MIZPAH HEIGHTS

If we must boast, let us boast of the mercies of the LORD. Two students attend lectures and put in the same level of preparation; one scores an “A” and the other a “C”. Many explanations can be available, but when we hold all other things constant, mercy is the difference between men. I have written an exam before where I prepared diligently but got into the exam hall and misinterpreted the questions, writing the exact opposite of what was expected. After the exam, I had only one prayer: God, have mercy! In Acts 13, Paul and some other prophets separated themselves to fast and pray. Mercy spoke, and Paul and Barnabas were called into a special assignment. Were they better or more diligent than the others who were not called into that particular assignment? I don’t think so. Apostle Paul later told us that everything he did was a result of the grace of God. God’s mercy and grace are what enable us to achieve any kind of result in life. Let’s be careful how we think. Let’s be careful how...

Recently, I had to make a lot of cash lodgments at the bank, and I proceeded to arrange and count the notes. I counted the various currency notes like three times and sorted them accordingly. When I got to the bank, the teller went to work, and I wasn’t surprised that the count was perfectly correct. The confidence was because I had double-checked the notes; the margin for error was very slim. In our Christian walk, we mustn’t be overly bold about our right standing in Christ if we haven’t examined ourselves again and again. 2 Cor. 13:5b says, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves…” Test yourself! Are you standing, or are you just thinking that you are standing? When I counted the money the first time, I could have stopped, but I needed the certainty. I know that I am born again, but I need to examine my heart: is there something hidden there that shouldn’t be there? Once, I was speaking to a group of people, and the manner of my speech wasn’t in confo...

GOD KNOWS YOUR FUTURE, But it's more than that; God determines your future. I saw the story of a man of wealth in the papers. There was an image of a fuel attendant on one side and that of a man smiling in affluence on the other. The man had risen from being a fuel attendant to owner of a viable oil company. I checked and I discovered his testimony wasn't peculiar, there are many more similar breakthroughs. Let us not make the mistake that some made in putting their experience, knowledge and exposure before the word of God. Years ago there was a famine in the city of Samaria (so tough that people began to exchange their children as food) and all policies failed. There was a total shutdown. The word of the Lord came one day that the famine would end the very next day and there would be surplus. It sounded incredulous and a high ranking officer said "even if God opened windows in heaven it wouldn't be." That was the end of him. God's word was fulfilled...

I have discovered that people who do this, do it not out of love for the work of God but for personal gain (publicity) and to weaken the faith of others. They aren't doing and don't want others to do. My father in the Lord, Pastor E.A. Adeboye said many years ago he wanted to organize a crusade and one of the church elders got angry and vehemently opposed it. The then G.O Pa Akindayomi asked Pastor Adeboye to go and beg the man. He thought why should I beg him for doing something that will expand the kingdom but he obeyed. A short while later, that same leader said he was going to hell and was looking for people to take along. Christian leadership is not a bed of roses. My first experience in Christian leadership was in the University. We did a lot of things back then, some not so wise. In those days we were so overwhelmed with burden that we prayed and fasted continually. Did we make mistakes, certainly. Were we called? Most assuredly. Were souls saved? Yes. Were men rai...

Our associations will either make us or mar us. This is crucial because no man can exist in isolation. Everyone of us must work with people. Can you explain the fact that when a man hangs around intelligent people he tends to make intelligent decisions? The same is also true of those who hang around scalawags, such often make unwise decisions. With this knowledge at our disposal we must thus deliberately build the correct kind of relationships and do everything we can to sustain them. If you have unwittingly damaged a profitable relationship, you must swallow whatever pride hinders you and make good the wrong. I read this truth a long time ago: YOUR NETWORK IS EQUAL TO YOUR NETWORTH. You can't earn above the quality of your network. If you want to live in a particular manner, identify people who are living it already, understudy them, follow their principles and begin to walk with them if possible. © Seun Adebowale

Believe it, you are Stronger than Sickness. This year is a year of victories. A major victory God has already given you is over sickness. The Bible in 2 Peter 2:24 says this clearly on what Jesus HAS ALREADY DONE FOR YOU: "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye WERE HEALED." Any sickness that could afflict you has been healed in advance. Beloved, DON'T LET SOMETHING GOD HAS SETTLED DEFEAT YOU. Have faith in the finished work of God. Stand boldly on the written word of God and rebuke any trace of sickness in your body. You are victorious! © Seun Adebowale

Growing up we saw apprentices do all manner of things for their bosses. I personally have seen an apprentice who did almost everything for her master; she cleaned her home, washed her children's clothes, cooked, went to the market and ran all manner of errands. Does that still happen today? Not really. I must admit that the case I portrayed is a little extreme but it showed the level of humility of the apprentice. Today people want to learn the work, make money but do not want to pour water on their bosses hands. I also have been guilty of this at times. Somebody goes on IT and squeezes the face when it is lunch time because he/she has to buy food for the bosses. It's not necessarily right but it is unescapable in certain places. During my own IT, I was lucky my boss was quite well to do so I always bought food from notable fast foods but some others weren't so lucky, they had to queue at Mama Put. The point is this, if you want to learn from someone you will hav...

