TIME IS RUNNING OUT...

Morning guys....
Was just going through my diary and I came across this dream I had in may, I wonder how I never got around to blogging about this... I wanna get the word out with all sense of urgency... It's gonna be a long post but I assure you it's worth the read,

I saw the rapture
It was so so vivid...
Was in a keke napep along Allen avenue in lagos
And suddenly everyone started pointing up
I looked out too and started seeing images in the sky,
Saw people that looked like horsemen
Some looked like they were on power bike,
Some were just children,
But it looked like there was no difference between the skies and the earth as some people dodged when these airborne people zoomed by
And then people started disappearing

In front of me,
Immediately I knew it was the rapture,
I immediately brought out my phone to call my fiancee praying she would not be there to answer
But network was jammed. It seemed a lot of people were trying to call at once.
By now there was complete standstill as some of the drivers of cars in front had disappeared.
So I came down from the keke and ran towards opebi, the commotion there was much and then I ran into a friend
Can't place his face again, but he was like how did we miss it. What's next. And then I told him I'm just coming from church and that Rev preached a msg on Escathology few weeks ago
That we need to get to church asap n get that CD.
And that's how we started running back, thru Allen to oregun road, back to church,
There were people in accidents, I presumed the drivers must have disappeared, and as we rounded the corner into the church street, I screamed in anguish... And I woke up panting...

I asked God for a clear interpretation. I was like why would I be left behind and then also see a friend... God said... You and your friend represent my church. The church is not ready for me, they talk about me but are not ready to receive me...

For how much longer are we going to 'play church'?
I decided to do some more digging before posting this and I began to see a lot of questions that beg to be answered...
what do we have this days??...
..A worldly church in a "churchy" world...
music lovers and not worship lovers...
musicians and not ministers!
..And that's why we could 'dance azonto for jesus'.., and sing 'kingdom yahooze'.
..And that's why we can no longer distinguish between ladies trooping out of a church after a service and those trooping out of a motel after a party (after all they both look "sexy", courtesy of their wears), neither do we have a clear cut between born-again brothers and wuz-up guys any longer (at least they both wear same offensive hair-cuts, dragging pants, and flow alike in slang) ..And when you ask WHY, they tell you "it's the heart that matters" - as if to be reminded that it is out of the abundance of their heart that their mouth speaks. Or, when a plantain is ripe inside, from where do we know? The answer is obvious! - 

They're like the Moses who claimed to be an Isrealite but was dressed like 'an Egyptian'!

Dear 'bro/sis of God!', it's high time you redefined your Salvation
status.. for the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal;
THE LORD KNOWS THEM THAT ARE HIS..!
Which do you belong? Where do you stand?? When the roll is called up yonder will you be there? If you know the answer to that is no, or not sure, no matter how many years you have been a 'church folk' for then you might wanna say this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I
acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins
and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.
I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His
precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I
am now willing to turn from my sin.
You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the
Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from
the dead, we shall be saved.
Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I
believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I
accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to
His Word, right now I am saved.
Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me
from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to
license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord
Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you
alone and not to myself.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

Welcome to God's family...it's no longer about the number of services you have attended... It's about being one of God's own... I celebrate you, God bless you.

Yours Sincerely

Minister Effizey

feel free to add me on 

facebook.com/ministereffizey

twitter.com/ministereffizey

tgbamila@gmail.com

 

I cannot end this post without saying a happy birthday to the woman God used to birth me, Pastor Mrs Esther Adedolapo Jesugbamila. A virtuous woman who can find? (My dad found this one ooo, sharp man) I love you mum, thank God for all the beatings,(Lolz) trainings and words, most especially, thanks for being a praying woman and mother to us. on behalf of me and my siblings 'We love you mama'...

WHERE DID THE NICE GUYS GO???

What happened to all the nice guys?

I see this question posted with some regularity, so i thought i'd take some time to explain to the ladies there that haven't figured it out.

What happened to all the nice guys?
The answer is simple: you did.

See if you think back, really hard, you might vaguely remember a platonic guy pal who always seem to want to spend time with you. He'd tag along with you anywhere you went, stop by your place when you were lonely but didn't feel like going out or even sit there and hold you when you sobbed and told him about how horribly your boyfriend treated you.

