The Shepherd

It is in this part of the world that we believe that when someone makes an attempt at something few times and failed then some mysterious powers must be responsible. People will call it ‘village people’. But as far as I know, those who have made history in life are not the people who have never failed before, but they

Jesus said “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matt 6:14-15. That tells you how serious the subject of forgiveness is before God, and there is no exception when it comes to that. No matter what people do

Part of the revival we are praying for is that more and more people will gather to pray and sing praises to our God. We have seen how God has turned the social media and other online platforms into a prayer and worship arena. In fact, top on some of the streaming platforms at the moment are some of the

Apostle Paul wrote “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thess. 5:23. From that passage, man is clearly a tripartite being. The spirit is the part of man that fellowships with God. The soul is

John Currier was found guilty of murder in 1949 and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Ten years went by with Currier still bearing the weight of the sentence. Then, a state

A thirty-six year old mother was discovered to be in the advanced stages of terminal cancer. One doctor advised her to spend her remaining days on vacation. A second physician offered her the hope of living two more years with the grueling side effects of radiation. She penned the following words to her three small children: “I’ve chosen to try

DIVINE RETRIBUTION
During the time I was observing the one year mandatory service to my father land as a Nigerian graduate, I was made to open an account with a bank through which I got my monthly allowance from the government. It was a bank I would not patronize if I were to make the choice by myself. So,

MAXWELL ON INFLUENCE (1)
One of my favourite and respected authors is John C. Maxwell. In his book – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he wrote on ‘the law of influence’ (chapter 2). What actually makes people become men and women of influence? I will be expounding on two out of the factors in this first part of the

THOUGHTS ARE POWERFUL!
The story was told of a man on a journey who suddenly found himself at paradise. He sat down under the ‘desire tree’ (a kind of tree in paradise that gets your desires immediately fulfilled. When you sit under it, all you need to do is to think about it). He thought: “I am hungry, so it

OVERCOMING SECRET SINFUL HABITS (Part 4)
Charles Spurgeon used this parable to illustrate the bondage of sin. He said, “There was once a tyrant who summoned one of his subjects into his presence and ordered him to make a chain. The poor blacksmith—that was his occupation—had to go to work and forge the chain. When it was done, he brought

OVERCOMING SECRET SINFUL HABITS (Part 3)
Someone once told us a story of how he found himself in one serious situation that had defied all solutions. It got to a point that he had to write a letter to a notable man of God in America to seek for help. In the end, he got his liberation from Proverbs 18:24

OVERCOMING SECRET SINFUL HABITS (Part 2)
During my undergraduate days in the University, a fellow once opened up about his addiction to masturbation, and the Pastor put together a small group to organize a special prayer session for him. I was part of that small group that prayed for this particular person. I can remember how fervently we prayed and

OVERCOMING SECRET SINFUL HABITS (Part 1)
I have received some of the most distressing messages bothering on this subject of secret sinful habits, and I sense that it is time to address this monster that has become a destructive tool in the hand of the Devil. I received a message at a time that took me days to give the

NOT THE WISE, MIGHTY AND NOBLE
Samuel Brengle, an early Salvation Army official was once introduced as “the Great Dr. Brengle.” He later wrote in his diary, “If I appear great in their eyes, the Lord is most graciously helping me to see how absolutely nothing I am without Him, and helping me to keep little in my own eyes.

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 3)
“And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.” Judges 2:14
In this third and last part of this

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 2)
In 1978, the story was told of an ungrateful son, Thomas Hansen of Boulder Colorado, who sued his parents for $350,000 on grounds of “malpractice of parenting.” Mom and Dad had botched his upbringing so badly, he charged in his suit, that he would need years of costly psychiatric treatment. We still have such ungrateful

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 1)
During the civil war Abraham Lincoln met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast. One of the ministers said, “Mr. President, let us pray that God is on our side”. Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight, “No, gentlemen, let us pray that we are on God’s side.” Like America, never at any time

RECOVERING FROM THE FALL
A few years ago, Delta Flight 191 crashed at Dallas-Fort Worth airport killing scores of people and injuring others. Pieces of wreckage were carefully removed and stored for further analysis. Since that time, the cause of the crash has been the focus of extended research, analysis, and even litigation. Understandably, the cause of such a tragedy

TEMPTED?
Temptation is an enticement to sin, and it is common to every man. Jesus was tempted in Luke 4:1-13. But because Jesus knew the plan of Satan He did not yield to the temptation “…was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrew 4:15. Jesus knew there was something that has been written concerning Him,

