THE SIN OF PORNOGRAPHY

PORN was not made for entertainment or fun it was made
purposely to destroy both the actors and their viewers. It
feeds man with lust and makes him hungry for more. That
is what result in masturbation and all abominable sexual act.
Ignorant men and women love to watch it for fun not
knowing that they are inviting demons of lust to themselves.
It is a great doorway for demonic
entrance. They don't need to have spare keys to be in your
room. They only need you to watch their product and they
will come in through the walls! If you sit down alone to
watch something on the TV please have it in mind that you
are not alone. There are evil beings looking out for your
weaknesses to attack you. When demons get to
know that you are weak in a particular area, they will make
it difficult for you to overcome
it. You will understand why people keep on falling back into
the same sin over and over again!
The good news is, you can still win and
overcome! in Jesus. Through discipline, prayer
and fasting. Otherwise, those demons will put
stumbling blocks in your paths to trap you so
we can't afford to be careless friends.
Too many men and women are hooked to porn and are
struggling to
overcome it after seeing the damaging side of it.
Even some pastors fall into it. We should know
that the actors are being used by demons to go
to that extreme to degrade their bodies.
Married men and women who get addicted to porn find it
difficult to sleep with their own spouses, young men and
young ladies who are not married will also masturbate.
Porn is very addictive, it is easy to watch but
hard to walk away from. They have labelled it
as *"adult channel"*
it isn't so it is *abominable channel!!*
A colleague of mine told me years
back that it is alright to watch porn with your
spouse if you are married, that was a lie! I disagreed with
him. I wasn't as ignorant as he was. If Jesus wouldn't watch
why should we? knowing that we are His bride and His
temple.
People who watch porn end up having strong
irresistible sexual urges, because they have
invited the demon of lust to live in them. Once the spirit
brings up the desire you can't stand the pressure but do it
with whoever you get,
whether your close relative, a child or even animal .
This has ended many into prison.
The rate at which sex offenders are increasing is
alarming in our society. Friends, close your eyes from
watching obscene pictures before it destroys you. Some
people have the nerves to
post porn's on Christian sites on Facebook and other social
media. Please delete or block such people straight
away! They are sending people to hell!.
A man who was addicted to porn
confessed that his whole life was destroyed by it. It distorted
his
image on how he viewed women. He saw women as
nothing more than mere *"sex tools"*
*Romans 6:13*
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves God, as those
that are alive from the dead and your members of
righteousness unto God"
What will help one to overcome this sin is the holy fear of
God in a man, knowing that it will be a shame to set your
eyes on vulgar images
when the Lord is seated next you.
PORN IS DEADLY!!! Destroy it before it destroys you.
Keep yourself pure!!! You are God's temple!!!!
*PLS SHARE TO SAVE A SOUL.
{OKONKWO JOYCE NORAH}

