MIZPAH HEIGHTS

In the beginning when God created man He blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 1:28). There is therefore no doubt that God is pleased when His children procreate within the confines of godly marriage. God is fully in support of bearing children because He commanded it from the beginning. ... But how many children should we have? Is it right to seek to control the rate at which we conceive since children are a gift from God? There is no known record in the Holy Bible stating or implying that birth control is wrong for consenting couples. However, there is a general agreement that abortion is murder and is a sin. Thus when a woman gets pregnant the Christian thing to do is to birth life. The Bible tells us that wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7), thus believers should be guided when making decisions. It is not wise to get pregnant without thinking through. Using birth control methods in a Christian home is not a sin! A...

Pride is subtle. Many people are plagued by it without even knowing that they are. Pride has destroyed many great relationships and left many giants as dwarfs. I encourage you to kindly note the following, You are probably PROUD if: 1. you find it difficult to say thank you for a service you paid for. 2. you always expect people to greet you first. 3. you are always right. 4. the work is substandard when you are not the one that did it. 5. your goals offer little opportunities to others to grow and develop. Dear friend guard your heart. Shalom.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die.." - Ezekiel 18:20 God has already said what His standard of righteousness is, and almost all men, if not all men, are now aware of God's gracious redemptive package available only the LORD Jesus. God has already given His best to mankind, there is nothing more to give for the salvation of men. In John 3:16, we see that "God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have e verlasting life." He has already given Himself for us, what more can we demand of Him? The beauty of the price Jesus paid is in the fact that He did not go to the cross to condemn sinners, rather His motive is to save all provided they believe on Him (John 3:17). All He is asking of us is to believe Him. Why do people believe men who have failed them and will still fail them than to believe their maker who has never failed and will never fail them. Sinners will die, belie...

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together." - Psalm 34:1 In simple terms, to magnify means to make (something) greater. With this definition, this charge becomes difficult. How do you make God bigger? We know God cannot be made larger neither can He reduce in size. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. In Malachi 3:6, He testified of Himself saying "I am the LORD, I change not..." A better definition of the word that fits this context will then be "to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect." The Almighty God deserves our respect, we must not be carried away with the spurious (false) love expressed to God by this generation, He is not fooled by it!. God is to be revered, the Bible says we are to FEAR God and keep His commandments. The availability of grace is not an excuse for dishonour to God. The call to magnify is a call to seriousness with God. We can magnify the LORD in our spirit, soul and body. Someo...

"Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise: when his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." - Matthew 1:18 This man and lady were already booked to be married, everyone knew they would but they kept themselves waiting for the acceptable night as it should. Friends let us not be carried away by the signs of this generation, the principles of God still remain the same. These days young girls and boys confidently tell their parents they have boy friends and girl friends, and all the parent says is "be careful o" without pressing further to secure them. Parents let's wake up, the fact that you made a mistake doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to guide your children aright. If anything your children shouldn't make the same mistakes you made. I have heard people say parents shouldn't be over protective, PLEASE BE OVERPROTECTIVE! I don't blame young people for hanging aro...

"So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." - Genesis 12:4 One of the cheapest ways to becoming great is by association. It has been said that one can see farther by sitting on the shoulders of great men. That was exactly the case with Lot. The story of Lot began to look promising the moment Terah his grandfather took him, Abraham (his uncle) and Sarah (Abraham's wife) out of Ur to Haran. Terah died in Haran. God spoke to Abraham and he was on the move to a land of promise. The defining moment of Lot's life finally came, he saw Abraham packing up to go to an unknown destination led only by the conviction that God had spoken to him and Lot decided to follow him. That was it, Lot became a generational footprint. Lot followed Abraham and he became great. Sometimes the missing ingredient in man's hunt for greatness is correct association as seen here i...

Grace is the touch of God upon a man’s life that turns his ordinary results into supernatural results. Grace saves from disgrace and elevates from the dunghill of life to palace of life. Grace yields more results than hard work can produce. Grace cannot be bought in silver nor gold, neither does it come has a family inheritance. Good works does not qualify you for grace. Grace is an offshoot of God’s divine love. God’s Grace is in Christ alone. Want to know the secret of men of exploits? Find Grace. May the Lord give you more grace this May in Jesus name. Amen.

