TIPS ON SKIN CARE

BY ESTHER OHAZURUIKE Do you know that your skin can look good and beautiful? All you need to do is to follow the steps bellow and you will soon see your skin looking great and smooth. (1) A healthy skin begins inside your body, you will therefore eat heathy before you can get the skin you want. It is important to eat vegetables and fruits regularly. This will provide your body all the vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants that your skin so desperately needs to keep functioning at peak levels. It is advisable to reduce to the bearest minimum, fatty and fried food so as not to develop furuncle especially on your face and the chest region of your body. (2) Exercise : It is one way of keeping your skin in great shape. Every time you exercise to the point of sweating, your skin pores are opened and more oxygen is delivered into the cells, keeping it fresh and healthy. If you are not exercising, you need to start doing so by choosing any sport of your choice. (3) Water Therapy : You need to drink a lot of water to keep your skin from drying up and shrinking. it is advised that in a tropical weather, you need to take sufficient water daily. (4) Moisturizers: These are very important for the efficient functioning of the African skin. Whether lotion, cream or lubricants, they all moisturize and protect the skin from the harsh African climate. Oil-based moisturizers are effective for extremely dry skin, while water dominant moisturizers are more suited for normal and slightly dry skin.

THE POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD

By Sam Akhigbe Words are powerful, they are either creative or destructive. Once wrongly spoken, they can never be retrieved. At best you can only say I'm sorry but the impart will linger on with the person you have spoken to or spoken about. Only time can erase the memory of the word that is wrongly spoken. If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. The bible says, “out of abundance of the heart mouth speaketh. “ Your words define who you are. King Solomon said “Seeth thou a man that is hasty in his words ? there is more hope of a fool than of him (Proverb 29:20). The trouble with words are, whenever you speak, your words are felt either positively or negatively and they can not be taken back. Words also can put your credibility at stake. Now here is the point: Careless words can stir up dissension, but words kindly spoken could bring healing to a wounded soul. How does words affect your listeners? A lot of people are carrying wounds that you cannot see, a kind word could make a world of difference. In Eph 4:29 the bible says, ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers.’ This habit may not be natural with every body, but with conscious effort it can be cultivated over time. This might surprise you. Godly character is not a gift from God, but the natural result of a conscious and a persistence effort in right thinking. What do you feed your mind with...? If you focus more on the good side of people it becomes easy for you to appreciate them without flattering. When you speak the right word to people always, what you get back is respect, therefore speak words that will leave people better off than you met them. -Sam Akhigbe

THE MEAL OF LIFE

By Angela O. Musa

The word of God in the heart is the source of strength for the Christian race. The level of understanding of God’s word (the truth in our heart)  will determine how far we can go in overcoming obstacles on our ways.

If we read the word with a shallow mind,  we will have a shallow understanding but when we study the word deeply, we will have an in-depth understanding and ability to live a holy life. It also gives us the power to resist the devil.

It is not possible to live above sin if we do not know the scripture. The bible says  'you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' John 8:32. It is when we know the truth about God and his word that we will be free from sin, oppressions and  all kinds of bondage. 

In the bible, there are ‘bless me verses’ also  there are ‘correct me verses’.  we need both in our lives. some people  only apply ‘correct me verses’ while other apply only ‘bless me verses’. If all you do is to live on the ‘bless me verses’, you will become weak and wimpy. If all you do is to live only on the correct me verses, you will become hard and mean. But  If we combine them, we will grow up in the right structure of God.

The word of God is a light to our path, it gives life, health and strength to those who have it in their heart. We can never be able to do what is right nor reach the height of our calling in life  if we do not  put the word of God into our spirit.

'I keep your law in my heart , so that I will not sin against you' psalm 119: 11 (Good news bible)

Many times in our lives, we pass through temptations, it is at this time that our human nature try to manifest itself but If have the word of God in our heart it will manifest and guide us to overcome temptations.

Sin is obeying the devil, when we commit sin, we bow to Satan, when we bow to Satan,  he gives us inferior things and collect eternity from us.

