Winning Wisdom – Spiritual Growth: The Effects 1

Winning Wisdom – Spiritual Growth: The Effects 1

Author: Ese Ehimare Dave

Topic – Spiritual Growth: The Effects 1 [Saturday, 11th Mar. 2017]

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3

While it is good for us to grow spiritually, it is very important for us to know what is really entails, or the end product of spiritual growth. Most times, people measure spiritual growth with the wrong indices. People measure spiritual growth with how much theoretical knowledge you have about God, that is, how much scriptures you know. There are others that measure spiritual growth by how long a person have been a Christian. While these are good, they are the wrong indices to measure spiritual growth.

One very important indices to measure spiritual growth is an increase in your fellowship with the Lord. You will have an increased desire for fellowship with God's Spirit. Your love for the Lord and for all that He stands for, will increase. In Philippians  1:9, Paul prayed that our "love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment." This is a key indices to measure spiritual growth.

Spiritual growth increases the god-likeness in you. It makes you have the same feather with God. And birds of the same feather flock together. You and God will flock together more intensely than ever, if you are growing spiritually. If this is not happening, then it is safe to say that you are not growing spiritually, even if you can quote the scriptures from cover to cover. But it is God's desire that we draw closer to Him in fellowship (James 4:8), even as we grow spiritually.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for an increased desire to know You more intently. I ask that You increase my passion for fellowship with You by Your Spirit and help me draw closer to You, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Our Daily Bread Devotional, March 10, 2017 - Home

Our Daily Bread Devotional, March 10, 2017 - Home

Topic: Home [Friday March 10, 2017]

Read: Ephesians 2:11–22, Bible in a Year:Deuteronomy 11–13; Mark 12:1–27

You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people.Ephesians 2:19

A young African refugee who goes by the name of Steven is a man without a country. He thinks he may have been born in Mozambique or Zimbabwe. But he never knew his father and lost his mother. She fled civil war, traveling country to country as a street vendor. Without ID and unable to prove his place of birth, Steven walked into a British police station, asking to be arrested. Jail seemed better to Steven than trying to exist on the streets without the rights and benefits of citizenship.

The plight of living without a country was on Paul’s mind as he wrote his letter to the Ephesians. His non-Jewish readers knew what it was like to live as aliens and outsiders (2:12). Only since finding life and hope in Christ (1:13) had they discovered what it meant to belong to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). In Jesus, they learned what it means to be known and cared for by the Father He came to reveal (Matt. 6:31–33).

Paul realized, however, that as the past fades from view, a short memory can cause us to forget that, while hope is the new norm, despair was the old reality.

May our God help us to live in security—to know each day the belonging that we have as members of His family is by faith in Jesus Christ and to understand the rights and benefits of having our home in Him.

Prayer: Lord, as we remember how hopeless we were before You found us, please help us not to forget those who are still on the street.

Hope means the most to those who have lived without it.

Insight:

It’s easy to feel lost. The apostle Paul knew some of his readers felt that way. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote to them about being part of God’s family. They were no longer “foreigners” and “excluded” (2:12) but were “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (v. 19). How does knowing you are part of God’s family help when you feel lost and alone?

This message was written By Mart DeHaan [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

RTD MJR GEN ROBERT ADEYINKA ADEBAYO ( 1928-2017 )

RTD MJR GEN  ROBERT ADEYINKA ADEBAYO ( 1928-2017 )

Adeyinka Adebayo was born in 1928, the son of a Public Works employee from ERA AREA IN OKETORO QTR , IYIN EKITI and his mother is also from OKELAWE ,IYIN EKITI .
He was educated at All Saints School, Iyin-Ekiti, and later attended Eko Boys High School and Christ's School Ado Ekiti. He was taken to ilorin by chief meboloshirin  and He later joined the West African Frontier Force in 1948 as a regiment signaler and later completed the Officer Cadet Training Course in Teshie, Ghana from 1950 to 1952. After passing the War Office Examination for Commonwealth cadets in 1952 as well as the West African qualifying examination in 1953, he was commissioned as an officer in the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) as the 23rd West African military officer with number WA23 and 7th Nigerian military officer with number N7 after completing the War Office Cadet Training in Eaton Hall, England. He later attended the Staff College course in Camberley (Surrey) in 1960 and the prestigious Imperial Defence College, London in late 1965 where he was the only African officer.

Career -

Adeyinka Adebayo became an officer in 1953.

