STARVE YOUR DOUBT

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (James 1:6). The next verses after our opening scripture says, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (:7-8). It is clear from these verses that doubt stops faith from working and so stops the blessing you expect from God. To buttress this point further, Jesus said in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." When you doubt, it means you are not sure God can do it for you or maybe He is unwilling to do it for you. It is a major resistance to the flow of what faith can get for you.

Beloved, no matter what circumstances say and how impossible it seems like what you are asking for or declaring will come to pass, host fast to your faith and confession. Anytime you entertain doubt, you lose. A way of starving your doubts is not to focus on the negative side of things. Instead of seeing the mountain, see the God bigger than the mountain; instead of seeing giant goliath, see The Lord of Host mighty to save as David did. Remember what He has done for you in the past and what He has done for others who have testified and be rest assured that if God did it before, He will surely do it again.

FED UP!

(...continued...)

Mabel dialed her number but was told that her number was ‘switched off’. They were worried. 

  “Where could mummy have gone to?”

                After a while, Cynthia remembered. “I think she went to see Mimi. She put to bed last week.”

  “Are they still in the hospital?”

  “No, they came back last night. I think mummy is in their house.”

  “Okay. Their house is not far from here. Let’s go and check.”

                They left to go and see Mimi who was one of their neighborhood friends. They got to know through Mimi’s mother and their mother who were close friends. On their way, they met their mother coming back to the house.

  “Mummy good evening,” they greeted her.

  “Evening my loves,” she answered and hugged them. “Has it been long you came?”

  “Not very long,” Cynthia answered.

  “I went to see Mimi. You know she put to bed last week. They came back last night.”

  “Eiyaa. How did you know we came?” Mabel asked.

  “It was one of these boys that came to tell me that you came.”

  “How is she?”

  “She is fine o. I enjoyed carrying her baby oo.” She gave them a suspicious look.

                They laughed.

  “Don’t worry. You will soon carry your grandchildren.”

  “Amen oo.”

  “Let me use this opportunity and see her. I don’t know when next I will be free to come around,” Mabel suggested.

  “Okay.”

                They went back and saw Mimi. She was in the sitting room with her husband, mother and some visitors. They exchanged pleasantries. Mabel and co stayed a little while and left for their house.

  “What do I offer you?” their mother asked Mabel when they entered the house.

  “Offer who?” Mabel asked her. “Who is the stranger here?”

  “Don’t mind me o.” her mother laughed. “I always forget.”

  “Is it because I got my own apartment some months ago?”

  “Which months? It’s been more than two years.”

                Mabel went to the refrigerator to get water or anything she could drink.

  “You don’t have anything cold here,” she said.

  “We have not had light for two days now.”

  “Why?”

  “No one knows exactly. Some say the transformer is faulty; others say it is from the transmission line.”

  “What about your generator?”

  “It has been long I used it. Moreover, that generator cannot carry the refrigerator.”

  “You will need a generator that can carry your fridge.”

  “Do you need to bother yourself? It will be expensive o.”

  “And so? You deserve the best from us.”

  “Helping Cynthia with her schooling is a lot for you.”

  “I know.”

  “Mabel this is my final year o,” Cynthia said. “Forget the generator till I finish my project.”

                They laughed.

  “Get a rich boy friend,” her mother teased her.

  “Mummy,”

  “I am joking o.” 

                Mabel opened the windows well.

  “Here is stuffy o.”

  “Let’s go to the backyard then.”

As they passed the kitchen, Mabel saw some food stuffs on the table.

  “What are they for?” she asked her mother.

  “I wanted to cook soup before Mama Ejima came and we went to see Mimi. It can wait.”

                Mabel carried a tray of Egusi and went out with them.

  “That thing will take your time o,” her mother told her.

  “Not if we do it together.”

  “If you say so.”

                They sat on a bench and removed the back of the Egusi. Cynthia also joined them. They told stories as they worked on the Egusi. Mabel’s mum brought her up to speed on news she should know. Before long, they were done with the Egusi.

  “Bring the vegetable,” Mabel told Cynthia. “Let me cook the soup before I go back.”

  “Mabel,” Cynthia called, giving her a look.

Mabel understood. Cynthia wanted her to tell her mum what happened. She did not say anything. Cynthia went to the kitchen and called Mabel again. Mabel went to see her there.

  “Tell her na,” she told Mabel in a hushed voice.

  “I don’t know if I can tell her. She may say she told me but I didn’t listen.”

