YOU NEED TO SMILE.

JUST THINKING:

 

Smiling is infectious. When you smile, there is a tendency for the other person to smile even if the person does not feel like it.

Your smile can win the heart of people anywhere at any time. It can make the difference at times.

It draws people to you. At least, two people have told me that it was my smile that drew them to me.

Smiling brings out your beauty. It is like dressing and looking good. No wonder people will say, “try to wear a smile". So, smiling makes you look good and it really looks good on you than frowning.

A person who dresses well but always frowning is not different from a person who is shabbily dressed or who looks haggard.

Some of us only smile when we are in front of a mirror, when we have money, when we see food, etc but forget to smile for the rest of the day.

It takes lesser muscles to smile than to frown. In other words, it does not take you much to smile than to frown.

In some situations, smiling could be the password and the key.

 

THERE IS MUCH IN LITTLE.

 JUST THINKING: 

The first time my pastor said, “There is much in little" and explained the meaning, my eyes were opened to the truth of it.

There is much in little means that you can save, put and gather money, ideas, thoughts little by little or "small, small" and you will be surprised at the amount you will be able to save or garner at the end of the day.

You will be surprised at how that little can become much or how much you can save at the end of the day if you decide to save consistently little by little. You will also discover that you have the ability to save, to do things and to achieve a lot with little.

Some high earners have not been able to achieve what some low income earners have achieved with their meager salaries because of this principle.

Some low earners have built their own houses and have become land owners while the high earners have not built theirs and some have become tenants of the low income earners.

We usually say that, "Rome was not built in one day", but it was built little by little. If we take that step, it will lead to another step and eventually more steps. Don't wait until you have every thing before you take that step in your career, projects and so on. Also, if you understood that, "there is much in little", you would not look down on yourself.

Someone said he built his house with every little he had. He didn't wait until he had so much before he started building. Every money that came his way, he threw it into the project. He said instead of buying beer and unnecessary things, he threw the money into the project.

Did you know that the amount of a bottle of a bottle of beer and pepper soup at that bar can buy you some blocks for that building project?

A banker said he learnt a big lesson from his office driver one day he was being taken for a cold call by the driver. When they got to a particular place, the driver pointed at a building and said, "That is my house, I built it ".

The banker was shocked and he decided to ask the driver how he did it and he told the banker he built it little by little.

This is not about houses alone but it also concerns your visions, your wedding, career, thoughts, and family and so on. If you decide to start today with the little you have, you can achieve much in a short time. Just start instead of waiting for a big break.

 

 

 

WHEN YOU SHOULD NOT SPEAK....

JUST THINKING

Don't speak when you are anxious, you may end up saying the wrong things, taking wrong decisions or agreeing to things you may regret forever.

If Speak when you're angry, you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret!!

If some people want to get anyone to tell secrets from that person, they get him drunk. A drunk is a good source for getting information. So, be careful of alcohol because it makes you say things you may regret later on.

When a man or a woman is in love, he behaves like a sixteen year old and he speaks sheepishly. Love makes you speak even when you are not supposed to and what you are not supposed to say.

When a person is heavily pressed.  He calls the name of Jesus even if he does not believe in HIM. I am not talking about you. I am just telling you what people have gone through and how they have, spoken, danced, walked and stood still because they were pressed. When a person is pressed, it is better he keeps quiet because if he does speak, he may end up embarrassing himself.

Speaking when you are very, very hungry, exposes things about you.  A hungry man can tell a baby, “Yes ma" and even sell his birthday right.  Hunger is not good but speaking when you are hungry, could be disastrous.

A guilty person speaks even without being questioned. They reveal the cause of their guilt easily. The guilt in them finds expressions or exposes them when they see someone they fear, love and respect.

Also, I don't envy people who speak while they are asleep.  They usually reveal skeletons in their cupboard.

If you a loquacious person or a compulsive talker, clap for yourself.  You can’t control your tongue and as a result, you spill beans.

Story tellers, gossips and writers like me say things without thinking. We express ourselves even at the detriment of our privacy and that of others.

Some pastors met and they decided to share their weaknesses. One said he can't control his lust, the other said he can't control his anger, another said he can't control his fingers when he sees money.  The last person said, I can’t control my tongue about anything I hear and see.

Proverbs 10:19 CEV

You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much— so be sensible and watch what you say.

 

MY FRIENDSHIP HAS AN EXPIRY DATE.

