God gives everyone talents to make life more pleasant to live. Talents are unique actions you perform without finding it difficult to do.
Talents are gifts from the Lord for physical and spiritual benefits of humanity. Few examples of talents performed for physical benefits include: occupational skills, academics, leadership skills, language skills, etc. Talents performed for spiritual benefits are recorded in 1Corintians chapter 12 and verse 7 to 11 which include; word of wisdom, word of knowledge, gift of healing, discerning of spirits etc.
1. Have Confidence in Yourself
It will be difficult for you to identify your talents, if you don’t believe that God had designed special abilities into your life.
Some people thought that only the popular icons are talented people, but that is not true. It is the level of talent-investment that determines the popularity of a talented individual. Thus, everyone has something good to offer the world.
2. Your Easiest Task
Don’t be surprise that one of your easiest tasks might be the most difficult puzzle for another person or group of people. Pick a pen and list all the tasks you can do without stress.
For example, if you can compose eight tracks of classical songs in two hours, then you are a talented musician who must invest in the life of other music composers who spent twenty-two hours to bring up a single track.
One of the easiest tasks I discovered during my teenage was ability to write long essays in the class. So, I found it easy through the power of the Lord to be a Christian Blogger today.
3. List Your Achievements
Your talents are channels of achievement in life. You can easily identify your talents when you go through the actions involved to attain every unique success you made. God had embedded useful talents into you for spiritual or physical gatherings.
Invest Your Talents
God gave you the talents for the physical and spiritual benefits of everyone around you. So, it is unwise for your talents to be kept in a corner of your soul. God recommended Bezalel and Oholiab to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle, because He knew how talented they were. God told Moses: “…I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make…” (Exodus 31:1-11).
Joseph invested his talent of interpretation of dreams to save the whole country of Egypt and its neighboring countries from the sufferings of seven years famine. (Genesis chapter 41)
Always use your talents to provide solutions to people around you and to your society. You can save the life of somebody through the talents the Lord had given to you.
Jesus Christ explained in one of His parables that a fearful coward who does not invest his talents into the lives of people will not gain heaven. Jesus says:”… And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mathew 25:14-30)
Identify your talents and invest today. God Bless you!!
Jokes are an untrue stories or exaggerated events to make people laugh. Jesting (twisting stories) is not uncommon in the Christendom. Jokes had become so famous that there are many websites updating ‘online Christian jokes’. Does God support jokes as a form of fun for Christians?
I was a good jester from teenage, and I grew up to be an expert in formulating jokes to make people laugh. When I gave my life to Christ, I never heard a pastor preach against my clown lifestyle, so I thought jesting was a good talent for the congregation.
One day, I was meditating on ‘entrance to heaven’ when I read the book of Luke chapter 13 and verse 24: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” I prayed to God to give me the strength to survive the ‘rough road’ to heaven. God knew my jokes had sapped a lot of spiritual strength from me, so He referred me to read Ephesians chapter 5. When I read verse 4, I had the greatest shock of my life.
If you want to know how to live a good Christian life, I recommend the whole passage of Ephesians chapter 5 to you. Verse 4 says: “neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” I read this verse which condemned jokes and jesting repeatedly, and I kept wondering about its less popularity on the pulpit.
I am not comfortable with the major acceptance of jokes and jesting in the Christendom of our generation. Some pastors make jokes on the pulpit, because they want the congregation to laugh. But jokes and jesting are not the right medium to achieve cheerfulness.
There is no scriptural basis for any act called clean jokes or holy lies. “Let’s call a spade a spade”… you cannot be a liar and a righteous child of God at the same time. 1John chapter 3 verse 10 says: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
Characteristics of Jokes
• False stories
• Unrealistic narration
• Exaggeration of true life incidence
• Offensive expressions
All these characteristics can make you laugh, but the origin of jokes is from the father of lies, beware! If you listen to a lot of jokes in the church or media, you will agree with me that jokes are bunch of funny lies. Thus, if you are a Christian who long to dwell in heaven where liars are not allowed, I want you to think deeply on this topic. Revelation chapter 21 verses 8 say: “But the cowardly …and all liars … shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
I am not giving an impression that it is wrong to laugh; there are lots of funny real-life incidence which occur every day. If you narrate a true-life incidence without the intention to mock the people involved in the story, then you are not playing jokes. But a true-life incidence played into joke is offensive and not scriptural.