If you fell, come back home! Have you ever been in that situation where feel lost from the presence of God because of the guilt of your wrong? If you have, congratulations! The truth is many have lost touch with God and kept on going like nothing happened. If you err, don't assume that God understands. Seek His mercy! Believe it or not, God has feelings. His love is constant but your actions can make Him happy towards you or angry at you. If you have erred, seek His forgiveness. The trick of the enemy is to keep those that fell in a sunken mood so that they can further slip away from God. See God loves you inspite of what you have done. If you fell, He expects you to come back to Him. No father wants his child destroyed and God is the best Father there is. The mercy of God is however not a license to sin. Please remember that the LORD knows those that are His. If you are a sincere child of God, He will give you strength to resist sin and even if you fall, He will receiv...

There is a message in every mess. Messy situations are part of life. The sooner we recognize this, the better for us. The fact that you fell into a mess doesn't make you a mess, it only means you need to clean up. Some years ago I was part of a business that failed woefully. The business made no profit in its first year and only year of dealing at the initial office. It was a painful and huge loss. After we closed down, I sat down to evaluate the reasons why the business failed. What I learnt from that business has stayed with me and has added to my experience. There is a lesson that your setback has come to teach you. Don't let sentimental tears blind your eyes to the lessons you must learn. Stand up and face your errors like a man. Be strong in the Lord and be strengthened by the word. Don't give up because you fell. Stand up from where you fell and keep going. Those in support of your glory are more in number and power than those against you. Heaven is in your fa...

Many years ago I shared an office with a colleague that didn't like me, to say it as it is, I think she hated me. Every thing I did irritated her. I did my best to please her but she was determined to be unpleasant. In fact one day she called me a witch! I was heartbroken and went to God in prayers. I kept asking God to turn her heart around, it didn't happen instantly but it did. It was her birthday. No one knew but something about her was different that day and I asked her. By a stroke of miracle, she said it was her birthday and almost immediately retreated. I prayed in my heart and I was inspired to buy her a gift. I used all the money on me save my transport to buy her a gift. When I presented her the gift, her heart melted. It was more than magic, it was a miracle! We didn't become best friends but we became friends. Life from that point changed and all the bitterness disappeared. Dear friend, don't pay evil with evil. Overcome evil with good. Pray for those...

Marriage is about love but believe it or not, love doesn't magically make human weaknesses disappear. If you cannot tolerate someone's mistakes, don't marry the person (and there are some weaknesses you won't see until you are married). It is very wrong to think that once you get married, your partner's weaknesses will automatically fly away ( thinking afterall two is better than one). They may not! It is therefore good to prepare a space in your heart to tolerate any weaknesses that will be observed in marriage until they are patiently overcome in love. H

Three friends Joy, Perseverance and Faith went on a journey to acquire great treasures. The map they had showed a maximum of seven days to reach their destination. On the first day of the journey, Faith was wounded by a trap. He looked at his friends and said, "I am sure that the treasure is there but I can't go on. It's too dangerous." Joy encouraged him that the wound would heal and Perseverance volunteered to carry him. After ten days of hazardous journey, it was clear that something​ was wrong. Joy encouraged them to go back, "At least we all are still alive and have a home to return to." He said. Perseverance said to them, "Let's keep going, we have spent more days than we bargained for. I am sure we are closer now." The friends kept on going, singing the choruses that Joy led them in. Finally they got to the place but it was empty. Perseverance couldn't believe his eyes, he fell down hoping to die. Joy immediately rushed to his si...

"IT IS FINISHED." What does this statement mean to you? For me it brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. This season is too emotional for me; I feel like crying and shouting for joy at the same time. Think about it: Jesus died for you. Yes you! And He did more than that, He resurrected for you. Death couldn't stop Him from saving your soul. He endured the cross, defeated death and rose up to be the Captain of your salvation. I worship. I bow. I surrender. Jesus is Lord! Jesus is real! Jesus is alive!

