Quote for the Day 31Oct2014

True success is staying on God’s path by following His Word and giving Him praise instead of craving it for ourselves. — David McCasland

Quote for the Day 30Oct2014

While it is well enough to leave footprints on the sands of time, it is even more important to make sure they point in a commendable direction. - James Branch Cabell

Quote for the Day 29Oct2014

The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. – Billy Graham

Quote for the Day 28Oct2014

Jesus Christ’s presence in our lives enables us to be of good cheer even in the midst of pain. - Dennis Fisher

Quote for the Day 27Oct2014

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson

Quote for the Day 26Oct2014

Are you in need of any good thing? Come boldly to the throne of grace and ask. Do not be at fault in not asking. - Bayo Afolaranmi

DO NOT BE AT FAULT

Dearly Beloved, DO NOT BE AT FAULT "You want something but don't get it…. You do not have, because you do not ask God" (James 4:2 NIV). My children used to get sets of biscuits every morning as they go to school for refreshment apart from the food they take for their breakfast. My wife and I forgot to give them the biscuits one day, and none of them remembered to remind us as they normally do. When they came back from the school, the elder one, my son, accused us their parents for not giving them biscuits that day. My response was, "Did you ask for them?" He could not defend himself because he knew that he also shared in the fault of not remembering about the usual sets of biscuits that day. He was the first to remind us the following day about the biscuits as they were about to set out for school. There is a spiritual lesson in this event. Our heavenly Father has many blessings and provisions in store for us. He has been given us these blessings and He will continue to give us. While He is not a forgetful Father like any earthly father, He wants us, however, to ask Him what we want. Jesus Christ said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:7-11 NIV). Are you in need of any good thing? Come boldly to the throne of grace and ask (Hebrew 4:16). John said, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). Do not be at fault in not asking. Hear Jesus Christ again, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:24 NIV). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 25Oct2014

Do not allow yourself to be possessed, bombarded, and driven by the wheel of sin. Give yourself to be driven by the Word and the Spirit of God. Then, you will be secure and prosperous. - Lawrence Oladimeji

Quote for the Day 24Oct2014

Only when we are aware of the danger that faces us every day will we consciously seek the help we need. And only if we are on the alert will we lean on the strength of our Lord, who is greater than our spiritual enemy. - Bill Crowder

Quote for the Day 23Oct2014

Do not fall for looks, they can deceive. Do not fall for wealth, in the end it fades away. - Anonymous

Quote for the Day 22Oct2014

God acts in His timing - at just the right time according to His will. - David Roper

Quote for the Day 21Oct2014

No matter how good our life may be here, heaven is far better. Present pleasures cannot be compared to the joys of heaven. - Amos O. Tella

Quote for the Day 20Oct2014

You lose nothing by forgiving someone who wronged you but you lose everything by refusing to forgive. Unforgiving spirit is more dangerous than danger itself. - Chris Tayo Orodiji

QUANTITY OR QUALITY?

Dearly Beloved, QUANTITY OR QUALITY? "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8 NIV). A pastor-colleague who visited my family early in the morning on day for an important assignment met us having our family devotions. After the worship service, he enquired from me about the normal duration of our daily family devotions. I told him that I do not care about the time, but the quality of the devotions. He then shared with me his experience with somebody that came to him for prayers. When he used a certain number of minutes in praying for the person, the person was surprised that the prayer session was over so soon. He then asked the person the number of minutes or hours he believes it would take a curse invoked on another person to take effect. The person believed that a curse that is less than a minute could be of eternal consequence on the person it was invoked. The pastor and I then discussed briefly about the quality and quantity of time to be spent for a prayer to be effectual. Some people are of the opinion that the longer the prayer, the more effective it is, or the more you repeat the same request at a particular time, the sooner God answers such request. This has made many people to engage themselves in unnecessary long prayers, saying of the same thing for a number of time, marathon prayer sessions, all-night prayer vigils, and so on so that God would quickly answer their prayers. Some Christian denominations and some religions even adapt a way of using kinds of tool to aid them in repeating their prayers in a particular number of times. Most of these beliefs and practices are contrary to the teachings of the Bible about prayer. What matter most in our prayers is the quality, not quantity, of time we spend in saying the prayers. A Bible commentator says, "Christ does not fix the length of our prayers. He says that we should not repeat the same thing, as though God did not hear; and it is not improbable that he intended to condemn the practice of long prayers. His own supplications were remarkably short." Let me point it out here that I am not talking about perseverance in requesting something from God - a situation where one persistently continues to ask for a particular thing from God until God answers the prayer (as Jesus Christ taught it in Luke 18:1-7). The Bible teaches that we should pray all the time (Luke 18:1; 21:36; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2). The question then is what matter most in our prayer? Is it the quality or the quantity of time we spend to say it? This is a question that we must answer as we go to the Lord in prayers. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 19Oct2014

The quality of time spent for a prayer to be effectual is more important than the quantity of time spent for that prayer. Focus on the quality of the time you are spending in prayer more than the quantity of time you spending. - Bayo Afolaranmi

Quote for the Day 16Oct2014

As the Owner of all that exists, God exercises His sovereignty by dispensing tokens of His bounty to whomever He wills. - Ronald Youngblood

Quote for the Day 15Oct2014

To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge, to find the will of God is the greatest discovery, and to do the will of God is the greatest achievement. - George W. Truett

Quote for the Day 14Oct2014

Oh, that our lives would so reflect Jesus that we would leave a mark on our neighborhoods, and the memory of our godliness would linger on! - David H. Roper

