Love overcomes sin

Everyone Needs Forgiveness

We all have done things that require forgiveness. Maybe you lied to your friend or hurt someone, or stole something. You know in your heart that these actions are wrong.

The Bible calls these actions sin, and the Bible says that sin separates us from God. But God loves you and wants you to have freedom from the guilt and shame of sin and to be reunited with God. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He will forgive you if you accept his plan for forgiveness

But let’s back up a little bit.

How did God's world go so wrong?

It started when the first man and woman broke their relationship with God by disobeying Him.

They turned their back on God. God called this sin. It was sin that separated people from God.

Sin brought suffering and death into the world.

Am I guilty of sinning against God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that all people everywhere have sinned against God.

We've not loved and honored God as we should. Instead, we've chosen to live for ourselves, loving ourselves rather than loving God.

That's why each one of us stands guilty before a holy God deserving His judgment upon our sin.

No matter how hard we try, we can't save ourselves. No matter how many good things we do‐our guilt remains.

Can God forgive me for all I've done?

Yes. While we were completely without hope, prisoners of our sin and shame, God sent His only Son Jesus Christ into the world to sacrificially pay the death penalty for our sin.

This is how God demonstrated His love and mercy.

The judgment of God that you and I deserve was poured out on Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. Jesus died the death you and I deserve.

Now God's forgiveness for all our sin is feely granted to every one who receives God's mercy through faith in Jesus Christ.

The wages of sin is death for us all. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ for all who believe.

This is the truth that can make you free.

Can I be sure Jesus has the power to save me?

Yes. Because Jesus alone conquered the power of sin and death when He rose from the dead. By His victory over death, Jesus has done what we couldn't possibly do for ourselves: He led the way out of death into life.

Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."

The Bible says that, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life."

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me."

Right now God is calling you to turn away from your sinful life and turn to Jesus so that your sins may be forgiven.

In this prayer, I invite you to simply cry out for God's mercy through faith in Jesus Christ.

My Father and my Creator, I've sinned against you. Please forgive me. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus into the world to take the punishment for all my wrongdoing by dying on the cross in my place. I believe that by rising from the dead, Jesus has shown that He alone has the power to save me and give me eternal life. By faith, I freely receive Your mercy, love and forgiveness in the name of Jesus.

Pastor Chuwuemeka Ohanaemere allegedly resurrects dead woman during church service

We came across a video of an Anambra-based pastor identified as Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, supposedly raising a woman from death. Pastor Ohanaemere, the general overseer of the Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention Deliverance Ministry (A.K.A the land of freedom) has stirred controversy after a video of his church service leaked. According to the video, the pastor claimed to have resurrected a dead woman two people who appeared to be her husband and possibly her sister, brought her into the church during a service. 

They wept as the pastor laid on top of the 'dead woman' and 'resurrected her'. The members of the church excitedly ran to their pastor to show their gratitude and possibly thank him for his 'signs and wonders'. Pastor Chuwuemeka Ohanaemere allegedly resurrected a dead woman during church service

5 Things You Must Know In Order To Be Saved

There are five things you must know in order to
be saved.
1. You Must Know That You Are A Sinner In The
Sight Of God.
As recorded in the book of Romans 3:10 , “…
There is no one righteous, not even one.” A
righteous person is a one without sin, and since,
the Bible says no one is righteous, it means you
are also not righteous, thus a sinner. There are
only two ways to live in this world; your own way
or giving it to God’s will to live in His way. You
are either on God’s way or on your own way. If
you have turned to your way, then you have gone
astray and for that reason, you are a sinner in the
sight of God. “We all, like sheep, have gone
astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of is
all” – Isaiah 53:6.
You are not a sinner because you sin, you sin
because you are a sinner. You would not want a
doctor unless you knew you are sick. You will
never want a savior until you know you are a
sinner. You must therefore know that you are a
sinner first of all.
2. You Must Know That Your Sins Have Been
Laid On Jesus.
“We all, like sheep have gone astray , each of us
has turned to his own way; and the LORD has
laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:6.
God had to deal with your sin before He could
offer you salvation. He had to cleanse you; he
had to settle your debts so that you could be set
free. Your sin was so greater that it had to take
the life of a sinless man to save you. Jesus was
there(where it mattered most) to be offered as an
atonement for your sin. ” 4 Surely, he took up our
infirmities and carried our sorrows….. 5 But he
was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon him…..” – Isaiah
53:4 & 5.
Jesus Christ was made to bear your sins and
carry them to the cross in your stead. Sin made a
great barrier between you and God, and Jesus
came to tear down the barrier.
3. You Must Know That You Cannot Save
Yourself.
You are saved by grace through the death of
Jesus Christ on the cross. ” For it is by grace you
have been saved, through faith – and this is not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by
works, so that no one can boast – Ephesians
2:8-9. No man can be his won savior. You
cannot save yourself by getting yourself enrolled
as a member of a church. You cannot save
yourself by deeds, good works or by your might
or by merit. There is nothing you can do in your
power to save yourself.
If you could have saved yourself, then there was
no point in God sending His one and only son
(Jesus Christ) to come all the way down here,
and suffer such humiliation and that painful and
shameful death on the cross. The fact that Jesus
had to come and die for you shows clearly that
you cannot do anything to save yourself.
4. You Must Know That Jesus Christ Alone Can
Save You.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under Heaven given to men by which
we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Salvation is found
nowhere else apart from Jesus Christ. You
cannot look or rely on anyone to be saved except
that you look to Jesus. “She will give birth to a
son, and you are to give him the name Jesus
because he will save his people from their sin,”
Matthew 1:21.
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the father
except through me.” The Bible makes it perfectly
clear that Jesus Christ alone can save you.
Jesus Christ is the solid rock you can stand on,
all other ground is sinking sand.

