FREE WILL -CAN MAN CHOOSE GOD?

A year ago ,I was engaged in a healthy debate with a Couple of friends on Facebook .. We were discussing  a particular topic that has become a  shibboleth  In the body of Christ   today -Free will . Personally ,I looked at it from a rather controversial perspective ,that free will is actually limited to our nature ! 

Now people say free will is being able to choose freely ,but the question is that , is our willingness to choose God what we consider  free will ? If so then ,our willingness to choose God in the first place isn't free at all. 

 In  tackling this topic ,I propose we address it systematically .

First of all ,it is not man who chooses God ,in that man in his very nature prior to his salvation can never make a right choice of choosing God. Let me explain .

We will look at this in two aspects.

1. MAN'S NATURE

Man's  nature prior to salvation is death.  We are dead in sin. Being depraved in sin,it only means that our whole being is corrupted with sin  and there is nothing good in us . Even our good deeds are filthy before God .We will only choose that which bears witness with our nature . Due to this , we are limited by our nature to choose God . 

When given free will man would only choose sin and not God because it's our nature prior to salvation . 

We can never choose God unless he chooses us ,neither can we draw close to him if he hasn't drawn us close . The perception  is that before you could even get the idea of accepting Christ and believe him ,God first works within us through the Holy Spirit and draws us close so that we in turn follow him . 

Think of it  like this . God in his nature is holy ,he is faithful and just ,he does not lie. That's  who he is , hence he can't lie ,or sin or even cheat . When He does that it will not be of his nature ,which wouldn't be possible . Since we are exactly the opposite of God before salvation,we can never Choose over the  very thing we are limited by .

2. FREE WILL 

Therefore if man had anything called free will ,be assured he wouldn't choose God but  sin ,due to his nature. We are unable to choose anything godly . It's simply not in our nature to do so .  Having said that ,before  we could ever have the idea of choosing God ,he has already chosen us unto salvation ,and given us the ability to exercise free will ..This doctrine is  called prevenient grace .

A.W Tozer in his book "THE PURSUIT OF GOD " Wrote "God is never found accidentally . Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God  ,there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him. We pursue God because he first put the urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit "

Okay now I have just realized I have been writing and babbling a lot about the topic that I forget to share a scripture on it . 

Check this scripture out !

John 6:44  

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me   draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  

Now think about that !

Best regards 

~kennetiks 

A REASON TO BE THANKFUL

I decided to take a blogging break for sometime ,to work on personal issues .however  as I was laying on my bed this evening and reflecting on how I had spent the whole Christmas day ,I felt an impression to write this short post.

We all know that accidents  happen every now and then ,but then none of us would ever wish to experience such a thing on a Christmas Day ,when there so much joy and merry making and so much love in the air ,I mean is heart breaking !

This is what was reported on the news today .

Five persons are feared dead in an accident that occurred on the Tema-Motorway on Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day.

(Source myjoyonline)

Nine persons died and several others got injured in a lorry accident at Tua, a village on the Tamale-Yendi road on Christmas Day, police sources in Tamale confirmed. 

(Source Ghanaweb)

Also Statistics show that a total of 2249 people died last year due to accident and 14181 others injured .it involved 21817 vehicles comprising of 10587 commercial vehicles,2440 motor bikes and 

8790 private vehicles .

In other sad news In Sierra Leone ,The deadly Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone means no festive parties at the beach, no carolers singing at night and no church gatherings on the Christmas Day .

Authorities this year have banned any activities that could further the spread of the highly contagious virus now blamed for killing more than 7,000 people in West Africa over the past .(source yahoo news )

Looking at these sad news happening around us ,we can only be thankful to God .

The fact that we are alive alone is a miracle .

If you aren't thankful for anything at all ,at least be grateful for your life .it's the best Christmas gift you could ever get .

Merry Christmas !

