Recipe for success- Courage of the Philistines

Courage: The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate.

We couldn't have discussed the recipes for success without including courage. Courage is that element of character that spurs you to dare. It's that inner voice that believes in you; that always says "yes, you can".

There's an interesting story on the power of courage from 1 Samuel 4. The Israelites were up against the Philistines and after the first defeat they decided to go back with the Ark of God. The Philistines should have been afraid because they know that the Ark of God always guarantees victory. However, they encouraged themselves and went to fight the Israelites. Although they defeated them because God was not happy with the Israelites but how would they have known if they hadn't tried.

"Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!” 1 Sam. 4:8-9

The Philistines acknowledged the greatness of the God of the Israelites, yet braced up for the battle. That's courage in action!

Sometimes,  the very things we are afraid of are the things God has freely given to us. 
It's important to feed the fibres of your courage. You need it to succeed. Don't allow anybody or situation to make you small. You are created in the image of the infinite God; with all His capabilities endowed.

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it."- Mark Twain.

There are times when your most revered mentors will suddenly not believe in you. Encourage yourself like David and pursue; you'll surely recover all. Like Joshua and Caleb, go up at once for you are well able....and like the Philistines, brace up and fight! You will surely win the battle.

Action Point
Courage grows and feeds on the Word of God and prayers. Study the Word! Pray always!

Recipe for Success...Joseph's example

There is no one greater in this house than I; nor has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you are his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Genesis 39:9  NKJV

The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is popularly taught from the point of resisting sexual harassment. That is clearly true but I want to share the story from another perspective as did a colleague.

The story is a demonstration of integrity in spite of the prize at stake. Yes the prize! You can bet that apart from the flitting pleasure, Mrs. Potiphar must have also offered Joseph some other incentives.

Now, let's take the story to a typical work place. Your manager asks you to falsify some documents in a bid to defraud your company. He goes on to promise you security cover in case...⚖.

Nobody has to know, he adds. Hmm..m, that sounds nice because such level of collaboration will help launch you into the league of big boys.

So, what would you do?

Can you respond like Joseph? 

What would be your biggest consideration? Not to sin against God or not to be caught?

Truth is, most times when we respond with 'God forbid! I can't!', it's because we are afraid of being caught. 

Anyway, we all know how Potiphar Group of Companies went aground. Had Joseph compromised, he would never have become a Prime minister in Egypt.

Child of God, nothing is worth trading your identify for. Ill gotten wealth never really adds to anyone. God gives success.

Prayer point

Lord, please help me to be a role model in the order of Titus 2:7.

Make the choice to Rejoice always!!

The lines may not always fall in pleasant places....we may not always get answers to the gnawing questions of our hearts but our best option is still to rejoice in the God of our salvation. 

Recipe for Success 1

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:2-3 NKJV

This is what happens when we put the Word of God at the centre of our lives. When we make a habit of eating, drinking, breathing and walking the Word of God.  

We shall be like trees planted by the streams of  waters

Growing up, one of the most memorable activities of Christmas was going to the stream behind our country home. Apart from the unequivocal coolness that greets you,  there was always the beauty of the lush greenery in spite of the harshness of the harmattan that gets the leaves off most trees. Now,  that's what happens to us when we soak ourselves in the Word. No matter the dryness in the land, we'll still be fre....sh, bearing fruits! What a blessed assurance!

We'll be yielding our fruits in our season.
We'll  be meeting every personal and Kingdom goals. Walking when we ought to, running when we ought to and soaring at the appointed time! Glory!

We'll prosper at whatever we do

The Bible defines prosperity as material health + physical health + SOUL HEALTH according to 3 John 2.

If we make the Word of God the delight of our hearts, then we are set to soar!

PRAYER POINT: 

Lord help me to put your Word at the centre of my life, so that I can become all that You planned for me to be.

Good Success

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8NKJV).

In these times when all we hear is economic crises and tales of woe, there is a seal of exemption for those who are ready to take God’s recommendation. Read Joshua 1:8.

