By Dayo Johnson Akure – ONE of the leading governorship aspirant of the All Progressive Congress APC in Ondo state, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu yesterday lashed the national leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his endorsement of an aspirant ahead of the Primaries. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and All Progressive Congress APC in Ondo state, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and All Progressive Congress APC in Ondo state, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu He pointedly said that with the action of Tinubu he has lost his place as a national leader of the party. This coming as the National Executive Committee NEC of the Party for second time within a week again postponed the governorship primaries in the state till September 3. The governorship primaries was initially slated for today but later shifted to Wednesday August 31 before the latest postponement by the NEC of the party. Akeredolu spoke in Akure during a personality interview tagged ” Heart of the Matter” on Adaba FM station. Speaking during the radio programmee monitored, Akeredolu declared that ”for the national leader to have endorsed any candidate in our party he has lost the place of National leader of the party” He regretted that Tinubu ” has never kept his words” The aspirants also denied that he was imposed on other aspirants during the 2012 governorship primaries in the state. According to him ” I was endorsed by God in 2012 , not by Tinubu. All stakeholders decided I should be the candidate. Meanwhile, the party attributed the changes in the dates to logistic problems but Vanguard gathered that there are more to it than meet the eyes. Vanguard learnt that a high level politicking was ongoing to douse the tension that had enveloped the party in the last two weeks over the endorsement of Dr Olusegun Abraham by the national leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. A source hinted that consultation was ongoing between Tinubu and many of the aspirants on the need to support Abraham to fly the flag of the Party in the November 26 governorship election. Over 3000 delegates across the 18 council areas of the state are expected to elect one of the 25 aspirants contesting for the position. Confirming the latest change in the date of the primaries, the party’s Director of Media and Publicity Steve Otaloro said the new date was at the instance of the NEC of the state. Otaloro pointed out that the change ” was still part of the logistic problem the party is trying to solve” He declined further clarifications. Meanwhile, the governorship aspirants have expressed mixed feeling over the shift of the primaries. Speaking through their media aides , the aspirants expressed surprise at the decision which came few days to the election. While Prof Ajayi Boroffice said the shift came as a surprise, others such as Olusola Oke and Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba said since it was the decision of the NEC, they had no choice. Boroffice spoke through his media aide kayode Fakuyi,Okespokethrough Rotimi Ogunleye while Ekungba spoke through Tunde Olowu. End
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/tinubu-never-kept-words/
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Saturday 27 August 2016
Winning Wisdom: Promise through Grace
Topic: Promise through Grace [27/8/2016]
Text: Romans 4:14-17 (TLB)
Before Jesus Christ came to pay the requirement of the law, every blessings enjoyed by the Israelites was hinged on their obedience of the law of Moses. For them to prosper in the land God gave them, they had to obey the law. For God to be their ally in the battles they fought, they had to obey the law. For them to enjoy all round peace they had to obey the law. There was nothing they had and enjoyed from God that was not hinged on their obedience of the Mosaic law. And failure to obey the law spells devastating catastrophe for them (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). But all that changed with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Grace, which came as a result of Jesus' death, not only gives us assess to God's life but to all His promises and blessings, as long as our faith in Jesus is sustained. Romans 4:16 (TLB) says: so God’s blessings are given to us by faith, as a free gift; we are certain to get them whether or not we follow Jewish customs if we have faith like Abraham’s, for Abraham is the father of us all when it comes to these matters of faith." Abraham assessed all God's blessings without obeying a single law. God only required his faith. And that is also God's intention for us.
"But the fact of the matter is this: when we try to gain God’s blessing and salvation by keeping his laws we always end up under his anger, for we always fail to keep them. The only way we can keep from breaking laws is not to have any to break" (Romans 4:15 TLB). God does not want us to be law breakers, neither does He wants us to be good enough for us to enjoy His blessings (Romans 4:14 TLB). That's why He made them available to us free of charge. Faith is your only requirement to enjoy God's blessings, not a set of rules, because God's grace has made His blessings available for you.
Keep winning daily.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for Your grace that has provided your blessings for me to enjoy. My faith is always alive to access all that Your grace has provided for me. I do not waver in faith, but I am strong in faith, giving glory to You, in Jesus' name. Amen.
By Ese Ehimare Dave
Text: Romans 4:14-17 (TLB)
Before Jesus Christ came to pay the requirement of the law, every blessings enjoyed by the Israelites was hinged on their obedience of the law of Moses. For them to prosper in the land God gave them, they had to obey the law. For God to be their ally in the battles they fought, they had to obey the law. For them to enjoy all round peace they had to obey the law. There was nothing they had and enjoyed from God that was not hinged on their obedience of the Mosaic law. And failure to obey the law spells devastating catastrophe for them (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). But all that changed with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Grace, which came as a result of Jesus' death, not only gives us assess to God's life but to all His promises and blessings, as long as our faith in Jesus is sustained. Romans 4:16 (TLB) says: so God’s blessings are given to us by faith, as a free gift; we are certain to get them whether or not we follow Jewish customs if we have faith like Abraham’s, for Abraham is the father of us all when it comes to these matters of faith." Abraham assessed all God's blessings without obeying a single law. God only required his faith. And that is also God's intention for us.
"But the fact of the matter is this: when we try to gain God’s blessing and salvation by keeping his laws we always end up under his anger, for we always fail to keep them. The only way we can keep from breaking laws is not to have any to break" (Romans 4:15 TLB). God does not want us to be law breakers, neither does He wants us to be good enough for us to enjoy His blessings (Romans 4:14 TLB). That's why He made them available to us free of charge. Faith is your only requirement to enjoy God's blessings, not a set of rules, because God's grace has made His blessings available for you.
Keep winning daily.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for Your grace that has provided your blessings for me to enjoy. My faith is always alive to access all that Your grace has provided for me. I do not waver in faith, but I am strong in faith, giving glory to You, in Jesus' name. Amen.
By Ese Ehimare Dave
Open Heavens 27 August 2016: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Divine Knowledge as a Weapon
Topic: Divine Knowledge as a Weapon [Saturday 27, August 2016]
Memorise: Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. – Amos 3:7
Read: 2 Kings 6:8-13 (KJV)
8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 63:15-66:24, Psalms 43
MESSAGE:
There is power in the glorious presence of God where many wonderful things take place, including having access to great revelations and instructions which makes living pleasant. God is supreme and He is the power behind all that happens in the deep and secret places. God will not do anything without informing His prophets. The prophet of God is a messenger of the Most-High God. From the passage for today, we can see that over and over again, the Syrian aggression against the children of Israel kept leading to the defeat of the Syrian army. It reoccurred to a point in which the King of Syria knew there was a problem somewhere, he came to the conclusion that there must be a traitor somewhere who was revealing all their military tactics to the Israelites. In the long run, they discovered that there was an unseen prophet in the background who was counseling the King of Israel from time to time about the plots of the Syrian army. I decree into your life; all the weapons of the enemy against you shall be exposed in Jesus’ name. There is nothing as great as hearing from God because it helps you avoid many great mistakes in life, and helps you to do great things for God in life. When you are in partnership with God, He will always speak to you concerning things to come before they eventually happen. You will have access to certain classified information and this will help you to maintain your stand against all odds. Knowledge is an important tool and is key to the life of a believer. This is what separated Daniel in the kingdom of Babylon and he became a reference point for different kings in different situations. Daniel had access to vital information which separated him from the crowd.
When you have access to the knowledge of God, nothing will trouble you because you are aware of those things beforehand. Understanding gives you the privilege to know the mind of God. When you don’t have access to divine knowledge, it can lead to a lot of suffering and hardship. If you want to have access to this divine knowledge, you must purpose in your heart not to defile yourself with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Those that will have access to information from God will be people who understand the heartbeat of God.
There is a God in Heaven that reveals to His children vital information from time to time, I always tell my children that if they have enough of God’s presence in their lives, demons will have no power over them, because the activities of the demons will be revealed and destroyed before they are even executed. Right from my early years as General Overseer, I had learnt the secret of victory by spending time in the presence of God, and each time I am in His presence, He reveals deep things to me about different situations of life. I want to implore you to decide to spend enough time in His presence, and you will see the devil fleeing from your life. In His presence there is full disclosure of all the activities of the devil so that you live your life in constant victory.
Prayer Point: Father, remove everything hindering me from hearing from You.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. – Amos 3:7
Read: 2 Kings 6:8-13 (KJV)
8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 63:15-66:24, Psalms 43
MESSAGE:
There is power in the glorious presence of God where many wonderful things take place, including having access to great revelations and instructions which makes living pleasant. God is supreme and He is the power behind all that happens in the deep and secret places. God will not do anything without informing His prophets. The prophet of God is a messenger of the Most-High God. From the passage for today, we can see that over and over again, the Syrian aggression against the children of Israel kept leading to the defeat of the Syrian army. It reoccurred to a point in which the King of Syria knew there was a problem somewhere, he came to the conclusion that there must be a traitor somewhere who was revealing all their military tactics to the Israelites. In the long run, they discovered that there was an unseen prophet in the background who was counseling the King of Israel from time to time about the plots of the Syrian army. I decree into your life; all the weapons of the enemy against you shall be exposed in Jesus’ name. There is nothing as great as hearing from God because it helps you avoid many great mistakes in life, and helps you to do great things for God in life. When you are in partnership with God, He will always speak to you concerning things to come before they eventually happen. You will have access to certain classified information and this will help you to maintain your stand against all odds. Knowledge is an important tool and is key to the life of a believer. This is what separated Daniel in the kingdom of Babylon and he became a reference point for different kings in different situations. Daniel had access to vital information which separated him from the crowd.
When you have access to the knowledge of God, nothing will trouble you because you are aware of those things beforehand. Understanding gives you the privilege to know the mind of God. When you don’t have access to divine knowledge, it can lead to a lot of suffering and hardship. If you want to have access to this divine knowledge, you must purpose in your heart not to defile yourself with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Those that will have access to information from God will be people who understand the heartbeat of God.
There is a God in Heaven that reveals to His children vital information from time to time, I always tell my children that if they have enough of God’s presence in their lives, demons will have no power over them, because the activities of the demons will be revealed and destroyed before they are even executed. Right from my early years as General Overseer, I had learnt the secret of victory by spending time in the presence of God, and each time I am in His presence, He reveals deep things to me about different situations of life. I want to implore you to decide to spend enough time in His presence, and you will see the devil fleeing from your life. In His presence there is full disclosure of all the activities of the devil so that you live your life in constant victory.
Prayer Point: Father, remove everything hindering me from hearing from You.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Friday 26 August 2016
Richard Branson escapes death while riding on his bicycle
"A couple of nights ago I went cycling on Virgin Gorda with Holly and Sam as part of my training for the Virgin Strive Challenge. I was heading down a hill towards Leverick Bay when it suddenly got really dark and I managed to hit a ‘sleeping policeman’ hump in the road head on. The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes
"I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life (however, perhaps they should build bike helmets that protect the side of the face too - does anyone know of one?). My bike went flying off the cliff and disappeared. We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed. My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut
"As I landed, once I realised I was alive, I began testing my movement. I really couldn't believe I was alive, let alone not paralysed. Coincidentally, the first person to arrive on the scene was my assistant Helen, who had just returned from holiday. She was wondering who was lying prostrate on the road. I was so glad to be alive that I quickly was able to summon my sense of humour, and said to her: “I’m alive! At least you’ve still got a job!
Read more from the link below
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/my-life-flashed-my-eyes
"I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life (however, perhaps they should build bike helmets that protect the side of the face too - does anyone know of one?). My bike went flying off the cliff and disappeared. We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed. My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut
"As I landed, once I realised I was alive, I began testing my movement. I really couldn't believe I was alive, let alone not paralysed. Coincidentally, the first person to arrive on the scene was my assistant Helen, who had just returned from holiday. She was wondering who was lying prostrate on the road. I was so glad to be alive that I quickly was able to summon my sense of humour, and said to her: “I’m alive! At least you’ve still got a job!
