A COVENANT PEOPLE by Daniel Yohanna

God cut a covenant with Abraham and his seed (Gen. 17:1-12). And we know that a covenant is an agreement that is legally binding.
Jesus came as the seed of Abraham - and we all, through Jesus are the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 16,29).
Yet, a new covenant was enacted in Christ, which is like a codicil to the Old (Abrahamic) covenant, which happens to be a better covenant, established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6).
The modifications in this new covenant absolved us of the rites or liturgies of the old covenant like the sabbath rites, the animal sacrifices and other burnt offerings (Jesus being the ultimate sacrifice) , burning of incense, ablutions yet grants us all of the benefits of the Abrahamic covenant (Col. 2:13,14). It also frees us from the curse(s) under that covenant that served as punishment for breaking the law.

 Galatians 3:7,14,16,29
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Some of the benefits they enjoyed under that covenant included supernatural provision, divine health, divine protection, distinction from the world, victory over their enemies, etc.

"He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes." (Psa.105:37)

When there were plagues that ravaged Egypt, Israel was exempt.
And in His covenant relationship with His people, He promised to free them from the evil diseases of Egypt

"And said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” (Exo. 15:26)

"You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you." (Deut. 7:14,15).

No matter the intensity of darkness in the world, God will shine over you with a light over which darkness cannot comprehend [Gen. 1:3; Isa. 60:1-3; John 1:5].
There will be a clear difference between God's children and the people of the world (Mal. 3:17,18).
When men are going down, you will go higher and higher (Job 22:29).
In every encounter, you will come out tops (Deut. 28:13). You are destined to soar on eagle's wings as a high flyer (Isa. 60:8).
Sickness is not your portion but the portion of your enemies. Poverty is not your lot. What stops others will not stop you. You will not be counted among the dead. You don't need to fear what others fear. Your case is different. You serve a living God.
If you are a born again child of God, you are in Covenant with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Walk in this covenant blessing. There's no stopping you. I'll see you at the top.