Loneliness vs Aloneness

There is a subtle difference between being lonely and being left alone .
It is such subtlety that requires further consideration on the two words .
Loneliness is more of a phsychological phenomena . It implies the tendency of thinking you are alone .Sometimes its not as though people aren't around you ,but rather it's more of an inner longing for something more intimate .
Loneliness is a situation of the mind and a feeling of lacking friendship or social relationship .Being alone can be intentional and planned .
It is the feeling of not having anyone close to you that brings loneliness. Loneliness is one of the weapons the devil uses to play tricks on your mind . It is loneliness (the idea and feeling of being alone ) to gives rise to depression and other "mind viruses".
As a Christian the Bible assures us that we not alone (that is having the thought of being alone) . That means even in our isolation from the social environment ,God is still with us and what's more ,it is in these times that he encounters us .
From the above exegesis, we can make the following inferences :
1.It is possible for one to be alone and yet not experience loneliness .Vice versa .
2. Loneliness isn't just about being alone ; but having the perception of being alone.
3.You can be lonely even when people are around you .
4.Loneliness is a feeling of being alone . It is a trick on the mind .
ENCOUNTERING GOD IN YOUR ALONENESS .
who are you when nobody is looking ?when you aren't pretending ? when you are left alone ? That's who you really are ! It Is at these moments that God is able to encounter us .
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Genesis 32:24
To be left alone means ,someone or something was with him then left . It wasn't after Jacob was left alone that God wrestled with him till he changed his name .
Oh no !God didn't want to kill Jacob ,far from that,rather so He can change his situation . It is in the same way that God will wrestle us to change our seemingly overwhelming situations .
You see Jacob needed to be blessed .His name meant a thrickster ,supplanter , and a thief and anytime his name was mentioned ,a tag was placed on him -Hey thief ! come here .. But praise be to God , after his encounter ,his name was changed from a thief to prince of Israel . When we encounter God ,we either leave blessed or wounded .
These wounds are truths about ourselves that we must come to grips with . It signifies our negative characters and little foxes hidden within our hearts .
But either ways, when we encounter God we never leave the same .

How to be PERFECT & RIGHTEOUS

You have been overwhelmed with the guilt of not having a perfect Christian life, thus not being able to please God . You have lost all hope ,and see yourself as the vilest sinner . You aren't that evil ,atleast you haven't murdered anyone . You try to do some good things yet it seems not good enough. Your soul is thronged with depression ,guilt ,low self esteem and even feel unworthy to come to God . You wondered if you could ever make it to heaven . You really wanted to stop sinning but then you find your self doing it again . Your Christian life is no more exciting . But all hope isn't lost .You May be feeling this way probably because you are trying to hard on your own . Its time to lean on the grace of God now .

Jesus Christ came to justify the ungodly ,he came for those who needed salvation ,for what is the use of a saviour to those already saved .He came so we May achieve something we haven't been able to do on our own ,to be made right with God,to be "perfect ".
Righteousness isn't about what you do or don't do . If it were then I shouldn't be born again , like Apostle Paul never deserved a second chance .You see when you view it so ,it no more becomes a free gift but something you deserve .That's the misconception people have . We are not and can never be righteous until we have faith in God .

Let's look at the definition of Righteousness .

It is the quality of being morally right and justifiable .Righteousness comes from the greek word Dike implying Justice (In other words, to justify means to declare righteous, to declare to be in the right, to vindicate. )
Therefore to be righteous means to be just .If man had failed at doing  anything  ,it will be attaining righteousness . It is our trust and faith In God that makes us righteous and not what we do .

The book of Romans affirms this claim .

Rom 4:5
However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

Okay so back to our topic ,how can you be perfect  before God ? No ! you can't be perfect , not even on this earth .So far as we live in our flesh ,perfection is something we can't attain .This stands to reason that we can never live a sin free life . The scripture above also denotes that our works can't give us the righteousness we need only Jesus can.It is him alone who justifies the ungodly . Bear in mind that the ungodly can't justify themselves and make themselves perfect enough before God,they will still look filthy .So there is a need for a justifier .This means that the only way we can reconcile God's command to be perfect and our imperfection is by grace . Through the grace of God we are justified .
It is a free but priceless gift God offers to imperfect people through the death of his son Jesus Christ .This grace however isn't a carte Blanche to sin for it is not the will of God for us to live in sin but to live in freedom .
So Paul can say in Phil 3:9 : and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith

So stop being self - righteous ,you weren't able to achieve it neither can you ever achieve it on your own . God is the giver of righteousness ,by Faith in Jesus . He is the one who justifies(makes right ) the ungodly . This is the righteousness we can gain by faith .