  “Just tell her.”

  “Any problem?” their mother asked from the backyard. “What are you looking for?”

  “I have seen the knife.”

(...to be continued...)

(c) 2014. Chinedu Isaac 

FED UP!

(...continued...)

Cynthia just stood, leaning on the wall. She was pinging and observing what was going on. They were silent for a while. It was Mabel who broke the silence.

  “I thought you are on your way to church?” Mabel asked.

  “On second thought,” Glory said. “Church can wait till the next midweek service.”

  “Why will you miss service?” Mabel asked.

  “So I can stay with you for a while.”

  “It is not necessary.”

  “I insist.”

  “Okay.”

  “Then I will go with Miriam,” Oge said.

  “I think I should also leave,” Cynthia told her.

  “Okay. How do you intend going?”

  “I will get to the house, dress up and go to church. Then after the service, I will come here straight.”

  “Okay. Tell mummy that I will see her in the evening.”

                Cynthia left with Oge and Miriam. Glory stayed with Mabel all morning. They didn’t talk about the incident. Glory just brought up topics and gossips that would cheer her up. Then they watched movies and reality shows on TV till both of them slept off on the bed.

                They were woken up by a knock on the door. Mabel stirred and checked the time. It was 2:25 pm.

  “How long have we been sleeping?” Mabel asked.

  “Who are you asking?” Glory answered, getting up.

  “Never mind.”

Glory opened the door. It was Cynthia.

  “Welcome,” she said to Cynthia.

  “Thank you,” Cynthia said, entering with a nylon bag.

  “What is that you are carrying?” Mabel asked her.

  “Food from mummy.”

  “You went back home?”

  “Yes. When I told mummy I was coming here after church, she insisted I follow her back to the house and bring food for you.”

  “Did you tell her anything?”

  “No. you told me not to, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You haven’t told your mum what happened?” Glory asked, looking surprised.

  “Not yet.”

  “Why?”

  “I will tell her when I see her this evening.”

  “Don’t fail to tell her o.”

  “I will tell her.”

                Cynthia went to the kitchen with nylon bag.

  “What is it?”

  “Rice and stew.”

                Mabel helped her dish the food for herself and Glory. Cynthia poured the rest in pots.

  “You are not eating?” Mabel asked her.

  “Not now. I ate in the house.”

                Mabel and glory ate while Cynthia ate biscuit she came with and flipped channels on the TV. When they were done, Cynthia helped remove the plates and washed them. They chatted for a while and watched Telemundo. After a while, Glory begged to take her leave.

  “Thank you so much for stopping by,” Mabel said to her.

  “What are friends for?” Glory replied and carried her bag. “Will you go to work tomorrow?”

  “I have not even thought about it o. What will I do?”

  “Take a sick leave.”

  “Will they give me?”

  “Talk to your supervisor.”

  “I will try.”

  “No problem. I will still check on you tomorrow.”

  “OK. Thanks.”

                Glory left and Mabel locked the door behind her.

  “How is mummy?” Mabel asked Cynthia.

  “She is fine but she kept looking at my face to know if something is wrong.”

  “Mummy sef.”

  “When I told her you will come to see her this evening, she relaxed.”

  “I guess I need to dress up then.”

                Mabel dressed up and left with Cynthia. They boarded a taxi and went to see their mother.

  “Hope you will tell her?” Cynthia asked Mabel when the taxi was getting close to the house.

  “Yes I will. At my own time.”

  “Okay.”

                When they got to the house, Mabel paid the taxi man, and they entered the compound. They said ‘hello’ to some young boys playing football in the compound. In the neighboring compound there was a football viewing center where young boys went to watch matches. It was unusually quiet.

  “Is your club not playing today?” Cynthia asked one of them.

  “No.” he replied. “We played yesterday.”

                They knocked on their door for a while but there was no response.

  “Haba. Where did mummy go?”

  “I wonder o.” Cynthia said. “Let me check the backyard.”

                She went to the backyard but her mother was not there. She knocked at the back door but got no response. She came back to Mabel in front.

  “No response.”

  “Let me try calling her and know where she is.”

                Mabel dialed her number but heard an auto-response that the number was calling was ‘switched off’. They were worried.

(...to be continued...)