 JUST THINKING:

I love making friends with people but my friendship can have an expiry date. I can be pulled to someone if we have the same value system, mindset, and so on.  But if there is no integrity, the friendship expires.  If the persons curses, it is a "NO, NO" for me. I can't stand anyone who curses whether you are a Christian or not.  Once I notice that cursing comes out easily from your mouth, the friendship expires immediately. I am not a perfect person but I don't want to be corrupted by cursing words. Words are powerful whether it is a blessing or a curse.

The Bible says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" and also, "out of your belle flows rivers of living waters". For the people who curse easily, I can put it this way: "out of the abundance of your heart, you curse and out of their belle comes rivers of death".

What comes out of one's mouth is a product of what is in the person's heart. Some people carry anger, bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness in their hearts. So, when they speak, death, pollution and defilement comes out naturally. 

Most times, what people say is a reflection of what they have inside. I know that most people cuss once in a while of which some regret and repent of. But if anyone around me cusses at any or every provocation, I run away from that person. What I carry on the inside of me is very precious. So, I won’t allow anyone to contaminate what I have with cursing or swearing. My friendship expires with anyone who curses easily and whom I have spoken with about it and there are no changes.

James 3:10 NLT says, “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

 

STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO CURSE

 JUST THINKING:

Recently, I had a chat with a lady on the phone. She was having issues with a customer and she told me that she sent an insulting text to the customer. The customer insulted her back with a reply text. The customer's wife was very sick and she said to my hearing that she prays that the customer's wife dies from the sickness because of how the customer had been frustrating her. I was shocked that those words came out of her.

I stylishly gave myself brain and withdrew from her as a friend.  I can't deal with people who curse and swear. I have also stylishly withdrawn from people both in the office, neighborhood and others who do such.  However, I don't judge people, I am only trying to protect myself.

Proverbs 18:21 NIV says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit”.

Proverbs 12:18 NCV says, “Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing’.

Proverbs 18:4 NLT says, “Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook”.

Proverbs 16:24 NIV says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones’.

Ephesians 4:29 NIV says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”.

James 3:10 NLT says, “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

Matthew 12:37 NLT says, “The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.

Matthew 12:36 NASB says, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment.

Words are very powerful and if you want to change your life, change your words and the people who speak lies, deceits and curses.

 

THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH

 JUST THINKING

Do not be deceived. The truth is always the truth. There is no middle ground. Don't throw away the truth you know for lies.

Have you held the statement,  "We are not kids, we are adult". That statement is usually made in regards to sin or when people want you to sell the truth you know. The truth is that buy the truth, keep it and not sell it.  It is only the truth that can set you free.

Anyone with oil or fuel,  should not get close to or play with fire. If you do, you will get burnt. Anyone with oil on his body should not play with sand or should not go close to people that play with sand.  The sand will get clued to your body and it will be difficult to come off.

If you know what you are carrying on the inside of you, you will be careful of whom  and what you get close to because what you carry may be defiled,  polluted, stolen and killed.  The friendship may look real to you but is it a what you really need?

Remember, if you are carnally minded, what happens to sinners will happen to you as well.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is *death*, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:6 NKJV

For to be carnally minded is *death*, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

CAN YOU BE TRUSTED?

 JUST THINKING :

JUST THINKING

Some people can't be trusted with anything in life. If you trust them with work, secrets,  money,  things and so on,  you will be disappointed.

I have been burnt by people in whom I have confided severally.  I have also heard of people too have have been burnt by others whom the trusted. This experience is always painful.

Proverbs 11:13 ERV says,  "People who tell secrets about others cannot be trusted. Those who can be trusted keep quiet".

Proverbs 11:13 GNT

says, "No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy".

Trusting people is one major problem many people have because of past experiences. Not to be burnt, you will know a person who reveals secret if they usually gossip and vice versa.

If the person comes to gossip other people and their secrets to you, they will definitely reveal yours to others.  So,  look at for this red flag.  Anyone who gossips can't be trusted.

Also, some people can't be trusted with positions of authority,  influence and so on. If you do, they will abuse it, use it to oppress people and use it for their own favour instead for the common purpose and good.

Some people cannot be trusted with money, if you do,  you may regret it and you may lose a relationship. If you give them money to keep for you,  there may be excuses at the end of the day.  This is why you have banks.

There are people you should not entrust with your home(nannies, house help,  security, etc) your kids,  documents, marriage,  and so on.  If you do,  you will regret it for the rest of your life.