This is the first part  on the series of Righteousness .

Murder !

I hate you ,you fool ,I wish you were dead ,stupid ,I wish you were not my parents ,worthless fool ,Empty headed foolish girl /boy etc ..
If you have said these words ever in your life, or wished someone had died ,then I am sorry to announce to you that you are guilty of murder, and guess what , you deserve to go to hell. Yeah hell ! please don't judge me just yet ,That is what Jesus said .
It's hard to believe but he did ,in Matthew 5:21

21 You have knowledge that it was said in old times, You may not put to death; and, Whoever puts to death will be in danger of being judged:
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of being judged; and he who says to his brother, Raca, will be in danger from the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You foolish one, will be in danger of the hell of fire. Ponder over it very well .

Before you read on do this little exercise . Take your mind back when you were angry with that brother or sister ,how you were so bitter and filled with rage . At that very moment you thought of things you would do or say to hurt that fellow .
Yes ! that's what am talking about, you murdered, though Not physically .
Murder begins with a murderous attitude and wishful thought . If you think evil about someone,then you have committed murder .In the "law book of God", the purposing to do a thing, without actually doing it is tantamount to doing it. Don't be too surprised because Jesus traces sin not from the outward activity but from the very core of our hearts and our thoughts .
In the subsequent verses ,He made a statement that whoever looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery .
You see ,sin begins from the mind and the heart ,so even though you haven't touched a woman or physically killed your neighbour ,the mere thought of it makes you guilty and a sinner .

Besides this ,Jesus also warns us of what comes out of our mouth .

Proverbs 12: 18 says
" Reckless words pierce like sword ,but the words of the wise brings healing "..

Whether we like it or not our words carry power and what we say can alter people's lives negatively or positively .
Yeah ! so your guess is as good as mine ,we are all murderers . Only God knows how many people we have killed in our hearts and with our reckless words .
Anger is the bedrock of murder .Get angry and let me hand you a gun ,you will ,in a high probability pull the trigger.Jesus addresses how Christians are to confront anger that is by reconciliation . (Matt 5:23-25). Meanwhile ,anger in itself is not evil .
Paul enjoins us in Eph 4:26 with these words ;

In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Jesus also got angry sometimes . However ,his anger had the proper motivation. He was angry for the right reasons.
Secondly ,There was no selfishness involved.
His anger also had the proper focus.
He was not angry at God or at the “weaknesses” of others.
His anger targeted sinful behavior and true injustice.
Further more ,His anger had the proper control.
Jesus was never out of control, even in His wrath. He controlled His emotions; His emotions did not control Him. Besides that ,His anger had the proper duration. He did not allow His anger to turn into bitterness; He did not hold grudges. He dealt with each situation properly, and He handled anger in good time.
lastly His anger had the proper result.

I will end with the words in the book of James .

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” ( James 1:19-20 ).

The command is not to “avoid anger” (or suppress it or ignore it) but to deal with it properly, in a timely manner. learn to forgive and forget ..

From the thoughts of
Kenneth Bray .
~kennetics

AFRICAN RELIGION OR IDOLISM ?

In school we were thought that there are three religions in Ghana :Christianity ,Islamic and the Traditional Religion .

Also we were thought that traditionalist worship the Supreme God not through Jesus Christ but the lesser gods . I have a problem with that !
The bible is clear that Jesus is the way ,the truth and the light ...not the lesser gods .
Again some Christians have some kind of commitments with fetish priests and When confronted about their acts they will justify it saying 'Jesus was introduced to us by the white man ,but the traditional religion is part of our culture'. So I ask the begging question ,Do we pass the worship of lesser gods simply as "African traditional religion" or Idolism ? I believe the later perfectly fits the description .