The word renews, regenerates, cleans, builds and strengthens us even in difficult times. Please remember  the word of God is not just the bible we carry, but the truth in our hearts.

Youthful lust and relationship

By Nwonumaru c. Joshua

 As a youth, you may have had the experience whereby you  thought you have found  love only to discover at the end that the love you thought to have found was not really love but lust. This experience usually come to us in our adolescent period, when we are first attracted to the opposite sex. At this time, you could have this strange tingling exciting feeling, whenever you see the person you have this feeling for,  it would be as if you have seen a shooting star. When you are in such relationship, you feel like you are flying over the moon. Even when your parents try to warn you about the dangers of such ‘puppy love’ and the feeling of infatuation you ignore them thinking that you have found the love of your life.

Some of us have had this experience a number of times, each time thinking that the new feeling would be the ultimate but only to found out at the end that those relationships were never made to be.

Love is more that emotions and it is deeper than affection, but unfortunately thousands of people make terrible mistakes because of not knowing how to handle adolescent emotion. This adolescent emotion often leads to premarital sex which in turn leads to unwanted pregnancy and veneral disease

Some people have misinterpreted this feeling of lust and went into premature marriage and now they are living in perpetually regrets. They may stay in the marriage because of their children or religion but when you look at their lives properly, it is full of regrets.

To avoid these mistakes therefore, every youth must endeavour to live his or her live according to the dictates of the word of God. God given formular for happiness and success in relationship is total abstinence from sex before marriage,  then after marriage you can build a sound healthy sexual relationship. See 1 Corinthians 6:18.  There is big deferent between lust and love, lust will always lead to sin but True love does not thrive in iniquity. Therefore, ‘Don’t be led astray by your own great folly so you don’t die for lack of discipline’ (Proverb 5:23) rather take hold of the word of God and run with it for it your surest way to success in marriage.

FACTS AND ISSUES ABOUT MARRIAGE (Lessons for the Singles)

Sam Akhigbe.

‘Every woman was taken out of a man, and as such there is a right woman for every man. But the challenge is how to locate her’. This submission was made by one the guest speakers; Deacon Francis Abiodun  at the marriage seminar held by PRAISE FAMILY on Sunday, 27th May, 2012. In view of this, can it be said that for every man there is a particular woman? The answer is emphatic NO! What it simply means is that, if you can seek God earnestly he will lead you to the right person for marriage. The will of God in marriage is critical because, the consequences of choosing a wrong partner could last for a life time.

Other distinguished speakers at the seminar were Mrs. Uchenna Nduaguibe; our very senior brother, Mr. Tony Uleh; and one of our fathers, Elder John Nduaguibe. It was said that nothing is wrong with a sister setting a standard for herself, as to the kind of man she would like to settle down with. However, there was a note of caution, that when such standard is too high brothers may not come. This is why today, many ladies who have passed the age of marriage are still singles.

To this end, Mrs. Nduaguibe therefore strongly admonished that sisters should not always put emphasis on material things, that when one is married in the will of God His blessings will certainly come with time. She further advised, “When a young man talks to you as a lady, please look beyond his present status and see if he has a vision and how serious he is about life. Then you must seek God in prayers to direct you because, the brother you see as nothing today could become somebody tomorrow”. She then stated that most successful people around us today started from very humble beginning.

As a follow on that, bro. Tony Uleh encouraged sisters to always be polite about the way they say no to brothers. According to him, “So long as you are a lady, potential suitors will always come, including those you do not like at all. But the manner in which you turn them off speaks volume of your character and how much of a child of God you are.” He went further to admonish the brothers to stop putting emphasis on outward looks alone, that the real beauty of a woman lies within her; and through prayer, they can locate their right partners and settle for a fulfilled married life.

While reacting to questions from the audience, Elder John Nduaguibe in his fatherly advice, stated emphatically that, the first thing to consider in choosing a life partner is to find out whether the person is really a child of God, that the will of God for every believer is to marry somebody who is also a believer. Once this is settled other things can follow, but the most fundamental thing is love. He then said, “Every disappointment in relationship gives us the opportunity to choose a better partner.”