At the time, you probably joked with your girlfriends about how he was a little puppy dog, always following you around, trying to do things to get you to pay attention to him. They probably teased you because they thought he had a crush on you. Given that his behaviour was, admittedly, a little pathetic, you vehemently denied having any romantic feelings for him, and buttressed your position that you were "just friends". Besides he wasn't really your type, i mean, he was a little too bald, or too fat, or too poor, or didn't know how to dress himself properly, or basically be or do anything that your tall, good-looking, fit, rich, stylish boyfriend at the time pulled with ease.

Eventually the guy drifted away, as your relationship with the boyfriend got serious and spending time with this other guy was a litte weird. More time passed and the boyfriend eventually cheated on you or became boring. So now you are single again and having tried other guys, and you encountered players, you wonder, what happened to the nice guys?

Well, once again, you did.

You ignored the nice guy. You used him for emotional intimacy without reciprocating in kind with physical intimacy. You laughed at his consideration and resented his devotion. You valued the aloof boyfriend more than the "just a-" friend. Eventually, he took the hint and moved on with his life. He probably came to realise, one day, that ladies aren't really attracted to guys who hold doors open, or make dinners to please you, or buy you a gift that you mentioned, in passing, that you really wanted 5 months ago. He came to realise that, if he wanted a woman like you, he'd have to act more like the boyfriend you had. He probably cleaned up his look, started making some money, and generally started acting like the jerk he never wanted to be.

That took the complete absence of "nice guys" in your life for you only for you to realise that you missed them and want them back. But sadly they are never coming back. Only a few women, wiil infact actually have a handful of nice guys stumble into their lives!

Yours sincerely

WEDDING VOW...

Pardon my musings... In nigerian weddngs it's common to hear the same monotonous vows recited over and over again and everyone can practically anticipate the next words out of the preacher's mouth. in the

 penticostal setting it goes something like... "i .... take thee..... as my lovely wedded wife, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance."

catholic setting it goes like..."I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband/wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

and i must say the vows are lovely, however as I prepared the marriage register last weekend in the church conference room, I heard the couple reciting their vows and I imagined what it would be like, how creative it would be, how deep and touching with meaning the words would be if I wrote my own vows myself,

But since we belong to a penticostal dispensation where such is not really the order of the day, i decided to write it as a letter instead and share it with you...

Ok, here we go...

I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give.

I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires

and needs are no less important than my own.

I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination

to our relationship.

I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.

I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.

I promise to love you in good times and bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how, completely and forever

THEN AT THE POINT OF EXCHANGING RINGS...

MY OH MY... don't i just feel like getting married already..... (Mental note to self, i gatz explore the possibility of reciting this on my wedding day oooo)

oya my people una don read am... wetin una think ooooo

GOD'S ALPHABETH(A PRAYER FOR YOU)

A-lthough things are not perfect,

B-ecause of trial or pain,

C-ontinue in thanksgiving,

D-o not begin to blame.

E-ven when the times are hard,

F-ierce winds are bound to blow,

G-od is forever able,

H-old on to what you know.

I-magine life without His love,

J-oy would cease to be.

K-eep thanking Him for all the things,

L-ove imparts to thee.

M-ove out of "Camp Complaining"

N-o weapon that is known,

O-n earth can withstand the power,

P-raise can weild alone.

Q-uit looking at the future,

R-edeem the time at hand.

S-tart every day with worship,

T-hanksgiving is a command.

U-ntil we see Him coming,

V-ictorious in the sky,

W-e'll run the race with gratitude,

X-alting God most high.

Y-es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad but,

Z-ion waits in glory, where none are ever sad!"

i pray for everyone reading this, May you come out of whatever you are passing through today,

Wiser, stronger, richer and happier, an...d most importantly more full of God than ever before in Jesus name

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

hello guys, top of the morning to you all... trust you had a beautiful weekend??? well it's monday and it's back to work... there's an hymn that inspired me this morning and i decided to share with you all... it's Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share. 

