Healing for the Broken-Hearted

One of the amazing things I love about God is His accessibility. God is not the exclusive preserve of the rich and famous, or the powerful. He is not only available to those who have gone to religious institutions or the very intelligent. 

God is the God of the poor, the rejected, the confused, the fearful, the abandoned, the broken, the vulnerable, the abused, the scorned, the sinner, the mis-understood, the hungry, the failure, … God is an accessible God!

The Greatest Time in History

It was President Barack Obama who called this time we live in, “the best time in human history to be born”, especially if you are in the United States. According to him “whether you live in downtown New York or (in my grandmother’s village) more than two hundred miles from Nairobi, you can hold in your hand more information than the world’s greatest libraries.

I couldn’t agree more. The amount of information we have today and the access to it is phenomenal! There is information for just about everything under the sun, from how to hurt others to how to heal. And this information is usually free! From the greatest classics to most recent literature, the internet is teeming with treasures!

But as wonderful as this sounds, it presents us with a problem. Seeing that we have tons of information out there, should we open ourselves to any and everything? Shouldn’t we be more discerning/wise regarding what we feed ourselves? What would you call a person who leaves a well prepared meal for rotten food in a bin? Mad would be a fitting name I suppose. But aren’t we like that many times? Don’t we feed our eyes and ears, the main portals to our hearts and souls, with filthy and worthless information that destroy us instead of help us. Don’t we spend time on indecent and unwholesome entertainment just for the fun of it?

RE: Why did God save Dr. Ken Brantly and not thousands of Africans from Ebola?

Recently there was an article by Michele Hanson questioning why God saved Dr. Ken Brantly but not the thousands of Africans who died from Ebola virus. There were different responses to it and in this note I wish to add my own perspective to this very controversial topic.

First, we must understand that Ebola is not the first large scale epidemic that has affected people, there was HIV and before that, Smallpox, as well as the Black Death in the Middle Ages. All of these diseases led to the deaths of millions of peoples in many countries. These diseases were spread aggressively mostly as a result of ignorance and fear. Due to desperation from their helplessness to stem the tide of these epidemics, people often became paranoid and resorted to measures that worsened the crisis. Unfortunately these issues are still reflected in some African countries where Ebola has struck. We hear stories of healthcare personnel attacked, Ebola patients abandoned to die, corpses not properly disposed of and inadequate medical resources. It is because of these reasons that diseases, which in better organized countries can be successfully contained, always prove to be very deadly in many poor countries, especially those in Africa.

Jonathan: When loyalty goes horribly wrong

The story of Jonathan in the Bible is one of great loyalty, friendship and courage. Jonathan was the heir to the throne, yet he recognised that God had anointed David, his father’s rival to be king. Instead of bitterness and jealousy, which King Saul harboured, Jonathan was a friend of David and protected him from his father’s schemes.

He also discouraged his father from attempting to kill David and tried speaking sense to the old man, but Saul was treacherous. He would feign repentance only to make another attempt at David’s life.

Jonathan was also a great soldier in his father’s army and won many battles for him. On one occasion, his quick thinking and courage, led to great victory for the Israelites who were outnumbered by the Philistine army. Unfortunately Jonathan was later killed in battle alongside his father, King Saul and his brothers. His death was tragic but I somehow feel it could have been avoided.

IDOLATROUS IMAGINATION

This is not my article, rather it is part of a sermon by Rev. Andrew Giffen of Kirkintilloch Baptist
Church. It is based on the story of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32.

The people of Israel created a golden calf because they wanted an image that their minds could grasp. They bowed down to the calf and worshipped it as if it were God. They knew that it was man-made and breakable. But that was exactly the sort of God they wanted –one they could control. The vast God reduced to something that could be imprisoned in a few ounces of gold. A shrunken powerless God who will do their bidding, protect them alone, and destroy their enemies.

But God instead commands his people to worship him as he is, not as they (or we) would like him to be. God forbids idolatrous imagination. For you see that is the fundamental problem,that the second commandment addresses. We don’t want God to create us – we want to create God. God in my image – not man in God’s image. We want a God we can control, manipulate, regulate. The default position for you and me today is to imagine God the way we want him to be, not the way he has revealed himself to be. For instance you might want a God who saves all people, who sends no-one to hell – so you create in your mind a loving God who is never angry.

