₦airaland Forum

God sees the heart! True repentance is what makes the difference in this matter!

Our Churches can create jobs for the jobless folks! There is money and brains in our churches! They can give charitably to those who are temporarily short and help them in getting work instead of continually taking advantage of the poor!

I remember this church where the pastor would curse the flock that didn't give money. Not only was he (still is) fleecing them in the physical; they were ( and are still) being fleeced in the spiritual. The flock is being held in bondage and most of them know it but can't leave. Unforunately for most of the flock, they have made the pastor their God and follow his instructions even where it clearly contradicts the Bible. I pray that this flock be released from captivity soon as some have been held for as long as 16 years!

God will reward us all!

[quote author=Rhino.3dm link=topic=505906.msg6668339#msg6668339 date=1283198150]Pastor please what about the husband you promise them the other day? ?[/quote]Rhino.3dm darling,

Please come back here. 18 (or more) questions to go at https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-500505.64.html.

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Prayers work! When the problem is sorted in the spiritual, it will be manifested in the physical!

Educated law enforcement officers run crime rings after all! Educated people despoil, rob and murder and yet there are people who have not seen the walls of a school who will not harm the next person! Many of of our corrupt officials are educated, yet the level of corruption in Nigeria keeps increasing. Educating a morally corrupt person will not stop them from committing crime!

Why do some people find it difficult to follow due process? If you can't do the time, don't do the crime!

Zodiac61:
How very typical
Missing the point (no doubt deliberately as is usual for theists).
The point is not whether anyone has forced me to live by god's rule book, but whether those who scream the loudest about homosexuality do the same when it comes to enforcing other prohibitions in the bible.
How many pastors have taken their wives to their fathers' houses on their wedding nights and had them stoned to death for not being virgins at the point of marriage?
How many christians have been stoned for being adulterers? Yet we know christians many times over.
How many pastors pay heed to "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man man to enter the kingdom of god"?
How many christians have heard "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.Forgive, and you will be forgiven"?
Why do christians spend their kind looking into other persons' bedrooms? This is a sign of sexual frustration on the part of those who pretend to be pious.
I am sure that all those who appear to be outraged about the idea of two men living their lives together spend most of their spare time wondering what it would be like to take it from behind .

Christians can point out the sin of fellow christians. The aim is not condemnation but to get them to depart from that sin and return to their former love (Christ). The word of God condemns homosexuality, therefore, keeping quiet when 'Christians who are departing from Christ' and 'fashioning a god to suit their own lifestlye' mislead others is not what a true Christian would do. Homosexuality has no place in Christianity!

Jehovah is not the god of sexual perversion. Many christians and non-christians enjoy a very fulfilling sex life without resorting to any form of perversion.

Zodiac61:
How very typical 
Missing the point (no doubt deliberately as is usual for theists).
[b]The point is not whether anyone has forced me to live by god's rule book, but whether those who scream the loudest about homosexuality do the same when it comes to enforcing other prohibitions in the bible.
How many pastors have taken their wives to their fathers' houses on their wedding nights and had them stoned to death for not being virgins at the point of marriage?
How many christians have been stoned for being adulterers? Yet we know christians many times over.[/b]How many pastors pay heed to "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man man to enter the kingdom of god"?
How many christians have heard "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven"?
Why do christians spend their kind looking into other persons' bedrooms? This is a sign of sexual frustration on the part of those who pretend to be pious.
I am sure that all those who appear to be outraged about the idea of two men living their lives together spend most of their spare time wondering what it would be like to take it from behind.

Punishment for the death-warranting sins under the Old Covenant was administrated by the Levitical Priests (Humans). Christians are under the New Covenant (made in the blood of Christ) and punishment for sins under this covenant is not administered by man.

[b]The Old Covenant was administered by a carnal priesthood – The Levitical.  This covenant did not enable sinners to receive forgiveness and did not promise eternal life. The wages of their sin was simply death.

Under the Old covenant, the people were required to keep the law in the ‘letter’, not in its spiritual intent. For example ‘Thou shalt not kill’. If you didn’t kill anyone, you would not receive the penalty that was stipulated in the administration of the Old Covenant. Jesus emphasised the spiritual intent in saying anyone angry with his brother without cause is in danger of violation that commandment (Matthew 5: 21 - 22). Under the old law, it was possible to hate someone so much you wanted to kill them, but not kill them because you did not want the penalty murder carried and wanted to pretend you were holy.  It meant such a person was clean outside but dirty inside, following the law to the letter but not the ‘spirit’ (intent) of the law.