THE DECEITFULNESS AND DANGERS OF MASTURBATION

Masturbation is both deceptive and extremely
dangerous. The deceit in masturbation is that
many believers indulging in it assume that it is
not sinful because it does not involve another
person. That is exactly why satan has found
masturbation a potent tool to destroy the lives
and purpose of the Children of God. Satan is
happy to keep you deceived while you
masturbate your soul away.
You must know that sexual sin is not an act but
a state of your heart. Jesus said, “But I say unto
you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28 KJV) So the
fact that you did not actually have sex with a
person does not mean you cannot commit sexual
sin. In fact, the sexual act is a physical
manifestation of a sin that has taken place in the
heart.
Let me quickly share with you some of the
dangers of Masturbation.
Masturbation is a sexual sin and it is a sin
against your body because it defiles you.
Remember, the Holy Spirit dwells in the body of
a believer. To commit sexual sin is to defile your
body and sin greatly against your own self. The
Bible says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a
man doeth is without the body; but he that
committeth fornication sinneth against his own
body. What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1
Corinthians 6:18-19 KJV)
Masturbation opens your life up for demonic
operations and attack. Sinful habits are
attractive to demons. By willingly indulging in
such sin, you invariably give them the authority
to manipulate and influence you. The Bible says,
“He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso
breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite
him.” (Ecclesiastes 10:8 KJV)
Masturbation will kill your prayer life. The devil
really loves this. You cannot finish masturbating
and raise your hands to God to worship and pray.
Guilt will not allow you to pray. Masturbation is a
tool in the hand of satan to destroy the prayer
life of believers thereby making them weak. The
Bible says, “I will therefore that men pray every
where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
doubting.” (1 Timothy 2:8 KJV)
Unless your conscience becomes seared,
masturbating will constantly make you live in
guilt. It takes the joy of the Lord away from you
and gives you a guilty conscience. It basically
makes a mess of your life. A guilty conscience
will drive you away from the presence of God. It
was guilty conscience that made Adam hide
himself from God after he sinned. Masturbation
allows your conscience to torment you. The
Bible says, “Holding faith, and a good
conscience; which some having put away
concerning faith have made shipwreck:” (1
Timothy 1:19 KJV)
Masturbation keeps you from seeing God. The
Bible says blessed are the pure in heart for they
shall see God. (Matthew 5:8) The evil thought
and imaginations that usually go with
masturbation corrupt and defile your heart.
Masturbation is addictive. The devil does not just
want you to commit sin; he also wants you to be
trapped in sin. Many are trapped with the sin of
masturbation. They wanna come out of it but
they keep going back to it. It is addictive. It
takes only the power of Christ to break the yoke
of sin. Your determination and self-will will
consistently fail you. The Bible says, “Thou hast
forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone
backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand
against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with
repenting.” (Jeremiah 15:6 KJV)
Masturbation brings about self-shame. It is a
shameful act. One that you cannot proudly
discuss with anyone. The worst of shame is self-
shame. Though unknown to others, it fills your
entire being and you constantly feel shameful
and dirty. Such shame destroys your self-
esteem. The Bible says, What fruit had ye then in
those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for
the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:21
KJV)
If you are into ministry, masturbation will render
you powerless. You won’t be able to help people
with unclean spirits because the devil cannot
cast out the devil. There is even the danger of
being overcome by demons when you attempt to
cast them out. Masturbation, therefore, lives you
exposed and vulnerable in ministry. When you
preach righteousness or holiness, satan, will
remind you of your own secret sinful habit. Do
not allow evil spirits to ask you this question,
“And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I
know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts
19:15 KJV)
The person who masturbates lives a secret life.
You keep watching your back when no one is
after you. You keep looking for a private moment
and a secluded space for you to perform the
habit. You are constantly on the watch when you
should be at peace. You have to buy some of the
materials you use in masturbating discreetly
because no one must know about it. You are
living a double life. The Bible say, “The wicked
flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous
are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1 KJV)
Lastly, just like any other sin, masturbation is a
sin and God’s eyes are too holy to behold
iniquity. You risk the wrath of God. You also risk
going to hell fire. The worst of it all, you risk
kicking God out of your life. The Bible says,
“Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that
it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have
hid his face from you, that he will not
hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2 KJV)
You may have struggled with it for years but it
can end today by the power in the name of
Jesus Christ. Repent and accept Jesus Christ as
your Lord and Saviour and ask Him for the grace
to walk in purity. You can contact your Bible,A Good Holiness Pastor or me for further
counselling. God bless you.
#Share_it

{OKONKWO JOYCE NORAH}

PARENTS HAVE GONE WILD: BLEACHING CHILDREN'S SKIN

Parents Gone Wild: Bleaching Children's Skin:
by Oluseye Igbafe
I heard about this for the first time a year ago at the birthday party of a friend's child. One of our mutual friends walked up to me and after pleasantries, said to me:

“Sis, your daughter is very pretty oh.”
“Thanks”, I replied.
"What cream do you use for her?” She asked
"Cream?! I use Johnson Baby lotion."
"Only?! What do you use to bring out her colour?” she persisted.
“I don’t really understand you,” I answered her, “What colour am I bringing out?”
"No oh, you should use something that will bring out her colour. Don’t you know she will be prettier (sic) if she has fair skin?”