SOME HARD FACTS:

·         It has been observed that most ladies turn off brothers because they have someone in mind they believe would talk to them. But in the actual sense, such brother might only be interested in friendship and nothing more, hence, they get disappointed when the brother eventually hooks up with someone else.

·         It has also been observed that most ladies want “ready-made” brothers who’ve got the money. While the brothers get carried away by beauty, education and rich family background, even though the parties involved here are not spiritually grounded, to these folks it does not matter.

A NOTE OF CAUTION:

To the brothers, education or beauty is good, but without character marriage is can be miserable, full of pains and regrets. And to the sisters, if you put yourself in a class, be rest assured that no responsible man will come. But when you make yourself approachable, the right man is out there waiting for you.

 …to your success in marriage!

THE FISH IN THE RIVER

By Favour Ezuma

I had a little talk with a friend who kept insisting that it was not easy being a Christian in this world. She made seemingly good point ranging from academics to business, instigating that the good guys either end up on the track or finish last. Giving the insight to a colloquial talk about ‘a fish in the river,’ she said ‘how can a fish be in a river and not drink from that river? In the same vein, how can one be in the world and not do the things of the world? Things are changing if you don’t flow with it, you will be regarded as old school.’

I nearly fell for her trick, but then I remembered I heard a man of God describing the fighting character of the fish. He said, ‘you will never see a fish being carried aimlessly along with the current of the waves. if you ever saw a fish riding on the waves, flowing in the same direction as the wave, then what you are looking at is a DEAD FISH’

Yes!!! A live fish always swims against the current. So if you share the same school of thought as my friend did, then… yes!! Exactly what it - you are a ‘dead fish’, a dead Christian.

The bible gives a warning ‘beware of the last days, the love of many will wax old, men shall be lovers themselves and haters of God. The man of God continued, saying that as the central bone of the fish grows stronger, the harder it has to swim against the current.

Akin to this, we as living Christians are to grow stronger in the faith in the midst of the very obvious moral decadence in the world today. No matter how strong that temptation might be, stand! Hold on to your position in Christ, hold on to the word of God and run with it. Swim against the immoral current of perverse world. God is your strength!

SERVICE ABOVE SELF (II)

by Chimuanya Obubua


Self is ever demanding. It never makes sacrifices. Self gratification and indulgence will lead to spiritual extinction. Self will never see the need to pray or intercede. It does not like to fast. Self will tell you, ‘you are giving God too much of your time and possession’ while, actually, God requests all from us. Self will be the last to approve of sacrifice to God and to humanity.
Service that is truly selfless is a rare commodity and is not easy to achieve. It may be said that wide and smooth is the road of selfish service. Many clamour there. Narrow and rough is the road of selfless service and few thread there. It can hurt and it does hurt to give selfless service. Have you ever considered that in other to give light a candle must burn in the process? Mother Theresa, Nobel peace prize winner, enjoins those who mean to serve to do so “until it hurts.”

All the above notwithstanding, such service as we render selflessly has its rewards. It has rewards in the joy it gives and in the sense of personal fulfillment it generates. Its loftiest reward lies in the satisfaction of serving selflessly. Undoubtedly, the lives of those ‘who-so-serve’ are richer for it. Service which is instigated by the thoughtfulness of others and dedicated to the good of others is rewarding, not only to the recipients, but to those who serve.

The world around us seems to negate these ideals. God’s kingdom has a radical new pattern of leadership which is servant-hood. In other to reinforce this, Jesus asked “who is greater, the one who is at the table or he who serves?” in his earthly life, Jesus assumed the role of a servant. He washed the feet of his disciples. ”for the son of man did not come to be served but to serve….” Christ-like leadership style is needed in both the church and in the society. Such would require purity of heart, passion for people, power to serve through prayers, a pioneering spirit, practical wisdom to solve problems and perseverance. Christ like leadership will be humble.
There are, however sparingly, men and women who have refused to look on in helpless despondency at the widespread elevation of self above service. “To give real service” Donald Adams wrote “you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money and that is sincerity and integrity.” Those we want to serve need gifts, but they need more than gifts. They need the giver. It is not difficult to give away what we do not need. It is more difficult to share with others what we also need. “A bone to the dog is not charity, charity is bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.”

