: IT PAYS TO LIVE HOLY I.

.OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

Topic: IT PAYS TO LIVE HOLY I.

MEMORISE : But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. ROMANS 6 : 22.

READ : PROVERBS 11 : 17 - 18.

17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 24 : 22 - 26 : 32 AND SONG OF SOLOMON 7 : 11 - 8 : 7.

MESSAGE

There is a sure reward for all those who are living holy. Men will go the extra mile to get a great reward from an endeavour, no matter the sacrifices it may require of them. Holiness requires from us certain sacrifices; we have to forgo certain things. I can assure you that there are several rewards for living holy. God is not merely asking us to live holy; He also promises “sure rewards” for living holy. For example, long life is a sure reward of holy living according to Proverbs 11 : 19. Sin leads to death while holiness leads to life. You will die young if you are indulging in sin. But if you are living holy, Satan will not be able to get you into a snare that can lead you to death. Another reward is found in Hosea 10 : 12 :

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

If you plant holiness, you will harvest the mercy of God. It is glaring that but for the mercy of God, we will not be alive today. It was God who said that the soul that sins shall perish. Probably no one would be alive today if God had been rewarding us for the sins we have been committing. He will keep on showing us more mercy if we go on living holy. Peace is another reward of holy living. In Daniel 4 : 27 the Bible says :

“Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.”

In this scripture, Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that if he began to live holy, God will be merciful unto him and then give him increased peace. Philosophers spend a lot of time trying to find answers to questions such as, what is truth, what is life and what is peace; they always end up with inconclusive answers. The search continues for them. The reason they cannot get an answer is because they have been asking the wrong questions. The question is not what peace is but who Peace is. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The call to holiness is actually a call to peace. Why has God called us to peace? The reason is that He is a God of Peace ( 1 Corinthians 14 : 33 ). A father will give to his child whatever he has. The devil will give what he has to his children – sickness, sorrow, confusion, etc. God will give you what He has if you belong to Him. He is the Author of Peace and He will give you peace today in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :

Find out those habits that are a direct opposite of a life of holiness in your life; do away with them as the price of holiness and you will be adequately rewarded.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

"indomie-like Christian"

Title: indomie-like christian (a piece)
Someone may wanna ask; what about it? i.e. Indomie-like Christian! When a fellowship-life of a believer starts and ends with a devotional guide that's been written by a proclaimed author and 'pastor'. When the worship life of a believer is guided by paper principled nuggets, when prayer life is fashioned in patterns set by men (of God) in black and white prints; etc.
You see an indomie is a food that can be cooked within 5minutes and today it's not suprising we've got an 'indomie generation'. Like when I used to buying indomie from one Mallam across my street at Ketu Lagos Nigeria, he would pour it in a cup, add very hot water and cover it up. Before you finish typing a two 'sms' phone text, it's done. I have my indomie ready, mixed with sliced pepper and fried egg...all these stuffs lasted for 5-7minutes. There you go, I begin to eat!!!
Our worship life, fellowship, prayer, and wording life (i.e. Studying God's word) must span beyond 5-7minutes affairs. They must be moments of encountering God afresh. God told Moses "... I AM THAT I AM ..." (Exodus 3:14) and you know Moses could have relent on the fore-knowledge of God as "...THE ALMIGHTY GOD..." (Genesis 17:1). We do ourselves a world of good deeds if we discover God ourselves as Holy Spirit helps us when we spend time alone with Him in His presence. 'Devotionals' would do but little in grooming our spirit-man but self 'Devotions' would be great (and of course then devotional manuals would be the tip on the icebergs).
The word says: ...study to show thyself approved unto God...." No other man will work on your approval unto God, no other devotionals but God's word. God said the days are coming that I will write my words into their hearts and no man will teach others to know The Lord for all would know Him (of course, that's if they search Him).
I've not campaign against devotional manuals (I also use them) but I'm canvassing for self studying of God's word, worship-life, prayer-life and devotions. God bless you richly...Amen!!!

No longer partaking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

by Gail Mast

We are created supernaturally so we should see ourselves in the supernatural, but we are so used to partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (natural). Jesus died for that natural being to bring us back to the supernatural creations He intended us to be from the beginning. Once we receive His love we should no longer partake from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and are free to partake from the Tree of Life (supernatural). 

Wow! Amazing grace how sweet the sound! 

