrances such as dropping out of school due to lack of school fees, becoming homeless, becoming the breadwinner and caregiver to their young siblings, forced into early marriage and several others. Yet, none of these can stop any from fulfilling destiny! Remember Joseph suffered and faced serious hardship too such as being hated by family members, stripped of his colored coat, being cast into a dry well, sold into slavery and imprisonment, yet at God's appointed time he fulfilled his destiny, Genesis 37:23, 24, 27, 36; 39:20. All he experienced did not only lead him to the place of his destiny but also developed him to be the independent, hardworking leader God wanted him to be. The fulfillment of the destiny of any child does not rest on parents but solely on God Almighty, the perfect Creator who knew, planned and purposed who each child would be before being formed and born, Ezekiel 1:5. His counsel alone stands for everyone, Isaiah 46:9-11. God will be with you and help you, Isaiah 1:5. Keep hope alive accept and go through everything ordained for you joyfully with your own heart as unto God. With God on your side as He was with Joseph you can do everything through Jesus Christ, Philippians 4:13.
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See complete post here : http://lovelashblog.com/2020/04/26/dare-to-be-like-joseph-series-part-3b-coping-with-the-death-and-grief-of-a-parent-how-to-avoid-unhealthy-grief/

IT IS WELL WITH YOU IN JESUS NAME.
GOD LOVES YOU, AND SO DO I.

Joseph was bereaved of his beloved mother not too long before he was seventeen years of age (Rachel’s death happened after the defilement of Dinah by Shechem Genesis 34: 2; and Joseph was close to Dinah in age Genesis 30: 21-23). This loss could be said to be his first notable challenge he faced in life. Although he lost his father too but this was at an older age (he was a father of two already). The Scripture gave a detailed description of how he grieved and mourned the death of his father in Genesis 50:1-4, 7-14. However, nothing was mentioned about how he responded to his mother’s death most probably because it happened while they were on transit or because it was an untimely and a sudden death or the fact that it was a very tragic and painful loss to Jacob her beloved husband and son Joseph, Genesis 35:16-20.

Though, the silence of the Scripture about his reaction/response to his mother’s death does not in any way imply he was insensitive to her death or that he did not grieve her loss. Joseph definitely would have been devastated and traumatized by the death of his beloved mother as a teenager and would have grieved and mourned her death in his own unique way for obvious reasons such as:
a) Death of a parent/parents or anyone that does the expected important duties of loving, caring, providing, protecting, guidance and several others for their children is an incalculable lasting blow to the child who knows that no one else can ever love him/her again like that.
Grief is a response that happens naturally whenever there is a loss especially by death. Grieve cuts across all ages, status, races, religion; it is something not limited to certain category of people. Everyone would do it at one time or the other. Therefore Joseph must have grieved and mourned his mother’s death.
b) He would have grieved his mother’s death because of the natural strong love between mother and child. He would have had an exceptional bond with his mother being the first and only child she had after many years of barrenness and great reproach from her husband’s other wives (she died while giving birth to the second child many years later). Mother and child would have being very close and inseparable. Letting go of a loved one is the bitterest pill for anyone to swallow.
c) He would have grieved and mourned the mother’s death due to the circumstances surrounding her death: His mother was pregnant and about to give birth to a little brother after many years gap. Oh the great joy and expectations of Joseph to see his mother and little brother alive. But that was not to be, for the mother did not come through alive! What a chattered hope! Would he not have grieved intensively for the loss of the mother who died in such a sad and tragic situation? What could be more shocking and devastating as losing a loved one suddenly to death amidst high expectation of having something good and new?
d) He would have grieved the death of his mother because her death was not anticipated. Such deaths make one remain dazed and shocked with uncontrollable streams of tears falling from the eyes because letting go of someone we love is not easy. “When we experience loss by death grievers are faced with an absolute, unalterable, irreversible situation; there is nothing they can do to, for or about that relationship” W.A. MILLER.
(e) He would have grieved the death of his mother because of the polygamous nature of Jacob’s family where there was so much noticeable rivalry, jealousy, hatred, and strife among wives and children that would made him feel the absence of his mother so much. Seeing his step brothers with their own mothers and him without his own would have made him miss her so much. This implies among other things that he was now at the mercy and care of his jealous step mothers and step brothers.
f) If he could grieve and mourn his father’s death as he did as an adult as described in Genesis 50:1-4,7-14, definitely, he must have grieved and mourned his mother’s death when he was much younger.

What I am trying to establish here is the fact that Joseph’s mother’s death would have been a colossal loss to him and grieving her demise a great challenge for him just as it would be for anyone especially children, teenagers/youth who might have lost a loved one, supporter, helper or someone depended on. His grief would have been overwhelming considering the points listed above. He would have passed through everything associated with grieving such as “intense sorrow, pain, loneliness, anger, depression, physical symptoms, and changes in interpersonal relations, all of which comprise a period of deprivation and transition that may last for as long as three years or more” Gary Collins Ph.D.

He would have experienced all the terrible treatments such as hatred and verbal abuse (Genesis 37:4) that motherless/fatherless children sometimes experience in the hands of step mothers/fathers and step siblings. His dream and aspirations were seriously threatened as a result of him innocently revealing to his family members dreams he shouldn’t have exposed as many motherless/fatherless children worldwide do. He made some grave mistakes that would have claimed his life if not for God’s timely intervention just like many motherless/fatherless children made, Genesis 37: 5-11, 37; 12-21

Interestingly, Joseph passed through all these and probably more, yet he coped and came out victorious. Joseph continued living his life and fulfilled his destiny. He is a good example of how a youth can handle grief

DEATH OF A LOVED ONE AND GRIEF
Death is inevitable and can happen to anyone, at any age, time and through whatever means. Death of a loved one such as biological parents, foster parents, grandparents, aunts, friends and certain people that cared, support, and helped us is one of the things we would all face at one time or the other and grieving for them is never easy. It can be devastating. The death of any loved one especially one or both of the parents or someone one has special bonding with is usually met with great pains and sorrows by all especially youths.

HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY GRIEVING
Grieving which is an important, normal response to the loss of loved ones can be healthy if done as it should be and unhealthy when it becomes too overwhelming. According to Psychologist Gary Collins Ph.D. “Normal grieve which can be quite severe, often involves intense sorrow, pain, loneliness, anger, depression, physical symptoms, and changes in interpersonal relations, all of which comprise a period of deprivation and transition that may last for as long as three years or more” and this type leaves eventually to restored mental and emotional wellbeing."

Grief becomes unhealthy when all the normal grieve symptoms become too intense and turns to serious psychological and physical problems. Grieving when not properly handled can turn to an insurmountable challenge to a youth if not properly handled. It can cause inappropriate responses such as perpetual fear of death, hopelessness, depression, suicide, self-pity and low self-esteem, withdrawal, resulting to alcohol or drugs, anger and rebellion against God

The unfortunate thing is that there is this unfortunate situation where the adults don’t usually concern themselves about the emotions and feelings of children, teenagers and youth as they do with the adults facing the loss of their loved ones. They offer words of comfort and other assistance to the adults while leaving out the younger ones. They seem to forget that being a child/adolescent/ teenager or a youth does not make one less human or less emotional. Children mourn and grieve the loss of their loved ones too even more than the adults because of their tender heart and undiluted love and closeness and their little understanding of life and death. They feel the loneliness, bitterness, desertion, pains, guilt the adults feel when the lose their loved ones. Most times, they are totally destabilized. But, because adults believe they are too young to understand, they feed them with lies. As a result, with no adult to answer their many questions based on their inner mind, they at times turn to their peers who themselves have little or no answers for their question and in turn will lead them the wrong way.

HOW TO AVOID UNHEALTHY GRIEVING….to be continued.....
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Joseph being one of the sons of Jacob was under God’s covenant with Abraham which was, “ to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Genesis 17:7, 9-13). By this covenant God gives Himself, with all His attributes, with all that He is and has to Abraham and his seeds. This implies that with this covenant, God binds Himself to His covenanted people to be their portion, their all, and that His grace, protections, goodness and blessings are theirs. Those concerned are expected to respond in faith, trust God as their Lord, make sincere effort to please Him by an obedient life and walk before God and be perfect.

All Joseph’s actions, deeds and words revealed he was aware of the covenant, understood it, accepted it and responded rightly to it as someone under the covenant. His closeness to Jacob, his father who happened to be a person in that covenant relationship with the true God must have contributed a lot to his great faith and stand with God Genesis 17:7; 31:13.

This implies that Joseph believed and trusted in the Lord God Almighty, God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Genesis 17: 1; Exodus 3:6). God was a vibrant reality to Him. He had great unwavering faith in God. In fact he was a perfect example of what the statement that, “the just shall live by faith” implies. His great faith in God could be said to be the source of his spiritual power that made him work hard, persevere in suffering, and not to give up on life, fall into satanic temptations or lose faith in God during the time of his great challenges/trials. This is because according to Charles Spurgeon, “a person who believes God gains strength for work, patience for suffering, whole heartedness for love, earnestness for obedience, and zealousness for service.

Joseph as a result of his faith undoubtedly operated under God’s special grace of the Holy spirit which enabled him to develop and exhibit all the godly characters such as love, fear of God, obedience, purity, kindness, humility, long-suffering/perseverance, fearlessness, self-control, prudence, honesty and kindness.

A critical study of Joseph’s life revealed that of a young man who not only believed in God as his God, but one who was intimate with God; he also had personal relationship of Father/son with God. He did not hide under the umbrella of his father’s religiosity. He made a decision by himself and entered a personal relationship with God. He chose to love, obey and walked with God. Although, the Scripture was silent on his pious devout activities, however, he must have maintained a very good communion with God as his own God and father. He must have involved in all he saw his father did in worshipping God.

His being intimate with God helped him to know and understand God personally; this denotes that He knew and understood God’s Attributes and moral characters beyond what anyone including his father might have told him about God but by God’s own revelations of Himself to him. Of great help was his knowledge and understanding of God’s Holiness, Sovereignty, Omnipotence and providence. Because he understood God’s omnipresence which implies the Invisible presence of God being present everywhere with each child of His as with every other one of His children. He was able to live in the conscious awareness of that fact as well as God’s other attributes. His knowing and understanding of God’s Holiness made him to keep himself holy from sins, Genesis 37:2; 39: 9. His knowledge and understanding of God Sovereignty made him to live a dependent life on Him in total surrender and obedience knowing that God is in control of every happening in life. Genesis 45: 5-8; 50:20.

Joseph was a worthy example of one who lived a life totally dependent on God and not dependent on his own wisdom, efforts to survive and succeed. Genesis 40:8c: 41:16. More importantly Joseph believed so much in God that he lived a consecrated life to God. He lived as a true believer in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity both in the private and in the public to the extent that other people (unbelievers) could see the reflections of God’s presence in Him, Genesis 39:3; 41:38. His life was a blessing to others he came across, Genesis 39:5, 23.

Joseph had a victorious and fulfilled life because he believed and trusted God and lived his life in total dependence and obedience to God’s will. God was with him, helped and blessed him in all he did, Genesis 39:2-5, 21-23; 41:39-45.

