The Quiver 4 Change of Taste

Monday, 28 March 2016

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION: EASY ENTANGLEMENT //BY: ADETUNJI SOLOMON

Vol. 16.3.14

Easy entanglement has to do with being easily carried away by the things and ways of the world. Though we are in the world but not of the world, as such there should be a distinction between a Christian and the world. (John 17:14). The world has it ways/culture. What is acceptable in the world is not acceptable in our home (heaven). Therefore the devil uses his weapon of easy entanglement to bring Christians into bandage.

The weapon of entanglement could be anything that easily hold one back from moving forward or fast enough according to the initial speed present in the individual towards spiritual growth and it is called sin. The initial speed will decrease when entangled as a result of sin. Sin is the way of the world as that is what is acceptable to the world. Sin develops from little things considered to be irrelevant but soon becomes an unwanted weight that draws you back and slows you down in the Christian race. According to Hebrews 12:1, Paul enjoin Christians to lay (put) aside the sin that easily hold us back from running effectively the race set before us.

The sin that easily entangles us (i.e. the particular sin one can easily be tempted with) is particular to each individual, and varies from one individual to the other. It often start from a simple stage of allowing or entertaining evil suggestions from the devil or self to create a sinful desire for this particular sin which will lead to conception (just like pregnancy, it can actually be stopped by aborting or putting an end to further processing that enhances the growth), then the man processes what has been conceived (planning on how to carry out the evil thought) until it's fully matured (fully planned), this gives birth to sin (carrying out the plan) and after this is death (James 1:14-15).

As a Christian, instead of focusing on growing the spiritual life, if the above process is allowed, the attention would inadvertently be diverted to growing something that leads to the end of the life of God in us. 2Peter 2:20 (KJV) says;

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Therefore, as Soldiers of Christ, who is in a battle with the devil and self, and ad an athlete running this Christian race, we shouldn't entangle ourselves with extra weight (of sin) that would endanger our lives and slow us down and prevent us from overcoming and winning the eternal prize awaiting us. Our purpose is to please the one who called us. (2 Timothy 2:4-5, Hebrew 12:1, 2 Corinthians 9:24-25)

WAY OUT OF ENTANGLEMENT

High Resistance: To resist the devil may not be easy as it is the weakness of the individual, so, there will be need to resist firmly, disallow and oppose the devil especially with the word of God and in the name of Jesus in prayers. (1Peter 5:9, Ephesians 6:13)

Pray Now: The best time to pray is now. This means to pray ahead before you are being tempted. Jesus prayed for Peter ahead of the time of his trial (Luke 22:32). Pray now that you should not be led into temptation (Mathew. 6:13).

Flee: Flee all appearances of evil, never wait, never try to listen, do not be interested,just flee (2Timothy. 2:22; I Thessalonians. 5:22).

Feed on God's word always: Your mind can never be vacant, it's always hungry for something, let your mind feed on the word of God not worldly movies, magazines, programs, chats and so on, that encourages your sinful urge; this increase the risk of being tempted. Increase and meditate in the knowledge of God and you shall find how easy it will be to lay aside the sin that easily entangles you. (2Timothy 2:15, 2Timothy 3:14-17)

Be Serious: there is need to let the devil know you are serious by exercising your authority in Christ, turning him down in every corner and focusing the whole of your attention on Jesus. Also, taking your personal relationship with God so seriously.

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of our lord Jesus Christ, we shouldn't let go of the reason for the season, the salvation of our souls (2 Thessalonians 5:9; Hebrews 5:7-9) and let's not forget to work out our salvation with fear and trembling through obedience and the grace of God will be sufficient for us. (Philippians 2:12). Therefore, let us hold on to the charge Hebrews 12: 1 (NIV):

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with patience the race marked out for us,”

Author information:

Adetunji Solomon. (tunegwins@yahoo.com)
Lagos, Nigeria

If you are inspired by the Holy Spirit to reach out and affect many souls through writing, send your articles to thequiver4changeoftaste@gmail.com and we will help you spread it across the world audience. God bless you as you choose to impact lives.