I cringed inwardly. All the while, I had struggled to believe she couldn’t possibly be saying what I thought she was saying.
“You mean I should start bleaching her skin? At what age and why would I do such a crazy thing?! It’s not necessary my dear,” I answered her firmly.
"It is oh my big sister. Especially for a girl but not bleaching; haba, not even toning! It’s just to bring out her colour oh and it’s not a sin," she said. "Even you should bring out your colour more,” she added.

I swallowed my raging retorts and simply said, “I hope you don’t do that for your son? He is way too small to have anything being rubbed on him. I beg of you."
*Well, since he is naturally fair-skinned, I am just maintaining it, I have been mixing his cream with Movate since he was born,” she replied
I was unable to dissuade her before we got interrupted and I eventually forgot about the conversation. Till about 2 weeks ago.
I walked into a supermarket and saw a heavily bleached woman with three beautiful girls who were looking “toned”. Their faces were conspicuously lighter than the rest of their body and their knees and knuckles were quite dark. Their ages ranged from age 10 to possibly 5.

I then decided to research the concept of parents bleaching their kids and what I found out is that there is indeed a craze for fair-skinned children; and many parents are turning their dark skinned children to fair-skinned. They claim they are helping their kids maintain their “natural skin colour”.

A lady told me it’s not bleaching or toning if it’s done with natural products. She uses Shea butter, Turmeric, Lime/Lemon, Camphor etc. to prepare “natural” soap for her daughter. Another lady recommends mixing their creams with hydrocortisone or clomatrizole creams for a “clear” smooth skin. I was simply shocked.
First, I think this generation has totally gone bunkers with vanity. No, this isn’t vanity, its shallowness of the highest order. I wrote a post last year on Sexualization of Children and though it went viral, I can assure you we are getting worse.

Why does your child need to be fair to be beautiful? What is the correlation? Where did that concept come from? What happened to Black is Beautiful? I believe every child is beautiful and even then the very beautiful ones are not just beautiful because of their skin tone but their facial structure and features.
Secondly, it’s way too early to start enhancing your child’s features to promote beauty. Children should have no vanity issues. Again I say, allow them to be children and do not give them self-esteem issues by acting as though they are not beautiful enough. Tell your children, they are beautiful irrespective of their skin colour or tone. If you as a parent can’t accept them for who they are or what skin tone they have, how do you expect them to grow into confident women who value themselves?

Lastly, do you have any idea the possible side-effects these creams will have on their skin? Rubbing chemicals on their skin for years could possibly be setting them up for skin cancer. I mean, a lot of those creams contain Mercury and hydrocortisone which have been linked to cancer even in adults.
And please do not hide behind, “I only use natural stuff so it’s harmless”. Are those things meant to be rubbed into the skin? Is Turmeric meant to be rubbed into the skin every day? Lime and lemons are acidic and will definitely have their own effect. Camphor?

I know Shea butter is good but your motive should be just to Oil or moisturize their skin to prevent it from dryness. If there is a vanity aim to your “natural method” then you are part of the problem.

Leave your child’s skin alone. Don’t set him or her up for future problems due to your own narrow view of beauty. Personally, I believe parents who bleach or tone their child’s skin should be arrested and prosecuted. It is the height of irresponsibility.

Let’s allow children to be children. Let them know whether they black, brown, yellow or white, they are all beautiful.

SEXUALIZATION OF CHILDREN

As I waited in the departure lounge of a local airport, I noticed there were many children about but it was understandable since it was summer holiday. One other thing I noticed was the way most of the children were dressed. Most of them, especially the girls, were dressed in bum shorts, halter necks, cut off jeans, etc. The clothes in themselves weren't the issue per se; it was the overall look of the children that had me bothered. That was definitely not the first time I noticed it. 

 

A few months before, I had taken my kids to a birthday party and found myself in what could easily have been a night club for kids. Scanty clothing such as tight or very short clothes, bum shorts, long weaves, etc, seemed to be the dress code. I noticed my daughter glancing around her, probably wondering, "What in God's world are these other children wearing?" Or something like that.