A remnant still remains, don’t lose heart!

Have you ever wondered at the type of news we hear on almost daily basis? If its not accidents, its murders, immorality or some act of depravity. Because ‘bad news sells’, we are bombarded on every hand by such bad news that it can make even a saint give up on humanity! What a relief when we hear something good that restores our faith in people again.

Sometimes its not news, but people’s behaviours.We live in a very free society which encourages us to live according to how we feel. Morality is replaced with feelings: I feel, I want, I get. This drives us to indulge in acts that end up being detrimental to us and sometimes others. We are encouraged by others who tell us to live in the 21^st century and stop being outdated or ‘old school’. Any attempts to disregard such views is often met with jeers and sneers from friends.

The Secret of the Proverbs 31 Woman

The Proverbs 31 Woman is like an enigma, she seems to have it all. She is industrious, she is smart, she is a planner, she takes care of herself and her family, she brings honour to her husband and he in turn does not only love her, he and their children praise her. Wow! I’m sure all women want to know how she does it.

The secret of this lady is found towards the end of the chapter. It is in Proverbs 31:30, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

The Golden Rule - Christianity is a Relationship!

We have all heard the famous command, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” But that statement is not complete as it is. There is an initial and fundamental part to it that is often ignored, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and then love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

You’re probably thinking the first part is not so necessary, we just need to love people as ourselves. But the truth is, we cannot truly love others or even ourselves unless we go back to the source of love - God.

The Wedding Day is coming!

I remember my wedding day. It was special. Very special. My darling groom was immaculately
dressed, he had travelled thousands of miles to be married to me. I too was beautifully dressed. I was gorgeous! I had been attended to by the hairstylist, manicurist, make-up artiste,..etc. My white gown was spotless and fitted perfectly. I was ready.

As I walked down the aisle to stand close to my groom , I could see all our family and friends straining to have a glance at this beautiful bride. My husband was no different. I saw him smiling as he beheld the object of his affection. The woman of his dreams finally becoming his wife forever. So he waited patiently, he knew it was going to happen soon.

Christianity is not just a Religion. It is a Relationship!

The key message of religion is if you do good, you get rewards from a god. You don’t have to be in relationship with the god, just do as you are told, then all will be well. But Christianity is markedly different, it encourages us to relate with God as a father and friend! Wow! Christianity is founded on relationships, vertically with God and horizontally with man through the Cross.

I am all too aware that some of us were given the view of ‘Christianity as a religion’ when we were growing up. We were told to avoid sin, in order to please God and go to heaven when we die. On the surface, it looks like a good teaching, and yes as Christians we should strive to live right. But the motivation for living right is fundamental. Are we living right (obeying God’s commands) because we want to go to Heaven or are we living right in appreciation for what God has done for us?

The God who gives second Chances

Some months ago, I read about Charles"Tex" Watson, one of Charles Mason’s cult members who murdered Sharon Tate in 1969. She was an actress, and at the time of her death, was 8 months pregnant. 

She and her friends were killed in her house, in an attack that was very random, unprovoked and very barbaric. It  was evil in its purest form.

At the time I read that story, I was heavily pregnant just like Sharon. I imagined what she felt at the time of the attack, and my heart just broke. I wept like a baby.

This tragedy happened even before I was born, to people I didn’t know, yet I was overcome by intense emotions. One of those emotions was hatred and anger. I even prayed that God would not forgive the killers, especially the leader of the pack, Watson.

It just so happened that He did. I was enraged!

The God who gives Choices

Two things happened some days ago that inspired this note. I read that Meriam Ibrahim had been freed from prison and her death sentence overturned. If you don’t know her, she is the pregnant Sudanese lady who was sentenced to death for apostasy (converting from Islam to Christianity).

The second one was receiving a pamphlet from the Yes Together Scottish campaign group. The group took time to put some very convincing reasons why Scotland is better being inside the UK than as an independent country. And then they asked people to make an informed choice in the referendum; not out of fear, or out of some nationalistic pride, but based on facts.