MORE THAN A NEW MINDSET
God’s word declares “…Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5. It’s a New Year and everyone craves for something new. In the nature of God also, He delights in doing new things, thus, He declared “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new

THE BEST RESOLUTION
The usual practice for many in the New Year is making of resolutions. A New Year resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life

MORE THAN GOLD, FRANKINCENCE AND MYRRH
A chaplain was ministering to a soldier in the hospital and said, “You have lost an arm in the great cause.” The soldier replied, “I didn’t lose it—I gave it.” That exactly, is what Jesus did. He did not lose His life either. He willingly gave it for our redemption.
It’s a season of

THANKING GOD ON PURPOSE
A cartoon pictured a little boy kneeling in prayer. Obviously disgruntled with the results of his prayers, he was saying, “Aunt Harriet hasn’t gotten married, Uncle Hubert hasn’t any work, and Daddy’s hair is still falling out… I’m getting tired of praying for this family without getting any results.” In another story, a little boy

TIME TO TARRY
It was David H. Bickersteth that wrote: “Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile. Come ye aside from all the world holds dear, for converse which the world has never known, alone with me and with my Father here, with me and with my Father not alone. Come, tell me all that ye have said and done,

SACRIFICING FOR MISSION
David Livingstone was a Scottish physician (Medical Doctor), a pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century Victorian era. He said, “Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the

EXIT!
I realize sometimes that I was a member of a particular group on Facebook but cannot remember how and when I found myself there. All I noticed was that I get updates and posts from that group almost on a regular basis. I do not seem to be convenient reading many of those posts, but I decided to remain

OVERCOMING GUILT
Andrew was seven when, one winter morning he left the house to catch the school bus without his coat. His mother called after him, but he ignored her. Finally, his father began calling, but Andrew could see the school bus coming up the road and didn’t want to miss it. He turned and watched from the school bus

SPIRITUAL DISTRUPTION
One of the most gifted speakers in church history was John Chrysostom. His denunciation of the lavish extravagance of the rich, ruling class, and his condemnation of human excesses infuriated many, including Empress Eudoxia who arranged for him to be exiled. When he was told of his fate, Chrysostom responded: “What can I fear? Will it be death?

A GOOD NAME
Carl Geary died a month ago from a heart attack as he campaigned for the small country town. Despite his sudden death, he still polled over three times as many votes as his rival in the election in Tracy City, Tennessee. His widow, Susan Geary, was not surprised by the election results. “The day he passed away,

HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ESSENCE Part 5: Receiving the Holy Spirit
John 7:37-39 says:
37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living

HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ESSENCE
Part 4: Holy Spirit and His mighty works
“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” Hebrews 2:4. This single edition dedicated to the mighty acts and workings of the Holy Spirit is only a preamble and a

HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ESSENCE
Part 3: Holy Spirit in tongues and power

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. The coming of the Holy Spirit

HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ESSENCE
Part 2: Holy Spirit: Treasure in earthen vessel
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” II Corinthians 4:7. The Holy Spirit is the Treasure that dwells in the earthen vessel of man. But not any man, only a transformed

HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ESSENCE
Part 1: Holy Spirit and the coming revival.
Dr. Charles S. Price, a notable evangelist, said in a sermon he preached shortly before his death: “Yesterday we sang ‘Showers of Blessings,’ but now we are waiting for the deluge! It is coming and nothing can stop it. You have thought, have you not, that you

THE WAY OF THE MULTITUDES
The story was told of a man who saw a lot of people on a queue and he thought in his heart that it was the right path to his destination, only to realize that the queue with few people on it was actually the right one for him. He thought that having many people

THE UNCOMMON REFORMER (Part 2 of 2)
After his conversion and dramatic baptism in the Holy Spirit, he quitted practicing law to enlist in the cause of Christ. He knew with a deep sense that God had commissioned him to preach the gospel. He found out that he was unwilling to do anything else, had no disposition to neither make money

THE UNCOMMON REFORMER (Part 1 of 2)
After his conversion and dramatic baptism in the Holy Spirit, he quitted practicing law to enlist in the cause of Christ. He knew with a deep sense that God had commissioned him to preach the gospel. He found out that he was unwilling to do anything else, had no disposition to neither make money

LITTLE FOLLY THAT COSTS MUCH
“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). When a man acts without thinking and does things, only to later regret the consequences of such actions, that is nothing but folly.