BEYOND THE GRAVE A woman called Mary Mary Magdalene sat still in the mud with the other women as they beheld the Savior on the cross. She was now exhausted from crying, all that she did was let out continuous sobs. The soldiers had hit them about in attempts​ to keep them quiet and out of their way. With both eyes now swollen red, lips peeled from impeding dehydration and exhaustion, Mary sang a hymn. The other women joined in the hymn, as they sang tears flowed freely. From the cross, Jesus looked at them and smiled. Mary could feel the warmth of His love in her heart. The women smiled to one another as they held themselves closer and sang louder. Within a few minutes, Jesus said "It is finished" and released His Spirit. One of Jesus' disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, demanded His body​ and He was buried. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb but the stone was rolled away. The body of Jesus wasn't there. "Someone must have taken Hi...

BEYOND THE GRAVE A man called​ Joseph. Joseph was born and bred in the city of Arimathea. He, like his fathers before him, was a leader of the Jews. He was respected and loved by the people. One could tell from a mile off that he wasn't a man of titles but one desirous to see the kingdom. Despite his enormous wealth, his humility and simplicity was unparalleled. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus. The words Jesus spoke gave him assurance that the Messiah had come. He followed Him secretly, if he had openly confessed his faith in Jesus there would have been an uproar among the Jewish leaders. His life and family would have been endangered. Joseph loved Jesus and followed Him even up to the place of His death. As events at the cross unfolded, Joseph couldn't contain himself anymore. He ran to corner of the street, weeping. Joseph couldn't help blaming himself for not doing enough when the plots to crucify Jesus was being raised. "I should have fought them, I should ha...

Go forward ​this week. Satisfaction weakens attainment. It is good to be contented with what you have but don't be satisfied in standing still. It is better to make a little progress than  to sit still hopeful, doing nothing. Ask yourself, "What can I do differently this week?" When you find it, do it (no matter how little). Have a Jesus week.

IF YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN HAVE IT. I welcome you to the second quarter of year 2017. There will be pleasant surprises in Jesus name. The much anticipated ebook #CONJUGALBLISS is out! Thank you for your love and patience. I am giving it to you absolutely FREE but I require you to do three things: 1. Read it: Eventhough the book is essentially for those planning to get married, everyone should read this book even those who are married. There is something to see in here for all. 2. Share it: Sharing the book says you believe the book will bless someone​. Words are powerful, the words in here will definitely transform lives. Please share it. Share first with your​ partner and then with the world. 4. Talk to me: Your feedback is so important. Please talk to me, openly or in private. If this book has blessed you, don't keep it secret; please let me know. If you disagree at any point or have comments please share with me. Enough said. Happy New Month. #DOWNLOAD it here h...

Something happened more than ten years ago that has impacted my outlook of life. We wrote a test and one of the best students as usual scored a very high mark. While we were comparing scores, one of the students overwhelmed by the beauty of the performance said to him, "I wish I had your brain." The fellow smiled and replied, "Even if you have my brain you won't use it well." That was a heavy blow struck below the belt but it was true. He explained that it was the he used his brain that produced results. The thing hit me hard because I had been quietly understudying him. I resolved to learn from that statement and I did. Today many people want to be like somebody else, that's not bad if your calling is similar to theirs. But it is better to follow their example, use the principles they use, learn from their steps and then use it as guide to instruct yourself. If you don't use what you are endowed with, desiring to be like men who are successes will...

It is not a sin to change church provided you are still in Christ. In fact you will likely fall into sin if you are worshipping in the wrong church. Consider these things: 1. Lack of spiritual growth and drive. When your spirit man is not been fed in word and worship, you need to move before you starve. If you are living in sin and sitting comfortably in church, you need a new church. If you are not challenged to conquer more land for Christ, you need to move on with haste. 2. Lack of opportunity to work. Church attendance is good but it is elementary in the plan of God. God is looking for labourers not bench warmers. If you cannot seem to find grace to be attively involved in the work of the ministry, then you need to move. There are no credits for idleness, everyman must get involved. 3. Lack of restraint from church politics. There are some people whose tables are the center of church affairs. Such people know everything about everything and everyone; in fact every dis...

"Life is not fair, get used to it!" I read the quote above years ago and it has stuck. The truth is many people complain about being dealt an unfavourable hand of fate without seeking to make amends. Man is created to be a creator. If anything happens in your life that is unfavourable, it is only a pointer that there is a favourable version. You should not complain about anything that you accept. As children of God, we have the authority to bring to pass God's will for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord said that His plans towards us are good. This means that anything that is less than good in our lives is not in line with our destiny. So you are to resist any negativity in and around you. Don't fold your arms and expect things to change because they won't  until you make a stance for it to change. Stop doubting the power of the word of God and the things it can achieve in your life. In Genesis 1:1-3, God was faced with a gloomy earth which He did not...