I believe jokes are one of the Devil’s devices to baptize every one into the rivers of lies. Devil had been able to secure a date on the world calendar; April 1st is always a day of ‘fun’ filled with lies, and it’s celebrated across the world. Is it possible for Christians to have fun through the medium of lies? Jesus says in Mathew chapter 7 and verse 18: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”
Effect of Jokes
1. ‘Expensive’ jokes had crashed some happy marriages and relationships.
2. Respect for the Jester diminishes, because no one knows when he is lying (jesting) or when he is saying the truth.
3. Listening to jokes in the church or on the media does not edify your spirit, thus, it causes spiritual separation from God.
4. Anyone under the influence of jokes is possessed by spirit of lies.
5. Jokes causes hatred in the society- racism (ethnic jokes)
The Bible made it clear on how we can make ourselves happy through singing songs of praises to the Lord and not through jokes. (Ephesians 5:4)
Devil is the father of all liars, so do not participate in any form of joke anymore. Your new status as a Christian must show the Christ-like character everywhere you go. Have you read a verse in the Bible where Jesus makes jokes? There is none, because God does not joke, he respects every word that comes from his mouth.
Joke is an ancient practice, but Jesus never used jesting in His style of preaching when on earth. I remembered He warned us to be careful of joining the category of people who catch fun through jokes in the book of Matthew chapter 12 and verse 36: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.”
Since the Lord had called you to be in His righteousness through the Holy Spirit, then frown at jokes or foolish talks because the content is filled with lies. Christian lifestyle is not a boring one, so be cheerful and catch fun by listening to wonderful gospel music and musical instrumentation. The grace of the Lord is enough to make you happy. So, do not gain pleasure in jokes anymore. It is full of lies and hell!!
Jesus’ end-time prophecy was a sign for us to know that this present world will come to an end one day. There are arguments about the reality of the end-time. Some people said that this world will exist forever, while some argued that it may probably be destroyed by the meteorites in the space.
Late Harold Camping was so mathematical about the end-time prophecy, and he fixed dates for the end of the world (September 6, 1994 and May 21, 2011). But his predictions failed several times, thereby misleading a lot of people.
Is Jesus’ end-time prophecy true or false? Let’s check it out!
The book of Matthew chapter 24 explained how curious the disciples were interested in the end-time prophesies, and Jesus gave full predictions from verse 4 to 14;
1. Many will Come and Proclaim to be Messiah
This was the first end-time prophecy predicted by Jesus, and it came to pass few years after His ascension to heaven. Among these false messiahs are Dositheus, the Samaritan, who affirmed that he was Christ; Simon Magus, who said he appeared among the Jews as the Son of God; and Theudas, who persuaded many to go with him to the river Jordan, to see the waters divided.
Matthew chapter 24 verse 4 and 5 says: “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.’’
2. Wars will Break Out
This second end-time prophecy came to pass in the history of Rome that the most violent agitations prevailed in the Roman Empire before the destruction of Jerusalem. Four emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, suffered violent deaths, in the short space of eighteen months.
In consequence of these changes in the government, there were commotions throughout the empire, Parties were formed; bloody and violent wars were the consequence of attachment to the particular emperors. Mathew chapter 24 verses 6 say: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
3. World War/Famine/Earthquake
This third end-time prophecy started its fulfillment at Caesarea in AD 59, the Jews and Syrians contended about the right to the city, and twenty thousand of the Jews were slain. At this blow the nation of the Jews was exasperated, and carried war and desolation through the Syrian cities and villages. Sedition and civil war spread throughout Judea; Italy was also thrown into civil war, by the contests between Otho and Vitellius for the crown.
The First World War centered in Europe on 28th July 1914, and the Second World War in 193. The occurrence of these world wars is a strong sign for you to believe the end-time prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 805 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world, (one in nine) were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2012-2014. The worst affected countries include Ethiopia, Malawi, Sudan, Djibouti, and Eritrea.
Earthquake had been a consistent occurrence since the first record of 1769 near Los Angeles. Mathew chapter 24 verse 7 and 8 says: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
4. Great Persecution
This end-time prophecy started its fulfillment when Peter and John were brought before the council as recorded in the book of Act chapter 4 and verse 5 to 7. Paul and Silas were also beaten and imprisoned. Stephen was stoned to death, and James was killed by Herod…
Mathew chapter 24 verses 9 and 10 say: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another”.
5. Emergence of False Prophets
This end-time prophecy came to fulfillment when Simon Magus, Hymeneus and Philetus, (2Timothy2:17) emerged in the early days after Christ’s ascension. Many false prophets are also available in our time.