Platoon Commander, 1954-1955
Regimental signal officer, 1955-1957
Between 1957 and 1958, he was an aide-de-camp to a British governor-general (the last British governor-general of Nigeria- Sir James Robertson-1957) Company and Detachment Commander, Ikoyi, 1958 to 1960
First Nigerian general staff officer, Grade 2 (Intelligence) at the United Nations Headquarters in 1961
First national general staff officer, Grade 2 Nigerian Army Headquarters, 1961–1962
First Nigerian to be appointed general staff officer Grade 1, 1962–1963
Commander, Nigerian contingent in the Congo, 1963
He served as staff officer in the United Nations peacekeeping force during the Congo crisis, 1961–1963
Chief of staff, Nigerian Army Headquarters, February 1964 – November 1965 (He was the first indigenous chief of staff of the Nigerian Army)
Chairman, Organinization of African Unity (OAU) Defence Planning Committee, 1963–1965
Head of Nigerian delegation to the OAU Summit in Ethiopia, November 1966
Military governor, Western Nigeria, 1966–1971
Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, 1971–1972
Ceremonial military duties, 1972–1975
Retired from the Nigerian Army with the rank of major-general, July 1975
One of the founders of and vice chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), 1979–1983
Governor of Western State of Nigeria

As governor of the Western region he promted agricultural extension services in particular the establishment of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

Biafra War

Adebayo advised against the use of force in resolving the Biafran crisis. In one of the most prescient and articulate quotations of the war, he declared:-

I need not tell you what horror, what devastation and what extreme human suffering will attend the use of force. When it is all over and the smoke and dust have lifted, and the dead are buried, we shall find, as other people have found, that it has all been futile, entirely futile, in solving the problems we set out to solve

At the onset of war, Colonel Adebayo, then governor of the then Western State ordered all bridges into the West be demolished to prevent the Biafran rebels from reaching Lagos the capital of Nigeria via his state. The rebels went as far as Ore in present-day Ondo State about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Lagos.

After the war, he was appointed by the head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, as the chairman of the committee on the reconciliation and integration of the Ibos (Biafrans) back into the Nigerian fold.

Farmers Revolt

Major General Adebayo was the governor during the infamous farmers' "Agbekoya" revolt over taxation which was eventually resolved peacefully and harmoniously. Robert Adeyinka Adebayo retired from the Nigeria Army as a major general in 1975.

Later life

As of 2011 Adebayo is the chairman of the Yoruba Council of Elders. His eldest son Otunba Niyi Adebayo was a governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria from 1999 to 2003. Another son, Adesola Adebayo was the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Ekiti State under Dr Kayode Fayemi led Administration from 2010 to 2014.Another son, Adedayo Adebayo, played rugby for Bath and for the England National team winning six international caps between 1996 and 1999. Another of his children, Leke Adebayo is an actor, writer and producer in London and has appeared in and scripted various productions.

May his soul rest in peace

Standing Ovation for International Woman of The Day

As culled from Modern Ghana, according to Kenneth! Today is International Women's Day .As a youth activist I have taken it upon myself to celebrate young African women who are making impact in their communities and countries. Today I celebrate a change maker, entrepreneur and a mentor of thousands of young leaders in Africa. Her name is Adepeju Jaiyeoba from Nigeria.

Adepeju Jaiyeoba is a skilled community advocate with experience in women’s right and maternal and child health in Nigeria. She is the founder of Mothers’ Delivery Kit, a company that manufactures and distributes birth kits for purchase. In this capacity, she coordinates business development for the organisation and works to continually develop an effective distribution line that will see women across Nigeria connected to lifesaving supplies irrespective of their location at childbirth.

Adepeju is an award winning entrepreneur, trained lawyer, public speaker and maternal and child health enthusiast passionate about innovation and creating simple lifesaving solutions.

She is the founder of Brown Button Foundation which trains birth attendants and Mothers Delivery Kit which provides ultra affordable sterile supplies for women to use at childbirth while also increasing access to quality healthcare services.

With hundreds of thousands of kits sold, Adepeju is a:

•White House Emerging Global Entrepreneur in 

2015.•Research Fellow of the Coady International Institute•2016 PATH Innovation Champion•D-Prize Awardee in Global Health•Cordes Fellow

•2014 Mandela Washington Fellow
•Fellow, Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College Global Women's Entrepreneurship Institute

•Young Innovator of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)

•Member of Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR)

•She Leads Africa’s top 10 female entrepreneur for Diaspora Demo day

•2015 YNaija top 10 most influential Nigerians under 40 (Advocacy)

•Global Change Leader awardee, Coady International Institute, Canada.