OBTAINING & MAINTAINING YOUR HEALING by Daniel Yohanna

OBTAINING AND MAINTAINING YOUR HEALING
Healing is one of the benefits of our redemption in Christ. When Jesus hanged on the Cross, He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Mt. 8:16,17) and by His stripes (wounds) we have been healed. So, through His substitutionary sacrifice, He obtained healing for us. It is now left to us to receive that which He has made available for us.
Methods of Healing:
1) Asking in the name of Jesus
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn.16:23,24)
2) Making a demand in the name of Jesus
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (Jn.14:13,14)
To ask here is to demand. Take advantage of the right to use the name of Jesus and stand upon that authority to demand sickness to leave.
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Mt.18:18)
3. Prayer of Agreement. Two or more believers can pray together in agreement. They must make sure they're agreeing on the same thing.
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." (Mt.18:19)
4) Laying on of hands.
A believer lays hands on the sick, thereby transmitting God's healing power, just as Jesus did in Lk. 4:40. God's power is hidden in His hand (Hab. 3:3,4). The believer's hand is an extension of God's hand, for we are "members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones," and "As He is, so are we in this world." (Eph. 5:30; 1Jn. 4:17).
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk.16:17,18)
5. Anointing with Oil
"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." (Jam. 5:14,15)
The oil is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit and is a medium (like the hand) through which the anointing - the yoke-destroying burden-removing power of God (Isa.10:27) - is released.
According to T. J. McCrossan in His book, Bodily Healing and the Atonement, "When we today anoint a sick saint with oil by touching the surface of the skin, as Aaron's sons were anointed in Exo.40:15, we recognize the blessed fact that this person has been regenerated and belongs to the church, the household of Christ, our great High Priest, and therefore has a perfect right to claim all the benefits of Christ's redeeming love."
6. Holy Communion (1Cor. 11:23-32; John 6:53-58)
Christ's body was broken for you (on the Cross) so that yours would not be broken by sickness, weakness or infirmity but rather be made whole, as symbolized by the breaking of bread. Jesus once referred to healing as children's bread (Mt.15:21-26).
The cup of communion is the New Covenant in His blood. It shows our union with Him in His life, for the life is in the blood.
In partaking of the Lord's body and blood in Communion, we do enforce in our lives the victory He obtained for us on the Cross of Calvary.
We've seen people come and get healed during our Communion services which holds first Sunday/Wednesday of the month.
7) Anointed (Healing/Prayer) Cloth
"Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them." (Ac.19:11,12)
There are times we're not able to physically reach the sick, and a piece of cloth serves as a "storage battery," super-charged with God's power and taken to the sick, and they are healed. The cloth serves as a conductor of God's power, a medium, just like the oil, to convey healing power.
"Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction." (Mk. 5:25,27,29)
8. Gifts of Healing(s) / The Healing Anointing
There are some ministers, like myself, who are anointed with God's healing power - a tangible healing anointing - just like Jesus was anointed (Ac.10:38). When those gifts are in operation, people get healed (with or without prayer). This is a supernatural manifestation of healing power through one individual to another.
 Now, every believer can get people healed by laying on of hands, though prayer or by ministering the Word as God confirms His Word with signs following. (Mk.16:17-20). But here, I'm referring to the Ministry (or gifts) of healing (1Cor.12:9,28).
9. Believing and Speaking the Word
"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mk.11:23).
Just by continually speaking to yourself the Word as it concerns healing, you'll experience God's healing power. Get acquainted with Healing Scriptures and continually speak and act them out.
10. Healing in Redemption
This is by far the best method. This is for the believer who knows that healing belongs to him. You take your place as a son. You know that healing is in God's redemptive plan and that by His stripes, you are healed (Isa. 53:4,5; Mt. 8:16,17; 1Pet.2:24).
You refuse to allow sickness in your body because you are healed. You know that the pain, sickness or disease was laid on Jesus. Since He bore it, you don't need to bear it anymore. You simply know it, so you thank God. There's no need for prayer. No need to be anointed or to have hands laid on you. You just thank the Father for perfect deliverance.
MAINTAINING YOUR HEALING
One sad fact is that healing can be lost. Peter started walking on water, but when he began to doubt, he began to sink (Mt.14:25-31). Why did Peter begin to sink? He was looking at the situation around him instead of looking unto Jesus. That's how people lose their healing - through doubt.
When we take our eyes off His Word and begin to focus on the symptoms, we will "sink" more and more into that sickness.
In Num. 21:5-9, the children of Israel murmured against God and He sent deadly serpents to bite them. When they cried unto God, He instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent (the symbol used as the logo of the Medical Profession). When anyone was bitten, he was healed as he looked at the bronze serpent (a type of Jesus hanging on the Cross for our redemption) and not on the bite. It was impossible for them to look at both the snake bite and the bronze serpent simultaneously.
Take your eyes off your symptoms. Fix your gaze on the Cross where Himself took your infirmities. Don't be ruled by the senses whereby your improvement is the basis of your faith and not God's Word. Don't let your feeling dictate your faith. Healing has nothing to do with feeling. If God's Word says you are healed, then you are healed - whether you feel like it or not.
Smith Wigglesworth said, "I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I'm only moved by what I believe."
Thomas said unless I see I won't believe (Jn. 20:24-29). But Jonah tells us that they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy (Jon. 2:8).
Keep your faith strong by feeding constantly on the Word of God, speaking it at all times, and never focusing on your symptoms. In the words of Oral Roberts, "Never doubt God. If you must doubt, doubt your doubts, for they are unreliable."
WALKING IN HEALTH
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3Jn2)
It is God's desire that you not only get healed but that you stay healthy. The same Word that got you healed will keep you healed. Speak the Word (Mt.8:8) at all times, not only when you're down with sickness.
According to "Dad" P. C. Nelson, you must "keep you faith strong at all times. The time will come when you'll need healing for yourself or for some member of your family, and if you have not kept your faith string, you'll be at a disadvantage." He also added, "Constantly feed along the lines of faith and healing, constantly with whatever else you read."
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
In order to stay healthy, you must develop a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy. There's no point destroying your health as a result of a wrong diet, only to get healed and go back to the wrong diet. When Jesus healed a paralytic, he warned him to "sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." (Jn. 5:14)
Personal hygiene and sanitation must be taken seriously. Live in hygienic environments. You'll discover that some of the laws given Israel in the Old Testament were dietary and sanitary laws. One reason people are sick is because they break natural laws regarding health.
Exercise your body regularly, even if it's just a walk you take often.  Even the Bible says bodily exercise has profit (1Tim. 4:8)
Learn to rest. Don't overwork yourself. There's an amount of stress your body can stand. If you don't learn to rest you'll be laid to rest.
I pray you'll stay healthy and live wealthy, in Jesus name.