Not long after, the kids were called out to dance to the hit songs of the season - these songs in my opinion should be rated PG 13. 4-6 year olds trooped to the dance floor, miming the sexually explicit songs and gyrating their bodies in the most sensual manner. They could have given Beyounce a run for her money. 

 

They ran their hands over their bodies, shook their booties hard while their parents cheered them on. The boys had their upper shirts unbuttoned and rapped along perfectly to gangsta raps while doing flawless break dance. 


Those who danced like actual children where shooed off the dance floor while the lewd ones were cheered on. As I watched, my child stared out of this circle looking longingly at the others dancing. I knew it was time to leave. As we left, we went to a eatery where I bought them ice cream and gently explained to them the concept of decency and dancing with decorum. 

Another time, at a game arcade for kids, I ran into a lady who had made-up her kids' faces like they were mannequins for Tara or Mac beauty products. Their skirts were so tight, that running up and down the slide was uncomfortable for them. 

 

So the question is, why are we sexualizing our kids? Why does your 4, 6 or 9 year old girl have to look like a chick? Why does she have to be hot or sexy? Should your 8 year old son go around with a comb in his hair and his pants sagged almost to his ankles? 

Some parents even dress their children like this to church. Church! 

What are you teaching the child? What happened to children wearing dresses to church? Children can look very nice and decent, they can be well covered and still look good. In this age, when children are being abused, is it wise to make your child an object of anyone's sexual attention? 

When I hear some children belt out sexually explicit lyrics, I ask myself how they became exposed to this songs! As a parent, you can't play the CD of such songs and not expect your children to pick them up; the same goes for watching Mtv Base, Channel O, etc with your children. 

 

Studies have shown that children exposed to a high level of sexually explicit information tend to become sexually active early. Is that your goal as a parent?

If your child wears bum shorts out of the house at age 3, why should she be expected to wear longer ones at 15? If she wears 2 rings and 12 bangles at 6, why won't she pierce a second ear hole at 17 and her bellybutton at 19? 

 

Why won't your son pierce his own ear at 15? Are you setting your children up to be immodest and indecent? What trend are you starting them on? That all these are fashionable or trendy doesn't mean it's ok. 

Being a Parent involves sacrifice. You will need to avoid listening to such music where your children are.

 

Most of those lyrics demean women and teach your daughter that she's just a sex toy and her body is for squeezing. It teaches the boys that money is everything and women are things to be used to satisfy their primal urges. These music introduces them to a degrading pop culture.

Our children have their lives ahead of them, let's set them on the right path by teaching them to dress decently and sing nice or age-appropriate songs. Let your children be children. Train up a child in the way that s/he should go and when s/he is old, s/he would not depart from it.

FOR THOSE ASKING IS WOMEN WEARING TROUSERS TO CHURCH A SIN?

FOR THOSE ASKING IS WOMEN WEARING TROUSER TO THE CHURCH A SIN?:

Wearing it at all whether in the Church or any other place; what do YOU BELIEVE IT DOES? Helps men and women to see YOU and GLORIFY GOD YOUR FATHER who is EVERYWHERE and YOU REPRESENT HIM EVERYWHERE? or it makes men and women to REMEMBER SIN OF LUST, FORNICATION, ADULTERY, MASTURBATION, LESBIANISM, HOMOSEXUALITY, PORNOGRAPHY, INCEST, BESTIALITY e.t.c? or it makes people to be TEMPTED to ASSUME you are LOOSE? Anywhere you put on such attire even all those tight skirts and gowns, sleeveless and transparent clothes that exhibit the contour of your waste and breast as well as women under-wears, the 1st place a man/woman who is looking at you from your front-view putting on trouser is "the vagina" or "your buttocks" from the back-view e.t.c does it make you glorify GOD your FATHER? A GENUINE CHRISTIAN dress in such a manner to help other human being to REPENT from their SIN and ACCEPT/BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST not someone who LEADS OTHERS INTO SIN!!!