The Ten Commandments are the part of the covenant that the Israelites agreed to keep. It is not the covenant itself (Deut 4: 13). Keeping the Ten Commandments equalled keeping The Covenant.  The Ten Commandments undergirded all the laws the Israelites were supposed to obey.

‘The Old Covenant’ and the ‘administration of the Old Covenant’ are obsolete and passing away (Hebrews 8: 13) (Hebrews 8: 7- because of a fault in the Old Covenant: The people were unable/unwilling to keep the Laws. The penalties for not keeping the covenant were too much for them to bear. They had broken it and would reap the consequences. They were finished. Redeeming them necessitated a New Covenant. God promised a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31 -34). [/b]

31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

[b]The Old covenant had a civil/carnal administration, the laws were written in ink/on stone, with countless animal sacrifices that did not wash away sins, human priests teaching the laws and administering punishment. The end of those laws are death (Romans 6:23), Paul referred to it as the ‘ministry of death’. The New covenant has a spiritual administration, with its laws written on our hearts, with Jesus as our High priest who offered the once and for all sacrifice for our sins, with the Holy Spirit teaching and correcting us. The New Covenant includes the promise of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. There is also grace.

In short, The Ten commandments are not obsolete; The Old Covenant is; because the New Covenant made in the blood of Jesus for redemption came into force. The New Covenant is a far better deal than the Old Covenant.

Keeping the Ten Commandments equals keeping the Covenant. The Ten Commandments basically instructs to ‘Love God’ and ‘Love our Neighbour’. Jesus explained this in Matthew 22: 34-40

Matthew 22: 34-40
34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In loving God and our neighbour (keeping the two commandments referred to in the scripture above), we are fulfilling the Ten Commandments and therefore keeping all the laws which the Ten Commandments cover under the covenant. If we loved God and loved our neighbour, we would not harass, rob, cheat or harm them in anyway; we would not sleep with our neighbours’ wives, despoil their daughters or commit any of the abominations condemned in the ‘Laws of Moses’, because the ‘Laws of God’ are written in our hearts and his Spirit guides us in the right path.


When you accept Christ, you come into the New Covenant. You surrender to God and live by the word of God as transformed by the Holy Spirit. Words have no life-giving power unless backed by Spirit. That is why it is possible to read the Bible from cover to cover/gain a Doctorate in Theology and still not be transformed.

It is important to read 2 Corinthians 3: 1-18 to fully understand the answer to your question 3 (Sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to explain to you). My answer is in the next post.

2 Corinthians 3
1Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

12Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

13And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

16Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

They will not know the National Anthem because the very words condemn them! They do the exact opposite of what the Anthem says, so they do not really like wording, hence their unfamiliarity with the wording of the anthem. Won't be surprised if it is soon changed to something like this:

Nigeria the great
Nigeria the great
Nigeria the oil-rich one
Nigeria the oil-rich one

We love the national cake
We love the national cake
Don't miss out on your share of Cake
Don't miss out on your share of Cake

And for a salute, you say ' Woe betide them that take no share of the cake'.   

One name - MUTTALLAB! . . . . . . and you must be one of those who leave your doors, windows and gate unlocked when you go to sleep/go to work/ or go on holiday. No, I bet you don't!

1.Yes, The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus when he was baptized. (John 1:32-33).

John 1:32-33
32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit did not rest on (was not fully manifested in )the disciples while Jesus was still with them. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come when he left ( John 14: 16; John 16: 7).

John 14: 16
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 16: 7
7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you

The Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost - after Jesus had died and resurrected (Acts 2: 1-4).

Acts 2:1-4
1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Peter explained what was happening to those who thought they were drunk Acts 2:17-21.
referring to the prophecy in Joel 2: 28-32.

17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.



It is the same Holy Spirit that was promised years before Jesus christ came to earth that he confirmed again to them. Jesus was with them showing them the way and when he was gone, the Holy Spirit was doing that and is still doing it today (Isaiah 11: 1-3).

Isaiah 11: 1-3
1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:


The Holy spirit is the 'Spirit of Truth' He is the one who tells you 'this is the way'. He shows us the truth and tells us to walk in it (Isaiah 30: 21).

Isaiah 30: 21
21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Jesus again confirmed in John 14: 16 -17 that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.

John 14: 16 -17
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.



