Author Archives: Ekundayo

How to Overcome Boredom

Posted by Apr 9, 2015 Holy Word, Word of Faith 2 Comments
How to Overcome Boredom

The first time I experienced boredom was during the long vacation of my second year in the University. I enjoyed the busy semester and the brilliant performance in the exams, but at the end I felt empty within me. It was after some days I jumped out of it through the power of the Lord, when I discovered that my boredom is an emotional signal telling me to set new goals on what to do and achieve during the vacation.

Boredom has its way with you when there is failure to use your time in a fulfilling way and it seems to be a mental problem; not knowing what to do with one’s life at the moment.

Boredom is like all other emotions; your brain interprets the passive moment you are as a signal sent to you by your subconscious mind to motivate you to do a particular action that will activate the passive mood.

Boredom can lead to feelings such as; emptiness, helplessness, loneliness, depression and even sadness. Can boredom be a permanent loser in your life? Yes! Since boredom originates from the inside, then a change in lifestyle is the powerful solution.

5 Powerful Ways Christians Can Overcome Boredom

1. Set Daily Goals for Your Life

People who sleep and wake to receive what the day has for them are victims of boredom. You will agree with me that God designed our mind to be an engine room for regular production of good output for ourselves and people around us.

One vital way to overcome boredom is to pick a pen and paper, jot the goals you intend to achieve for the day. The more goals you highlight the more resources you will need to meet them and the more you will find these resources around your vicinity and the events of accomplishing your goals will eradicate any feeling of getting bored.

2. Push your Eyes and Ears Forward

I had discovered the pills for healing boredom to be the cultivation of a lifestyle which has to do with reading the powerful word of God in the bible and listening to good gospel music.

I found out that reading and meditating the scriptures is refreshing and uplifts my state of mind a lot, while music which is the food for the soul is relaxing and rejuvenates my mind to improve my dull mood.

Reading Christian books or surfing the internet to read helpful articles just as you are doing now goes a long way to put an end to a boring life as well.

3. Visit a Friend

Boredom can just be a simple signal to tell you that it’s time to visit helpful friends to enjoy healthy exercises or helpful discussions that could uplift your soul in the way of the Lord.

Jesus did not experience a boring time because he used every available period for visitation from one place to another to spread the powerful Good News. You won’t regret the act of evangelism because it’s a win-win deal with the power of the Lord.

4. Change your Routine Work

Some people try to avoid boredom by turning to drugs, illicit sex and alcohol. But all they succeeded in doing is complicating their problems.

A boredom moment signifies that you need to change your present action at the moment, therefore the next step is to think of another powerful and dynamic way of achieving the same goal.

Repeating regular routine which in itself might not be that stimulating can be boring, you can change the sequences if possible.

Boredom is not a life threatening mood but it is a signal to get you busy doing some things useful for the help of your environment.

5. Post on Your Social Media Platforms

You can overcome boredom by sharing the revelation you discovered when you read and meditate on the word of God in the bible. Your online evangelism would bless many souls and your spirit as well will be lifted up for joy.

 

Boredom is not a sin but can be an opportunistic feeling that can lead to unwanted emotions, so you can overcome it by listening to good Christian music, reading the bible and meditating the word of God in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Sharing the gospel either online or offline is a great act that sends a signal of fulfilment to my heart, you can also enjoy the same too.

Is Courtship Necessary Before Marriage?

Posted by Apr 1, 2015 Holy Word, Youths Leave a Comment
Is Courtship Necessary Before Marriage?

Courtship is a kind of relationship between a mature man and woman who have reached marriageable age. The significance of courtship is for both partners to date each other (without sex) for a period, and decide whether they are suitable for marriage. 

The Bible and most cultures across the world support the act of courtship. There is no thumb rule for the period of courtship. But, it should be long enough for both partners to be convinced that they are ripe and compatible for marriage.

“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts (Mal 2:16).

Courtship involves a great deal of discussion and proper planning between the partners. It is best done together in places with less distraction, but private places that could encourage fornication should be disallowed. 

3 Major Benefits of Courtship

1. Courtship Reveals More Information
A lot of marriages got crashed because there was lack of basic information to execute the success of the relationship.

Courtship will give you the opportunity to retrieve enough vital information you need to know about your prospective spouse. You can get this information through interaction with each other and investigation from close associates.

It is a good thing to know the history of the partner you intend to marry with respect to; the family background, health, finance and belief. If you get this information, then you would be able to decide marrying such person or not.

2. Courtship Builds Strong Friendship
There is more to marriage than the wedding ceremony. So, courtship gives room for intimacy of both partners. And, it is also a period that builds the foundation of a strong friendship.

It will be a difficult task for a marriage that has a firm foundation on friendship to break away. Many marriages break apart because some wives do not have a sense of belonging in their matrimonial home.

3. Courtship Strengthens Marriage
Courtship preserves your body and emotional feelings for the person you intend to marry. Thus, your marriage will be built on a stronger foundation when compared to someone who messed up in premarital sex.

The chances of getting a divorce will be reduced, because both couples understand the ‘price’ they paid for their unity during the courtship through abstinence. Such abstinence goes a long way to build a strong trust in the heart of both couples.

It is obvious that the act of courtship before marriage is unpopular in our generation which is the major cause of high rate of divorce in our midst when compared to the past. I strongly recommend to Christians to do a transparent courtship before marriage.