The Word of God must not depart from your mouth. This can only be possible when the Word resides in our hearts. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45c).
When we have not stored up the Word, there will be nothing to speak. We can recreate our world by speaking the Word of God to our situations (John 6:63). However, speaking the Word alone cannot bring us success; the cycle must be complete.

...meditate (think, ponder, consider, reflect, ruminate) in it day and night._ When we keep thinking about the Word of God, it will keep us focused on the realities of our redemption. It will produce a defense against every anti-covenant thoughts; such thoughts that produce fear and defeat.

...observe to do according to all that is written in it. This is what puts the seal on meditating and confessing the Word - walking the Word. No matter how much we confess or meditate on the Word, until we start doing what it says to do, it will never produce any result for us. The Bible is emphatic on DOING ALL.
We cannot choose which part of Scriptures to obey if we wish to PROSPER! How much of the Word we are ready to obey determines how much of the power in the Word that will work for us.

...then you will make your way: This clearly implies that we are the ones to determine if we’ll be prosperous or not. It is our responsibility to do as we have been INSTRUCTED if we must see the other conditions met in our lives. For us to see God’s manifestation in our lives, there’s always a part for us to play. 

Obedience is our part of the deal and the release of our blessings is God’s. When Jesus turned water to wine, it was because the servants obeyed and filled the pots with water (John 2:5-10). God is not limited; we set the limits for ourselves.

….prosperous, and then you will have good success. To be prosperous is much more than a fancy apartment, luxurious cars and even financial abundance.
This is God’s definition of prosperity-Soul prosperity is a healthy spiritual life that is based on obedience to the Word of God. Any kind of prosperity that excludes the prosperity of the soul is whirlwind. 

And good success? It’s that type that makes rich and adds no sorrow. It’s the type that stores treasures here and hereafter!

So, come on! Do your part and see His glory shine through!

You are God's Battle axe

 "You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider; With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden; With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers (Jeremiah 51:20:23 NKJV)

 

The Lord our God, the mighty terrible one; the loving father Who becomes a consuming fire against the enemy does go to war and we are His weapons of war!!!

When He wants to disgrace the prophets of Baal, Amadioha, Odum, Ashtoreth, Ogboni and  the rest of them, He uses us to demonstrate His power. When he wants to part the sea His sends us. When He wants to demonstrate His power over fire, He sends us.

It is not the will of God that His weapons, you and I will be powerless. God has endowed us with so much in order that we will show forth His glory. It is an error for a Christian to fret at the threats of wicked men.

 

Where did we miss it? Are we guns without bullets? Are we  machetes that cannot cut a water melon? How is it that we no longer manifest God's power as we ought? Look at the Scripture again and see all that God wants to do by us. Imagine the most Powerful One desiring to express His Power through us. It is a great privilege! We must be ready to be used so that we’ll not be like that fig tree that our Lord Jesus cursed (Mark 11:12-14).

 

Prayer Point 

 Lord, I don’t want to be a toy gun in Your hands. Transform me by Your power in the name of Jesus.

 

We are Soldiers of Christ

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

In 2008 during the peak of the militancy crises in the Niger Delta, we had hundreds of soldiers living in our midst at my work base. That was the first time I got the weight of the scripture above. Every personnel who live in the camp has a minimum comfort of a three star Nigerian hotel .

These soldiers were all by the seashore in makeshift sand huts. It didn’t matter how hot it got during the day or how cold it got at night. Let’s not talk about the mosquitoes in these places. These soldiers would sit there round the clock without complaining and always looking combat ready. Also, their faces didn’t give room for any unnecessary pleasantries. They never compared themselves to us even though we were all facing the same threats.

How is it that Apostle Paul didn’t make reference to any other profession but rather used the military to illustrate what the life of a Christian entails? He loved Timothy and also knew how important it is for him to know the truth. We are called to warfare! As soldiers of Christ, we cannot afford to meddle with civilian affairs.
If we must please the One who recruited us, then we must stay focused.

