DEBORAH'S EPISTLE

 When I was younger, I remembered visiting a marble company, There I saw different stages of how the marble is being processed and finally done. I remembered that the several stages in the production was allocated to different people to ensure a smooth and successful completion of the marble. While I was reading through the books of Mathew 20, the phrase workers in the vineyards caught my attention and this reminded me of my introductory story. Here, we are made to see an illustration of individuals working in a vineyard to achieve a common goal and how they are  paid the same wages at the end of the day. What does this mean to us as believers? just as the bible records it in 1 Cor 12: 1-27, we are all different parts of the same body working towards the same goal of populating the kingdom of God, we should not overestimate ourselves. In Mathew 20, the bible records it that those that have been working in the vineyard since dawn and those who just joined an hour to the end of ...

                                       Going through the books of Joel, The word new wine caught my attention. What does it symbolizes? The book of Joel made it known that scripturally, a new wine can be likened to Joy. In today's world where depression is raging amidst different age groups, it is an undeniable fact that almost everyone knows the importance of genuine joy to humanity. A feeling that is of an inestimable value! Joel chapter 1 and 2 emphasizes on the reproach faced by the children of Israel due to their disobedience causing the new wine dry up which eventually led to spiritual declination and making them a prey in the hands of their enemies. This symbolically means due to our disobedience as children of God, we could loose our inheritance before Abba which we had from time being ( Joel 1:10). Have we ever thought of a point in our lives, where things were so easy for us, or...

A father who lives in the diaspora once had a son and for some reasons his son cannot come along with him. Nevertheless, he kept on investing and was lucrative in his business. This man got a guardian to keep his son in track while he was away and he wrote his will so that when he is away permanently his possession could be given to his child by the guardian on reaching a specified age written in his will. He did this so that the child could be rightly led and could have come of age not to mismanage the properties. Going through the books of Galatians, I had a deeper understanding of God's laws and God's promises. Firstly, we have sins, laws and promises. Literally, Sin is anything detestable to God, God's laws are the guidance from God given alongside the promise to reveal to people their sins (Gal 3:19). God's law was given until the fulfilment of the promise. God's promise is simply grace in the human form of Christ Jesus. Going back to my introductory story, the...

 When I was in primary school I was part of the girls guide. we usually go for weekend camping in any agreed location and I remember that whenever we were at camp, we always have the camp fire at night and everyone will be dancing around it. Whenever the fire goes down, we will put leaves and some other petrochemical substances to enable it burn well. Going through the books of Mathew 25, the story of the 10 virgins ignited a spark in me and I realized instantly that to keep anything burning, we need substances to fuel it up just as we did at the camp whenever the camp fire goes down. Also, most of us have generators in our various homes and I can imagine how much we would feel helpless when we cannot get fuel to power our generators especially when we have a very interesting show coming up or a football match and the electricity distribution company decided to keep the light off. Brethren, reading through Mathew 25: 1-13, we would have a better understanding of what it means to fu...

                              In General terms, the price attached to a product or service is the value of such product or service. This explains why priority is placed on some products or services than the other. The fluctuation in exchange rate of different countries to another gives a deeper understanding of the value attached to different country's currencies. The economists say the price of a commodity confers value on such commodity. A person with a thousand dollar undoubtedly has more purchasing power than another with a thousand naira.  Speaking of what the price of destiny means, we can say it is the value of destiny, the sacrifice needed to pay before attaining a glorious destiny.When I mean sacrifice this is not some sort of ritual but what we have to let go or put in place to attain our glorious destinies because as children of God, we all are entitled to glorious destinies as this is His will fo...

 If someone wants to write and pass an examination, I want to believe that a successful candidate will want to ensure that no stone is left to guarantee such individual's success. I remembered a scenario I found myself during my final examination. You know that euphoria of "I am now a finalist" did grip me and I failed to prepare adequately before the final examination day and the funniest part was I was trusting in seat formation as we always say then in Uni as I believed that if I could have a good seat arrangement I would tap from my colleagues who were more knowledgeable. Behold, a very strict invigilator was in attendance that fateful day and the whole plan was distorted. Remembering this issue and going through the books of Esther, Daniel and 2nd Chronicles gave me a deeper understanding of the three words "Behind the Scenes". What does this even mean scripturally? Before I give a definition I would like to make another illustration to buttress my earlier ...

                                       Biblically, a mystery is a secret that is engraved on the pages of the scriptures and revealed through the divine spirit of God. The Bible made us see how the children of God were delivered from the Egyptian's bondage. The Book of Exodus chapter 12 revealed how the Israelites were instructed by Abba through Moses on steps to take to get their freedom from the slave master, In verse 21 they were told to specifically kill a lamb serving as the Passover according to each family and its blood used on the lintel of each Israelite doorpost so that when the angel of destruction is destroying the firstborns of the Egyptians they will be left out.  A simple question to ask is what is the significance of this to today's Christians? The mystery of the Passover hinges on the fact that there has to be bloodshed for the efficacy of the Passover (Hebrews 9;18)...