Joseph’s victorious and prosperous life is an example of God’s type of life for his children – a life lived dependent on God, for God and by God. Life on earth was never planned to be lived in defeat and independent of God, the owner and giver of life. However, the sin of disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to God’s commandment (which was an act of unbelief) made man become independent of God. However God in His infinite mercy and love for mankind gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for the salvation of mankind so that man can be restored and have God’s original life for him, 1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:4.

To dare to be like Joseph is to believe in God as he believed and make Him one’s Lord. It is to believe He is real, true and alive and that He is not a force, a principle or an idea, Hebrews 11:6: John 14:1. It is to believe and know He is the only true God, our God, Creator and Salvation and entrust our life into His hand and worship Him alone, Psalm 100: 3. God is the source and owner of life and it is expected of all to be totally dependent on Him. This dependence on God is called faith. Faith is the way we come back into relationship with God through Jesus Christ and it is also the way we are to continue living till eternity. Having faith in God involves an exchange of self-trust for God-trust, that is, we stop trusting in ourselves or others and trust Him alone totally.

It is a pity that many people including youths have been deceived by the world’s educational system and science to believe there is no God. There is God and only a fool will say otherwise, Psalm 14:1. As a result of this they get angry when told about God/Jesus, heaven and hell. Some believe God/Jesus yet procrastinate their coming and committing their lives to Him because they consider they are still very young. The best time to believe God is when one is young because doing so will stabilize one’s life and prevents one from making many mistakes those who do so later make earlier in their lives. It is best to know God and live for God early in life as the preacher advices “Remember Now thy Creator in the days of thy youth….”, Ecclesiastes 12:1-12. Don’t ever think you are too young to believe and live for God. Examples of people who believed in God in their youth and made exploits in life are seen in the Bible, such as Samuel, King David and King Hezekiah.

To dare to be like Joseph is to get acquainted and intimate with God the way he did. God is personal and He wants us to get personal with Him. God’s only recommended way to get intimate with Him in this present dispensation of the new covenant of peace and grace is to enter a father/son relationship with Him so as to have His type of life. This is strictly a spiritual matter because God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in truth and spirit, John 4:24. This can be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ alone who says, “I am the way, the truth and life, no one comes to the Father except through me”, John 14:6. This is achieved by believing everything the Scripture tells us about God’s love gift to the world (Jesus Christ) such as; was born of a virgin mother, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice for our sins, rose from the grave, and entrusting our souls and lives to Him as one’s personal Lord and Savior. With this, one becomes a son of God having His Spirit and type of Life, John 1: 12. This is what is meant by being born again, John 3: 3. Believing in Jesus is the only way to become a son of God and have God’s type of Life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, John 3:16

What I am saying here is that, God the owner and giver of life and the one that understands the true nature of life in this world under Satan’s influences wants us to have the best of life and victory over life’s hurdles has commanded us to believe in Him and His Son alone, John 14:1. One of the main declarations of the scriptures is “he that believeth… shall be saved” , Mark 16:16. All the books of the Scripture are written so that ye might believe and that in believing ye might have life, John 20:31.

To dare to be like Joseph is to be steadfast and deeply rooted in faith in God as he did. Could you imagine that Joseph who was sold as a slave at about seventeen to eighteen years of age to Egypt, a strange land full of idols still lived with the consciousness of God in Him and would not sin against God, Genesis 39 : 9; Exodus 20: 1- 6. He spoke gloriously of God before Pharaoh without fear of being killed for speaking about a God higher than Pharaoh regarded as god himself, Genesis 41:16. The names he gave his two children are in honor of God, Genesis 41: 51&52. This is someone who was born before any written Scriptural books or the giving of the Mosaic laws. He was all alone in a strange land with no parents/pastor, brothers, uncles or friends to counsel or encourage him, he did not attend any church service, home fellowship, Bible school or Bible study classes because there were none by then. Yet he did not join himself to do the abominable of idol worshiping. He remained loyal and committed to God Almighty. What a steadfast Faith in God! This is the type of faith God desires of each of us, “the just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17.

It is very easy for anyone who finds himself/herself in situations or challenges similar to Joseph’s own to make a shipwreck of one’s faith but he did not. This was because he not only had a personal faith relationship with His God, He was rooted, built up and stabilized in faith in Him as required of believers “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him; Rooted and built up in Him, and stabilized in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving”, Colossians 2: 6-7. Faith is very essential to the vitality of Christianity. Faith is the lifeline by which the saved person anchors unto God under all conditions of life.

Anyone that has embraced God’s salvation through Jesus is expected to remain in faith with Jesus because only those who abide in Him will continue to have life and growth and fruitfulness: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.…; for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me; he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned”, John 15:4-6. All God’s promises of provision, protection, deliverance, long life, grace and many others are only for those who remain abiding in God as Psalm 91 clearly reveals.

Not abiding in Jesus Christ which leads to being rooted, built up and established in faith is where many have missed it and have fallen out with God. Many, instead of holding unto God in faith are holding on to their pastors, parents, church building, academic/professional achievements, spiritual gifts, physical and spiritual endowments, wealth and many others. All these are weak anchors that cannot hold one’s life ship firmly and secure in the restless, unstable and dangerous sea of life without breaking and causing the ship to capsize. Only anchoring into Jesus can keep one from falling out of faith, Jude 24.

To dare to be like Joseph is to dare to know and understand the attributes and moral characters of our God and Father personally as he did. Also, a lack of personal knowledge of God could be said to be the reason why many supposed Christians, children of God commit suicide. It is the reason people run from pillar to post looking for help from whom there is no help in time of life’s storms. It is also the reason why many are powerless, weak, fearful, afflicted and being tossed up and down like football and made to commit suicide by Satan and his cohorts from the kingdom of darkness. It is still the reason why there is so much evil and wickedness perpetuated by people who claim to be Christians against fellow humans. It is still the same reason why many have become victims of their circumstances instead of victors over their circumstances. What a pathetic situation! Did God not say in His word that “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.” Isaiah 5:13. Most of the pains and sorrows we pass through are avoidable if we had known God vibrantly. Knowing God intimately is surely God’s greatest desire for His children, “For I desire mercy, and not sacrifices; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” , Hosea 6:6.

When we get to know and understand our God and father, we understand our own identity better. We are the sons of the Most High God invested with so much power and authority as revealed. However, the manifestation of these powers in us greatly depends on our understanding of the workings of the powers in us. We can only understand these powers through the knowledge we have of the owner and giver of such powers, the Almighty God, His son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Only when we do this can we do great exploits, Daniel 11:32. This is the reason Apostle Paul prayed for the Church, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width, and length, and depth, and height. To know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

To dare to be like Joseph is to dare to live in the consciousness of God’s invisible presence with us anywhere we go as he did. If there is an area many of us in Christendom are seriously inadequate and suffering for; it is living in the awareness of His Invisible presence with us as He promised. “… lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” , Matthew 28:20. Living in the conscious awareness of His presence with us is what makes one remain optimistic amid discouragement, patient amid tribulations, brave amid strife, cheerful amid monotony. Nothing makes one feel better than knowing that God loves you, that He is always there for you and would always take care of you no matter what happens.

To dare to be like Joseph is to dare to live a consecrated life to God as he did to the extent that others could see the light of God in him. “You are the light of the world”. We are admonished to “[i]let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven”, [/i]Matthew 5:16. Often times what people see in our lives can make a bigger impression on them about our God than what they hear from our lips.

If Joseph could believe God the way he did and at a very young age without Bible, Bible scholars, teachers or preacher, then you that have everything telling you about God have no excuse. A life without God is a life full of crisis. Believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and have life, Acts 16:31.

Listen to the wordings of this song whose writer’s name I don’t know, but which I believe will minister to you titled “GOD WILL”

God will walk with me down the street where no one else will walk
God will talk with me about things which no one else will talk
When no one else will walk, and no else will talk, when no one else will

…GOD WILL

God will bear with me the little worries no one knows are there
God will care for me whenever there is no one else to care
When no one will be there and no one else will care
when no one will,

…GOD WILL

God will talk with me when friends forget and fail to understand
God will strengthen me when I am weak and need a helping hand
When no one understands, or lends a helping hand
when no else will,

…GOD WILL

If you have not yet embraced God’s gracious salvation through Jesus Christ, please, come to Him now by taking the steps written below;

· Admit you are a sinner, Romans 3:23; 6:23.

· Repent of all sins, Acts 3:19. 1John 1:9

· Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. Romans 5:8, Acts 10:40 & 43.

· Invite Jesus into your heart, Revelation 3:20

LIFE IS VERY COMPLEX. YOU CANNOT MANAGE IT ALL BY YOURSELF. GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS SO THAT HE WOULD HELP YOU LIVE WELL!

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

Please, contact me if you have questions.
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The poor woman is really looking malnourished. I pray help come her way where she is. Suicide is never an option.

Joseph was born into a polygamous family of a man called Jacob, Genesis 29: 4; 30:22-24 while on sojourn in the land of Haran and running from his brother Esau. Jacob was the second twin son of Isaac and Rebekah. His twin brother is Esau. He was a shepherd. Jacob was a grandson of Abraham considered as a righteous man who God covenanted with. Jacob married two wives, had two concubines who happened to be his wives slaves; he had twelve sons and unspecified number of daughters.

Joseph was the eleventh son of his father but the first of his mother whose name was Rachael. Although His mother Rachael was the second wife of Jacob, she was the actual one Jacob was in love with and wanted to marry. However, Rachael’s father Laban tricked him to sleep with Leah, Rachael’s elder sister who he never really loved. So Leah became Jacob’s first wife (Genesis 29:15-30). Rachael experienced many years of delay in having a child; therefore Joseph was born to his father in his old age (Genesis 30:22-24). He was a good looking, well behaved and obedient child. His mother, Rachael died while giving birth to his younger brother whose was Benjamin, the last child of the family, Genesis 35:16-21.

Joseph had a gift of dreams and interpretation of dreams, Genesis 37:5-11. The two dreams he had and told his father and brothers made the brothers to call him the dreamer. His father made him a colored coat because he was his father’s favorite child being the son of his true and first love Rachel and because he was delivered to him in his old age Genesis 37:3. Although, he was the second to the last child, he eventually became the leader as he had dreamt. Joseph used to follow his elder brothers to look after their father’s herds.

This aspect about his family background is written for us to see that Joseph was in every way like us – of like passion like us, he was purely human with flesh and blood.

The morals we can learn from his family background is that although, God had full knowledge of all the happenings and imperfection of Joseph’s family before he was born, yet, He allowed him to be born there because the makeup of that family was needed for him to become who God wanted him to become and to help him reach his destination. And good enough for Joseph, He accepted his family, lived in peace, harmony, loved and interacted with them just as expected of him to do.