The bane of our contemporary Nigerian society is service that is chracterised by pervasive egocentricity and dearth of altruism. In the political arena, personal interest supersedes national interests. Indeed a cursory look at our socio-economic quagmire leads to a temptation to conclude that “the beautiful ones are not yet born.” All who aspire to leadership at any level should be seen to accept that, according to Henry Van Dyke, “there is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world, it is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher.”

Until and unless the ideal of “service above self” commends itself to wider acceptance, our progression will continue to amount to much motion but no movement.

Deliverance ministry: is it Biblical?

by Anyaogu Emeka
 A deliverance ministry is a church or a prayer house that aims to release people from the influence of demons.
The church is based on the belief that problems are caused by demons which inflict pains on people. These problems include: physical infirmities, delay in marriage, torment, mental illness, recurring sin, addiction, financial problems, ancestral curse, spell, lust, pornography, etc. The pastors or the overseers of those churches usually go with the title ‘prophet’, they conduct deliverance session by taking authority over Satan and his demon, using the name of Jesus Christ.

Some Christians run to those prayer houses seeking solution for their problems. The moment they enter such places, they will be made to believe that their problems were caused by demon or by an ancestral curse.

 The problem with those churches is that they spent more time focusing on demon rather than the love of God which is the basic and foundation of the church. The idea of needing deliverance from demon goes against the fact that demons have no power other than that given to them by God. See Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6. We are commanded to fear God, not demons. God controls the universe, demons do not. They cannot separate us from the love of God.

As Christians we should not become obsessed with Satan or demons and blame outside influence for our problems instead of our own sinful nature. This makes it difficult for us to take responsibility for our behaviour and leads to seeking deliverance instead of seeking repentance. It also makes us feel incapable of resisting our spiritual enemy and needing to rely on others for deliverance. Instead of going from one deliverance ministry to the other we should pray daily that God may ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’ (Mathew 6:13), and stand against the enemy by living in the power of the gospel. We can actually overcome the devil and live a victorious Christian life by obeying the scripture and applying their principles with wisdom to our lives. Satan is not crushed under our feet by miracles or by deliverance but by obedience to God’s word. Every Christian is capable of resisting Satan through the Holy Spirit. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7).

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

by Chimuanya Obubua

 Francis Collins in 1911 promoted the idea that people who desire to serve should operate on the principle of “service, not self.” This was to be remodeled to “service above self” and adopted in 1950 as the motto of Rotary, the world’s foremost service organization.

 There are two aspects to service: the one who serves and the party being served. The mundane part of man naturally opts for the position of master in preference to the position of servant. It is the position of master that material and other forms of profits can be maximized. “Service above self” is the idea of serving others without selfish motive. Such services seek to reconcile the ever present conflict between the desire to be served and the need to serve. It also undertakes to reconcile the constant clash between the innate desire to profit oneself and the duty to serve the interest of others. Thoughtfulness of others is the basis for such service and helpfulness to others is the expression of it. “Service above self” is a sympathetic response to the need of other people. It is practical action instigated by genuine concern for the welfare of others. It is the giving of ones most valuable possession, namely oneself. Such self sacrifice is altruistic service, which is service based on the well being and happiness of others first. This is the philosophy of the ideal of service and service at its best.

Some people are called upon to serve in high office in the full glare of publicity while it is the lot of many to serve in obscurity. Some indeed are called to services that are anything but attractive. Yet these services are all complementary. In whatever capacity we serve, we must remember the injunction of Wilfred Grenfell. He said, “The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this Earth.” It is obvious that man himself is a traveler, that the purpose of this world is not to ‘have and to hold’ but to ‘give and to serve.’

