How To Hear From God

There are three important principles that need to be considered in any aspect of decision making:

1. What effect will this decision have on others?

2. What effect will this decision have on my future?

3. What good (or, bad) can come from this decision?

In short, they can all be summed up in one principle: "What would Jesus do?" … or, "What does Jesus want me to do?"

   

Sometimes we have to make a fast decision (or, we think we do). This is why we need to make sure we’re constantly walking in the Spirit and listening to the Spirit. This is done daily by:

1)    reading God's Word;

2)     praying; and,

3)    Forgiving. Start your day with the Holy Bible and prayer.

   

One very important thing to realize is that even "minor" decisions influence "major" decisions later in time; by virtue of the fact of "habit-making" or "habit-forming" patterns. Actions build patterns, and patterns build habits. Also, habits build personalities!

Another thing we need to realize is that contrary to modern educational philosophy, there is always a "right" or "wrong" decision. Even if you consider that one decision may be better (or, worse) than another, there is still only one BEST decision. This is why we need God’s wisdom.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and blames not for asking, and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). We have made this too difficult—if you ask, God gives you wisdom! If you’re walking in the Word of God, most of the time you won’t have to ask for wisdom: God’s Word is wisdom! That’s why it’s important to read the proverbs daily (in addition to your other Bible reading).

Seeking wisdom in ordinary matters is just as important as seeking God for direction, even though it may not seem so. Again, the little decisions add up to BIG ones and build a "habit pattern" over a period of time. Strive for quality decisions, even in little matters. The COMPOSITE of the large MAJOR decisions in our lives are usually the summation of the smaller minor decisions and habit-patterns we have formed along life’s way.

When it comes to making decisions involving DIRECTION, there are four (4) important Scriptures to consider.

1 "That the LORD thy God may show us the way¹ wherein we may walk, and the thing² that

we may do" (Jeremiah 42:3)

¹Way = direction    ²Thing = activity

God will not only show you the way to go, but He will show you what to do!

2 "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain¹ path, because of my enemies" (Psalm 27:11).

¹A "plain" path is one of NO confusion. You may not have any earthly enemies, but you always have at least ONE enemy—the enemy of your soul, the devil.  God will lead you in a "plain" path IF you follow God's leading. You might have to take a giant step of faith in which God is leading you, but … you will have PEACE in taking this step:  there will be NO confusion!

3 "And behold the LORD passed by (Elijah), and a great and strong wind tore the mountains…and after the wind, an earthquake…and after the earthquake, a fire…but the LORD was not in the wind…the earthquake…[or] the fire…and after the fire a still small voice¹" (1 Kings19:9-12). Notice, it was the ¹still small voice where Elijah heard his directions from God!

4 "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it,’ when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).

When you make a right choice, especially concerning direction, God will confirm it with PEACE. If you have made a wrong choice—or, missed God’s leading—you will begin to experience confusion. You will (first) get a "check" in your spirit: things won’t seem right.

They will seem "out of place". That’s the time to either:

1) "Stay put" (don’t go any farther); or

2) Return to the place where you made the decision (go back to the place where you had peace before), until you receive NEW direction from God!

If you continue on in the wrong direction you will experience increased confusion (even mental confusion) in your life. Many people, even some Christians, have become shipwrecked spiritually by continuing on in the wrong direction. Don’t do it!!

Addendum

People lose hope because they get off the path of God’s will they should pray and seek God’s will in a new way. They should believe God according to Mark 11:24¹ concerning the things for which they believed God (before the enemy tricked them and they got off the path)…and JOY and HOPE and POWER will return to them!

¹"What things you desire, when you pray, believe you receive them, and you shall have them" (Jesus, Mark 11:24).

Source

How To Double Attack And Defeat Your Problems - Your Words Are Powerful! – By Prince Handley

Whatever the circumstances in your life, there are two things that you can do to triumph over them and live a life of victory. Read more to find out what to do when things are going wrong in your life...

The Holy Bible teaches us how to DOUBLE attack our problems and to defeat them. Psalm 63 is a Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judea. David was in the cave of Adullam with all the members of the "3-D Club"—everyone who was in DISTRESS, and everyone who was in DEBT, and everyone who was DISCONTENTED (bitter of soul). There were about 400 of them; and David became captain of them.

The prophet Gad warned David to leave there and go to the land of Judah, so David went into the forest of Hareth (1 Samuel 22:5). Psalm 63:3 says, "Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you."

The Hebrew word for "praise" used in this passage is "shabach" and means "to address in a loud tone”, and also "to pacify." It is found 11 times in the Tanakh (Hebrew Old Testament). In eight of those passages it is used to express PRAISE. In the other three, it is used in passages to STILL, such as concerning the calming of the sea (Psalm 65:7; Psalm 89:9) and also of calming or quieting things within a person's heart (Proverbs 29:11). "Shabach" means "to praise, to still, to triumph." You can praise with words, you can calm with words, and you can triumph with words.