MARRIAGE without TEARS V: Pillars of Marriage by Daniel Yohanna

PILLARS OF MARRIAGE
The foundation of any building, project or life is a pointer to its destiny. How high you intend to raise a building determines the depth of foundation you need to lay.
Jesus taught about storms hitting a building. Whether the building survived the storm or not is determined by the presence or absence of a solid foundation.
Whether your marriage will face a storm is already a given. It's a non-negotiable fact. Storms will come.
The same storm that causes havoc in other birds is used by the eagle to strengthen its muscles and soar higher above the storm.
The same thing happens in marriage. While one marriage grows stronger through the storms of life, some other crumbles.
What are the pillars we need to lay a solid foundation for our marriages?
1) LOVE
Everybody uses this word until it has lost its meaning that we don't know what it means anymore. Somebody tries to woo another to indulge in sexual immorality in the name of love.
Love is not a feeling - which wanes and fades with time. It is a decision, a choice we make to show affection to another.
The marriage that is built on love will survive any storm because it is not built on feelings which vary from mood to mood. Love acts unconditionally. It's not predicated on the action or attitude of the recipient (Rom. 5:8). It is love borne out of our affection for God - divine love.
According to E. W. Kenyon, divine love has never been to a divorce court.
2) COMMITMENT
Commitment means
to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge: to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.
"Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed... (I Cor. 7:27a).
It is commitment that let's u say, "I do," and decades after, through thick and thin, come rain, come shine, you're still "doing." You've made a life-long commitment "till death do us part." And it doesn't mean you'll put your spouse to death so you can part.
3) TRUST
If a husband and wife want their marriage to be happy and successful, they must be able to trust each other implicitly. Nothing damages a marriage more than broken trust. It's hard to grow and prosper in an atmosphere of bitterness, resentment, and suspicion.
That's why both partners should take great care to ensure that they do not say or do anything to give each other any reason to doubt or distrust them. Trust enables a husband and wife to enjoy a relationship characterized by openness and transparency, with no secrets or "locked rooms" that are kept off limits to each other.
Then you won't have to be snooping around each other's cell phones and eavesdropping on their conversations with others.
4) MUTUAL RESPECT
A strong marriage is built upon mutual respect. To respect someone means to esteem that person, to consider him or her worthy of high regard. Where there is no respect, abuse is inevitable. When you lose appreciation for your spouse, he/she will be of no value to you, and you'll most likely violate and abuse your spouse, and treat them like they don't count for nothing. Some people value and respect the opinion or advice of their friends and family more than their spouse's. Nothing, and no one, other than God, should be of greater value to you than your spouse.
And then, when there is mutual respect, it's easy to have mutual submission to each other (Eph. 5:21)
5) SACRIFICE
Selflessness is a major pillar in strengthening the bond of marriage, while selfishness is the bane of any union, where each party is solely focused on "I, me & myself." If you'll make pleasing your spouse a priority, your relationship will last.
Think of ways of giving your spouse surprise packages. Make life easier for your spouse. Let your partner be glad that you're there, and not rather that your presence or absence makes little or no difference.
Self-centredness is at the bottom of many a conflict in homes.
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.
"Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. (1Cor.13:5, AMP)
6) COMMUNICATION
Communication comes from a Greek word, communis, meaning, common ground. You must have more grounds to agree on that ones you disagree on, or else your marriage is on the way to extinction.
Communication is the life of any relationship. We must never give room for malice. No wonder the Bible says we can be angry but must not keep our wrath beyond sunset so as not to give room to the enemy (Eph. 4:26,27).
Learnt to talk things through. And please, realize that confrontation is not communication, neither is complaining. And according to Peter Drucker, "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."
Because of the heavy work schedules, you find people who spend all their time on the office and hardly have time for their spouse, so it becomes rife to have illicit relationships brewing in the office.
7) CANDOUR
Nothing can be built upon the foundation of lies or falsehood. In this day and age where people wear false teeth, false eye lashes, false finger nails, and what have you! Some wear falsehood into their marriage. Imagine waking up one day to find that you were married to a lie. He told you he had a degree only to discover he never went to school. She told you she was a virgin only to discover she had a child out of wedlock. What then can you believe from such a person? There must be no room for dishonesty in a marriage.
We must learn to speak the truth in love (Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:15)
Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. There was such a high degree of transparency between them that nothing was covered. It is said that it's better you "slap" your spouse with the truth than "kiss" them with lies.
Don't muzzle or mute your spouse's mouth. Their honest counsel can save you from disaster.
8) Etc.