What you do and/or say before your showing forth determines the quality of your showing forth. Luke 1:8 tells us of the upbringing of John the Baptist, "The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing forth to Israel." Jesus testified later about John that he was the greatest of all born men yet this man was groomed in the desert before his appointed time. This generation needs to learn about being discreet. A woman learns she is three weeks pregnant and immediately calls her friends, this ought not be! The appointed time is a period of great hope that must not fail. There are many forces that desire to contend with man's appointed time, don't give them a head start in your life. Joseph had a dream of a destined period of appointment that would manifest years later but he couldn't close his mouth. Joseph did not need to be enslaved to be enthroned but he failed to be discreet. It is an error to start blowi...

"Faith without works is dead". Prayer without works is mere exercise. The blessings of God are pronounced upon us in fellowship with Him (in prayers) but they are manifested when we work. The harvest will rotten in the field no matter how bountiful if the farmer does not go to reap it in. We all have a major role to play if our appointed time must come as it shall. Yesterday we noted that anything we accept as the will of God will maintain its course. To produce a desirable change we must CRY OUT. We must be aware of the fact that anchoring the release of the appointed time of our breakthrough on God alone is a pointer to a sense of irresponsibility. The appointed time will not materialize unless you DO SOMETHING. Exodus 3 chronicles the conversion between God and Moses. God had heard the cry of the Isrealities and He purposed to send the man Moses. Note that every move of God on the earth is always tied to a human vessel. God will not literally come down to bring a c...

The appointed time is synonymous with answers, joy and testimony. When the appointed time comes nothing else matters, all that you see and experience is the release of joy and pride of victory. Yesterday we noted that God never delays. Our God is not the architect of delay. He doesn't want any of His children to groan in pain of unanswered prayers. BUT THERE IS AN APPOINTED TIME... Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" God is meticulous in His dealings He has made provision for seedtime and harvest, and these shall not fail (Genesis 8:22). HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE APPOINTED TIME? The appointed time (the day of harvest) is ALWAYS HERALDED by a desperate cry for help. When a person realizes that his time ought to have come and it hasn't then it is time to act. A woman carries a baby patiently for 9 months but by the 12th month (if the baby has not been born) it becomes clear...

A rational human being desires to do great things within the limited time given to all of us on earth. There is so much joy in accomplishment that it can make any man forget the sorrows of the past. But what happens when man's desire is delayed? Pain comes, terrible pain that sometimes is unbearable. It is not the joy of God to withhold any good from His children. No matter how much we love ourselves, God loves us more. As much as we desire good for ourselves God does so even more. It grieves the mind of God to see His children cry out under the yoke of under accomplishment. He created us for EXPLOITS not to be exploited. Jesus said in Matthew 7:9-11 " Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!…" ...

We all know the conclusion of The Preacher "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity". What made this wise rich man reach this conclusion? (You'd have to read Ecclesiastes and more to get your own answer). My attempt to answer the question: Man is born. Man gets an education. Man gets a job or starts a viable business. Man gets married, have children. Man grows old and die. (A few people live their lives to bless others and some even have legacies that bless generations. They are immortalised and their good deeds become encouragement for many.) That's a typical life. But all the good works we do here will be nothing if we do not make it to heaven. It is better not be born than to be born and not make it to heaven. Life with all its glories is VANITY without Jesus. Ecclesiastes 1:3 says "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" I will make heaven in Jesus name. You will make it too.

Have you heard your children call one of them MUMMY'S/DADDY'S PET? ... One thing you shouldn't do as a parent is to show preference for one child over another or over the others as the case may be. And it is not as easy as it looks. It is not about buying the same things for all children ( though that helps). It is about looking all your children in the eyes and feeling the same warmth of heart. Human beings are made to have preferences. Food preference, clothing preference, people preference etc. This means we will have to swim against the tides to love all children in exactly the same way event though they have varied capabilities. It is even more difficult when one child is significantly 'better' than the others. Then you will really need God's help. REMEMBER! Abraham loved Isaac, Isaac loved Esau, Jacob loved Joseph, Joseph loved Manasseh (I think), And the list goes on. These men are examples of faith but couldn't hide their prefere...