Are you not worried that what you wear as clothes is leading human beings to commit fornication/adultery in their minds with you even some people snap your pictures and record your immoral videos for masturbation in the privacy of their homes? JESUS SAID THAT "ANY MAN/WOMAN who causes other people to commit sin and go to hell-fire will be CAST INTO HELL-FIRE ALSO {"Matthew 13:41-42 "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."}.

May the Holy Spirit help you to REPENT and receive the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST to cleanse your soul and all those who have committed sin with your pictures/images/videos/dressing e.t.c in JESUS MIGHTY NAME. AMEN.

LOVE IS A CHOICE

Love is A CHOICE, it is a DECISION. Love is NOT EMOTION.EMOTION is a chemical reaction in the brain that ONLY last for 5 seconds because of what you feel about peoples achievements, body-shape/size, 6-packs, fashion make-ups, read, hear, watch, think, imagine e.t.c about another person. They do not last, cannot sustain a relationship not to talk of building a SOUND MARRIAGE. You can have the same EMOTION for different people at different times in your life and location but because of your CHOICE to "CARE" for that ONE PERSON you do not get MOVED by all those chemical reactions with regards to other human being you encounter on your daily routine in LIFE. 

All those scripts they write and act in Movies have paralysed the thinking and MATURITY of those currently in marriage who are planning to quit on their marriage or go for divorce as well as those who claim that they are ready for marriage but they have not FOUND TRUE LOVE. 

Even those who claim to be "DIVORCED"or "FOUND TRUE LOVE OUTSIDE THEIR LEGITIMATE SPOUSE" at this point check it; you ALLOWED COMMUNICATION GAP or MISUNDERSTANDING to move you into the CHOICE of not "CARING FOR YOUR SPOUSE AGAIN".

Take it or leave it if you make A CHOICE TO CARE FOR HIM/HER RIGHT NOW you both will fix back your marriage and even BLOSSOM into something BETTER than your 1st relationship.

The REAL PROBLEM is that either ONE of the SPOUSE or BOTH of the SPOUSE have "LOCKED-UP" that space in their lives WHERE they made the CHOICE/DECISION TO CARE FOR EACH OTHER, once you keep this space 'locked' NO BEING in the heavens, on the earth under the world can settle your DIFFERENCES!

if each or both spouse UNLOCK THIS SPACE, you do not NEED external bodies to settle your differences!

Most problem between spouse or intending spouse or human relationships is not lack of emotional love but 'LACK OF KNOWLEDGE' on how to manage each other.

You can have the HOLY SPIRIT but you do not have KNOWLEDGE.

You have the HOLY SPIRIT by believing in JESUS CHRIST.

You acquire KNOWLEDGE by STUDYING continuously.

The HOLY SPIRIT is GOD but to illustrate this difference let us 'assume' the Holy Spirit is "A TOOL BOX" then KNOWLEDGE is "HOW TO USE THE TOOL BOX" thus your car can spoil on the ROAD and in your car there is A TOOL BOX but you can spend 7-days on that Road beside your car with that tool box however if you have the knowledge on how to use that TOOL BOX; you will fix that car in less than 5 minutes and continue your journey. Most marriages today between Holy Spirit filled partners which have broken today would have been heading to 50-70-80 years wedding anniversary if they had KNOWLEDGE on how to use the 'TOOL BOX--HOLY SPIRIT' to manage each other.

If you are already in marriage GET KNOWLEDGE

If you are about to enter into marriage GET KNOWLEDGE

If you are A CELIBATE GET KNOWLEDGE

You will never ACQUIRE ENOUGH OF KNOWLEDGE on this AREA OF LIFE or ANY OTHER AREA OF LIFE till YOU DIE.

TRUE LOVE is not waiting for you ANYWHERE, wake up from your dream. People of the opposite sex cluster around you from morning till night, can you not see someone whose face is LIKABLE to YOU? 

Use wisdom and approach him/her, Indirectly make research whether he/she is READY for MARRIAGE IN HIS/HER WHOLE LIFE? 

Do you have a common understanding about MARRIAGE? 

Is he/she thinking about MARRIAGE within your own time-frame to settle down? 

What is he/she looking out for in a prospective wife/husband? 