Chinedu Isaac

GOD CARES NO MATTER WHAT

 For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28). A story is told about a man who went with God on a journey. He had an exciting time with God as they journeyed but along the way, he fell sick, he broke his leg, he got beaten and battered. Then with a loud cry, the man cried out to God saying “where are you? I thought you have been with me all through this journey? Why do you allow all these befall me?” And God replied “I have been with you. I never left. Every footstep you took and every breath you breathe is a sign that I am still with you and I have plans for you”. The young man felt happy and revived and continued the journey despite the pain he felt in his body.

This story is also the same for some Christians who have given up on God due to one challenge or the other. They feel He has shut His ears from their prayers. Beloved, the truth is; God cares! Job 23:10 says, “But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Count it all joy when you go through diverse temptation because He has you in the glory plan. He has great thoughts for you. Every challenge you face is working out for your good. Praise Him in the midst of your challenges. Praise Him today because He cares. 

HAND OVER TO GOD

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3). Have you been experiencing difficulties in carrying out projects and plans? If yes, then you have not committed it to the Lord. Commitment means putting total confidence and trust in someone. That is what God expects from us, His children.

Not every good idea is God’s idea. If you work out your own idea, you will struggle but if the idea or vision is God-inspired, He will always make provision. If you run your life, family, relationship, children, job, academics, and so on by your own strength, you will struggle. Hand over everything to God. Do not depend on any man. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). Only God has the ability to bring it to pass. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

According to our opening scripture, until there is a commitment of your plans and projection to God, there is no establishment. Do you want success? Then your part is to commit it to the Lord and the Lord is able to bring it to pass and give you good success. 

FED UP!

(...continued...)

They did not waste time in their devotion. When they were done, they watched a gospel ministration on TV until it was about 7am. Mabel’s phone started blinking.

  “I forgot to remove the silent mode,” Cynthia said and gave her the phone. “It is Glory.”

  “Glory this early morning.” Mabel felt reluctant to pick it. “Is she planning to come her this early?”

  “Talk to her and know why she is calling.”

                Mabel allowed the call to drop, hoping Glory would not try again but she was mistaken. Glory redialed and she had to pick. Glory told her she was coming to see her on her way to church that morning.

  “Okay,” Mabel said and Glory hung up.

  “You are still not in the mood to see your friends,” Cynthia said.

  “No am not. I don’t want to be reminded what I am trying to forget.”

  “You can’t avoid them.”

  “I know.”

                Cynthia went to make breakfast for both of them.

  “What will you like to eat?”

  “If I can see akara and akamu, it will be nice.”

  “Do I look like someone that fries akara?” Cynthia laughed. “Tell me you don’t want to eat anything.”

  “That’s what I can take now,” Mabel said laughing also.

  “So where do I get it?”

  “Do you know Kola that sells fries?”

  “At the junction?”

  “Yes. Please help me and buy from her.”

  “Meaning what? I don’t have plans to leave you alone o.”

                Mabel burst into laughter.

  “You still think I will kill myself? Go and buy the things joor.”

                Mabel gave her some money and she left. Mabel lay back on the bed and surfed the internet. Few minutes later, Cynthia was back.

  “So soon?” Mabel asked her, looking surprised. “Did you run?”

  “No oo.”

  “Then why are you sweating?”

  “I am not.”

  “You are very funny.”

                Cynthia fixed breakfast for the two of them.

  “Will you come to church today?” Cynthia asked when they were done.

  “No. I am not in the mood for that.”

  “But church is where you need to be now.”

  “I know. But I will prefer to stay at home today.”

  “Okay if you say so. Mummy will wonder why you did not come.”

  “Tell her I am busy.”

  “That’s not good enough.”

  “Okay tell her that the cough is disturbing me.”

  “That’s better.”

                There was a knock on the door.

  “That should be Glory. Open the door for her.”

                Cynthia opened the door to let in Glory and two other friends of Mabel, Miriam and Oge.

  “Oh Mabel love,” Glory said and hugged Mabel.

                The others did the same.

  “How are you?” they asked her.

  “I am fine,” Mabel replied, spreading the bed sheet for them to sit on the bed. They sat.

  “I can see that Cynthia has been taking care of you.”

  “Yes o. what would I have done without her?”

                Miriam wanted to start talking about the incident but Glory hushed her.

  “Don’t you see that she is still hurting?”

  “Oh, sorry,” Miriam said.

  “No, it’s okay,” Mabel said. “The earlier I deal with it and let the pain out, the better for me. I can’t keep dodging it.”

  “Yes,” Oge said. “but you must not talk about it now.”