THE GOD THAT NEVER FAILS by Daniel Yohanna

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb 11:1

Our God is a God of faith. Faith is the principle of operation in His kingdom. Everything He does, He does by faith. That’s why without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb.11:6).

Also, God is a God of seed. Everything starts as a seed and grows to its fullness (Gen. 1:11,12).

The promises of God are seeds of faith to be planted in our hearts, and as they germinate and come to fruitage, they activate the power of God to bring them to pass.

Our relationships and dealings with men have beclouded and distorted our judgment and perception of God.

People lie to us. Parents lie to us. Governments lie, every now and then. And because some fathers have abused us as children, once we hear, “Our father in heaven…” it’s like, “there goes another Dad.”

We have generally picked up a spirit of doubt and unbelief from our dealings with men. When they say, “I’m coming,” the person is actually going. So we never trust anybody. And we think God is the same as men, but no, God is God and men are men.

Men make promises and break chiefly because of:

1.                Unforeseen circumstances: They did not foresee a change in the economic climate. They were not conversant with the vicissitudes of life. That’s why some cleverly add the phrase when they make promises, “If all things remain equal…” But God declares the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10). Nothing can take Him by surprise.

I remember years ago before I got married. A friend was encouraging me to marry, and promised to sponsor the whole ceremony. When I finally got ready to marry, my friend didn’t say anything. When I reminded him of the promise, he said as of the time he made the promise, he never envisaged that events were going to take a new turn. He would have gladly kept his word, but the situation had gone “beyond his control.”

I thank God that no situation is beyond God’s control.

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psa. 12:6)

God had to check and test the workability of His word against different circumstances, and the word prevailed. Before a new vehicle is released, it is normally test-run. They would crash it on purpose – just to check it’s performance. And yet, you still find them recalling cars after having been released. It’s never so with God. He has never had to recall any of His promises made.

 God’s Word will prevail over the circumstances and situations that confront you.

So, this first instance is therefore a case of the inability of the person to honour his word, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he is unable to, due to matters arising that were never envisaged while the promises were being made. But my God is more than able, through all situations.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think according to the power that works in us… (Eph. 3:20)

“…The things which are made impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27)

With my God, there is no such thing as impossibility.

2.                Another reason why men make promises that are not kept is because they simply fail to keep their word. They break their word. They don’t have the integrity to honour their word. The Bible says God honours them that swear (even if) to their own hurt and change not (Psa. 15:4)

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19)

3.                Men make promises and break because they never meant their word. They lied. It was a ‘political statement.’ Winston Churchill said, “Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”

Such men knew they wouldn’t move a finger, yet they went ahead to promise you heaven and earth without having access to any. Titus 1:2 says God cannot lie. Heb 6:18 says its impossible for God to lie. So when God says you are healed (1 Pet 2:24) and the Doctor says you have a tumour, oh brother, let God be true but every man a liar (Rom 3:4). When the Doctor says you can’t have a baby, because God has said none (of His children) shall be barren (Exo. 23:25,26; Deut. 7:14), you can look at the Doctor’s diagnosis and laugh.

Everywhere you turn for employment, they say, “No vacancy,” well, no problem, God makes a way where there seems to be no way. After all, it was a job you were looking for and not ‘vacancy.’

God is always faithful to His promises (Heb 10:23). He means every word He says, and says what He means.

Now watch this: Deut. 8:7-9 “For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figtree and pomegrates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper”. This promise was made to Abraham hundreds of years before this date. See the account of the children of Israel.

Joshua 21:43, 45; 23:14

“So the Lord gave to Israel all of which He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass”

“Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed”

Many years later, King Solomon would attest to God’s faithfulness to His promises.