Read more from the link below
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/my-life-flashed-my-eyes
Open Heavens 26 August 2016: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Three-Dimensional Wickedness
Topic: Three-Dimensional Wickedness [Friday 26, August 2016]
Memorise: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. – Genesis 3:6
Read: 1 John 2:15 (KJV)
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 60:1-63:14, Psalms 42
MESSAGE:
The title of today’s devotion invites us to have a three dimensional view of wickedness as we consider today’s Bible reading and memory verse. If we only glance at this passage superficially, we will not see what God is showing us or get a good enough grasp of the message it contains. According to our memory verse, you will notice that Adam and Eve based their decision squarely on feelings to the exclusion of the Spirit of God that was resident in them. They found the forbidden fruit to be good for food and therefore for the nourishment of the body. Since it was pleasant to the eyes they thought it will satisfy the longing of the soul, and make one wise, hereby satisfying a human’s egoistic ambition to be like God. These are indeed the three dimensions of wickedness that led to the fall. The first human beings abused their God-given freedom by those rebellions acts against God. The word of God in 2 Corinthians 11:3 says;
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
The above passage shows that the fall of Adam and Eve was not out of ignorance, but due to carelessness and a carefree attitude towards the devil. First, they were familiar with the devil to the point of having a rapport with him. Secondly, they were reasoning with the devil on his terms without any recourse for God or His commandments. Thirdly, they were so relaxed; they didn’t realize they were being setup for destruction by the devil. Unfortunately, the Church of the 21st century seems not to have learnt any lesson from this example, as we currently exhibit worse simplicity and complacency than that which got Adam and Eve into trouble. Christians now accommodate and even defend those sins that were specifically condemned in the Bible. Will you dance with the devil or STAND FOR JESUS?
Prayer Point: Father, I refuse to fall for any form of three dimensional wickedness, please help me to stand firm in You.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. – Genesis 3:6
Read: 1 John 2:15 (KJV)
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 60:1-63:14, Psalms 42
MESSAGE:
The title of today’s devotion invites us to have a three dimensional view of wickedness as we consider today’s Bible reading and memory verse. If we only glance at this passage superficially, we will not see what God is showing us or get a good enough grasp of the message it contains. According to our memory verse, you will notice that Adam and Eve based their decision squarely on feelings to the exclusion of the Spirit of God that was resident in them. They found the forbidden fruit to be good for food and therefore for the nourishment of the body. Since it was pleasant to the eyes they thought it will satisfy the longing of the soul, and make one wise, hereby satisfying a human’s egoistic ambition to be like God. These are indeed the three dimensions of wickedness that led to the fall. The first human beings abused their God-given freedom by those rebellions acts against God. The word of God in 2 Corinthians 11:3 says;
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
The above passage shows that the fall of Adam and Eve was not out of ignorance, but due to carelessness and a carefree attitude towards the devil. First, they were familiar with the devil to the point of having a rapport with him. Secondly, they were reasoning with the devil on his terms without any recourse for God or His commandments. Thirdly, they were so relaxed; they didn’t realize they were being setup for destruction by the devil. Unfortunately, the Church of the 21st century seems not to have learnt any lesson from this example, as we currently exhibit worse simplicity and complacency than that which got Adam and Eve into trouble. Christians now accommodate and even defend those sins that were specifically condemned in the Bible. Will you dance with the devil or STAND FOR JESUS?
Prayer Point: Father, I refuse to fall for any form of three dimensional wickedness, please help me to stand firm in You.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Towards American Election: Trump is encouraging hate groups - Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton will paint her White House rival Donald Trump as the candidate of the far right on Thursday, claiming “a radical fringe” has taken over the Republican Party.
After releasing a hard-hitting ad that tethered Trump to the Ku Klux Klan, Clinton will use a speech in Reno, Nevada to argue he has brought racism to the political mainstream.
“From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia,” Clinton will say, according to excerpts released by her campaign.
“He’s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America’s two major political parties.”
As Trump strives to temper his hardline anti-immigrant message in a bid to halt collapsing poll numbers, Clinton’s campaign has been at pains to remind voters of the New York tycoon’s more controversial views.
Trump has in the past described Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers, and vowed to round up illegal immigrants and build a wall on the southern border — for which he would make Mexico pay.
In New Hampshire on Thursday, Trump trashed Clinton’s claims about him and his supporters.
“She paints decent Americans as racists,” he said to angry jeers.
Clinton has accused “decent Americans who support this campaign, your campaign, of being racists, which we are not” he said to angry jeers from the crowd.
“It’s a tired, disgusting argument.”
Trump also accused Clinton of being behind a “vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department,” suggesting that she had sold valuable access to those who donated to her family’s Clinton Foundation.
AFP
After releasing a hard-hitting ad that tethered Trump to the Ku Klux Klan, Clinton will use a speech in Reno, Nevada to argue he has brought racism to the political mainstream.
“From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia,” Clinton will say, according to excerpts released by her campaign.
“He’s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America’s two major political parties.”
As Trump strives to temper his hardline anti-immigrant message in a bid to halt collapsing poll numbers, Clinton’s campaign has been at pains to remind voters of the New York tycoon’s more controversial views.
Trump has in the past described Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers, and vowed to round up illegal immigrants and build a wall on the southern border — for which he would make Mexico pay.
In New Hampshire on Thursday, Trump trashed Clinton’s claims about him and his supporters.
“She paints decent Americans as racists,” he said to angry jeers.
Clinton has accused “decent Americans who support this campaign, your campaign, of being racists, which we are not” he said to angry jeers from the crowd.
“It’s a tired, disgusting argument.”
Trump also accused Clinton of being behind a “vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department,” suggesting that she had sold valuable access to those who donated to her family’s Clinton Foundation.
AFP
I pray they arrest herdsmen who killed in Enugu swiftly as ‘Buhari’ dog man – Reno Omokri
As culled from Flatimes, Special aide to former president Goodluck Jonathan has said that he hopes the suspected Fulani herdsmen who killed a seminarian on Thursday morning in Enugu State be swiftly arrested and prosecuted like they did with the man who named his dog ‘Buhari’.
Suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked Ndiagu Attakwu community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, killed a seminarian of the Catholic Church and wounded several others.
The incident came barely four months after a similar attack on Nimbo community left several persons dead.
Reacting to this development, Mr. Omokri wrote on his Twitter page: “My prayer is that the herdsmen who killed Nigerians in Enugu earlier today will be arrested and prosecuted as swiftly as the Buhari dog man!”
Suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked Ndiagu Attakwu community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, killed a seminarian of the Catholic Church and wounded several others.
The incident came barely four months after a similar attack on Nimbo community left several persons dead.
Reacting to this development, Mr. Omokri wrote on his Twitter page: “My prayer is that the herdsmen who killed Nigerians in Enugu earlier today will be arrested and prosecuted as swiftly as the Buhari dog man!”
Thursday 25 August 2016
Open Heavens 25 August 2016: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Nothing goes for Nothing
Topic: Nothing goes for Nothing [Thursday 25, August 2016]
Memorise: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, – Matthew 17:1
Read: Matthew 17:14-21 (KJV)
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 56:9-59:21, Psalms 41
MESSAGE:
In secular environments, it takes diligence to get to the top and it takes even more diligence to remain there. There are many people who work really hard to get to the top but upon getting there, they soon begin to relax. Diligence is even more important when it comes to spiritual responsibilities. You need to work hard to have an encounter with God but you need to work twice as hard to keep your encounter intact. To get the answer to all your requests, you have to invest a lot of time before God. Many people just get born again and begin to relax. If you want to command the miraculous you must be ready to pay the price. You need to keep running until you get to the finish line. There are people who have no given God their entire lives, yet they want God to always respond to all their requests. If you want a spiritual transformation in your life, you have to give attention and seriousness to the business of growing daily. Following Jesus Christ could be very costly, His standards are always high and He will never compromise His standard for anyone. If you want to operate in the miraculous, you must be willing to die daily. Self-denial is a basic qualification for discipleship and there are many courses you have to register for in the school of exploits. That includes fasting while others are feasting. It includes praying while others are sleeping. You have to study the Bible while others are spending time on things that will not add significant value to their lives. It involves spiritual discipline while some people are wasting their time away. Paul testified that he kept his body under in order to win the prize. Keeping the body under is self-denial. You are deliberately doing something to achieve something. Somebody asked me how I am able to fast for many days and I replied that it is always very easy for me to do so because each time I want to start a long fast I just go to the calendar and count the number of days I want to go and I tell my stomach “look at that day very well, that is the next time we shall be talking about food” it is as simple as that.
To command supernatural situations, nothing goes for nothing. You have to engage in spiritual exercises;
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” - Matthew 17:21
If Jesus said “Men ought to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1), it is very obvious that prayer covers a wide range of issues that should keep one very vigilant. It is in the place of prayer that there is a guarantee of continuous Open Heavens for every child of God. At the same time, there are many people who have lost many opportunities because of their understanding of the significance of prayer in commanding the release of their heart desires. Fasting is not just a religious exercise as some think. When you engage in fasting, you are equipping yourself with strong weapons to counter every attack of the wicked ones and take your victory in every battle of life. When faith is actively coupled with prayer and fasting, there is nothing that can stop your prayers from being answered. Every barrier that wants to stand on your way will always give in like we observed in the case of Daniel with the prince of Persia.
Key Point: Fasting and prayer is a combined spiritual weapon that commands the miraculous.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, – Matthew 17:1
Read: Matthew 17:14-21 (KJV)
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 56:9-59:21, Psalms 41
MESSAGE:
In secular environments, it takes diligence to get to the top and it takes even more diligence to remain there. There are many people who work really hard to get to the top but upon getting there, they soon begin to relax. Diligence is even more important when it comes to spiritual responsibilities. You need to work hard to have an encounter with God but you need to work twice as hard to keep your encounter intact. To get the answer to all your requests, you have to invest a lot of time before God. Many people just get born again and begin to relax. If you want to command the miraculous you must be ready to pay the price. You need to keep running until you get to the finish line. There are people who have no given God their entire lives, yet they want God to always respond to all their requests. If you want a spiritual transformation in your life, you have to give attention and seriousness to the business of growing daily. Following Jesus Christ could be very costly, His standards are always high and He will never compromise His standard for anyone. If you want to operate in the miraculous, you must be willing to die daily. Self-denial is a basic qualification for discipleship and there are many courses you have to register for in the school of exploits. That includes fasting while others are feasting. It includes praying while others are sleeping. You have to study the Bible while others are spending time on things that will not add significant value to their lives. It involves spiritual discipline while some people are wasting their time away. Paul testified that he kept his body under in order to win the prize. Keeping the body under is self-denial. You are deliberately doing something to achieve something. Somebody asked me how I am able to fast for many days and I replied that it is always very easy for me to do so because each time I want to start a long fast I just go to the calendar and count the number of days I want to go and I tell my stomach “look at that day very well, that is the next time we shall be talking about food” it is as simple as that.
To command supernatural situations, nothing goes for nothing. You have to engage in spiritual exercises;
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” - Matthew 17:21
If Jesus said “Men ought to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1), it is very obvious that prayer covers a wide range of issues that should keep one very vigilant. It is in the place of prayer that there is a guarantee of continuous Open Heavens for every child of God. At the same time, there are many people who have lost many opportunities because of their understanding of the significance of prayer in commanding the release of their heart desires. Fasting is not just a religious exercise as some think. When you engage in fasting, you are equipping yourself with strong weapons to counter every attack of the wicked ones and take your victory in every battle of life. When faith is actively coupled with prayer and fasting, there is nothing that can stop your prayers from being answered. Every barrier that wants to stand on your way will always give in like we observed in the case of Daniel with the prince of Persia.
Key Point: Fasting and prayer is a combined spiritual weapon that commands the miraculous.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Dog issue! Pres. Buhari should call the IGP and AGF to order- Alibaba says
As culled from LIB, According to ace comedian, President Buhari needs to call the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to order regarding the arrest of 40 year old Chinakwe Joachim Iroko who has been arraigned in court for naming his dog Buhari. Read what he wrote below...
President Mohammadu Buhari is a respected man. He is a sitting president. Nothing should be done to discredit him. Just as nothing should be done to rubbish his name. But to all his dogged supporters who are screaming blue mother because of the dog issue, hear this, this is the same path people who messed up Jonathan's presidency took.
You can not tell me that in the over weeks or so that this issue of name dog or not name dog started, the people who work with or work for PMB have not brought it to his notice. Is that what is bothering this country? How many Fulani herdsmen who have killed several Nigerians have been swiftly brought to justice like this dog naming guy?