5. You Must Know That You Must Receive Jesus
As Your Own Personal Savior.
“To all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave them the right to become
children of God”, – John 1:12. John 3:36 – 36, ”
The father loves the son and has placed
everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the
son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son
will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on
them”
You become God’s child by receiving the LORD
Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you are
dying of thirst, you must drink the water that is
offered to you. Jesus has been offered as the
living water to quench your thirst once and for
all.

After knowing these five things to get you saved,
you must make a decision. It is in your best
interest to get saved. This sis the truth you must
know, not just sweet words to convince you. You
must make a decision mow, not tomorrow or any
other day. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now
is the day of salvation,” – 2 Corinthians 6:2.
I advise you to accept Jesus now and enjoy the
riches and success in the Kingdom of God and
above all be saved for all eternity.
A M E N

All Things are Possible If You Believe

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe,all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23).

 In Mark 9, a man was so helpless and came to Jesus. His son had been taken over by an epileptic spirit. The man, desperate and in dire need of help, told the master, " ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire,and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing,have compassion on us, and help us" (Mark 9:22).

 You might be in a similar condition today and are completely at sea as to what to do. You might even be pleading like that man, asking God to do just anything and have compassion on you. 

I'll to tell you this: brighten up! Notice the Master's response: "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"(Mark 9:23). What a message to a frustrated and desperate father who had gone everywhere seeking help!

 Notice that Jesus didn't say it depends on how long the matter has been, how serious the case is or how much you can pay for it! He only said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes."

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Credit: Rhapsody of Realities.   

The One Thing That Every Man Needs.

“Martha, Martha.” the LORD answered, ” you are worried and upset about many things, But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42. One thing is essential, and that is the ultimate reason God created man; to worship and to seek Him. Others have chosen to worship other gods. It could be family, job, a way of life, spouse, games, money or even one self. The things we spend much time in doing and value over every other thing are the idols we worship. Everything that replaces God in our lives are our idols. They replace God because, we choose to do them instead of reading God’s word, praying and fellowshipping with God. As human beings, we are mostly defined by what we worship. What we worship tells who and what we are. We become more like what we worship. We gain our worth and identity from what we worship. As men and creatures of God, we loose our worth and importance when we choose to worship anything or anyone either than God, our creator.

Apart from God, everything else is easily shaken and when that happens, our lives turn upside down and become unstable, and we begin to crash. Apart from God, we cannot rely on anything else that can’t guarantee us anything better or equal to God, and there is absolutely none. Jesus Christ is the solid rock we can stand on, all other ground is sinking sand. In our text, Jesus and his disciples had visited a woman named Martha and her sister Mary. While Martha was trying to prepare something for Jesus, Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to what he said. So Martha went to Jesus to complain that, her sister join her in the work. Jesus told her not to worry about the many things that bothered her. Jesus said “many things”, because he knew that it wasn’t only about Mary not helping her, but many things bothered her as well. Jesus went on tell Martha, the one thing that is needed, that Mary was doing right. That one thing that is needed is sitting at the feet of the LORD. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first of the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”. Seeking God above everything else is the one and most important thing one would ever do. Getting all the wealth, fame, accolades and honors minus Jesus is vanity and folly. David, a great and wise king said in Psalm 27:4, ” One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in this temple.” Let us all in agreement and in one spirit, join in with that David and seek this one thing. If Jesus is the one and most important thing in your life, when everything else is falling apart, you won’t feel like your whole world is falling apart because He is your everything. G O D O V E R E V E R Y T H I N G. N O T H I N G O V E R G O D I will sincerely appreciate you sharing it and commenting. Thanks

Who to help

Happy sunday everyone. I attended church today and I was touched by the message and I thought it is awesome sharing it with you guys. There is this problem which comes to everyone's heart when they have money and decide to be generous.