Amongst the soldiers who were deployed to Bonny Island then, a few of them died from being careless. They crossed over to the civilian quarters and you know what, there are always distractions there. They let their guards down for a ve..ry..y short time but that was enough time for their enemies to strike.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life...NO ONE! It’s not true that the company you keep and what you do doesn’t matter. It’s not true! To endure hardship is to trust God in every situation...even when it's rough and unpleasant. To endure hardship is to discipline ourselves and tame our cravings.

Earthly soldiers 'obey before complain' but we are rewarded after obedience...no need to complain.

Action Point

Examine your life. Get rid of every civilian entanglement.

We are Christ's Ambassadors!

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV)

The ambassador is the highest representative of any country in a foreign land. He serves to represent the image and the best interests of his home country. He is the only person who is legally not bound by the constitution of the foreign land. He is governed by the policies and constitution of his home country while living in a foreign land. He has authority to take decisions on behalf of his country if the need arises. An ambassador depends on the economy of his home country and not that of his host country.

Every ambassador has a primary assignment, depending on the prevailing need in his home country. For instance, the Nigerian ambassador to Italy amongst other duties will be working hard to stop human trafficking. The Iraqi ambassador to America will be working hard to convince the world that Iraqis are very peace loving people.

As ambassadors of Christ, we have been given authority to take decisions on behalf of our Home country. Our needs are not met by the economy of our host country but rather by that of our Home country (Phil. 4:19). We do not live by the standards or ways of our host country (John 17:14-16).

As ambassadors of Christ, our primary assignment is to carry out the mandate, purpose and vision of our Home country, which is to reconcile men to God. The only need in Heaven is that sinners will come to repentance. …but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9b NKJV)

We ought to go out, pleading and persuading men on behalf of Christ- “be reconciled to God”.

Another important assignment of an ambassador is to uphold the honour and glory of his home country by the way he conducts himself. Ambassadors are role models.

Prayer  Point

Lord, please give me the grace to live and serve as Your ambassador.

You are a Living Sacrifice

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 NKJV)

 

The Ibos in Eastern Nigeria  had an archaic practice of offering humans to the deities or idols. These persons were not to be killed but to live in the shrine, serving the idols. They were allowed to live but only in the confines of what the deities allow. They can get married and have children but must marry fellow servants of the gods. They do not defile (anything other than what is approved by their god is defilement) themselves by eating certain things or going to certain places. They and their generation are those some of us still call ‘Osu’ (slaves of the gods) or outcaste. Thankfully, the Osu caste system has been abolished by most communities. The Osus are the closest examples to who a Living Sacrifice is.

 

We are living sacrifices, our bodies and everything within us. And just as it was with the Osus, the offering of themselves wholly was what symbolized their service to their gods.

We also have to offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices. This means This means that we treat our bodies as items laid on the altar for  worship of the Most High. We can only go to places which our God allows; eat only the things which He approves and marry those who are under the same covenant.

 

 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave. (1 Corinthians 7:22 NKJV).

 

It’s so sad how we are daily distorting the Word of God in order to follow the Lord by our terms. Friend, that way leads to eternal destruction. We are Christ’s slave. No slave dictates to his master. Living Sacrifices enter into covenants not to sin against God with their bodies. Some fellows say, -‘Christianity is in the mind, it doesn’t matter what I do with my body’…Huh! It’s a lie from hell.

 

Prayer Point:

Lord, please help me to yield all that I am as a LIVING sacrifice to You. 

How good is your Bible Knowledge? Find out!

Growing up, Church time included Sunday school sessions where you are made to memorize at least one verse of Scripture. For most of us, some of the Bible passages we know by heart came from those classes.

However, with the growing trend of calling up Bible passages on your smart phones and other devices, the use of our small storage of Bible passages is fast declining. Some years back, I could readily search through my Bible without looking up any concordance or search app but it’s no longer the same now. So, I started asking me, “What happened?” And guess what? The answer is- I made my own natural memory obsolete.