Exodus 20:1-15

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

The walls of Our streets have been inundated with posters of Fetish priests and priestesses claiming to provide people with all kinds of spiritual protection and money . Their afiches have careful enumeration of the services they provide which can be catchy atimes although it looks jocose to someone like me who don't believe in such powers .
It has come to my notice in recent times the influx of traditional fetish priests bodly flaring up in the country thanks to the hunger for wealth and power . I don't blame them so much since they claim other pastors even come to them for powers to perform miracles .No wonder they now have to guts to challenge other men of God to show they are more powerful .Although In the past ,it was extremely difficult to catch a glimpse of a fetish priest or hear of one , it is different now .To prove this , take a stroll to the streets of Accra ,37,Legon ,Madina intermittently fixating your eyes on the walls and you will see for yourself .They are everywhere .

It Is as if this traditionalist got inspiration from one man who calls himself the Kwaku Bonsam . For me this man was actually the only traditionalist I have seen so far with a website and a YouTube channel . He was also the first traditionalist who went viral and public and Other traditionalist have taken after him . But just so you know ,traditional religion involves the worship of demons .The bible is clear that Yaweh is the only true God ,and besides him there is no other god .Yet the so called traditional religion claims they worship God through these lesser gods . Again there is nothing like lesser gods since God is the only God . So that makes those beings the fetish priests worship demons and not gods.

BE THE PROBLEM'S FIRST LASH

  Its normal and usual to have people talk and say problems are spring to come about in our daily lives. If a problem is a doubtful and difficult matter requiring a solution and you are confronted with such, what must you do? The first resolution that has to mount up in your mind is to start working towards it rather than sitting down to hail embrace of it. Telling people about your problem which from my personal examination have seen to be the tradition among people to be the first approach to an issue or matter is totally wide of the mark. No one will like to lend a hand someone who has not on track helping him/her self. I’ve heard it said that, “problem shared is half solved”. But I think that diction should come into place after you’ve already tried your hands on the problem. Give it a lash when you are faced with one. When it emerges, don’t say ‘why me’ but rather say ‘try me’. Help yourself with verdict solutions anytime a problem befalls you, bring it under your control and stop bothering others with them. Mind you we all have problems. 

2 Corinthians 4:17 

¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

                  First of all, as a mortal beings you should be ready and be on alert to face any life problem or challenges. Alfred A. Montapert pointed out that ‘Expert problems and chew them as breakfast”. Problems should be a drive in our lives. We cannot solve a problem with the same thinking we used when we created them. Intellectuals solve problems rather than shifting it on other’s shoulders. If you have a hammer, you will tend to see every problem as a nail. Just expert and make provisions for them in case they germinate, it can be taken care of. You should know that your problems are your own so if you have a positive attitude and constantly giving in your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find out you are ready for greater challenges.We must persevere in the faith even in the midst of crises with the hope that it is but for a moment,here on earth.Until we die ,we will never stop having problems so we must understand this:our problems are meant to make us and not to break us.

                  I believe very well we are all masters to problem solving and not shifters. If you learn to deal with problems by doing, every problem being it large or small will be a drive. You have to be the master chess player. There are no differences between large and small problems besides and for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same. You have to direct your anger towards problems and not people and un-beneficiary happenings. You have to confront them courageously. Be the first lash to a problem and not an announcer. I’m not saying letting people know the difficulties you are facing is wrong or bad but try your hands on it first before others do.

                  Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t have any seed according to Norman Vincent Peale. Sometimes, problems emerge for us to have resolution tools for it. The game of life is just like football. You have to tackle your problems and be a winner. You have to make problems so interesting and their dealings so constructive that everyone gets to deal with them. It’s a big mistake when you think you can’t solve a problem. We all have problems in our homes, churches and work places. Avoid problems and you will never be the one who overcame them. Believe in hard work and personal initiative. Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain forever. We are only active when we have problems. Remember that you would be remembered by the problem you created and solved. Be a man and a woman, a girl and a boy of problem solving and not problem shifters. All the best!!!!!!!!!!           