"Who exactly are we suppose to help?". The reverend made it clear to us the congregation who to help. According to the reverend father in Mary the Queen parish located in Ekpoma,Edo state said and I quote If you decide to help someone, Give to those that don't have, don't bring to us the reverend fathers who already have enough(Not that it is bad to give to God's prophets) but give to those who find it hard to cater for their living.You don't need to have enough before you give, One cup of garri(Cassava) might be worth more than a thousand dollars to some people. The man of God used this words of the scripture to back it up Psalm 41:1-4 which says (41:1.Blessed is the man who considereth the poor,the lord will help him in time of trouble. 41:2.The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive;he shall be blessed and God shalt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.) Please read up the rest and please don't forget to share and comment.

Staying In Jail For Preaching Brought Me Closer To Jesus

James, a 23-year-old Laotian Bible school student, was imprisoned for allegedly sharing the Gospel in an undisclosed village in Laos. He tells Open Doors about his four months in jail and how the ordeal brought him closer to Jesus Christ. It happened on August 20th, 2015. Ten people came to arrest me. I was stunned, but I felt no fear. I thought that maybe this was part of God’s plan. At the time, my brother-in-law was pursuing his Master’s Degree at the same Bible school I attend. He was working on a project that involved surveying the villagers. He was unable to go to one particular village so he asked me to do it for him. I was instructed to ask the villagers their names, ages, and occupations. It was simple and harmless. I was happy to do it. I sought the village leader for permission, and he told me I could go straight to the villagers to conduct the survey. So I did. I went to one house and asked them for their information. When I went to the second house, I was arrested. Ten people came. The village leader called them. They accused me of sharing the gospel and converting people even though this wasn’t the case. I was merely asking questions. It was for Bible school, yes, but it was harmless.

Evangelism cannot be done in Laos, and the authorities would have none of my explanations. I was a Christian carrying out suspicious activities. I was asking around too much. I was to be put in jail. This [was] my life for four months. In jail, I learned whom I should trust. I learned to depend on the one who gives me strength; the one who I know will help me. God has planned everything. I couldn’t blame Him. I couldn’t even question Him. I knew that jail was still part of His plan. There were two nights when I dreamed I was already dead. God reminded me that my life was not my own, but something He has given me. When I woke up from the dream, tears were streaming down my face. I knew that I had an uncertain future and that seeing my family again might take a very long while. My family told me they couldn’t get help. They said I might be in for much longer. Everything was in a shambles. I couldn’t even remember memory verses. What I know though is that everything that happens is part of God’s plan. For God I could stay in jail for a long time. I was released on December 21st, 2015. People from Open Doors paid the bail so I could be released. When I learned that I’d finally be able to walk free, I felt numb. Not because of anything else, but because my mind was concerned with the other prisoners. Some of them do not have a family to help them. When I arrived home, I broke down. I hugged my parents. I missed them so, so much. The love of God and that from my relatives strengthened me. Prison was faith stretching and faith strengthening. There is nothing else to do but trust God. James, a 23-year-old Laotian Bible school student, was imprisoned for allegedly sharing the Gospel in an undisclosed village in Laos. He tells Open Doors about his four months in jail and how the ordeal brought him closer to Jesus Christ. It happened on August 20th, 2015. Ten people came to arrest me. I was stunned, but I felt no fear. I thought that maybe this was part of God’s plan. At the time, my brother-in-law was pursuing his Master’s Degree at the same Bible school I attend. He was working on a project that involved surveying the villagers. He was unable to go to one particular village so he asked me to do it for him. I was instructed to ask the villagers their names, ages, and occupations. It was simple and harmless. I was happy to do it. I sought the village leader for permission, and he told me I could go straight to the villagers to conduct the survey. So I did. I went to one house and asked them for their information. When I went to the second house, I was arrested. Ten people came. The village leader called them. They accused me of sharing the gospel and converting people even though this wasn’t the case. I was merely asking questions. It was for Bible school, yes, but it was harmless. Evangelism cannot be done in Laos, and the authorities would have none of my explanations. I was a Christian carrying out suspicious activities. I was asking around too much. I was to be put in jail. This [was] my life for four months. In jail, I learned whom I should trust. I learned to depend on the one who gives me strength; the one who I know will help me. God has planned everything. I couldn’t blame Him. I couldn’t even question Him. I knew that jail was still part of His plan. There were two nights when I dreamed I was already dead. God reminded me that my life was not my own, but something He has given me. When I woke up from the dream, tears were streaming down my face. I knew that I had an uncertain future and that seeing my family again might take a very long while. My family told me they couldn’t get help. They said I might be in for much longer. Everything was in a shambles. I couldn’t even remember memory verses. What I know though is that everything that happens is part of God’s plan. For God I could stay in jail for a long time. I was released on December 21st, 2015. People from Open Doors paid the bail so I could be released. When I learned that I’d finally be able to walk free, I felt numb. Not because of anything else, but because my mind was concerned with the other prisoners. Some of them do not have a family to help them. When I arrived home, I broke down. I hugged my parents. I missed them so, so much. The love of God and that from my relatives strengthened me. Prison was faith stretching and faith strengthening. There is nothing else to do but trust God.