God knows everyone and everything about the family, tribe and nation He allowed us to be born into. Whatever the Lord does is good and for our good and to serve certain purposes in our lives. Not accepting and being unhappy about your family and not loving them as one should is the beginning of the negative mind set many youths are having. Many are displeased and angry at God because of the family He placed them and have become haters of God. Many have become rebellious, runaway, wayward, disrespectful and lonely as a result of not being able to relate and love their family members such as father, mother, siblings for who they are and for one reason or another. We did not choose who our family members are, they are God’s gift, and therefore we must appreciate them. God commanded us to honor our father and mother, Exodus 20:12.

The wrong self-worth/low self-esteem exhibited by many youths stem from the wrong mindset they have of their family as being poor, small in number or their jobs. This was King Saul’s mindset as can be seen in his statement in 1 Samuel 9:21. Bad self-image and low self-worth causes mental anguish, loneliness, depression and is capable of leading to suicide. It makes one miserable and hampers achievements and fulfillment. It makes one compare oneself with others and wishing to be like someone else. It makes one have negative attitude and view of challenges and a pessimistic outlook on life. It makes one have self-defeating habits and behaviors and a striving to become something or someone else instead of appreciating and enjoying who they are. Low self-esteem has reduced many with great potentials to mere shadows of themselves as it did to King Saul

The truth we should all know is that all families belong to God and in Him are all the families in heaven and earth named, Ephesians 3:15. The family He put us is His choice for us, to suit the purpose we are to serve on earth, therefore, it is the best for us. We are to accept, love and cherish our family, and be grateful unto God for them. It is important to know that there is no perfect family, for each family has both the good and the bad; the ugly and the beautiful ones. Don’t ever regret, dislike or hate the family God put you if you don’t want to jeopardize your life and destiny.

Another lesson we can learn from Joseph’s life is that though he was the second to the last born child and his father’s favorite child, he was an independent, hardworking and responsible child. He was alive to his responsibilities as a shepherd’s son and followed his brothers to look after their father’s sheep, Genesis 37:2. He ran errands in the family and also carried out other assignments, Genesis 37:14. All these greatly helped him in his land of slavery as well as the turnout of events for him. The reason many youths are having problems coping with life’s struggles now is because they depended so much on their parents and others while growing up since they are either an only child, only boy/girl, last child or first child.

Note also that your position in your family is not an indication of your success or position in life. Your being the last child does not make you a lesser/superior human so also does your being the first make you a super human /automatic leader. The first can become the last and the last can become the first as God who knows all men pleases to do, Ecclesiastes 9:12. Whatever your position is in your family, use it for the good and advantage of others. Position comes with responsibilities, live up to your responsibilities in your family. Be less dependent on other people, depend only on God.

God loves you and so do I.
www.lovelashblog.com

The rate at which many people, especially youths are crumbling like packs of cards, getting discouraged, depressed and committing suicide due to life’s challenges faced is worrisome and of a great concern to me. Therefore, I have decided to write this new encouragement series as a follow up to my earlier series in this blog advising against suicide.

Here in this series, I am presenting to us a young man of like passion with us who passed through great challenges but scaled through all in victory. His name is Joseph, a Bible character and a youth. The story of Joseph is written in chapters 37- 50 of the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible.

Joseph experienced many terrible life challenges such as loss of a very loved one, hatred, rejection, conspiracy, physical, mentally and emotional abuse and humiliation by family members, unexpected change of status from grace to grass, sold into slavery, unexpected separation from loved ones, desertion and loneliness, sexual assault and molestation, false accusation of attempted rape, workplace gang up and conspiracy, persecution, injustice, imprisonment and betrayal and many others.

Each one of these challenges when faced and not properly handled is capable of making anyone to become frustrated, depressed, become helplessly hopeless and give up on life. Yet Joseph faced all of them, and handled them positively well. He did not fall into any emotional or mental trauma. He never at any time gave up on life or say any negative word out of his mouth. He never complained or murmured. He maintained his calm, remained strong, courageous, unmovable, hopeful and faithful in the face of all his life’s challenges and he triumphed over them all in victory. How could he, a youth for that matter, achieve these great feats? This series is set to reveal how he came out triumphantly over all his life’s challenges.

The story about the life of Joseph and his many challenges are written in the Bible because God wants each of us to learn from him, become like him and know that it is very possible to live a victorious life. YOU TOO CAN OVERCOME ALL YOUR LIFE’S CHALLENGES. ALL IT TAKES TO OVERCOME IS IN YOU! SO DON’T GIVE UP ON LIFE WHEN FACING LIFE'S CHALLENGES.

I have written this series because I care about you. It is my prayer that through this series millions of people facing one challenge or the other will find succor, comfort and encouragements for their souls.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

WATCH OUT FOR NEW TOPICS IN THE SERIES ON www.lovelashblog.com EVERY SUNDAY OF THE WEEK.

Soo sad. May her beautiful soul rest in peace.

maxdosh:

I was at home when someone was telling me how her pastor said he went to the mountain to pray. And i was like errm so?

I have heard several times that people go to the mountain to pray. I was asking one time why people do that as in does it mean that God has his house built on the mountain or if you pray in your house there is network failure so your prayers don't reach God? I don't understand.

I am even considering shooting a documentary soon regarding it. Because its really awkward how ppl have these beliefs.

Now guys for you who have gone there to pray.... i would like to know if there is anything special that happens when one goes to the mountain to pray.

Secondly if there is anything special i would like to know myself how to get there from Oshodi, Lagos.

Read Jeremiah 3: 23 for answer.

Suicide is not an option. SAY NO TO SUICIDE. Please, visit www.lovelashblog.com and read some write ups on the evil scourge called suicide.

As the world marks the annual Valentine’s Day (a supposed lovers' day celebration) today the 14th day of February 2020; I deemed it fit to remind us of One whose love is worthy of being celebrated all days of the year. This is no other person than the Almighty God; the source of true love and the indisputable true lover of man’s soul. God is Love, 1 John 4:8. This implies that His very essence is love; Love is all He is, and His love has all His Attributes. This indicates His Love is true, infinite, great, immutable, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, the most benevolent and the ultimate. His love is awesome, perfect, great, beautiful, good, kind, patient, real, true, incomprehensible, and incomparable.

God’s love for humanity was the reason for creation because all He created was to serve the needs of man one way or the other. Love was the very reason He created man with His own hands in His own image and likeness whereby man shares certain of His wonderful attributes and moral characters to a certain degree. His love for man was the reason He breathed into man’s nostrils and made man a living soul, carrier of His very type of life. He has very wonderful plans for man to make him have a fulfilled life, Jeremiah 29:11. Although, man was the last to be created yet because of His great love for man He crowned him with honor and glory, He made him the crown of His creation whereby He gave him dominion over everything created, Psalm 8;4-8. His love for man is great and incomparable.

When, man sinned against God and incurred His wrath, he was sent out from the beautiful garden where he had everything that pertained to life, yet God’s love would not let man go because man was precious to Him, Isaiah 43:4. In love He sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to this world to save man from all the powers holding him in captivity and restored him back to Himself, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, John 3:16. Jesus Christ who is God’s Love personified, gave His life as a ransom for man’s soul. He suffered and died on the cross of Calvary in man’s place; the righteous for the unrighteous while we were yet sinners, 1 John 4:9-11. As many as believed in Him, He gave them power to become sons of God, John 1:12. There is definitely no love greater than this John 15:3.

God’s love is the most benevolent, a love that gives His very best and withholds nothing back from the beloved. It is a love from whom all wonderful and perfect gifts flow. God in His love gave to man everything He created on earth for our free use. He gave to man everything that pertains to life and godliness. He gives to all that asks from him and even at times to those who did not ask. In His love He will supply all man’s needs according to your riches in glory and He will do things that are exceedingly, abundantly above what man can ever think or do. He daily loads us with benefits. In His love, He spread His love abroad our hearts at the reception of His gracious salvation so that man can love like Him and become like Jesus. There is no other lover that compares to Him in generosity.

God’s love is infinite which implies His love is, limitless, immeasurable, without boundary or boarders. The depth, width and height of God’s love are unfathomable; it is deeper than the deepest oceans, higher than the highest heavens and wider than the expanse of the whole universe.

God’s love is Eternal - an endless love, Jeremiah 31:3. It has no beginning or end. A love that is forever living and forever actively alive! It is a love that can never die. The most turbulent storms cannot drown it and no amount of surging flood waters can quench the flames of God’s love.

God’s love is Omniscient. A Love that is so powerful and strong that nothing on earth or in heaven can separate the beloved from, Romans 8; 35-39.

35)”Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword? ...

37) Nay, in all these we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s Love is Immutable - an unchanging love. It is not subject to change, remains the same no matter what happens, “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and for ever more” , Hebrews 13:8. God’s love can never change, nor grow old, can never wane and can never fail. God in His love can never forsake, abandon or jilt or hurt His beloved, Deuteronomy 31:16; Hebrews 13:15.

God’s Love is true and has no atom of falsehood, pretense, hypocrisy, deceit, ingenuity, flattery or insincerity.

God’s love is a gracious Love - Love that is freely and generously given to the undeserving. God’s love is ever-considerate, ever-mindful of the beloved person and needs. It is unconditional; all encompassing, all embracing, does not discriminate, does not reject/refuse or cast out any that comes to Him, John 3:37. There is a place for all the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the sinner, the saints, male/female, old or young in God’s heart. In His graciousness He chastises us in love when we are going astray, Hebrews 12:6; Revelations 3:19.

God’s love is Omniscient - love that knows everything there is to know that pertains to the beloved - everything about the past, present and future, dreams, aspirations, needs; just name it

God’s Love is Omnipresent - God’s love is not an occasional love but all days and seasons love. It is everywhere present and accessible to all. This implies God’s love is everywhere present, even where you are right now! The echo of His love is relayed to mankind every minute by minute in His glory as revealed in the heavens on a daily basis. All His creations everywhere relay His great love to man at all times. God’s love is not a passive love but an active one that motivates, inspires, cares, encourages and brings out the best of the beloved.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your love for mankind. I am very grateful that I am among the privileged ones that have embraced your gracious salvation through faith in your Son Jesus Christ and have been experiencing your love on a personal level. I am so undeserving of your great love for me. Knowing that you just love me for Jesus sake is something too wonderful and too lofty for me to comprehend.

I CELEBRATE YOUR LOVE FOR ME AND ALL MANKIND TODAY AND ALWAYS.

If you are reading this post and you are wondering about the possibility of you enjoying God’s love as described above, I want you to know that it is possible, you can. God loves you, be you black, white, colored, albino. He loves you be you rich, poor, male, female, educated, tall, short, disabled or whatever. Jesus was given for you “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

a) Come to Him and repent of all sins, Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9

b) Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you, Romans 5:8, Acts 10: 40&43

c) Invite Jesus into your heart, Revelations 3: 20

d) Totally surrender everything to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to be in total control of your life.

e) Spend time alone with Jesus in prayers and studying His Holy Scripture on regular basis.

I LOVE YOU LORD JESUS.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

Why is nobody saying anything about the fact that the boy said she is contemplating taking her life which is a very serious issue? Somebody should help safe this poor girl's life please!