There abounds in our world a lot of unpleasantness, suffering and human tragedy. There are those who are afflicted by diseases but have no means of looking after themselves. There are those who because of social stigma are abandoned in leprosy settlements to endure ignoble existence. There are the mentally retarded who make the streets their home eating whatever they find in refuse dumps. There are the blind whose only companion is total darkness. There are the deaf who are daily tormented by the total absence of sound. There are the orphans who have never known a mother’s love. There are the aged for whom life is slow death in seclusion and rejection. There are many today who, though not physically handicapped, suffer great socio-economic disability. For many, the basic essentials of life such as food water, shelter and minimal clothing are unattainable luxuries. In our vocations and businesses, honesty and uprightness receive little recognition. Fraudulence, graft and greed have almost come to be accepted as the norm. Truth and fairness receive little attention. Personal advantage overrides other considerations. If there is a yawning gap in the Nigerian polity today, it is for leadership that will enthrone “Service above Self.” Those who aspire to leadership position more often than not, are self-seeking.

We have gotten used to leadership that is not backed by example. The following statement by Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth American president and one of the most notable, may be instructive. Of leadership by example, he said “there is just one way to bring up a child in the way he should go and that is to travel that way yourself.” One wonders how many, in the motley crowd that is asking us to call them our leaders, have given a moment to the imperative of ‘service above self’? Service-oriented leadership is not easy to come by. We forget that as Hans Haselbath puts it “those who want to reign must serve.”

Mouth odour and the solution

By Chinyere Kalu

 Young people make lots of effort to look good; some have even mastered the art of a good dress sense. However, all their efforts and good dress sense could be ruined by oral health deficiency known as HALITOSIS or simply called bad breath.

 Our mouth is an important part of our body system which houses the teeth, tongue and other digestive parts. It serves as a passage for food and its likes. Besides that, we use our mouth for conversation, during this conversation, if bad breath is noticed, it could demoralise the individual in question and make nonsense of all his or her good looking efforts.

 Bad breath is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, it is a condition in which the teeth and gum are attacked by disease such as tooth decay and gum disease. This mouth disease is caused by build-up of bacteria in one’s mouth, which causes inflammation in the mouth that gives of noxious odours that smells like sulphur. Some other underlying factor can also cause bad breath, such as medication and diet, however, the ones caused by medication and diet does not last for a long time and it can easily be fixed. But Halitosis or mouth odour is a kind of bad breath that even though the Victim brushes his or her mouth, he or she will still experience it.

 One must be very watchful about Bad breath because it could be so embarrassing to you and tough on people around you, it is even capable of ruining a relationship. The bad thing about bad breath is that some people who have it don’t realise they do because people are afraid of telling them. However, if we refused to tell the person, we are not helping him or her.

 To avoid bad breath therefore, the following preventive measure and oral hygiene care can be taking.
1. Clean your teeth and gum properly and regularly at least twice a day using chewing stick or toothpaste that contains fluoride
2. Avoid food particles from hanging between the teeth. It invites bacteria to the gum and teeth
3. Rinse mouth properly after each meal
4. Eat nutritious food such as fruits and vegetables. It provides the body with nutrients that build strong teeth and gum
5. Try and avoid eating foods, diets that cause bad breath if you have to, ensures that you rinse your mouth with clean water or mouth-wash.
6. For bad breath caused by medication, this is temporary and will be gone when you are through with the medication.
7. Don’t keep quiet for long hours without talking, situations like these increases or enable bacteria activities. Make use of mint in such situations.
8. Most importantly, visit the dentist to check your oral health; there you will receive proper treatment for halitosis and more advice on how to prevent it. Remember cleanliness is next to Godliness

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS: the highlights

It was an insightful moment with Praise family on Sunday, 26th March, 2012 during her monthly seminar titled, “THE STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.” The audience was held spell-bound for an hour and thirty minutes, as they listened with rapt attention to the speaker, Mr. Peter Oyinrinaya, a professional banker and a businessman, who spoke extensively on practical steps and principles to engage in building a lasting and successful business.