II Kings 12:15 NKJV says, "Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully".

The men stated in the above scripture were said to be faithful or trusted,  hence they were not asked to give account of the money given to them for the repairing of  the temple. Can this be said of you?

PRESSURE IS WHAT YOU NEED

 JUST THINKING:

People who are under pressure are privileged. This may surprise you but just hold on until you understand my thoughts.
Pressure brings out the best in you. It activates the innate abilities in you. It stretches you but it also gives you the capability to cope, manage and achieve a task.
Many people do not like pressure but there are a lot of people out there who are looking for opportunities to have pressure.
Did you know that there are some gifts in you that will never manifest until you are under pressure?
Some gifts come to manifestation depending on the terrain, environment, place, situation and pressure you are in.
A few people love pressure because they know that it makes them better.
You have an engine on the inside of you with capacity that can withstand any pressure. From that engine, life (giftings) flows out of you to help you withstand and do that assignment.
Although pressure could affect negatively, it also has in it, the potentials to activate the greatness on the inside of you.

STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM PROBLEMS

                                    JUST THINKING  

Why is it that it seems that a call that you do not want to pick rings longer than a call you are expecting and wanting to pick? I have experienced it several times and so have many people.  This thought can be likened to real life issues.  

Any situation you run away from tends to last longer,  drains and weakens you. Situations are meant to be tackled and the earlier you tackle them,  the better.  But if you ignore or run away from them as a result of fear,  procrastination and so on,  the bigger and more deadly the situation becomes.

If you pick that call,  you are facing your fears head on.  But when you see the call and ignore it,  it will keep ringing and ringing. The person will keep calling and eventually,  it will wear you out. 

Don't put that situation under the carpet. Just face it once and for all. Also, stop lying to yourself because you will come back to face it. 

Comedy,  movies, jokes,  beach parties, drinking, smoking, clubbing and so on will just take your mind off the situation temporarily and when you get back home,  the situation(s) will still be waiting for you. 

One of the ways to deal with a situation is through prayers. Another way is by by the word of God. Satan's greatest weapon is man's ignorance of God's Word.

There are different ways of solving a situation. Just focus on the best or suitable way to resolve that situation(s) in your life. Remember, if you run away from a problem, you are just postponing the evil day and running away from your problem is a race you will never win.

FAMILY FEUD

JUST THINKING: 

Family feud has been a major cause in the disintegration of many families. One of the ways family feud takes place is through child favoritism. If you as a parent says that a child of yours is the most favourite, then you are a wicked parent. You have set a trap for that child and a cause for siblings rivalry.
No matter the reason for the thought of a child being your favorite, you should resist it as a parent. No child is useless. Every child has his strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes.  Your children are unique individually. So,  picking one out of your children as the favourite is an injustice to the others.
When you show that you prefer a child to the others, you are telling the other children that you are not their parent or you hate them.
Some parents show child favoritism for several reasons. It could be the special circumstances of the child's birth. It may be as a result of the child being the richest, most resourceful, or the child being the most brilliant and so on.
No matter the reason, child favoritism is wrong. It has caused serious family feuds, separated families and made siblings to hate themselves for life. Many siblings have become sworn enemies because of their parents.
Some parents instigate their children against themselves, one child against another or one child against the other children. Hence, siblings rivalry becomes the setback and collapse of the family.
How can you prefer one child to the other(s). These are the children you carried in your womb for nine months or the child that bears your name? Sir or Ma,  you are wicked if you do it.
What Isaac and Rebekah did in the bible is a typical example of setting children against themselves. Isaac loved Esau, while Rebekah loved Jacob. These people were supposed to be the parents of Esau and Jacob.
Genesis 25:28 NIVsays, "Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob".
We have also seen and heard of parents using their children against their husbands or wives. This is wickedness. Guess what,  the parents will resolve their differences but you have sown a seed of hatred in your spouse heart against that child or the children you used against your spouse.
A family is supposed to be the bedrock of the society because if the family units are okay,  then the society may be okay.  But if the family system is destroyed as a result of parents' greed, selfishness and myopic mind, then that will be translated into the society.
If you experienced family feud or siblings rivalry because of your parents, please make up your mind that you will not do that to your own children. Unity keeps the bond of families. So, don't break the cord of unity in your home. A family that stays together grows together.
I have heard of families where a young child or the youngest of the family dictates the the cause of the family because he is the richest, most placed,  positioned, connected in the family and so on. This can cause divisions in family with different fractions of a singular family. Two or more groups in a family can cause siblings rivalry.  One group supports one person, while the other group supports the other person. The persons being supported by each group are supposed to be siblings.
I have also heard of parents worshipping a child and the child controlling his parents because he has "money". If that is the case, you are the cause of the problems.
Luke 11:17 NET says, "But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls".