One of the wonderful characters that King David the wonderful Psalmist of Israel exhibited as a believer worthy of emulation by all believers was the lifestyle of a continued awareness of the invisible presence of God with him always as revealed in some of his Psalms, actions and deeds. He knew that although God is Spirit and cannot be accessed with the physical human eyes, yet He is real and is invisibly present everywhere and His special invisible presence is with His children always. King David as an individual knew, understood, believed and grasped God’s Omnipresence (everywhere present) attribute so much that he basked in Him always. His statement in Psalm 16:4 that “I have set the Lord always before me;” revealed he deliberately and resolutely chose to be aware/conscious of the invisible presence of God roundabout him always and he developed himself greatly in it. This was why he excelled above all in knowing and understanding many attributes and characters of God as an individual as can be seen in Psalms 23, 91,139:1-18. This was why he was a man of prayer, thanksgiving and praises - always in communion with God. His living a lifestyle of a continued awareness of the presence of God was the reason why he was optimistic amid discouragements, patient amid tribulation, brave amid danger, and calm amid strife always praising and thanking God. Check out these few statement of his;

"I have set the Lord always before me,
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices:
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption;
Thou will show me the part of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy;
At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore," Psalm 16:8-11.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;…” Psalm 23:4

Moses must have noticed the great difference between his early 80 years life’s journey experiences without the conscious awareness of God’s presence both as a prince at Pharaoh’s palace in Egypt and in the land of Midan and the short period of his life’s journey experiences in the conscious awareness of God’s presence from his burning bush experience till the Israelite left Egypt and camped before Mount Sinai for him to tell God that, “if your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Exodus 33:15.

Conscious awareness of God’s presence with one is comforting and reassuring. God’s presence was surely with them throughout their forty years journey in the wilderness and beyond. God’s pillar of cloud during the day time and the pillar of fire at night never left its place at the back and front of God’s people throughout their 40 years journey in the wilderness, Exodus 13:21-22.
This unchanging faithful and reliable God of Israel who kept His promise to be with His chosen people Israel and also gave a Savior to the world from among them has through Jesus Christ the Savior promised His chosen ones under His New Covenant saying, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of days.” Matthew 28:20. By this promise the invisible presence of our ever-living, ever-loving and everlasting Savior Jesus Christ is assured to be with us everywhere, at all times, day and night, year-in, year-out and in all situations and circumstances. This implies Jesus Christ is invisibly present all around us outwardly and inwardly - indwelling us by His Holy Spirit.

With this promise, the invisible presence of our Lord Jesus Christ is meant to be real to us everywhere and at all times. This implies we are to carry the continual awareness of our Lord’s invisible presence in our consciousness everywhere and at all times.

This reminder of this great promise is of great importance to the Christian believers now more than ever before because of the times we are in and the situations of things in the world full of so many unforeseen situations and terrible happenings such joblessness, failures, hardship, persecutions, disappointment, temptations and trials, illness, losses, delayed blessings among other life challenges which are capable of making us to doubt the reality of His presence with us always as promised.

Among the things we must endeavor to do this year is to make a deliberate effort to develop the continual conscious awareness of Christ invisible presence with us because according to J. Sidlow Baxter “when we lack the consciousness of His presence we are easily disturbed, disheartened, nervous, ruffled, impatient, and wrongly self-assertive;”

HOW THIS MAY BE DEVELOPED:
1) If you are not yet a born again Christian, you must become born again by:
a) Admitting you are a sinner, Romans 3:23; 6:23.
b) Repent of all sins. Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9
c) Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. Romans 5:8.acts 10;40&43
d) Invite Jesus into your heart Revelations 3;20

2) Totally surrender everything to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to be in total control of your life.

3) Spend time alone with Jesus in prayers and studying His Holy Scripture on regular basis.
a) Live in the consciousness of Jesus’s invisible presence with you always.
b) Learn to say it loud and clear to yourself as our Lord Jesus did saying, “…I am not alone, because the father is with me,” John 16:32.

Jesus Christ would want each of us to be mindful of these precious words always, “LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF DAYS,” Matthew 28:20.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

www.lovelashblog.com

One of the wonderful characters that King David the wonderful Psalmist of Israel exhibited as a believer worthy of emulation by all believers was the lifestyle of a continued awareness of the invisible presence of God with him always as revealed in some of his Psalms, actions and deeds. He knew that although God is Spirit and cannot be accessed with the physical human eyes, yet He is real and is invisibly present everywhere and His special invisible presence is with His children always. King David as an individual knew, understood, believed and grasped God’s Omnipresence (everywhere present) attribute so much that he basked in Him always. His statement in Psalm 16:4 that “I have set the Lord always before me;” revealed he deliberately and resolutely chose to be aware/conscious of the invisible presence of God roundabout him always and he developed himself greatly in it. This was why he excelled above all in knowing and understanding many attributes and characters of God as an individual as can be seen in Psalms 23, 91,139:1-18. This was why he was a man of prayer, thanksgiving and praises - always in communion with God. His living a lifestyle of a continued awareness of the presence of God was the reason why he was optimistic amid discouragements, patient amid tribulation, brave amid danger, and calm amid strife always praising and thanking God. Check out these few statement of his;

"I have set the Lord always before me,
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices:
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption;
Thou will show me the part of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy;
At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore," Psalm 16:8-11.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;…” Psalm 23:4

Moses must have noticed the great difference between his early 80 years life’s journey experiences without the conscious awareness of God’s presence both as a prince at Pharaoh’s palace in Egypt and in the land of Midan and the short period of his life’s journey experiences in the conscious awareness of God’s presence from his burning bush experience till the Israelite left Egypt and camped before Mount Sinai for him to tell God that, “if your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Exodus 33:15.

Conscious awareness of God’s presence with one is comforting and reassuring. God’s presence was surely with them throughout their forty years journey in the wilderness and beyond. God’s pillar of cloud during the day time and the pillar of fire at night never left its place at the back and front of God’s people throughout their 40 years journey in the wilderness, Exodus 13:21-22.
This unchanging faithful and reliable God of Israel who kept His promise to be with His chosen people Israel and also gave a Savior to the world from among them has through Jesus Christ the Savior promised His chosen ones under His New Covenant saying, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of days.” Matthew 28:20. By this promise the invisible presence of our ever-living, ever-loving and everlasting Savior Jesus Christ is assured to be with us everywhere, at all times, day and night, year-in, year-out and in all situations and circumstances. This implies Jesus Christ is invisibly present all around us outwardly and inwardly - indwelling us by His Holy Spirit.

With this promise, the invisible presence of our Lord Jesus Christ is meant to be real to us everywhere and at all times. This implies we are to carry the continual awareness of our Lord’s invisible presence in our consciousness everywhere and at all times.

This reminder of this great promise is of great importance to the Christian believers now more than ever before because of the times we are in and the situations of things in the world full of so many unforeseen situations and terrible happenings such joblessness, failures, hardship, persecutions, disappointment, temptations and trials, illness, losses, delayed blessings among other life challenges which are capable of making us to doubt the reality of His presence with us always as promised.

Among the things we must endeavor to do this year is to make a deliberate effort to develop the continual conscious awareness of Christ invisible presence with us because according to J. Sidlow Baxter “when we lack the consciousness of His presence we are easily disturbed, disheartened, nervous, ruffled, impatient, and wrongly self-assertive;”

HOW THIS MAY BE DEVELOPED:
1) If you are not yet a born again Christian, you must become born again by:
a) Admitting you are a sinner, Romans 3:23; 6:23.
b) Repent of all sins. Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9
c) Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. Romans 5:8.acts 10;40&43
d) Invite Jesus into your heart Revelations 3;20
2) Totally surrender everything to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to be in total control of your life.

3) Spend time alone with Jesus in prayers and studying His Holy Scripture on regular basis.
a) Live in the consciousness of Jesus’s invisible presence with you always.
b) Learn to say it loud and clear to yourself as our Lord Jesus did saying, “…I am not alone, because the father is with me,” John 16:32.

Jesus Christ would want each of us to be mindful of these precious words always, “LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF DAYS,” Matthew 28:20.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

www.lovelashblog.com

Were you not taught at home or school not to talk to strangers? Believing a total stranger has its perils. Don't make any sacrifice either small or big, Jesus has done it all for you on the cross with His blood.

Beloved, God has not forsaken you because He will and can never forsake you, Isaiah 49:14_16.Hold on to Him and don't give up on Him. Remember He is the one that gave you that child ., keep on trusting Him for her life. That child shall be made perfectly healed and whole in Jesus name. If prayers seems not to work turn to thanksgiving. We are with you in prayers. Love lash.

We thank God for His mercies and grace upon us that has enabled us to see the New Year 2020. The year 2020 is a year that God has made and crowned with His goodness and there are new opens doors of opportunities to enjoy His goodness and blessings before us. Such new open doors include; open doors to high personal development and achievements, new open doors to new ventures, new jobs and businesses that will lead to financial breakthroughs, new open doors to richer fellowship with God and other spiritual discovery, and several other open doors. These are sure new open doors that just spring open before us. Isaiah 43:19.

However, as sure as the new open doors of the new year 2020 are, there are also adversaries that would want to oppose/ hinder one from seeing the new open doors; such adversaries as spoken of by Apostle Paul that “ a great door and effectual is open unto me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9. Topmost on the list of the adversaries against new open doors is REMEMBERING /HOLDING ON TO OUR PAST. Remembering our past implies to continue to think, ponder and dwell/hold on to our past in our heart. Our past is in two parts –the good/ positive past and the bad/ negative past. Our good/positive past has to do with our past achievements and successes while our bad /negative past has to do with our past failures, losses, defeats, heartaches, hurts, disappointments and regrets.

Remembering/holding on to our good/positive past can prevent us from seeing new open doors because it makes us unnecessarily over-confident or too proud of ourselves whereby we become relaxed and rest on our oars and stop making further moves for advancement into greater heights. This leaves so many heights unscaled. Jan Glidewell has this to say about holding on to our past – “you can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.”

Remembering our bad or negative past weakens, demoralizes, destabilizes, and discourages and blinds us. It does not just blind one from seeing new opportunities standing right before our very eyes, it also makes one have a negative mindset, which looks upon every circumstances in life as barriers of attainment. There is nothing that wastes ones precious time and energy and also makes one feel miserable, hopeless and depressed as remembering and thinking of one’s negative past.

Therefore God commanded us through Prophet Isaiah saying, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” Isaiah 43:18. To “remember not” implies to forget, to stop thinking/ pondering, to let go, to stop holding and dwelling on to the past. Apostle Paul did exactly this as he revealed in Philippians 3: 12-14. Apostle Paul neither allowed his terrible past of persecuting the believers hunt his present calling of God upon his life and he did not allow all his spiritual attainments, to stop him from pressing forward to meet the mark. Doing this was what helped him to achieve greater heights in his ministry.

There are very many new things God is doing in our lives and around us and many new open doors before us in 2020 as He says “Behold I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make away in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43: 18-19. We must not miss out of all these at all.

The truth is that most times forgetting our past is something that does not come easy because the more we try, the more they stare straight at us in our eyes. The surest way to achieve this is handling our past hurt to Jesus Christ our burden bearer (Matthew 11:28-30) and He would make available His grace to forget them to you. Therefore it is important we make deliberate efforts and choose to forget our past and embrace the present.