Do you think you can fit into that FEATURES? 

What is the position of religious BELIEVE between both of you? 

all these while you have been making research from your own point of view NOW!

AT THIS LEVEL BE CLEAR AND BLUNT; 

Does he/she see YOU as someone who he/she can call 'HIS WIFE' or 'HER HUSBAND' even without PROPOSING (All those waiting for proposal have made some people stay too long to miss out other intending suitors and have scared so many men AWAY). 

So many people have won "PROPOSING RING FOR LIFE-TIME" while so many ladies do not make-up their mind early to prepare for marriage until they start getting old then they will want to throw themselves to any person that comes around. 

So many have backgrounds where there parents were at war on daily bases hence they perceive marriage as EVIL. My advise for people of this category is DO NOT ALLOW YOUR BACKGROUND to hold your back on the ground, grow up and MAKE A CHOICE OF COMMITMENT TOWARDS PEOPLE IN GENERAL; it does not hurt to CARE because you are not expecting anything in return at the initial intention rather to SERVE HUMANITY with your UNIQUE BEING then THE GOD OF SOWING AND REAPING {Galatians 6:7} will bring in the opposite UNIQUE PERSON however you must be APT to recognize him/her {Of-course, you must have a "VIVID WRITTEN DOWN DESCRIPTION" OF WHO YOU WANT both academic status, Social Status, Economic Status, Spiritual Level, Physical Status e.t.c. If you do not WRITE IT DOWN, how can you recognize  him/her when you MEET? }. 

The Love defined for REAL MARRIAGE is a DELIBERATE DECISION, CHOICE and COMMITMENT to CARE (search for what another person needs in life without asking him/her directly and provide it for the person before the person request for it) for another person till death without expecting anything in RETURN thus "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) Man needs forgiveness so God went and brought it then gave it to man before man sinned, it was already provided thus JESUS is the LAMB that was SLAIN before the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD (Revelation 13:8)

Hence you MUST be the "NEED" of that man or woman and not his/her want.

A NEED can only be MATE by ONE thing/PERSON but wants can be gotten from multiple locations and persons!!!

ONLY BELIEVE

THEY SAID WE ARE JUST CARRYING HOLY BIBLE EVERYWHERE, PREACHING INSIDE KEKE, BUS, SCHOOL, STREETS, HOUSES E.T.C for NOTHING...
My Big Brother in the Lord in My Charismatic Community who has been waiting on the Lord for A CHILD AFTER 14 LONG YEARS
JUST RECEIVED
A SET OF TWINS {TWO BOYS}....
Some PEOPLE think they can make mockery of OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST....
I received UNMERITED FINANCIAL CASH I NEVER EXPECTED in this past month of JULY, 2017.
my MASTER AND LORD JESUS CHRIST said
"THERE IS MORE"
...'ONLY BELIEVE'...
DO NOT BE AFRAID {Mk.5:36}.
HOLINESS IN CHRIST JESUS PAYS ON THIS EARTH
and also GIVES CERTAINTY OF HEAVEN any time any day.
All I want YOU that is facing a crises in your marriage now, struggle with sinful thoughts/habits/behaviors,
financial, health, job, business, accommodation challenge e.t.c in your LIFE RIGHT NOW
is to use your IMAGINATION and move to Calvary
then say what the Woman with the Issue of Blood for 12 years {how many years you have lived with that problem DOES NOT MATTER} SAID "IF ONLY I CAN TOUCH THE HELM OF HIS GARMENTS, I WILL BE MADE WHOLE ...SHE WENT AND TOUCHED HIS GARMENT FROM BEHIND...."IMMEDIATELY" HER HEMORRHAGE STOPPED AND SHE FELT IN HER BODY THAT SHE WAS HEALED OF HER DISEASE" (Mk.5:28-30)
Make Sure you touched the PIERCED HEART OF JESUS CHRIST WITH YOUR HANDS
and
GO ABOUT YOUR ACTIVITIES BELIEVING IT SI DONE {"IT IS FINISHED/ESTABLISHED" Jn.19:30}
HOLY GHOST TAKE OVER!!!