Don't let the sun go down on you.

JUST THINKING:

Archie Williams was falsely imprisoned for 37 years for the rape and murder of a white woman in Louisiana in the USA. He was accused of the crime but there were people who came out to say he was innocent and he was at home when the crime was committed. But they just wanted someone to bear the brunt or the fall of the crime and he was eventually sent to prison. That sounds crazyyyyyy.
They did not have the technology then to confirm if he was the culprit but he was made the guinea pig. But he was eventually released in 2019 and confirmed innocent when technology confirmed it that the finger prints they had were not his but were the finger prints of a serial rapist. He suffered the crime of another person and because he was black.
After he came out,  he was asked how he survived it in the  prison. He said the prison was the bloodiest prison in the USA and you have to be strong to survive that prison by being strong and not weak. He also said that he went to prison but his mind was not in prison. And he added that losing everything is like letting the sun go down on you.
This case may sound familiar to many and also some people may easily identify with it because they have had similar issues.
My dad being a paramilitary man told us that so many people in prison are innocent.  He said some were victims of circumstances. If you have been or gone for a prison evangelism,  you will understand better.
Archie Williams said he was in prison but his mind was not in that prison.  But the reverse is the case for some. Some people have not gone to prison but their minds are in prison because they have been accused wrongly.
Others have been released from prison but their minds are still in prison because their minds were conditioned to the pains, regrets,  life, torture, trials, beatings, punishments, treatments and the conditions of the prison just like the Israelites who said that they preferred Egypt  to freedom.
Archie Williams lost 37 years of his life for a crime he didn't commit. Have you lost your life, properties, peace, home, and other things because you were accused wrongly? Please don't give up and die in the pain of the regrets because there is hope for you. God will vindicate you. Don't let the sun go down on you. 
Joseph was accused wrongly as well but he didn't allow the sun go down on him. If he was always crying and thinking and eventually he had a stroke, he would have died in prison or he would have still  interpreted Pharaoh's dream and be released. But he would be in a bad state of health and not be able to enjoy his freedom, position and wealth at the end of the day.
Everyone of us is being accused today by the devil because he is the accuser of the brethren and he brings trials, storms, persecutions,  circumstances and issues of life our way to condition us to condemnation, pains, regrets and even death.
Job lost his children, properties and wealth. If it were his properties he lost alone, it would have been better. But he lost his children. Children are far more valuable than properties.  I can't imagine what he felt in the face of his trials. He was even accused wrongly and he was told to curse God.
But Job held on to his faith in God. He refused to curse God when his loved ones told him to curse God or to deny his faith. And the God he held unto showed up for him later on with double double of everything he lost.
If you refuse to curse God like Job and you refuse to allow the prison or trials or pains to get into your mind like Archie Williams, and you hold unto God and are determined,  you will come out victoriously, better and stronger.  Though you have lost everything or something, please don't let the sun go down on you.
You are coming out or you will come out of that prison, that situation, that confinement, and that circumstance ten times better. Hallelujah

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY

JUST THINKING: 

Yesterday could have been a night season but today is a new day. It is the dawn of a new day. It is a new phase, a new you, a new challenge and new mentality.
There are morning seasons and there are night seasons. Morning seasons are seasons when things are going fine with us and vice versa. Also, we all must have experienced night seasons in our lives one time or the other. The world today is experiencing a night season today because of the corona virus.
Psalms 16:7 NKJV  says, "I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons".
Night seasons could be a time of weeping, loss of a loved one, issues, challenges,  trials,  opposition, difficulties, temptations, a time when things are not happening as expected,  unpleasant time, and so on.
One of my night seasons was when I lost my mum years ago. I was serving (NYSC) then and it was like two weeks to passing out when I got a call that she had died. I was really angry with God. "Why would he take my mum away from me", was what was in my heart. For years, I was going to church, praying, dancing in church and even preaching to people but I was still angry with God until God healed me of the pain. Thank God for his mercies
According to Psalm16:7, when we are in a night season, we should bless, praise or glorify God. I know this is not easy because I have experienced it too.  But I can encourage you because I have been there and I came out a better person.
When you bless God in your night season, He will give you counsel, wisdom, encouragement,  succour, strength, ideas, people, instructions that will help you in that night season of your life.
The word "season" is used for a period or a time. It will not last forever. It is just transient and it will definitely pass away. So, your night season is temporary. It is just a phase and it will go away.
What you are going through will become a part of your success, destiny and purpose fulfilled story tomorrow.  There are  and will always be seasons of our lives just like there is night and day.
Genesis 8:22 NKJV  says, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMP says, "There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven".
In the world today, it is a season of pain but the season is almost over because the horse and the rider have been defeated. Also,  in your life that horse and the rider which represent a night season have  been defeated. You are coming out of that pain a better person. You are stronger than what you think. It is a new season and a beautiful day for you. Hallelujah