We just have a bunch of senseless and jobless people swallowing panadol for another person's headache masquerading as patriots. Let me just say this one time here and I will not comment on this again. Mr President should cal the IGP and attorney General to order. There are more pressing issues than the name of a dog taking over the times of our courts and heating up the polity. Awon Alai ni nkon se oshi
President Mohammadu Buhari is a respected man. He is a sitting president. Nothing should be done to discredit him. Just as nothing should be done to rubbish his name. But to all his dogged supporters who are screaming blue mother because of the dog issue, hear this, this is the same path people who messed up Jonathan's presidency took.
You can not tell me that in the over weeks or so that this issue of name dog or not name dog started, the people who work with or work for PMB have not brought it to his notice. Is that what is bothering this country? How many Fulani herdsmen who have killed several Nigerians have been swiftly brought to justice like this dog naming guy?
We just have a bunch of senseless and jobless people swallowing panadol for another person's headache masquerading as patriots. Let me just say this one time here and I will not comment on this again. Mr President should cal the IGP and attorney General to order. There are more pressing issues than the name of a dog taking over the times of our courts and heating up the polity. Awon Alai ni nkon se oshi
Article on Reforms in education and its agencies
Written by the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspaper
Although it took long in coming, the Federal Government’s appointment of 17 new heads of education agencies and parastatals should be a commendable development. This is especially so when the motive for this change was hinged on “high level of impunity and financial recklessness in their organisations” by the respective leadership. By this gesture, the Federal Government seemed to be symbolically expressing its resolve to place the education sector in line with its change mantra.
For a long time, too, this country has been bedeviled by unclear educational policies that have been given different shades of interpretations by stakeholders in that sector. From the primary level, where foundational education is bastardised by private pecuniary motives and public insensitivity, to the secondary level, where curricula and syllabuses run at cross-purposes and have no bearing with national needs, to the tertiary level, where many ill-prepared students pass through and are thrown into the society, the educational sector has never been in such dire need of reforms as it is at this moment.
In the same vein, that the government has made efforts to recruit 500,000 teachers, and is poised to recruit about 1.3 million in the next six years into the basic education level, is an attestation of how serious the need for securing the foundation of education is. Just as there is a dearth of qualified teachers in the schools, it is equally true that the teaching profession is not an all-comers profession. It is one profession that must tactfully combine its vocational nature with its professional status to positively transform the society.
However, it is sad that plans are just coming up one and half years into the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. As a matter of fact, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has only recently given the newly appointed heads one month to come up with action plans. Any country that desires to transform its situation and people understands that education is always tailored towards identified societal needs. Such needs, that must be specific, measurable, realistic and time-bound, would determine the curriculum, school content, and syllabuses. It would also consider the kind of teachers it has or seeks to recruit. In other words any educational change that warrants that name must have a roadmap.
Given the hackneyed mantra of change peddled by this administration, what vision of education is being offered the people? What kind of education does this country need? To what specific national need or needs is it directed? What is the mission? What step by step procedures are being put in place to realise that vision? If the appointment of new heads is merely a change of guard, then the euphoria over change is misplaced. This perception may become an unfortunate development, if the appointment, as certain critics claim, is a re-inforcement of the nation’s lack of foresight.
In the opinions of many critics, the fact that the minister and heads of important regulatory authorities in the educational sector are from one section of the country tends to create a situation of no confidence. Informed comments from many patriots have often relayed the perceived insularity and limited horizon of the current leaders, too narrow for a pan-Nigerian leadership. Although accusations of ethnic favouritism in appointments may be exaggerated, this government should endeavour to manage this public perception assiduously.
With a reduction in the budgetary allocation from 11 per cent last year to eight per cent in the current appropriation, it is indeed curious to know how Nigeria can muster the political will to attain global average in the educational sector. It would be recalled that recently the Federal Government enthused Nigerians by proposing to adopt the Iranian model of development to fast-track national growth. Iran has a literacy level of well over 93 per cent, and it is an influential Middle Eastern power. It has a rich ancient civilisation and proud cultural heritage to back her present nationalistic spirit and industrial development goals.
Nigeria’s literacy rate, on the other hand, is about 36 per cent and unevenly distributed. Whilst many parts of the country are educationally disadvantaged due to cultural beliefs and traditional practices, others have embraced western scientific education as a way of life to their benefit. Besides, the culture and belief systems that relegate women and the girl-child are most potently demonstrated in the latter’s inaccessibility to education. Rather than fashion out ways of genuinely increasing this value exponentially, policy makers and government actors are playing politics with statistics.
If Nigeria seeks to adopt Iran’s model of development (whatever it may be) as a pilot for its educational sector, then Nigerians require a lifetime of commitment and a superlative sense of nationalism, social responsibility and collective action to achieve that goal. In today’s highly competitive world, Nigeria must identify its strengths and opportunities and create educational ideas and policies that would put its people in global advantage. Nigeria must also reconsider the budgetary allocation for education if it is to be taken seriously. A single digit per cent budgetary allocation for education is the clearest expression of a non-starter.
Above all, there is need for wholesome empowerment of the society by promoting education of the girl-child. In this regard, the wise saying, ‘Educate the woman and you educate a nation’ becomes very instructive.
Although it took long in coming, the Federal Government’s appointment of 17 new heads of education agencies and parastatals should be a commendable development. This is especially so when the motive for this change was hinged on “high level of impunity and financial recklessness in their organisations” by the respective leadership. By this gesture, the Federal Government seemed to be symbolically expressing its resolve to place the education sector in line with its change mantra.
For a long time, too, this country has been bedeviled by unclear educational policies that have been given different shades of interpretations by stakeholders in that sector. From the primary level, where foundational education is bastardised by private pecuniary motives and public insensitivity, to the secondary level, where curricula and syllabuses run at cross-purposes and have no bearing with national needs, to the tertiary level, where many ill-prepared students pass through and are thrown into the society, the educational sector has never been in such dire need of reforms as it is at this moment.
In the same vein, that the government has made efforts to recruit 500,000 teachers, and is poised to recruit about 1.3 million in the next six years into the basic education level, is an attestation of how serious the need for securing the foundation of education is. Just as there is a dearth of qualified teachers in the schools, it is equally true that the teaching profession is not an all-comers profession. It is one profession that must tactfully combine its vocational nature with its professional status to positively transform the society.
However, it is sad that plans are just coming up one and half years into the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. As a matter of fact, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has only recently given the newly appointed heads one month to come up with action plans. Any country that desires to transform its situation and people understands that education is always tailored towards identified societal needs. Such needs, that must be specific, measurable, realistic and time-bound, would determine the curriculum, school content, and syllabuses. It would also consider the kind of teachers it has or seeks to recruit. In other words any educational change that warrants that name must have a roadmap.
Given the hackneyed mantra of change peddled by this administration, what vision of education is being offered the people? What kind of education does this country need? To what specific national need or needs is it directed? What is the mission? What step by step procedures are being put in place to realise that vision? If the appointment of new heads is merely a change of guard, then the euphoria over change is misplaced. This perception may become an unfortunate development, if the appointment, as certain critics claim, is a re-inforcement of the nation’s lack of foresight.
In the opinions of many critics, the fact that the minister and heads of important regulatory authorities in the educational sector are from one section of the country tends to create a situation of no confidence. Informed comments from many patriots have often relayed the perceived insularity and limited horizon of the current leaders, too narrow for a pan-Nigerian leadership. Although accusations of ethnic favouritism in appointments may be exaggerated, this government should endeavour to manage this public perception assiduously.
With a reduction in the budgetary allocation from 11 per cent last year to eight per cent in the current appropriation, it is indeed curious to know how Nigeria can muster the political will to attain global average in the educational sector. It would be recalled that recently the Federal Government enthused Nigerians by proposing to adopt the Iranian model of development to fast-track national growth. Iran has a literacy level of well over 93 per cent, and it is an influential Middle Eastern power. It has a rich ancient civilisation and proud cultural heritage to back her present nationalistic spirit and industrial development goals.
Nigeria’s literacy rate, on the other hand, is about 36 per cent and unevenly distributed. Whilst many parts of the country are educationally disadvantaged due to cultural beliefs and traditional practices, others have embraced western scientific education as a way of life to their benefit. Besides, the culture and belief systems that relegate women and the girl-child are most potently demonstrated in the latter’s inaccessibility to education. Rather than fashion out ways of genuinely increasing this value exponentially, policy makers and government actors are playing politics with statistics.
If Nigeria seeks to adopt Iran’s model of development (whatever it may be) as a pilot for its educational sector, then Nigerians require a lifetime of commitment and a superlative sense of nationalism, social responsibility and collective action to achieve that goal. In today’s highly competitive world, Nigeria must identify its strengths and opportunities and create educational ideas and policies that would put its people in global advantage. Nigeria must also reconsider the budgetary allocation for education if it is to be taken seriously. A single digit per cent budgetary allocation for education is the clearest expression of a non-starter.
Above all, there is need for wholesome empowerment of the society by promoting education of the girl-child. In this regard, the wise saying, ‘Educate the woman and you educate a nation’ becomes very instructive.
Wednesday 24 August 2016
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Source: Vovnetdigital
Another major inclusion in the technology world, that every Nigerian and the whole word must access for productivity and creativity.
WHO WE ARE?
Vox-net Media Solutions is a global digital solution company. Our core areas of expertise include Digital Marketing, Email and Social Media Marketing, Creative Design, Digital Campaign Management, Web and App Development, Content Management and Digital Analytics among other solutions.
Over the past years, we have built up a team of digital professionals which are committed to excellent service delivery and remaining at the forefront of the digital solution industry.
OUR VALUES
Our ethos includes 100% transparency between client and consultants as well as delivering high-performing digital solutions. We are committed to excellent customer service and educating our clients about our processes, which includes what we are doing, how we are doing it and why we are doing it and most importantly providing periodic progress reports to show impacts and progress.
OUR PEOPLE
It takes a broad range of skills and expertise to ensure we can provide the best solution for our clients across the spectrum of digital marketing.
At Vox-net digital solutions, we have the experience, knowledge and capabilities to avoid the pitfalls and deliver a robust digital marketing solutions that produce predictable, scalable results that maximise your marketing investment.
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Read What this Brazilian said about Usain Bolt.. 'Sex with him was hot, he has the body of a champion but
It was a real blockbuster in Rio2016.
Jady Duarte, the girl who shared snaps of Usain Bolt cuddling and kissing her in bed while in Rio during his birthday said
"Finally we were waiting in line for a taxi and he smiled at me and did the famous victory pose so I was in no doubt who he was," she added. "That's was when I decided it was time to give in to him. He pulled me into the taxi and gave me an incredible kiss. It was very passionate and hot - we were devouring one another. He has the body of a champion although his male parts do not match - he is just like a regular guy," she claimed.
for more details click this link below
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/08/sex-with-him-was-hot-he-has-body-of.html?m=1
Jady Duarte, the girl who shared snaps of Usain Bolt cuddling and kissing her in bed while in Rio during his birthday said
"Finally we were waiting in line for a taxi and he smiled at me and did the famous victory pose so I was in no doubt who he was," she added. "That's was when I decided it was time to give in to him. He pulled me into the taxi and gave me an incredible kiss. It was very passionate and hot - we were devouring one another. He has the body of a champion although his male parts do not match - he is just like a regular guy," she claimed.
for more details click this link below
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/08/sex-with-him-was-hot-he-has-body-of.html?m=1
Do you know? ‘Good diet in pregnancy produces well-behaved kids’ – New Study
By Chukwuma Muanya
A new study has warned that an unhealthy diet during pregnancy could influence a child’s risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Researchers found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet can affect the function of a gene called IGF2 that helps steer fetal development of brain regions previously linked to ADHD.
The study was published August 18 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and MedlinePlus Online.
Senior researcher Edward Barker, director of the developmental psychopathology lab at King’s College London said: “These results suggest that promoting a healthy prenatal diet may ultimately lower ADHD symptoms and conduct problems in children.”
However, Barker said the study only shows an association, rather than a direct cause-and-effect. “We do not suggest that a mother’s diet will cause ADHD or conduct problems,” he said. “There are many causes of ADHD and conduct problems, and usually many small influences are at work together, diet being one of them.”
A bad diet appears to influence the way the IGF2 gene is read and interpreted by cells through a process called DNA “methylation,” Barker said. In methylation, an extra molecule is tacked onto a DNA strand.