In many ways, this ability of people to choose is what makes Christianity so appealing. Unlike other religions that thrive on fear and force, Christianity offers freedom of choice.

The God of Balance

In secondary school, I was in a Christian students’ fellowship. Part of our responsibilities was evangelizing to others. I remember that many times I tried to scare my classmates into becoming Christians. I would tell them of the horrors of Hell, and would ask them to make a commitment immediately, just in case they died suddenly.

Sometimes they fearfully did,and would join me in fellowships for a while. But after realising death or rapture wasn’t happening soon, they would revert back to their ways.

I too became a confused Christian not long after. All I knew was the judgement of God, and not really His love. So I often compromised my faith and lived like a hypocrite. After a while, I became convinced that God was such a loving and understanding God who was not bothered by my ‘few’ sins. I felt that as long as I went to church regularly and got involved in many activities, God wouldn’t mind my frequent slip-ups. I felt I was better than others who sinned even more or didn’t go to church.

Why Christianity makes no ‘Sense’

By the word sense, I mean ordinary human understanding or knowledge. The Bible tells us in 1Corinthians 3:19 that human wisdom is considered by God as foolishness. So yes, many things in Christianity seem foolish or senseless to a typical non-Christian. Let’s look at some of them.

God saving Mankind through the death of Jesus: The other day I watched a debate between a Christian and a Muslim on Youtube. One of the issues the Muslim scholar had against Christianity was our belief that God sent His son to take on human form and suffer death on our behalf. 

The Muslim said it was unthinkable for God to reduce or humble Himself to that level. He wondered if any earthly King or President would do that, how much more the Heavenly King? Well God is not only the King of kings, the Creator, but He is also a Father. Many fathers and mothers will often sacrifice their comfort for the sake of their children. It is for this reason that Jesus,God’s only begotten Son, was sacrificed on the Cross that we might be saved. In Phillipians 2:5-8 we read:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who,being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather,he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

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.

Pleasant surprise!

On Sunday, I learnt a wonderful lesson on “Let go and let God.”

My husband and I were in church with our boys. After the service, I was famished! Being a breastfeeding mom of an always-hungry baby, I was desperate for food or a drink at least. 

It seemed like a God-sent opportunity when I realised there was free food for all church members provided by a couple who had dedicated their baby that day.

But my husband said we should go home. I was like “what?!” I tried to reason with him, but he insisted.

The power of one

Have you noticed that in most action movies, there is usually just one hero? The other day I watched a movie, ‘Olympus has fallen’ and it reiterated how powerful just one person, courageously committed to a vision, can be.

So often in life we wish to do something positive, change a situation, but we are afraid to try because we are alone. We look around hoping someone will encourage us, we expect people to applaud us for going on a peaceful mission or for bringing about change, but often we see no one, we hear no applause.

Why are you a Christian?

As I sang Donnie’s McClurkin’s song “I’ve got my mind made up”, this morning, the chorus really spoke to me. It goes this way:

I’ve got my mind made up and I won’t turn back

Because I want to see my Jesus, someday"

After singing, it occurred to me that if we don’t know why we are doing something, it is so easy to become distracted.

No excuses

My husband and I are very different. He is a focused and determined person, while I get easily distracted (don’t worry, this is an issue I am dealing with). 

Often when I do not do what I had initially planned to, I make excuses. But my husband just rolls his eyes and basically says “whatever, same old, same old.”

Like my husband, God is not impressed by our excuses to sin. Adam and Eve are an example of people in the Bible who were rebuked and punished for their sin of disobedience, even though they had really good excuses.

The tasks of parenthood

There is no love like a mother’s love! It is unconditional and sacrificial. I always thought I knew what it meant to love. I didn’t, until I became a mother! My youngest son was born two and half months ago, and he continues to fill my heart with wonder every day.

I enjoy looking at his perfect details. His perfectly formed toenails, his dimples when he smiles, his cute nose, his chubby cheeks, … He is so perfect, I tell you!