1Kings 8:56

“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses”

All came to pass. Everything! Doesn’t that register something in you? Not one promise has failed. All have come to pass.

Relax sister, you’ll soon get married. Madam, your baby is coming. Brother, you’ll gain that admission. Uncle, you’ll get the contract purely by Divine Connection. My dear, your car has been dispatched. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights…” (Jam. 1:17). It’s coming to you. It’s your turn to testify that our God never fails.

My friend, God will not fail you. He has never failed anyone that dares to believe Him, and He can’t fail you (Josh. 1:5). God is faithful.

“For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.  (2Cor. 1:20, AMP)

 No matter how many promises are given us in the Word of God, they all find their answer in Christ, so we say “Amen” to them. If you are in Christ, every good promise in the Word (from the Old Testament to the New) is yours. Claim it. Believe it. Expect it.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’.

So we may boldly say: ‘ The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” (Heb 13:5, 6)

What you need to find out is, has God said it? If He said it in His Word, He is bound to keep His Word. You can begin to talk with boldness because you know that it shall come to pass, no matter what. We serve a God that never fails. Hallelujah.

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DanielYohanna. Connect with me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/danielyohanna. I’m also available on Google+, Instagram and LinkedIn. Call me on 08077837847 for Prayer/Counseling. 

THE MAXIMIZED LIFE by Daniel Yohanna

Most people live and die without utilising the full potentials within them. One reason for this is that they do not realise nor recognise the underlying potentials in them. Another reason is that they do not nurture, develop and release these potentials. So they are actually operating below capacity. I have a 2.9KVA generating plant. When I first acquired it, it supplied enough power for almost all appliances in the house, including the electric iron. Months afterwards, it could not carry the refrigerator, much less the electric iron. The rating is still the same – 2.9KVA, but it was not operating optimally. It was operating below capacity. So many people are like that – operating below capacity.
You can work on your potentials by acknowledging where you are and moving to another level.
First of all, you must realize what you’re worth.  Your net worth is not your self-worth. Your salary or income is not a reflection of your worth. Your true value cannot be determined by your valuables. You are invaluable and priceless, a jewel of inestimable value.
If you take a hundred naira note, and squeeze it, that doesn’t reduce its value. If you march it, its value does not depreciate because it is covered with dirt. That it is torn does not remove or reduce its value either except if it is completely mutilated.
Your circumstances do not define who you are. Where you’re coming from is inconsequential to your destiny.
The story is told about a giant statue of Budha that stood in the way a road construction in Thailand. The Government resolved to relocate it without destroying it. It was successfully lifted and moved away, but as it was being lowered, something tragic happened, as it began disintegrating, albeit, revealing something amazing. Underneath the moulded clay was a figure of pure solid gold. The same statue that was worth a few hundred dollars suddenly became worth some hundreds of thousands of dollars in value.
Let no man under-value you simply because you are not presently employed, or are struggling today. The struggles are good for your development.
A young man saw the pupa of a butterfly wriggling, attempting to break through the maggot-like chrysalis. Out of curiosity, the boy took a closer look to discover a little hole in the pupa. He took a pin and punctured it to free the little butterfly. It came out, but could not fly. Wondering why, he was told he shouldn’t have helped the butterfly to break through its confinement. It would come out naturally. The struggle was necessary for the development of its wing and give them the strength they need to fly.
Have you been let down before? Abandoned? Forsaken? Refused help? Don’t get bitter. It was meant to make you better. Through the struggle you’ll become a better person.
When you take a look at the one hundred naira note, you will find a picture, and underneath is inscribed, “Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987)”. The two dates under his name are separated by hyphen. The first date is his entry into the world, while the second is his exit date. Everything else about his life – his educational attainment, his marital life, his children, his legal practice, his political accomplishments, his oratorical and leadership abilities, his economic prowess, his business acumen, his presidential ambition, his political trials – everything about him, was simply represented with and encapsulated in a hyphen, a dash. Life then is an appointment between two dates. It is a hyphen or dash between two dates.
One day, you too will be described by a hyphen between two dates. All you did or became or accomplished would be represented by a dash. You are filling in that dash now, just in the same way you write an examination in which you are required to fill in the gap. In such exams, it’s either you know the answer or you don’t, you can’t guess your way through.
So, what are you filling your own “dash” with? When all is said and done, what will be left of you?
If you were to write your own epitaph, what would it be like?
If you were to come to the end of the road, would that epitaph be written on your tombstone?
It is pertinent to note that longevity does not determine validity. The man that lived the longest in history, Methuselah, had nothing written about him apart from the fact that he was married, gave birth to children, and that was it.
Then notice again, that no matter how long you live, no matter how much you even accomplish, the dash is the same length. For example, on the 500 Naira note is the face of Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who lived between 1904 and 1996. He was older, and lived longer than Chief Awolowo. He achieved more politically, yet the hyphen is the same with Pa Awolowo’s. Could we then agree with King Solomon that everything in life is vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccle. 1:14)?
What would you be remembered for? Your contributions or destructions, your alcoholism? Social recklessness? Moral bankruptcy? Armed robbery or other social vices and notoriety?