5 Ways to Overcome Unholy Fear

Posted by Mar 25, 2015 Holy Word, Podcast, Word of Faith Leave a Comment
5 Ways to Overcome Unholy Fear

To overcome unholy fear related to the enemies or unwanted circumstances is a major concern for every Christian. Unholy fear becomes an affliction to us after the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

Paul stated that God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. (Second Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7)

Unholy fear comes from the devil and you get afflicted when the evil voice speaks discouraging words to your mind . Today’s message would reveal some powerful steps that would help you overcome unholy fear.

5 Bold Steps to Overcome Unholy Fear

1. Have the Consciousness that God is Beside You

Unholy fear makes you feel that the distance between you and the LORD is so wide such that the surrounding fear might capture you before His arrival. Don’t worry! The powerful LORD is Omnipresent, He is present everywhere at the same time.

So, set your mind to be conscious of GOD’s presence and you will surely receive the boldness and peace that overcome unholy fear. Always call the name of Jesus Christ because He is the Prince of Peace.

King David in one of his confession said: “Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me’’. (Psalm 23:4)

2. Praise the Lord Always

You can overcome unholy fear if you always praise the LORD from the deepest part of your heart. Many years ago I don’t open my mouth to sing praises to the LORD except during the Sunday services, and I was always tormented by unholy fear.

Love for inspirational gospel music was a turning point in my life. My songs of praises and worship to the LORD become a powerful weapon that defeats all forms of terrible fear!

King Jehoshaphat also used the power of praises to defeat the fear and war initiated by the armies of the Moabites and Ammonites (2 Chronicles chapter 20).
3. Address Intense Prayers

Pray with a faithful heart to the LORD and you would overcome unholy fear. The zeal to pray might be difficult when your heart is filled with worry and fear, but prayer is confirmed as one of the powerful weapon of deliverance.

King David went through a tough experience including threat from his enemies, but most of his prayers recorded in the book of Psalms shows that he was able to overcome unholy fear through intense prayers to the LORD.

When fear stares at you, don’t be scared about the shame it brings, but open your heart and pray to the LORD to change the unwanted circumstance to a favourable one.

For instance, the LORD melt the unholy fear of the three faithful Hebrews who were thrown into the furnace of fire because He went ahead of them into the fire and changed the hot furnace to an air-conditioned room for their comfort (Daniel chapter 3).
4. Be Patient to Listen to God’s Response

When the Lord listens to your prayers, you must be calm to listen to His response. The LORD says: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.’’ (Proverbs 1:33)

Reading the scriptures when unholy fear knocks at the door of your heart will not only bolt the door stronger, but also chase the spirit of fear away from you.

The promises of the Lord for you in the Bible as a child of God are enough to be proclaimed for overcoming unholy fear in your life.

5. Exhibit Perfect Love

Loving God with all your heart and strength is a vital lifestyle to overcome unholy fear.

To love God means;

a. Doing His Will everyday by living a life of holiness.

b. Trust His power of salvation and

c. Respect the grace that comes through Jesus Christ.

If you guide your heart with the love of God, the spirit of fear will not be able to torment you. I got the understanding of the scriptures that God is love, and all who live in love live in God. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear.

If you obey these 5 steps I am sure you would have a great testimony to share.

How can I be wise as serpent?

Posted by Mar 25, 2015 Gospel Evangelism, Holy Word 6 Comments

Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples the right attitude to practice during evangelism “wise as serpent” in the midst of wicked people who shall stand against preaching the power of truth in the gospel when He says: ’’Behold I send you out as a sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpent and harmless as doves’’. (Matthew 10:16 NKJV)

I was wondering how could the wisdom of the serpent that made Eve in the Garden of Eden to lose her physical intimacy with God become the source of power for me to defeat the wicked people. In my sense of interpretation, I thought there was nothing wrong with behaviour such as; deceit, slander and being hostile to any wicked person that might cross my path. But the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit asked me if any evil action could yield a good outcome? I need no one to tell me the answers…

The wisdom of the serpent in the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ is referring to the natural attitude of the animal and not to the devil that used the animal as an instrument in the Garden of Eden. The world holds nearly 3,500 snake species and each display a unique combination of defensive mechanisms and survival strategies. Most of the snake relies on camouflage (hiding) or fleeing from predators as a first point line of defence.

Have you ever met a serpent while walking along a bush path? Huh! It’s not as scary as you thought. When most of the serpent noticed the presence of a potential enemy, they camouflage and run away. That is the wisdom of the serpent the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to imbibe in our rough Christian path of evangelism.

During evangelism in a gathering where you were not given the audience to speak the power of truth according to the word of God, do not embarrass or curse them because you might not find such attitude funny. Jesus want you to be wise as serpent by dusting your feet, dip your hand into your pocket to grab your ignition key – camouflage and run away by obeying the speed limit of the rough road to your house. Another day will be a chance for the poor evangelist.

Jesus Christ had the same encounter when He was denied the access to preach the power of truth in the country of the Gadarenes, because the angry people were not comfortable with the financial loss incurred by the great herd of swine (about two thousand) that got choked in the sea.

If Jesus had not been wise as serpent by asking the man delivered from the demons to stay behind in the town – camouflage, and He ran away to the next village to preach the power of truth, then it is obvious that Jesus would have been stoned to death by the angry people, which would not fulfil His purpose of salvation to the human being (Mark 5:1-21). It was later discovered that the only economist to teach the Gadarenes how to be profitable in animal husbandry is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians have the obligation to preach the power of truth, but it must be done without pride. Therefore, you need to preach the gospel with wisdom and run away from a place or anyone who rejects your invitation. It is certain that those who reject your preaching will invite you later on for a crusade.