Without Jesus, we cannot partake of the Tree of Life or we would live forever in our sinful (natural) state. Jesus went to the cross. He was human. He took our sin (unbelief), disease, sickness, poverty, and screamed, "IT IS FINISHED!" 

Took it all. It killed Him. Naturally.

But He rose again. Conquered death, hell, and the grave. Your sin. My sin. Your sickness. My sickness. Your disease. My disease. Your poverty. My poverty. 

Took it all! 

All! 

And rose again just to bring us new life, supernaturally. Back to the Tree of Life! 

Oh My Gosh! So amazing! 

Because He couldn't stand the though of living without us. He died a human natural death. He was forsaken by His Daddy, (God could not look upon sin), just so we could live forever eternally with Him partaking of the Tree of Life. 

Now.

Here on earth.

And forevermore.

Think I am crazy? 

One has to be crazy to live in this world without Him. 

OUR DAMAGED HEART

Lee Frank

There is nothing good … In the heart of any man

If this could be understood … The people could understand

From the first one ever made … To the last one ever born

We have all been depraved … And will die ever scorned

From the day we told our God … To not rule us as our King

He gave us a nod … With a warning of what it would bring

You need only look back … To where it all started

To see how much we’ve lacked … And how far we have departed

And now a wealthy few … Who believe that they know best

Will not allow us to choose … To feather our own nest

We have chosen us a leader … Who gives us what we want

An obvious unbeliever … A charming smile is what he flaunts

Be careful what you wish for … It comes from a damaged heart

You will always want more … From wherever you will start

You will never be at peace … Until you open up your eyes

And seek to be released … From believing in the lie

You must finally see … Beyond what you hear

Nothing is truly free … What you’re seeing needs be feared

You may smile for a moment … But the end will not be pleasant

As the coming vomit … Will be your final lesson

It’s the heart that needs be healed … And the Lord the only healer

And it won’t be till’ you feel … The need to be a believer

And this is the only way … To escape the coming hell

You MUST look up and pray … You don’t join those who fell

So please you must believe … That what you’re hearing is a lie

There will be no peace … Until all the evil dies

Seek the truth and you will find it … The promise has been made

Around your heart you will bind it … As your life is remade

The Power of Satan....

THE POWER OF SATAN

by Lee Frank

What more proof is needed … That the power of Satan is real

That so many refuse to believe it … With hearts that won’t be healed

Our Nation is crashing down … As well as the whole world

Our leaders are evil clowns … Into our brains .. They have burrowed

Right up in our faces … They lie right through their teeth

The people entering races … That are leading to their defeat

Casting out all the goodness … That there ever was

Clothing themselves in lewdness … And changing all the laws

They all truly believe … They are doing it on their own

They simply cannot see … The power that’s on their throne

This is the beginning … Of the delusion .. That will come

They don’t believe their sinning … They are having too much fun

We are trying to warn them … Of what they're headed for

Through all the lies swarming … We are pounding on closed doors

But every once in a while … Just now and then

With a grateful smile … A few will let us in

So until we hear his voice … We will sound the alarm

For the few who make the choice … To escape the coming harm

Not much time is left … Just open up your eyes

Please don’t take the bet … That you will not die

ADAM, WHERE ARE YOU?

---

::: ADAM, WHERE ARE YOU?
In the beginning God created the heavens, the earth, the Milky-way, the galaxies. He spoke and it was done. He created the moon, the stars, the oceans the seas, the forests vegetation, animals, fishes, birds, creeping things. He created an environment suitable for man. Then he specially created the Garden of Eden, a beautiful, exquisite, palatial garden of no comparison for man. On the sixth day He, the Most High, created man- the man called Adam in His own image -and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

Later He saw that all the other creatures had their female companion , but man was
alone. So he put Adam to sleep and took a rib from his side with which He created the woman- Eve, and brought her to Adam. Adam was delighted. He called her”Eve, Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”

God commanded them to look after the garden. He told them they were free to eat of any of the tree but “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. He warned them that the day they disobey Him they would surely die!

The relationship between God and man was very cosy and intimate. God usually visited him daily for a chat and for them to enjoy each other’s company.

As time went by, Adam developed the habit of doing his own thing, going out and leaving Eve by herself. One day while he was out, a strange creature visited Eve. He was beautiful, dazzling, commanding attention and spoke charmingly. He had a sugar-coated tongue. And there was trouble ahead.

