By Tope Popoola All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient… 1 Corinthians 10:23a …Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 1 Kings 20:39-40 A clearly…
Tope Popoola And the man and his wife were both naked and were not embarrassed or ashamed in each other’s presence.– Genesis 2:25(AMP)Once upon a time, a little boy and his sister went to spend their holiday with their grandparents. One day, the boy decided to take a walk through the large expanse of woodland on the farm. He was given a slingshot to play with while out in the woods. He practised several times; but he never hit the…
By Tope Popoola In everything, give thanks…1 Thessalonians 5:18a I thank all those who sent me messages of goodwill on my birthday last week. I actually spent the day speaking at the end-of-year thanksgiving and get-together of a corporate organization. Although it was work, it was also fun. As the year draws to a close, most of us have a habit of taking stock of our progress in the course of the year. Unfortunately, in taking stock, many of…
By Joe McKeever I know more about getting smaller churches to grow than larger ones. I pastored three of them, and only the first of the three did not grow—I was fresh out of college, untrained, inexperienced, and clueless about what I was doing. The next two grew well, and even though I remained at each only some three years, one almost doubled and the other nearly tripled in attendance and ministries. By using the word “grow,” I do not…
Why is it important or even necessary to study positions of prayer? The Apostle Paul expressed it well in Hebrews saying that he had much to teach them but found that they were stunted in their spiritual walk because of a lack of exercise in the things they had already been taught. "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full…
“Are you known at the throne?” There is an interesting event in the 19th chapter of the book of Acts. Paul was preaching in Ephesus, and God was doing great wonders among these spirit’s people. Two Jews took it upon themselves to cast out demons like Paul, using the name of Jesus as their magic words. It did not work. Jesus’ name is not a magic word. It represents a relationship. Without the relationship, there is no power in using…
"Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the Lord. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" says your God. (Isaiah 66:9) You might have suffered many untold hardships in the past, yet you were not swallowed by them. May be you have undergone many embarrassing situations to the extent that you have become the laughing stock of friends and neighbours, yet you are still around to keep on keeping on. You have…
Abandoning that one, he dug another well, and the local people finally left him alone. So Isaac called it "Room Enough", for he said, "At last the Lord has made room for us and we will be able to thrive. NLT. (Genesis 26:22) Isaac’s move to Gerar: Isaac had settled near Beer-Iahairoi (“the well of the Living One who sees me”), where his sons, Jacob and Esau, were born. A famine drove him to Gerar. But when he became wealthy,…
Before the birth pains begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen or heard of anything as strange as this? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, the baby will be born, the nation will come forth. (Isaiah 66: 7-8) NLT One of the prophecies that will be fulfilled in your life as a faithful believer…
St. Thomas Aquinas Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do. Our lifelong quest for wisdom can strengthen our belief in God and our bonds with our children. On the path to wisdom we need to acquire knowledge. Yet too many of us live in darkness, failing to learn more about our relationship with God and also…