Category Archives: Family

How good is Gambling for Christians?

Posted by Feb 27, 2016 Church, Family, Holy Word, Youths Leave a Comment
How good is Gambling for Christians?

Gambling is a risky action that involves getting gain from the loss of others. Over 80% of Australian adults are said to be gamblers, which is also the highest rate in the world. 75% of adults gamble in UK and 80% of American.

Approximately 1.6 billion people gamble across the world during any given year and over 4.2 billion gamble at least once every year.

It is a shocking revelation that some Christians take part in lotteries, slot machines, horse or dog racing, Irish sweepstakes, roulette wheels, poker, flipping a coin, church bingo, and sport betting.

 

Gambling in the Church

Gambling is an ancient practice of the unbelievers, but it was not embraced by the early Christians.

It is unfortunate that the love of money is everywhere, and some elders thought that the easiest way to raise fund for the church project is through church bingo and lotteries.

“Is it a godly idea to rob Peter to pay Paul?”

There is no verse in the Bible that supports gambling. So, Christians seeking money to enjoy a good life or for the propagation of the gospel must not engage in gambling.

The Wisdom of God does not support gambling because Proverb chapter 14 verses 23 say: “In all labour there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty”. Proverbs chapter 28 verses 19 say: “He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!”

 

Gambling and Lots

Devil deceives some Christians that betting is the same as the use of lots in the Bible. It is a misconception of the scriptures!

Casting of lots is to seek for direction or important decision, and it is determined by God. The use of lots in the Bible is not the same as gambling. Proverb chapter 16 verse 33 says: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD“.

Prayers and casting of lot were used to select Matthias as an Apostle. Act chapter 1 verse 26 says: “And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

Casting of lots has nothing to do with risking your money or valuables. Casting of lots was used to decide matters without partiality, so, it has nothing to do with loss or gain.

For example, the promise land was shared for the Israelites through casting of lots.  Joshua chapter 18 verses 10 say: “Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.”

The arrival of the Holy Spirit as the Counsellor ended the casting of lots among the Christians.

 

Is Betting an Investment?

Please don’t be deceived by the pit manager, because the risk involved in gambling is not the same as any business investment. And every business has a projected profit, but gambling is all about an uncertain chance of gain or loss.

Business investment involves professionalism, but gambling is all about luck. Business involves hardworking which is scriptural, but gamblers are interested in quick money without sweat. When you invest your money in business, then risk is averted. If you gamble your money, then you are a risk-seeker. Don’t consider gambling as a form of investment!

Is Betting Spiritual or Entertainment? 

Some rich gamblers claim that gambling is for fun. How could someone engage in a trend of spiritual bankruptcy and refer to it as recreational activity?

The spiritual reality of gambling is worshiping gods of luck and fortune.  Isaiah chapter 65 verse 11 and 12 say: “But you are those who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, And who furnish a drink offering for Meni. Therefore I will number you for the sword, And you shall all bow down to the slaughter; Because, when I called, you did not answer; When I spoke, you did not hear, But did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.”

‘…prepare a table for Gad (god of fortune) …drink offering for Meni (goddess of fortune and numbers)’. This description best described those who prefer to enjoy drinking and playing games at the casino than enjoying God’s presence.

Profit of Gambling

The covetousness of money is the driving force of the gamblers. The trick in gambling is that you can become a millionaire in a moment. But a winner at this moment can become the biggest loser in the next moment.

The ‘profit’ of gambling includes;

  1. Addiction
  2. Chasing Holy Spirit away
  3. Torments by spirit of Mammon
  4. Stealing
  5. Lying
  6. Poverty
  7. Family crisis and divorce
  8. Alcoholism
  9. Committing fraud
  10. Lack of personal time with God

Gambling is a good weapon of the devil to distract Christians from cordial relationship with the LORD. 

Gamblers are not trustworthy steward to the Lord, because their money and valuables are not expected to be placed on the ungodly altar of luck. I want you to belief that gambling is one of the devices of Devil. You must not be carried away by the attractive attribute of gambling.