Monday, 7 March 2016

SPIRITUAL HEALTH // BY: YAROGLAH DAMILOLA

Vol. 16.3.13

credit:google.com

As Christians, when we gave our lives to Christ, at the place of conversion, we received a newness of spirit (2Corintians 5:17). This is the spirit that gives us the ability to have a relationship with God. It is the spirit that the Holy Spirit connects with, to bear witness that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). But when this spirit of ours is not in a good state (of health), there wouldn’t be a connection (1Corinthians 2:12-14). Can the spirit be sick, you ask? If our body is not given the adequate nutrition then it will be sick, so is the spirit. If the spirit is malnourished it will be sick. As health conscious people will give their body the necessary nutrition, exercise and rest to have a healthy body and also visit the Doctor for timely and thorough check up, follow prescription and advice, so also, we Christians ought to be conscious about our spiritual health. As health conscious people are conscious of the food they eat, the exercise of their body, the drugs they use and also all part of the body like the eyes, ears, heart, mouth, etc. Christians must be conscious of the food they feed their spirit, the exercise of their spirit, the use of drugs, the care of the eyes, ears, mouth as well as the heart.

What has these got to do with the spirit?
- The food you feed your spirit is the word of God. The word of God nourishes your spirit. As food is classified, so is the word of God classified, for doctrine, reprove, correction, and so on (2Timothy 3:16). As Christians, we need the sincere milk of the word to grow (1Peter 2:2).
- Exercise makes you strong and healthy. When you eat to grow, you exercise to be strong and healthy. How then do you exercise your spirit? You being a doer of the word of God (James 1:22). Being a
doer makes you more like Christ.
- Drugs are for different purposes, some for prevention, some for cure and some for supplement. The drug you give to your spirit is Prayer. Prayer is our means of communication to God. Your prayers can be for prevention of an evil occurrence, cure for an unfortunate incident or supplement for a deficiency such as something you are lacking. When you pray, your spirit is renewed and empowered. Prayer brings health to your spirit (Luke 18:1).
- Take care of your eyes, ears, heart and mouth: Doctors will recommend Vitamin A for your eyes, warn against putting sharp object in the ears and Dentist will say brush your teeth twice daily to
prevent tooth decay and mouth odor, all these are part of staying healthy. But from the spiritual perspective, what you expose your eyes to will affect your spiritual health. What do you watch and what do you see. What you listen to will also affect your spiritual health, the music, messages, teaching you listen to, are they edifying (1Corintians 10:23).

-Care for the heart: Doctors would advise, do not take too much salt, reduce your cholesterol intake, and don’t think too much; because of the heart. As the heart is essential to the body, so is it to the spirit, why? The heart is the engine room of every thought and action. Before you do anything good, you have thought about it, likewise, before you do anything bad. (Luke 6:45). The thought of your heart will either defile your spirit or edify it. Therefore, take care of your heart.
-The mouth (Matt 15:11 KJV): Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. What do you say with your mouth? As the things you say affects your spiritual health. If out of your mouth still proceeds curse and blessing, your spirit it unhealthy (James 3:2-10). Let our conversation be edifying, full of grace, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:29). The things you see and hear develops into the thought of your heart, and your thought determines your word, what you alter with your mouth
-Lastly, stay away from germs to prevent you from sickness. The germs that can make your spirit sick is SIN, therefore, abstain (1Tessalonians 5:22). The Bible called all unrighteousness, sin (1John 5:17). Sin feeds your flesh and starves your spirit thereby making it sick. Let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile our body and spirit (2Corinthians 7:1NLT).

Why we need to stay spiritually healthy

Since our relationship with God is depended on our spiritual health, we must pay attention to it as long as we are His children. We must remember that as citizens of heaven, we are here as pilgrims and on this journey we must remain connected to our home and our source which is our Father in heaven. Your spiritual health determines your spiritual growth. A healthy man is a growing man (1Peter 2:2) and we are running a race and only the spiritually healthy can run to the finish (1Corinthians 9:24-26). Also as a good soldiers of Christ (1Timothy 2:3), we need to be alert to the commander, to know when to go and when not to. The devil our greatest adversary is like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour, we therefore need to be alert, and stand firm against him.

How to be spiritually healthy
-Study and meditate on the word of God (Joshua 1:8, 2Timothy 2:15)
-Live a holy life (2Corinthians 7:1, 1Thessalonians 4:3)
-Live a prayerful life (Colossians 4:2, 1Thessalonians 5:17).

Conclusion
If you want to be spiritually healthy, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21). For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6). If you are not spiritually healthy, you can't have a good relationship with God (Romans 8:7-8).

Author information: Yaroglah Mautin O, Technical Editor, The Quiver. (oluwamautin@gmail.com)

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

CHANGE OF TASTE @ 2: OUR PRAISES, PROSPECTS AND PRAYERS

Vol. 16.2.12

*A DEAR CALL*

“In a movie-like vision, it was commando style. They gun down anything they saw while we try to defend ourselves. The worst of it were the hapless mother and children. I woke up in trembling and the Holy Spirit said pray for Mission/ Missionaries in northern Nigeria. This was on Tuesday morning and alas! News said over 50 people was killed Tuesday night in Bornu state. So sad was I and I heard the Holy Spirit said, do you know if your prayer was part of what reduced the casualties?”

