Gofamint IKOLE District

29/01/2025

*Getting Beyond It*

29 January 2025

‘‘Joseph called the name of the first born Manasseh…the second he called Ephraim.’’
Genesis 41:51-52 NKJV

When you experience tragedy or loss, unless you get help, you can shut down emotionally and remain stuck. And when you focus on the pain of the past, you risk forfeiting the blessing God has for you in the future. If anyone had reason to give in to despair and quit, it was Joseph. Those who should have loved him resented and betrayed him. He was slandered, lied about, and falsely imprisoned. How did he survive it? Four times in Genesis 39, the Bible says, ‘The Lord was with Joseph.’

Having a sense of God’s presence will sustain you through things that would otherwise destroy you. Joseph knew it was in forgiving and forgetting rather than holding on to resentment that he was setting himself free and positioning himself to fulfil his divine destiny. How do we know this? Because of what he named his two sons. ‘Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”’

Who enabled Joseph to forget the pain inflicted on him by his family? God! What enabled him to overcome the injustices inflicted upon him by others? A daily sense of God’s presence. And today, God’s presence will do that for you too. His promise to you is, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…For I am the Lord your God’ (Isaiah 43:2-3 NKJV).

28/01/2025

*Only Jesus Can Satisfy Your Soul*

28 January 2025

‘‘Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.’’
John 4:14 NKJV

The woman Jesus met at the well had been married five times. She had tried multiple relationships in an attempt to fill the void within her. But it didn’t work for her, and it won’t work for you. Neither will climbing the corporate ladder, or acquiring more and more stuff, or achieving fame.
Note what Jesus told this woman: ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again’ (v. 13 NKJV).

When you’re in the desert without water, there comes a point at which you start seeing mirages and believing things that are not real. And when your soul continues to be parched and dry, you start reaching for things that are not real and cannot satisfy it. Jesus didn’t bring up this woman’s past to embarrass her. He referenced it for one reason only: to let her know that He could heal the wounds of her past and give her hope for a better future. And He did. Not only did He transform her, but she also became the first person to introduce the gospel to Samaria.

Perhaps you think you’re beyond hope and redemption. David wasn’t, and he committed adultery and covered it up with murder. Peter wasn’t, and he denied Jesus. Thomas wasn’t, even though he is still remembered as a doubter. Paul wasn’t, and he killed Christians before he became one. Your unfulfilled desires and your unquenched thirst are a plus, not a minus, if you let them drive you to the feet of Jesus. Here is His promise: ‘The water that I shall give…will become…a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’ (v. 14 NKJV).

31/12/2024

*Your Quiet Time (4)*

31 December 2024

‘‘I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah.’’
Psalm 3:4 NKJV

Sometimes Jesus rose early in the morning to pray; other times, He prayed all night long. So, your quiet time can be morning, evening, or whatever time works best for you. You’re not punching a time clock where God pays you; accordingly, He is inviting you to spend time with Him. David said, ‘I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah.’
Throughout the Psalms, this little word ‘Selah’ occurs seventy-one different times. It means to *pause and think.*
There is no specific length of time attached to the pause. Instead, it seems left up to the individual. Selah.

It’s a call to rest and reflect, to be still and breathe deeply, to settle into the moment and remain for a while. The Selah thought appears to be at the centre of quiet time with the Lord. When the Lord says, ‘Selah,’ He is saying, ‘Stop doing, and sit at My feet. Just belong to Me.’ What an invitation! It’s everything you have longed for and everything you need. And believe it or not, people who often have the hardest time doing it are involved in ministry.

Like Martha, they excel when it comes to serving. And the danger is that by doing lots of things for the Lord, we feel like that excuses us from sitting at His feet and spending time with Him as Mary did.
If you have been remiss, negligent, or inconsistent in this, re-establish your quiet time with the Lord and refuse to let anything keep you from it.

29/12/2024

*Your Quiet Time (2)*

29 December 2024

‘‘This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses.’’
Hebrews 4:15 NLT

One of Satan’s most successful strategies for keeping us away from our quiet time with God is reminding us of our sins and shortcomings. That’s a lie; don’t believe it. In the Old Testament, the High Priest went into the Holiest of Holies to atone for the sins of the people. When he came back out, the people rejoiced, knowing that they were fully accepted by God. With that in mind, read this Scripture: ‘[Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most’ (vv. 15-16 NLT).