THE STATE OF YOUR HEART

JUST THINKING:

A garden and a graveyard are places where we bury things but both of them are different. The things you bury can tell a lot about who you are. The difference between a graveyard and a garden is what you bury in it. 

A garden is a planned space usually  outdoors set outside for the display, cultivation and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. It can be structurally enhanced. While, a graveyard contains graves of dead people. It contains multiple graves or tombs.

Also, the Difference between the garden and the graveyard is that in the garden, it is cultivated, in the grave yard, it's past cultivation.

A garden contains different species of flowers, food crops and so on of which some are used for ornaments.

In the graveyard, you have so many unfulfilled dreams, destinies and visions. It has so many unaccomplished assignments and projects.

A garden has potentials not yet discovered, potentials discovered and which are being cultivated and nurtured. It contains beautiful flowers,  crops and so on. A graveyard is for the dead while the garden is for living organisms, plants, and so on. It has potentials buried.

The flowers or plants in a garden are pruned for them to get better and for them to be more productive. But a graveyard is only taken care of for the place to look descent and to honour the dead. 

A garden is meant to beautify a place. It can be as a recreational or a relaxation place. Its ambience could inspire positivity and creativity. But graveyards could make one look within or to introspect.

A graveyard could connote death. While a garden could also connote life. A human being can be a graveyard where people deposit trash, deaths, gossips, insults, and so on. A human can also be a garden where great ideas, visions, potentials, visions are birthed. What people deposit in you is determined by what you are having on the inside of you, how well you regard, respect and carry what is inside of you. 

Furthermore,  When you relate with some people, you will feel so empty after talking with them because they will drain so much out of you. 

When you also talk to some people, you will feel so dirty afterwards because of what they carry on the inside. What some people carry is death, decay, deterioration, bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness,  anger, hatred and so on. 

Also, you will always feel so fulfilled and feel like talking more and more and always looking forward to talking with some people after the first conversation or meeting with them.

Are you a graveyard or a garden? Check yourself to know if you are carrying death or life. You will actually know what you are carrying by your words, actions, and thoughts. 

When curses, lies, evil, detestable and worthless things and wickedness and so on emanate from your heart and mouth easily,  then what you are carrying could be a grave or death. But when you bless, impact and influence positively, you love unconditionally, etc, then you may be a life giver or a garden. 

Remember, life and death are the power of the tongue and out of the abundance.

Luke 6:45 NKJV says,  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks".

Ezekiel 16:30 NKJV says,  "How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God , “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot".

FICTIONAL EXPRESSIONS: THE EXPERIENCE

JUST THINKING:

Adam, George and Henry started running as they saw the army coming. They had no where to go because they had gotten to the dead end. They were scared because they would be taken to the camp where they will be forced to receive the mark or be executed.  

Many people have been slain because they refused to receive the mark. Some were thrown into the fire, some were thrown into hot oil and some were given acid to drink.  They heard that some were thrown into dens of lion, some were shut and some were tied to four horses with two horses tied to the hands and the other two horses tied to the legs and the horses  were made to run pulling off the hands and legs of the person who refused the mark. 

It was a world wide decision taken by the world leaders against those who refused to take the mark. They decided to have one world order.  No more racism, no more boarder control, no more religion and others. The new order was being led by an emperor who smiled in public but who was so wicked that people couldn't place it. 

The system had one major television and radio station named the ONE WORLD NETWORK (OWN) from which other stations world wide received signals and transmitted them to their local areas. 

