Author Archives: Ekundayo

Fear of Death: 5 Ways to Overcome Death

Posted by Jan 30, 2016 Holy Word, Gospel Evangelism, Word of Faith Leave a Comment
Fear of Death: 5 Ways to Overcome Death

One day a young man asked his Master, “I do experience fear of death. How can I get rid of this fear?”
“Tell me,” the old man answered, “When you borrow a few coins, are you afraid to give them later back?”
“Of course not,” the student answered with surprise, “but what does this have to do with my fear?”

 
The teacher picked up a small piece of soil from the ground and continued, “You have received your body in debt with required return. And every bite of bread eaten by you, every sip of water drank by you increases that debt.
You are made from dust on which you walk and the ground is your main creditor, constantly reminding you of this debt. It is pulling you down towards it. In the end, the ground will swallow you whole, without any remains.”

 
The old man threw the soil into the air, after attaining its fall, he finished, “No matter how high you rise, how long you are in the flight, you will still need to go down. That is given. And to cope with the fear of this fall is very easy – stop thinking about yourself as the master of your body.

 
Face the thought that you are just a tenant. And because you don’t know the length of your rent, remember that it can end at any second. We are all debtors, and our debts will certainly be recovered, no matter if we are afraid of it or not. So is there a point of being afraid?”…

 
The characteristics of a person include; movement, respiration, feeding, growth, excretion and death. If you were not afraid of feeding and respiring, then it is also a normal phenomenon that death will take its course one day. Hebrew chapter 9 verse 27 says: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”.

 
The characteristic of death is so scary because it terminates the existence of life. But there are ways to overcome the fear of death.

5 Strong Weapons that Defeat Death

 

1. Respect the Life-Giver

The fear of death will always overwhelm you if there is no understanding that God is the only One who gives you the gift of life every day. Whenever you sleep and wake up, it is not an automatic process. The Lord approves your living every day.

 
You must always respect God, the Life-Giver by giving thanks to Him. He promised to give long life: “They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” (Isaiah chapter 65 verse 22)

Besides, the Lord is not to be blamed for anyone struck by death. It was designed that everyone must die, to continue another life into eternity.

 

2. Get to know who is Death!

The fear of death will melt away from your heart if you know his identity. Death is a servant and not a supreme being. Death does not have his barrack on earth, but in the spiritual realm.

 
The good news for every Christian is that Jesus is powerful than death. Death cannot touch you if your time is not ‘ripe’ to join Jesus in Heaven. Psalm 23 verse 4 says: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

 
Unbelievers will suffer the fear of death, because the absence of Jesus in their lives gives death the liberty to sting them.
“I can’t forget my experience with Death in the sixth month of year 2000… Death was leading me to the grave, but the Lord instructed death to let go. And life came into my dead body once again”!

 
Don’t be afraid of death because the key to his stronghold is with Jesus. He says in Revelation chapter 1 verse 18: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

 

3. Wash Your Hands from Sins

Sin gives authority to Death to sting the life of the sinners. An example of such is king Herod, the book of Act chapter 12 verses 23 says: “Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.”

 
When your heart suffers the fear of death, then it might be a sign that sin had crept into your life. So, check and balance your lifestyle with the Bible.
The short life span in our generation is caused by disobedience to the godly guidelines in the Bible. Majority does not want to obey any instruction in the Bible, and they love to live a careless life. Unluckily, the false preachers in the church are not helping matters.

 
Major causes of death include sinful lifestyles such as; alcoholism, wild parties, bad feeding habit (gluttony), abortion, hatred (terrorism, serial killing…) and lack of good rest (Sabbath).
If you want to overcome the fear of death, then settle down with God for a ‘serious business’. Give your body, mind and spirit to Jesus. And live a holy lifestyle according to the Bible.

 

4. Word of God Erases Fear of Death

Fear of death might want to engulf you when on a sick-bed or going through hard times. The best way to overcome such fear is through reading the Bible. Always recite the promise of God for you in the holy Bible.

 
When the fear of death troubles your heart, fight back with prayers and bible studies. It is dangerous to curse or get depressed when you experience unwanted conditions of life, because such act gives death the legal right to sting.

 

5. Know Your Eternal Home

It is not difficult to know your eternity. Scriptures says by their fruits you shall know them. If you live a holy lifestyle according to the Bible, then your name will be written in the book of life according to Revelation chapter 3 verse 5: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

 
So, the fear of death will melt away if you live a holy life in Jesus Christ every day.
Whenever death comes near you, the Spirit of the Lord will give you the confidence that Heaven is your home. Thus, you won’t be afraid of death. Proverbs chapter 14 verse 32 says: “The wicked is banished in his wickedness, but the righteous has a refuge (hope) in his death.”