            

FIRST, use praise!

The Bible teaches that God inhabits, or dwells in, the praises of His people. Literally he "makes his house" in the praise of His people. "But You are holy, You that inhabits the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3). When you praise God, you are creating an atmosphere for God to invade your situation!

Also, if it is a situation where someone is angry with you (justly or unjustly), ask God to turn the situation around and claim this promise from His Word. "Surely the wrath of man will praise You: [and] the remainder of wrath You will restrain" (Psalm76:10). Pray, and ask God to make the person's wrath PRAISE God. Then ask God to restrain the remainder of the wrath! I have done this many times in my life and I have NEVER seen it to fail. God has always honoured His Word!

SECOND, do what Jesus did!

In the Brit Chadashah (Hebrew New Testament) at Mark 4:36-39 we read:

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him [Jesus] as He was in the ship. And there was also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the back of the ship, asleep on a pillow, and they awoke Him, and said unto Him, 'Master, don't you care that we perish?' And He arose, and REBUKED the WIND, and SAID to the SEA, 'Peace, be still.' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Many of you know the Biblical truths of speaking in faith. We can see this in Mark 11:22-24 in Jesus' own words. The purpose of this teaching is to draw attention to WHY our Lord spoke to BOTH the wind and the sea.

There may be certain circumstances in your life NOW—and probably will be in the FUTURE—which will require you to DO what you learn in this [article]. For whatever reasons of causation, certain situations can CONTINUE that the enemy would use to bring fear, defeat, concern, sickness, poverty, or other malevolent processes into action. There are two (2) things you need to do:

1. You need to speak to the CAUSE—the ROOT or ORIGIN—of these processes and rebuke them as Jesus did the wind: command them to cease and desist in the name of Jesus.

2. You need to speak to the EFFECT—THE CONTINUING PROCESS—which is the result of the cause as Jesus did to the sea: command the process to die and cease operating in the name of Jesus.

Now, you know how to DOUBLE ATTACK your problems and to DEFEAT them!

You can PRAISE!

You can CALM

You can TRIUMPH!

Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai.

Celebrities Who Waited Until Marriage; These Stars Were Not Afraid to Stick to Their Beliefs - BreatheCast

Even in Hollywood, there are people who stick to their Christian beliefs. Here is an excerpt of what we found from Christian entertainment website, Breathecast.

Very often in the media we hear of stars getting together with other stars and it becomes a who is dating who of Hollywood. However, not very often do we hear of celebrities who wait until they are married to share that intimate bond between a man and a women.

Breathecast compiled a list of some of the world's biggest mega stars who claim to have waited until marriage.

Comedian and View co-host Sherri Shepard said this week on the view that she and her Husband waited a long time before being intimate with one another.

"This is what happened with Sal and I from being celibate that I love, you get to talk, you get to know his friends, I got to see his relationship with his momma, his relationship with my son," she then went on and said that a non-sexual relationship helped her eyes stay open to some of the things that would normally cloud a person's perception due to the emotional attachments that come once a couple have sex.

Millions watched the romantic proposal of ABC's reality stars Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici of The Bachelor. After 18 seasons of the show they are only the forth couple to actually get married. Recently on the talk show, The View, Barbara Walters asked if waiting until marriage was the best decision the couple had made. Guidici responded, "I feel like it was the right decision for us and we're really happy, that its another benefit of being husband and wife." The couple also discussed making the decision to live separately until marriage.

"You know, I have done a lot of things in my life that I regret. Like all of us I have made decisions in my past I do regret, but as I get older I do appreciate things more...I think sex is something special. It should be shared with the one you're going to spend the rest of your life with," Lowe said.

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SOON TO COME: Who Is The Most Outstanding Christian Governor In Nigeria?

Six of the most performing Christian Governors in Nigeria.

In the next two weeks, we shall be spotlighting six of the most outstanding Christian Governors in Nigeria. These are:

Gov. Godswill Apkabio (Akwa Ibom State),

Gov. Jonah Jang (Plateau State),

Gov. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State),

Gov. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo State),

Gov. Peter Obi (Anambra State),

Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State).    

We shall conduct a poll to determine who among the governors has truly been a shining light in the murky dark waters of Nigerian politics. Our readers will decide who among them will come tops in terms of service with integrity, good governance, due process and transparency in award of government contracts, walk with God, family life and contribution to the church in their states.

In the coming weeks, we will publish the profile of each of the nominee showcasing their achievement in the area of infrastructural and human capacity development. We shall also share testimonies (from trusted sources) of their faith and family life, walk with God and their contribution to the church in their states.

These profiles will give readers the information they need to make informed decisions when they vote for the Most Outstanding Christian Governor In Nigeria.