Courageous Christians

When you hear the word “courage”, what comes to your mind? Perhaps soldiers in the thick of battle. Or maybe a knight fighting dragons like we read in fairytales. 

One things is common in all cases: courage requires doing what seems right even when you don't feel like it.

I find this is quite similar to us Christians. We will need courage to be all what God wants us to be and do what He requires. It surely requires courage to be the only one who chooses not to be corrupt in an office where it is seen as normal.

Unlit Lights

The other day my 3-year old son came to me saying what sounded like “Ifanginess.” Usually he expects me to say the correct word or sentence back. But on this occasion I was confused. 

So I repeated the word back. Unimpressed he said it again, and I helplessly repeated it. After doing this a couple of times, he gave up! It wasn’t until later in the day that I realised the word he was looking for was “Oh my goodness.”

Like me, I think some times as Christians, we fail to give people the answer they are looking for, and instead add to their confusion.

How often I write

I know I don’t write as often as I should and some of you may not be so happy about it :-)   I think it is fair to let you know why I am not as regular as we all may like.

First, because this is a blog on my journey and progress, it sometimes takes a while to bring all the thoughts/lessons together. I might have a fantastic thought to share, but I need to process it properly and connect all the dots so it is relevant. And this sometimes takes more time than I initially intended.

Secondly and most importantly, I am a wife and mother of two small children. My

oldest is three and very active, while my youngest is two months old. In fact this blog was started when I was pregnant with him. Both of them need attention. Even as I am writing this post, I am also doing alphabets with my oldest son! It is tough to do much thinking/writing when they are awake, which seems like all the time!

Given these situations, please bear with me when the blog is not updated quite as often. Nontheless, I encourage you to read other blogs, articles and messages that bless you spiritually. It would be great to also hear some messages from you. So if you feel like it, you can write an encouraging article and send it to me to put on this blog.

I believe we all are students of life; no one knows everything. I sure don’t but I am thirsty for godly knowledge. So please feel free to send me emails about some wonderful lessons you are learning on your walk with God. Don’t be shy or feel you don’t know enough. Who does? I am sure it will bless me and others. My email address is tidagu@yahoo.com

God bless you real good for visiting, I appreciate your time.

---------

Image1 courtesy:http://uphillwriting.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/WritingComputer.jpg

Image2 courtesy:http://jamigray.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/busy_mom1.jpg 

The voices in my head

I thought I was the only one who experienced having conversations in my mind. For many years, the voice in my head was usually accusatory, always quick to point out my flaws and mistakes, reminding me of past sinful experiences which I had confessed, and just making me feel inadequate and small.

For a long time I thought it was my conscience talking to me. But it just didn’t make any sense especially when this voice was always making me look bad even for things that were not my fault or for sins God had already forgiven me of. So what was that voice?

Someone cares

Tributes have continued to flow in for L’Wren, the girlfriend of musician Mick Jagger, who committed suicide recently. 

His spokesman said he was  "completely shocked and devastated by the news."

 Who wouldn’t be? I can imagine him say “why did she do this, didn’t she know I loved her”

Do you want to be wise?

I admit “Wisdom” can sound very confusing. What does it mean to be wise? How can we practically apply wisdom on a daily basis? 

When you believe in God surely that means you are wise, right? After all did the Bibe not say the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom?

Wrong! You can be a Christian but still lack wisdom. Yes, the fear of God is the beginning (not the end) of wisdom. But let's not confuse the knowledge of God with the fear of God. As long as we refuse to obey God's commands, then we don't fear Him even though we may know Him. And this is not wisdom.

Jezebel, the loving wife

The name Jezebel is associated with evil, wickedness and idolatery. Who can forget that this queen ordered the deaths of many God-fearing people in the days of King Ahab her husband. She was even after Prophet Elijah’s life.

But have you ever noticed that she was a loving wife as well? Unfortunately, her desire to please her husband and make him happy made her kill an innocent man. How did this happen?

In the book of 1Kings 21:1-16, we find King Ahab, Jezebel’s husband interested in a vineyard which belonged to a religious man called Naboth.

Even this one!