                Mabel’s countenance changed. Tears rolled down her cheek.

  “You see what I was trying to avoid,” Glory said and eyed Miriam.

  “That is bad of me,” Miriam said and pat Mabel’s back.

  “It’s okay,” Mabel said.

                Cynthia just stood, leaning on the wall. She was pinging and observing what was going on. They were silent for a while. It was Mabel who broke the silence.

(...TO BE CONTINUED)

Chinedu Isaac

FED UP!

They got their Bibles and got set to start. When they knelt down to pray, there was a bang on the door. They paused for a while. The knock came again but this time it was accompanied by the voice of a woman calling Mabel.

  “Mcheew it is Mama Risi,” Mabel said and got up from her kneeling position. “I thought it’s someone else.

  “What will she want at this time of the morning?” Cynthia asked.

  “I don’t know. She always comes but today is too early.”

                Mabel opened the door and met Mama Risi half dressed with a gele material in her hand.

  “Good morning ma,” Mabel greeted her.

  “Morning my dear. Sorry for disturbing you this early.”

  “Is it the gele?”

  “Yes o. The one you tied for me last time, my daughter scattered it.”

  “You and your daughter sef. Always spoiling your things.”

  “My dear what can I do?”

  “Come in.”

                Mabel stepped aside and let her into the room.

  “Good morning ma,” Cynthia greeted, still clutching her bible.

  “Morning Cynthia. O I stopped your morning devotion? Sorry.”

  “No problem ma.”

  “I need to be in first service so I can meet up with preparations for my village meeting in the afternoon.

                Mabel took the gele material from her, Cynthia brought a mirror and stood in front of Mama Risi who saw on a chair.

  “I forgot to check the gele until very late last night. There was no way I could come to disturb you.”

  “Mama Risi please stop explaining and keep your head straight,” Mabel said and started working on the gele.

                Mama Risi gave them tit bits on some neighbourhood gossip while Mabel and Cynthia fueled the gist. In few minutes, Mabel was done and Mama Risi thanked them and took her leave.

  “Let’s continue,” Cynthia said and started a song.

                They did not waste time in their devotion. When they were done, they watched a gospel ministration on TV until it was about 7am. Mabel’s phone started blinking.

IDEAS; POWER TO MAKE WEALTH

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18). Another rendering of the phrase power to get wealth is ideas. This is God’s major way of creating wealth today. For whatever you are doing, there are ideas that will make you work better and make you earn more. If you are in a paid job, you can have ideas that will create other streams of income for you. If you are jobless, an idea that is well applied can set you up for life financially. This happens when you have an active mind and you open yourself up to ideas.

In the scripture, God prospered them by giving them ideas and answers to problems of their environment. Jacob became wealthy because God gave him an idea of how to make spotted flocks. Joseph became wealthy in Egypt because God gave him the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream and then an idea of how to solve the problem. God prospered Daniel by giving Him ideas and he became great in Babylon. The list goes on and on.

Beloved, ideas rule the world. Beyond your academic qualifications and training, believe God for an idea that will create wealth for you. It could be a song to be released, a book to be written, a business to go into, a better strategy to get things done, and so on. Whatever it is, when the idea comes, take advantage of it and wealth will result. Apart from wealth, there are ideas to make your marriage better, bring solution to your health issues, and so on. Whatever be the case, do all you can to get an idea today.

BENEFITS OF AN ACTIVE MIND

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20). An active mind is a mind that has been worked on and put to work according to what we have learnt in the past few days. The first reward of an active mind is that God answers. God is able to do not just exceeding, but abundantly and above all that we ask or think. You see that an active mind gets speedy answer from God. Some people are afraid to think big because it has not fully dawned on them that God is omnipotent and there is no limit to what He can do for His children. It is just a matter of time. While you are thinking, He is giving directions and making provisions for the answers to your thoughts in addition to your asking. When you pray and ask, God releases the direction and blessings, but when you think, you get direction on how to go about it and how to access the released blessings. When you pray, the answer is released but when you think, the answer is downloaded.

Another benefit is seen in Genesis 11:6, “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” No man will be able to stop you; only God can stop you when your mind is active. You will set goals and achieve them no matter how difficult they are because by thinking, you will demystify problems and decode things. It will unlock your potentials. Don’t let the enemy tell you that you have a dull mind, that intelligence is for some people, that you are not an ‘A’ person but a ‘C’ or average person. All these are lies. Once you have worked on your mind and you begin to put it to work, it will surprise you what you will become.