In Genesis 25:29-34,

CHANGE IS POSSIBLE
Randy was unsure about his choice of clothes for church so he sought some counsel from his wife. He asked, “Do you think I should change?” She took advantage of the opportunity and replied, “It depends – are you talking about changing your shirt or making a wholesale change as a human being?”
I remember reading through

BE USEABLE
The Master was searching for a vessel to use; on the shelf there were many – which one would He choose? Take me, cried the gold one, I’m shiny and bright, I’m of great value and I do things just right. My beauty and luster will outshine the rest and for someone like You, Master, gold would be

THE MARRIAGE BED
A third-grade teacher asked her students to draw a picture of what they wanted to be when they grew up. The pictures came in, and there were pictures of nurses, of astronauts, of firemen etc. But one little girl handed in a blank piece of paper. The teacher said, “Don’t you know what you want to be?”

THE UNKNOWN GOD
We may know some public figures, their personal likes, dislikes, and other details but still do not really know them. How well do you know God? You must have heard so much about Him, likely have studied His book, the Bible, but do not actually know Him. “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I

THE PRICE OF PROMISCUITY
“Promiscuity is one example of a class of high-risk behaviors involving sexual addictions. It is comparable to, and may coincide with behaviors such as heavy drinking, gambling, and other thrill-seeking behaviors. Echoes from both human and divine tones spell doom for promiscuous behavior in no small way.
In a study conducted which employed data on young

GOD RESERVED PERSON (GRP)
There was a squadron of men in South East Asia who got involved in all sorts of wickedness possible. Every time they had leave, they would go to bars and houses of prostitution to gratify their lustful desires. At a point, one man said, “I have a girl back home. I love her. I’m going to

WISDOM FOR THE YOUTHS
I spend a bulk of my time counselling and interacting with youths. A common feedback that I get on why youths behave the way they do is simply that they are youths and must behave as youths. Generally, youths are known for all forms of social vices, and they see the time of their youth as

ABOUNDING GRACE
Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted into Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized his orphanage. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and

GRACEFUL SINGING
When D. L. Moody visited New Haven in 1878, R. A. Torrey was a student in the University there. He said, “The ripest scholar in the University at the time, if not the ripest in America, was President Wolsey, Ex-President of Yale University. One night a young man went up to hear Mr. Moody preach and President Wolsey

BIBLICAL TRUTHS (Part 4)
Once the devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. “What did he find?” asked the cohort.
“A piece of the truth,” the devil replied.
“Doesn’t it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?” asked the cohort.
“No,” said the devil,

BIBLICAL TRUTHS (Part 3)
An Author wrote “You believe there is such a person as Jesus, and that He is the sinner’s Saviour. You do well; but that is only a partial and incomplete faith. To believe that a certain doctor exists and has a large practice is not to believe personally in that doctor. True faith contains a moral

BIBLICAL TRUTHS (Part 2)
“We are not under the law, but under grace” is a popular saying in Christendom today. This has led to the diversion of the intent of grace and has given room for licentious living among many so-called Christians. However, the Bible is clear on this: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are

BIBLICAL TRUTHS (Part 1)
The story is told of a young girl who accepted Christ as her Savior and applied for membership in a local church. “Were you a sinner before you received the Lord Jesus into your life?” inquired an old deacon.
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
“Well, are you still a sinner?”
“To tell you the truth, I feel

Divine Revelation of Christ
Jesus asked His disciples, “whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” By divine revelation, Peter responded, “…Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt 16:16). Despite being with Christ for some time, Peter was not mistaken about the identity of His Master. This perception was from a fresh dimension.

THE BLESSED MAN
Two friends met each other on the street; one looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?” The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you: three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.” “That’s a lot of money,” the friend

THE ORIGINAL PLAN
One of the outstanding characters in the Bible is Abraham. He journeyed with his father and Nephew out of their native land to go to Canaan, but they settled at Haran for the mean time (Read Genesis 11:27-32). After the death of his father, Abraham realigned with God’s original plan for his life which he had discovered

JESUS OR GAINS?
Researchers have found almost no correlation between income levels and happiness. Between 1957 and 1990 income levels in the U.S. doubled. Yet at the same period, people’s levels of happiness did not increase. In fact, reports of depression actually increased tenfold. Incidence of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse also rose dramatically. It could not have been

EISENHOWER ON LEADERSHIP
“In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an