Quote for the Day 13Oct2014

Although there is a time to be quiet and a time to speak, choosing to speak less allows us to hear more. - Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Quote for the Day 12Oct2014

God wants you to first totally surrender your life to Him before He can accept your possession, service or any other form of worship you can render to Him. Be a living sacrifice to God! - Bayo Afolaranmi

BE A LIVING SACRIFICE

Dearly Beloved, BE A LIVING SACRIFICE “So then, my brothers, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer” (Romans 12:1 TEV). Some days ago, Muslims throughout the world celebrated the Eld el Kabir celebration that commemorated the divine provision of ram for Ibrahim when he wanted to sacrifice his son to God. In spite of the distortion of the original story from the Holy Bible, the way these people devotedly sacrifice animals, especially rams, during this annual celebration is noteworthy. Unfortunately, they are missing it because Jesus Christ is the final Sacrifice for humankind’s sin (see 1 Corinthians 5:7). No other sacrifice or shedding of blood is acceptable to God now, “...because by one sacrifice [Jesus Christ] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV. See also verse 10). Instead of making animal sacrifice or shedding of blood in any form to appease God, we are to offer ourselves as a living, NOT dead or inanimate, sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). Apostle Paul continued to say that this is the true and holy worship that is pleasing and acceptable to God. The implication of this is that we are to deny ourselves of sinful pleasures and purposes, and use our lives for the glory of God. This calls for total surrender to God. It is a dedication of presenting and yielding of body, mind, and will to God day by day. It is to devote ourselves to God, as if we had no longer any claim on ourselves. It is to suffer and bear all that God might appoint, and to promote His honour in any way which He might command. It should be noted here that this is far more than giving or offering of animals or substances to God. It is even far more than working for God. It is willingly and consciously giving of one’s total self to God before giving of any other thing. The Macedonian churches demonstrated this when “...they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will” (2 Corinthians 8:5 NIV). Are you ready to present yourself as a living sacrifice to God? No amount of any other offering or sacrifice is acceptable to Him. He wants you to first totally surrender your life to Him before He can accept your possession, service or any other form of worship you can render to Him. Be a living sacrifice to God! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God.

Quote for the Day 11Oct2014

One of the greatest privileges of a Christian is to be associated with God in the all-important work of winning souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. - Banjo Ajao

Quote for the Day 10Oct2014

Many people allow their need for other people's approval to control their lives. They spend their lives worrying about what others think of them. - Rick Warren

Quote for the Day 09Oct2014

Life is a gift, not a possession, from God to be received and handled with gratitude and to be given back to God. - Amos O. Tella

Quote for the Day 08Oct2014

I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. - Abraham Lincoln

Quote for the Day 07Oct2014

There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote for the Day 06Oct2014

Real joy does not come from favorable economic conditions, being accepted by society, or by owning a luxury car. These bring only temporary happiness at best. Joy comes from one thing alone: a sure knowledge that you are saved through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. - Michael Youssef

Quote for the Day 05Oct2014

What legacy will you leave behind when you are no more? Determine to make a positive impact in your generation. Do not let any situation hinder you. - Bayo Afolaranmi

WHAT IMPACT WILL YOU MAKE?

Dearly Beloved, WHAT IMPACT WILL YOU MAKE? “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21 NIV). I am always fascinated by the life of Frances Jane van Alstyne née Crosby (March 24, 1820 - February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny Crosby whenever I sing any of her hymns. Here was a woman who was blind for most part of her life (she was blinded by an incompetent doctor at six weeks of age). In spite of this, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. An online source quoted her saying: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” Some of Crosby's best-known songs include "To God Be the Glory", "Blessed Assurance", "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", "Rescue the Perishing", “All The Way My Saviour Leads Me”, “Take The World But Give Me Jesus” and many others. Crosby wrote over 1,000 secular poems, and had four books of poetry published, as well as two best-selling autobiographies. Additionally, she co-wrote popular secular songs, as well as political and patriotic songs, and at least five cantatas on biblical and patriotic themes, including “The Flower Queen”, the first secular cantata by an American composer. Crosby was committed to Christian rescue missions, and was known for her public speaking. Undoubtedly, her works have inspired and blessed millions of souls throughout the world. Apostle Paul was “...hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV). He was in a Roman prison awaiting death sentence when he wrote many of his epistles. In one of such epistles, the Epistle to the Philippians, Paul expressed his desire to exalt Jesus Christ in spite of his predicament. He was even ready to die for the cause of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Philippians 1:20-21). No wonder, he also made a lot of impact in the lives of many people. What are you passing through now? What impact will you make in spite of your situation? What legacy will you leave behind when you are no more? Determine to make a positive impact in your generation. Do not let any situation hinder you. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that God will help you to make positive impact in your generation in spite of any situation you may be passing through.

Quote for the Day 04Oct2014

To everyone who feels like a “throwaway” headed for the landfill of life, Jesus opens His arms of love and offers a fresh beginning. That’s why He came! - David McCasland

Quote for the Day 03Oct2014

God is the provider of all that we have, including our ability to work. We are to work diligently, be wise stewards of what He has provided, and then rest in the promise of His care. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 02Oct2014

The devil may throw obstacles and evil circumstances at you, but God will turn those evil schemes around for your greater blessing because He is for you! - Joseph Prince

Quote for the Day 01Oct2014

The life of faith is not about showing only our good side. It’s about exposing our dark side to the light of Christ through confession to God and also to others. - Julie Ackerman Link