EXERCISE YOUR MIND

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14). Beloved, even though your mind is sound and worked on, it will not produce for you unless you put it to work. This is what we will look at today. You put your mind to work when you use it and stretch its capacity. How much time do you spend each day meditating? When you do this, you are processing all the information you have gathered from both the Word of God and from books. Think of a goat’s eating habit. After it has taken enough grass, it goes and sits at a corner, regurgitates all it has eaten and begins to masticate them for better digestion, absorption and assimilation. What you meditate on becomes part of you.

Also, do you know that taking time everyday to think exercises your mind? By this I don’t mean the kind of thinking done with worry and anxiety which results in High Blood Pressure. No! I am talking about positive thinking; I am talking about vision casting; I am talking about creative thinking. Many believers have a bright future but until they sit down and think, they will walk in confusion. The solution to that problem you are facing is around you if only you can think. Many have talents and abilities but will not access them till they start using their mind. Singers think, writers and authors think, great and successful people think, and so should you. By this you will be exercising your mind and you will reap unbelievable benefits.

WORK ON YOUR MIND

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 (Timothy 1:7). The human mind is the seat of control of man. It is very powerful. It is the mind that processes information from the spirit and passes to the body. The mind determines what the body does. No wonder God said in Philemon 1:14, “But without thy mind would I do nothing;…” That is how important your mind is. Unfortunately, many believers don’t realize this and so all manner of things occupy their minds and leave them in a low state. Others don’t make any effort to develop their minds. These are wrong!

Your mind works like a computer. It is what you put in that you get from it. It is the data you put in that is processed and brings out information that leads to transformation. So it is a conscious effort. You have a duty to consistently work on your mind. According to our opening scripture, God has given you a sound mind but you have a role to play to maintain this sound mind. Don’t leave your mind empty else evil will still find a way to occupy it. The best way to work on your mind is to fill your mind with the right things. The trustworthy source of right information is the Word of God so the more you expose your mind to God’s word, the sounder it gets. Then you must be an ardent reader of good books and materials both inspirational and educational. Then always listen and pay attention to the right stuff. When this is achieved, the next thing is to put your mind to work by exercising it. The restrictions you place on your mind are what will stay. Beloved, consciously work on your mind.

GET RID OF NEGATIVE MENTALITY

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8). Of all the means of attack of the enemy like projection, oppression, possession, affliction, the worst is programming. With the first means, the enemy or the agents are present but in programming, they are not there. Evil programming is when the enemy installs a program in your mind and it keeps running and affecting how your life turns out. To better understand this, think of a computer. Someone comes with a software and installs the program into the computer and leaves. He doesn’t need to be present for the program to function. Every time you boot the computer, the program is running in the computer. The human mind is like a computer. What the enemy does to many people is to program limitations in their minds and so despite God’s plans for a glorious life, they can’t go beyond their mind-program. Some have a mind-program that ‘this is how my life should be,’ ‘this sickness runs in my family so it will affect me,’ ‘wealth is meant for others and not me,’ ‘I can never have A in any course because I am not that intelligent,’ and so on. You can’t go beyond the limitations of your mind.

Beloved, fight this negative mentality with all the spiritual weapons you can muster. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” (Psalms 119:9). There is a saying that you cannot stop a bird from flying over your head but you can stop it from perching on your head. To achieve this, Study of the Word is key; Then is prayer; Then yield to the Holy Spirit; Then be careful what you listen to; Then be mindful of the company you keep. Make it a daily routine and you will uninstall that evil program of negative mentality.

AVOID PARENTAL CURSES

 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. (Genesis 49:1). Some people struggle to make ends meet, but because they are under a curse, things seem to get harder. The verses following our opening scripture say, “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity, and the excellence of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father' bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.” (vs 3-4) Jacob cursed his son Reuben for defiling his bed. Rueben must have taken it as the words of an old man that didn’t mean anything because we are not told that he repented and sought for forgiveness. He just went on with life but with time, the curse of his father took effect in his life and lineage.

Some people today are not progressing, not because they don’t work hard but because their parents have laid curses on them knowingly or unknowingly out of pain. Most times it is not the intention of parents to place such curses but because of offences committed and pains caused, they speak words and evil spirits carry the words and follow the person, waiting for opportunities to manifest them. Proverbs 26:2 says, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” so as long as there is a cause, the curse will stand but if a child is innocent, any curse laid in ignorance or wickedness will not stand. When you insult your parents, show stubbornness, or neglect your aged parents, whatever they say will stand. In the case of Reuben, he committed the offence so the curse worked. He was the first son of his father yet he never moved forward. The curse followed him all the days of his life until God sent someone to his aid.