THINK CONTRIBUTION BY OYEDEPO

Read Full Text of Dr. David Oyedepo’s Charge to Landmark University Graduating Students (The Noble Set 2017)

THINK CONTRIBUTION

July 16, 2017 editor

I have a charge, not an address, captioned, “Think Contribution.” If you don’t want to die in frustration, think contribution. If you want to make real mark in life, think contribution. You will never be remember for what you have, you will be remembered for what you add. Think contribution. Living for survival makes a slave, live for others. Only those who live for others become leaders. Think contribution. We have about 4 million graduates walking the streets of Nigeria, looking for means of life, think contribution.

The idea of Agro-preneurship came to be because it’s one thing to get to the market and another thing to find what you are looking for. The jobs are not there. That is why from the outset, we caught this light to raise job creators, not job seekers. The cheapest way to be a job creator is to engage in Agro-preneurship, getting involved in what will remain relevant for life. No matter the development and heights anyone will scale, food will remain ever relevant.

There is not going to be any laboratory in this life that will prepare food in form of tablets to be taken and one will feel fed. Food will be relevant as long as life remains. Think of an area of your life where you will remain relevant and Agro-preneurship is one cheap way to remain relevant in your adventure in life, particularly now that the white collar job is going as the population is growing.

So much money is spent on importing food. Think solution, think contribution. Think contribution and your life will never lose meaning. If you are asked today what did the Chancellor say, “Think contribution so you don’t die in frustration.” Think relevance, get committed to adding values and you find your life continue to grow from one level of glory to another.

It’s important, having heard all the lectures, to let you have this as conclusion that you are going forth to a world that is in dire need of contributors. You are going to a world that is full of possessors but lack contributors. Think contribution, your generation will rise tomorrow to bless you. Don’t think of going back to the laps of your parents. That will be living a failed life. You have been given the best of education; now translate it to making contributions and your life will never lack meaning.

It’s important to appreciate this fact that, “The less possessive we are, the more contributive we become.” In most cases, highly possessive people are never known to be contributive. They want it all for themselves and it’s never enough, so they want more and more. I made a discovery sometimes back, that people don’t lack what they give; they only lack what they keep. Think contribution.

The young will need food, the old will need food. Even the mad people on the streets need food to stay alive. And they go hunting for food where they can get it. Until life ceases to be, food will remain forever relevant. Find a place for yourself in this open market and take responsibility so you don’t live as a liability.

The reason why we are running this Agro-preneurship programme is to give everybody a taste of agricultural practice. Whether you have B.Sc Computer Science, B. Eng Mechanical Engineering, you will still need food. No matter what you know or don’t know, you still need food. The last thing that will get off anybody’s budget is food. Clothes can get out of it, car can get out of it, and houses may not appear there but food? It remains a life-long essential. The market is for ever open. May be these two testimonies will prop-up your faith:

There was this young lady that served (NYSC) in Kaduna. She suddenly discovered that buying tomatoes in Zaria and coming to sell at Railway Station in Kaduna would give so many profit margins. She went into it. By the time she was done with NYSC, she bought herself a car. She was not looking for a job anymore; she already had an established business. It’s a wide range. You are either farming or you are marketing the farm produce among so many others. You will never lack relevance.

A young man came from the USA, who studied Mechanical Engineering and kept hunting for a job. He was also in Kaduna then. He went everywhere and couldn’t find anything. He then went back to his village to find out how much they are selling Palm oil (he was from Edo State). He came to Kaduna to find out how much it sold for. So he became a palm oil marketer. I was in Kaduna when he bought a house for himself at GRA. He got himself a bail-out from the economic downturn by getting involved in what will never lose value. Get involved.

One of our graduates here has a fish farm and from there he could sponsor himself in school. Get involved. It is full of values that will never get eroded. Get involved. I want to be part of feeding these hungry masses. Get involved. And that way, you are not a liability; you are not a burden but a blessing and an asset. Get involved. You don’t need so much, you just need a genuine interest to be a solution provider and not a concern to anybody. Get involved.