The past things worth remembering are God’s past faithfulness, and wonders in our lives as we are told in Isaiah 46:9-11. Doing this helps us retain God in our memory and remain in an attitude of gratitude towards Him. This rejoices the heart and strengthens our faith. It enlightens the eyes and helps us see new open doors of opportunities everywhere even in difficult opportunities where there seems to be no way.

May God help us overcome all adversaries that would want to oppose our seeing the New Year 2020 as a “great door” of wonderful opportunities opened to us in Jesus name Amen.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
www.lovelashblog.com

All praises, honor, adoration and thanksgiving be to High God for counting us among the living to see the wonderful beginning of the year 2020, another new year the Lord has made therefore we shall rejoice and be glad in it.

Although many things about the new year is still enshrouded in mystery, yet, those in Christ are not in total obscurity because our God and Father, who knows the end of everything from the beginning has already told us in His Words that He has crowned the year with His goodness Psalm 65:11. God’s goodness could be termed to be the sum total of all His nature and character that are responsible for all His marvelous and wonderful creation and dealings with all created. This implies God’s love, Light, holiness, compassion, kindness, mercy, favor, faithfulness, long suffering and patience will be at work in our lives in the year 2020 His grace shall be our sufficiency.

Year 2020 is a year you will not be without helper because God Almighty will help you Isaiah 41: 10, 13. It is your year of great rejoicing because He shall give you a new song Isaiah 30:29. It is a year you will not walk alone because His presence will be with you always. It is a year the enemy will not triumph over you in victory because God will fight all your battles, Exodus 14:14. It a year no situation will overwhelm you because He shall see you through them all, Isaiah 43:1-3. It is a year you will receive speedy answers to your prayers because he would hearken to your prayers even before you call, Isaiah 65:24. It is a year you shall weep no more because God shall be very gracious unto you, Isaiah 30:19. It is a year you shall not make losses in your trade because the Lord shall teach you how to make profit, Isaiah 30:21; 48:17. It is a year of you will not be tired or weary because He is your strength and His grace is sufficient for you. It is a year of all round breakthrough because He shall lead you in all your ways and caused shut doors and gates of iron to be opened before you, Isaiah 45:1-3. It is a year of favor because His goodness and mercy would go with you all the days of your life, Psalm 23:6. it is a year of abundance of blessing because he would give you open heavens, Deuteronomy 28:12. It is a year of unfailing supply of your needs because He shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory, Philippians 4:19; Jeremiah 31:14. It is a year of safety and security because He shall preserve your going in and coming out, Psalm 121:5-8. It is a year of you shall be honored because God loves you, Isaiah 43: 4. It is a year of your salvation, healing and deliverance because He shall deliver you and restore health to you, Jeremiah 30:17; 33:6. It is a year of your general well because our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we can ever think or do, Ephesians 3:20.

All these and many more are yours on the condition that:
a) Become born again and remain stead fast and unmovable in faith, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:58.
b) Be anxious for nothing, Philippians 4:16.
c) Put your trust only in the Lord forever. Isaiah 26:4; Psalm 4:5. Work hard and don’t give room to laziness, Galatians 6:4
d) Walk before God and be perfect, Genesis 17:1; Matthew 5:48
e) Hearken to the voice of your God Deuteronomy 28:2; Jeremiah 11:7.
f) Help the poor and the needy Psalm 41:1-3.
g) Give God thanksgiving and praises in everything Philippians 4:6 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Live in peace with all, 2 Corinthians 13: 11. Hebrews 12:14.
h) Be merciful, Luke 6:36. Walk in love as Christ has loved you, Ephesians 5:2. Read your Bible daily, Joshua 1:8; Colossian 3:16. Forgive all including yourself, Mark 11: 22-26. Don’t dwell on your horrible past Isaiah 43:18-19. Fear God, Ecclesiastes 12:13
i) Look unto Jesus, Hebrews 12:2. Love and do good to all.

I WISH YOU A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2020 IN JESUS NAME.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I
www.lovelashblog com

It was recorded in 1 Samuel 7:12 that Prophet Samuel set up stones between Mizpeh and Shen and named it “Ebenezer” meaning “hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” He set up those stones as a monument of grateful acknowledgement of the Almighty God, as Israelite’ helper in fighting all the battles waged against them by the Philistines in the time past till that present time and the restoration of Israelite cities taken by the Philistines during his years as a Judge over Israel, 1 Samuel 7: 11-17. What a grateful response from a grateful heart! What a wonderful example for each of us to follow. It is good to always acknowledge and give thanks to God whenever we think of how and where we started from and how far God has taken us. End of each year is one of the best times to consider where and how we started the year and how far God has taken us.

Today is the last Sunday of the year 2019, this means we are in day 363 out of the 365 days of 2019. Seeing the year to this time is worthy of thanksgiving to God for, IT HAS BEEN GOD FROM DAY ONE TO THE PRESENT DAY, AND TO HIM ALONE BE OUR THANKSGIVING AND PRAISES!

There are uncountable reasons to be grateful unto God for at this time, the foremost is our being kept alive from 1st day of 2019 till date. An uncountable number of people, who witnessed 1st of January 2019 as we did, are no more. Our being alive till today is not that we are in any way better than those who are dead but because of God’s faithfulness, loving kindness and mercies upon you and me, Lamentations 3:22-23. He has being our provider, sustainer, preserver, healer, guardian, deliverer, helper in the hour of need, comforter, companion, teacher, reminder, wisdom, defender and shield Psalm 18:2; 144:2. He is the one that teaches you to make profit and guides you in the way you should go. Do you realize that the peace, safety and securities you enjoyed even in the face of deadly pestilence, violent attacks and turmoils around is not because of your smartness or carefulness but because He is with you and He shielded you within and around you? Psalm 4: 8; 91. It was because Jesus interceded for you that made you have answers to your prayers and He still granted you some things you did not even asked for. Remember it was because He girded you by His strength that you were able to do all you did during the year, because in Him we live, move and have our being, psalm 18:32; Acts 17:28; Psalm 18:29,32,47,48. All you achieved this year such as, newly built house, acquired car and properties, newly birthed child, birthday, promotion, new business venture, gained admission, passed exam, written books, and several others were not by your power or might but by His grace alone Psalm 75:6; 127: 1-5. You being able to enjoy your sleep and fruits of your labour is because He gave you the grace, Ecclesiastes 5: 19. It was Him who gave you favor among men that made you find favor and help with all men.

Who has guided you in your unguided hours and prevented you from falling into the snare your enemies had laid secretly for you? psalm 18:47-48. It was God that did not allow the weapons fashioned against you by your enemies not to prosper Isaiah 54:15-17. He has prevented you from being harmed by the strife of the tongues of people through evil spoken words, evil report, gossip, backbiting, that are meant to harm you Psalm 31:20. It was His spirit in you that had prevented you from doing certain things or taking certain actions that would have landed you in great troubles. God was the one that saved you from those close shaves with death. Do you know how many times the enemy has risen against you in battle and failed because God fought on your behalf and gave you victory without you knowing? Are you aware of the number of times the enemy has reported you, judged and condemned you to death but you were released because Jesus defended and acquitted you? Surely, it has being the Lord as the Psalmist confessed:

“If it had not been the Lord who was

on our side when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick,

When their wrath was kindled against us:

Then the waters had overwhelmed us,

The stream had gone over our soul:

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given

us as a prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escape as a bird out

of the snare of the fowlers:

The snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help is the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124: 2-8

You probably might have suffered some disappointments and closed doors. Do you know that most times what are considered disappointments, closed doors and road blocks are God’s means of protecting you from paths and places not meant for you? If it happens that some of the things you looked unto God for in 2019 has not been realized, that does not mean you would not have it; delay is not denial. At the appointed time, God would grant you your heart desires and your joy shall be full. So, instead of brooding and being unnecessarily sad for what you don’t have, why not pick your pen and reflect back on all the goodness of God to you from January till now. Like the song writer says “count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!”

Know that, your being alive to this day indicates God is not finished with you yet. Stay positive and keep hope alive. The best is yet to come. MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

As for me, as I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me in the years past, the most recent being seeing me through the thick and thin of year 2019. For this, I lift up my hands and shout EBENEZER!

I know and I am sure that by His grace, the coming year 2020 is going to be a glorious year for me and my household! My song shall be that of praises of His goodness and mercies to me;

“I have seen the Lord’s goodness, His mercies and compassion,

I have seen the Lords goodness, hallelujah praise the Lord.

Oh Lord you have been so good you are so good to me,

Oh Lord, you are excellent in my family throughout the year,

Oh Lord you have been so good, you are so good to us.

Oh Lord you are excellent in our Lives!”

THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING MY HELP IN THE AGES PAST AND MY HOPE FOR THE YEARS TO COME.

A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2020 IS MY WISH TO YOU ALL.

www.lovelashblog.com

It was recorded in 1 Samuel 7:12 that Prophet Samuel set up stones between Mizpeh and Shen and named it “Ebenezer” meaning “hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” He set up those stones as a monument of grateful acknowledgement of the Almighty God, as Israelite’ helper in fighting all the battles waged against them by the Philistines in the time past till that present time and the restoration of Israelite cities taken by the Philistines during his years as a Judge over Israel, 1 Samuel 7: 11-17. What a grateful response from a grateful heart! What a wonderful example for each of us to follow. It is good to always acknowledge and give thanks to God whenever we think of how and where we started from and how far God has taken us. End of each year is one of the best times to consider where and how we started the year and how far God has taken us.

Today is the last Sunday of the year 2019, this means we are in day 363 out of the 365 days of 2019. Seeing the year to this time is worthy of thanksgiving to God for, IT HAS BEEN GOD FROM DAY ONE TO THE PRESENT DAY, AND TO HIM ALONE BE OUR THANKSGIVING AND PRAISES!

There are uncountable reasons to be grateful unto God for at this time, the foremost is our being kept alive from 1st day of 2019 till date. An uncountable number of people, who witnessed 1st of January 2019 as we did, are no more. Our being alive till today is not that we are in any way better than those who are dead but because of God’s faithfulness, loving kindness and mercies upon you and me, Lamentations 3:22-23. He has being our provider, sustainer, preserver, healer, guardian, deliverer, helper in the hour of need, comforter, companion, teacher, reminder, wisdom, defender and shield Psalm 18:2; 144:2. He is the one that teaches you to make profit and guides you in the way you should go. Do you realize that the peace, safety and securities you enjoyed even in the face of deadly pestilence, violent attacks and turmoils around is not because of your smartness or carefulness but because He is with you and He shielded you within and around you? Psalm 4: 8; 91. It was because Jesus interceded for you that made you have answers to your prayers and He still granted you some things you did not even asked for. Remember it was because He girded you by His strength that you were able to do all you did during the year, because in Him we live, move and have our being, psalm 18:32; Acts 17:28; Psalm 18:29,32,47,48. All you achieved this year such as, newly built house, acquired car and properties, newly birthed child, birthday, promotion, new business venture, gained admission, passed exam, written books, and several others were not by your power or might but by His grace alone Psalm 75:6; 127: 1-5. You being able to enjoy your sleep and fruits of your labour is because He gave you the grace, Ecclesiastes 5: 19. It was Him who gave you favor among men that made you find favor and help with all men.