By the way you live and the things you do, you are constantly filling up “the dash” of your life.
It doesn’t matter how empty it has been, start living positively today. Forget the misadventures and misdemeanors of the past. And don’t wait till tomorrow either. You can’t do anything about yesterday – it’s gone forever. You can’t do anything about tomorrow either because it is not here yet.
Yesterday is in the tomb and tomorrow is in the womb. All you have is today. That’s the only place you will ever be. Use it profitably.
John Mason said, “Success comes to the man who does today what others were thinking of doing tomorrow.”
Jimmy Lyons said, “Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man.”
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” (Eccle. 11:4, TLB). Start today with what you have right where you are.
Zig Ziglar said, “You must be willing to do today what others won’t in order to be able to have tomorrow what others can’t have.”
There are 4 ways people live:
1. Living for yourself.
This is self-centredness. It is described as egoism – the habit of valuing everything only in reference to one’s personal interest. Everything revolves around you. You are only pre-occupied with you, yourself and yours; you’re only concerned about things that will benefit you. The result is egocentricity. In any venture, your first question is, “What is in there for me?”
Norman Vincent Pearle observed, “The man who lives for himself is a failure. Even if he gains much wealth, power or position, he is still a failure.’’
John Mason said, “The man who believes in nothing but himself lives in a very small world. The best way to be happy is to forget yourself and focus on other people. The higher you go in life, the more dependent you become on other people.”
2. Living for others
   It is a greater call to live for the benefit of others. This is called altruism. It is the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others
Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Albanian born Roman Catholic Nun, founder of Missionaries of Charity, and Nobel Laureate, left her privileged position of a principal because she was moved by the presence of the sick and dying on the city’s streets. She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work among the poor in India and around the world. She generated a lot of money and financial resources but used all to better the lives of others. She lived where they lived and ate what they ate, unlike other Missionaries that lived in more sophisticated neighbourhoods in their Mission field.
This is not someone doing things for the sake of recognition. A lot of philanthropists have some hidden motives as they donate to projects either for some political dream, or they could be given a chieftaincy title or some other kind or reward.
John D. Rockefeller (the youngest self-made millionaire in his time and the then richest man in the world), made several millions of dollars, which he gave away. Up till today, his foundation is still supporting projects around the world. Your valuables do not determine your value. "A man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses." (Luke 12:15).
Recently, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, the two richest men in the world, came together and gathered 50 of the world’s richest men and challenged them to give away at least half of their possessions in the remaining years of their lives. Money or wealth or fame or even power, are not the ultimate in life. They are meant to be some means to an end and not an end in themselves.
3. Living for a cause.
    Everyone was made to fulfill a purpose. You will find fulfillment and contentment in life when you fulfill that purpose. Revolutionaries are people who live for a cause. It may cost them their fortunes, their privileges or even their lives. If you don’t have something worth dying for, you won’t have something worth living for.
If you can’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
 Martin Luther King, Jr. was moved by the racial segregation and disenfranchisement the blacks were subjected to in America.
 He began to fight for an end to such oppression. He lived and died for the dream he pursued. He traversed America with his timeless declaration, “I have a dream.”
One of his speeches was, ’’I have a dream that my sons will one day live in a country where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’’
Though he didn’t live to see the full fulfillment of his dream, he is being celebrated today. Every January, a holiday is given in the USA to honour this man. Because of his crusades, today a black man occupies the White House, sitting as President of America. If there was no Martin Luther King, Jr., there wouldn’t be a Barack Obama ruling America.
Once the children of Israel were engaged in battle against the Philistines. Goliath of Gath, the champion of the Philistines threw a challenge to the Israelites to provide a representative for a combat with him. David was rebuked by his elder brother for offering himself and venturing to enter a duel with the giant, an adventure even the king was unwilling to try. To this, David quipped, "Is there not a cause?" (1Sam. 17:29). People who are purpose-driven pursue missions that ultimately make them larger than life.
 Are you living in such a way as to add value to others, or are you living just for yourself?
Locate the next person in need, and do what you can to make a difference, and that’s the way to begin. The only way to start is to start.
This brings us to another point.
4. Living for God.
In fact, this Scripture is very explicit about this:
" For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died;  And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake." (2Cor.5:14-15, AMP).
 God made you for a purpose. You didn't make yourself. You may have your own plans in life, but you need to find out if they align with God's purpose.
Prov. 19:21 says there are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless, it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
When you live for God, you will seek to please Him at all times and in all things. You will never do or want to do anything that is contrary to His will for your life. You greatest desire will be, just like Jesus, to do God's will (John 6:38) and to finish His work (John 4:34). Remember, it is God that made us and not ourselves (Psa. 100:3). You are not a self-made man or woman.
Follow your heart. Serve God with your life and time and resources. The Lord bless you.
It’s a new day for you!
Follow me on Twitter @DanielYohanna.
Or meet me 8am every Sunday @ The Brook Tabernacle, Mr Bigg’s Hall, Morocco Roundabout, Somolu, Lagos.