We will be disappointed if after your NYSC, you are hanging about doing nothing. Get committed to being an asset and not a liability (applause). Get committed to being a blessing and not a burden. Get committed to making a mark in life and I know you will. We will keep on emphasizing this University-wide programme of everybody being an agrarian citizen of our great country, because we will always need this forever.

There is nothing ignoble about earning a legitimate income but there is everything ignoble about being a beggar. Being a beggar erodes your human dignity. But we talk about the dignity of labour, Get involved.

Let me close this remark by telling my short story. Before we ever built our first house, I was concerned about the state of health of the people. The only hospital we had then was at Egbe. Most time if they say they have taken you to Egbe, it means you are dead. If you came back, it would be a surprise. Now, suddenly the hospital began to go down because the support they were receiving from the Mission of the Church from abroad stopped. And so there was a vacuum. So people died for free. And I said Lord, if I ever get blessed in my life, I will like to put a little hospital here.

So we started buying the land bit-by-bit. It is that same land that has turned to the University today (applause). Not only that, the hospital of that dream is in place today. When our former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo visited our campus here, he sat down at the Dental Theatre Room and said, “Look, treat me here” (laughter). It’s of that level of standard today. Think contribution.

You don’t need to have anything in your pocket but have a heart to be a contributor and the future will be unlimited. That is the way you make the most of your life. Remember, you will never be remembered for what you have, you will only be remembered for what you add.

To our parents, congratulations today, congratulations for ever. You will never have sorrows over any of these children. They will remain sources of joy to you and your family for ever. No matter how much height you may have scaled, they will scale higher heights than you. No matter what vehicles you may have bought for yourself, they will buy you bigger vehicles. We release them as treasures into your families and an asset to our nation. And you will live to be proud of God’s hand upon them for ever.

Young people, it’s time to work. You are leaving school to go and prove if you have ever learnt anything, and don’t stop learning. If you stop learning, you start dying. The world is open, go and make the most of the adventure. Thank you and God bless you.

TO OVERCOME THE PAINS OF REGRET

The four simply keys to overcome the pains of Regret are:

1. Define where you're going( Have a vision... Proverb 29:18)

2. Set a standard for yourself ( Values/ Principle to live by)

3. Set goals & do something daily about your goals( Vision/Dreams)

4. Engage G-Factor.... Pray for God's guidance, direction & Uncommon wisdom to act inspite of fear.

You also need a mentor .... God bless YOU!!!

----PETER OKONKWO---

YOU CHOOSE YOUR PARTNER IN MARRIAGE NOT GOD

YOU CHOOSE YOUR PARTNER IN MARRIAGE NOT GOD:

(NB: God did not make Eve Adam's wife.....The bible says God "brought her to the man" - The Hebrew interpretation of this is He "paraded her"

Adam CHOSE to marry Eve. It was Adam, not God, who said "this is the flesh of my flesh and the bone of my bones, she shall be called woman". What Adam did pertains to an ancient Hebrew principle that what you name, becomes yours.)

Furthermore the 1st thing the serpent destroyed was not marriage - as God never annulled Adam and Eve's marriage after the fall. What the serpent helped destroy was man's presence in the Kingdom of God.... and that is exactly what Christ brought back. That is why His 1st proclamation in Mark 1:15 was "the time has come, the Kingdom of God has come near" (i.e has arrived)

In terms of choosing a spouse here are some biblical examples:

God told the children of Israel in exile "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage.... " (Jer 29:5-6) Note that He did NOT say I will find/choose spouses for your sons/daughters.

Solomon said "He who FINDS a wife, finds a good thing" (Proverbs 18:22). Note this did NOT say he who God chooses a wife for finds a god thing. To find is an active choice on the part of the groom.

Finally my sister, may I implore you not to judge the soul of another ... for you do not know its contents nor did you create it nor do you know of the relationship that soul has with its creator. That is why Christ said in Matt 7:1 "Do not Judge......"

The intent of my post is not to slap you down or insist you are wrong but to point out that it is our responsibility to choose our spouse, although as with other choices we make,THIS CAN BE PRAYERFULLY DONE!!!