Worry: 5 Ways to Control Anxiety

Posted by Feb 8, 2016 Family, Holy Word, Word of Faith, Youths , Leave a Comment
Worry: 5 Ways to Control Anxiety

Worry signifies a troubled mind which leads to mental uneasiness called anxiety. Worry might be harmless when you have the power to solve the situation. But, it becomes harmful when the condition is not under your control.

 

Researchers at the University of Queensland conducted surveys across 91 countries in the world. More than 480,000 people were involved and the outcome showed that globally, 1 in 13 suffers from anxiety. Worry hooks you through your thinking faculty, when you encounter issues of life that has no instant solutions.

 

I subjected myself to worries some years ago, but I was shocked that all my days of worry could not provide solutions to my hard times. Thus, worry has no power to solve issues of life, it could only add to the troubles.

 

What Can Worry Do?

Worry pretends to be important but serves no useful purpose. Worry can cause:

Mental disorder

Physical health problems

Family crisis

Emotional imbalance

Loss of concentration

Unattractive look

Addictions such as; drunkenness, overeating, smoking, gambling and drugs.

Worry was not a strange topic to Jesus, so He took His time to explain anxiety in Matthew chapter 6 verse 25 to 34. Verse 27 says: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

How to Stop the Pressure of Worry

Thus, if you are engulfed into worries, the steps below are your escape route to freedom.

1. Push your Worry into the Word of God

Fix your mind to the Word of God when you have any difficult issues bothering your mind. For instance, if you are going through hard times of insufficient funds, then meditate on the Word of God. 

Matthew chapter 6 verse 28 to 30: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Have faith in the Word of God, and He will help you solve the difficult problems in your life.

2. Soak your Worries into Prayers

It is a deadly act to fold yourself on a sofa, thinking and giving yourself to anxiety. Jesus encountered a lot of circumstances on earth, but He never sat down to worry. He went to private places to pray every night. Luke chapter 6 and verse 12 says: “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

 

Issues of life beyond your control can only be resolved by divine intervention of God. So, have faith in God, and the power of your prayers to God will melt your worry. Philippians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7 say: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 

3. Live Your Life to Each Day

The Lord promised to give us long life. But, a good way to overcome worry is to take each day for its own attention. A lot of us worry about the future which we are not sure of its existence. Jesus said that no amount of worry about your future can increase your days (Matthew 6:27). Most of the things you worry about never happen!

 

Thus, take life so simple. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too much wishes of life. Always appreciate your hardworking but don’t forget that only God can do all things. The advice of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 verse 34 shows that you should not bring tomorrow’s challenges to today’s troubles, else you won’t be able to cope with issues of life.

Worry does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, but it only steals today’s peace. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

4. Count Your Blessings

It is mysterious to know that no one on earth goes through the toughest problem. For instance, your own main worry (with a sleepless night) might be the smallest part of another person’s worries. Stop worrying about what can go wrong in the next minute and get excited about what can go right by faith.

 

Thus, don’t allow worry to depress your life. Always give thanks to God for the good things in your life. And your heart of appreciation to God will encourage Him to solve other pressing issues of your life. Did you know that singing songs of praise in the midst of trouble was the action that liberated King David (the Psalmist) in the Bible?

5. Expose Every Endless Worry

Worry steals your joy and waste your precious time and resources. When you’ve done all the best to stop the endless worry in your life, then share your worry with a faithful servant of God. He will be in the best position to dissect your worries through the wisdom of God.  The counsel of genuine man of God will also ease your heart from anxiety. It worked for me!

 

I pray the Good LORD would heal your heart and all your worries would fly away in Jesus name. Let your faith in Jesus Christ be firm in the midst of your challenges and the LORD would surely make a way for you. Stay Calm in Christ. 

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!!

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?

Is Sabbath Day Compulsory for Christians?

Posted by Dec 10, 2015 Holy Word, Church, Family, Podcast , , Leave a Comment
Is Sabbath Day Compulsory for Christians?

