Pastor Corner
Stewarding your finances
Welcome again dear harvesters to the month of May. It will be a month where you will enjoy supernatural help from God in Jesus name. You will be divinely aided by the supernatural ability and divine intelligence that comes from the Holy Spirit within you in Jesus name!
My intention this month is to draw your attention to a very crucial subject that most of us will rather prefer that pastors do not talk about, especially because of the many abuses and wrong teachings that have been popularised in the body of Christ. Even as I have decided to go on this journey, I am aware of the attended risk of being labelled a pastor that is after the money of God’s people. Yet, I have a sense of responsibility in God to teach and train God’s people in matters that help them live a victorious and productive lives especially in the area of finances.
It’s important we talk about finances, especially knowing that Jesus did a lot of teaching in that direction. Another thing I have observed in my study of the bible is that the only thing that has the capacity to compete with God in our lives is MONEY. Jesus said you cannot serve God and Mammon. What you will find in these series of teachings is how you can put money where it belongs and never allow it to master or dominate you.
Truth is a lot of people have been slaves to money today because of the place they have put money in their lives. They work the job they do not like in order to make ends meet, they kill and defraud other people because of monetary gain, they engage in so many vices and corrupt practices just to be able to have money. Money gives a false sense of security that makes you feel that the more of it you have, the safer you are.
Our relationship with money starts from the understanding of what it means to be a Steward which I will be unpacking this month as we delve into the teaching on finances. Who is therefore a steward? A steward is a person who manages someone else’s property, finances, or other affairs. As Christians, we are stewards, and we need to recognise that the money we have is not really ours; it’s a gift from God. It is a trust in our care. When we learn to see money from that perspective, then we are well positioned for the true riches that come from God. (Luke 16:11).
The children of Israel without knowing the purpose of the gold that they took from Egypt based on the favour of God eventually made idols of the items. Yet, God had instructed Moses while he was on the mountain on what to do with the gold he blessed them with. That’s what we do when we lack understanding of stewardship. Idolatry! We let the blessing mock the blesser by making idols of them. God hates idols! The first of the ten commandments that we were given was that no one else should replace him. No wonder, Moses burns with anger when he witnessed idolatry. Same thing with Paul in Acts 17 when he was uncomfortable at the sight of idolatry in Athens.
Think about this scripture as I close this article; Luke 16:10-13 (NKJV); “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
I call you blessed!
Children’s Corner
Title
Let’s Confess Together!
Welcome Children !!!! You are welcome to another exciting episode of learning with FLOAT newsletter.
My name is Amaka and now that holiday is over, we shall all be confessing today as we have all gone back to school. I have a short confession I’ll like you all to repeat after me.
- I am a child of God, God is the strength of my life. I can do anything with Jesus in me (Ps. 27:1; Phil. 4:13).
- I love others because you first loved me (Eph. 5:2).
- I am taught of the Lord, and His peace belongs to me (Isa. 54:13).
- I am an overcomer! Your word makes me a winner all the time (2 Cor. 2:14).
- Jesus is my light. I will let my light shine all the time so everyone can see Jesus in me (John 1:4; Matt. 5:16).
- Thank You for forgiving me of everything bad I’ve ever done and for taking sickness away from my life so I can be well and praise You (Ps. 103:2-3).
- I will give thanks and sing praises to the Lord all the time (Ps. 92:1).
- I will always respect and obey my father and mother so my life will be long and good (Ex. 20:12).
- Thank You, Father that Your angels watch over my. Any weapon that is aimed at me will be turned away (Isa. 54:17, Ps. 91)
- Thank You, Father that Your angels watch over my. Any weapon that is aimed at me will be turned away (Isa. 54:17)
AMEN !!!!
Development corner
Resilience
Resilience is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary as “the ability of people or things to recover quickly from unpleasant situations such as shock, injury, etc.”
Today, we would be discussing how important being resilient is in our lives.
It is normal for a person to become overwhelmed by what they are going through. Many times, most people want to be left alone. They spend their time mulling over the past…
- “I should have done this…”
- “If I had done it this way, maybe things would have turned out differently…”
Retracing your steps is actually a good thing, the problem however, is the time you spend doing it. Being resilient means acknowledging your past mistakes, learning what you can from it and moving on to the next phase.
If Queen Esther (Esther Chapter 8) had not been resilient, she would have given up due to the many obstacles she faced. If she had given up, what would have become of the Israelites?
Nelson Mandela once said “do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”. This demonstrates that a successful man is a resilient man.