Upon her great achievement and contribution to reducing maternal Health in Africa, Adepeju is very humble, selfless and an epitome of leadership. Many young African leaders are looking up to her .She has mentored thousands.

Winning Wisdom: Remember Not

Winning Wisdom: Remember Not

Topic: Remember Not [Wednesday, 8th Mar. 2017]

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Isaiah 43:18

The brain, we've been told, is like a big basket, and whatever thing that enters stays. This means that we have the ability to recall every experience, every memory, every pain, every hurt, every sin. This can get really wearisome, as we'd wish to forget some experiences, but they just keep coming back to weigh us down. The devil also uses these experiences and sins to make us feel guilt and condemn us. Our Father in heaven, however, tells us to remember "not the former things, neither consider the things of old" (Isaiah 43:18).

You may ask why we should forget these sins and experiences.

First, God has forgiven our sins, and He doesn't remember them. Isaiah 43:25 says "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins". Now the Sovereign God has said He would not remember our sins, why then do we call them to mind. Whenever the devil tries to condemn us with such sins, remind Him that they've been blotted out, and God remembers them no more.

Secondly, in place of our hurt and pain God has promised to do a new thing. Isaiah 43:19 says, "behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Of a truth God wants the absolute best for you, and He has promised a fresh beginning in accomplishment of that. Now, it is left to you to forget the former things, do away with the old things and look forward to the new things God promised.

Keep winning daily.

Wise Action:

Whenever you're faced with pains of the past or condemnation for past wrongs, remind yourself with scriptures that God has forgotten them, and ask Him to help you trust in His Word for a new beginning.

By Esun Tekeme

The Foundation for an Enviable Marriage

Foundation for an Enviable Marriage by Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Author: Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Topic: Foundation for an Enviable Marriage

Dear Reader,

It is a good day and a glorious month!  You are blessed in Jesus’ name.  I welcome you to another refreshing time in God’s presence.  This month, I will be teaching on the Foundation For An Enviable Marriage.

God’s Word says: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalms 11:3).  It is important for you to know that marriage is not a promise, but a covenant relationship.  An enviable Christian marriage is neither a promise from God, nor does it come by wishing.

The marriage covenant involves two parties: God on one hand and the man (and his wife) on the other.  God is the initiator of the covenant and His terms of agreement are sealed up in His Word.  Man, on his part, is required to obey God’s terms of the agreement.

God instituted marriage and family life.  He made the terms and limits of the marriage covenant available to us, through His Word in the Bible.  Thus, you can enjoy an exciting marriage, if only you understand the terms of the marriage covenant, and live within the limits of the covenant.

God’s Word says: God upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). All things here include marriage and family life.  This Scripture clearly reveals to us that God’s Word is power.

If you want God to uphold your marriage so as not to crumble, if your marriage must succeed and become outstanding, you need the power in the Word of God.  This is because all things are upheld by it.  You can’t put God and His Word aside, and expect to have an enviable marriage.  The foundation for this is following what God says about marriage and doing it.

Man’s hardness of heart towards God’s instructions has been a major reason for marital and family failure, all over the world.  The Lord Jesus said … But from the beginning it was not so…

God’s design for marriage and family life in the beginning was set towards fruitfulness and multiplication; it wasn’t designed for failure, heartaches or sorrow.  Even now, you don’t have to suffer marriage failure.  In fact, you can experience a great married life, if you open up to God’s Wisdom.

The foundation of an enviable marriage is God. Do you want to enjoy a most successful marriage?  If yes, then give your life to Christ.  This entails confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.  If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. I believe You died and rose on the third day for my sins.  I accept You as my Lord and Saviour.  Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Our Daily Bread Devotional, March 6, 2017

Our Daily Bread Devotional, March 6, 2017 - Loving Perfectly

Topic: Loving Perfectly [Monday March 6, 2017]

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 1–2; Mark 10:1–31

[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:7–8

Her voice shook as she shared the problems she was having with her daughter. Worried about her teenager’s questionable friends, this concerned mum confiscated her daughter’s mobile phone and chaperoned her everywhere. Their relationship seemed only to go from bad to worse.

When I spoke with the daughter, I discovered that she loves her mum dearly but is suffocating under a smothering love. She longs to break free.

As imperfect beings, we all struggle in our relationships. Whether we are a parent or child, single or married, we grapple with expressing love the right way, saying and doing the right thing at the right time. We grow in love throughout our lifetime.