 According to him, there are no new strategies for building a business, but that most people lack the will to take the initiative of starting their own business due to the fear of failure. He emphasized: “that you make mistakes in a certain business and fail does not mean that such business does not work, instead consider it an opportunity to start again in a better way.” He went further to state that, you do not need a university degree to build a successful business. Education is important though, but not a prerequisite for success in business, as most successful business people around the world are not academic scholars. 

However, the following imperatives were strongly recommended for growing a lasting and successful business: 
1. Find out what you have passion for and build your business around it. 
2. Acquire the necessary skills in your chosen line of business to avoid outright failure. 
3. Before commencement, it is necessary to have a business plan for short term, medium and long term goals. Then register a business name, at least a “Venture” or an “Enterprise” which is relatively cheap, compared to what most people think. The idea is to secure the name and the future of your business so that it doesn’t get registered by someone else, after you must have put in so much. 
4. You must be ready to take calculated risk, and the higher the risk the greater the reward. According to the speaker, those who are not ready to take risk are the ones actually taking risk because if you do not take risk in business, you may not go far. 
5. Always be prepared to take intelligent feedback – develop the capacity to handle criticism in such a manner that will translate into improved products or services. 
6. There must be an internal control system to check how money comes into the business and how much is going out. To this end, proper and accurate documentation of cash flow is key. Then remember, your business is not you; it’s a separate legal entity and should be operated as such. 
7. In your industry, determine where you have competitive advantage and carve a niche for yourself in that line. Specialize in one thing first, and then diversify to other areas. “Diversification in business is one of the secretes of creating oceanic wealth” - Sam. 
8. Develop a strong business network – in business, anybody you meet is a contact point and as such, do not take people for granted because they form the life of your business. 
9. Strategic marketing will put your business in the frontline and secure a fare market share for your products or services. Without marketing, your business will remain obscure, and a business does not thrive in obscurity. In conclusion, the speaker emphasized that learning the above principles is just a step, the result will only be achieved when they are effectively deployed in your business practice. 

The seminar came to a close with question and answer session, along with light refreshment. Yet, participants were unwilling to go as they were seen flanking around the speaker, asking questions and seeking clarifications on issues, at the same time exchanging contacts with him. 

Well, if you were not there, you missed a lot. But don’t worry another one is coming up this month. The title is “The Place of Education in Career Development”. Details will be communicated in due course. Stay blessed. 

Reported by: Sam Akhigbe.

SEVEN HEALTHY WONDERS OF WATER

By Esther Ohazuruike

Water is the best drink you can take and freely indulge in. Water they say has no enemy; it has severally been referred to as wonder drink.

Here are seven wonders water can perform in your body.

1. Stay Slimmer With Water: To cut down on calories and lose some weights, you can replace calorie-laden beverages with water, by drinking a glass of water before meal, it will help you feel full and take less food. Drinking more water also helps to increase metabolism – especially if the glass is icy cold. Then your body must work to warm the water, thereby burning a few extra calories in the process.

2. Water Boosts Your Energy: if you are feeling drained and depleted, you can get revived with water. Water helps the blood to transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells. When you drink enough water, your heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body system.

3. Lower Stress with Water: when you are dehydrated, it is likely that your body and your mind will be stressed. Whenever you are feeling testy or stressed, all you need do is just go for that wonderful glass of water. To keep stress level down, keep a glass of water at your table and sip regularly.

4. Build Your Muscles Tone With Water: Drinking more water helps to prevent muscle cramps and also lubricates the joints. When your body is well hydrated, you can exercise longer and be stronger.

5. Nourish Your Skin With Water: Dehydration accentuates the lines and wrinkles in your body. Water is nature’s own beauty cream. Drinking more Water helps to hydrates skin cells and builds them up. It also helps to flush out impurities and improves circulation and blood flow. This makes your face to look younger.