Satan: Hey baby, All by yourself?
Eve : Yea! Who are you and where are you coming from?
Satan: You have a long way to go, don’t you? You don’t even know your neighbours.
Eve: Are you our neighbour?
Satan: I sure am. I just came to welcome you. And show you a few tricks of the trade.
Eve: What ! What do you mean?
Satan: Ah, like I said earlier you have a long way to go. There are many things you don’t know about even in this beautiful garden of yours.
Eve: What is that?
Satan: Now you’re talking. Do you want me to tell you something that would blow your mind?
Eve : Go on , Go on! (Eve was now relaxed and enjoying his company)
Satan : You’re sure you want to hear it ?
Eve: Of course! Come on tell me! P-l-e-a-s-e
Satan : Are you well-fed?
Eve: Definitely! We have everything to ourselves.
Satan: Are you sure? Have you had a taste of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Eve : Not really.

Satan : I told you, you have a long way to go! Don’t you see how lovely it is.
Eve: Oh yea! It’s beautiful! If it looks like this on the outside, I wonder what the inside will be like.
Satan: You want to have a taste?
Eve: mmmm.. I don’t think we are allowed to have it?
Satan: Are you not?
Eve: No!
Satan: Why not?
Eve: God says the very day we eat of it we would surely die
Satan: Come on! Give me a break, you are not going to die. It’ll only make you wiser- open your eyes to what God is denying you.
Eve: But we would be disobeying God wouldn’t we?
Satan: Look, I have come to help you. I have been here a long time and I know what’s good for you. Tell me. Why would God put the tree there if He doesn’t want you to eat from it? Is there any logical explanation?
Eve : No!
Satan: There you are. You have said it. Go on , enjoy yourself and join the company of the wise! Come on ! come on !! Go on!!!

( Eve eats of the fruit and her eyes are open)
Eve : mmmmm. This is yummy. Wow! What a delicacy! (She eats with a smile of great delight on her face )
Satan: winking – knowing the damage he has done, smiles slyly. Alright ! I ‘ll see you when I see you. I must be on my way. Bye!
Eve : Hey don’t go, so soon, Any other tricks?
Satan : Bye Bye! …

Adam returns.
Eve runs to greet him.

Eve : Darling where have you been? Why did you leave me for so long?
Adam: I was just getting to know our paradise- familiarising myself with it.
Eve: And did you see our strange visitor?
Adam: Which visitor? God?
Eve: No! Satan.- the deceiver, the adversary, Lucifer- the devil. That was what he called himself. And said he is our neighbour. He was here for a good while.
Adam: What ! how can you entertain strangers in my absence.
Eve: Darling it was for good.
Adam : How?
Eve: Sit down sweet heart and I’ll tell you in a moment.. Do you know that we have been missing out on a lot of things in this garden?
Adam : In what way?
Eve : You know that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You know it’s good looking.
Adam : I know but God said we should not eat of it and that the very day we eat of it we would die?
Eve: Are you sure about that?
Adam: Yes!
Eve : But have you wondered why it is so good looking?
Adam : I know it’s tempting, but we have to obey God lest we die.
Eve: Adam my darling, I don’t think you heard God properly. Now if God did not want us to eat it why would He put it their in the first place? Is there any logical reason why he would do so?
Adam: I don’t know but it is good to obey God.
Eve: Adam let me tell you a secret. Satan came here and taught me a few tricks of the trade.
Adam: Which tricks?
The fruit of that tree will only makes us wise like God. We will not die. ( she shakes her head and laughs)
Adam: How do you know? (still agitated, unsure unwilling and concerned)
Eve: I am a living proof..
Adam: In what way?
Eve: Do you know that I have eaten of that tree and am still alive?
Adam: You don’t mean it!. You ate of that tree and you are still alive?
Eve: Yea! Touch me. This is flesh and bone, and bone of your bones. ( She moves closer to him, but he is a bit scared and moves back) Adam! Adam, do you love me?