Beloved, are you under a parental curse? There is hope. Go back to your parents if they are still alive and make amends. If not, go to you prophet. In Deuteronomy 33:6, many years after the curse of Jacob, Moses came up and blessed Reuben, “Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.”

FED UP!

(...continued...)

  “O my God!” she exclaimed.

  “What is it?”

  “55 missed calls and 13 messages.”

  “From your friends?”

  “Yes. Mostly from my friends especially Glory. What do I do now?”

  “Return the calls.”

  “No. I am not in that mood.”

  “Then send messages.”

  “Is it necessary?”

  “Yes it is. They will be very worried.”

  “Come and do it for me.”

                She gave Cynthia the phone and told her to tell them that she is fine but needs some time alone. Cynthia replied all the messages. Some of them tried calling.

  “Don’t pick!” Mabel told her.

                Glory didn’t stop. She kept trying.

  “You can’t ignore her call,” Cynthia told Mabel.

  “Ohhm. Okay you can answer.”

                Cynthia picked and told Glory that Mabel was not in the mood to pick calls. Glory insisted on speaking with Mabel, so Mabel had to take the phone. She reassured Glory that she was fine. After a long talk which Mabel was not listening to, Glory promised to come and see Mabel the following day and then hung up.

  “Please don’t pick any other call,” Mabel told Cynthia, giving the phone back to her.

  “What about mummy?”

  “Call her let me speak with her.”

  “You are sure your voice will not betray you?”

  “No. if she picks up anything wrong, I will tell her I have cough. Simple.”

                Mabel spoke with her mum with as much calmness as she could muster, yet her mum discovered that something was wrong. Mabel covered up immediately with her ‘cough’ story which her mum bought. She promised to come and see her mum the following day. Her mum psyched her by asking whether she saw Cynthia. She wanted to say ‘yes’ but Cynthia nudged her and she got herself and told her that Cynthia must be in church. After talking for a while, she hung up. She gave the phone back to Cynthia and lay on the bed. Cynthia plugged the phone back to charge, put it on silent mode and lay beside Mabel on the bed. Soon, Mabel slept off. Cynthia pinged for a while and slept off.

                That night was Mabel’s worst night. She had a rough sleep. She had nightmares and kept turning from side to side. Cynthia was woken up by the moan coming Mabel. She felt sorry for her sister who was visibly suffering. She checked the time. It was 3:11 am. She decided not to sleep. However, she couldn’t cheat nature and slept off. The next time she woke up, it was the sound of the bathroom door that woke her. She turned to where Mabel was lying and didn’t see her. She jumped up from the bed and checked the time. It was 5:44 am. She pushed the bathroom door open and met Mabel sitting on the WC.

  “O sorry.” Cynthia said and went out, but stood by the door.

  “Mcheew.” Mabel hissed and smiled. “My body guard. What are you thinking?”

  “Don’t mind me.”

  “If I still wanted to kill myself, do you know how many times I got up in the night?”

                Mabel came out.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she said.

  “Eiyaa. I understand.”

  “I am glad you stayed with me. The nightmares got me scared but whenever I opened my eyes and saw you, I relaxed.

  “It is well. Don’t worry, you will be fine.”

                Mabel looked out of the window. Darkness was speedily giving way to daylight.

  “It is almost dawn,” she said. “There is no need trying to sleep again.”

  “I will still sleep but let’s do morning devotion,” Cynthia suggested.

  “You and sleep.”

  “What can one do?”

  “Then sleep. When you wake up we will do our devotion.”

  “Let’s do it now. No need waiting.”

  “Okay.”

                They got their bibles and got set to start. When they knelt down to pray, there was a bang on the door. 

(...to be continued...)

Chinedu Isaac

IS YOUR LOVE COLD?

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:12). According to our opening scripture, one of the characteristics of the last days is that the love of many will wax cold. In other words, the passion and zeal of people for the things of God will go down. People will prefer watching movies to watching Godly channels and messages; they will prefer going to meetings and hanging out with friends to attending services and spending time with brethren; they will prefer spending money on carnal and material things than on spiritual and godly things; they will prefer chatting and browsing with their phones to studying their bibles, and so on.