BORN TO WIN by Daniel Yohanna

Life is a battle ground. There are many forces arrayed against you. Nothing comes easy. It is safe to say that the odds are against you. This is not a defeatist stand but an undeniable fact. After all, there could be no winner if there was no contest. Great voctories come out of great battles. Yet you need to know that you are programmed for victory and destined to win. In fact, you are a winner. In the words of my friend, Dr Jonathan Alao, "Life is not a continuum of struggle. There is a place in God where you enter into His rest."

Consider this: of the millions of sperm cells that go into a woman in a single ejaculation (ranging from 40 million to 1.2 billion cells) in coitus, most die during the journey, and only ONE can win the race to successfully fertilize the egg. If you are reading this, you are that one sperm cell that beat hundreds of thousands and several millionns of others to win the race to the egg, thereby fertilizing the egg and fencing off several others. 

If at conception, when you were not conscious, you won, how much more now! No wonder the Psalmist said, "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about." (Psalm 3:6). No matter how many enemies you have, you are unstoppable. No weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isa. 54:17). 

Usually, in production, there is a reject box where defective products are thrown into, since they are not fit for distribution to the public as the reputation of the company is tied to their product. If it meets their specification and acceptable standards, it is released. That you were not still-born or miscarried but carried full term; that you were brought forth shows you meet God's acceptable standard for circulation into life. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa.139:14). 

Even if you feel you have or even notice some defects from birth, there is another chance for you. You can be born again (John 3:3). By accepting Jesus into your heart and making Him Lord over your life and acknowledging Him as your personal Saviour, according to Romans 10:9, you become born again. You are saved. You become a child of God. By that process, you become regenerated (Tit. 3:5). New genes are injected or infused into you, superimposing the life and nature of God over your natural life. You begin to live a supernatural life. Your natural genes may have defects, your spiritual genes are from God and there flawless. They now begin to influence and transform your natural genes by the power of God. You can then be made every whit whole. 

The devil cannot stop you. He couldn't stop your birth. He cannot stop your manifestation. 

1John 5:4,5 (AMPLIFIED)

For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. 5  Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]? 

Your faith in Christ will shield you from every attack of the enemy and put you on the victory path. You won at birth. You'll win in life. You're a winner in the Lord Jesus. 

John 16:33 (AMPLIFIED)

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

No matter what the enemy throws at you, you are more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37). 

Welcome to life in Christ. Welcome to the winning life. No matter what you're going through, with God on your side and on your case, you'll come out victorious (1Cor.15:57; 2Cor.2:14).

It's not over 'till it's over; yet it can't be over 'till you're shouting the victory.

Shalom! 

AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN?

YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN?

