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I’ve read many books that were classified as christian literature. Some were really good while others made me wonder if they should have been published. Of the books I wondered about, I don’t make the comment to be harsh, critical or judgemental. Rather, I wonder if they were really something God intended to be shared to that extent. I also wondered if I should have read them. Let me explain. I’ve read books about hearing from God and growing in faith and so on and so forth. These are great topics and many Christians have ongoing questions and desires for knowledge in these areas. I do and that is why I read them. However, at one point I kind of kept hearing myself asking this same question. Did I try to take a short cut by reading this? If so then what did I miss by not working it out with God? The simple fact is that these books, we assume, were inspired by the author's journey with God. A journey for knowledge or victory in various areas of their lives. So on one hand reading their accounts is not a bad thing for us to do. On the other hand, maybe we should have sought God for his direction in our particular journey. I’ve done that recently and found that the revelation I received just seems deeper. I get the sense that the things God showed me will “last” or “stick” longer. Maybe it’s like eating fast food versus a home cooked meal. It’s not that fast food is always wrong because sometimes it serves a purpose when we don’t have time to cook. Ever notice that a home cooked meal seams to stick around longer? By that I mean you don’t feel hungry again so soon after eating it. So maybe at the very least we should seek God on our own along with or supplemental to reading a book and also read the Bible. Not just focus on some one else's journey but focus on both? That way we can see God working in our own lives, in his own custom made way for us. Won’t our love and knowledge of God increase more this way?

There are many opportunities presented to us throughout our lives. Jesus said “have faith in God”. I think that it’s good to check in with God about the opportunties we see in front of us. Even if, by our own understanding, all the opportunities look equally good. Here is an analogy. When we go grocery shopping we take a certain level of care selecting our produce. We’ll pick up an apple or bell pepper and flip it around to look for obvious faults. We do this because we want the best produce we can get for our money. In other words, we want the good fruit (and vegetables). If God were shopping with us, and actually he is if you think about it, we would never get a bad apple. But choosing produce is not as important as choosing a job, career, business opportunity or even a church for that matter. This is not to say that some of the possibilities are going to lead to ruin if we get them wrong. We know that God is all knowing, full of love and a giver of good gifts. So if we include God in our decisions won’t he point us to the one that is best? There is of course more to this because hearing from God requires a level of faith. I won’t address that problem here beyond admitting that I sometimes struggle with this.