“DNA methylation can influence how a person’s genetic make-up might affect their development, in response to risk exposures including poor nutrition,” Barker said.
Animal research has shown that what a mother eats during pregnancy can change the action of genes important for the development of the brain, but very little is known about the influence of diet during pregnancy on the human brain, he said.
To investigate this, Barker and his colleagues compared 83 British children aged seven to 13 with conduct problems against 81 relatively well-behaved children. Conduct problems often go hand in hand with ADHD, his team noted.
During pregnancy, the children’s mothers filled out a questionnaire regarding their diet.
Researchers then assessed whether the IGF2 gene in their children had experienced DNA methylation. They did this using blood samples taken either from the children’s umbilical cord at birth or from the child at age seven.
The IGF2 gene is involved in the development of the cerebellum and hippocampus, regions of the brain that have been implicated in ADHD, the researchers explained.
The researchers found that poor prenatal nutrition was associated with higher IGF2 methylation in children with conduct problems. Diets that included lots of processed foods and baked sweets particularly appeared to affect the function of IGF2, Barker said.
A new study has warned that an unhealthy diet during pregnancy could influence a child’s risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Researchers found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet can affect the function of a gene called IGF2 that helps steer fetal development of brain regions previously linked to ADHD.
The study was published August 18 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and MedlinePlus Online.
Senior researcher Edward Barker, director of the developmental psychopathology lab at King’s College London said: “These results suggest that promoting a healthy prenatal diet may ultimately lower ADHD symptoms and conduct problems in children.”
However, Barker said the study only shows an association, rather than a direct cause-and-effect. “We do not suggest that a mother’s diet will cause ADHD or conduct problems,” he said. “There are many causes of ADHD and conduct problems, and usually many small influences are at work together, diet being one of them.”
A bad diet appears to influence the way the IGF2 gene is read and interpreted by cells through a process called DNA “methylation,” Barker said. In methylation, an extra molecule is tacked onto a DNA strand.
“DNA methylation can influence how a person’s genetic make-up might affect their development, in response to risk exposures including poor nutrition,” Barker said.
Animal research has shown that what a mother eats during pregnancy can change the action of genes important for the development of the brain, but very little is known about the influence of diet during pregnancy on the human brain, he said.
To investigate this, Barker and his colleagues compared 83 British children aged seven to 13 with conduct problems against 81 relatively well-behaved children. Conduct problems often go hand in hand with ADHD, his team noted.
During pregnancy, the children’s mothers filled out a questionnaire regarding their diet.
Researchers then assessed whether the IGF2 gene in their children had experienced DNA methylation. They did this using blood samples taken either from the children’s umbilical cord at birth or from the child at age seven.
The IGF2 gene is involved in the development of the cerebellum and hippocampus, regions of the brain that have been implicated in ADHD, the researchers explained.
The researchers found that poor prenatal nutrition was associated with higher IGF2 methylation in children with conduct problems. Diets that included lots of processed foods and baked sweets particularly appeared to affect the function of IGF2, Barker said.
Open Heavens 24 August 2016: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – You need Deliverance?
Topic: You need Deliverance? [Wednesday 24, August 2016]
Memorise: And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. – Isaiah 10:27
Read: Deuteronomy 28:25-48 (KJV)
25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 52:1-56:8, Psalms 40:11-17
MESSAGE:
There are many people who are carrying different loads in life. There are weights, burdens and yokes that are delaying many people and stopping them from becoming what God wants them to become. When an individual is in bondage, there are limits to what he can achieve. This may mean that there is an urgent need for deliverance. God is the ultimate deliverer and I want to assure you that everything that is unpleasant in your life shall be made beautiful in Jesus’ name. There are people that appear alright, but they have long standing problems. I decree that the Almighty God will turn all of your unpleasant situations into beautiful testimonies in Jesus’ name.
“Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.” - Isaiah 60:15
There are people who have been rejected by others but in the hour of deliverance, these same people will gather people for the celebration of the greatness of God in their lives. In the hour of deliverance, wealth will begin to replace poverty in the lives of such people. When deliverance begins, there will be a full restoration of all that has been denied for so many years.
If you align yourself with the will of God this moment, God will begin to be your light. You will walk through darkness and nothing will harm you because the deliverance of God has located you. God wants to deliver you from the power and fears of those whom you cannot handle by your strength. God does not want your life as a believer to be at the mercy of sinners. The blood of Jesus is for your freedom, to deliver you from the tyranny of sin and death. If you allow God to deliver you, the yoke of sickness, poverty, stagnation, unemployment, and fruitlessness will not only be taken away, but it shall be destroyed totally. Moses told the children of Israel to look back and behold the Egyptians, because the Egyptians they were seeing that day would never be seen again in their lives. And the Almighty God sank all the Egyptians and their weapons of war into the sea at that moment. As a child of the Almighty God, you can be sure that there is no weapon formed against you spiritually, physically or administratively that will prosper.
Have you been in bondage? Have you been a victim of situations and circumstances? Are there certain precious things you desire but are outside your control? Are you weeping silently while others think you are happy? I decree once again that your hour of deliverance is here in Jesus’ name. That great man called Naaman was a leper but when his hour of deliverance arrived, he dipped himself into river Jordan seven times as instructed, and his skin was wholly replaced. No single sign of loss was found in him. It is in that same Spirit that I want you to know that your freedom has arrived. There will be a complete turnaround in a positive direction in your life in Jesus’ name.
Key Point: When God sets you free, you are free indeed.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. – Isaiah 10:27
Read: Deuteronomy 28:25-48 (KJV)
25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 52:1-56:8, Psalms 40:11-17
MESSAGE:
There are many people who are carrying different loads in life. There are weights, burdens and yokes that are delaying many people and stopping them from becoming what God wants them to become. When an individual is in bondage, there are limits to what he can achieve. This may mean that there is an urgent need for deliverance. God is the ultimate deliverer and I want to assure you that everything that is unpleasant in your life shall be made beautiful in Jesus’ name. There are people that appear alright, but they have long standing problems. I decree that the Almighty God will turn all of your unpleasant situations into beautiful testimonies in Jesus’ name.
“Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.” - Isaiah 60:15
There are people who have been rejected by others but in the hour of deliverance, these same people will gather people for the celebration of the greatness of God in their lives. In the hour of deliverance, wealth will begin to replace poverty in the lives of such people. When deliverance begins, there will be a full restoration of all that has been denied for so many years.
If you align yourself with the will of God this moment, God will begin to be your light. You will walk through darkness and nothing will harm you because the deliverance of God has located you. God wants to deliver you from the power and fears of those whom you cannot handle by your strength. God does not want your life as a believer to be at the mercy of sinners. The blood of Jesus is for your freedom, to deliver you from the tyranny of sin and death. If you allow God to deliver you, the yoke of sickness, poverty, stagnation, unemployment, and fruitlessness will not only be taken away, but it shall be destroyed totally. Moses told the children of Israel to look back and behold the Egyptians, because the Egyptians they were seeing that day would never be seen again in their lives. And the Almighty God sank all the Egyptians and their weapons of war into the sea at that moment. As a child of the Almighty God, you can be sure that there is no weapon formed against you spiritually, physically or administratively that will prosper.
Have you been in bondage? Have you been a victim of situations and circumstances? Are there certain precious things you desire but are outside your control? Are you weeping silently while others think you are happy? I decree once again that your hour of deliverance is here in Jesus’ name. That great man called Naaman was a leper but when his hour of deliverance arrived, he dipped himself into river Jordan seven times as instructed, and his skin was wholly replaced. No single sign of loss was found in him. It is in that same Spirit that I want you to know that your freedom has arrived. There will be a complete turnaround in a positive direction in your life in Jesus’ name.
Key Point: When God sets you free, you are free indeed.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Open Heavens 23 August 2016: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Ultimate Goal
Topic: The Ultimate Goal [Tuesday 23, August 2016]
Memorise: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3
Read: Matthew 5:1-10 (KJV)
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 49-51, Psalms 40:1-10
MESSAGE:
God’s eternal purpose for calling us into His kingdom is to make us a people that will be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ. The moment we surrender our lives to Christ, our focus must change and our goals in life must be tailored towards His ultimate purpose. You become separated from the crowd, you become a disciple of Jesus and the love of Christ becomes your preoccupation. Nothing satisfies better than the relationship you enjoy with the Father. You begin to have access to deep secrets because you are now His disciple. Your goal must change because you have become separated from sin and a worldly lifestyle. All those that encountered God had to focus on His ultimate goal for their lives. Joseph knew that he could of his own achieve nothing, so he began to follow the plan of God for his life. He focused on the ultimate goal and the Almighty God assisted him and gave him understanding, which made him to stand out. He learnt so many things as he was working towards God’s plan and purpose for his life. He became humble and grace was released into his life. Those who are always full of their achievements and accomplishments in life can never amount to anything significant before God because they will become blinded by their success. For outstanding goals to be achieved by you, there is the need to depend on the Almighty God.
An understanding of your spiritual poverty is the only gateway into entering into the provision and abundance of the Almighty God. It is acknowledging your deficiencies and realising that you are bankrupt and you need the help of Heaven to achieve the ultimate goal that God has lined up for you. King Solomon understood this and came to God to ask for help in knowing how to go about his daily business of administering the affairs of the kingdom. The moment God is removed from your life; you have nothing more to give to life. This is why you have to be meek before God. You must demonstrate meekness as you move on in life because the place that God is taking you to is a great place. You cannot afford to be proud. It is only the power of God that can guarantee your getting there, not by your own strength. Meekness is an attribute of Christ, and also one of the fruits of the Spirit. We must follow the path of meekness in our daily lives. It means your flesh must be crucified and the natural man in you must give in for the power of God to fill you.
When Joseph’s brothers were about to sell him into slavery, they thought they had gotten rid of the dreamer and his dreams, but they did not know they were only helping him in orchestrating the plan and purpose of God for his life. They became vehicles through which the young dreamer got to his ultimate destination in life. This is why you need to know that all things will always work together for good in the life of those who allow Jesus to be their personal Lord and Saviour. As long as you remain in the perfect will of God, and you are obedient to the ultimate goal that He has set for your life, you can be sure you will get to your destination. Dare to trust God and stop struggling to fight your battles by yourself. With God on your side, you will reach your goal.
Key Point: The plan and purpose of God for a man is the best that can ever happen to him.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3
Read: Matthew 5:1-10 (KJV)
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 49-51, Psalms 40:1-10
MESSAGE:
God’s eternal purpose for calling us into His kingdom is to make us a people that will be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ. The moment we surrender our lives to Christ, our focus must change and our goals in life must be tailored towards His ultimate purpose. You become separated from the crowd, you become a disciple of Jesus and the love of Christ becomes your preoccupation. Nothing satisfies better than the relationship you enjoy with the Father. You begin to have access to deep secrets because you are now His disciple. Your goal must change because you have become separated from sin and a worldly lifestyle. All those that encountered God had to focus on His ultimate goal for their lives. Joseph knew that he could of his own achieve nothing, so he began to follow the plan of God for his life. He focused on the ultimate goal and the Almighty God assisted him and gave him understanding, which made him to stand out. He learnt so many things as he was working towards God’s plan and purpose for his life. He became humble and grace was released into his life. Those who are always full of their achievements and accomplishments in life can never amount to anything significant before God because they will become blinded by their success. For outstanding goals to be achieved by you, there is the need to depend on the Almighty God.
An understanding of your spiritual poverty is the only gateway into entering into the provision and abundance of the Almighty God. It is acknowledging your deficiencies and realising that you are bankrupt and you need the help of Heaven to achieve the ultimate goal that God has lined up for you. King Solomon understood this and came to God to ask for help in knowing how to go about his daily business of administering the affairs of the kingdom. The moment God is removed from your life; you have nothing more to give to life. This is why you have to be meek before God. You must demonstrate meekness as you move on in life because the place that God is taking you to is a great place. You cannot afford to be proud. It is only the power of God that can guarantee your getting there, not by your own strength. Meekness is an attribute of Christ, and also one of the fruits of the Spirit. We must follow the path of meekness in our daily lives. It means your flesh must be crucified and the natural man in you must give in for the power of God to fill you.