 
The fear of death is not a weapon that can destroy the faith of genuine Christians. Thus, focus your faithful heart to the LORD daily and no fear of death can threaten your peace. 

How good is Abortion for Christians?

Posted by Jan 24, 2016 Holy Word, Family, Podcast, Youths , 1 Comment
How good is Abortion for Christians?

Induced abortion is a deliberate termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus resulting to death. 

I was interested in this topic when I stumbled on the statistical figures below:
In 2014, Planned Parenthood wasted the lives of 327,653 babies in the United States. And most women that engaged in the abortion claimed to be Christians. Protestant and catholic women got 42% and 27%. About 18% of all induced evacuation of fetus in the United States each year are performed on teenagers.

According to World Health Organization, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day.

 

Why is Induced Evacuation Becoming Popular?

• Some couples chose abortion when the birth control technique fails them.
• The unmarried woman will not want her parents and Pastor to know that she’s no more a virgin.
• Women engage in abortion because giving birth to the baby will interfere with their job, school or other responsibilities.
• Some women embrace induced evacuation of fetus with the excuse of poverty.
• Some Doctors encourage women suffering from health complication to opt for the act.

Abortion had been legalized in many countries and a lot of people are pleased with this man-made law.

God’s View on Abortion

When God created Adam and Eve, He proclaimed an automation of mass reproduction to their sperms and eggs respectively. When the sperm fuses the egg, fertilization takes place and new person is formed.

Genesis chapter 1 verses 27 and 28 say: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…”

God formulated sex for married couples only. So, He did not expect any unmarried woman to solve any problem through abortion.
Don’t allow some medical experts to deceive you that an 8 weeks fetus is not a living being. All medical scientists knew that once fertilization takes place, a living being is formed. If you abort any pregnancy, then it implies murdering the innocent life in your womb.

God does not support the act of induced abortion. Revelation chapter 21 verses 8 says: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”.

 

How to avoid UNWANTED PREGNANCY

There is no verse in the Bible that supports induced abortion. Thus, Christians seeking the kingdom of God must not obey the man-made law that supports such.
1. Married couples tired of child birth should avoid mating that could lead to fertilization.
2. Single women to stay away from fornication.
3. Women that give priority to other things at the cost of child bearing should ‘zip-up’.

Evacuation could only take place if the fetus lost his/her life in the womb due to the poor health of the womb or the mother.

Induced abortion in the early weeks of pregnancy is regarded as a harmless practice by some doctors. But God did not approve the deliberate act of evacuating the unborn.
Anyone that says abortion is right should imagine him/herself aborted!!

Spiritual Warfare: 5 Ways to Defeat Your Enemies

Posted by Jan 13, 2016 Holy Word, Church, Podcast, Word of Faith 5 Comments
Spiritual Warfare: 5 Ways to Defeat Your Enemies

Spiritual warfare is an invisible battle that does not need the use of a AK 47 rifle. It is one of the miseries of life that needs divine understanding.

God created us to have three different forms; the body, soul and spirit. And He created the earth (Physical realm) for our body to be in-charge. God created the heavens (spiritual realm) for the spirit to be in-charge.

The origin of spiritual warfare started when Satan and other rebellious angels were chased out of heaven. Revelation chapter 12 verse 7 to 9 says: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Since Satan could not win the throne of God, he had declared spiritual war against humanity to stop everyone from gaining heaven. Revelation chapter 12 verses 17 say: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Spiritual warfare is the fight between your spirit and evil spirit. It can also occur between the spirit of light and darkness. Don’t be scared of spiritual warfare because it is an event every Christian would encounter in various ways. The Power of Jesus is above all powers of the demonic forces.

The Cause of Spiritual Warfare

Satan chose to wage war against humanity as a form of retaliation for his defeat in heaven. Satan’s plan is to attack and defeat the souls of people. He does not want us to experience peace on earth and he wants the human race to be spiritually defeated by sins.

Satan initiates spiritual warfare so that everyone can join him and his demons in lake of fire – the eternal punishment. Revelation chapter 20 verse 10 says: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

8 Major Weapons of Spiritual Enemies

Many unpleasant and mysterious experience of life is an outcome of spiritual warfare.
Some of the weapons used by Satan for spiritual warfare against humanity include some of the following:

1. Deceits

2. Fear

3. Unbelief in Jesus Christ

4. Pride

5. Condemnation

6. Misconception of the Scriptures

7. Distractions through social media

8. Enticement, and so on.

Since God did not originate spiritual warfare, then we must not be ignorant of devil’s devices. Paul was conscious of this fact when he advised the Corinthians to embrace forgiveness… “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

5 Powerful Ways to Defeat Your Enemies

1. Always say the truth
I remember those days when things go wrong, my mum will always ask me to say the truth so that devil could be ashamed. I experienced a serious spiritual warfare within my heart, struggling with a voice telling me to lie since saying the truth can attract scolding from my mum.