DEEP WORDINGS... BRINGING ABOUT DEEP MUSINGS... SELAH ON THIS AS YOU ENTER A NEW WEEK... DO ALL YOU CAN TO CLING TO THE OLD RUGGED CROSS...SO YOU CAN EXCHANGE IT SOMEDAY FOR A CROWN... GOD BLESS YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD...

LOVE SO TOUCHING

happy sunday guys, saw this piece somewhere and i just had to talk about it, 

I was born in a secluded village on a mountain. Day by day, my parents plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs towards the sky.

I have a brother who is 3 years younger than me. I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around me seemed to have. So, one day I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer. Father had discovered about the stolen money right away.

He made me and my younger brother kneel against the wall as he held a bamboo stick in his hand.

'Who stole the money?' he asked.

I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Neither of us admitted to the fault, so he said, 'Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!'

He lifted up the bamboo stick.

Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said, Dad, I was the one who did it!'

The long stick smacked my brother's back repeatedly. Father was so angry that he kept on whipping my brother until he lost his breath.

After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, 'You have learned to steal from your own house now. What other embarrassing things will you are possibly doing in the future? You should be beaten to death, you shameless thief!'

That night, my mother and I hugged my brother. His body was full of wounds from the beating but he never shed a single tear.

In the middle of the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly. My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has happened.'

I still hate myself for not having enough courage to admit what I did. Years went by, but the incident still seemed like it just happened yesterday.

I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me.

That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11 years old.

When my brother was in his last year of secondary school, he was accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time, I was accepted into a university in the province.

That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet. I could hear him ask my mother, 'Both of our children, they have good results? Very good results?'

Mother wiped off her tears and sighed,' What is the use? How can we possibly finance both of them?'

At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and said, 'Dad, I don't want to continue my study anymore, I have read enough books.'

Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his face.

'Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you have both finished your studies!'

And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow money.

I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother's swollen face, and told him, 'A boy has to continue his study; if not; he will not be able to overcome this poverty we are experiencing.' I, on the other hand, had decided not to further my study at the university.

Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to my side of the bed and left a note on my pillow; 'Sis, getting into a university is not easy. I will go find a job and I will send money to you.'

I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my voice.

That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old.

With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and the money my brother earned from carrying cement on his back at a construction site, finally, I managed to get to the third year of my study in the university.

One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate came in and told me, 'There's a villager waiting for you outside!'

Why would there be a villager looking for me? I walked out, and I saw my brother from afar. His whole body was covered with dirt, dust, cement and sand. I asked him, 'Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my brother?'

He replied with a smile,' Look at my appearance. What will they think if they would know that I am your brother? Won't they laugh at you?'

I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dirt and dust from my brother's body. And told him with a lump in my throat, 'I don't care what people would say! You are my brother no matter what your appearance is?'

From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He put it on my hair and said, 'I saw all the girls in town are wearing it. So, I think you should also have one.'

I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms and cried. That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old.

I noticed that the broken window was repaired the first time I brought my boyfriend home. The house was scrubbed cleaned.

After my boyfriend left, I danced like a little girl in front of my mother, 'Mom, you didn't have to spend so much time cleaning the house!' But she told me with a smile,

'It was your brother who went home early to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand? He hurt his hand while he was replacing the window.'

I went into my brother's bedroom. Looking at his thin face, I felt like hundreds of needles pricked in my heart.

I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandage on it, 'Does it hurt?' I asked him..

'No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when at the construction site, stones keep falling on my feet ...Even that could not stop me from working.'

In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and tears rolled down my face. That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.

After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times my husband invited my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want.

They said, once they left the village, they wouldn't know what to do.

My brother agreed with them. He said, 'Sis, you just take care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of Mom and Dad here.'

My husband became the director of his factory. We asked my brother to accept the offer of being the manager in the maintenance department. But my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on working

as a repairman instead for a start.

One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted, and was

sent to the hospital.

My husband and I visited him at the hospital. Looking at the plaster cast on his leg, I grumbled, 'Why did you reject the offer of being a manager? Managers won't do something dangerous like that. Now look at you - you are suffering a serious injury. Why didn't you just listen to us?'