God knows my past. He knows all of the things I did and why I did them. He knew my heart then and he knows my heart now. First Peter chapter four is one of my go to sources of encouragement. I particularly find strength and encouragement in the NLT translation of verse three. It speaks directly to me every time I read “You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy…” because I truly have had enough. I finally came to a place where I just couldn’t wear the “old person” any longer. God through his mercy answered me when I asked him to show me the way out. His way out for me was reading his word and praying about what I read. I didn’t know where to start to be honest but I knew that my dad is strong in the Lord and very humble. So I talked to him. He encouraged me to read Ephesians, the books of John, the gospel of John and Psalms so that is where I started and branched out from. Throughout all of that scripture reading I grew in my understanding of how important my heart is to God. For me I suddenly realized that my heart was never really quite right with God. I felt sad at first. Looking at how I’d missed it. But God was merciful and kind. Through my bible reading and prayers I received a foundation to stand on. I don’t say that what God lead me through is the absolute blue print for everyone else. God may have different scriptures for you or whomever. I will say this, have faith in God. It really starts there and it’s the best place to start. God helped me to develop a thirst for his word because I got on board with his custom made journey for me. Now I find so much comfort, encouragement and healing in the bible. I thank God for that, it is the first time in my life that the word of God is so alive to me and in me.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” Romans 8:14 My friend Henry Amuoghobor, narrated to me, some months ago, the story of a woman, who went for a religious meeting. According to my friend, as this woman participated in the meeting, the so-called prophet, called out to her, and gave her a personal prophecy about her family… The prophet told this naïve and ignorant lady, that her Father and Mother In-law, are responsible for her predicaments. Then foolishly, this lady just went straight to her in-laws, and accused them confrontationally, of being the evil hands behind her predicaments. When the said lady’s husband eventually returned, and eventually got to his parents, they narrated to him how his wife had insolently accused them of witchcraft, and being responsible for their problems. After the man heard of the insult of the wife to his parents, as he got home, the issue eventually led to the breakage of their heavenly ordained marriage. This story is just one of many disasters that many spiritually ignorant individuals have caused themselves and others- by always trying to get direction and instruction from God through their fellow humans. Instead of going to God directly to hear from him. People have lost their money, their God given wives, relationships, ministries and other valuables by their undue inquisitiveness, and trying to pry into the future through human agents. And this is mainly as a result of ignorance to scriptural truth. They fail to understand that in the New Testament, Prophets are not given to give personal directions to any child of God. Yes, in the New Testament, there is the ministry of prophet. And their primary duty is to preach and teach the word of God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, just like every other ministry gift. And also, because they always have revelational gifts, they can also give direction to the general assembly of a Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit concerning God’s agenda per time. But when it comes to personal messages to the individuals in the Church, they are to only confirm to the believer only what God has already revealed to them personally for the purpose of confirmation and strengthening of faith. To this end, an individual believer, with the Holy Spirit in him or her, should not depend on prophets to give him/her direction for personal life. They should only go to the prophet to hear preaching or teaching. Then in the process of preaching or teaching, God can occasionally use the prophet to confirm what he has already revealed personally to the believer. However, if the prophet gives the believer a message that God has never revealed to him or her before time, and does not bear witness with the spirit, the believer should discard it. Then on the other hand, if he suspects there could be truth in it, he should personally go and inquire from God concerning the revelation before agreeing to or acting on it. It is very risky and dangerous to take any man’s word for it, without hearing the truth from God first. And when I say any man, I mean any man- regardless of whom the person may be. No matter the position of the man, we can’t afford to put our destinies in the hand of any man. Even if the individual has the true gift of prophecy, he is only a human as much as you are, and as such, is bound to make mistakes. Prophets operate in the realm of the spirit, and as the scriptures said, there are many voices in the spirit realm. Familiar spirits (that mimic the Holy Spirit) can speak through people. Including even genuine prophet or a child of God. Peter did yield to the devil, and started speaking against Jesus’s death. Anybody can at one time or the other, yield to the wrong spirit. So committing your destiny to any mortal man to direct, is to be toiling with your life and destiny. It is better to develop your relationship with God personally, and always consult him for any direction or instruction you need in any area of your life. If you want to make any business decision, go to him in a prayer of inquiries (if you want, you can take up some days of fasting and prayers)… If you want to marry, ask him for the right person. If you have a call for the ministry, go to him for instructions. Don’t allow anybody prophesy or call you into the ministry. If things are not going well with you in any area of your life, ask him personally to reveal to you what is going on. He is always ready and available inside of you to answer you if you are truly living in and for him… So my message in essence, is that you should learn to walk in the Spirit, instead of walking in men and prophets. When a believer always runs to a fellow man for answers, God is provoked to jealousy. Because by so doing, we tend to treat the man as God, and relegate God to the background. Hence, the errors many folks find themselves in the quest of seeking directions from prophets. So what are the various ways the Holy Spirit speaks to his Children? There are several ways the Holy Spirit lead or speak to his children. Principally, he speaks through the Witness of the spirit, the written word of God, small still voice (in the heart), audible voice (rarely), Wisdom (Godly wisdom, not sensual), situations or providence, visions and a host of other means. I’ll be discussing in details how the Holy Spirit speaks to the Believers through all these medium in my next article. But in the interim, I encourage you to smoothen out your relationship with God and his Holy Spirit, and learn how to be sensitive to his voice and leadings. Learn how to hear him for yourself for any situation you find yourself in; that you need direction for… Don’t subject your destiny to the direction of any man, no matter whatever title he or she is called. Right now, I decree your spiritual ears to pop open, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. I command every deafening forces in you, to lose their grips off you, in the name of Jesus Christ! From now onwards, begin to hear God, per second, per minute, in the name of Jesus Christ! Remain Blessed! Emeke Odili

UNFAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS She stood still in the midst of darkness. All of a sudden, the walls began to close in around her, but she could not move. She just stood there helpless, with no way out. She thought to herself, "This place is lonely, dark, cold, and miserable. How could anyone survive in a place like this?" She cried out for help, but no one answered. She cried out again saying, "God help me! Where am I?" She started to weep; and as her tears fell to the floor of this cold, dark, and lonely place, she saw a glimpse of light from above. Finally the Lord answered her saying, "This place that you said was so cold, dark, lonely, and miserable was the inside of your heart. You said you loved me with all of your heart, but it was only when the tears fell from your eyes that I believed you."- Ms. Kaye *Just a little something from my imagination*-Peace & blessings!