Sabbath day is the first holiday on earth. And God the creator of all creations declared the seventh day to be free from work. The observance of Sabbath day had become a controversial issue across the world.

I became interested in the significance of Sabbath day when the doctor told me that my terrible body weakness was as a result of inadequate rest. The little findings I did showed that the people who rest on the Sabbath day had less occurrence of body ailments when compared to people that don’t rest.

 

What Day is the Sabbath?

God created seven days, and He made the seventh day for a special purpose to rest. Sabbath day is the day you rest from your work. Genesis chapter 2 verses 1 to 3 says: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

The LORD is never tired but HE wants us to follow His model on how to spend the seventh day. We should work for six days and rest on the seventh day.
I read about many arguments about the issue of Sabbath day. But no one had disputed the seventh day to be Saturday.

Some theologians complicated the Sabbath day by differentiating Saturday as the Jewish Sabbath and Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. There is no scriptural reference to support this discrimination. The LORD sanctified the seventh day as Sabbath from the beginning of the world.

 

Is Sabbath a Jewish Law?

Sabbath day is not a Jewish law. It was only emphasised during the presentation of the Ten Commandments to the Israelite. The motive of God for creating the seventh day is for all humans to rest from all the works we do from Sunday to Friday.

 

God reminded the Israelite in Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 to 11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.
In it you shall do no work: you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

The phrase “Remember the Sabbath day…” in the above Bible passage shows that the Sabbath day had been in existence since the beginning of creation.

God chose to include Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, so that the Israelite could always remember to enjoy the rest. He made it clear in the book of Isaiah that Sabbath should be acknowledged by the Gentiles as well.

Isaiah chapter 56 verse 6 and 7 says: “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant- Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer…”

Thus, your rest on the Sabbath day has nothing to do with the Jewish law. The LORD blessed the Sabbath day for you to rest. He wants you to rest “… Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work”… (Genesis 2:3)
Don’t be deceived by those who want you to work for seven days. It is against the six days stipulated by God in the beginning of the creation.

Did Jesus asked us to quit rest on the seventh day when He said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath? The context of His statement was meant to correct the selfish Pharisees who had turned the intention of Sabbath into something else. (Mark 2:23-28)

Paul revealed that he was faithful to the Jewish commandments (including the Sabbath day) when he appealed to Caesar in Act chapter 25 verse 7 & 8. Paul has no authority to break the holy sabbath, thus don’t be confused by his statements.

But he condemned the hypocrite Jewish way of presenting the Sabbath to the new Gentile converts. Colossians chapter 2 verses 16 say: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths ….” The context of his instruction was to stop the Gentiles from obeying the man-made Sabbath laws of the wicked Pharisees.

The Sabbath day created by God does not deserve argument if the six days for work were not disputed. Thus, I want you to understand this issue from the point of view that God created the seventh day for your body to rest. It has nothing to do with any religion.
God knew the strength in your body. So, He designed your body to work for six days and to rest on the seventh day. And there are many benefits to derive from resting on the Sabbath day.

 

Benefits of the Sabbath day

• Bye to incessant body sickness
If you relax your body on the Sabbath day, then you will have less cause to visit the doctor. Doctors confirmed that inadequate rest of our body increases the stress hormones. And it can lead to stress induced ailment such as; hypertension, high blood pressure, stroke, cardiac arrest, migraine, etc.

 

• Refreshment
You’ll become refreshed if you give your body a 24 hours rest. This will boost your performance for the next six working days. I tried it and it works! Exodus chapter 31 and verse 17 say: “…for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

 

• Opportunity to help the poor
You can learn from the lifestyle of Jesus, who helps the needy that comes His way on the Sabbath day.

 

• More time to worship the LORD

“A work-free day is a praise-full day.” You’ll have enough time to read the Bible without rush. A good time for fellowship with the LORD.

• Gives long life
One of the reasons for the short life expectancy in our generation is due to the neglect of the Sabbath day. Anyone with a lifestyle of working for seven days will never live a long life, because it is against the plan of God for humanity.

 

Will you love to enjoy the rest of the Sabbath day?