                     

   By Bismarck Onyameama (CHRISTIAN WRITERS NETWORK)

A picture of Rapture

The Malaysian aircraft that vanished on 8th March have gone for the past 17days and it's still not found .Till now nobody knows the where about of the aircraft , more so whether it still exists or it crashed .
Many officials have made speculations to explain the mysterious incident . The families of passangers are worried about their friends and relatives who were onboard and have been missen for the past 17 days . This is simply beyond human understanding .
These are facts I gathered on the internet that contradicts the numerous speculations of officials saying that the airline was hijacked or it crashed .
If the aircraft had crashed ,it would had been easy to find since many parts of destroyed aircraft will naturally float in water.
1.In past cases of aircraft destroyed over the ocean or crashing into the ocean, debris has always been spotted floating on the surface of the water.
That’s because some parts of the airline are non-metallic thus making them susceptible to float in the water .
So If Flight 370 was brought down by an explosion of some sort,As people are speculating , there would be massive debris floating on the ocean, and that debris would not be difficult to spot.
The fact that it has not yet been spotted only adds to the mystery of how Flight 370 appears to have literally vanished from the face of the Earth.
2.The location of the aircraft when it vanished is not a mystery. Air traffic controllers have full details of almost exactly where the aircraft was at the moment it vanished.
They know the location, elevation and airspeed — three pieces of information which can readily be used to estimate the likely location of debris. They’ve seen mid-air explosions before, and they know how debris falls. Could this actually be God reminding us of how the rapture would occur ? It's possible .
The whole incident goes beyond human cognition and it clearly relates to the scripture that talks about rapture . On that day the rapture would take place suddenly . People will vanish within a twinkle of an eye .The media would report the sudden disapperance of people and Scientist and philosophers would try to explain what's going ,but all their efforts would be abortive .
Rapture is when believers would be caught up with Jesus in the air and be taken to heaven .
In 1 Thes 4:15 -18 few facts are important .
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout ,with the voice of the archangel ,and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first : 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds ,to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord .
During the rapture ,
*Jesus will return for believers.
*Both the dead and the alive in Christ shall be caught up with him in the air /clouds .
*The dead shall rise first .
*And the rest of us who remain in Christ shall be caught up too .
*Jesus wouldn't return to the earth but would be in the air .
*Afterwards we shall forever be with the Lord in heaven .
The verse 18 of the same scripture has this to say .
18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
As believers we must not be afraid of the rapture rather we are admonished to comfort ourselves with the fact that we shall return with Christ to heaven and be with him forever . Amen !
Even if the aircraft is found today am sure march 8 shall forever remain in the history books .
And for those who don't know Jesus yet ,this could be the time for you to do so .Eventhough it couldn't have been the rapture ,it surely paints a picture of it to us all.

KENNETH BRAY
~kenne-tics

I WONDER WHY I WAS CREATED[my take on the creation story ]