OWN had shown videos of people being killed for refusing the mark. One of the videos that was shown live on television was a pregnant woman who was tied to a wood and the executioner cut off her head. The world celebrated it but this led to the people who had not received the Mark to form a resistant force against the world powers. They fought back but the world powers were too powerful. They had more artillery than the resistant force named the WORLD RESISTANT MOVEMENT (WRM).

Adam, George and Henry belonged to the WRM. They had to join to see if they could resist and fight back because many of their friends, neighbours, families had been either forced to receive the mark or executed by the military of the world power. 

Henry saw his brother thrown into a big boiling oil pot. He was a Christian youth leader who was living a double life. When the trumpet blew, he was having sex with one of the sisters in church.

Adam was a married and a family man. He was a deacon in church and also the accountant of his company. He was involved in a lot of shady deals in his office. He changed figures and even added figures to every transaction done in his office.

George was a fervent Christian who had had a divorce recently. He stopped going to church and started drinking, smoking and doing drugs. When the rapture took place, he was about committing suicide by hanging. 

Adam, George and Henry had been friends from childhood. They attended same Church but each one of them had had serious experiences that made them backsliders though they still attended church meetings except George before the trumpet sounded.

Three of them immediately ran to their church when the rapture took place. Adam's wife and children were raptured, George's two kids who were in his custody were caught up in the cloud to be with Jesus forever. While Henry and his brother were the only ones in their family who didn't experience the glorious exit. His parents and sister disappeared in their presence.

They cried and cried and fear made them run to church. Three of them met in church and to their surprise they saw other members of the church who did not make it with the Lord too. One of the pastors, Pastor Caleb didn't make it as well. There was wailing and repentance in the church but it was too late for them all. The long preached about event had taken place. 

There was chaos worldwide which led to accidents, markets were looted, ladies were raped and there was so much anarchy in the world.  This led to all the world leaders coming together for a meeting to know what to do. In the cause of the meeting, they decided to form one government where the whole world would be under one leader, Jermaine Jackson. Some leaders resisted the one government. So, some were executed live on national TV while the others escaped and later came together to form the resistant group called the WORLD RESISTANT MOVEMENT (WRM). 

The group fought back but they couldn't stop the army of the world powers from entering their boarders and killing many of them. The WRM had their main camp in Africa and many of them had to travel through deserts and bushes in the nights risking their lives to get to their camp in Africa. However, they had a snitch among them sent by the world leader to infiltrate their camp and pass information about their camp, the number of people there, their strength and weaknesses.

Jermaine Jackson was always known as a philanthropist world wide before the rapture. But he was a very heartless and callous person. He grew among them and even attended church meetings but he was the son of the devil. 

When Jermaine Jackson became the world leader, he rolled out his plans for the world.  One system government, one people, one religion, one market system and so on. Food, water, health system, and other things were in his control.  Anybody without the mark would not have access to those things. It was either you received the mark or you die. 

Many Christians who could not bear the sufferings after a long time had to willingly go the the local district offices to receive the mark. Some had to go for the mark because they could not bear watching their kids cry for food and medical care anymore.

The food in the camp of the WRM  could no longer go round. There was hunger in their camp. Some of the foods in their camp got contaminated because the snitch in their midst added a chemical to them. This was why they have shortage of food.

This made Joe, Henry's brother, Henry, George and Adam to leave the camp to look for food. They came to a village and saw food in baskets outside but it was a trap. Joe was arrested while Henry, George and Adam all ran away.  Joe refused to take the mark and he was thrown into a big boiling oil pot.

The three of them ran as fast as possible to get to their camp but the camp had already been invaded by the world army. The snitch had led them to the resistants' camp. The camp had been burnt up and many killed while a few taken to prison. 

The three friends became confused. They didn't know what to do. They didn't want to receive the mark because they knew the repercussions of receiving it. They had been told in church about it and also read about it in the bible. By the way, the Bible had been bound in the world both the hard copy and the e-bible had been burnt and destroyed. People's homes were invaded to look for bibles which were destroyed. It was just a few people who had bibles world wide because they were able to hide their Bibles. 

But before the three friends could think through, the world army sighted them and chased them. The army was led by George's ex-wife and she was bent on paying him back for the divorce he had given her. George divorced her because she started dating Jermaine Jackson. She was his secretary. The whole experience took a toll on George 

As the three friends kept running, the army Was chasing them. They ran until they got to a place that was a dead end.  

