Is It Always Greener On the Other Side?
On a recent trip to the States, I stopped by to see a friend in Houston and we both attended her church. It was youth week and I was so amazed, intrigued and blessed by what the youths showcased, every part was excellently delivered. The theme was ‘Ordinary People Doing Extra Ordinary Things’. So you get a taste of it, here is an article by one of the youth ministry members, I just had to share it.
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It’s funny. Things always look better when you are on the outside looking in. Like we look at sin when we live in the light. The contrast is so attractive to our conscious that it bypasses our contacts; I mean our conscience, to invite us, to entice us. To device the lies it advertises with, making us think that dark is light and that our light is darker than what he offers. Odd right? But the devil messes with our sight, our light, our mind, making it dim, so we can’t see him for who he really is. He steals, he kills and he destroys, but he is so coy that we rejoice as we are blinded, now nearsighted to his works.
He steals our sorrow away, yes, but only for a day, and then at night he gives you weeping, and what he stole returns tenfold till the soul can no longer hold it. But we still believe we are in control. Yes he kills all our cries and all our sighs are gone, but that high never goes past the sky, but comes to stab you in the eyes, like a log, that blinds you from yourself but helps you see and judge the soil in another’s. But we still think the reins are ours to hold. He destroys every iota of our desire to go back to light, enchanting us with the perfumes of adultery and the colognes of fornication. See, he senses that our senses control the wellbeing of our human beings, not the spirit.
We invite him in believing that we can control the devil and God, servicing both, but giving no devotion to one or the other. We don’t love God; we love what he gives to us, not caring what he is to us, or what he did for us. We still yearn for our former love even though He was our first. When we were in sin and knew we couldn’t win, we didn’t find it hard to ask God to step in. Now God wants to move in and clean every bit of sin from our hearts and we want a time out.
We want to love God but cheat about with the devil on the side. We want to have God on the outside of our lives, as a new coat of paint to cover the chips and scars caused by housing sin on the inside. WHAT A BIG LIE!!
When the effects of the defects the devil helps enhance begin to weigh in, we realize that we were never in control, the reins were never ours to hold, that we were choked with the weeds of corruption that we allowed to grow tall, and that we puffed the weed of destruction we felt high, when we were really taken to our fall.
So remember: some things look better from the outside looking in, but being extraordinary sometimes means realizing that God is so much better than sin. Allow him to pull us out. If we don’t, we will spend eternity away from God, sinking to the bottom and withering and waning and dying, with no hope of coming back.
Article by Tomi Ifelayo; Youth Ministry, RCCG, Restoration Chapel, Houston.
Art Credit: Bill Osborne
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Friends, Finding Jesus starts with a simple prayer, say this aloud with me;
Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
Find out more about the new life with our Finding You Series
Let us know if you need support, we are an email away. Email us at walkwithme@dvsoul.org.uk
Tango With Me- A Must See
Talking Drum Entertainment has broken the grounds in new age cinema experience when it comes to Black content films with recent focus on Nollywood Movies. I am honoured to be among the few Independent Film Analysts that get to preview movies and I give my analysis without bias to TDE.
Pre-viewing the edited version of ‘Tango with Me‘ at an exclusive London location brought a sense of reality to what real couples go through today. Mr Ali Balogun has taken a situation and made it so enjoyable yet educational for couples who may have such issues from the onset of marriage.
A lot of issues are raised in this movie and I admire the way the movie looked at the issues encountered from both the male and female perspective, giving it an all rounded 360 degrees attention.
There are always solutions to issues and the movie explores how choices we make, either positive or negative, influence the solutions and impact our life. Ms Genevieve Nnaji enveloped her part as expected, giving the audience her most sensitive acting to date. The lead actor and new sweet heart for our screens, Mr Benjamin; delivered his act professionally so did Mrs Joke Silva and all acts casted.
Tango with me sheds light on what culture and tradition frowns at, Nollywood is embracing real issues and addressing them, something long needed in the black movie industry.
Tango with Me is showing in UK cinemas in Aug 2012; I will be watching it yet again, will you?
Go on…No one is Looking.
I had been searching for a particular eye lash colour just to spice things up with my appearance and boy was I so thrilled to find the particular colour in the duty free section in an airport. Trying out the colour was so fulfilling I was thanking God for it so much and then requested for one to buy. To my disappointment, the store assistant sadly informed me that it was no more available. Seeing that I was really gutted and really wanted that eye colour, the assistant tried to get me to do something I never thought or imagined.
The assistant was so excited for me that she decided I could ‘take’ the eyelash colour tester for free. At first I wasn’t really connecting to her proposal. She said ‘Go on, take it. Put it in your bag quickly so that no one can see you or see me giving it to you otherwise I can get in trouble’. I am thinking, ‘Get into trouble? Is this lady for real’? She was so convincing. I then said to her ‘I am happy to pay for the tester as I can see you have 2 other testers on the counter and because I had been searching for this colour, I didn’t mind even paying for a tester that was even a bit used.
She persisted, telling me that she does it all the time for her friends and some clients, and handed me the tester eyelash colour. I stared at the lady, stared at the eyelash colour and stared at myself. I said ‘Anuli, so are you going to disappoint your Father for a simple, material, carnal desire of yours? This is stealing!!!! It doesn’t matter how nicely coated the shop assistant coated it for you, it is STEALING FULL STOP!
She was disappointed when I handed it back to her saying that I am not comfortable with her idea, and stepped away gently and politely from the counter and from her.
This reminded me of how Mrs Eve was strolling around the Garden of Eden and met Mr Serpent. ‘Go on, no one is looking’ is what he used to deceive Eve who caused a whole generation to come under a curse (Genesis 3:1-5, AMP). This is how many of us are blinded by the lust, greed or focus of what we so desire that the actual true picture of the action is cleverly hidden from us. Sin has a way of masking itself and being so delicious just like the apple in the Garden of Eden. Eat it and then you now ‘see’ clearly however by then, one has eaten into damnation.
I thank God and the Holy Spirit for filling my conscience. You may say it’s common sense, you should know it is wrong but I tell you, that assistant was too convincing and appealed to my conscience greatly, the grace enabled me make a better decision.
Mine maybe an eyelash colour temptation, yours maybe a lying tongue, an illicit attraction, a carnal desire, an attitude issue, a deceitful personality to name a few. Someone is looking. It may not be visible to you but trust me, it is more visible that you would know. It is all recorded for us to testify to on that day when we meet our maker.
If anyone tells you ‘Go on, no one is looking’ and encourages you to commit a sin, remember, if no one else is really looking, then they themselves are looking at you.
Art Credit: Bill Osborne