Quiz
|
D |
B |
N |
E |
M |
O |
W |
D |
X |
E |
|
H |
O |
Q |
W |
F |
T |
Z |
C |
C |
I |
|
S |
L |
O |
V |
I |
N |
G |
N |
O |
P |
|
F |
U |
S |
H |
E |
R |
E |
W |
T |
A |
|
G |
A |
E |
M |
R |
I |
Q |
K |
W |
T |
|
Z |
V |
M |
B |
L |
E |
C |
J |
G |
I |
|
J |
X |
A |
I |
Y |
M |
H |
S |
B |
E |
|
P |
H |
S |
C |
L |
O |
J |
T |
L |
H |
|
G |
E |
H |
T |
M |
Y |
I |
V |
O |
T |
|
R |
A |
N |
E |
L |
Q |
E |
C |
A |
M |
Women, Patient, Loving, Family, SHE, Motherhood, Resilience, Home.
Health corner
A disguised blessing when recognised early
When a fertilised egg implants and develops outside the uterus, usually in one of the fallopian tubes, it is called an ectopic pregnancy and accounts for 2% of all naturally conceived pregnancies. Pregnancies that develop outside of the uterus will not survive and will either end naturally or with medical intervention, this is regarded as a miscarriage.
Ectopic pregnancy can be a fatal disease if not identified and treated in time. This is because the embryo’s growth can lead to rupturing of the space it’s occupying, resulting in internal bleeding and increased infection risk.
Some individuals with an ectopic pregnancy have no symptoms until it is too late; that is after a rupture has occurred, which might be between weeks 8-12. The symptoms are abdominal / back pain, dizziness or weakness, and vaginal bleeding. Surgery is required to remove the ruptured organ, which leaves the patient with one side of their reproductive system untouched (females have both left and right reproductive organs) and working normally.
Early detection helps to better manage the condition with a reduced need for surgical intervention and an option to use drug medication to flush out the unsustainable pregnancy. Therefore, it is important to know your body well, and be able to detect early changes that may indicate that you’re pregnant. i.e. late period, breast tenderness, skin glowing, etc. Once a pregnancy is confirmed with a blood test, an ultrasound scan should be offered. If it isn’t, and you have any reasons to think you might be at risk make sure to request one.
There are multiple risk factors that increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy, such as: pelvic inflammatory disease, pregnancy with an IUD, previous ectopic pregnancy, age over 35, tobacco and a few more.
James 1:17 “and this is the confidence that we have towards him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
For anyone that has experienced this, we encourage you to freely let go of the unviable embryo, with the confidence that you are stronger and will still go on to multiply.
Fun Facts
Biblical poetry
God’s Baby
Daddy look at me, see my smile
From ear-to-ear I grin with happiness
My mind is free of worry
My angels dance circles around me
I am bloated, expanding with love not gas
I am close to floating, I’m God’s baby
Daddy look at me, I stand firm
Unshaken by the world’s fast pace
My mind is fixated on God’s word
Finding stability in his teachings
My confidence makes me attractive
The ladies call me magnetic and masculine
My mother calls me God’s son
Daddy look at me, my skin is glowing
As they admire my glow, they wink at me
Believing that my new radiance is due to his love
And it is, the combination of human love and God’s love is powerful
It elevates my mind to a level where nothing seems impossible
The mixture of combined love, reduces my doubts
It diminishes my fear
It makes any space, feel like a princess room
So I giggle and blush, when they call me beautiful
Knowing fully well, that my daddy calls me God’s daughter
Daddy looks at you, and says you are precious
He formed you from a complex-complimentary connecting of cells
His love multiplied you
Giving room for your growth
As he nourished you, he whispered to you
Telling you the wonders you were going to experience
You started your journey as God’s baby,
And that you shall remain
Conclusion
Holiness means separating from the world and consecrating oneself to the Lord. It is a state of consistent purity and uprightness.
God demands this quality from us which helps us to stay in alignment with the will of God.
How to Live a Holy Life:
- Knowing that sin is a reproach to God and us
- Being dead to sin
- Allowing the love of Christ to inspire us
- Knowing that God announces the lovers of Holiness
- Understanding that sin causes young believers to stumble
- Accepting that holiness benefits us
- Knowing that holiness produces confidence in us
- Accepting that holiness is a commandment from God.
Unholy living blurs spiritual vision, guilt in these moments can give Dayan access to us and make us miss God’s purpose for our lives. So whilst it is important to attempt to live a holy life, it is equally important to seek forgiveness when we step out because being spiritually pure will be an uphill battle.
Upcoming Events
May to June 2024
Activities outside of the regular Sunday services
- Three days of Glory: 1-3 May
- S.H.E Conference: 4-5 May (John you can remove this event from the list if you have a image version of it)
- Holy Ghost Meeting, GHQ Ibadan: 8-12 May
- Leaders Training: 18 May
- Children’s Day celebration / Family Conference: 19 May
- Hour of Grace & Evangelism: 25 May
- Three days of Glory: 1-3 June
- Evangelism: 8 June
- Hour of Grace & Evangelism: 29 June
- Faith Conference: 29 June