When Joseph’s brothers were about to sell him into slavery, they thought they had gotten rid of the dreamer and his dreams, but they did not know they were only helping him in orchestrating the plan and purpose of God for his life. They became vehicles through which the young dreamer got to his ultimate destination in life. This is why you need to know that all things will always work together for good in the life of those who allow Jesus to be their personal Lord and Saviour. As long as you remain in the perfect will of God, and you are obedient to the ultimate goal that He has set for your life, you can be sure you will get to your destination. Dare to trust God and stop struggling to fight your battles by yourself. With God on your side, you will reach your goal.
Key Point: The plan and purpose of God for a man is the best that can ever happen to him.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
South African hotelier Sun International plan to exits Nigeria due to weak econony
Sun International Ltd. plans to exit Nigeria after the South African casino and hotel operator’s earnings in the country plunged amid a weakening economy and a dispute involving the company’s local partners.
Sun International bought 49 percent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange-listed Tourist Company of Nigeria 10 years ago, giving it part-ownership of the Federal Palace hotel in Lagos, one of the main hotels used by businessmen traveling to the commercial capital.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization at the Nigerian operations fell 58 percent in the 12 months through June, Sun said in a statement on Monday. Occupancy rates at the property fell to 42 percent.
"The Federal Palace continues to operate in a difficult environment with the Nigerian economy facing a number of crises including the low oil price,” the Johannesburg-based company said in the statement. The Islamist insurgency led by the Boko Haram group and a weakening naira also hurt trading, while an “ongoing shareholder dispute has frustrated all attempts to develop and improve the property,” the company said.
Other South African companies to have left Nigeria include retailers Woolworths Holdings Ltd. and Truworths International Ltd., citing tough regulation and rising costs. Johannesburg-based MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile-phone provider, agreed to pay a 330 billion naira ($957 million) regulatory fine in the country earlier this year, leading to its first-ever half-year loss.
Sun has been drawn into a “long-standing family dispute” between fellow shareholders in Nigeria, the company said earlier this year, after workers, including South African expatriates, were detained without charges by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
The employees have still not had their passports returned to them, while no charges have been laid against them or the company, Sun said on Monday. The process of exiting Nigeria is likely to be “protracted,” as Sun seeks to ensure it receives fair value for the investment, the company said.
The hotelier said in May it plans to sell minority interests in properties in countries including Zambia, Botswana and Namibia for 394 million rand ($29 million) to reduce debt. The shares were 0.4 percent lower at 91.76 rand as of 2:02 p.m. in Johannesburg, valuing the company at 10 billion rand.
Sun, owner of the Sun City resort northwest of Johannesburg, said full-year diluted adjusted earnings per share excluding one-time items fell 20 percent to 6.28 rand, while sales gained 15 percent to 12.2 billion rand. The final dividend was cut to 1.35 rand a share from 1.75 rand the previous year.
Bloomberg /LIB
Sun International bought 49 percent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange-listed Tourist Company of Nigeria 10 years ago, giving it part-ownership of the Federal Palace hotel in Lagos, one of the main hotels used by businessmen traveling to the commercial capital.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization at the Nigerian operations fell 58 percent in the 12 months through June, Sun said in a statement on Monday. Occupancy rates at the property fell to 42 percent.
"The Federal Palace continues to operate in a difficult environment with the Nigerian economy facing a number of crises including the low oil price,” the Johannesburg-based company said in the statement. The Islamist insurgency led by the Boko Haram group and a weakening naira also hurt trading, while an “ongoing shareholder dispute has frustrated all attempts to develop and improve the property,” the company said.
Other South African companies to have left Nigeria include retailers Woolworths Holdings Ltd. and Truworths International Ltd., citing tough regulation and rising costs. Johannesburg-based MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile-phone provider, agreed to pay a 330 billion naira ($957 million) regulatory fine in the country earlier this year, leading to its first-ever half-year loss.
Sun has been drawn into a “long-standing family dispute” between fellow shareholders in Nigeria, the company said earlier this year, after workers, including South African expatriates, were detained without charges by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
The employees have still not had their passports returned to them, while no charges have been laid against them or the company, Sun said on Monday. The process of exiting Nigeria is likely to be “protracted,” as Sun seeks to ensure it receives fair value for the investment, the company said.
The hotelier said in May it plans to sell minority interests in properties in countries including Zambia, Botswana and Namibia for 394 million rand ($29 million) to reduce debt. The shares were 0.4 percent lower at 91.76 rand as of 2:02 p.m. in Johannesburg, valuing the company at 10 billion rand.
Sun, owner of the Sun City resort northwest of Johannesburg, said full-year diluted adjusted earnings per share excluding one-time items fell 20 percent to 6.28 rand, while sales gained 15 percent to 12.2 billion rand. The final dividend was cut to 1.35 rand a share from 1.75 rand the previous year.
Bloomberg /LIB
Latest Development: Ex-Ondo AG, Eyitayo, Emerges PDP governorship candidate
The immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo state, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has been declared the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary election in the state. Eyitayo emerged the winner of the party’s primary by polling 760 votes to defeat the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP in the 2012 governorship election, Hon. Saka Lawal. Eyitayo Announcing the results of the primaries at the International Cultural and Event Centre (The Dome), Akure, on Monday, Chairman of the PDP Primary Election Committee for Ondo State and the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, said Eyitayo won the party’s primary election by polling a total of 760 votes to defeat his main opponent Saka Lawal, who polled a total of 22 votes to take the second place. The primary election, which started with the accreditation of voters, took off at exactly 8:00am and was duly monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it attracted local and international observers, the press, security apparatuses in the State. The voting commenced after all the delegates, who conducted themselves in an orderly manner, had been accredited, collation and the counting of votes followed immediately. Saka, who addressed the delegates before the commencement of the voting, said he has taken a strong decision to remain in the mainstream of the party, he assured that all leaders and members who have left party for the opposition parties will return, adding that he will build on existing legacies of Governor Olusegun Mimiko if he is given the opportunity to fly the flag of PDP. He stressed that he will remain committed to the progress of the party saying the party will emerge in the forthcoming governorship poll in the state “I want to assure you that Saka Lawal will not leave PDP.” He said. Also speaking, Eyitayo Jegede promised he will focus on the economy if he emerges the party’s flagbearer as that is the only way out of the non-payment of workers’ salaries. While announcing the results, Dickson, said that 713 delegates were accredited for the primaries from a total delegates’ list of 840, adding that there were no invalid votes. He commended the aspirants, delegates and other members of the party for their commitment to the unity of the party. According to the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon Banji Okunomo, the accredited delegates include 3 Ad-hoc delegates per ward elected on the 18th of August in the 203 wards of the State in addition to the delegates that are “automatic” by virtue of the positions they occupy presently or in the past in compliance with the provisions of the PDP Constitution. Jegede, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was born to the family of late Chief Johnson Bosede Jegede, the Odopetu of Isinkan, Akure, and Mrs Caroline Oluwatola Jegede (nee Asokeji) from Ipele town, in Owo Local Government Area. He qualified as a lawyer in 1984 after the one year mandatory programme at the Nigeria Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos. The one year mandatory National Service saw him posted to the then Gongola State where he eventually started his law practice. He was a counsel with the law firm of Murtala Aminu & Co., Yola for 12 years and practised extensively in the northern part of Nigeria where he built an enviable legal practice with special interest in litigation, Commercial and Corporate law. In 1996, he established the Law firm Tayo Jegede & Co. with offices in Yola and Abuja. He was appointed a Notary Public by the Chief Justice of Nigeria in 1992 and was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 16th December, 2008. In 2009, Mr Eyitayo was appointed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under the administration of the present governor of Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko where he served in the two terms of Governor Mimiko until July 22, 2016 when he resigned his appointment in order to pursue his governorship ambition. Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who is a member of the Council of Legal Education in Nigeria, served twice as the Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association in Yola before coming to Akure to serve and a member of the 5-man implementation Committee that was saddled with the responsibility of establishing the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Adamawa State. He has represented the state as a member of the Volleyball team at the intermediate level during the various National Sports Festivals at Kaduna in1977, Ibadan in 1979 where he won laurels for the State. In his acceptance speech, Eyitayo commended the national leadership of the party and the electoral committee for transparency and fairness in the process.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/breaking-ex-ondo-ag-eyitayo-emerges-pdp-governorship-candidate/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/breaking-ex-ondo-ag-eyitayo-emerges-pdp-governorship-candidate/
Monday 22 August 2016
Must Read! President Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu and I by Oby Ezekwesili
I woke up yesterday to read a fictitious report credited to me by Sunday Tribune that I claimed President Muhammadu Buhari does not deserve to be president. And on the basis of the fiction weaved together by a reporter, he let loose one of those now-very-common indecorous and rumor- inspired verbal assault from presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu.
However, today, in one of those uncommon but very professional decisions, Tribune newspaper not only recanted on the story but also apologized to me. While I thank the newspaper for toeing the path of honour, I hope Mallam Garba Shehu will also be decent enough to admit his error of judgement and tender an unreserved apology for his falsehood and unwarranted attacks at me.
Notwithstanding, it is important not to lose sight of the real issue which is about the fate of 2000 young Nigerians who were employed into the Nigerian Immigration Service, after a rigorous and transparent process by the last administration, only for their services to be cynically dispensed with by the current administration. These are Nigerians from across the country.
Incidentally, I was drawn to their plight just because in driving past where they had congregated, I saw among them a friend and BBOG colleague, Hajia Aisha Yesufu, who, as it would turn out, had taken up their cause. I spoke with them briefly and I had pleaded with the president to look into their matter. Fortunately, in correcting the earlier wrong publication, Tribune has helped to bring out what I said in its story of today as captured below: FORMER Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, never said President Muhammadu Buhari did not deserve to be president. Our sister publication, Sunday Tribune, had attributed the statement to be part of what she said over the plight of 2,000 immigration service recruits who slept at the entrance of Aso Villa from Friday till Saturday morning.
Ezekwesili, while addressing the recruits, had said “I am, therefore, appealing to the president to immediately ask the military as well as the Nigerian Immigration Service to do what is right, give justice to all these young men and women who, on the basis of merit, were appointed into positions in the NIS.
“I want to say that if justice is not given to them immediately, I certainly will join them in sitting here every day until they get their justice. Justice is to be able to come to table with them.
“Whatever the challenges are, let it be known, but don’t let anything be done in secrecy, and let nothing be done with such opaqueness. These young people are the present of Nigeria, not just the future of Nigeria. If we don’t treat our young right, we are laying ourselves up for what we already have troubling us in the country.
“So, I join my voice with them and I appeal to the President whom they have come to see to immediately do something about their cause. And I also use this opportunity to speak to the Federal Government, there have been too many instances of allegations of illegal recruitment into the public service. “If our public service is dysfunctional and you are worsening it by recruiting people through the back doors, people who don’t have the talent, skills, competence, capacity, character to be able to give us good service in public service, then, we certainly have no plans to be better than we are.
“So, we should just from henceforth desist from doing this. And usually, when these illegal recruitments are done, we sacrifice the best for the worst among us. Usually, when these illegal recruitments are done, what ends up happening is that the children of the poorer segment of our society who struggle to get through their education are left behind, then, that is the basis of worsening inequality.
“We cannot afford this and an unequal society is a society laying itself up for implosion and God forbid that would be the case with our nation. I want to just applaud all of you for coming out and standing, standing for your cause. I want to say that I would actually be speaking to a lawyer who will become your lawyer in this matter, so that, not just would you be on the streets, but you would have to get legal redress of your situation, because that’s very important.
“I also applaud the fact that you have been civil. Today is Saturday, I don’t know what your plan is, Saturday is not a work day. Sunday is also not a work day. So people might say they are not at work, that’s why they are not able to speak to you. Maybe what we would do is have a discussion among yourselves and perhaps resume your sit-out by wherever you chose to do that, by the first day of the week. Then whatever you want to say to the President, I think you should give the opportunity for all your members to speak to the President. He’s the one you came to see.”
The Tribune Newspapers hereby tender unreserved apology to Dr Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu and the Presidency for the misrepresentation.
Let me again state that the injustice that the #NigeriaImmigration2000 protesters allege needs immediate Presidential resolution considering that all other levels of authority have failed them.
If Garba Shehu was not deploying his time and talent to the wrong priorities, he should have brought the issue of 2000 disaffected young people to the President's attention when they occupied the gate of his office last Friday.