Beloved, don’t let this scripture be fulfilled in your life. Don’t get too busy to have time for God. For some people, their loves grows cold because of persecution; they are too discouraged to love God, while for others, it is the blessing that they get that begins to quench their love; they don’t have time for God again. The scripture sums it up this way, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39). Don’t let the events of the end time catch you unaware. Be sober and vigilant always so your love will not wax cold due to the abundance of iniquity.

FED UP!

(...continued...)

She picked her phone to dial her mum.

  “You think she will not be worried?” Mabel asked.

  “She is used to staying alone. You will also speak with her later just so she will hear your voice.”

  “Did you tell her you were coming here?”

  “No. I had to cut short our rehearsal in church because my mind was not at rest. That’s where I told her I was going”

  “Then tell her you are spending the night with me.”

  “No o. she will get worried. All the times I spend weekend here, I tell her ahead of time.”

 “It’s true. I just hope she doesn’t pick up the signal. I don’t have strength for her BP issues.”

  “She will not.”

                Cynthia dialed and spoke with her mum. Her mum was surprised at first but after Cynthia convinced her that all was well and that it was an all-night prayer program, she relaxed. She just advised Cynthia to be careful and greet Mabel for her.

  “Have you spoken with her today?” Cynthia asked Mabel when she hung up.

  “Hmm. I didn’t speak with her before the incident and I couldn’t have called her with the way I was.”

  “You also need to call her so she will not be worried.”

  “I will do that now.”

  “No. wait a little. She might suspect that I am with you and will wonder what the problem is.”

  “okay. Help me look for my phone.”

                Cynthia tried dialing Mabel’s line.

  “It should be switched off.”

  “I forgot.”

                Cynthia searched her handbag but didn’t see the phone. Mabel got up to help her look for the phone. They searched her bed side, and other places but didn’t see it. The there was power outage.

  “Ohhhm. NEPA why na?” Cynthia exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry, the light will soon come back.”

                Mabel got the rechargeable lamp and they continued the search for the phone.

  “Where did I keep the phone?”

  “Did you throw it away?”

  “I don’t remember throwing it out of the window. It should be in this room.”

                Cynthia checked under the bed and saw the phone.

  “What is your phone doing under the bed?”

  “I think it is when I was rolling on the floor crying.”

                Cynthia tried to power it on but it refused.

  “The battery is dead.”

  “So how will you call mummy?”

  “Did you come with your power bank?”

  “No. now you see why you should buy one.”

  “Light is steady here.”

  “So what will you do now?”

  “Wait till the light comes back.”

                Cynthia looked out of the window. The whole estate was dark save for few houses whose generator were on.

  “I need to shower,” Mabel said.

  “Ok but leave the bathroom door open.”

  “You really think I still want to kill myself,” Mabel said laughing.

  “To be on the safe side. Let me clear the bathroom before you go.” She went into the bathroom ahead of Mabel and removed the suicide materials that were still left there. “You can now go.”

                Mabel laughed and went to bath.

  “What do I prepare for you?” Cynthia asked her.

  “I am not hungry.”

  “No. you need to eat something.”

  “Don’t worry, I may just eat some slices of bread.”

  “Okay. If you say so.”

                Cynthia boiled noodle and egg for two of them just in case the aroma makes Mabel change her mind. When Mabel came out, she managed and ate one egg and three slices of bread. While they were eating, light came back. Cynthia rushed and plugged in Mabel’s phone and tried powering it on.

  “Let it charge for a while.” Mabel told her. “That’s when it will come on.”

                After a while of charging, Mabel switched on her phone.

  “O my God!” she exclaimed.

(..to be continued...)

Chinedu Isaac

YOU ARE SET APART

But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. (Psalms 4:3). The only reason why God will hear when you call Him is because your are godly and then you are set apart. For you to be set apart means you are meant for a particular purpose. This being the case, there is a way you should live your life, there is a limit to what you can do, but there is no limit to the blessings that will result. As someone set apart, you cannot be found everywhere unbelievers go, you cannot do the things they do, and you cannot live the way they live.

Know that every believer is set apart. The scripture says in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” This shows the status of believers who are set apart and the characteristic of their lives; chosen, royal priesthood, holy, perculiar, and so on. The next verses talk about the requirements of the believer who is set apart, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” These are the requirements of one who is set apart. Live your life with these in mind and whenever you call, God will hear you.