6. Water Reduces Kidney Stones: Kidney stones are solid crystals formed by salt and minerals in your urine. The rate of painful kidney stone is on the increase because people including children are not drinking enough water. Kidney stones cannot form in diluted urine, so drink plenty water to reduce your risk of forming kidney stone.

7. Water Aids Digestion: When taking with fibre, water is essential to good digestion. It helps to dissolve waste particles and passes them smoothly through your digestive system. Are you drinking enough water? Generally, nutritionists recommend that we follow the ‘8 X 8’ rules (drinking 8 250ml glass of water per day). When you exercise or sweat heavily, you will even need more than that. When you drink other beverages often, you will require less water.
However, it is advisable to go low on other beverages and high on water. You will be healthier when you practice this. Remember, water is God’s nature gift to humanity.

SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS NEGLECTED - SIN

by Daniel Ugumsinachi Awazie Every gadget, apparatus, instrument and even many little things have instructions for use. These instructions are most times adhered to, in order to avoid misuse of such instrument, gadget or apparatus. But why is it that we find it hard to follow life’s instructions? Our lives as humans have specific instructions on how to maintain it and live a healthy and wealthy life. When such instructions are neglected, things begin to fall apart. Even when things go wrong, there are instructions on how to manage and maintain them. Most times we define things in a way that they tend to be far from reality. I want to define sin in the simplest way I think it should. Sin is simply, SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS NEGLECTED that later became SATANIC IN NATURE. Many things we do in life and think do not really count actually count. King Saul was given an instruction to go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that is in it, but he neglected and spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites and took home the fattest and biggest of the animals. It was a simple instruction neglected, which makes it satanic in nature. When you neglect simple instructions, God is always there beckoning on you to come back. When you do the wrong He is always there stretching forth his arm to welcome you back in repentance. But when you harden your heart, it becomes Satanic In Natures and the presence of God departs from you, thereby, making you more vulnerable just like King Saul. What is that thing in your life that God is not happy about? Why not make a U-turn today before it is too late? Don’t say ‘it does not matter, after all, who is seeing me?’ Remember that ‘a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.’ Just like the prodigal son, have a rethink and trace your way back to God. Retrace your steps today and you will be happy you did. Correct the mistakes, ask God for forgiveness, make things right and make a resolve to live according to the dictates of the spirit of God and you will be glad you did. Don’t wait until God regrets why He had brought you to where you are today. Just like the case of Saul, the bible says, “and the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:35b). See you at the top.

THE COMPATIBLE SPOUSE

BY ANGELA O. MUSA Marriage is an ordained institution from God, the only institution without graduation. Many marriages are shaking today because of incompatibility. That someone is born again doesn't make the person a compatible spouse with you. The bible says in Genesis 2:18 ‘It is not good for man to live alone, I will make a suitable companion to help him’’ (Good news bible). So, when God gives you his will in marriage there should be compatibility, and the woman should be a helpmeet to you. With harmony in marriage, you can achieve far more as a couple than as individuals. The bible says, one will chase a thousand but two will chase ten thousand. Research also has shown that one can live longer when he or she is married to the right person than not being married. Hints for a successful marriage Maturity Marriage is not for babies, the both spouse should be spiritually and emotionally matured to be able to handle the issues that arise in marriage. Remember, it is two different persons from different background. The Will of God It is essential to seek the face of God in choosing a life partner, and the person should be in the same faith with you. Many people will always have qualities they want to see in their spouse to be, hence, when they see such qualities in any opposite sex, they jump into conclusion without putting the will of God into consideration. Love The person should be attractive to you, but you should be careful not to replace love with mere feeling. Millions of songs have been written about this passionate feelings, yet few people understand that even in a perfect marriage the feeling of love can rise and fall, therefore we should not be a slave to our feelings. ‘Love is not just emotion, it is a decision. All love that is pure and magical moves beyond the physical to the spiritual’ Willie Jolley Some times I wonder how blissful a marriage could be where the three major types of love are present: Agape (love of God) Phileos (Love between friends / Brotherly Love) Eros (Romantic type of love) It will be Heaven on earth Temperament: understanding your temperament which determines how you behave can help you to work on your weaknesses and understand your spouse better. ‘Sanguines, who tend to be disorganized and undiscipline, are apt to admire the careful, consistent, and detail-conscious melancholies, while the hard - driving choleric is often attracted to a peaceful, unexcited Phlegmatic, who in turn admires Rocky’s dynamic drive Read “Why you Act the way you do” by Tim Lahaye. Other area to consider are: Character, trust, value system , Goals, Vision, etc. In conclusion When marriage is build on a solid foundation and there is compatibility, The couple will be ten times stronger, healthier, hollier, wealthier in knowledge and resources. There will be maximum enjoyment, continued peace, Continued partnership and companionship.