Adam : I sure do.
Eve: Now, come on. (she stretches her and towards him. He takes it reluctantly)
She embraces him and offers him the fruit of the tree.
Eve: Adam, if you love me, you will eat of this fruit. After all I’m still alive!
{She offers him again and he eats.
Adam: mmmmm, yummy in my tummy. This is good men! ( musical – horror strikes to demonstrate the enormity of what has just been done) Man had committed treason , sold out to the devil. From now on he would be a slave to the devil, enshackled and in bondage to sin and separated from God. He immediately experienced spiritual death, albeit unbeknown to him}
Immediately they both realised they were naked and looked for leaves to cover themselves. They were also afraid for the first time. Then they heard the voice of God. They were even more terrified and ran to hide themselves.
.

God : Adam! Adam!! Adam!!! Where are you.!
Adam : We are afraid.
God : Why are you afraid?
Adam : I ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God: What! Why did you?
Adam: It was the woman you gave me
Eve: It was the Serpent that told me to eat?
God: And why are you covering yourselves?
Adam: We are naked. And so we are ashamed.
God : Oh you’ve lost your innocence because you have rebelled against Me. Fear has now crept upon you and so is shame and guilt. Your sin has created a chasm between you and Me.
Adam , Adam , Where are you.?

You'll know it... SUCH AN AWKWARD MOMENTS When ___

---

Satan be like .... Mikky, you know...

Satan: “If it feels good do it.”

Michael: “Follow the teachings of the Son of God. Put His teachings first.”

Satan: “Seek fame, fortune, notoriety.”

Michael: “Examine the scriptures for the will of God. Be humble and give without bringing attention to yourself.”

Satan: “Live for the here and now. Eternity will be wasted away bowing before the punisher.”

Michael: “Think of the eternal. Your soul is your greatest possession, given to you by your loving Father, who sent His Son to die in your place. Do not be so impatient for your reward that you squander it away on worldly gains. Heaven shall reveal worth immeasurable in the world.”

Satan: “Why does the Master not reveal himself for you to see? Does he not care enough about you to prove He does?”

Michael: “Creation itself announces The Creator, The Maker, The Giver of Life. From the smallest living creature to the largest sea mammal, from the blowing sand dunes to the tallest mountain peak, the majesty of the Lord is trumpeted throughout His handiwork.”

Satan: “Why would He sentence men to die when He had the power to end their suffering? What kind of god does that?”

Michael: “The Holy One must abolish the sin that you bring into the world. It is your hate, your animosity, your thirst for destruction that man must reject. And they can do this only with the blood of the Lamb. You believed you had Him defeated on that cross, but our holy and just Creator sent His Son to crush your hatred and give mankind a way to redemption. A God of love and hope does that, our God. Men no longer have to die."

Satan: “I have a pot roast in the oven I need to go check on.”

Michael: “I figured as much. Coward!”

---

...Googling (Searching) for JESUS

The Search for JESUS

by Rudi Richardson Sr.

Characters:

Shannon Gilmore: Tamara’s mom, a mom who has little to none religion background

Tamara Gilmore: Shannon’s daughter, a 8 year old child that is seeking Jesus

Mr. Amazing: A telephone psychic

Pastor: A preacher of a church

Setting: Sitting at the kitchen table on a Saturday morning eating breakfast.

Scene 1

Tamara: Mom, who is Jesus?

Shannon: Jesus, are you talking about the maintenance man who came to fix the leaking sink, baby his name is Jose.

Tamara: No mommy, Jesus, who is Jesus?

Shannon: I don’t know anyone by that name.

Tamara: Oh ok.

Shannon: I am sorry that we had to rush last night getting home, mommy was tired from work. How was school yesterday?

Tamara: It was ok; some of my classmates were talking about a man name Jesus. They said he is the savior of the world and he can give you anything.

Shannon: They said he can give you anything and he is a savior. You can’t believe everything you hear. Especially about a man who will give you anything. All men ever gave was babies and headaches.

Tamara: Mommy they all laughed at me because I told them I never heard of him. They was making fun of me and saying I was going to Hell.

Shannon: They used a bad word at you baby?

Tamara: No, not a bad word, it’s a place where bad people go.

Shannon: Oh you mean jail, not hell.

Tamara: I am sure it was hell.

Shannon: You know, now that I thank about it I remember you grandmother telling your uncle if he didn’t straighten up he was going to go to hell.

Tamara: I am going to be good so I can go to heaven.

Shannon: Right now baby I need you to finish your food so we can find out who Jesus is, we have plenty of time for heaven but if it cost a fee we are not going today.

They will finish eating and mom will clean up.

Scene 2

Shannon is looking threw some old books that her mom left her before she died. Tamara is playing in her room.