Everyman has enemies. Not matter how good or peaceable a person is, he would still have enemies. Even the good that man does infuriates his enemy. All men have enemies. And we all have in common at least one enemy, which is the devil. One of the strategies of winning in any warfare is to have a powerful and dependable ally. When your ally is stronger than your enemy the battle is as good as won. All men have allies. And we all have in common at least one ally, which is GOD. But your ally is only useful to you if you are in good terms and he is willing to stand by you. Your number one ally, God Almighty, will continue to work in your favour if your ways please Him. Proverbs 16:7 says "when a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Your enemy (human or spirit) has no choice but to surrender if your ways please God. It is God that will MAKE your enemy to surrender if you are in His good books. You need not fight nor worry ...

'Whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble" Proverbs 21:23 (ESV) 1. It is not every matter you should lend your voice to. Wisdom demands that you should not speak unless you have to. When you speak concerning every issue, you will soon discover that your words will carry less importance. 2. It is unwise to express your opinion when you are angry. This often leads one to saying things one would regret. In moments of anger a person will release facts that ought to be buried. The best thing to do when you are angered is to keep quiet and sin not! 3. Your words will save you or enslave you. This demands that you should be aware of the consequences of your words. Under no circumstances should you tell a lie. A lie expands and brings worse repercussion than the fear it tried to avert. Keep your tongue from lies. 4. Speak pure. Sometimes the trends change in favour of diry talk, don't join in. A lot of people are swearing and cursing as they sp...

The soldiers thought Christians were insane following a Man who died on the cross like a common criminal. Their thinking must have been: If this Jesus were anything special He would definitely have rescued Himself from their shame coated stripes and eventual death on that rugged cross. Their thinking was flawlessly misguided. Jesus showed how special He IS by enduring the shame and pain of their stripes. He showed that He is beyond special by dying on that cross and He proved that He is God by rising on the third day. Today some still think Christians are insane going about preaching the love of God, which is made available for free to the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What do you think? #Easter

There are many things that we do not understand about God yet that doesn't stop Him from being God. Why would go allow certain things to happen when He knows that it would hurt us sore? Normally we trust God and we know He has supreme authority, added to this we know God is good all the time. This makes it even more puzzling to know that God watched on while the undesirable happened. When bad things happen to good people there seems to be a silent justification for the persecuted to be angry at God. In such a state, the individual who knows certainly that he can't beat God decides to ignore Him or offend Him. If the person chooses the ignore option, he boycotts church, refuses to pray, neglects his Christian devotion and basically avoid anything in the semblance of God. If it is the offend option, such goes back to forsaken sin or/and new ones. In a bid to show God that they are annoyed they deliberately do things that are displeasing to Him. But is anyone ever justif...

Have you wronged someone and are fighting within you to say that you are sorry? Have you bruised someone? Or have you done nothing wrong and someone is annoyed with you? Just say sorry. The Bible says "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed..." - James 5:16. Our words carry healing virtue we should use it right. Is it possible not to bite your tongue? It is usually a kind of reflex, beyond control. That's the reality of human relations, no matter how careful we are, sometimes we step on one another's toes. When this happens our reaction shows the quality of our character. Saying that you are sorry goes a long way in sustaining healthy relationships. In fact it carries an anointing to resolve conflicts quick. Is it easy to say sorry? This depends on a number of things, a sincere apology is obviously more difficult to render than one which is not. Saying sorry particularly when you are convinced you are right is als...

Marriage is ordained and instituted by God. Marriage is sweet. But Marriage is a marathon, it takes a lot of God's grace and godly counsel to win it. We must be careful to give only goodly counsel. Our counsels can make or mar a home. I will tell a short story. In my first year in the university there was couple who lived opposite our student apartment. They were always fighting. There was hardly any month they didn't throw themselves to the streets. Sometimes it got as bad as going naked when they fought. It was a sour marriage or so we thought. Neighbours would separate them when they fought but were often treated to a round of insults by the couple. As the fights continued more people began to ignore them. One fateful night, a well wisher who defiled the onlooking neighbours got a thorough beating from the fighting couple for daring to settle their quarrel. The fellow learnt a painful lesson. The funny thing about this couple was that after every humiliating fight ...