I guess you can relate to this. Let’s do a little exercise. Without looking up any references, write 12 Bible passages on your own. Let me know how you faired.

Memorizing Bible passages help us to apply them when we ought (Psalm 119:11).

We are God's exquisite Fragrance

 

And I got it, thank God! In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. (2 Corinthians 2:14 MSG)

We saw in the preceding series what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Both analogies emphasise our roles as ambassadors of Christ.

So, what does it mean to be God’s perfume?

Apostle Paul’s illustration of a triumphant victory parade was part of the culture of their time. Then, whenever a warrior conquers a territory in battle, the Commander will have a victory procession through the city. During these processions, someone would carry a jar of incense, shaking it continuously to make the fragrance spread through. The fragrance was symbolic of the Conqueror’s majesty and dominion.

We are in the victory parade with Christ and through us God brings the knowledge of Christ to the world. This time, no one needs to carry the incense for the Conqueror, we are the incense; the fragrance of His glory. As we pass through the city, we let out His exquisite perfume; declaring His majesty, victory, conquest and dominion.  

God wants us as Christians to live the supernatural life….always putting the devil where he belongs. In the next verses, the Bible says that the same fragrance holds different meanings to different people. To those who are partakers of the victory procession, it symbolizes life while for the enemies of the Lord, it represents death.

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corin. 15-16 NKJV)

We are salt and light but when we also become His fragrance, we exercise our authority!

Prayer Point

Lord please help me to live in the consciousness of my identity as an express expression of Your dominion and majesty.

We are Living Epistles

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corin. 3:2-3 NKJV)

Most of the books of the New Testament were letters (epistles) from Apostle Paul to the churches. These letters were mostly instructional messages on how to live with eternity in view. In very few cases, the epistles were written as commendation to a particular church (2 Thess. 1:1-4).

During a Bible Study class for children, the teacher shared so many qualities of Jesus Christ with the children. Suddenly one of the pupils started waving his hand in a bid to get the teachers attention. The teacher asked him to tell the class what he wanted to say. The little boy said Jesus was his neighbor. The other kids laughed but the teacher asked him to tell them why he said that. He said his neighbor fits all the description and has all the attributes of Jesus as was taught by the teacher.

We are the letters written by our Lord Jesus, to instruct men and show them the way of eternal life. People should not only hear us before they know that we are Christians. As living epistles, the Word of God concerning any matter should be better understood through our example. Let people be able to say that they’ve met Jesus after meeting us.

Prayer Point

Lord, please help me to be Your epistle, readable by all around me.  

Glow in the dark!

"You are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14a, 16 NKJV)

My husband and I had an intriguing experience with one of our specialty paints- Glow-in-the-dark. The paint is used to create special effects; making printed inscriptions to glow in the dark. We had a small jar of this paint and it always glowed in the store where we keep our paints. One day we opened the store and found that the jar of GITD paint had stopped glowing. We were initially worried; the paint couldn’t have expired.

Suddenly, my husband figured it out and said “I think it first absorbs light before it can glow in the dark and apparently it has dissipated all the stored energy”. It made sense but we had to experiment to be sure. We put the paint out in the light for a while and brought it back into the dark store. This time, it shone so bright that it literally lit up the room. Wow!

Christians, you and I are just like that paint. We can only glow in the dark when we have absorbed enough light by fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit Who is our source of Light. Also when we continue to stay in the dark for too long, no matter how much stored energy we had, we’ll soon burn ourselves out.

We store up our light deposit by studying and meditating on the Word of God. We are called to glow in the darkness of our world but if we do not recharge our spiritual batteries, we’ll soon become like every other opaque paint that we had in our store.

...that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Phil. 2:15 NKJV).

Action Point

Get the light that empowers you to glow so that men can see your good works and glorify your Father!  

You are the Light of the World 2

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"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (Matt. 5: 14-15 NKJV)

Our society today is in desperate need of role models who can correct some of the ills of the society; role models who can uphold a new value system that is built on integrity and truth. The Bible says that we are such role models in Matt. 5:14-15. We are to give light to all who are around us. We are to show them how to live.