Some years ago I got a family member to teach me how to drive in Nigeria. On this particular day while I was behind the steering wheel with the windows down and my teacher beside me, I overheard an annoying remark. 

A young man walking close by said with contempt, “Every one wants to drive these days, even this one!”

You have to understand that in Nigeria, driving is not seen as a necessity, but a luxury. So when this young man made his remark, he was basically saying I was unworthy of such luxury. I almost mowed him down! How dare he! Thankfully, I ignored him.

Know thyself!

Did you ever have friends back then in school who never seemed to study but always passed their exams? 

I did. I preferred to study during the day, but my friends preferred night-time. 

My mistake during the day, was playing with these friends instead of studying. At night, I would be tired and fast asleep, while my friends studied.

Deception!

Have you ever been scammed? I have and to this day I still feel a tinge of pain when I remember the incident. It happened some years ago, when I was invited to do business with a pastor who had set up an investment company. 

I was initially sceptical but changed my mind when I heard about others who had benefited from the business. Besides he was a pastor, right?

The ‘messiah’ Christian

Some few months ago, I thought I was a messiah. My friend was desperate for a job and I figured it was my duty to help her get one. I encouraged her many times, listened to her, cried with her, prayed with and for her. But the job seemed elusive and I began to feel pressurised.

Because my friend wasn’t a Christian per se, I felt I had given her further reasons not to believe in God. After all didn’t I tell her God would giver her a job? Didn’t I tell her God cared for her more than her own darling father did?

You’ve got what it takes!

I’d like to say that I am very disciplined. But that would be the lie of the century! I rarely follow guidelines or have a routine, and I don’t always do the things I should, only when I feel like (which is not often). 

So when I got the conviction to start this blog, I had to laugh. Me, start a blog with regular articles? You’ve got to be kidding me! Me who could barely maintain a diary, me who was always late for any event (school, church, socials, etc), me who hardly followed my personal study timetable? No thanks, I’ll pass.

Who am I that YOU are mindful of me?

Have you ever wondered why God cares about you so much? I do wonder as well sometimes. I mean why would He take the pains and effort to show and prove His love to us? 

The God who made the sky, the seas, the majestic mountain, the lovely flowers and grasses, the birds, … the Creator of everything, why would He show so much care and attention on us? He doesn’t even need us. He is already God, we don’t add or subtract from Him. Why would He, who needs nothing, be so mindful of us?

Is that really a God-given opportunity?

The other day I was reading about David and one of the things that stood out

about this young man was his humility. You see David, the youngest son of Jesse, had been anointed King, instead of his older brothers.

Even though he had the anointing and spirit of God upon him as Israel’s new king, he didn’t let that get into his head. He still went out to take care of his father’s sheep, and served in the current king’s (Saul) service as a musician and armour–bearer.

Wanting to be like the Joneses

Today I read an interesting passage from the Bible, the book of 1 Samuel chapter 8.

This chapter basically tells us the request of the Israelites for a King. Their main reason for wanting a king was so they could be like the other nations.

When Prophet Samuel who had been leading them all along tried to make them understand the consequences of having a king, they refused to bulge. The consequences of having a king were not trivial because a king would essentially enslave them. 

Made for a time as this

The story of Esther in the Bible is one many Christians are very familiar with. It is a story of how God delivered His people from certain death at the hands of Haman, because Queen Esther a Jew, made a courageous move to save them.

If we trace the outline of the story from chapters one to ten, we realise that in God’s scheme of things, nothing happens by chance. Do you think it was by chance that Queen Vashti was deposed when she became too proud to honour King Xerxes order.

Was it by chance that Esther, the orphan cousin of Mordecai, was selected out of the many beautiful ladies by King Xerxes, as his new Queen?

The responsibility of a blessing

Happy New Year friends! Hope you had a refreshing time with your family and friends during the Christmas and New Year celebrations/holidays. 

With every new year, it is typical for people to pray for all kinds of blessings. I did and I guess you did as well. But do you know that for every blessing we receive, we need to be accountable and responsible?

Some years ago when my husband and I were trying for a baby, we prayed for God to bless us with a child. It took more than a year before I could get pregnant.