I advise him to do so now.
Obiageli (Oby) Ezekwesili
However, today, in one of those uncommon but very professional decisions, Tribune newspaper not only recanted on the story but also apologized to me. While I thank the newspaper for toeing the path of honour, I hope Mallam Garba Shehu will also be decent enough to admit his error of judgement and tender an unreserved apology for his falsehood and unwarranted attacks at me.
Notwithstanding, it is important not to lose sight of the real issue which is about the fate of 2000 young Nigerians who were employed into the Nigerian Immigration Service, after a rigorous and transparent process by the last administration, only for their services to be cynically dispensed with by the current administration. These are Nigerians from across the country.
Incidentally, I was drawn to their plight just because in driving past where they had congregated, I saw among them a friend and BBOG colleague, Hajia Aisha Yesufu, who, as it would turn out, had taken up their cause. I spoke with them briefly and I had pleaded with the president to look into their matter. Fortunately, in correcting the earlier wrong publication, Tribune has helped to bring out what I said in its story of today as captured below: FORMER Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, never said President Muhammadu Buhari did not deserve to be president. Our sister publication, Sunday Tribune, had attributed the statement to be part of what she said over the plight of 2,000 immigration service recruits who slept at the entrance of Aso Villa from Friday till Saturday morning.
Ezekwesili, while addressing the recruits, had said “I am, therefore, appealing to the president to immediately ask the military as well as the Nigerian Immigration Service to do what is right, give justice to all these young men and women who, on the basis of merit, were appointed into positions in the NIS.
“I want to say that if justice is not given to them immediately, I certainly will join them in sitting here every day until they get their justice. Justice is to be able to come to table with them.
“Whatever the challenges are, let it be known, but don’t let anything be done in secrecy, and let nothing be done with such opaqueness. These young people are the present of Nigeria, not just the future of Nigeria. If we don’t treat our young right, we are laying ourselves up for what we already have troubling us in the country.
“So, I join my voice with them and I appeal to the President whom they have come to see to immediately do something about their cause. And I also use this opportunity to speak to the Federal Government, there have been too many instances of allegations of illegal recruitment into the public service. “If our public service is dysfunctional and you are worsening it by recruiting people through the back doors, people who don’t have the talent, skills, competence, capacity, character to be able to give us good service in public service, then, we certainly have no plans to be better than we are.
“So, we should just from henceforth desist from doing this. And usually, when these illegal recruitments are done, we sacrifice the best for the worst among us. Usually, when these illegal recruitments are done, what ends up happening is that the children of the poorer segment of our society who struggle to get through their education are left behind, then, that is the basis of worsening inequality.
“We cannot afford this and an unequal society is a society laying itself up for implosion and God forbid that would be the case with our nation. I want to just applaud all of you for coming out and standing, standing for your cause. I want to say that I would actually be speaking to a lawyer who will become your lawyer in this matter, so that, not just would you be on the streets, but you would have to get legal redress of your situation, because that’s very important.
“I also applaud the fact that you have been civil. Today is Saturday, I don’t know what your plan is, Saturday is not a work day. Sunday is also not a work day. So people might say they are not at work, that’s why they are not able to speak to you. Maybe what we would do is have a discussion among yourselves and perhaps resume your sit-out by wherever you chose to do that, by the first day of the week. Then whatever you want to say to the President, I think you should give the opportunity for all your members to speak to the President. He’s the one you came to see.”
The Tribune Newspapers hereby tender unreserved apology to Dr Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu and the Presidency for the misrepresentation.
Let me again state that the injustice that the #NigeriaImmigration2000 protesters allege needs immediate Presidential resolution considering that all other levels of authority have failed them.
If Garba Shehu was not deploying his time and talent to the wrong priorities, he should have brought the issue of 2000 disaffected young people to the President's attention when they occupied the gate of his office last Friday.
I advise him to do so now.
Obiageli (Oby) Ezekwesili
Step By Step Victory
A Promise For You From Bible Promises:
Topic: Step By Step Victory [22/08/2016]
By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. Read: Exd 23:27-30
God is the custodian of signs and wonders, the power to perform miracles and gain victory over an avowed enemy resides with God Almighty. Because of His Sovereignty, He can decide how He brings about His miracles. Ps 105:3. God's intervention in the affairs of human life could either be instantaneous or gradual, whichever way it takes, God does unfathomable wonders.
In the case of the blind man at Bethsaida, after Jesus has spat on his eyes, Jesus asked him, what do you see? The man replied, I see men as trees, walking. And finally, he began to see clearly. Mk 8:22-26. Most times when God does something speedily for His children, they either take it for granted, blame or refuse to appreciate Him, so purposely, He would prefer step by step miracle. God in the above scripture told the children of Israel He would have to drive away the giants in the land He promised them little by little, lest, it becomes desolate and harbour beast. God drove away the giants for Israel to inherit their promise land. He has not forgotten you, yours might be step by step and you will surely testify if you hold on to Him.
#BiblePromisesPrayer
* Whether instantly or step by step, God Almighty will drive away wrong occupants of your promised land in Jesus Name.
By Emode Victor
Topic: Step By Step Victory [22/08/2016]
By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. Read: Exd 23:27-30
God is the custodian of signs and wonders, the power to perform miracles and gain victory over an avowed enemy resides with God Almighty. Because of His Sovereignty, He can decide how He brings about His miracles. Ps 105:3. God's intervention in the affairs of human life could either be instantaneous or gradual, whichever way it takes, God does unfathomable wonders.
In the case of the blind man at Bethsaida, after Jesus has spat on his eyes, Jesus asked him, what do you see? The man replied, I see men as trees, walking. And finally, he began to see clearly. Mk 8:22-26. Most times when God does something speedily for His children, they either take it for granted, blame or refuse to appreciate Him, so purposely, He would prefer step by step miracle. God in the above scripture told the children of Israel He would have to drive away the giants in the land He promised them little by little, lest, it becomes desolate and harbour beast. God drove away the giants for Israel to inherit their promise land. He has not forgotten you, yours might be step by step and you will surely testify if you hold on to Him.
#BiblePromisesPrayer
* Whether instantly or step by step, God Almighty will drive away wrong occupants of your promised land in Jesus Name.
By Emode Victor
Open Heavens 22 August 2016: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Healed through Obedience
Topic: Healed through Obedience [Monday 22, August 2016]
Memorise: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. – John 2:5
Read: 2 Kings 5:9-14 (KJV)
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 45:14-48:22, Psalms 39
MESSAGE:
Every genuine child of God has a covenant right of divine health amongst other things. When I became born again, I did not believe in divine healing and I used to say that those pastors preaching about divine healing were looking for whom to kill. It was the testimony of an old man who shared how he challenged the devil who was mocking him in his sickness that made me to believe that divine healing is possible. In Exodus 15:26, God said:
“I am the Lord that healeth thee”.
The one asking you not to fear is the original physician. The storms of sicknesses and disease are much more dangerous than any other form of attack against humanity. Diseases and sicknesses have different durations in the human body. There are some that last a few days and there are some that last for years. God’s ultimate plan for His children is to live a life that is not afflicted with sickness. He is interested in our wellbeing. Healing is possible and it can be obtained through faith and in obedience to the Word of God.
When one is suffering from one form of sickness or the other, it affects other things. It drains the finances of its victim and causes stagnation. There are many colourful dreams that have been aborted as a result of sickness. There are many wealthy people who have become poor because a sickness drained their finances. The anointing of Jesus Christ is to destroy all that God has not planted in your life. Jesus came to destroy the yoke of sickness and this is why I want you to know that your case is not impossible with Jesus. However, there are certain instructions that you may have to work with if you want your miracle to be permanent. Our Bible passage reveals that story of the Syrian army officer who was highly ranked but was suffering from a particular sickness. The man of God asked him to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times for him to be healed of his sickness. It took the intervention of a God-sent messenger for his to access his miracles. He would have lost the miracle of healing that he had been longing for. He saw the instruction as ridiculous. I have seen over and over again that instructions that look very simple are always ignored by people, yet, it is the secret required for their breakthrough. This officer thought the river was too dirty for him and he began to list many exclusive rivers, but the man of God was specific about the river and the number of times he had to enter the river.
Obedience to the instruction of God is very crucial to the release of our miracles in life. This man dipped himself into the Jordan River six times and nothing happened. It wasn’t until he entered the seventh time that his skin became changed and he received his healing. He dipped himself into the river and his flesh became like that of a baby.
Why are you still in that problem? Could it be that there are certain instructions given to you and you have not obeyed or your obedience has not been complete? You need to check yourself. The miracle you need is right beside you; just do what Jesus has asked of you and you will see your miracle being delivered without further delay.
Prayer Point: Father, remove every self-inflicted hindrance to my miracle in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. – John 2:5
Read: 2 Kings 5:9-14 (KJV)
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 45:14-48:22, Psalms 39
MESSAGE:
Every genuine child of God has a covenant right of divine health amongst other things. When I became born again, I did not believe in divine healing and I used to say that those pastors preaching about divine healing were looking for whom to kill. It was the testimony of an old man who shared how he challenged the devil who was mocking him in his sickness that made me to believe that divine healing is possible. In Exodus 15:26, God said:
“I am the Lord that healeth thee”.
The one asking you not to fear is the original physician. The storms of sicknesses and disease are much more dangerous than any other form of attack against humanity. Diseases and sicknesses have different durations in the human body. There are some that last a few days and there are some that last for years. God’s ultimate plan for His children is to live a life that is not afflicted with sickness. He is interested in our wellbeing. Healing is possible and it can be obtained through faith and in obedience to the Word of God.
When one is suffering from one form of sickness or the other, it affects other things. It drains the finances of its victim and causes stagnation. There are many colourful dreams that have been aborted as a result of sickness. There are many wealthy people who have become poor because a sickness drained their finances. The anointing of Jesus Christ is to destroy all that God has not planted in your life. Jesus came to destroy the yoke of sickness and this is why I want you to know that your case is not impossible with Jesus. However, there are certain instructions that you may have to work with if you want your miracle to be permanent. Our Bible passage reveals that story of the Syrian army officer who was highly ranked but was suffering from a particular sickness. The man of God asked him to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times for him to be healed of his sickness. It took the intervention of a God-sent messenger for his to access his miracles. He would have lost the miracle of healing that he had been longing for. He saw the instruction as ridiculous. I have seen over and over again that instructions that look very simple are always ignored by people, yet, it is the secret required for their breakthrough. This officer thought the river was too dirty for him and he began to list many exclusive rivers, but the man of God was specific about the river and the number of times he had to enter the river.
Obedience to the instruction of God is very crucial to the release of our miracles in life. This man dipped himself into the Jordan River six times and nothing happened. It wasn’t until he entered the seventh time that his skin became changed and he received his healing. He dipped himself into the river and his flesh became like that of a baby.
Why are you still in that problem? Could it be that there are certain instructions given to you and you have not obeyed or your obedience has not been complete? You need to check yourself. The miracle you need is right beside you; just do what Jesus has asked of you and you will see your miracle being delivered without further delay.
Prayer Point: Father, remove every self-inflicted hindrance to my miracle in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Sunday 21 August 2016
So sad!!! Cancer patient Mayowa Ahmed has passed on
According to LIB source, Cancer patient Mayowa Ahmed has died. She died this afternoon August 21st in a hospital in South Africa after battling Ovarian cancer for a while. She was flown to South Africa on August 11th for treatment after kind-hearted Nigerians raised over N100million for her treatment. Unfortunately, she didn't make it. So sad! May her soul rest in peace, amen.
In clear assessment So Far, Buhari Has Not Disappointed Us- Obasanjo
As culled from nkiruhomann, In spite of heavy criticisms of the All Progressives Congress, APC, led administration by many Nigerians, former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday, gave President Muhammadu Buhari a pass mark saying “so far, Buhari has not disappointed us”.
Speaking with newsmen in Taraba state, Obasanjo expressed confidence in President Buhari’s ability to “overcome” Nigeria’s challenges. “So far, Buhari has not disappointed us. I trust him (Buhari), he will not fail Nigerians. I know he will overcome the challenges the country is currently facing,” he said. Obasanjo also stressed that his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is final and cannot be reversed.