GOD NEEDS YOUR WILL
Before I finally gave my life to Christ on the day that I did, I have had several invitations and promptings in my spirit to do so before that time. At a point, my only consideration for postponing my salvation was my father. Then, my Dad would demand that I buy him cigarette and alcohol, but

BORN TO SAVE
In 1988, Anissa Ayala, a sixteen-year-old was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. The doctors said that if she did not receive a bone marrow transplant after chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she would die. Neither her parents nor her brother was a match, and they could not find a donor elsewhere. Her parents, both in their

STARTS FROM WITHIN
According to a writer, in a moment of frustration, I got mad at someone that I love. And as I turned to walk away from them, I called them a name. I didn’t use profanity; but I might as well have done so, because it was a name that cut that person down and treated them with

REASON FOR THE SEASON
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The moment it went into effect on January 1, 1863, every slave living in the Confederacy was legally free. But until they knew of their freedom, the legal fact had no impact on their lives. In fact, Union soldiers carried hundreds of thousands of copies

WORTHLESS IDOL
Someone once sent the following words about his experience with alcohol to a newspaper columnist:
We drank for happiness and became unhappy.
We drank for joy and became miserable.
We drank for sociability and became argumentative.
We drank for sophistication and became obnoxious.
We drank for friendship and made enemies.
We drank for sleep and awakened without rest.<br

BAD COMPANY
One day a farmer grabbed his shot gun to shoot at a flock of pesky crows. Unfortunately, he didn’t see his sociable parrot that had joined the crows. After firing a few shots, he walked over to the fallen birds and was surprised to find his parrot badly ruffled with a broken wing. When the farmer’s children saw

PATIENTLY GROW
As I write this article, the stories of few individuals came to mind. First, is the story of a flourishing ministry which came to limelight not too long. In one of the sermons, I realized that the minister had been on the job for around fifteen years without break. Our own Okonjo Iweala is celebrated around the world

THE POWERFUL REMEDY
Bette Nesmith was a secretary at a bank in Dallas when she decided there must be a way to correct typewriter mistakes without erasing the ink. She came up with a formula for a fluid that she could use to paint over mistakes. In a short time, all of the secretaries in her office were using her

ADMIT AND BE FREE
D. L. Moody visited a prison called “The Tombs” to preach to the inmates. After he had finished speaking, Moody talked with a number of men in their cells. He asked each prisoner this question, “What brought you here?”

KNOWING GOD
It takes more than a casual knowledge of a course to pass an exam as a student. Jesus asked His disciples, “whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Sadly, the responses He got revealed the shallow knowledge they had of Him. They myopically perceived Him from different lens but missed out on His true

HANDLING FAILURE
Something I will not take for granted is the opportunity to shepherd youths and guide them through their ups and downs moments. This is because I have been there, and drawing from my own experience, I am better prepared to offer help. Failure is common in life, but how we handle our failures is what makes us to

The Demotion of Sin
The turtle lies completely still on the floor of a lake with its mouth wide open wiggling the end of its tongue so that it looks like a worm moving through the water. It awaits a fish to come and eat the “worm” and then the turtle’s jaws rapidly close up, trapping the fish so that

Welcoming The New
In these few years of my walking with God, I will be the first to say that God is a God of new things. No matter how great things He has done, He is able to do again and again what no one has ever seen. He is able to do a new thing today that will

OBEDIENCE THAT COMMANDS OPEN HEAVEN
OBEDIENCE THAT COMMANDS OPEN HEAVEN
“I am in confusion and misery right now. Will my father ever find a place in his heart to forgive me? I said this because I have offended him so greatly that it would take

ORGANISE YOURSELF AND SUCCEED
I watched the interview of a man of God recently who outlined how his typical day goes. He starts his day at 3a.m with personal prayers and study of God’s word. By 5a.m, he gathers his family for devotion, after which he embarks on his daily prayer walk/exercise that lasts for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

HE YEARNS FOR YOU
He couldn’t believe the reception he got when he finally returned home. At first, he thought it was someone else, as no one would be excited to see him, but as he got closer, he realized it was his father yelling, “My son! My son! You are finally home!” His father threw his arms around him

DON’T TAKE IT BACK By Mayowa Iredele
Growing up in a village setting gave me a glimpse about some religions. One of the things I noticed from those in traditional religion is that when they drop the kolanut or any object of sacrifice before the gods, that thing belongs to the gods, they can never take it back because it