2.The Holy Spirit tells us what he hears from God because he is the spirit of God(1 Corinthians 2: 9-14).

9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.



3. The Holy Spirit communicates in all languages. He communicates through dreams, visions, he can speak to you through someone else, he speaks through the Bible, he also speaks into your heart. He speaks to different people in different ways (This is an entire topic on its own and I cannot do justice to it here). People hear him in different ways.

Christ Apostolic Church and the Jehovah's witnesses do it (maybe they call it suspension). My cousin and her Husband got suspended when they had their baby 7 months after their wedding - Baby wasn't premature so it was clear they were fornicating before they were joined together. A Jehovah Witness couple friend too were suspended for a while when the lady became pregnant before they were joined. Don't know if she was allowed the kind of wedding ceremony her sister later had.


Church members, especially those who hold sensitive posts, should be rebuked if they commit fornication. Keeping a Pastor who is sleeping with all the girls in the church on the pulpit is not exactly the way to condemn fornication/adultery. If he is to remain he must be ready to admit his sin publicly and let the church know he has repented, otherwise, growing chrisitians who listen to him preach and have heard about his sin through the grapevine might think it's okay to fornicate.

Matthew 23:13 (King James Version)

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

The DPO merely cautioned the policewomen and had them locked up for two hours

I don't think this is how 'assault' on citizens should be dealt with! How heartless that police officer was to do that to an unarmed civillian! The poor lady could have suffered brain damage due to this inhumane act!

1 Corinthians 2 (King James Version)

1 Corinthians 2
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

John 3:12-21 (King James Version)

12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

,  Continued from my previous post

Yes, Our Churches can be repositioned. They need to go back to their first love - Christ! They need to stop condoning sinful practices and stand for godliness instead!

2. Do you believe in the bible?

I believe in the Bible as the word of God. The bible contains records of the past, instruction and inspiration for the present, and revelations of the future. The bible was written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God still speaks to us today through him - The spirit of truth - who also interpretes the word of God to us!

John 16:12-13 (King James Version)

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So the Bible is to be read, not blindly or with a closed mind but with a mind that invites and allows the Holy Spirit to interpret.

Rhino.3dm, next!

[b]"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." (Mark 12:30)

In any relationship, the most important element is time. If we want to love someone, then we have to know them first, and the best way to do this is to simply take the time to build a friendship. Quiet personal time with Jesus throughout the day is needful. On several occasions throughout the Gospels, we read that Jesus "went up into a mountain to pray" (Luke 9:28 & Mark 6:46 are two examples). In His relationship with the Father, Christ set a pattern for us to follow (John 15:10).

David said in Psalm 55:77 "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." I found in my personal experience, that when I can spend time in the morning with Jesus in prayer and in His Word, and then a few minutes at noon, and again in the evening, my personal experience with Christ and my love for Him grows exceedingly!! Although everyday doesn't always work out like that because of unexpected events, it is my desire and goal to set aside regular time with Jesus. "When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27: Ask the Lord to place this same longing and desire in your heart. "I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land." (Psalm 143:6)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6) Even though you may have lost this thirst and passion for God, the Lord can rekindle that flame within you, so talk to Him about this in prayer: "I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Luke 11:9-10)

But how do we leave our "first love" of Christ and how can we prevent this from happening?

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent." (Revelation 2:4-5)

In these verses, we find Jesus addressing the Christians in Ephesus. Apparently they had been very devoted in their service for Christ (verses 2-3), but their love for the Lord had grown cold. The fire in their lampstand was faltering, although they were still "going through the motions" of Christianity. Like 2 Timothy 3:5, they had a "form of godliness", but no power.

On the outside, the Ephesians may have looked and acted like the other churches; many of the members were probably preachers and evangelists; their doctrines were pure; but Jesus could see through the outer shell. "He who searches the minds and hearts" could see past the exterior facade (Revelation 2:23). The Ephesians could fool their fellow Christians, but they couldn't fool God: Christ knew that they had left their first love. The Lord doesn't want a lukewarm type of affection from His followers; He desires a fervent love that continues to grow as time goes on (Revelation 3:15-16).

Let's not make the same mistake as the church in Ephesus: Increasing our work for the Lord doesn't necessarily increase our love for Him or improve our relationship with Jesus. In fact, overworking and taking on too many church offices may result in just the opposite. We can overextend ourselves and get so busy in Christian service that we forget why we're doing it in the first place!