Another lie that Satan will tell you to keep you away from your quiet time is that the greatest saints in history spent hours each day praying and studying the Scriptures. That’s true, and one day you may become like them. Meanwhile, what should you do? Start small but begin! Pastor Greg Laurie sees spiritual hunger as the opposite of natural hunger: ‘When you’re hungry in the natural, you eat and are satisfied. But with spiritual hunger, it isn’t until you begin eating that you discover how hungry you really are!’

So when you fail to keep your quiet time with God, you shouldn’t feel guilty; you should feel hungry. When you ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8 KJV), you will want more and more time with Jesus – which is wonderful because He longs for time with you.

02/11/2024

*Songs Of Deliverance (2)*

2 November 2024

‘‘At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.’’
Acts 16:25 NKJV

Even science agrees that music has healing power.
Today we have music therapists who play sounds that set captives free in hospitals, special educational needs classrooms, nursing homes, and other environments.
Harvard University researchers, among others, are reporting that music is a healing balm for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and the physical stress of premature birth. They have also learned that music can improve surgical outcomes, help to restore lost speech, reduce side effects of cancer therapy, relieve pain, improve mood, and battle depression.

Dr Gottfried Schlaug, a Harvard University neurologist, told the Los Angeles Times, ‘Music might provide an alternative entry point to the brain because it can unlock so many different doors into an injured or ill brain.’ His research shows that pitch, harmony, melody, rhythm, and emotion, which are all components of music, engage different parts of the brain – parts of the brain that are also important for speech, movement, and social interaction. ‘He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions’ (Psalm 107:20 NKJV).

So, when music is the medium used to praise God and express His creative and life-changing Word, you begin to see its potential to bring deliverance. That was certainly so for Paul and Silas: ‘At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed’ (Acts 16:25-26 NKJV). Change your attitude. Change your environment. Change your outlook.
Start surrounding yourself with songs of deliverance!

12/10/2024

*Find A Mentor (1)*

12 October 2024

‘‘Then He said to them, “Follow Me…”’’
Matthew 4:19 NKJV

Most people who decide to grow personally find their first mentors in the pages of books. That is a great place to start.
For that matter, it’s a great place to continue. And the wisdom that’s found in Scripture makes the Bible the best mentor’s manual ever written.
If you are not reading it daily, you are robbing yourself of the greatest source of inspiration and illumination.
And at some point, if you’re wise, you will also look for a role model to mentor you.

No matter how gifted and experienced you are, you will go further with the right mentor than you will on your own.
Jesus, the greatest mentor of all, discipled a group of men who changed the world forever. ‘And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him’ (vv. 18-22 NKJV).

Note the words ‘follow Me, and I will make you…’ Just as the right mentor can make you, the wrong mentor can break you. So you need to pray about this. Then you must do something about it. Why?
Because if you follow only yourself, you may find yourself going in circles and getting nowhere.

01/09/2024

*In The Storm With Jesus (2)*

1 September 2024

‘‘He…said…“Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.’’
Mark 4:39 NKJV

A pastor describes some storms in life: ‘You come home from work, walk into the kitchen, and find a note saying, “I want out of the marriage.” A clap of thunder! You go to the doctor anticipating a normal check-up, and the lab work comes back, and you have cancer. The wind howls!
You go to bed at peace, only to be interrupted by a phone call at three in the morning telling you that your father has suddenly died of a heart attack.
Your ship nearly capsizes!

The only predictable thing about life’s storms is their unpredictability. They sweep in when you least expect them.’ Jesus had told His disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side’ (v. 35 NKJV).

They should have realised that when He climbed aboard the boat, it became unsinkable. Inherent in His words was a promise of safe arrival. A difference exists between hearing a promise and believing it.
Too frequently, we fail to believe that Jesus will accomplish what He has promised us.

The pastor encourages us: ‘In those moments, we should remind ourselves that the sun may quit shining, the wind may start blowing, and the waves may begin crashing, but Jesus never fails to keep His promises…Jesus wants you to…remember that there is no need to fear when He is near…He wants to be the Captain of your life’s ship. You may not always be aware of Jesus, but He is there just the same. For those disciples, the safest place in the world…was right there in that boat. Because safety is not the absence of problems. Safety is the presence of Jesus.’ *Happy New Month!!!!!*

28/08/2024

15/06/2024

*Confess Your Sins To God*

15 June 2024

‘‘I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt…And you forgave me!’’
Psalm 32:5 NLT

In Scripture, the word confession is comprised of two Greek words: homo, meaning ‘the same’, and logeo, meaning ‘to speak’.