 Have you ever taken advice from anyone be it your friends, teacher, family, or sibling? If the answer is yes, then this is a must-read for you. Counselors are people who have expertise in giving advice about various life issues or challenges. I remembered when I was in secondary school we had a guidance and counseling tutor which we all reach out to as regards our academics but no matter how she must have tried, she never did up to the Wonderful counselor which is Christ Jesus. As much as we have counselors in the world, we also have the true counselor which is Christ Jesus no wonder what we have in the book of (Isaiah chp 9:6). Christ was named as the wonderful counselor which denotes that we have counselors in the secular world, we also have spiritual counselor(s) who gives advice on important matters in our lives. Examples of those who had to receive one or two counsels from people around them in the scriptures and the outcome will be quickly talked about. Eve, the mother of al...

 Bread comes in different shapes and sizes, growing up I must say I have had to see and eat different types of bread be it agege bread ( the one that goes sweetly with Ewa Agonyin), slice bread, twin bread, cake bread, coconut bread, sardine bread and there was even a particular bread called "ice cream" bread in my Uni days. All of these breads listed above have their own ingredients and flavor which makes it unique to people who buy them. Biblically, the true bread of God represents Jesus Christ which is the word of God no wonder what we have in the scriptures according to John chapter 1. In the books of John chapter 6, we were made to see how the Lord fed over 5000 people with 12 baskets of remnant loaves, and due to this, the crowd was looking for him as they wanted more of the food and not the word of God.  The bible recorded that he was aware of their intentions and encouraged them to seek Him who was the bread of life so they could no longer hunger and thirst again. The...

                                      The Bible records in the books of Genesis the account of the creation. In the very first verse of the first chapter, it says "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". This is an automatic revelation that God is the Creator of all creations. We can simply say he is the brain behind every creation and invention in the entire universe. This is also supported by the Book of John chapter 1 which revealed God created everything in the world by His word and this same word was God Himself. What a marvel! Also, the book reveals that it was this same word that gave life to everything that was created, and this life was the light of men which means before His predominance there was darkness all over.  One thing that baffles me is that God made man the head of His creation, why do men after knowing this truth decide to worship the creations mo...

A cistern biblically is more like a pit dug to access or to hold water. In the book of Jeremiah chapter 2:13, it was recorded that the so-called children of God were caught up in the act of making a broken cistern for themselves which cannot hold water. I want to believe when a thing cannot fulfill its aim of being set up, it can then be agreed upon that such a thing is useless and does not require much of our time.  Imagine exercising a lot of energy to dig a well and then water gets dried up in it almost every day and so what is the essence, when one can easily get a drilling machine to tap into the source of water. Abba spoke to prophet Jeremiah to speak to the people and inquire why are they exercising such futile energy when they can easily turn to the fountain of living water. Their sins had blinded them and they had forgotten their creator. This scenario tells about the impact of water even in our day-to-day activities. I doubt if any human can survive without water. Spiritu...

  To say something is defiled simply means such a thing is polluted. Imagine a mother giving out fruits to her children and one of the children gets one that has been bitten seriously by insects while others get a good one, I am very sure the child will go back to have a change of his fruit. If I was in the child's shoes I will feel dejected. Speaking of a defiled sacrifice scripturally it means offering a polluted sacrifice to the Ancient of days. This is something that is not to be taken with levity hands. In the scriptures, John chapter 1, says in the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God himself was the Word..... we were made to see that Abba created the entire universe so why offer Him the least of all he puts in our care? Are we not aware He owns both the offeror and the offered so why the incessant struggle in giving Him what befits Him. In the book of Genesis chapter 4, Cain due to his stinginess and negligence attracted an eternal curse on himself as ...

I was going through the books of 1 Peter 2:11 and coming across temporary residents and foreigners got me fascinated. In my head, I was like so there is also a word which backs "Japa" in the bible. Later as I progressed, I had the understanding that brother Paul was admonishing the so-called foreigners who are God's chosen people living in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. A sojourner is someone who stays in a place temporarily or Japa as we would say. Brother Paul was making the foreigners then aware in his epistle to them of the challenges in which they will face as a result of being in a foreign land however, what the bible says in John 16:33 is an assurance of our faith in Christ Jesus. Thinking ahead, we all are sojourners on this planet and there is no iota of doubt about that because no matter how long a person lives on earth he/she is expected to exit at some point especially when the person grows old. As a result of this, bearing i...