If you want to grow delicious apples then you have to prune away some of the branches. This means that you'll end up with less apples, but those apples will be healthier and more desirable because they received more nourishment and sunlight. In our Christian life, we may need to prune away certain activities so that we can focus more intently on our personal walk with the Savior. I'm not suggesting that ministering for Christ is bad, but it is important to refine your work so that you have plenty of time to spend with Jesus on a personal level. This is one of the ways that we can apply John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

When our service is motivated by a sincere love for God and a desire to do what is pleasing in His sight, then it will bless the lives of others and strengthen our own connection with Jesus, as we become fully dependent upon the Lord for success and ability.

Notice the advice that Jesus offered to the church in Ephesus: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen!" (Revelation 2:5) It appears that the Ephesians had forgotten how God had led them in the past. One of our greatest dangers is to forget just how much we need Jesus! It's in our human nature to trust in ourselves and do things our own way, which will lead to a prideful separation from God (James 4:6 & Proverbs 16:18). We must always keep in mind that we are nothing apart from Jesus (John 15:5). As Paul said, "It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God." (2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT)

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen!" Go back in time to when you first accepted Jesus as your Savior and friend. Reflect upon how He has transformed you and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for all of the blessings that have flowed into your life because of God's love working for you (Perhaps you should make a list and keep it in your Bible). Make this a regular habit and tell others about how good the Lord has been to you! When we focus on how loving God is toward us, it makes it easy to return that love, so let the mercy of God and the reality of the cross be your meditation.



Compare your life now with the way it was before you became a Christian. Then compare your life now with what it was like one year ago. Have you grown closer to the Lord or have you slipped further away from Him? Have you overcome certain sins or have the sins overcome you? Don't be discouraged, but instead use this as an incentive to climb higher in your relationship with Christ. Ask the Lord to help you grow in His love so that you can look back a year from now and be able to praise God for the positive changes that have taken place. But if your past has been full of backsliding and sin, then leave it in the past, "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13 & 14)

Just like in marriage, reviving your first love is as easy as going back to the way you used to do things when you first fell in love, like spending quality time together. In our Christian life, we need to continually go "back to the basics" in order to keep our love for Christ growing. This means that that spending time in prayer and in God's Word is vitally essential. If we are going to have a life changing love for Christ, then we really need to know Him more personally and keep that level of a closeness constant. Our God is a very personal God and He wants a very personal relationship with us. So we must take the time to walk with Him and talk with Him throughout our whole day. When we start applying God's word to our daily lives and claiming His promises, He becomes more alive to us and we become more excited about Him! Once again, quiet time alone with Jesus is an important key in loving Him. If you find that this isn't as easy as it used to be, then ask God for help and consistency (Psalm 51:10). He understands our weaknesses and He is able to help us in overcoming them (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our relationship and love for Christ can be restored! (Psalm 51:12)

The Lord continues His admonition to the Ephesians: "repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent." (Revelation 2:5) One of the signs that your love for Christ is growing cold is that sin doesn't bother you as much as it used to; things that were once offensive to you are now "no big deal". Sins that you used to confess to God are now "not that bad". If this is the case, then you need to pray that God will send the Spirit to point out your sin and give you the ability to repent. Jesus said that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to "convict the world of sin". (John 16: Christ also said that He came to call "sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) If we're open to His leading, Jesus will show us the things in our lives that need to change. A real love for the Lord involves a willingness to surrender or forsake anything that is displeasing to Him. If we're intentionally putting our selves first and doing the things that bring us pleasure instead of doing what is pleasing to God, then we'll begin to love ourselves more than we love Christ.

In a way, it's true that either Christ will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from Christ. God loves you no matter how much you sin, but sinful actions and thoughts will make you less inclined to seek God through prayer and His Word. The deeper you go into sin, the harder it will be to turn back to God because of the enticing nature of evil, but don't despair! Make a YOU-turn in your spiritual life right now. That means that YOU need to turn to God and allow His power to give you victory. "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27) There is no spiritual trial or sin that God can't help you with or cleanse away. "Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday." (Psalm 37:5)
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http://www.wordoftruthradio.com/questions/43.html

No, they do not worship the same God! Mohammed and Jesus are so different in how they lived (the examples they set are key), what they preached, what they represented, and of course, only one of them brought salvation to the world. Comparing the lives of both, it is very clear that Mohammed's 'Master' - the Islamic God, and Jesus' 'Father' - the Christian God, are not the same.