This was the vision that gave birth to the Change of Taste Group (a non-denominational and interdenominational intercessory group) on the 18th day of February, 2014, channeled by privilege through the vessel God chose by His mercy- Bro. Ogunsuyi Opeyemi. Just like He instructed in Habakkuk 2:2 (NIV): Then the Lord replied “Write down the revelation and make it plain so that a herald may run with it”. The vision and mission to kick start the assignment goes thus:

VISION
To promote God's kingdom, by earnestly interceding for missionaries
globally and seeking God's face continually for Nigeria.

MISSION
1. To spend at least five minutes daily to pray for missionaries all
over the world and pray for peace in the Northern part of Nigeria.
2. We shall also seek to promote mission and mission related
activities in every way God gives us grace.

The modality was to create a group on a social network (Whatssapp was eventually selected) in order to bring interested people with the burden and spirit of intercession together to fulfill these visions and missions. We started by posting prayers daily on the group page as God leads. The choice of a social network platform was to create a fast and easily accessible platform for many. The next task was how to get people of like minds and equal thirsts, who are burdened to intercede and engraced to stand in gap, who will spare their time and resources to speak to God on behalf of others and their nation. Calls went out loud to the best of our ability but we thank God specially for the first set of people that pioneered the group; time we fail to start mentioning one after the other but may God make you all established in
life in Jesus name.

Two years on and to God be the glory for all He has done, He is doing and He will do in the Change of Taste (COT) Group. By the special grace of God, He has helped us to achieve;

· The daily prayers as touching the vision/mission of the group has not stopped.

· An increasing membership baseline cutting across the nation and beyond

· On April 13, 2015. COT Group by the help of God started her research/
survey on other Mission Organizations in Nigeria.

· On June 10, 2015, COT Group introduced an interactive forum tagged
“AT THE FEET OF THE CROSS; a forum that throws up modern day issue,
and where Christians should stand. It comes up every Fridays by 4pm.
Here we rub minds together, as Holy Spirit helps us to unravel and
retrace ancient landmark.

· Aside the daily prayers, COT Group by the help of God has a special
day for fasting and prayers which comes up every 1st day of the month.
It started August 1, 2015.

· On August 29, 2015. COT Group launched her official bulletin “The Quiver”; a bi-monthly publication of original Holy Spirit inspirations given to children of God to help improve the Christian faith. It also publicize the activities of the group and partner mission organizations.

NOT QUICK TO FORGET
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…(Matthew 28:19-20KJV).
Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us this commandment as believers and it is our primary responsibility to fulfill this in whatever way, wherever and however. But some people have made it a career for themselves to see that the world, even to the nuke and cranny, comes to the knowledge of God. And these people are called Missionaries. Missionaries have a calling. God often sends a missionary to a particular people group, as Paul was sent to the unreached Gentiles and Peter to the Jews (Galatians 2:8).
A missionary proclaims Jesus as Savior and Lord. Missionary’s outreach involves evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. These main goals are accomplished in a variety of ways: street preaching, tract handouts, church building, Bible studies, relief projects, etc. Missionaries go through sufferings and persecutions in order to enlarge the kingdom of heaven and bring freedom to those in the bondage of sins through the word of God. Missionary work is the duty of all Christians but not all of us are willing and capable of doing what missionaries do. Therefore, if we can’t join them we can support them. We can support them through financial gifts and prayers. They need our prayers most of all and that was why the Change of Taste group was created. We don’t only have the responsibility to pray for missionaries but for all men and even our nation (1Timothy 2:1-2, Psalm 122:6 KJV). The COT Group was created with this mission of intercession.

OUR PRAISES AND PRAYERS
Just as we celebrate our 2nd year anniversary, all we can say to God is “Thank You” for His good works He has been doing for us. And we appreciate all the members of this group for our personal commitment to keep the light of intercession burning; we encourage us to keep up the good work. And we believe that God will continually answer us before we call Him and He will hear us while we are yet speaking (Isaiah 65:24KJV). We should never forget that it is needful for us to intercede on behalf of the church and new convert (Ephesians 1:17-19,
Colossians1:9-11), unbelievers and lost souls (Roman 10:1), for missionaries (2Tessalonians 3:1-2), the nation and the people in authority. It is our responsibility, our prayers bring peace to the
nation, and it gives the people in authority guidance from God and the wisdom to rule. It enlarges the kingdom of God as souls are won and new converts are strengthened to remain steadfast. And as we intercede on behalf of others, our own heart desires shall be fulfilled and our joy shall be full..

caption from COT Group page

OUR PROSPECTS

The COT group is still committed to interceding for Global mission activities and for peace in our beloved country Nigeria. We look forward to forming more partnership with Mission Organizations in order to bring mission closer to the believers. We also hope to expand our membership base across the world in order to drive more the vision and mission of the group.
Therefore, if you wish to join the COT Group to become an Intercessor and let's pray for the world, contact us on Whatsapp: +234 806 7619381 or +234 813 029 9558.