In 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul outlines what perfect love looks like. His standard sounds wonderful, but putting that love into practice can be absolutely daunting. Thankfully, we have Jesus as our example. As He interacted with people with varying needs and issues, He showed us what perfect love looks like in action. As we walk with Him, keeping ourselves in His love and steeping our mind in His Word, we’ll reflect more and more of His likeness. We’ll still make mistakes, but God is able to redeem them and cause good to come out of every situation, for His love “always protects” and it “never fails” (vv. 7–8).

Prayer: Lord, our intentions are good but we fail each other in so many ways. Thank You for being our model in showing us how to live and love.

To show His love, Jesus died for us; to show our love, we live for Him.

Insight:

Do you ever find yourself hurting those you love, and maybe even forgetting in the emotion of the moment how much you really do care about them? If so, keep in mind that long before Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13 he was an angry man who was mindlessly hurting the God he thought he knew and loved (Acts 9:1–6). So what brought about Paul’s change? First he needed to see how wrong he’d been about Jesus. He also needed to see that knowing the law is not the same as keeping it—and that he himself needed not only mercy but also the help of the Spirit of God to love others as God loved him. The Spirit who brought him from law to grace now invites and leads us into the loving patience and kindness that our Lord wants to express in and through us.

This message was written By Poh Fang Chia [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

AMCVA Award full list of the winner

The 5th annual Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) has just wrapped up an the African film lovers witnessed as film and TV talents from across the continent etched their names into the record books. Take a look at the full winners list after the cut..

BEST SHORTFILM - OGO OKPUE - CAT FACE

BEST SOUND TRACK/ORIGINAL SCORE MOVIE/TV SERIES - MICHAEL 'THE TRUTH' OGUNLADE - THE ENCOUNTER

BEST SOUND EDITOR (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - GUY STEER – VAYA

BEST PICTURE EDITOR (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - NNODIM CHIGOZIE & PAULA PETERSON - OLOIBIRI

BEST COSTUME DESIGNER PAT EGWURUBE - 76

BEST MAKE UP ARTIST (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - HAKEEM ONILOGBO AJIBOLA/PEREKEME ODON - OLOIBIRI

BEST ART DIRECTOR (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - PAT NEBO - 76

BEST WRITER MOVIE/TV SERIES - CRAIG FREIMOND/ TSHABALIRA LEBAKENG/ ANTHONY MAFELA / DAVID MAJOKA / MADODA NTULI / HARRIET PERLMAN / ROBBIE THORPE – VAYA

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - LANCE GEWER - HAPPINESS IS A FOUR LETTER WORD

BEST LIGHTING DESIGNER (MOVIE/TV SERIES) - ELLIOT SEWAPE - 93 DAYS

BEST DOCUMENTARY - UGA CARLINI – ALISON

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA - DAVID JONES DAVID

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA - MEG OTANWA

BEST DRAMA – TINSEL

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY - DEBORAH ANUNGWA

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY             - SAMUEL AJIBOLA

BEST COMEDY - THE JOHNSONS

BEST MOVIE (SOUTH AFRICA) - ELVIS CHUKS - ALL ABOUT LOVE

BEST MOVIE (EAST AFRICA) - SARIKA HEMI LAKHANI - KATI KATI

BEST MOVIE (WEST AFRICA) - ROGERS OFIME - OLOIBIRI

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - FUNKE AKINDELE - JENIFAS DIARY

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE MOVIE OR TV SERIES – SWAHILI - DAUDI OTIENO ANGUKA - ZILIZALA

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE MOVIE OR TV SERIES – IGBO - CREY AHANONU - AMONYE-BU-ONYE

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE MOVIE OR TV SERIES – HAUSA - TIJJANI SHEHU YAHAYA - YAKI DA ZUCIYA

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE MOVIE OR TV SERIES – YORUBA - ABIODUN JIMOH, JUMOKE ODETOLA - SOMEWHERE IN THE DARK

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY MOVIE/TV SERIES - IMEH BISHOP UMOH - THE BOSS IS MINE

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY MOVIE/TV SERIES            FUNKE AKINDELE - JENIFAS DIARY

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA MOVIE/TV SERIES - SAMBASA NZERIBE - SLOW COUNTRY

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA MOVIE/TV SERIES - RITA DOMINIC - 76

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DAMA MOVIE/TV SERIES - ROTIMI SALAMI - JUST NOT MARRIED

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DAMA MOVIE/TV SERIES - EBELE OKARO ONYUIKE - FOUR ONE LOVE

BEST DIRECTOR (MOVIE) - IZU OJUKWU - 76

BEST OVERALL MOVIE - ADONIJAH OWIRIWA / IZU OJUKWU - 76