With a serious expression on his face, he defended his decision, 'Think of brother-in-law. He just became the director, and I being uneducated, and would become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly around?'

My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said,

'But you lack in education only because of me!'

'Why do you talk about the past?' he said and then he held my hand.

That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.

My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, 'Who is the one person you respect and love the most?'

Without even taking a time to think, he answered,' My sister.' He continued by telling a story I could not even remember.

'When I was in primary school, the school was in a different village. Everyday, my sister and I would walk for 2 hours to school and back home. One day, I lost the other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me one of hers.

She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When we got home, her hands were trembling because of the cold weather that she could not even hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live, I would take care of my sister and will always be good to her.'

Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their attention to me.

I found it hard to speak, 'In my whole life, the one I would like to thank most is my brother, 'And in this happy occasion, in front of the crowd, tears were rolling down my face again.

Moral of this story; Love and care for the one you love every single day of your life. You may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a lot. 

Thanks for stopping by to read this, Remember God is just so good and He's good all the time. Remember also as you enter this new week that prayer does change things!
Have a blessed day.

3 TIPS TO POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR HARVEST

HELLO GUYS, been a while i posted regularly, but i'm gradually getting back into shape, i have good news for you all though and it's that something big is coming up soon... WATCH OUT... now on to the discussion for today, it's a short exhorttion that is bound to cause a change from the inside of you. stay glued...

We have entered into a time of unprecedented opportunity. This is my way of saying we have now come into a season of harvest. This shift in the "heavenlies" shows that God is a God of seasons. Jesus said to the disciples, "The times and the season are in the Fathers hands". What causes this harvest time?

God's call to pray! When you see people begin to gather more and more for prayer, God is about to do something.  You have toiled in prayers and God has seen your various struggles, and how you have held on and in this season he has sworn to bless you.

However, as harsh as it may sound, even after praying not everyone might enjoy this season of harvest, due to several reasons, to every prophecy there is the God part and the 'man side'. God will not falter in his part but many times we fail to position ourselves properly to receive from God. If you're to realize this harvest 

 you need to position yourself properly.  Let’s quickly run through 3 ways to position yourself in this season.

1. A heart to receive! Acts 1:8 says, "You shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you". To receive our hearts must be open and prepared. Remember David prepared a "place" for the ark on mount Zion. An open tent before which the children of Aseph danced, played instruments, and sang 24/7. Our hearts must be open and ready and focused by faith. I get up every day and begin to flow in the "Spirit" with worship and press into the intimacy with God that I need for the day. Keep your heart soft and sensitive. We must also "Protect our hearts with all diligence" found in Proverbs. God is often ready to give us more, but we are not in a position to receive.

2. Faith to release! Faith believes for the impossible and sees the invisible. Never say, "It can't happen here or it is impossible". With God all things are possible. He responds to the expectant heart. Make all preparations as though God is about to send the greatest move of the Holy Spirit you have ever seen. Begin to confess it with your mouth. Declare His goodness to yourself, your spouse, your children, your friends and people around you. 

3. Action! Press in for more. Get out into the streets and get ready.  Faith without corresponding action is still evidence of doubt. The onus is on you to take delivery of everything God has promised you. You need to start mobilizing for the harvest you are expecting.  During the harvest time we work longer and harder than any time of the year because we don't want to miss our blessings for which we have worked all year long.

I pray that you and your entire family will experience harvest in the month of August in Jesus name. 

that's all for today, hope to check back with a poem before the week runs out... Have a fabulous week Ahead. God Bless you

MARRIAGE: A LEAP OF FAITH(LESSONS TO LEARN FROM MUMMY OYEDEPO)

Marriage is not an achievement like one of your certificates, degrees and credentials. It is not an acquisition like a car or landed property. It must be noted that some marriages bring the completeness that a man or woman needs. Let's take you on a journey, as we look at the ten facts or behind-the-scenes of the life and marriage of Bishop
David Oyedepo and his first lady, Faith Oyedepo:

1. The great man of God, Bishop David Oyedepo was a polytechnic student at Kwara State Polytechnic in the city of Ilorin. The wife,
Faith was a university student in Ife. We are all aware of the battle of credentials: the discrimination between Diploma holders and Degree holders. They both met at a motor park, and the great Bishop proposed to her. She could have snubbed him when he approached her, but the queen was humble enough to respond positively. This is a great lesson that our 21st century ladies need to learn: humility.