A Christian should always be such a person that wherever he’s found, he will be the reference for incorruptibility. To be the light of the world is to be a trail-blazer, a pace-setter and an agent of positive change. The world is waiting for us to eradicate corruption, to start doing what we say.

For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth." (Acts 13:47 NKJV)  

We are sent as light bearers to the world, to bring salvation and deliverance from every works of darkness.

There’s so much we can do to bring about change and give direction to those who are lost. The role of living exemplary lives is not exclusive to leaders. You can be a person of influence at your own level.

Your style may not seem to be the popular way but never mind, keep doing the right thing. God will reward you and in due time, people will come to you for guidance.

Prayer Point:

Lord, please give me the grace to be a true role model that will bring glory to Your holy name

You are the Light of the World

 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16 NKJV)

Like the salt adjective that is used to epitomize us, light is also a very profound word. Light is so important that it was the very first element of creation because everything else depends on it.

Again to fairly understand what the charge as the ‘light of the world’ means, we’ll take a closer look at some of the outstanding attributes of light.

First on the many attributes of light is it’s dominion over darkness. No matter how dark a place is, once light is introduced, darkness automatically exits.

Light in the context of our study is both spiritual and physical; the spiritual light being more important. It’s the spiritual light that determines how much of the physical light a man can enjoy. A lot of lives and destinies are held by spiritual darkness and it takes sufficient spiritual light to bring about liberation and illumination.

So, before we talk about the physical light, we must first acknowledge that the reason the Bible calls us light is not just for physical illumination. We are the light of the world not just to make places bright but to exercise the authority of our Lord Jesus over the enemy. As representatives of Christ Jesus, we carry His Light to the world, breaking the bands of wickedness.

For so the Lord has commanded us:

‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ (Acts 13:47)

Prayer Point

Lord, please give me the grace to live and shine as the light that I am.

Get out of the salt shaker

"You are the salt of the earth;...Matt. 5:13a

Have you ever had difficulty getting salt out from the shaker? Some times after several attempts you’d just decide to open the shaker. In some cases some people would add few grains of rice in order to help agitate or stir the salt.

So many of us Christians are like that. We have become so cosy in our Church world that there’s no hunger to reach out. There’s no way we can be salt of the earth inside the salt shaker. Yes, there’s the fear of contamination which is the reason some of us prefer to stay inside but that is contrary to the Word of God. We are the ones to contaminate the world by our lives; by our saltiness and not the other way round. 

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. (Acts 17:6 NKJV) 

Please read Acts Chapter 17. The verse of Scripture above is the statement the men of Thessalonica made about Paul and Silas. They said these men have turned the world upside down with their doctrine. These were just Paul and Silas. If we go out with the gospel of Jesus, we too can turn this world inside out to the glory of God.

Action Point

Get out of the salt shaker!

Salt of the earth (5)

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men (Matt. 5:13 NKJV)

 

We are still talking ‘the salt of the earth’. Before we round up on this instructional series, let’s touch a little on some of the sundry uses of salt.  

Medical science says that salt is the only element that is found in every single cell in the human body. And that without salt, humans would die. I’m sure you must have heard that before now. Salt water is great solution to kill germs. People gargle with saIt to get relief from sores in the mouth. Salt is used to remove stains from ceramics, keep ants and other insects away. Salt, salt, salt….

If God says that we are the salt of the earth, then we must make effort to function in all of these capacities that we have learnt about salt. Anything less could very well mean that we have lost our flavor and therefore will be thrown away….God forbid!  

Are you wondering how you can be all purpose; healing, preserving, beautifying, thawing etc? That’s who we are. That’s why He says “you are the salt….” 

However, sin is the one thing that throws sand into our salt. It incapacitates us in every area! 

Another hindrance is lack of fellowship to the source of our saltiness. When we do not stay in touch with the Holy Spirit, before long our salt will begin to absorb moisture and will soon be overtaken.