By Daniel Yohanna

You're not a Christian because you answer the name Mathew or Michael or Christiana. It's not in the name. That's why you can find someone called Angelina who behaves more like a 'Devilina.'
Neither are you one because you go to Church. That you live inside a Campus doesn't make you a student. Sleeping in a garage doesn't make you a car. You can have blocks inside a building that are not part of the building. So, that you have your name in a Church register, and even contribute financially, does not make you a Christian. The story was told of a Pastor's wife who left her handbag on her seat after a particular church service and was exchanging pleasantries with people. She turned back to make a call only to discover her cell phone was missing. She used somebody's phone to call her line only for her to hear this to her utter disbelief and consternation: "Mama, please try and get another phone. I‘ve been believing God for this kind of handset." Shocking!
You may be baptized, confirmed (and confused, like a preacher used to add), that doesn't change anything. You went under the water a dry sinner and came up a wet sinner.
Your parents could be Christians, ok, that doesn't make you one. They may even be Pastors or Elders or Deacons. You might have been born inside a Church sanctuary. That still doesn't make you a Christian.
If your parents were Medical Doctors, that doesn't turn you into a Medical Practitioner.
That you even dress like a Christian (wondering if there is a Christian dress, as all the dresses we wear are made on earth), and talk like one, using common cliches, don't turn you into a Christian.
Just wearing a Military outfit doesn't make you a soldier. That you can speak English doesn't make you a Brit.
How then does one become a Christian? Let’s take a look at some Scriptures.

2Corinthians 5:17
When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!

You become a Christian by giving your life to Jesus. You must acknowledge yourself as a sinner who cannot save himself/herself, believe that Jesus died in your place on the Cross of Calvary, and confess Him as Lord over your life. Then you become saved. Your sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus that was shed on the Cross, and you become a child of God. You can then call yourself a Christian.

Romans 10:9,10
9 For of you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in His heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation.

Take note of the fact that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship between a loving Father, God, and His children. It is the manifestation of the life and love or God.
Religion is man's way of seeking God (that's why you have so many religions). The sad thing is that religion only leads you to bondage and it has no answer for sin. Those that have practised Christianity as a religion have done some of the greatest havoc known to mankind, all in God's name. Ready examples are the Inquisition and the Crusades of the mediaeval era. Today, there are many religious adherents but very few godly men and women.
In Christianity, it is God who came in the person of Jesus Christ, to seek and to save lost and fallen humanity through His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

Your good works cannot save you because all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).
It is when you give your life to Jesus that the Spirit of God comes into you, transforming you into a new species of being. All your sins of the past are washed away and you begin to walk with God. Everything on the outside may still look the same, but there is a change on the inside that will begin to reflect on the outside.

Therefore, in the real essence of it, you cannot be converted into Christianity. You have to be born into it. No wonder Jesus said, “Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). It is accepting Jesus into your heart, believing that He died for you and rose again to justify you. You then become a child of God. Every sin you’ve committed in the past is totally washed away by the blood of Jesus. You become a new person, a new creature; a brand new species of being that never existed before.

Now, it is necessary that when this change occurs on the inside, it ought to reflect on the outside. The life you've received from God ought to affect your own life and lifestyle.
It's sad to find people who profess propriety but practice profanity today. That's why Mahatma Gandhi was quoted to have once said, "I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Do you even realize it wasn't God who called believers in Christ Christians? It was people who noticed the similarities in lifestyle between the early disciples and Christ that gave them the appellation,

"Christians." They were Christ-like in all their dealings.

Acts 11:26 NKJV
And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

It's not enough to call yourself a Christian. Is there anything in your life that shows you are one? Jesus said " By their fruits you will know them." (Matt. 7:20). God is love. If you are His child, love should be seen manifesting in your life.

John 13:35 NKJV
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Rick Godwin cautiously noted two ironic reasons why people do not become Christians: (1) They've never met one, and (2) They've met one. Ouch!

You may not, in fact you will not, get there overnight. Just like it is in the natural, it takes time for people to grow to maturity. You will still makes mistakes even after you’re born again. But as you grow to maturity through feeding and studying the Word of God, praying daily and fellowshipping with other believers, it will be evident to all that change has occurred in your life.

The Lord bless you.

Follow me on Twitter (@DanielYohanna).