He said that having drawn the curtain on his membership of the former ruling party, there is no coming back. “In the part of the country where I come from, there is a saying that you cannot say, ‘good night’ and come back to say ‘good evening’ in the same place. So for me, it is good night for the Peoples Democratic Party and that’s all.”
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with President Buhari saying it is too early to judge him. Pastor Bakare who expressed confidence in the abilities of Buhari to turn the country around for the better, and bring the country “out of the woods”, said there is no pain without gain.
The pastor was speaking at the presidential villa in Abuja after holding a closed door meeting with Buhari yesterday Said he: “It’s too early and just too soon to begin to judge. If there is anything I know about Mr. President, it is that he has a good heart. He loves this country and he wants the country to run well,” he said. But it takes time. I know we are all impatient and in a hurry and I trust we will come out of the woods.
“When you are driving on a wrong direction, for example, you are going to Ibadan and you face Badagry, and you get to Cotonou and you realise you have gone in the wrong direction for too long a time, then you make a U-turn, there will be some suffering you have to go through.
“Pain is part of gain. No pain no gain.” The years of wastage and all that we have done wrong has finally caught up with us. “All we are praying for is wisdom for this government to do things right and to do the right things so that gradually, we can begin to come out of the woods.”
Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in 2011 when the president contested on the platform of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
News Credit:Vanguard Ngr
Speaking with newsmen in Taraba state, Obasanjo expressed confidence in President Buhari’s ability to “overcome” Nigeria’s challenges. “So far, Buhari has not disappointed us. I trust him (Buhari), he will not fail Nigerians. I know he will overcome the challenges the country is currently facing,” he said. Obasanjo also stressed that his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is final and cannot be reversed.
He said that having drawn the curtain on his membership of the former ruling party, there is no coming back. “In the part of the country where I come from, there is a saying that you cannot say, ‘good night’ and come back to say ‘good evening’ in the same place. So for me, it is good night for the Peoples Democratic Party and that’s all.”
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with President Buhari saying it is too early to judge him. Pastor Bakare who expressed confidence in the abilities of Buhari to turn the country around for the better, and bring the country “out of the woods”, said there is no pain without gain.
The pastor was speaking at the presidential villa in Abuja after holding a closed door meeting with Buhari yesterday Said he: “It’s too early and just too soon to begin to judge. If there is anything I know about Mr. President, it is that he has a good heart. He loves this country and he wants the country to run well,” he said. But it takes time. I know we are all impatient and in a hurry and I trust we will come out of the woods.
“When you are driving on a wrong direction, for example, you are going to Ibadan and you face Badagry, and you get to Cotonou and you realise you have gone in the wrong direction for too long a time, then you make a U-turn, there will be some suffering you have to go through.
“Pain is part of gain. No pain no gain.” The years of wastage and all that we have done wrong has finally caught up with us. “All we are praying for is wisdom for this government to do things right and to do the right things so that gradually, we can begin to come out of the woods.”
Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in 2011 when the president contested on the platform of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
News Credit:Vanguard Ngr
Tinubu, PDP and the Road to 2019 - by Dele Momodu
Fellow Nigerians, you must be wondering what this title is all about. Please, calm down, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of Nigeria’s iconic politicians, is not about to dump his party, APC, for PDP, the party he fought hard with others to sack from power just last year.
The reason for bringing PDP into this article which largely concerns the Tinubu conundrum is very simple and straight-forward. PDP has suffered calamities upon catastrophes since General Muhammadu Buhari sacked President Goodluck Jonathan from office. It is hard to imagine, or believe, that a party that held Nigeria by the jugular for 16 solid years could attain meltdown so soon and almost disappear into oblivion.
One would have expected PDP, despite its electoral misfortune, to provide a formidable opposition to APC and keep President Buhari on his toes but that has not been the case. APC has wasted no time in sending PDP to an early grave by throwing poisonous darts at it from every angle.
The war against corruption has been a most veritable weapon with stupendous impact used by APC to scatter most of the PDP apparatchik to the winds. The strategy was to weaken them by showcasing the humongous corruption that was perpetrated and perpetuated during their reign. The PDP brand was thus obliterated in a jiffy. Many of their bigwigs confessed to nefarious and horrendous crimes of looting and brigandage. They coughed up or vomited incredible sums of cash.
All entreaties and shouts of a vengeful witch-hunt against President Buhari fell on deaf ears. The more they screamed the more they were horse-whipped into submission and made to weep bitterly.
As if that was not bad enough, PDP engaged itself in a war of attrition and became a house divided against itself. It was only a matter of time before it crumbled like the proverbial cookie does. Today, PDP has become its own worst enemy with the brickbats being thrown at one another by members of what used to be touted as the biggest political party in Africa. How are the mighty fallen!
The aim of my piece this week is to attempt what I did in 2014 when I wrote a permutative article titled ‘In Search of Mathematicians’. That was how I predicted a win for Buhari when many pundits still doubted such possibility. I intend to do so again in this column by painting a picture of what to expect in 2019. If you think that year is still far away, perish the thought.
The battle for the next Nigerian Presidential election started as soon as the last one was lost and won. The hurly-burly of the elections had not yet settled down when the potential gladiators picked up their gauntlets in readiness for the next combat.
The ruling party APC has suffered its own casualties as a result of its self-immolating wars of anticipation. What do I mean? The new men of power are already thinking ahead and wondering who may be too ambitious within their own fold. Any of such recalcitrant and ambitious rebels must be cut down to size, no matter his or her contribution to past victory and glory. Without mincing words, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is the first victim and he has suffered massive collateral damage on account of suspicion. APC itself has suffered almost fatally in the process. The only thing holding it together for now is the fact that it is the party in power and thus presumably has limitless opportunities to distribute largesse to the army of party operatives and their cronies.
By this time next year, as this government enters its third year in power, reality would begin to set in and President Buhari will begin to discover and see original animals in human skin.
I foresee and predict a re-alignment of political forces from 2017. President Buhari will be encouraged and persuaded to run a second term by those who are currently profiting from his government. It is only normal and it is their legitimate right. Nothing stops the President from seeking a re-election within our Constitution. The only snag is that many politicians are going to gang up against him because they see him as an outsider in politics who has benefitted from their massive support but in return has been messing things up for them.
If the President remains stoically stubborn and refuses to play ball with politicians, he would have to fight dirty to win his ticket. It seems to me that he would have to do everything to retain the loyalty of one man by all means, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is almost impossible for any candidate to become President of Nigeria without the overwhelming support of the Yoruba and their current generalissimo, Tinubu, in particular.
Tinubu derives his stranglehold on power from his iron grip on Lagos. Lagos is a microcosm of Nigeria. Whoever controls Lagos owns the commercial nerve-centre of Nigeria, just like the California of America. Tinubu has been very lucky in that his anointed candidates, Babatunde Raji Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, have been very cerebrally successful. The current Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, is already set, after just one year in office, to surpass all expectations.
According to impeccable sources, Buhari may therefore be forced to risk and pick Tinubu as his running-mate if push comes to shove. Tinubu’s protégé, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is the current Vice President, who comes with intimidating credentials but may not have enough political muscle to deliver enough votes to the kitty. The dilemma for Buhari is whether he should buck the trend set by his predecessors, starting from Shehu Shagari, and jettison his Vice President, especially when a cordial and mutually respectful relationship exists between them. In addition, Osinbajo has been doing exceedingly well and he is seen as one of the few shining lights of this Administration.
There is also the fact that Prof Osinbajo is a highly regarded and esteemed senior Christian figure and the President has needed him to silence those detractors that consider him an Islamic fundamentalist.
However, I believe that the controversy that could ensue from a potentially volatile Muslim/Muslim ticket may have been fixed substantially. Firstly, there is a precedent set by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola the acclaimed winner of the 1993 elections who picked a fellow Muslim, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe, as his running-mate and still won in Nigeria’s freest and fairest election to date. Secondly, though Tinubu is a devout Muslim, his beloved wife is a hard-core Christian and a top-notch member of the same Redeemed Christian Church of God as the Vice President. Thirdly, there is the fact that Tinubu supported a Christian, Akinwunmi Ambode, as his anointed candidate for Governor of Lagos State, a deft move calculated to pacify those who may wish to foment religious crisis and conflagration then and in the future.
Tinubu is believed by many to have served Nigeria meritoriously and selflessly by suppressing his own personal ambition for that of others and it is believed that the kingmaker deserves a chunky reward the next time around if he so desires. He is acknowledged as being one of the most knowledgeable leaders in Nigeria today and a lot of people feel that his background in business and politics could bail Nigeria out of the economic quagmire of the moment. He is known to be a practical politician who knows how to make the world better for most people.
If the hawks succeed in getting Buhari to snub Tinubu because of his perceived threat to the President himself, the APC may split like PDP did before the collapse of the Jonathan Presidency.
One potential candidate is hovering in the wings and that is the Turaki of Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who has never hidden the fact that he wants the Presidency by all means. My next permutation is that the former Vice President and Tinubu who are two of the three most powerful and influential politicians in APC today (the third is Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki with his firm control of the Senate) may combine forces to thwart a Buhari re-election bid. They have been old allies since the time of Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. If they join forces, it may therefore spell doom for those seeking the re-election of President Buhari.
After the seeming lull in the Buhari-Tinubu love, it seems the recent appointments given to some of Tinubu’s acolytes appear designed to assuage his feeling. But would this be sufficient to bury the combustive ambition of a man who believes he still has so much to give to his country?
The third option which also involves Tinubu in the mix is one on which for a variety of reasons Buhari chooses not to run again. Without doubt, there are several other forces contending for power in case Buhari decides not to seek re-election. In this category, Tinubu’s name still features prominently. No one can deny the ability of Tinubu to transform Nigeria the way he did in Lagos. It is presumed that Buhari may generously want to pay Tinubu back for the support he gave him. He may also want to leave a lasting legacy and shed the toga of an ethnic jingoist by handing over to a Southerner. If this happens, I foresee the visionary Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, a core Buhari loyalist, becoming Tinubu’s running-mate, notwithstanding that this is another Muslim/Muslim ticket. Many APC loyalists believe this combination may fly.
There is a fourth option and this is coming from the direction of PDP. The theory here is that PDP can still spring a surprise on Buhari and pay him back in his own coin. The PDP apologists believe the North has lost more under Buhari despite allocating many political appointments to the region. They are of the opinion that former President Jonathan did more for them and gave them access and respect than their own man Buhari who they accuse of being standoffish. This is the reason that many Northerners, apart from his kinsmen in the South South, have become the biggest promoter of PDP.
In case you think Jonathan is dead and buried politically, perish the thought! He still holds the biggest ace in PDP. In fact, many in PDP today see him as their best candidate in 2019 because some of his transformation agenda are beginning to come to fruition. They are hoping and banking on Buhari becoming so unpopular that Jonathan would be sorely missed by Nigerians who would practically beg him to come back.
The rising profile and the promotion of Jonathan in the international community is part of that systematic way of re-polishing, repackaging, redefining and preparing him for a return to power. Every attempt to smear him with a tar brush would be rebuffed by his die-hard loyalists who see Buhari as someone trying to kill any future role for Jonathan as Nigerian President. They are totally committed to ensuring that Jonathan is well protected between now and next year when serious politicking would have reached a crescendo again. The hope is that as a former civilian President, he can bounce back to power like President Mathieu Kerekou did in Benin Republic, when he returned in 1996 after quitting in 1991.
Who knows tomorrow?
The reason for bringing PDP into this article which largely concerns the Tinubu conundrum is very simple and straight-forward. PDP has suffered calamities upon catastrophes since General Muhammadu Buhari sacked President Goodluck Jonathan from office. It is hard to imagine, or believe, that a party that held Nigeria by the jugular for 16 solid years could attain meltdown so soon and almost disappear into oblivion.
One would have expected PDP, despite its electoral misfortune, to provide a formidable opposition to APC and keep President Buhari on his toes but that has not been the case. APC has wasted no time in sending PDP to an early grave by throwing poisonous darts at it from every angle.
The war against corruption has been a most veritable weapon with stupendous impact used by APC to scatter most of the PDP apparatchik to the winds. The strategy was to weaken them by showcasing the humongous corruption that was perpetrated and perpetuated during their reign. The PDP brand was thus obliterated in a jiffy. Many of their bigwigs confessed to nefarious and horrendous crimes of looting and brigandage. They coughed up or vomited incredible sums of cash.