Shannon: Come here Tamara, Tamara come in here.

Tamara runs in her mother’s room

Shannon: I have been looking to see what all these books your grandmother left me was about, but I haven’t seen any about Jesus. I wish it was someone I can talk to and ask. 

Tamara: What about the guy on TV, Mr. Amazing, he will probably know him.

Shannon: Ok let’s give it a shot, I will look him up on me cell phone. (Looks at phone) Here is the number. 

(Phone Rings)

Mr. Amazing: Thank you for calling Mr. Amazing, your spiritual advisor. I can connect you with love ones who have passed away, I can connect with you inner soul so how may I help you today?

Shannon: Yes I am trying to reach a man name Jesus Christ, who is a savior and can give you anything.

Mr. Amazing: Jesus Christ, I will connect with him, (pauses for 1 minute) I have connected with him. Would you like the information he has for you?

Shannon: Oh yes, please!

Mr. Amazing: I will be more than happy to give it to you, for a low price of $59.95, all major credit cards are accepted, we also take debit cards with the visa and master card logo, check by phone and pay pal. How may I process your payment?

Shannon: I am sorry but I don’t have any money.

Mr. Amazing: Would you like to make payments?

Shannon: No but since you have the message…

Mr. Amazing (interrupting) : I am losing Jesus Christ, I have lost him. Call back when you have money and I will contact him again. (Hangs up the phone)

Shannon: How rude, I don’t have any other ways to finding Jesus.

Tamara: Well there is another way. We could go to church.

Shannon: Ok let’s go see if we can find someone there.

(Shannon takes Tamara to a church when the service ends Shannon talks to the Pastor.)

Shannon: Hello Pastor, my name is Shannon Gilmore and this is my daughter Tamara Gilmore. We are here to find Jesus.

Pastor: He is at the door knocking waiting for you to let him come in. 

Tamara: What door?

Pastor: The door to your heart. You have made the first step and that’s seeking him. Now I will pray for you so that Jesus can come into your hearts and you will begin a personal relationship with him. 

Shannon:Ok I don’t know everything but I sure am starting to feel different.

Pastor: The presence of the Holy Spirit is among us. I am going to pray The Lords prayer,but afterwards stay for awhile and I will teach you more about him.

(He says the Lords prayer and they all sit down and begin reading the bible.)

The End

X-Partner! X-Relationship! X-Boy/Girl--Friends!!! What's Your take?

the-end-of-one-relationship-can-mean-the-beginning-of-another

by George C Simeon

Note: George is not saying you should break up with your x if any.It's only natural that you would not want a relationship to come to an end. As a general rule, people don't like things to change too much and a relationship ending can represent a pretty big change that you are now going to have to deal with. There is much to be said about trying to hold onto someone that you care about and love, but sometimes that just cannot be done. Sometimes, things do have to come to an end and you do have to come to terms with this.   While it can be sad when this happens, there is another way to look at things. You can see it from the perspective of a more positive outlook on things. When one relationship comes to and end, it usually means that a new one is just about to begin. I know, it sounds a little corny to talk about it like that. It is the truth, though.   You have to be able to move on from the past to move towards the future, right?   If you are dealing with the uncertainty that often comes with the end of the relationship, then it is understandable why there may be a part of you that would want to find a way to salvage the one that you just got out of. But, if that can not be done, then you may want to think about it as a opportunity to find someone who may be better for you.   What can really help is to use this time that you have to better yourself in many ways, so that the next one that comes along will be a better situation over all.   If you had a lot of arguments in the last relationship about material thing etc, for example, you can use this time to get that part of your life in order so that when you find someone new to date, that is no longer much of an issue. Or, if there were many arguments over the way that you let yourself go, then you can use this time to get in shape, get more organized, etc.   The other thing that you can use this time for is to learn a little bit more about attraction and what causes it in the first place. Knowing how to create attraction with someone is something that many people do not know how to do, yet it can be one of the best skills that you can pick up. All in all, you have a choice for how you want to look at things and deal with them. You can be cynical and sad or you can be positive and look forward to what may be down the road for you.   You may want to learn how to get a girlfriend after breaking up to help you move on.   Or, you may want to know if it is okay to still have feelings for an ex girlfriend.   Talk to you later.