COT GROUP ANTHEM
On and on we press
Every day we call
Every time we ask
For he ask us to, for he gave us power to
We are the soldiers of Christ

Love and compassion drive us
Holy Spirit empowers us
Grace sorts us out
Mercy qualifies us
We are intercessors

Our hope is in his word
Our confidence is in his power
For faithful is he that call us
For he shall do it

Till souls are won
Till Nigeria is great
Till the world is for Christ
Shall I intercede
So help me God.

Author information:

this special edition of The Quiver was written, compiled and edited by:

Bro. Ogunsuyi Opeyemi
Coordinator COT Group

Sis. Apolonia Mercy
Ass. Coordinator, COT Group

Umurhurhu O. Sonia

Managing Editor, The Quiver

Yaroglah Oluwadamilola
Technical Editor, The Quiver

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

SELFLESSNESS IN THE PLACE OF PRAYER // BY: Ogunsuyi Opeyemi & Yaroglah Oluwadamilola

credit:google.com

Vol. 16.2.11

Haven been privileged to attend several programs at different gatherings of believers over the years; one cannot but notice some consistent trends among all; from the Orthodox to the Pentecostal, house fellowships to crusades, gathering in twos to cathedrals with one thing is common-Prayers. We all pray and we all need to pray; as a matter of fact, being a Nigerian and living in Nigeria can qualify you to become a "prayer warrior". It is not that some really wants to but the economic imbalance in our society is a major factor. While some gatherings delight in classical style of prayers, others prefer to go rough and crude. All the same, it is he that wears the shoe that knows where it hurts.

Prayers are quite important as this is our means of communication with our God. Prayer is so important that our Lord Jesus Christ started his earthly ministry with a comprehensive 40 day and night prayers, sandwiched with fasting (Matthew 4:2), and he also ended it with prayers even with prayers intermittently (Luke 22:39-46, John 17). No wonder we are charged to pray at all times (1Thessalonians 5:17). To be candid, a prayerless Christian as they say is a powerless one. For now, as long as we still remain on earth, there is no alternative communication line to God except through prayers routed through the name of Jesus Christ preferably guided by the Holy Spirit. So if you attend a gathering today where they offer alternatives to prayer, you might want to rethink!

Have we come to school ourselves on prayer here? Of course not. Don't mind the elaborate exploration on prayer-it’s inexhaustible! Therefore, back to the issue at hand. First, we can no longer ignore but to notice that many churches teach members what can be called "the self-centered style of prayers". From opening prayers to benediction, it’s all about them; prayers for breakthrough, for deliverance, for provision, for promotion and so on. Many never remember to intercede for their government, the leaders and the land. Not even pray for missionaries on the field. However, it will not be fair not to acknowledge the many a few churches, organizations and group of believers that do so even on a regular basis.

This brings us to the second observation. It has become glaring these days that Christians’ approach

to personal prayers are often intense and aggressive, while intercession for nations, governments and missionaries are often taken as inconsequential while some don't even see the need to. For both levels of observations, it is good to state that there are far more reaching implications of our actions and inactions than we can imagine. To start with, haven't we come to the understanding of why Apostle Paul gave this injunction?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior: who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:1 NLT)

If only we know the importance of the need to intercede for our land and the government, then we will do it willingly. Let's take for example, inability to pray for the land could breed bad leaders and bad leaders often lead to bad government and bad decisions; corruption hence, becomes the order of the day. Assume the millions of money stolen were used in building health centers which are well equipped, then the pregnant woman may need not panic about safe delivery, while the sick will need not trouble his pastor for purely medical issues. If part of stolen funds are used in building industries, then the unemployed will need not cry day and night in prayers for job as there will be one for all. If we pray for leaders and they do things right, then there will be economic development which will bring peace as Apostle Paul opined. Obviously, if we pray for good governance over our land, some of our prayer requests would have been taken care of. While we understand the presence of principalities and power and wickedness of this world whom we need to fight with non-canal weapon through prayers (Ephesians 6:12, 2Corinthians 10:4), we must never forget to understand that many other things can be simply met through doing the right things.