Who has guided you in your unguided hours and prevented you from falling into the snare your enemies had laid secretly for you? psalm 18:47-48. It was God that did not allow the weapons fashioned against you by your enemies not to prosper Isaiah 54:15-17. He has prevented you from being harmed by the strife of the tongues of people through evil spoken words, evil report, gossip, backbiting, that are meant to harm you Psalm 31:20. It was His spirit in you that had prevented you from doing certain things or taking certain actions that would have landed you in great troubles. God was the one that saved you from those close shaves with death. Do you know how many times the enemy has risen against you in battle and failed because God fought on your behalf and gave you victory without you knowing? Are you aware of the number of times the enemy has reported you, judged and condemned you to death but you were released because Jesus defended and acquitted you? Surely, it has being the Lord as the Psalmist confessed:

“If it had not been the Lord who was

on our side when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick,

When their wrath was kindled against us:

Then the waters had overwhelmed us,

The stream had gone over our soul:

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given

us as a prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escape as a bird out

of the snare of the fowlers:

The snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help is the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124: 2-8

You probably might have suffered some disappointments and closed doors. Do you know that most times what are considered disappointments, closed doors and road blocks are God’s means of protecting you from paths and places not meant for you? If it happens that some of the things you looked unto God for in 2019 has not been realized, that does not mean you would not have it; delay is not denial. At the appointed time, God would grant you your heart desires and your joy shall be full. So, instead of brooding and being unnecessarily sad for what you don’t have, why not pick your pen and reflect back on all the goodness of God to you from January till now. Like the song writer says “count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!”

Know that, your being alive to this day indicates God is not finished with you yet. Stay positive and keep hope alive. The best is yet to come. MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

As for me, as I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me in the years past, the most recent being seeing me through the thick and thin of year 2019. For this, I lift up my hands and shout EBENEZER!

I know and I am sure that by His grace, the coming year 2020 is going to be a glorious year for me and my household! My song shall be that of praises of His goodness and mercies to me;

“I have seen the Lord’s goodness, His mercies and compassion,

I have seen the Lords goodness, hallelujah praise the Lord.

Oh Lord you have been so good you are so good to me,

Oh Lord, you are excellent in my family throughout the year,

Oh Lord you have been so good, you are so good to us.

Oh Lord you are excellent in our Lives!”

THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING MY HELP IN THE AGES PAST AND MY HOPE FOR THE YEARS TO COME.

A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2020 IS MY WISH TO YOU ALL.

www.lovelashblog.com

We are in the yuletide season and the smell of Christmas is in the air as loud blaring Christmas carols from music shops and the sounds of knock-outs and different types of fireworks fill the air. Many spotlight places, shopping malls, banks, major streets, church buildings, hospitals, housing complexes, children playing grounds, and hotels to mention a few are wearing new looks; being beautifully decorated and adorned with colourful green, red, and gold materials finely draped. The different displays of Christmas lights in many forms and shapes at strategic places are a thing of beauty to behold. Homes are not left out of this; many homes are wearing new paint and old curtains have paved way for new ones. Christmas trees adorned with beautiful Christmas ornaments, lights and other decorations occupy conspicuous places in many homes. Everywhere is bubbling with activities; schools and churches have organized carol nights where beautiful Christmas carols are rendered. The influx of people at market places for their Christmas shopping and the sky rocketing prices of commodities are all part of it. Many parents have taken their children visiting “father Christmas” for gifts and individuals can be seen donning a variety of Christmas caps.

Christmas, an annual celebration that could be considered the most celebrated event worldwide has come to stay even though certain people claim its origin/celebration is from an ancient pagan god, has no Scriptural backings or that Jesus was not born on the 25th day of December. People are free to say whatever they like about Christmas and that is their prerogative; Romans 14:5!

However, for us who celebrate Christmas, December 25th is a day commemorating the day heaven kissed earth. As the name implies; Christmas, it is not about the celebration of any damned heathen god, but the “CELEBRATION OF JESUS CHRIST”; the Savior of the World. For us, this day which commemorates the coming of the God of all creation into the world; the one who gives snow like wool and scatters the hoarfrosts like ashes; (Psalm 147:16) is a day of joy and great rejoicing. Jesus whom we celebrate is the Word, the power and wisdom of God who garnished the sky with stars and splashed the sky with beautiful colours at sun set; His throne is surrounded by the rainbow and before it is a sea of glass like crystal; and out of which proceeded lightning and thundering and voices (Revelations 4:3, 5 & 6) therefore He is worth being celebrated with the most beautiful colorful ornaments, artifacts, decorations and clothing. The heavenly King who came to reconcile all lost souls back to God and through whom joy and peace is restored to the world is worthy to be celebrated joyfully in song and dance; with the most beautiful musical renditions and melodies telling the world the story of his birth as the angels did at the announcement of his birth to the shepherds in Luke 2:13-14.

Yet, as we celebrate, utmost care must be taken not to miss out on the very reason for the celebration which is God’s love for humanity. Christmas celebration is ALL ABOUT JESUS CHRIST; The LOVE OF God personified. HE IS GOD’S INESTIMABLE GIFT TO THE WORLD; JOHN 3:16. JESUS WAS BORN FOR YOU AND ME, TO SAVE US FROM SIN THAT WE MIGHT ALL BE FREE LUKE 2:71-79. We must tell the whole world about the great king who left His heavenly throne of glory to this sinful world and was made a sacrifice for our sins.

It is important in our celebration of Christmas that the person and character of Jesus is reflected by us in everything we do to celebrate His day. Jesus is humble, modest, peace loving, compassionate and holy. Our celebration should be done with great rejoicing, but in all modesty and not in extravagance of any sort. Spend wisely and within your capacity; no debt, avoid excessive drinking; drunkenness, drugs, and any form or violence. Christmas is a period to show love to others, not a day to display inordinate affection, or involve in sinful sexual acts because Christ who is being celebrated is Holy and sinless. It is not a day of opulent displays of wealth but a season of goodwill and charity; sharing gifts with others and visiting the less privileged. Most importantly, it is a season to tell others about JESUS; THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

The one who celebrates “True Christmas” is not him that sings the loudest and sweetest, it is not him whose house or church is the most beautifully decorated; but him who has given his life to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as his or her personal Lord and Saviour. Also, it is the one who in celebrating the world’s best gift gives gifts to the poor and needy out of love. Such an individual’s life shall be given a new face lift and he or she shall become beautifully decorated by Jesus the perfect designer and decorator and the original “Father Christmas”; giver of good and perfect gifts James 1:17.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ME TO YOU ALL.

Some time ago, I read a story about a fine-art teacher who drew and colored two moderate size circles on the big white chalkboard in the fine-art room. As the class of thirty students came in and settled down, he gave each of them a small piece of paper, pointed at the chalkboard and asked them this question; “what do you see?”

Twenty-eight of them wrote, “I can see a red and a black circle.” The remaining two wrote, “I can see a red and a black small circle on the white chalkboard.”

The teacher randomly asked a few of those who wrote that they saw “a small red and a black circle” why they did not make mention of the big white chalkboard the circles were drawn on. They responded that it was because they did not consider the chalkboard as part of the objects of observation. He further asked them why they did not view the white chalkboard as part of their objects of observation. They replied that since they were already familiar with the chalkboard, they felt it was not of any significance therefore they ignored it.

He then asked the two students who had written that they saw “a red and a black circle on a big white chalkboard” why they included the big white chalkboard. They replied and said it was because they saw and recognized the white chalkboard not only as a part of the objects of observation but also as an important object that made the drawing of the two circles possible.

How very much like the twenty-eight students that took for granted the white chalkboard as part of their object of observation due to the fact that they were familiar with it are many of us in Christendom who give thanks to God only for specific blessings while ignoring the mundane blessings of life during our private and public thanksgiving services because we are familiar with them.

It is a common thing on thanksgiving services in most churches for majority of the congregation to come forward to give thanks to God only for what they considered to be special blessings of God to them such as new houses, new cars, new births, promotion, school admission, graduation, safe childbirth, marriage, new job, deliverance from accident and several others. Giving thanks to God for specific blessings is a good and important thing to do.

However it is also important and good to equally come forward and give thanks to God for His uncountable common goodness and blessings that we have all about and around us each day, year-in, year-out that we are familiar with that we regard as mundane blessings as stipulated by God’s commandment that says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:20.

This implies that we are supposed to give thanks for everything both the things we considered as mundane and those considered as special blessings.

Ironically, those blessings we see as “mundane” and hardly thank God for are very vital to our existence without which we cannot enjoy the special blessings given. Those things we consider as mundane are our lives’ wires. These include, life, sunlight, fresh air, water, food, protection, provisions peace, love, good health, strength, vitality, family members, neighbors, friends, safety, ability to do all we do, eating, sleeping, breathing, body organs, opportunities, privileges, night and day, clothes to cover our unclothedness, trees, animals, birds, rivers, sky, stars and moon, and several others. Can you imagine what life would be like without these things? God deserves being appreciated for them.

There are many things we do on a daily basis that we take for granted and never deemed them fit to give thanks to God for simply because we assumed such things are too ordinary, trivial or normal. However, the truth is that doing those things do not come easy, or normal to some people. Most things we can do naturally and take for granted cannot be done by numerous people, not because they don’t want to do it, but because they don’t have the grace and strength to involve in such activities. It takes the grace of God to do all we do. Waking up and getting out of bed bathing and dressing up is challenging for some people. Not all can defecate, urinate, digest foods, breath, and rise from their bed or chair without special gargets. Getting money to buy food and getting food to buy, cooking or eating is hard for some people to do. Not all can afford to rent a room, buy land or build houses. Not all can afford to buy soap for bathing and washing. Not all have access to drinkable water, health care services. Some have houses but cannot stay in them, some have cars, but cannot drive, some have certificates but cannot work with them, and some are married but cannot have children while some have children but they cannot take care of them. Some have beds but find it very difficult to sleep at any time of the day. Some have all the good things of life but they cannot enjoy them because of ill health. The grace to do these comes from God, Ecclesiastes 5:19.

It is important to thank God for all you can do no matter how minute we consider them to be because doing anything at all involves divine strength as Jesus made us realize in John 5:15. God is the strength of our life! This implies whatever you are able to do at all is as enabled and empowered by Him, we can do all things through Christ who strengths us. All we are capable of doing are by His grace and power alone and not by our own power and abilities, therefore we must give Him thanks for them. Consider these; not everyone with brains can learn, memorize, think, imagine things, plan, reason well, ponder, create, comprehend, understand or remember things. Not all with eyes can open them and see with them, close them at will, blink or shed tears. Not all with ears can ear with them. Not all with a nose can breathe through them or smell with them. Not all with a mouth can talk at all or talk cohesively, pray, eat, swallow, taste, sing, or spit with them. Not all have teeth and not all that have teeth can bite, cut and chew. Not all with necks can turn their heads to certain directions. Not all have legs and not all with legs can walk, run, squat, jump, bend, wear shoes, move their toes, match, climb or do certain things others do with their legs. Not all have hands and not all with hands can clap, grip, write, fold them, bath, type, eat with them, hug another, lift or carry up or hold something with it. Not all with butts can sit up. Not all can lie down on their sides or back. Many people have their body parts complete but cannot do anything by themselves but have to be assisted by others because there is no vitality and strength in their bodies. It is therefore important to appreciate Him in everything we do as we are commanded “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” —Colossians 3:15-17.