George's ex-wife laughed and said,  "you can't hide and run away from us any more". She ordered the soldiers to arrest them but the friends resisted the arrest. So, she ordered the soldiers to beat them up.  

As the soldiers started beating them up, the three friends woke up at the same time. It was only a dream. They were sweating profusely. They looked at each other in the seating room where they had slept off in George's house with beers scattered all over the seating room and they realized that they had had the same dream of the rapture. 

"Thank God it is just only a dream" , they screamed but it was so real to them. They wondered how they had had the same dream at the same time with the same experiences. They broke down and asked God for forgiveness and his mercy. They repented and quickly ran to church where they met their head pastor (not the pastor who didn't make the rapture) and narrated the dream to him.  And the pastor said, that is a sign that Jesus is coming soon and a warning to everyone". 

It was truly terrifying experience to them. It was the rapture experience.


If you love fictions, I believe you will love and appreciate my write-ups. I express God and his kingdom through our fictional write-ups. I will be looking forward to your feedbacks.
My name is : Wilson Uduehi Ileogben.

FICTIONAL EXPRESSIONS: THE BIRTHDAY GIFT

JUST THINKING 

It was Keisha's birthday. She had looked forward to that day with missed feelings. The day has finally come and when it was time to cut the cake, every member of her family, neighbours and friends were there except one person.

But she heard a voice behind her when she was about cutting the cake from a particular voice she was used to. But she doubted until everyone present started shouting, jumping and praising God. 

Then she turned around and she saw him. It was her dad who was the only person missing from the beginning of the party. Everyone was short of words and it was a surprise to them all. "what happened and how is this possible ", were the questions they all asked. He came with some men including his lawyer.

Then Keisha flashed back to the previous day when she had prayed fervently in her room that God should give her her dad as her birthday gift. She had prayed that her father should come home as a free man, though it was impossible from the look of things because he had been sentenced to death by hanging. The hanging was supposed to take place the day after her birthday. This was the reason for the missed feelings she had had all week. However, God actually heard her prayers. 

In the cause praying, something happened that led to the release of her dad that day which enabled him to make it for her birthday party. Her father, Mr. Martins had been arrested for the murder of the  daughter of the mayor of the city. A gun was seen on him, injuries on his head and there was blood all over his body when the police came to the crime scene. He was arrested and taken to the station.

He told them that he was innocent but no one believed him because of his injuries, the blood on his shirt and body and the murder weapon seen with him. 

He was quickly arraigned in court the next day with no fair hearing and no proper investigation because of the victim's dad and the district prosecutor who happened to be the victim's fiancé.

Everyone who knew Mr. Martins was shocked because he was a good man. But his good could not help him and save him from the hand of the law and the powers that be.

As fate would have it, things started falling in place when his daughter started praying. As Keisha was praying, some thing happened in another city that changed the whole story in his favour. 

A police dispatcher pulled a call to the officer(s) of a domestic violence around matrix avenue in the city. Two officers were quick to get to the address. 

He had beaten his wife to stupor. His nickname was"The Finisher" but his real name was Alfonso. He was a feared man in his neighborhood because he was very violent and a crime lord.

He was arrested and his wife was taken to the hospital by the paramedics. When she woke up at the hospital later on, she told the police every thing that had happened. It was shocking story and revelation. 

She had threatened Alfonso that she would report him and his boys to the police over the murder of one Miss Sarah Davies in the main city. She gave details of everything and how they had plotted the crime in their house and carried out the crime.

The police had to contact their counterparts in the main city where Sarah Was killed to confirm if there was a case like that.  The police at the main city were shocked because of the new revelation about Sarah's case because they thought they had concluded the case and the murderer has been found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging which is supposed to take place the following day.

They decided to transfer Alfonso to Sarah's city for proper and further investigation. But some people tried to frustrate the investigations. They did everything possible to stop it but it didn't work out because the Mayor put his foot down and the investigation took place. 

Alfonso confessed everything that had happened and he revealed that it was the District Attorney who had contacted him to carry out the murder. The Attorney denied that he was responsible but Alfonso gave evidences which were confirmed and which led to the arrest of the district Attorney as well. 

Sarah Davies was killed with an RIP bullet which was confirmed as well. Prior to this, it was only the police who knew the full details of the case but Alfonso gave full details of the murder with evidence and deeper revelations.

Then they asked him how Mr. Martins came into the picture. Alfonso also revealed it to them as well. 