It's coming.. Let's clear the Air.... CHRISTMAS PERIOD

the-truth-about-the-origin-of-christmas

by George C Simeon

Down there in Abuja, there are different kinds of stuffs going on even in other cities of Nigeria and the entire world,people are doing the undo in order to well celebrate the so called Xmas, Women are changing men day by day in order to get cash, men are committing all kinds of things to enjoy in this season.I now asked myself,what is the real need or meaning of Xmas and divided to study Theological book.George cannot work the whole 11 months and spend his hard earned cash on bitches or shits,am not part of this cause i have a lot to do with money right away.Finally, i got a convincing origin of Christmas and want to share it with you my friend and will also appreciate your view about this Christmas of a thing.   Christmas is a holiday shared and celebrated by many religions. It is a day that has an effect on the entire world. To many people, it is a favorite time of the year involving gift giving, parties and feasting. Christmas is a holiday that unifies almost all of professing Christendom. The spirit of Christmas causes people to decorate their homes and churches, cut down trees and bring them into their homes, decking them with silver and gold. In the light of that tree, families make merry and give gifts one to another. When the sun goes down on December 24th, and darkness covers the land, families and churches prepare for participation in customs such as burning the yule log, singing around the decorated tree, kissing under the mistletoe and holly, and attending a late night service or midnight mass.   What is the meaning of Christmas? Where did the customs and traditions originate? You, as a Christian, would want to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, discerning good from evil.   The truth is that all of the customs of Christmas pre-date the birth of Jesus Christ, and a study of this would reveal that Christmas in our day is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations. The date of December 25th comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god.   This was done long before the birth of Jesus. It was noted by the pre-Christian Romans and other pagans, that daylight began to increase after December 22nd, when they assumed that the sun god died. These ancients believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun. Thus, they figured that to be the reason for increasing daylight. This was a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled the temples of ancient Rome, as sacred priests of Saturn, called dendrophori, carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession. In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the yule god, also in observance of the resurrected sun god. The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship. Witches and other pagans regarded the red holly as a symbol of the menstrual blood of the queen of heaven, also known as Diana.   The holly wood was used by witches to make wands. The white berries of mistletoe were believed by pagans to represent droplets of the semen of the sun god. Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath and kissed, causing the spirits of the god and goddess to enter them. These customs transcended the borders of Rome and Germany to the far reaches of the known world. The question now arises: How did all of these customs find their way into contemporary Christianity, ranging from Catholicism to Protestantism to fundamentalist churches? The word "Christmas"itself reveals who married paganism to Christianity. The word "Christmas" is a combination of the words "Christ" and "Mass. The word "Mass" means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the church of Rome. The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ, and the distribution of the "Host", a word taken from the Latin word "hostiall" meaning victim! In short, Christmas is strictly a Roman Catholic word. A simple study of the tactics of the Romish Church reveals that in every case, the church absorbed the customs, traditions and general paganism of every tribe, culture and nation in their efforts to increase the number of people under their control. In short, the Romish church told all of these pagan cultures, "Bring your gods, goddesses, rituals and rites, and we will assign Christian sounding titles and names to them. When Martin Luther started the reformation on October 31st, 1517, and other reformers followed his lead, all of them took with them the paganism that was so firmly imbedded in Rome. These reformers left Christmas intact. In England, as the authorized Bible became available to the common people by the decree of King James the II in 1611, people began to discover the pagan roots of Christmas, which are clearly revealed in Scripture. The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft. Near the end of the nineteenth century, when other Bible versions began to appear, there was a revival of the celebration of Christmas. We are now seeing ever-increasing celebrating of Christmas or Yule, its true name, as we draw closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! In both witchcraft circles and contemporary Christian churches, the same things are going on. As the Bible clearly states in Jeremiah 10:2-4, "Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen; and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven. For the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. For one cutteth a tree out of the forest. The work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not." So, what is wrong with Christmas? 1. To say that Jesus was born on December 25th is a lie! The true date is sometime in September according to the Scriptures. 2. Trees, wreaths, holly, mistletoe and the like are strictly forbidden as pagan and heathen! To say that these are Christian or that they can be made Christian is a lie! 3. The Lord never spoke of commemorating his birth but rather commanded us to remember the sacrifice of His suffering and death, which purchased our salvation. Think about it! Can we worship and honor God by involving ourselves with customs and traditions, which God Himself forbade as idolatry? Can we convince God to somehow "Christianize" these customs and the whole pretense and lie of Christmas, so we can enjoy ourselves? Can we obey through disobedience? So what is right about Christmas? 1. Nothing!   You are free to tell your own view, i love to learn. Remain Blessed and Wise.