Mathew chapter 24 verses 11 say: ‘’Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
6. Sin will be Common Everywhere
This end-time prophecy gave me the understanding that the living sacrifices of Jesus’ blood on the cross will only wash the sins of people who genuinely surrender their lives to Jesus. This generation is filled with enough grace to live a holy life, unfortunately the love of many Christians had gone cold and sinful occurrences can be found everywhere.
Mathew chapter 24 verses 12 and 13 say: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
7. Global Evangelism
Global evangelism is the only end-time prophecy that is not fulfilled yet. The Good News must get to the nooks and crannies of the earth before the second coming of Jesus. Presently, bold missionaries are taking the Gospel to the tough regions of the Asia continent. And majority of the Evangelists are making use of the internet facilities to preach globally through the website.
Mathew chapter 24 verses 14 say: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the entire world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The end of this world will come when all the nations are fully aware of the Good News. Since, all the end-time prophecy had come to pass except the seventh, then I want you to believe that this world will surely come to an end.
Live a holy life according to the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible, to avoid missing the glory of His second-coming. Make sure you get ready for His second-coming every day you wake up from bed, because only God knows the D-day. Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 say: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
The end-time prophecy is coming to pass in our generation, so it is not a joke, but a reality that Jesus Christ is coming back to take the saints to Heaven. Are you ready?
God always designs an opportunity for every human being to enjoy restoration, which is referred to as a second chance. I remembered the story of a Christian woman who lost her virginity three months to her wedding day. She committed fornication with the man she intend to marry.
After two months of the regrettable act, she got pregnant. Since, the marriage counseling committee of the church must not discover the atrocity, she aborted the innocent baby.
She committed the murder to escape the sanction of the church’s disciplinary committee. On her wedding day, everyone around her were happy and they rejoice with her, but she was bitter in the deepest part of heart.
She was depressed for many years, because she felt God was greatly disappointed by her ungodly actions. The Christian woman backslides from God’s presence and thought she cannot get a second chance.
Devil had made a lot of Christians who found themselves in a mess to believe that God cannot give them a second chance. People suffering from depression or suicide attempt can only be healed if they believe in the power and grace of the second chance from God.
Isaiah chapter 1 verses 18 says: “Come now, and let us reason together, “ Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”
The Lord revealed Himself to me in my sleep on the 5th of August 2003 and He said: “Preach to the people! I will forgive the sin(s) of anyone who is ready to do my perfect will”. This message from the Lord shows that He will give you a second chance, if you repent genuinely from your sins.
When you invite God into your life, and you give your ‘sense of decision-making’ to Him, then your second chance shall be sustained. John chapter 14 and verse 23 says: “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
Requirements for the Grant of a Second Chance
1. Forgive yourself!
I had come across some Christians who find it difficult to forgive themselves after committing sins. You cannot enjoy the second chance of God if you don’t forgive yourself for any wrong you must have committed. Do not lose hope!
Christian race on earth is rough and tough, only the tough can win the race. The book of Matthew chapter 7 verses 14 says: “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
If you find it difficult to forgive yourself, then you won’t know when God has forgiven your sins for a second chance of restoration.
2. Make a list
Identify all the causes that made you find yourself in such a mess, and be determined not to repeat the same process when God gives you the second chance.
3. Live in the Spirit
You must be ready to allow God control every action of your life. Your ability is not enough to make you free from committing sins, but you need the divine power of God to enjoy your second chance. Paul advised in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16; “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
How to Know the Availability of a Second Chance
When you self-realized your sins and your heart is sober for repentance, then pray to God for forgiveness and a second chance. The Lord will test your heart to confirm your sincerity, and your second chance shall be made available once you pass His test.
King David was one of the great men in the Bible who passed the test and he enjoyed the second chance from the Lord. Psalm 17 verse 3 says: “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”
The physical proof to show the availability of your second chance is the presence of life in your body. A dead person has no second chance to enjoy anymore.
Is God’s Second Chance a Surplus?
It is a dangerous risk to take the second chance from God for granted with the intention to ask for more opportunities. Our God is a loving Father, but He is not a wasteful Being. No one can fool Him!
Romans chapter 6 verse 1 and 2 says: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!…”
If you allow the Holy Spirit to control your lifestyle, then you won’t cry to God every day for a second chance. You cannot continue to delight in sinful actions, and expect God to give you a basket-full of second chances.
Listen to what Jesus told a sick man who was given a second chance: “…See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you…” (John 5:7-14) Jesus gave us the understanding that a second chance is the grace from God for a consistent relationship with Him.