2. There was a time that David Oyedepo's friends complained that he was becoming hyper-spiritual. They said he was carrying Christianity too passionately and zealously as if he were the only Christian. This burning zeal and passion was later transfered to Faith, and she became passionate also. As their love progressed, David took her to church in
1976 and made her to sign an agreement (Sailing Under Sealed Orders) to marry and follow him whether he became blind, lame or handicapped. And she signed. This is a great lesson about commitment and
Determination.

3. Before they got married, while David was still hopping between
jobs, David told Faith that God has sent him to liberate the world. It
could be very hard to believe, you know. During this period, he went
ahead to resign his job. This caused his elder brother to lambast him,
but Faith stood by him. David made her to know that God had shown him
the key to prosperity, and she believed. Hmmm...

4. David also went ahead and told her that they would build a 50,000
capacity tent and preach the gospel in private jets: Faith also
believed her dream lover. During their wedding eve, David was too
'financially balanced' to afford a hotel room, and had to sleep in his
rickety Volkswagen Beetle. And Faith married him.

5. There was a time he ordered a mad man to be put in his car alone
with Faith while she was pregnant. It was like a moment of insane
faith, but the wife stood still and remained. She proved her name. A
time came when she was dripping blood during her pregnancy, she told
him that she had a miscarriage and he exclaimed: ''It cannot happen.
Can I have my food, please?'' She went ahead and served him.

6. When they had their first baby and there was no food and money at
home, he refused to borrow or ask or take church money. They were
eating and drinking 'Cerelac' baby food for three days. She didn't
complain in all these. A lesson about perseverance. There was a day
she came to church and found her husband very excited with few
members. She was waiting for the service to start but he told her that
service was over already. She just smiled...

7. People started praying for her and her husband, because they
thought they were crazy and needed deliverence. She was calm and she
kept faith. The time came that her husband announced a new Bible
school and she knew there was no facility. She didn't face him in
public. She asked him privately and he responded with a 'Is it your
school?' She kept quite and didn't fight her husband. Getting
interesting, huh?

8. She didn't know he will pastor and she, co-pastor the largest
church auditorium in the world. She didn't know they would be flying
in customized jets around the world. That looks so wonderful, huh?

9. Faith didn't know that her husband, David, would be a father to
millions of people all over the world. Faith didn't know that her
husband would be hosted by Presidents and Heads of States of nations.

10. She didn't know he will be a Chancellor and Pioneer of one of the
best private-owned Universities in the world, and six others. There
was a time when she was sick and was admitted to one of the hospitals
in USA. She woke up to discover that her husband, David, had flown
quietly from Nigeria and was by her bed, refusing to wake her up. He
was kneeling on the floor by her legs and crying 'Lord, heal her and
prove that you sent me'. She got healed miraculously. And that
happened twice. All that the wife saw was a big God inside her
husband.

Thanks to Mama Oyedepo for not forming #Tushgirl. Now we all have seen
the #TushQueen you have become to that king, Bishop David Oyedepo.
Let's get our priorities right. It is sad to see that many ladies of
these days can't stand by a man with purpose and vision like Faith
did. Most ladies want a man that has 'arrived'. They are not
interested in staying at Surulere before moving to Olorunsogo. They
seem to forget that most men that walk with God need to grow in Him,
even as they (the ladies) grow with him (the husband). Some of our
mothers married our fathers when they had nothing to their names and
together, they grew to where they got to. Sadly, some of those parents
will not accept a spouse that doesn't have much to his or her name
when their child wants to be joined with one. Who upturned our values?
Who said you need to 'arrive' before taking a helping hand and
obtaining blessings from God? Remember, you don't need to be great to
start, but you need to start to be great. Everything begins from
below. The only thing that begins from the top is the grave. Learn the
lessons and build your future. God bless us!