Standing before the King... Requirements....

STANDING BEFORE THE KING
PALACE WORKER / CHILDREN
Daniel 1:1-21a
Notes:
There are things that have captured our fathers (parents)  whose hold still firmly grips them. (vs2) ...The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. [why would the Lord permitted this to happen?]. ---(Jer. 52:2-3). But howbeit, God's people are made in trials moment and more so, The Lord knew what He was doing!
vs 3-4// Why would the king asked for the service of the king's seed and not just anybody? Knowing fully well, what he has done in (Jer. 52:8-9), that he had slain all king's seed and prince. The devil has succeeded in slain people of the kingdom (the reasons found in  vs. 2). Why were you preserved among your equal, amidst your family. Daniel and his colleagues ought to have been slain but for God's mercy. What kills other, keeps them, and that's God's mercy. Your being alive (irrespective of your circumstances) is for a PURPOSE! . If you wonder why & what your life's been like despite the experiences of your fathers [parents] and what they have went through! The king still wanted the children to be brought and as such he's seeking for those with no Blemish, Well Favoured, Skillful in all Wisdom, Cunning in Knowledge, and Understanding Science with Ability, etc. A point to note here is that; your present situation that seems unpleasant is as a result of treasures loaded in your life. No hunter hunts domestic animals but the wild, why? He knows he has access to any1 among the domestic animal anytime but the wild ones is considered more of a game to him than the former.
Why / Attributes of a Palace Worker! ___vs. 4 
[No one gets to the place of honour except is honourable].
1. They are children i.e. Youths (devil focuses today on youths than elders)
2. No blemish (blemish: a mark of imperfection that spoils the appearance of something)
3. Well Favoured, etc (vs. 4) Gen. 41:17-21
4. Teachable; in learning and tongue of the Chaldeans. 
<***> The king gave them palace's goodies (king's meat, wine, etc). Why would he provide such for people who had attributes mentioned in vs. 4 above! He did it to patterned them unto his kingdom. In the same vein, the devil is changing people's ideal, dream, vision and destiny giving them his own designed plan. That's why you see even a lady who abandon goodly modest apparel for high costly lustfull clothes.
Godliness has been substitute for evil, no more righteousness, truth is scarce, modesty is gone, holiness not to be mentioned among this generation, everything everywhere has been replaced by the devil parked package - and these on a daily basis. (vs. 5)
The things you possesses is gotten by what means, is it in  a Godly way or crooked and devilish?
(vs. 7) He gave them names - changing their names in order to suit Chaldeans' style and government. Many believers have easily change their names i.e. identity only when they get to the corridor of power. How many Godly born children have changed their God given identity for harlotry, drunkard, stealing, laziness, etc. The bible speaking says: Good name is better than silver and gold. [Prov. 22:1, Ecc. 7a:1]
<*****> The king meant to nourish them (vs 5b) but Daniel a young man who knows better has leap ahead into king's plan [an adage in Yoruba says "ife kini Aja fe olongbo" i.e. what love can a dog shows a cat]. Daniel purposes in his heart (vs. 8) not to use Nourishment to Defile himself. He choose to refuse king's goodies to God's.
YOUTH OF PURPOSE! must be;
Prayer -prayerful (if the youths can pray, then the enemy can be the prey)
Upright -be upright (standing up: for righteousness)
Reason -be reasonable
Planing -have planning
Observation -observation brings about preservation e.g. Your Self discipline
Example.
<****>Daniel asked for a deal of 10days and he got a 10 times better than Answers. Dan. 1 vs. 20.  
<**> COMMITMENT: YOUTH THAT WILL DEVOUT TIMES TO SERVE & LOVE GOD. Amen
Finally, Daniel (in vs. 21) continues to be the first. What place you ahead is using your head. He continue to make history and at end make heaven. Will you?
When we do what! Ask why! Go where! and Yield (to) when!, God is committed to make us better. Scripture says in
2 Corinthians 6:2
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
You too can stand before the King of kings if you've possessed Christ as your qualities. 

PASTORS NEED to be BORN AGAIN ...