Furthermore, intercessions for missionaries have almost gone oblivion. There is need to remember the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[NLT] Mark 16:15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

While we may not all be able to get to the interior corners of the world, the creeks and deserts, the fault lines and war zones, the friendly and foes, we are duty bound to support them in prayers and supplications as well as our resources. Contributing to spreading the gospel is a great and commendable thing which we must not all forget. While we wake up freely and openly profess our faith here, never forget there are some somewhere who hide in caves and holes to do the same. They need our prayers.

Therefore, shall we borrow the love of Moses (Exodus 32), the passion of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1), the curiosity of Daniel (Daniel 9), the prowess of Joel (Joel 2) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37) and the doggedness of the Apostles (Acts of Apostles 4:7-21, 7:54-60, 14:1-22) to pray for our nations and those risking their lives to spread the good news of Christ. Then I wonder if the good of the land and blessings of soul winning will not be unto us

Selah!!!

Author information: Ogunsuyi Opeyemi (opeyemiogunsuyi@gmail.com)

Yaroglah Oluwadamilola (oluwamautin@gmail.com)

Monday, 18 January 2016

UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST // BY: OPOMULO ABIMBOLA.

Vol. 16.1.10

credit:google.com

Unity shows the nature of God and the Church. It means oneness; something whole that is composed of separate parts. Reflecting back to the early church, God performed miracles through the Apostles, partly because they were in one accord (unity). As seen in Act of Apostle chapter 1:14, the early church/believers continued in one accord in prayer and supplication, irrespective of their background. Chapter 2 talks about them worshiping together, daily in the temple and eating their meals with gladness and singleness of heart, while in chapter 3, Peter and John healed a crippled man at the beautiful gate, making the people to rejoice.

In chapter 4:13, the same Peter and John were arrested by the religious leaders, but the church in one accord prayed and they were released (Acts 4:23-31).

Unity in the body of Christ brings about the miraculous act of God. Until the body of Christ is one, united in the power of the word of God, we may not see ‘places shaken’ as it was during the time of the early church. One of the reasons God's power is not fully felt in the body of Christ today as in time past, is because believers are not united. We see in our churches, when programs are held and people come together in unity of faith, praising, worshiping and praying, tremendous signs and wonders do happen. Dearly beloved, these signs and wonders can happen in every services held, if we are of one mind, united as one in Christ Jesus.

Although we are individuals, from different backgrounds and ministries, we must come into this kind of unity and harmony. As long as our basic doctrines are based on God's word, not man-made doctrines that do not have roots in the word of God and is definitely not the passport to heaven, we need to forget these things and unite ourselves in the word of God to kick against Satan and to bring down God's glory. It is high time the body of Christ to let go of their doctrines and come together as one. It is important we don’t discriminate based on doctrines (except in cases of biblically proven false doctrines) and no denomination should see its own as superior because God is not coming for any denomination but for the believers [body of Christ]. In heaven there's no denomination, no discrimination, as the scriptures says, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile…Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11NLT).

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Apostle Paul was telling the church to speak the same thing and that there should be no division or factions or dissensions among them but that they be perfectly united in their understanding, opinions and judgment. No matter where we are coming from, Paul made us to understand that Christ is not divided.

For you are still of the flesh: while there is jealousy and strife among you,

are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos,

are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul?

Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each (1 Corinthians 3:3-5 ESV).

Paul is saying that it doesn't matter from whom you received the gospel from, as long as it’s the genuine gospel and you were saved by the blood and Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not to follow man's doctrine but you are to follow God's word, the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should forget about human personalities and lift up God's word (John 12:32). If I be lifted up from the earth I'll draw all men unto me, and not if any pastor or you are lifted up but Jesus Christ is lifted. This is part of the unity we must come to. We must forget about our own ministries and fellowship. We must forget about who we are and what we want to be, but becoming united with the word of God.

Unity is very important as it edifies the church. When there is unity in the body of Christ, every gift and fruit of the spirit manifests (Galatians 5:22-23) easily. When there is unity the power of God moves among the body of Christ even as of old (John 14:12). Unity also brings about salvation of souls and depopulation of the kingdom of darkness. Division will only take us from these benefits.

Philippians 2:1-5 says it all;
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any
participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my
joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in
humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of
you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of
others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ
Jesus {ESV}.
Dearly beloved, knowing fully well that Christ is coming for a united and perfect Church that has grown to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, we need to love and understand ourselves, walk in love, one mind, pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:13, Philippians 3:14).

Finally, I beseech you brethren to come together as one in unity of faith in God's word.

Author information: Opomulo Abimbola (abimbolaopomulo@gmail.com)