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Showing posts from 2010

"Bad" Experiences‏

A few days ago, I began thinking of my year so far and remembered what my pastor declared over us, an Ephesians 3:20 year, "...exceedingly abundantly far and above anything I can ever ask, think, or imagine", and my thought went something like this, "Yeah right! Eph 3:20...haven't seen that! In fact, all I've seen are bad experiences, mistakes, pain, and unfulfilled dreams." . Before I had time to meditate on this negative thought, I was reminded of Romans 8:28, which declares that "all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose." (AMP). It is tempting to view the things that happen to us as bad experiences, but consider that what you think is a bad experience may actually be a blessing in disguise. As those who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the things we experience are not independent of each other, meaning that if t

Seed.TIME.Harvest

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When you hear the word “Time” what do you think of? How does one even begin to define that word? The dictionary has several definitions of the word “time” but the one that caught my attention is the one that defines it as: “ the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past ” [World English Dictionary]. Now, that definition seems a bit vague and somewhat confusing but it’s simply defining time as the passage of life and life events. In Genesis, God makes a covenant with Creation after the flood and says, “While the earth remain, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease.” [Gen 8:22, NKJV, emphasis mine]. Now, if we put a comma (,) between the word ‘seedtime’, we come up with ‘seed’, ‘time’ and thus, Seedtime and harvest becomes  Seed, time and harvest . Now, we all know that when

Consider His Greatness…

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So, a couple of my friends and I were having lunch and the conversation turned to a discussion about the majesty of God. Oftentimes, when we read the Bible, or hear sermons, we hear or read things like, “the God of all creation”, or “the all-powerful God”. Maybe it’s just me but sometimes, when I hear or read these words, they don’t mean much to me. I mean, yes, I know God is an all-powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, ever-loving God but do I really know ? I believe sometimes, these words are hard for us to grasp because we don’t fully understand what those words mean or we haven’t really had an experience of The God of all creation, the all-Powerful God. For example, because of my limited understanding and experience of creation as a whole, I cannot fully grasp that statement: “the God of all creation”. I mean, what does that really mean? This prompted me to do an investigation of sorts about the universe. After the little bit of investigation I did, all I could day was WO

Waging War: Shield of Faith

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F aith: the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]—-Hebrews 11:1 [AMP] So…faith? What is it all about? Do you have faith? Faith is something every one possesses. For example, getting in an airplane requires faith in the pilot and the plane, trusting that both will do their job in bringing you safely to your destination. Driving is an act of faith by itself…it requires faith in your abilities as a driver and the drivers around you. The question is not whether one has faith or not…the real question is where or who one places that faith (in). Faith in faith alone will disappoint…but faith in the unchanging, ever-present, All-Powerful God will never disappoint. In this day and age, it seems like our faith is being continually tested and it is important to know if our faith is in

Firm Foundations

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What comes to your mind when you think of a foundation? Buildings? Institutions? For the ladies, make-up? What is a foundation? I’m glad you asked! According to the dictionary, it is the basis or groundwork of anything. Having a good foundation in anything, whether it be a building, an institution, or even make-up, ensures that whatever is laid on that foundation remains. The following highlights the importance of having firm foundation. I’m part of a singles group at my church and on one specific gathering, we had what we called “the baffle of the sexes”. Without going into major details on all the fun we had that night , I will share with you the highlight of the night…at least for me. So, after playing three rounds of the game and watching my fellow chicas loose, a bonus round was introduced. We were told to build the Tower of Babel with a limited amount of newspapers and staples. We were being judged on the stability, majesty, and height of the ‘building’. Our

Under Construction!

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Have you ever come across this sign, “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”? It is a sign used to alert people to the fact that the process of construction is taking place. We usually come across this sign whenever we see an unfinished project, whether it be a house, a road, a website, etc. This sign usually produces a certain anticipation of things to come…that this unfinished project is something worth waiting for. A few years back when I fully gave my life to Christ, I remember wanting to be perfect. I erroneously thought that the moment one surrenders their lives to Christ, perfection ensues. I had put this pressure on myself to be perfect, so much so that whenever I did sin, I became extremely despondent. I would run away from God because of shame and condemnation. “How could I, perfect Ndidi, make such a mistake?” I would often find myself asking. I wasn’t a very happy Christian…until I learned this truth: I am not perfect…yet! As Christians, the struggle for perfect

Arranged marriage—are you in?

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Question: Have you ever known someone that has gone through an arranged marriage? Would you ever go through one? That’s an archaic and outdated practice, some of you may say but it is actually still being practiced in some cultures. Contrary to popular belief, arranged marriages are not all bad. Yes, some arranged marriages are done solely for “business” purposes (as in a forced marriage or a child marriage) without regard to the objections of the child, but there are still some done solely for the good of the child, to help him/her find a compatible mate. In these arranged marriages, both parties involved usually have no initial feelings of love or attraction towards each other, but because they want and are ready to marry, they willingly go into this arranged marriage. As the marriage progresses though, love begins to develop slowly and steadily, until both parties can say that they are 100% in (in like, in love…). A certain kind of love develops from this,