The voting will be done via a poll widget on the blog, affirmations on the comment boxes below the profile of each nominee and voting via SMS.

Polling will last ten days from commencement after which the governor with the most endorsements will be announced on this blog.

Details of dates and timeline will be announced on this blog in a few days.

 

Is APC Truly Anti-Christian?

Religion is increasing becoming entrenched in Nigerian politics. The map of the votes cast in the 2011 presidential elections shows a voting pattern that reveals a clear demarcation splitting the nation across sectional, ethnic and religious lines. Most of the votes President Jonathan got in the North were cast by Northern Christians in Plateau, Nasarawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, and Kebbi states (where he got at least a quarter of the total votes cast) and from southerners living in the region.

Just recently, the PDP National Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, stated that an Islamic cleric, Ambassador Yusuf Garba, and the Religious Equity Promotion Council (REPC), had exposed a plot by the APC to balkanise Nigeria along religious lines. It alleged that the party is planning to impose an Islamic agenda like that of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

In a swift reaction, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said both the PDP and the Presidency were desperate to cause problems in the polity. He further explained that out of 35 officers in the Interim National Executive Committee of the party, 18 are Muslims while the remaining 17 are Christians.

The media spat between the two parties notwithstanding, there are concerns in some quarters that the ACP, by its perceived skewed religious composition, may indeed be up to some form of Islamic agenda. Some observers are quick to point out the predominance in the party of the religion of its key protagonists. Tinubu, Buhari, Akande, Lai Mohammed, El Rufia, Masari, Shekarau, Modu Sheriff, Sani Yarima and a host of others are all Muslims. The involvement of some Christian politicians in the opposition party (Rochas, Onu, Akume etc), has not doused the unease, even apprehension, in some sections of Nigeria.   

The recent defection of five PDP governors and 37 House of Representative members to the APC has not dulled some people’s perception of the APC as an Islamic party. On the contrary, it reinforces it. Other than Governor Amaechi and his state’s House of Representative members, the other defecting governors and almost all their states’ House of Representative members are Muslims.

It is therefore not surprising that the PDP is making political capital of this perception. Religion is a very emotive issue in Nigeria and the PDP is using the religious card, unfortunately, rather effectively. It really doesn’t matter now whether the APC is anti-Christian or not. The PDP’s allegation further entrenches that label in the minds of a lot of Christians across the country especially in its central part where religious fault lines are in volatile flux.

It is important to note that in spite of the posturing of the national leadership of CAN, the PDP is not pro-Christian. It is anything but that. It does not in any way represent Christian ideals, values or interests. In spite of the fact that the ruling party has produced two ‘Christian’ presidents since the advent of the current democratic dispensation, it cannot honestly be said that Nigerian Christians have fared better than people of other faiths under the watch of these presidents.

So, is the APC anti-Christian? It may not have set out to be so, but the composition of its leadership raises a lot of questions. A close scrutiny of its Interim National Executive Committee reveals lopsidedness in favour of Muslims in the allocation of powerful offices:  

1. Party Leader - North: Gen Muhammadu Buhari (Muslim).

2. Party Leader - South: Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Muslim) .                                                         

3. National Chairman: Abdulkareem Bisi Akande (Muslim) .                                                               

4. Deputy National Chairman: Aminu Bello Masari (Muslim) .                                                     

5. National Secretary: Tijjani Musa Tumsah (Muslim) .                                                             

6. Deputy National Secretary: Nasir El-Rufa (Muslim) .                                                               

7. National Publicity Secretary: Lai Muhammad (Muslim) .                                                             

8. National Treasurer: Sadiya Umar Faruq (Muslim) .                                                           

9. National Financial Secretary: Alhaji Shaibu Musa (Muslim) .                                                       

10. National Youth Leader: Abubakar Lado (Muslim) .                                                     

11. National Legal Adviser: Muiz Banie (Muslim).                                                      

12. National Deputy Auditor: Bala Jibrin (Muslim) .                                                    

13. National Women Leader: Sharia Ikeazor (Muslim convert) .                                             

14. EX-officio Member: Muniru Muse (Muslim).

15. EX-officio Member: Alhaji Yemi Sanusi (Muslim).  

This raises very serious questions:

 

Are Christian members of the APC not good enough to occupy the most senior positions in the party?

Will they play only second fiddle in the party as it seems to be the case in APC controlled states in the South-West?

Will Christian interests be protected by a party which seems to relegate its Christian members to the background?

Can Nigerian Christians trust the APC not to reduce them to the status of second class citizens when they elect them into office, especially at the centre?

The APC must provide satisfactory answers to these questions or the anti-Christian label will stick to it and cost it the votes of millions of Nigerian Christians.

Also Read: Will Northern Christians Vote APC