You can’t overcome any spiritual warfare if you delight in lies. Ephesians chapter 6 verses 13 and 14 say: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

2. Accept Prince of Peace
You will defeat all spiritual warfare if you accept Jesus Christ as the only savior that could control your life. Your heart is always the battle field of the spiritual warfare. If you obey the will of God in your lifestyle, then He will fill your heart with peace.

Thus, the weapon of fear from the enemy would be defeated. John chapter 14 verses 27 says: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

3. Have Faith in Jesus
Spiritual enemies can defeat you if fear overwhelms your heart. The brave action that gives victory to spiritual warfare is to secure your heart with faith in Jesus Christ and the LORD. Don’t give up when your dream realm that links to the spiritual realm is filled with nightmares.

You will defeat all spiritual warfare if you believe in the Power of Jesus. At the mention of His name, every knee must bow. Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10 says: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth…”

4. Fervent Prayers
When you encounter a spiritual warfare, do not run from one Pastor to another Prophet. Neither the magician nor the Satanists could help you defeat the spiritual warfare.

Fervent prayers to the LORD is a strong weapon that defeats spiritual enemies. Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 say: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

5. Blood of Jesus
The blood of Jesus has being a powerful weapon that constantly defeats Satan in all spiritual warfare. Accept Jesus into your life with all your heart and He will fight the battle for you. Revelation chapter 12 verses 11 says: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Christmas: Are you sure it is for the Christians?

Posted by Dec 31, 2015 Holy Word, Church, Family, Gospel Evangelism, Podcast Leave a Comment
Christmas: Are you sure it is for the Christians?

Christmas day has always been an annual festival celebrated by Christians across the world. Christmas season is characterized with the fun of various music, new attractive clothes and shoes, fireworks, decorations, feasting, exchange of gifts and so on.

But, I became uneasy when I read through the Bible without locating any verse that points to the Christmas festival. No verse in the Bible mentioned the birthday of Jesus to be 25th December. No verse in the Bible instructs Christians to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.

I had noticed a lot of ‘mixed-up’ in the Christendom and promised myself not to be a ‘zombie’. I don’t want to be carried away by the popular doctrines or practices in the church, but to be secured by the Word of God in the Bible.
I was shocked when I discovered the origin of Christmas!

What is Christmas?

Christmas is a word created by the Roman Catholic. It means ‘mass on Christ’s day’. History explained that the gospel of the Roman Catholic is completely different from the gospel of Jesus.

Roman Catholic gospel echoes more of Virgin Mary and idolatry practices. Everyone who watches Pope Francis during the Christmas Eve mass will agree with me that catholic embraces idolatry worship. Pope kissed a statue of Baby Jesus to kick off the mass in st Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican City.

 

Exodus chapter 20 verse 4 and 5 says: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.”

Origin of Christmas

In the 4th century CE, the Roman Catholic Church had the intention to win the souls of large populace of the pagans. So, the church leaders decided to Christianize the famous pagan party called the Saturnalia festival.

 

Saturnalia festival is a pagan celebration for the birthday of ‘Unconquered Sun’.
This celebration involves wild parties, exchange of gifts and feasting in the temples of the ancient Rome.

The leaders of the church welcomed the pagans and their festival into the Christendom. And the population of the church rose, but the leaders could not stop the pagan festival. So they named the last day of the one week Saturnalia festival – December 25th as the birthday of Jesus Christ.

You may care to know that the first Christmas day was celebrated in the pagan style of singing naked in the streets (this had been refined to modern caroling), drinking, sexual indulgence and all other forms of unclean practices. The Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents and Santa Claus are modern ways of representing the ancient pagan rituals.

Ancient records show that Christmas has no origin from God or Jesus Christ. I would love to quote a part from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church… Pagan customs centering round the January Calends gravitated to Christmas”.

According to Britannica.com, “December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221. And one widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the “day of the birth of the unconquered sun”.

Celebration of Christmas

Our parents, various organizations, and the government always play a big role in the joyful celebration of the Christmas festival. So, we never thought of checking the Bible, if the Lord had asked us to celebrate His birthday.

I am sure that the writers of the Bible wouldn’t have skipped the birthday of Jesus if it was celebrated. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, I implore you to search through the scriptures and find out if the genuine children of God should partake in the celebration of Christmas.

The celebration of Christmas has no honor to Jesus, because it was the tradition of men. Matthew chapter 15 verse 9 says: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

I am not comfortable with the Roman Catholic church who refused to take away idols from their church. And the obedience to human law that established Christmas festival was obeyed to the letter.