All entreaties and shouts of a vengeful witch-hunt against President Buhari fell on deaf ears. The more they screamed the more they were horse-whipped into submission and made to weep bitterly.
As if that was not bad enough, PDP engaged itself in a war of attrition and became a house divided against itself. It was only a matter of time before it crumbled like the proverbial cookie does. Today, PDP has become its own worst enemy with the brickbats being thrown at one another by members of what used to be touted as the biggest political party in Africa. How are the mighty fallen!
The aim of my piece this week is to attempt what I did in 2014 when I wrote a permutative article titled ‘In Search of Mathematicians’. That was how I predicted a win for Buhari when many pundits still doubted such possibility. I intend to do so again in this column by painting a picture of what to expect in 2019. If you think that year is still far away, perish the thought.
The battle for the next Nigerian Presidential election started as soon as the last one was lost and won. The hurly-burly of the elections had not yet settled down when the potential gladiators picked up their gauntlets in readiness for the next combat.
The ruling party APC has suffered its own casualties as a result of its self-immolating wars of anticipation. What do I mean? The new men of power are already thinking ahead and wondering who may be too ambitious within their own fold. Any of such recalcitrant and ambitious rebels must be cut down to size, no matter his or her contribution to past victory and glory. Without mincing words, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is the first victim and he has suffered massive collateral damage on account of suspicion. APC itself has suffered almost fatally in the process. The only thing holding it together for now is the fact that it is the party in power and thus presumably has limitless opportunities to distribute largesse to the army of party operatives and their cronies.
By this time next year, as this government enters its third year in power, reality would begin to set in and President Buhari will begin to discover and see original animals in human skin.
I foresee and predict a re-alignment of political forces from 2017. President Buhari will be encouraged and persuaded to run a second term by those who are currently profiting from his government. It is only normal and it is their legitimate right. Nothing stops the President from seeking a re-election within our Constitution. The only snag is that many politicians are going to gang up against him because they see him as an outsider in politics who has benefitted from their massive support but in return has been messing things up for them.
If the President remains stoically stubborn and refuses to play ball with politicians, he would have to fight dirty to win his ticket. It seems to me that he would have to do everything to retain the loyalty of one man by all means, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is almost impossible for any candidate to become President of Nigeria without the overwhelming support of the Yoruba and their current generalissimo, Tinubu, in particular.
Tinubu derives his stranglehold on power from his iron grip on Lagos. Lagos is a microcosm of Nigeria. Whoever controls Lagos owns the commercial nerve-centre of Nigeria, just like the California of America. Tinubu has been very lucky in that his anointed candidates, Babatunde Raji Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, have been very cerebrally successful. The current Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, is already set, after just one year in office, to surpass all expectations.
According to impeccable sources, Buhari may therefore be forced to risk and pick Tinubu as his running-mate if push comes to shove. Tinubu’s protégé, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is the current Vice President, who comes with intimidating credentials but may not have enough political muscle to deliver enough votes to the kitty. The dilemma for Buhari is whether he should buck the trend set by his predecessors, starting from Shehu Shagari, and jettison his Vice President, especially when a cordial and mutually respectful relationship exists between them. In addition, Osinbajo has been doing exceedingly well and he is seen as one of the few shining lights of this Administration.
There is also the fact that Prof Osinbajo is a highly regarded and esteemed senior Christian figure and the President has needed him to silence those detractors that consider him an Islamic fundamentalist.
However, I believe that the controversy that could ensue from a potentially volatile Muslim/Muslim ticket may have been fixed substantially. Firstly, there is a precedent set by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola the acclaimed winner of the 1993 elections who picked a fellow Muslim, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe, as his running-mate and still won in Nigeria’s freest and fairest election to date. Secondly, though Tinubu is a devout Muslim, his beloved wife is a hard-core Christian and a top-notch member of the same Redeemed Christian Church of God as the Vice President. Thirdly, there is the fact that Tinubu supported a Christian, Akinwunmi Ambode, as his anointed candidate for Governor of Lagos State, a deft move calculated to pacify those who may wish to foment religious crisis and conflagration then and in the future.
Tinubu is believed by many to have served Nigeria meritoriously and selflessly by suppressing his own personal ambition for that of others and it is believed that the kingmaker deserves a chunky reward the next time around if he so desires. He is acknowledged as being one of the most knowledgeable leaders in Nigeria today and a lot of people feel that his background in business and politics could bail Nigeria out of the economic quagmire of the moment. He is known to be a practical politician who knows how to make the world better for most people.
If the hawks succeed in getting Buhari to snub Tinubu because of his perceived threat to the President himself, the APC may split like PDP did before the collapse of the Jonathan Presidency.
One potential candidate is hovering in the wings and that is the Turaki of Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who has never hidden the fact that he wants the Presidency by all means. My next permutation is that the former Vice President and Tinubu who are two of the three most powerful and influential politicians in APC today (the third is Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki with his firm control of the Senate) may combine forces to thwart a Buhari re-election bid. They have been old allies since the time of Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. If they join forces, it may therefore spell doom for those seeking the re-election of President Buhari.
After the seeming lull in the Buhari-Tinubu love, it seems the recent appointments given to some of Tinubu’s acolytes appear designed to assuage his feeling. But would this be sufficient to bury the combustive ambition of a man who believes he still has so much to give to his country?
The third option which also involves Tinubu in the mix is one on which for a variety of reasons Buhari chooses not to run again. Without doubt, there are several other forces contending for power in case Buhari decides not to seek re-election. In this category, Tinubu’s name still features prominently. No one can deny the ability of Tinubu to transform Nigeria the way he did in Lagos. It is presumed that Buhari may generously want to pay Tinubu back for the support he gave him. He may also want to leave a lasting legacy and shed the toga of an ethnic jingoist by handing over to a Southerner. If this happens, I foresee the visionary Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, a core Buhari loyalist, becoming Tinubu’s running-mate, notwithstanding that this is another Muslim/Muslim ticket. Many APC loyalists believe this combination may fly.
There is a fourth option and this is coming from the direction of PDP. The theory here is that PDP can still spring a surprise on Buhari and pay him back in his own coin. The PDP apologists believe the North has lost more under Buhari despite allocating many political appointments to the region. They are of the opinion that former President Jonathan did more for them and gave them access and respect than their own man Buhari who they accuse of being standoffish. This is the reason that many Northerners, apart from his kinsmen in the South South, have become the biggest promoter of PDP.
In case you think Jonathan is dead and buried politically, perish the thought! He still holds the biggest ace in PDP. In fact, many in PDP today see him as their best candidate in 2019 because some of his transformation agenda are beginning to come to fruition. They are hoping and banking on Buhari becoming so unpopular that Jonathan would be sorely missed by Nigerians who would practically beg him to come back.
The rising profile and the promotion of Jonathan in the international community is part of that systematic way of re-polishing, repackaging, redefining and preparing him for a return to power. Every attempt to smear him with a tar brush would be rebuffed by his die-hard loyalists who see Buhari as someone trying to kill any future role for Jonathan as Nigerian President. They are totally committed to ensuring that Jonathan is well protected between now and next year when serious politicking would have reached a crescendo again. The hope is that as a former civilian President, he can bounce back to power like President Mathieu Kerekou did in Benin Republic, when he returned in 1996 after quitting in 1991.
Who knows tomorrow?
Open Heavens 21 August 2016: Sunday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Be Faithful
Topic: Be Faithful [Sunday 21, August 2016]
Memorise: Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. – 1 Corinthians 4:2
Read: Luke 12:37-44 (KJV)
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 43:1-45:13, Psalms 38
MESSAGE:
One of the reasons why God saved us is that He wants to partner with us in His kingdom. God is in search of faithful men, He is looking for people who will produce fruits of righteousness within and without. Faithfulness in the discharge of whatever assignment God has given us is a proof that we are partners with Him. Our assignments must be done in a manner that will bring glory and honour to Him. As teachers of the Word, we are not permitted to teach what is convenient; we have to teach the absolute Word of God. As pastors in our churches, it is required of us to be found faithful and have a good oversight over the flock of Jesus. As co-labourers in the vineyard, we must not do anything without the Master’s instruction. We must do it according to His prescription. There are many people today who are in ministry but are running it as convenient. This will not meet the requirement of the Owner of the work when He comes with His reward. Ministers of the gospel must make effort to have a good conscience and to earn trustworthiness on the part of those they are presiding over.
As children of God, we must be in the business of building His Kingdom in expectation of His return. We are stewards of the Most-High God and much trust has been committed into our hands. The work of God must not be handled anyhow. It should not be seen as something that should be done with indulgence. The expectation is much and one must be faithful and wise so as to be rewarded. No matter the difficulties one meets on the way, one must forge ahead as a Christian soldiers and fulfil the ministry which has been committed into his hand.
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” - Revelations 22:11
It is the motive with which you desire to do things that will be judge. By the time the hour of reward comes, there will be different levels of reward for different people based on how they have fared in the business of God. By the time Jesus returns, He will not return empty-handed. This is why those who are lazy need to challenge themselves to do something profitable before it is too late. Hard work is expected and those living a life of holiness must continue to strive for a life that glorifies God. You cannot deceive God, you cannot cheat God. I can assure you that whatever you do for God, He will reward you in due season. Nobody trades with God and loses. Nobody partners with God without having something great to show for it. God is always faithful to His word and promises. I always pity those who expect their reward to come from their spiritual head. It is very possible for the General Overseer to forget you and your labour of love. He may not even know you are somewhere working. He sees only what is within his range of vision, but there is a God who sees beyond the reach of any General Overseer or Senior Pastor.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” - Galatians 6:7
If you are praying, remain faithful in your prayer ministry. If you know how to praise God keep on praising Him. If you know how to give quality offerings, keep it up. Keep on paying your tithe. I can guarantee you that your reward is coming.
Prayer Point: Father, please help me not to be found wanting in faithfulness in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
Memorise: Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. – 1 Corinthians 4:2
Read: Luke 12:37-44 (KJV)
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 43:1-45:13, Psalms 38
MESSAGE:
One of the reasons why God saved us is that He wants to partner with us in His kingdom. God is in search of faithful men, He is looking for people who will produce fruits of righteousness within and without. Faithfulness in the discharge of whatever assignment God has given us is a proof that we are partners with Him. Our assignments must be done in a manner that will bring glory and honour to Him. As teachers of the Word, we are not permitted to teach what is convenient; we have to teach the absolute Word of God. As pastors in our churches, it is required of us to be found faithful and have a good oversight over the flock of Jesus. As co-labourers in the vineyard, we must not do anything without the Master’s instruction. We must do it according to His prescription. There are many people today who are in ministry but are running it as convenient. This will not meet the requirement of the Owner of the work when He comes with His reward. Ministers of the gospel must make effort to have a good conscience and to earn trustworthiness on the part of those they are presiding over.
As children of God, we must be in the business of building His Kingdom in expectation of His return. We are stewards of the Most-High God and much trust has been committed into our hands. The work of God must not be handled anyhow. It should not be seen as something that should be done with indulgence. The expectation is much and one must be faithful and wise so as to be rewarded. No matter the difficulties one meets on the way, one must forge ahead as a Christian soldiers and fulfil the ministry which has been committed into his hand.
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” - Revelations 22:11
It is the motive with which you desire to do things that will be judge. By the time the hour of reward comes, there will be different levels of reward for different people based on how they have fared in the business of God. By the time Jesus returns, He will not return empty-handed. This is why those who are lazy need to challenge themselves to do something profitable before it is too late. Hard work is expected and those living a life of holiness must continue to strive for a life that glorifies God. You cannot deceive God, you cannot cheat God. I can assure you that whatever you do for God, He will reward you in due season. Nobody trades with God and loses. Nobody partners with God without having something great to show for it. God is always faithful to His word and promises. I always pity those who expect their reward to come from their spiritual head. It is very possible for the General Overseer to forget you and your labour of love. He may not even know you are somewhere working. He sees only what is within his range of vision, but there is a God who sees beyond the reach of any General Overseer or Senior Pastor.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” - Galatians 6:7
If you are praying, remain faithful in your prayer ministry. If you know how to praise God keep on praising Him. If you know how to give quality offerings, keep it up. Keep on paying your tithe. I can guarantee you that your reward is coming.
Prayer Point: Father, please help me not to be found wanting in faithfulness in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
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