The Holy Spirit Is One Of God’s Most Wonderful Gifts. Do You Have the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is one of God’s most wonderful gifts. How can a Christian know for sure he or she has the Holy Spirit and is growing spiritually? One of God’s greatest gifts is the Holy Spirit, and it provides a lifeline to God by which He gives many of His other wonderful gifts. The Holy Spirit gives a Christian spiritual power and understanding and makes it possible for us to become more like God and eventually inherit eternal life. So it is important to know how to receive the Holy Spirit, how to stir it up and how to be assured that we have it. How does the Bible say we receive the Holy Spirit? Jesus Christ told His disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit after His death. On the Day of Pentecost, the beginning of the Church of God was announced with powerful miracles, and Peter preached an inspired sermon describing how we can receive the Holy Spirit: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). Other passages show that the Spirit is usually given to the repentant believer after baptism when a minister lays his hands on the person and asks God to give the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). Repentance, belief, baptism and the laying on of hands are the steps God asks us to follow today before He gives His Holy Spirit, so if a person has not followed these steps, he or she does not have the Holy Spirit in him or her yet. What does the Bible say we should do to avoid quenching the Spirit? In David’s impassioned prayer of repentance, he pleaded with God, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). He knew that if he didn’t keep repenting and seeking God, he was in danger of an unpardonable sin, for God will not forgive us if we do not repent. Paul also gave warnings to Christians not to grieve, neglect or quench the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). To avoid these dangers, a Christian must do the opposite. Instead of grieving the Spirit, we should pray daily to be filled with God’s Spirit, to “walk in the Spirit” (meaning to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit), and to sow to the Spirit—to grow spiritually (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16, 25; Galatians 6:7-8). Instead of putting out the fire of the Spirit, Paul encourages us to “stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). What are some evidences of the Holy Spirit? The Bible lists many things the Holy Spirit enables us to do. Paul wrote that God’s Spirit opens up our spiritual understanding of things that seem like foolishness to those without spiritual discernment (1 Corinthians 2:10-14). Through regular prayer and study of the Bible, the Spirit helps us grow in understanding of God’s plan and our part in it. It writes God’s laws on our hearts and minds, helping us internalize God’s way of life and think like He does ( Hebrews 8:10 ). It enables us to transform or change our minds (Romans 12:2). Jesus said the Spirit will provide us with help and guidance (John 14:16; John 14:26; John 16:13). One of the most important evidences is that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). Godly love is described in more detail in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Though we all fall short, a Christian should see this fruit growing in his or her life. Paul lists other important fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Christians will examine themselves to see how much this fruit is growing, and will regularly ask God to provide His gracious Spirit to help them grow more. Some mistakenly think that what is called “speaking in tongues” proves whether you have the Holy Spirit. For the truth of the matter, see “ What Is Speaking in Tongues? ” It is God’s plan for us to repent, be baptized, receive His Spirit and then be transformed in mind to become more and more like Him. By praying for, yielding to and stirring up the Spirit, we will see the spiritual growth that assures us God’s Spirit is working in us .

What Is Speaking in Tongues?

Speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 "So, the miracle that day simply meant that every member of the audience heard the apostles speaking in his or her own native language “the wonderful works of God,” regardless of what language the apostles spoke."Many years after this event took place in Jerusalem, some of the members in Corinth had been given the gift to speak in different tongues (languages). However, instead of using the gift to benefit and serve others, they became proud of it. The apostle Paul then wrote 1 Corinthians 14 to address this problem. In verse 9, Paul reminded them: “Unless you utter by the tongue [here glossa refers simply to the organ of speech] words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken?” Later, in verses 27 and 28, Paul gave this instruction: “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church.” So the language spoken in church has to be of value to the hearers. To illustrate the point, an English-speaking audience would not benefit from someone speaking French, unless they also knew the French language or there was an interpreter. Applying Paul’s instructions about speaking in tongues today Therefore, members of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association (sponsors of this website), do not speak at church in unintelligible “languages” that no one else understands or benefits from. However, some ministers and members do speak in different known languages such as in French and Spanish, and there are translators as well. The gift of “speaking in tongues” (languages) is not the criterion that proves whether one has the Holy Spirit. There are other spiritual gifts, such as the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge ( 1 Corinthians 12:8 ), that come through God’s Holy Spirit. Also, the fruit—the result of having God’s Spirit—is that one will display love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control in his or her life ( Galatians 5:22-23 ).

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