From my observation, I have discovered that some of us get very bitter and sad just because of one thing we lack or believe God has not done for us due to our turning blind eyes to the uncountable common blessings of God round about us. If you didn’t thank him for what he has blessed you with in abundance, how do you want Him to give to you what you desire? It is good and appropriate to appreciate God for what He has already given to us no matter how we classified them and also thank Him for things we are waiting in anticipation for.

God deserves being celebrated at all times for all His blessings goodness and mercies Psalm 136: 1.

Remember to always thank God for His unspeakable gift of His Son Jesus Christ – Author of our Salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible, and the Church, 2 Corinthians 9:15

I AM GRATEFUL OH LORD, FOR ALL THINGS. THANK YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S LOVE SPREAD ABROAD OUR HEARTS

1) It is the basic ingredient needed in all relationships with fellow humans. God’s original plan for creating man in His own image and likeness as lovely, lovable and loving being and given dominion over all others creatures is so that man can reflect his perfect true love to fellow humans and other creatures; loving, helping, and caring for them and living in love, peace, harmony and unity.

However, when man sinned, he was alienated from God and became depraved. Depravity destroyed all that godly true love that fosters good relationships stands for such as humility, kindness, compassion, care, empathy, endurance, and in its place are fake love, selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, cruelty, hypocrisy, deceit, and every form of wickedness. Sin has turned man against man, brother against brothers, sisters against sisters, husband against wives and wives against husbands, family members against each other, children against parents, servants against masters, neighbors against neighbors, and nations against nations. Man has stopped being humane and now carry out every form of inhuman activities against humanity. Worst is the fact that man’s sinful activities have caused great harm and damage to other creatures. In fact, everything is in total disarray because of fallen man. These are all contrary to God’s original plan that wants man to dwell in love, show loving-kindness and care to all.

The truth is that fallen man remains the most difficult of all creatures to love because they are hostile, ungrateful, deceitful, abusive, rude, manipulative, selfish, proud, very annoying, insensitive and devilish. They like hurting others intentionally and their thoughts are evil continually. However, God’s counsel is that Christian believers should love them all the same whether they are unlovable or not and whether they deserve it or not and He gave us a commandment to back it up, Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5. Our Lord Jesus categorically revealed that loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves are the greatest of all the commandments, Matthew 22:39. We are to love everybody because, despite man’s depravity, man remains God’s special creature having His image and likeness, one He sets His love upon.

So, for the new believers to be able to obey the commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves, He spread His love abroad our hearts by His Spirit. The same type of love He has for us both the good and bad people that made Him give His only begotten Son to die for our sins. Love of God in our hearts makes us humane. It is what enables us to feel for others irrespective of color, tribe or religion. Love does not think evil, plan evil and does not do evil to its neighbors. It fosters a true, harmonious relationship because it covers a multitude of sins. Peaceful co-existence with one another from different families, religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds can only be achieved in love because love does not discriminate against others; it has no limitations or borders. Love is patient, not envious, forgiving, true, kind and caring, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love of God enables one to love unconditionally and selflessly. As one extends oneself to love others it will enable one love for oneself to grow deeper, stronger, healthier and happier.

2) It promotes correct self-love. Sin made man become naked, self-centered, self-dependence and selfish among others. The implication of this is that it makes man’s love and focus to be more on himself thereby making him concentrate and think only of himself. Doing this either causes him to love and value himself excessively and to think highly of himself or makes him see his flaws and imperfections and devalue himself looking down on himself. Excessive self-love makes man love himself above God and causes pride, arrogance, self-idolatry and egocentric, while diminished self-love causes self-pity, self-relegation, self-hate, self-defeat, self-deprivations, low self-esteem and value, and self-condemnation. All these are not good for the well-being of man, nothing steals inner peace, joy, and gladness than the above mentioned. All the sinful and self-harm practices many are involved in such as sinful practices, smoking, taking alcohol and hard drugs, involvement in highly dangerous sports and suicide are the result of the above.

The importance for each person to have the correct self-love cannot be overemphasized; self-love brings self-acceptance, self-respect, boldness, courage, peace, joy and happiness. It refrains one from indulging in anything that causes harm to the body, soul, and spirit. The love of God spread abroad our hearts enables us to see ourselves through the eyes of God who created us in love in His image and likeness beautifully and wonderfully Psalm 139: 14. As we do this we discover and see ourselves in the right way God sees and loves us as unique individuals and we can accept ourselves for who we are. As we appreciate God’s love for us we grow deeper and stronger in self-love and can love others.

WATCH OUT FOR PART III.

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GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

Among the many things God’s gracious salvation bestowed on us is the shedding of His love by His Spirit abroad the heart of each and every one of us, Romans 5:5. With this, each of us is restored to the original moral character likeness of God.
For a better understanding of the implication of this we must visit what transpired in the Garden of Eden. From the Scriptures, we learnt that God is Love among others. This God who is love created man (male and female) in His own image and likeness, Genesis 1:27. This implies they possessed natural and moral likeness of God including Love though in a lesser degree; for they were personal beings with spirit, mind, emotions, self consciousness and will power, Genesis 2:19-20; 3:6-7; 9:6; Ephesians 4: 24. They are holy, possessing wisdom, and a heart to love. On the basis of having God’s image, they could respond to and have fellowship with Him and uniquely reflect His love, glory and holiness. They lived in a personal fellowship with God that involved moral obedience and intimate communion, Genesis 2:15-17; Ephesians 4: 24.

When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s commandment, they died spiritually and their moral likeness to God became corrupted, Genesis 6:5. Their spiritual death implied among others that they became disconnected from God the source of their spirituality, holiness, purity, love, wisdom. Man was also driven from the Garden of Eden God planted for them into the other part of the earth where Satan rules. With time, as man remained under the rule, that which remained in them of God’s spirituality, holiness, purity; love, wisdom and the doing of his will finally dulled off and was replaced with carnality, unrighteousness, sinfulness, worldly wisdom, hatred and gross disobedience and rebellion.

However, God in His infinite mercy and love for mankind redeemed man through His gracious salvation through His beloved Son Jesus Christ back to Himself and spread His love abroad our hearts, John 3:16; Romans 5:5. With God’s love in the heart of each believer, each believer possesses God’s love likeness – God’s type of love. With this we can uniquely love Him and reflect His love to other creations.

God did this for our outmost best because His love in our hearts is our greatest need in our sojourn on earth and our spiritual life and our journey to eternity. Unfortunately, most of those who are born again, are not making the utmost use of this very important gift in our hearts to our own detriment. Before we go further let us know what love of God is all about.

WHAT IS LOVE OF GOD?

This implies God-kind of love known as the Agape love. It is the greatest and the highest love. To understand what love of God is one has to look at the operations of His love as revealed in the Scripture. At creation in Genesis chapter one, the love of God is revealed as a powerful and creative love, a love that initiates and plans and created everything in total perfection for the good one loved, 1 John 4:10. It is a love that is the most benevolent. In Genesis chapter 3 when Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned against God, He judged them and clothed their unclothedness. This revealed that love of God is a righteous love, one that chastises the one loved when wrong and shows mercy at the same time. The giving of Jesus God’s only begotten world as a sacrificial lamb for the remission of our sins in John 3:16 shows the love of God as an unconditional immeasurable love. At calvary when Jesus the sinless willingly died for the sins of the whole world, the love of God is revealed as a selfless, self-giving and sacrificial love which seeks the highest good of others. When we consider the fact that God does not deal with us as our sins deserved and has not stopped loving us despite all the sins committed, we know that God’s love is kind, suffers long, and never ends, Lamentation 3:22-23.

Agape love demands a personal deliberate assent of the will. This is because it is something one has to choose to do just as God chose to love us in Christ Jesus. It is something that needs to be sought and honestly acted out. Agape love is something that involves one’s totality, body, soul (feelings, emotions, thoughts and will) and spirit and expressed in words, actions or deeds. It involves living it.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S LOVE SPREAD ABROAD OUR HEARTS

1) Love of God helps us to respond to God’s love appropriately; Surely God is good and His loving kindness is to everything He created especially to man that He created in His own image and likeness, gave everything that pertains to life and also dominion over all things He created. His gracious salvation through His son Jesus Christ whereby He redeemed fallen man back to Himself is the peak of His unspeakable acts of love to man. Every act of God’s love deserves being reciprocated by everyone for all things and in all things and at all times. Unfortunately, one major problem confronting mankind is their inability to respond correctly in gratitude to God’s goodness and loving kindness to us. Often times, His acts of goodness and loving kindness are ignored, taken for granted or misunderstood. The spreading of His love abroad our hearts by His Holy Spirit enlightens our heart and enables us respond appropriately in love and ceaseless gratitude to God’s for all and in all things and at all times knowing that His goodness and loving kindness never comes to an end in our lives no matter what happens. Doing this is what pleases our God.

2) It is the most needed in our relationship with God. Through God’s gracious salvation through His son Jesus Christ those who come to Him in faith become His sons, John 1:12. This implies God has become our Father and us His sons. This implies we are in a Father/son love relationship. This is in fact the greatest of all relationships, 1 john 3:1. As His relational being, fervent Love is the expected and mandatory response from us in our relationship with Him as our Father. God’s (Christ) love was shed abroad our hearts because He knows that for us to enjoy an unbroken father/son relationship with him we must be of same type of love with His son Jesus. It is only with His type of love that we can love Him with all our heart, all our soul and our entire mind. Our Lord Jesus our perfect example maintained a fervent love relationship with God His Father by obeying Him and doing His ”will” even unto death on the cross of calvary, John 5:30. Jesus and His Father are one and they shared same interests and do same works John 5:23. He lives by the father and Jesus loves spending quality time with Him John 6:57. He had unbroken communicating with Him. He spoke lovingly of His father’s love for Him to others. He dwelled in the love of God in everything and glorified Him in everything. He did all this for us to emulate. When a son appreciates the love of His father towards him appropriately, a powerful bond is created this is done the heart of the beneficiary is confidence, trust and total dependence is developed towards our benefactor.

