When Prayers are not enough

The other day I asked for prayers from the online community for Nigeria. This move was borne out of concern after some bombs were discovered on time in a church in Southern Nigeria, as well as the arrest of a terror kingpin among 486 suspected terrorists in the same region.

It was also as a result of the utterances of people who vowed to carry out revenge attacks should Southern Nigeria be attacked by terrorists. I felt if God didn't step in to help us, it would only be a matter of time before utter chaos descended.

Strangely enough, very few people indicated interest. Based on few comments, I could sense people had given up on God doing anything to help. They wondered where God has been all along? They told me I was wasting my time.

Do you know His voice?

The other day, while trying to get my older son to bed, my 4-month old baby started crying for me. His dad tried everything to get him to quieten down, but he kept right on screaming.

Finally,for the sake of our sanity, I went to get him. As soon as I cooed his name and picked him from his dad, he immediately became quiet. The change was so sudden, my husband and I had a good laugh.

As I thought about my baby’s behaviour later on, a passage from the Bible came into my mind. It’s in John10:27 where it says,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”

It's OK to Receive

Were you ever told by your parents to politely refuse offers of food from your neighbours? Mine did, not necessarily out of fear, but out of concern for the neighbours.

At that time, the custom in my home town was:  if you have visitors while eating, it is polite to ask them to join you in the meal. But because most of the people were poor, they really didn’t mean the offer. They often said it out of courtesy, hoping (and praying) that you would refuse. Very rarely did they ask twice!

Avoid isolation

As a kid growing up, I hated having neighbours. I vowed to live all by myself when I grew older. It wasn’t that I didn’t like people, but my neighbours were often nosey. 

They were incredibly good most times, but as is usual with human relationships, they often stepped on my toes. Instead of seeing the good in them and how they looked out for me, I chose to focus on the few times they exasperated me, and wanted to become a recluse.

A story in the Bible demonstrates the dangers that occur when we choose to live all alone, not needing anyone or being needed by anyone. It is a very tragic story of a town called Laish in the book of Judges 18:7-10, 27-29. You see that town was secure and at peace, they were nice people who treated strangers kindly. But they were far from neighbouring towns, and this was their downfall.

Get rid of that pain, before it gets rid of you!

By now, you would have heard of the 22 year old student, Elliot Rodger, who killed in total 6 innocent people in America  due to the pain he felt over being rejected by some women. 

According to the BBC, he had a manifesto published online, which showed  he was born in London and spent the first five years of his life in Sussex. In his own words, "This was a time of discovery, excitement, and fun. I had just entered this new world, and I knew nothing of the pain it would bring me later on,"

Unfortunately he was unable to deal with his pain and ended up killing innocent people and causing their families and his, great pain. People who are in pain often end up causing innocent people pain. You will agree with me that many of us have suffered (or are still suffering) one form of pain or another. Some of us were abused when we were vulnerable, others were abandoned, rejected, humiliated, treated unkindly, ridiculed, denied justice. Still others are mourning the death of a loved one or the ill health of another. 

The threat of Knowledge part 2

Just like I wrote the other day on the threat of knowledge, the enemy is not happy when we begin to

desire to gain knowledge. Just like the Boko Haram group doesn’t attack students in Quranic schools, the devil doesn’t bother with those who do his will, who choose to remain ignorant of God. 

He is angry with those who have the guts to search for the truth about God. So don’t be surprised when you encounter all kinds of discouragement when you try to become a more knowledgeable Christian. Know it’s the old serpent, doing his best to deter you. 

Before we proceed further you must know this: you have the Almighty God on your side who has already won the victory for you through Jesus! You are more than a conqueror! Therefore no weapon formed against you shall prosper. No matter how hard the enemy howls at you, you will prevail. Greater is HE who is in us than he that is in the world. You are a winner even before the battle begins.

The threat of knowledge

By now the whole world has heard of the abductions of girls from a secondary school in Chibok, a town in Borno state in Nigeria. This is not the only time Boko Haram has attacked a school.

They had slaughtered 59 male students in Buni Yadi in February and had attacked schools in Mamudo and Gujba towns killing more than a hundred teenagers. Like their name suggests, western education is sinful. But why?

You see, these terrorists realise that the moment these kids become educated, they would be difficult to brain wash.