He said that Mr. Martins walked into them as they shot and killed Miss Sarah Davies. They beat him up and put the gun in his hand. So, when the police came to the scene, they saw him alone with Sarah's corpse, with a gun and blood all over him. 

The police thought he had had a fight with Sarah and she inflicted the injuries on him because she was a kick boxer. 

After the investigation they briefed the Mayor with detailed report to convince him to reverse the death penalty on Mr. Martins and for him to be released. 

In the report, it was stated that Mr.  Phillip Moore, the District Attorney had conspired with some people to kill the Mayor and to take over his seat. He was a part of a drug syndicate and the mayor Mr. Davies, was on the verge of tracking them down and bringing all of them to book. So, they had no option than to eliminate him and Mr. Phillip Moore, the District Attorney was given the assignment. 

But Sarah had discovered the plot against the city and her father. She was actually on her way to her father's place with the evidence when she was eliminated. She had called her dad that she was on her way to his house when they shot her died. 

All the people involved were arrested and Mr. Martins was acquitted and released by 3 PM that day which happened to be Keisha's birthday. The Mayor actually came to the station personally to supervise his release and apologized to him for the embarrassment and inconveniences caused by the situation. 

The Mayor gave him his personal number and also told him if he needed any help at any time, he should call him directly.

Wow, he was shocked and overwhelmed by the whole drama but he decided to take advantage of the offer by asking the Mayor to grace his daughter's birthday. The Mayor agreed to go with him.  

They were running late because the party would start in less than thirty minutes. It was an hour's drive from the police station to his house. They drove down in the mayor's car to Mr. Martin's house with police escorts. His lawyer, the Mayor and two police men were the ones who accompanied him to his house for his daughter's birthday. It became a double celebration for Keisha and her family. It was really a birthday gift to her if not the best gift she got that day. 

Her sincere prayer changed everything. Her family had given up on the case except Keisha because they had done everything to prove that their father was innocent but to no avail. Mr. Martins was the one who had told them to celebrate Keisha's birthday because she was very dear to him. He begged them to do it and see it as a parting gift he would give to his daughter and family. There were pains in their hearts at the beginning of the party  but it all changed into joy at the end of the day when their dad came home as a free man just because Keisha decided to pray

Prayer really changes things,  situations and circumstances. If we all can pray concerning anything and everything, our lives will better for it.

If you love fictions, I believe you will love and appreciate my write-ups. I express God and his kingdom through our fictional write-ups. I will be looking forward to your feedbacks.
My name is : Wilson Uduehi Ileogben.

GRACE AND MERCY

JUST THINKING:

There were times I felt like giving up or throwing in the towel.  If we all really look back,  we will realize that we have come this far because of God's grace and mercy. We see God's grace as unmerited favour (it is beyond that)  and the mercy of God being exempted from judgement we deserve.
Psalms 145:8‭-‬9 NKJV
 says that,  "The Lord  is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord  is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works".
While both terms have similar meanings,  grace and mercy are not the same. To summarize the difference: mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.
Mercy is the act of withholding deserved punishment, while grace is the act of endowing unmerited favor. In His mercy, God does not give us punishment we deserve, namely hell; while in His grace, God gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve; while grace is God giving us something we do not deserve.
Mercy and grace are the utmost attributes of love. Mercy and grace are two sides of a coin – and the coin is love. You can't appreciate Grace and Mercy if you don't know the love of God. Without the love of God, there can't be mercy and grace. 
We are also supposed to extend God's love to both the people we know and don't know.  If you understand the love of God,  you will realize that you are not better than anyone and you are an expression of his love through his grace and mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
 says that, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
The above scripture is loaded in the sense that it speaks about what grace and mercy of God do. Instead of the judgement that we deserve, mercy prevails and Grace helps us in the time of need. 
Today, we need to seek God so that we can obtain his mercy and so that we can find grace in this time of need or help. In the face of this corona virus,  we all cry out to God for his mercy to prevail and his grace to be poured on us. 
People worldwide are stuck, broke, hungry, confused, afraid, scared and frightened. Companies have shut down, boarders have been closed and economies of the world are failing. Many have died and some in critical conditions. Both the infected and the non infected are stuck.  The systems built by men to protect themselves in situations like this have failed.  
God is the only one who can help us now. Indeed "He got the whole world in his hand". So, cry out to him for mercy and grace. I believe He will hear you and I.  He is not deaf like other gods and systems built by men which have failed us all.