The 3 major ways to sustain God’s second chance
1. Acknowledge His grace, and surrender your power of choice to the Holy Spirit.
2. Adopt regular prayerful lifestyle, and obey the word of God in the Bible with all your heart.
3. Love God more than anyone or anything in this world, and your second chance will not lead to second failure.
To hear from God is a critical issue that had always disturbs the heart of a lot of Christians. When Jesus Christ was preached to me as the only One who has the master-key to open all the closed doors of my life, I was eager to meet Him for a serious discussion. I asked myself: “how can I communicate to God and hear His response?” You might be going through a similar experience, but when you read this article, I’m sure you will hear from God.
1. Hear from God through your Mind
God speaks to our mind, but we don’t hear Him. Simply because our thoughtful desires are more audible than His small still voice. He can speak to your mind anytime and anywhere, but you can only hear from God if your mind had been transformed from the thoughts of worldliness to holiness.
Romans chapter 12 verse 1 and 2 says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
If you practice the habit of frequent prayers and awesome worship to the Lord in your mind, then you will hear His response to whatever you ask from Him. God loves to be in a regular communication with genuine Christians.
My Christian life in God had been so awesome through His steady communication to my mind. Whenever I hear from God in my mind, it sounds like a fast typist typing on the keyboard of a computer. His speech to me through my mind has a high-speed. The speed of my brain to plan thoughtful expressions can never be compared to the speed of God’s voice in my mind.
The easiest way to differentiate the voice of God from that of Devil is to test the message with the word of God in the Bible. If there is no misconception of the scriptures, then the voice of Devil will always fail the test.
2. Hear from God through Vision
You do not need any special eyes or ears to hear from God through visions. Vision is a medium of communication which involves display of pictorial images or active conversation in another realm different from the earth. The unique experience in vision is the conscious mode of your body, unlike the dream realm.
God conveys a lot of prophetic messages to me through visions. And none of the visions had failed the Bible test. For instance, I was on my bed on the 8th of May 2003 (am not fast asleep because my mind is conscious of my environment) and in the vision I saw a huge Being sitting on a chair. I had the understanding in the vision that He is my Master. I sat on a chair in front of Him, and He opened the Bible in His Hands to Galatians chapter 6:15&16, He told me to read it, which I did. Then He said: ‘’Preach to the people, only those practicing holiness will I take to heaven’’. When the vision came to an end, I opened my eyes and I was amazed that I heard God speak to me!
The tendency to hear from God through visions involves genuine repentance from sinful lifestyle. When you give your life to Christ, His Spirit will come upon you and it will become possible for you to see visions. The book of Act chapter 2 and verses 17 says: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.”
3. Hear from God through Dream
God uses this medium to communicate to a lot of us who always experience a busy day. You can hear from God through your dreams (unconscious sleeping mode). Some dreams requires interpretations unlike vision which has a direct meaning. Don’t be confused when you hear from God through dreams, He will explain the meaning of the dream to you in your prayers to Him.
When I was in the University, I always pray to God to glorify my hard work and sometimes He responded to my prayers by revealing some course topics to me in the dream. Surprisingly, all He revealed to me in the dream were part of the exam questions. Am sure God will not show such dream to a lazy student who does not pray and read his book…
4. God Speaks through the Word in the Bible
The easiest way I had discovered that God can speak to you without any confusion or wrong interpretation is through His word in the Bible. If you want to hear from God, then read the Bible regularly with a humble mind.
To hear from God, you must be ready to obey all His instructions in the Bible. You will agree with me that only an obedient child can receive the full attention of his father when the need arises. Thus, your obedience to the word of God in the Bible is a sign that you will surely hear from God. Jesus says: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)
5. Your Neighbor can be God’s Mouth-Piece
I do not argue about the gift of prophesy, but run away from the false prophets who prophesy because of the money/gift they intend to get from you. God made the Israelite to hear from Him through prophet Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. So, you can also hear from God through genuine Christians in your neighborhood or on the media.
You don’t need to jump from one pastor to another before you hear from God. The Lord will direct the right person to you, or He can make you stumble on the right solution-providing article on the internet. Every message from the Lord through your neighbor will never contradict the scriptures.
It is essential to hear from God for a cordial relationship with Him. God is not limited to these five major ways of communication, but you cannot be deaf to His voice when you read and obey the word of God in the Bible daily. Your reformed mind and prayerful lifestyle are essential prerequisites of a good chat with the Lord!!