SWITCH OVER TO PRAISE

BY EMEKA ANYAOGU I want to specially welcome you, our esteemed reader to this wonderful year. I also want to welcome every member of praise family, the youths to the year 2012. If you desire to become a victorious youth, switch over to praise. Praise is the secret of attracting God's attention to every situation of life. No doubt, this year you are going to experience challenges and obstacles, but if you switch over to praise, victory is assured. Praise is key to victory. Don't wait for things to turn out in your favour this year before giving praise to God. Don't say I will give God praise if my business picks up; when I get out of this health issue or when I have money to pay my house rent. That is not how faith works. When you give God praise, then things will turn around in your favour. Praise will always precede victory. Think about the children of Israel on their way to the promise land, they came across an obstacle, called Jericho wall, but when they gave praises to God the walls of Jericho came down. (Joshua 6:16,17). Think about Paul and Silas in the prison, when they praised God, the prison doors got opened (Acts 16:25,26). If you really want to be victorious this year, change the pattern of your prayer. Instead of spending time complaining about your problems, spend more time to give praise to God. God already knows what you are passing through, He is not moved by your condition, rather He is moved by your faith, and praise is faith at work. Now the question is, what will be coming out of your mouth this year? Are you going to be talking about how big your problem is or how big your God is? Don't forget that praise is the secret of attracting God's attention. Instead of complaining this year, you can actually praise your way to victory.

PATH WAY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

BY SAM AKIHGBE It is a new year, an opportunity for a new beginning. I believe God is about to open a new page for you. Do you desire financial freedom this year? Then you need a “clear cut'' business idea. A clear picture of what you can do on your own and be happy. However, whatever you choose to do should have value. The relevance of your business to people's need is what determines its value, and the moment such value is being created and exchanged consistently, financial freedom becomes inevitable. You may want to ask, how do I generate business ideas? Now let's consider the following keys: (1) You Must Learn to Look Upward: The Psalmist said, “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help…”. Now hold this thought very strong in your mind. If God can give you salvation, healing, deliverance and even the Holy Spirit, then he can give you business ideas. So, stop limiting your faith. If you can sincerely ask from God, He will give you ideas that will change your financial condition. (2) Look Inward: Another way to go about this issue is to look inward and ask yourself this question: What can I do? The moment you find the correct answer to this question with conviction, then you have a business idea. It is as simple as that! Ideas are the products of creative thinking. When you spend time to think and ponder on a particular issue, ideas, concepts and insights will be thronging into your mind. Take this principle and apply it to your quest for business idea and financial freedom, you will be amazed at the result you will get. (3) Look Outward: In Gen15:5 God said to Abraham, look at the sky and count the number of stars you can see. In this case, you are not going to count stars, but you will look around you (the business environment) and draw a list of five different kinds of businesses that you can identify with. Out of the five, select three that you think you can do and look at them again. The one that appeals most to you, go ahead and start with it. Now a word of advice: When starting your own business, you need the beginner's attitude. Do not despise the days of little beginning. The eyes of the lord rejoice to see the work begins. In Job 8:7. The bible says, “Even though your beginning was small, the latter end shall greatly increase”. Think big, but you can start small, and you will get there.