3) Love of God in our hearts make us better worshippers: God’s gracious salvation through Jesus Christ also makes us priests unto God, Revelations 1:6. This implies we are in another wonderful relationship (God/worshipper) with Him. As his worshipper every act of our worship must be done in fervent love. He backed this up with a commandment Deuteronomy 6:5. Our Lord Jesus affirmed saying “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all the strength” Mark 12:30. Checkout the names of some of the true great worshippers of God in the Bible and you will discover they are those who loved the Lord greatly. Men such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, King David, king Hezekiah, Daniel and the three Hebrew boy’s apostle Paul, John the beloved, Apostle Peter and several others. They are men that responded in love to God rightly in obedience, thanksgiving and praises. They were men that worshipped God in all situations and circumstances of life even death threats and persecution could not dissuade them from worshipping. They stood for God in the midst of ungodliness. They remained true and faithful to God and did not turn to idols.

The truth is that no man can worship God as He commanded in truth and Spirit without His love in the heart. Love of God makes one forsake one’s will for doing of God’s will. Love of God enables one to spend time with Him in personal prayers and devotions, evangelism and to give generously to promote His kingdom on earth. Love of God makes one remain faithful, committed and dedicated to God in this world of sin full of distractions, temptations and afflictions.

4) Love of God is the most needed in our services to God and men, Deuteronomy 11: 13; Galatians 5:13. As Christians we are not called to redundancy but to service in God’s kingdom. Each and every one of us is called to serve the Lord in one capacity or the order as the Lord as equipped us for whether as an evangelist, minister of the word, preacher, missionary, Sunday school teacher, helper, a leader or a Christian worker of any kind. What makes one a true Christian worker who serves with a perfect heart is not educational background, wisdom, eloquence, organizing ability, but a love passion for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. This implies the degree of our love for Christ determines everything we do. It determines how far we go, what we endure and how we do everything. It determines the level of our obedience in following after the pattern He showed us. The Love of God in our hearts is what enables us to render service to God with our body, all out heart, all our soul and our entire mind and with all humility Romans 12:1.

WATCH OUR FOR PART 2

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

One of the promises made by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Christian believers which most of us are conversant with but often times we are not mindful of is “…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Matthew 28: 20b. By this promise, the invisible presence of our ever-living, ever-loving, and everlasting Savior Jesus Christ is assured to be with us everywhere, at all times, day and night, year in and year out and in all situations and circumstances. This implies Jesus Christ is invisibly present with us outwardly - all around us and inwardly- indwelling us by His holy spirit.

This promise is not made to a certain group of people among the believers but to all believers; male/ female, young/ old, master /servant, prisoners and others anywhere be at home /abroad on the land/sea or air, hospital, prison, etc. This is a promise that is true and reliable because He that made it is true and is the Truth, one who cannot lie, change or fail. It is a promise given to us in good faith to strengthen, comfort and allay every fear and loneliness.

With this promise, the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ is meant to be real to us everywhere and at all times. This implies we are to carry the continual awareness/consciousness of our Lord’s presence everywhere and at all times. This is a very important thing to do because of the tremendous blessings to us.

This reminder of this great promise is of great importance to the Christian believers now more than ever before because of the end times and situations of things in the world full of so many unforeseen situations and terrible happening in the society such joblessness, failures, hardship, persecutions, disappointment, temptations and trials, illness, losses, delayed blessings among other life challenges. Note that the promise had already included the end times we are in because he says” till the end of days” It is very easy in Times such as we are in with so much strains, tension and many other things beclouding our visions to doubt or not to be sure of the reality of His presence with us as promised. We must never be like Thomas who doubted His presence when told because He that promised is the Great I Am, that I Am. We must live in the consciousness of His presence always. According to J. Sidlow Baxter “when we lack the consciousness of his presence we are easily disturbed, disheartened, nervous, ruffled. Impatient, wrongly self-assertive; but when we live in the joyful comfort of his realized presence, we become optimistic amid discouragements, patience amid tribulation, brave amid danger, calm amid strife, cheerful amid monotony”

My Dear Reader, the situations you are now might make you question the reality of God’s presence with you just as the unpalatable situation of the Israelite caused by their enemies made Gideon questioned the reality of God’s presence with Israel in Judges 6:13. Probably you are in Jacob’s like situation on his way to Haran; homeless, alone, without any possession and in a strange land considered to be the land of pagans where he probably believed the God of his fathers’ Abraham and Jacob was not present? Know that unpalatable situations and circumstances of life or change from favorable location or position are not indications of God’s absence as Gideon and Jacob realized when God revealed His presence to them at the spot they never knew He was present, Genesis 28:12-16, Judges 6:11-12. Each of them built altars of worship and appreciation unto the Lord where He revealed Himself to them, Genesis 28:18, Judges 6:24. Realize God’s presence is with you right now where you are because He is Omnipresence, He is everywhere present. King David knew and revealed this in Psalm 139:1-12.

Living in the consciousness of God’s presence was one thing that guided and comforted Joseph in his many years of sojourn and travails in Egypt. What a comfort was the presence of the Lord to Apostle Paul as he took his trial before Nero and could say”at my first defense no man stood with me, but all men forsook me;…notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.”

What a joyous visitation and meeting the Hebrew boys had with the Invisible God whom they worshiped and refused to deny when He made Himself Visible and appeared in the burning furnace of fire they were thrown for His Sake to safe and deliver them!

NO SHAKING! GOD IS WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES AND SITUATIONS.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

makeade:
Have you had an encounter with God before?

YES.

IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING AND BELIEVING THAT GOD LOVES YOU

The importance of knowing and believing in God's love for us as individuals can never be overemphasized, some of which are
1) It fulfills the desire and yearning of our Heart; Man being created in the image and likeness of God who is Love shared in this wonderful attribute though in a smaller degree. This implies man is wired to love and be loved by God. There is a great desire and yearning for love when we lack the assurance of being loved by God. Nothing fulfills and satisfies the yearning of the heart as knowing and believing in God's loves for us as individuals.

2) We are in the end times. The negative effect of this is the high rate of inhumanity and wickedness, high rates of divorce and betrayal, desertion, rejection, disappointments, and many heartbreaking issues. Knowing and believing God's love for us give us the assurance of true, unfailing and lasting love our heart can rest on.

3) A problem many of us are battling with is the feelings of guilt and condemnation. Knowing and believing God's unconditional love for us gives the assurance of forgiveness and acceptance by God. This frees the mind and makes one bold and confidence to approach the throne of God.

4) It is an antidote of doubt; Knowing and believing God's love removes every doubt and uncertainties about God's Love. One thing Satan has successfully used to make many Christian become miserable and discouraged especially when faced with challenges is making them believe the lie that God does not love or care for them. Among the things Satan wanted to achieve by making people doubt God's love is to make them weak spiritually so as to be able to unleash his three cardinal attacks which is to steal, kill and destroy, John 10:10.

To believe that God does not love or care for you is to believe the greatest of all lies made against the very essence and character of God which is Love. God is Love and compassionate, 1 John 4:8. God loves every soul in the world both the believers and unbelievers alike. God's love for humanity is the foundation of creation, the reason for creating man in His image and likeness and the giving of dominion. It is the foundation of salvation and all that God has given and done and He is doing for mankind. How could God whose very Essence is Love, the source of all true love be said not to love and care? How could God who loves and cares for you right before you were born till this present time even while you were yet a sinner stop loving you? It is not possible for Him to stop loving and caring for you because of the attributes of His Love which are; great, (Ephesians 2: 4-5) endless, true, boundless, changeless, steadfast (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 136:26). Is it possible that a God who cares for even the ants and sparrows will not care for the one He created in His image and likeness? How could a God who gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to the world turned around not to love those whom the Son died for. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, Romans 5:8; 1 John 4: 9-11.

No matter what happens, you must not give up your faith in God's love for you because He loves you so much. Remember that Job did not give up on God's loving-kindness and care for him in the face of the huge losses and could trust without wavering, Job 13: 15-16. King David was sorely persecuted, yet he remained steadfast because he never for once lose sight of God's loving-kindness for Him as he indicated in Psalm 26:3, 40: 10

Challenges are not indications of the absence of God's love for you, Hebrews 12: 6. Neither is it that God's love is on trial. The intensity of the challenges you are passing through is not an indication of you not being loved and cared for by God. He is with you in all you are passing through even when it seems He is far away or hidden. He has promised to be with you always Isaiah 43:1-3.
God loves and cares so much about you in whatever you are going through. One indeed becomes worried and full of anxiety when we see or experience things contrary to our expectations of what we think God's love and care implies. This is where many of us get it wrong, God's love like any other of His Attributes is beyond human wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Remember His ways are not like our own. Part of God's way of showing His love is through chastisement to make you develop godly characters, Hebrews 12:6. Remember faithfulness to God does not guarantee believers freedom from sufferings, pains, and troubles. However, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, Romans 8: 28. Jesus Christ told us we would face tribulations. This is because we live in a fallen world characterized by terrible happenings. He, however, promised us His presence, grace and help in time of trouble. We must never lose the assurance of God's Love and care for us. When you lose the assurance of God's love and care the first thing that would happen is that you would be angry and bitter against God. With anger and bitterness comes complains and murmuring against God. From complaining and murmuring comes despondency, hopelessness and the wish to die.

I may not know what you are passing through, the sorrows, the hardship, the pains, the burdens you are carrying. However, one thing I know and I am sure of is that Jesus loves you.

BE GROUNDED IN HIS LOVE.

God's desire for each of us is to grow into the stature of Jesus Christ in every area of our spiritual life including the area of the Father and son love relationship between Him and us. This implies God desires we go beyond knowing and believing in His love for us to become grounded in His love, deep-rooted, remaining strong and steadfast in our faith in His love for us no matter the turbulence faced. This is the key to eternal life, spiritual strength and being filled with the fullness of God as Apostle Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesians 3:14-19;

14) For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17) That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.
18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height;
19) and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all fullness of God.
The truth we must know is that our being born-again is the beginning of our love relationship with God and it is important that that love relationship must be sustained and maintained on our side. God's love for us is endless is a love we have to explore and enjoy forever. It is something we have to consciously live in. This implies we must consciously walk in, eat in, sleep in, confess it, talk about, act upon, think about, meditate about bask in it it is by so doing we get to know him better, trust, love be steadfast and unshaken
When one lives in the joyful comfort of God's loving-kindness and care, one becomes optimistic amidst discouragement, strong amid weakness/brokenness, patient in the midst of tribulations, brave amid danger, calm amid strive, cheerful amid gloominess and hopeful amid hopelessness.

Knowing God's love, understanding and being rooted in God's love involve certain deliberate actions by you, such as;
1) Spend time alone with Him in prayers and studying His Holy Scripture.
2) Live in the consciousness of God's love for you.
3) Learn to thank Him always for all things and in all things
4) Talk about His love for you to otht\ers.
5) Reciprocate His love for by Loving Him with all your heart and loving Others
6) Tell Him of your love for him

COME AND ENJOY GOD'S LOVE WITH ME

If you are reading this post and you are wondering about the possibility of you having this kind of Father and son love relationship as described above, I want you to know that it is possible, you can. God loves you, irrespective of your race or skin color. He loves you whether you are rich, poor, male, female, educated, tall, short, disabled or whatever. Jesus was given for you "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
Repent of all your sins and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

See part 1 here: https://www.nairaland.com/5417919/specially-loved-god-part-1

Also visit www.lovelashblog.com for more related posts