(this piece was cued from Etcetera as delivered by bro. Silas during Exalted Lord's Youth fellowship)
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Verily verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that i say unto thee, ye must be born again (John 3:1-7)

Pastors are supposed to be the conscience of the society. they are supposed to be God's representatives here on earth. Like Elisha in the bible, they are supposed to warn the people about the dangers of disobeying God and guide them to the path of righteousness. They are supposed to lead by example.

Today, some pastors are the problems of the society. the lifestyle of some pastors is contradictory to what they preach. It has got so bad that when a man introduces himself as a pastor, he attracts immediate suspicion. Scandals and controversies have eaten too deep into the church like an incurable cancer. Like electric poles, churches are springing up all over the country and their general overseers or (CEOs) are fast emerging as the richest men in the country. Some pastors represent their stomach instead of Christ. Churches have been turned into banks and business centers with branch pastors given targets for increase in turnover by the headquarters. Most of these new breed churches only preach prosperity because preaching salvation will impact negatively on the church's GDP. Some of today's pastors, after their failed attempts at finding a means of livelihood, hire a classroom and start a church.

Most people have been brainwashed to see their pastors as angels of light instead of the men of lies and hypocrisy which they truly are. When I hear some of our so called men of God talking, I hear a well rehearsed speech delivered with sugarcoated tongue. I see feigned sympathy and fake listening ears trying to milk their unfortunate audience. I see people being washed, rinsed, dried, drained and ironed with rehearsed miracles wooing gullible people to their churches.

To some pastors, the church is no longer the stairway to heaven but rather, an express road to wealth and fame. No trick is too dirty to enslave their followers. While many in their congregation cannot afford three decent meals in a day, pastor convey offerings to their banks in bullion vans. They cruise about town in their exotic cars and jet off to spend vacations in the most exotic tourist destinations across the world.

Jesus Christ fed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fishes (Matthew 14:13-21). He could have auctioned it to the wealthy and more privileged amongst the multitude but He asked His disciples to share to all without discrimination. Except for a few, the majority of pastors will not lift a finger to ease the sufferings of the poor in their congregation.

It went viral in the news of how two church girls accused their pastor of having sexual intercourse with them and his followers said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm". A popular pastor has married and divorced more times than the randy king of Swaziland and his followers said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm". I wonder what a pastor who cannot keep his marriage has to tell his members during their marriage counselling classes. A popular pastor who was to be arrested for tax evasion form a foreign country fled to his home-country in order to escape from the authority and his followers said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm". A flamboyant pastor in a country bought a jet when his home-land had been displaced by a major flood that ravaged their lands and his followers said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm" when his decision to do that was queried.

A self acclaimed 'god' and 'jesus' of 'our' time known as a Reverend was arrested and charged to court for using a girl for human barbecue. The 69 years old grief stricken father of the victim girl lamented he went to the church to see his daughter and the followers of the Reverend denied knowing her. However, one of the follower later told the man that his daughter had already been married to the Reverend as his wife and has been hospitalized. Getting to the hospital, he found his daughter on the hospital bed been roasted and after a long inquiry, she revealed the Reverend was the one who set her on fire for whatever reason and the Reverend followers said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm".

It was in the news sometimes ago how a man stole money and confessed to giving it as offering to a church. When the pastor of the church was asked about it, he said the money was given to God and as such can't be returned. Things like this can only happen within the church.

Pastors should be judged by their words as well as their actions. Today, pastors now organizes a healing crusade for his members but they jets off to foreign countries for medical check-ups the next day. Pastors who pray for God's protection over the members now seeks for experts as their own bodyguards. Sooner than later, churches would be included in the Market Stock Exchange in order for interested public members to buy shares. It is a fact that when you scare people enough, you can get them to do virtually anything and they would without second thought or what would you say about the congregation whose their pastor asked to be eating grass as it would bring them closer to God or is it not strange for a pastor who asked his female members to come to the church with no bras and panties in order for God to enter their body.

Folks, don't be deceived by the title of any man as a Pastor or Bishop. Seek God's face, pray and read the scriptures. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ alone should be your role model and real example to follow and copyright. The bible says you should study to show yourself approved unto God.

You're not to follow men-of-God but the GOD of men.

As I end this article, it's my prayer that the rapture takes place on a Sunday morning during the service so that all FAKE PASTORS and BELIEVERS be caught hands-down. Amen.