  Rebellion is simply not following authority or laws, going contrary to the laid rules and regulations. Speaking of rebellion to God, it simply means not regarding God's authority over humanity, not following his commandments and most particularly committing several atrocities.  Rebellion to the Father largely comes in form of sins, going through the book of Ezekiel (chapter 2:3), the children of Israel were described as a rebellious nation, an impudent nation and stiff-hearted people.  Abba sent Ezekiel to warn the Israelites of their rebellious act as the Lord of Hosts made it known that they and their Fathers are full of transgressions which God could not bear as His face cannot behold iniquity. Going further, He instructed the prophet to take his warnings to them as against His day of visitation so they can turn away from their evil ways and call unto the Kings of kings. The Israelites were most rebellious in the sense that they worshipped lesser gods thereby underes...

  Reading through the books of Ezekiel, It made me remember when I was much younger, I visited my granny's house and unknown to me they just got two new dogs to watch over the house, my very small self was just bouncing inside the compound as usual as I was not aware there were new watchdogs in the house. Immediately they saw me they started barking and running towards to me and I took to my heels and this automatically made my grandparents aware that something was going on outside as the dogs passed the message appropriately. This particular story struck my heart when I came across the word "Watchman" in chapter 33. It could be seen there in that watchmen are typically chosen to keep watch over people, the Israelites in this case just as my grandparents got themselves two dogs to secure their home to the best of the dogs capabilities and the dogs did not default based on the the encounter I had with them.  Going further, we  were made to see that watchmen spiritually are...

             If I have a heap of clothes I want to wash, I want to believe that I have to start washing the clothes by picking a particular cloth, wash it until I get across to other clothes. At times, one could have preference on how the clothes are being selected to be washed, it could be based on how much value one places on the cloth, or the type and nature of such cloth involved. Well, this does not mean that other clothes will not be washed it just happens that the cloth picked first will be washed before the rest. This scenario ushers us into what is called a chosen generation scripturally. In the books of 1peter 2:9-10, we were made to see the true picture of what it means to be a chosen generation. We were made to see that the Israelites were a chosen generation not because of their strength or capabilities but due to his unconditional love and most importantly He remembered the covenant He had with their father (Deut 7:7-8). Looking at the ab...

  I don't know if some of us have been in a situation or dilemma which is really depressing and such that along the line the outcome of such situation is so positive that we would be eventually thanking God for making us pass through those times. I remembered a very tight situation I was in a particular year, it involved me taking a decision I never knew it would be very hard to live by the consequence. I felt really bad, even if the decision I made seemed right but the consequence was really depressing truth be told and I kept on wondering if there was a need for that particular decision, unknown to me it was a preparation for what is ahead of me, and I discovered this about 2 years after the whole incidence. Going further, the story of Esther in the scriptures gave me an insight to the reason some things are needful to happen in our lives. Looking at how she became the queen, how tiring and unrealistic the whole process would be before she emerged as the queen little did she know...

Fellow soldiers call themselves comrades. This got me fascinated when I came across a particular hymn, CAC-hymn 723 ( ho, my comrades..). Looking at the lyrics of the hymn, it sounded more like there's a situation of war on ground and comrades are being enjoined to endure and keep fighting for their master is at hand as this signifies the long awaited victory. I want to  believe that in a situation of war, soldiers generally would have learnt how to hold the forth if they truly want victory because therein lies their strength.  To hold forth scripturally simply means holding on to our righteousness. it typically means" not  to loose guard" as we youths of nowadays will have it said. Holding forth is a continuous process which requires a lot of dedication, patience and resilience. when we engage in this, we might not get the reward instantly but we should be convinced that our master who is Christ Jesus is by the corner and behold our rewards is with Him no wonder a line o...

I never knew a man could die twice. I mean someone giving up the ghost twice, This sounds very funny, unrealistic and at the same time it sounds strange. Everybody is aware of the situation when a man is proclaimed dead. First and foremost, such individual cannot breathe again, move his or her body in short the person is lifeless. When this tragic event occurs to an individual, such is to be taken away from his/her loved ones and buried. I am extremely sure this is the understanding most of us have when we hear that a person is dead. Talking of the second death, does it now means that such person who has earlier died will repeat the same process? A candid answer to this can be found in the books of revelations 20:14. We were made to understand what the second death indicates. Scripturally, it means the lake of fire. Here, we were told that anyone whose name will not be found in the book of Life such individual will experience the second death. How is it to for a person to have a portio...

Talking about accursed, It simply means under a curse or under a spell. Biblically, accursed also means a curse or under a spell. An accursed thing can be said as such thing that is under a curse or under a spell. Speaking further of the accursed thing, when we read through our bible in the books of Joshua chapter 7: 1- end we would get a full insight to what it is meant for a thing to be accursed, it's implication for those who are in harbor of it. We were made to see how the Lord instructed the Israelites not to take a single thing of the destroyed Jericho for it was accursed. There was a man, Achan a covetous fellow who had to take of the thing that was earlier instructed by the Ancient of days not to be touched. What was the consequence of this?  The Israelites generally had to pay for this great misconduct that Achan committed. The funniest thing was that the whole of Israel had to suffer defeat from a lesser community they had underestimated as a result of Israel's prior ...