Therefore, confessing your sin to God means saying the same thing about it as He does.
It means calling a spade a spade – not a gardening tool! Nowhere does the Bible refer to our sins as mistakes, bad judgements, and slips. However, it clearly says God forgives our sin: ‘I…am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins’ (Isaiah 43:25 NKJV).
So let’s be clear.

1) Confessing isn’t about apologising.
Saying you’re sorry is appropriate and necessary at times. But you could never be sorry enough to deserve or earn God’s forgiveness. Confessing is agreeing with God about the nature, extent, and offensiveness of your transgressions.

2) Confessing isn’t about feelings. Some of us plunge into remorse, guilt, and depression over our sins. And when such feelings lead to confession, that’s good.
But even when we don’t feel these emotions, our confession is just as genuine and effective.

3) Confessing isn’t complaining. Making a laundry list of your sins and telling God how terrible you are is more akin to complaining than confessing. Coming clean with God and agreeing with His evaluation of your sin is what He wants from you.
Then, like David, you can say, ‘I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt…And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.’ So, confess your sins to God – then start acting like someone who has been forgiven!

16/04/2024

*Your Limited Window Of Opportunity*

16 April 2024

‘‘Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.’’
Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV

Let’s read what God said to the parents who entered the promised land: ‘Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren’ (v. 9 NKJV).

Notice the progression here.
First, ‘take heed to yourself’. Next, ‘teach them to your children’. Your ability to influence and mould the children you care for is based on your credibility with them.
When the principles you live by produce joy, peace, strength, kindness, discipline, and success, the children who look up to you will begin to take you seriously. And you have a limited window of opportunity.

There are skills that can be learned during early childhood that become much more difficult later on. Have you ever wondered why it’s so simple to teach preschoolers any language they hear?
And they can learn it perfectly, without even a trace of their own accent. Fifteen or more years later, they will have a much harder time attempting to make those same sounds. This is explained by a process called ‘phoneme contraction’.

The larynx of a young child assumes a shape needed to make any sounds he or she is learning to use. It then sets in those positions, making it impossible or challenging to make other sounds in later years. A child’s attitude towards parental leadership and the guidance of carers is similar. That’s why it’s essential to ‘shape the will’ during the preschool and early years by balancing unconditional love with consistent teaching and firmness at home. If you miss that opportunity, the adolescent years can be rougher than they need to be.

15/04/2024

*Give Children Convictions To Live By*

15 April 2024

‘‘These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.’’
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV

If you’re a parent, are you trying to keep your children under lock and key in order to keep them out of trouble?
Or if you’re a teacher or Sunday school leader, do you try to impose strict rules?
It won’t work. You’re not keeping them out of trouble, you’re simply postponing it. Things like curfews, dress codes, internet use, and checking up on their friends are part of good parenting and good teaching. But when you are not around to guide them, they need sound principles to live by. And those principles can be found in God’s Word:

‘Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes’ (vv. 6-9 MSG).
Isn’t it interesting how each succeeding generation views the previous one as old fashioned and out of date?

And that’s not all bad. Every generation believes there is a better way to do things, and that is the foundation for progress. That’s why getting from Liverpool to New York takes only seven hours by plane instead of three weeks by sailing ship. God’s Word can stand the test of scrutiny.
So instead of shutting them down, invite children to ask questions and challenge assumptions, then help them arrive at solid scriptural convictions to live by.
As someone who cares for children, there is no greater gift you can give them.

27/03/2024

*Your Secret Place*

27 March 2024

‘‘When you pray, go into your room.’’
Matthew 6:6 NIV

Jesus said, ‘When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’ (v. 6 NIV).

The Christian life could be compared to the Old Testament tabernacle, which was divided into three compartments.
There was an outer court to which everyone had access. And you too have an outer court; the place you go to work, shop, and play.
It represents your outward appearance or public persona, the part of you everyone sees.

The tabernacle also had an inner chamber called the Holy Place, where most people weren’t permitted to go. You also have a Holy Place where designated people like close friends or family can enter.
You decide who comes in and who doesn’t, and no one can force their way.
Certain people may have authority over you vocationally or financially, but that doesn’t automatically allow them entrance. When it comes to that inner chamber, you get to decide who comes and goes.

The third compartment in the Old Testament tabernacle was the holy of holies, a very small, carefully guarded place, deep inside. It was accessed only by the chief priest, and there was room for only one person and God. You have one of those places inside you as well.
We sometimes refer to it as ‘the secret place’ because only God is allowed in. And here is a truth you need to know: your level of peace, joy, contentment, guidance, and victory is regulated by the amount of time you spend with God in your secret place.
Prioritise it, protect it, and spend time there each day.