You are the salt; the definite answer to the needs of mankind.We must be conscious of who we are. It helps to keep us in check.

Prayer Point
Lord, please help me never to lose my saltiness.

Salt of the earth (4)

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men (Matt. 5:13 NKJV).

We are still looking at some of the outstanding attributes of salt in order to better understand who we ought to be as salt of the earth. During winter, snow falls everywhere including roads for vehicular movement. It could get so bad that if not properly managed, some roads will become completely inaccessible. In order to control this phenomenon, salt is applied to the roads to melt the ice and stop the ice from building up easily. 

There are several cold situations that desperately need the application of our salt in order to thaw and become natural. It is the iciness of the devil that has possessed the heart of the Boko Haram suicide bomber, the heartless assassin, the armed robber, fraudulent government official etc.

When we release the salt that we carry (the love of Christ), these evil hearts will melt and accept Christ Jesus. Their stony hearts will be replaced with a heart of flesh….hallelujah!! 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV) 

We are the agents of this great surgery that only God can do.  We are those to make sure that the icy stony hearts are melted and ensure that they do not harden again. We do this by evangelizing and praying for the lost; by loving them.

Prayer Point
Lord, please endue me grace and love for the lost. I want to partner with You as You transform the hearts of men from stone to a heart of flesh.

Salt of the earth (3)

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men (Matt. 5:13 NKJV) 

Back in the days when Adire (tie-and-die) patterns where the rave, most of us experimented with the craft. It was very common for Creative arts teachers to ask students to create a pattern of Adire as part of their assessments. I was one of those who got on that very interesting experiment. We were told that if the colours will last; without fading, then we must wash with salt. Later on, I learnt that you have to introduce salt early in the process if the dye will be properly fixated on the fabric. Salt is used as a fixative for dying in textile industries. 

So, how exactly should we manifest this amazing attribute of salt? As the salt of the earth, we are expected to retain or sustain beauty…wow!
Colours shouldn’t fade around us! Destinies should be recovered and restored through us. When there’s gloom and hopelessness, we just light up the place with simple honest smiles. As salt, we should be willing to offer our shoulders to the teary and heartbroken. 

Today, a lot of people are going through all manner of difficulties. There’s a little thing you can do to make sure they do not fade away. You can help clothe someone today. You can help put food on  somebody’s table, regardless of the economic recession. You can also pray for someone's restoration.
Go on, let the world know that you are salt indeed!

Action Point

Determine today to help preserve someone’s colour from fading. Locate a needy and take action.

Salt of the earth (2)

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men (Matt. 5:13 NKJV).

Another very important attribute of salt that we’ll be considering today is its use as a preservative. We may have all seen people in the rural areas use salt as a preservative for storing ‘dry fish’ and ‘dry meat’. Salt was also believed to be a remedy for  the much dreaded Ebola disease to the point that so many people bathed with salt. 

If we are truly the salt of the earth, then there should be something about us that heals and preserves. We must be those that manifest our mandate from Mark 16:18- they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."(NKJV) 

We can also bring healing and preservation by being honest; upholding the truth at all times. If 30% of the professing Christians in Nigeria are salt indeed, nobody will brand us ‘fantastically corrupt’. We can remove moral and social decadence from our land when we become salt. 

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You (Psalm 25:21 NKJV).
Integrity and uprightness must be part of our lives if we are salt and that’s the only time we can preserve the world from decaying…from eroding.

Daniel’s uprightness and integrity were part of the reasons God used him in Babylon, the way He did. Daniel was such a man who carried God’s power to the point that God used him to preserve the dynasty of the Babylonians starting from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to that of Darius. Also, the salt he carried preserved the lives of his fellow astrologers when the others couldn’t interpret the king’s forgotten dream. 

If you and I can become salt indeed, the problems of our communities will be half solved.

Prayer Point 

Lord, please make me salt indeed. I want to be able to heal and preserve.