Jesus says in Mark chapter 7 verse 7 and 8: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men–the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

You might say: “oh! I love the fun of Christmas, but I don’t take part in the pagan practices”. Well, I want you to understand the truth that the origin of the Christmas festival is not from God but the sun-worshipers.

This practice of Christmas is synonymous to a particular generation of the Israelite who thought their idolatry lifestyle is normal. But when the Book of the Law was read to remind them about the righteous way of the LORD, they wept and amend their ways. You can read the details in Nehemiah chapter 8.

I want us to trace our steps backward to confirm from the Bible if we are doing what is right by celebrating Christmas.
Christmas festival appears to glitter like gold, but is it truly gold?

Did you see Christians as Disciple of Jesus today?

Posted by Dec 19, 2015 Holy Word, Church, Gospel Evangelism, Podcast , 1 Comment
Did you see Christians as Disciple of Jesus today?

The disciples of Jesus are people who surrender their lives to the LORD. The difference between a disciple and an apostle is that the former is a follower of Jesus, while the latter is a special messenger of Jesus Christ. If you believe and obey the teachings of Jesus Christ, then you are a disciple.

Research by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace had revealed that the disciples of Jesus (Christians) are increasing at 1.32%. Christian population in 2013 is 1.99 Billion and 2.21 Billion across the world in 2014. The disciple of Jesus is leading the global population at 32%. And the top three largest National Christian Populations are United States (246.78 million), Brazil (175.77 million) and Mexico (107.78 million).

I am glad about the good news that the population of the disciples of Jesus Christ is the largest. But my question is how faithful are the Christians to the call of disciples?

How to become a Disciple of Jesus

If you want to follow Jesus, then you must be interested in the two major rules:

1. Put aside Selfish Ambition
Selfish ambition means devoting all your time and energy to temporary things of this world. A disciple of Jesus must always consider the poor, and to help the needy. Jesus says: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)

A disciple of Jesus must be ready to deny the ‘worldly enjoyment’, because the primary aim of Jesus is to devote His time to preach the Gospel and to help the needy. Thus, the disciple of Jesus must follow the same practices.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, then always devote your free time to preach the gospel.

The disciples of Jesus will not go to games, parties, casino, clubbing, movies and all ungodly ‘enjoyment of life’. However, Christianity is not a boring life! Evangelism is full of fun when you are in the midst of the people who are eager to hear the Good News of Jesus.

2. Shoulder Your Cross Daily
Your cross is the duty the Lord assigned to you. The disciples of Jesus must use their spiritual gift(s) for soul winning every day. And if you are a disciple of Jesus, you are expected to be focused with your responsibilities every day. You must not be distracted by the debaucheries of this world.

“Then He said to the crowd, “if any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life…if a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26 NLT)

First Corinthian chapter 12 verses 6 to 11 says: “And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

If you don’t shoulder your cross daily, then it would be easy for the distractions in this world to take you away from Jesus. Examples of terrible distractions that had crept into the Christendom include: love of money, love of high positions in the church, acquisition of luxury and imitation of worldly (ungodly) style of doing things in the church.

Jesus says in the book of Matthew chapter 10 verse 38 to 39: “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

The Duties of Jesus’ Disciples

When you give your life to Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you. And you will be filled with power and authority of the Lord. So, you are a disciple of Jesus when you become born again in Christ. Your main duties include:

1. To Preach the Kingdom Of God
Jesus Christ had never established the principle of division of labor to the global preaching of the Gospel.
I felt uncomfortable with the settings in some part of the Christendom. Some gatherings believe that it is the duty of the Evangelist to go out there and preach to the unbelievers. And it is the duty of the Pastors to sit down in the church to receive the new converts. And the obligation of the church members is to be faithful to the attendance of all the weekly services. There is an error somewhere!

Jesus made it an obligation to every follower to go out there and preach the Kingdom of God. He is not interested in our church building worth of millions of dollars.

Jesus always instructs the new disciple to go and preach the Kingdom of God to people. Luke chapter 9 verses 57 to 62: “… Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”… You go and preach the kingdom of God.”

2. Go Perform Miracles
Since the power of Jesus is upon you, the healing power of God will flow through you into the body of the sick person. Always preach the gospel to everyone and pray for them. Then the powerful signs and wonders will proceed from the Lord into their lives.

Jesus says in the book of Luke chapter 10 verses 8 and 9: “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’.”

3. Give Daily Report to God
The Lord expects you to always give Him a feedback on the task He assigned to you. Always ask yourself before going to the bed; how many souls have you preached the gospel to? How many needy have you helped? The seventy-two disciples gave their report to Jesus in Luke chapter 10 verse 17: “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” (NLT)

 

The reward of every disciple of Jesus can be seen in the book of Luke chapter 10 verses 19 and 20: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Are you playing your roles as a disciple of Jesus?