As i keenly read the creation story in Genesis , I was dumbfounded by the way God called things to be by what he spoke .
His word and the Spirit were in action and there was an intercourse between the two resulting in the birth of all things . The scripture said the Spirit was hovering around the face of the waters when God spoke .
Three persons were present in the time of creation :The father ,the word and the Holy Spirit .
God ,his word and the Spirit can't be separated ;they work together . God the father said ' let there be light ' ,his word proceeded to join the Spirit and there was light . When it was time for his word to be made flesh ,the Spirit was once again instrumental.
When it was time for the word made flesh to begin his ministry ,he had to wait for the Spirit to come on him and lead him .
The word and the Spirit are both God . Even human beings are inseparable from their words in that our words show who we are . Our words shows how we articulate speech and express ourselves .likewise , The word of God is deity expressing himself in audible terms .
"And God made the heavens and the earth ".
After creating the earth , something might have happened to it to make it chaos .
The word "without form " is the original rendering tohu meaning formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness . nothingness, empty space , that which is empty or unreal wasteland, place of chaos . Suggesting the earth May have existed before but was destroyed . The earth then became chaos ,void and dark.
So before God would create anything there needed to be restoration and order and He had everything in place just for that job . The spirit was hovering around the waters ,suspending in the air ,waiting for a command from God ,then finally it came .
"LET THERE BE LIGHT "
Before anything else could be made ,there had to be light . God spoke light into being and light coexisted with the darkness . He never created darkness it already existed .He never despised it too ,neither did he destroy it. However he used it for his purpose by turning it into night.The light became day and darkness the night .
It was at this stage that he showed how he uses everything both good and bad for his purpose and glory .
SEPARATION
After creating light he was ready to create the next thing . He deployed the rule of separation ,separating the waters above from the one below with an expanse . He then called the expanse heaven.
By then the whole earth was filled with water so there needed to be another separation . He then commanded the waters to be gathered at one place separating it from the land .He called it earth and the waters sea . resulting In the three main elements Air ,waters and land .
It was this same elements that the various groups of animals and plants emanates . The land brought forth herbs ,plants ,trees , cattle and grass of their kind ,the seas brought forth fishes ,whales etc of their kind and the birds were created to fly In the air .
"I wonder why i was created"
It was time to create man . God said to the word and the Spirit " let us create man in our own image " so man was created . He was to be the governor ,so to speak to administer the affairs of what was created . My bewilderment was when all authority was given to man. So all things were made so man can govern them .
Finally God commanded "subdue and have dominion . " This was the first assignment given to man . I began contemplating " I wonder why I was created " .
As it turned out ,curiosity doesn't always kill the cat. I realized His commands were straight ,no ambiguity ,clear and unequivocal !
"subdue and have dominion " that was our purpose,our assignment on earth . That was why I was created . I was created to dominate ,and be a solution to the numerous problems confronting this world . I was created to rule ,rule over negative situations .I carry power to bring anything into subservience and what I say comes to pass . Therefore I must impact my generation ,I must Fight hard to change negative circumstances facing this generation. Because I was created to dominate .Born to rule .
KENNETH BRAY
~Kenne-tics

Speak or forever hold your PEACE

We normally come across the old fashion phrase " Speak or forever hold your peace " during wedding ceremonies ,Normally after the bride and the groom had exchanged their wedding vows . Forever holding your peace means although you had something to say that would have changed the whole nature of the ceremony , you didn't ,so you live forever not being able to do anything about it .
What is noteworthy here is that we too as Christians can make changes to negative circumstances simply by speaking - declaring a word of Faith . Many of us have been silent for far too long and because we aren't speaking we are living forever with the situation , holding our peace . There is such great power in our tongue and things happen when we speak . We have the ability to change negative situations with what we say.
I was thinking about the story of Jesus and the royal official of capernaum in John 4:40 whose child was almost dead . So he came to Jesus and told him about it ,then Jesus said " Go your child will live " it sounded like a simple statement but I realised the power it carried when the man got home and realised his child came alive the moment Jesus spoke a word .
The word of God carries power to heal ,create ,destroy ,make etc . When we believe in the word of God just as the royal official did and speak ,things will begin to fall in place . When we say someone should be healed ,they would ,when we want somethings to change we can make them change just by speaking the word of God .

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and those to whom it is dear will have its fruit for their food.
 
We can't talk about speaking and leave out the tongue . Its actually what grants us the ability to speak .The bible describes the tongue in many ways and most of the time it warns us on how dangerous it can be when misused . Consider it as a fire ;very useful but at the same time very dangerous . what great power our tongue possess .What we say or don't say makes a big difference in our lives and the life of others . Your words can either give life to something / someone or destroy them . As humans we have a high possibility of speaking death (evil )especially when things don't workout the way we want. that's why the text says "death and life and not life and death " .
We are asked to refrain our tongues from evil . For us to enjoy the the fullness of life ,we must keep our tongues from evil and deceitful speech .
1 Peter 3:10 - For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.
The tongue is evil and can not be tamed .It's a deadly poison .
James 3:8 - But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
The tongue is like a fire ,it corrupts the whole person and sets the course of his life on fire .
James 3:5 - Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
James 3:6 - And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
BRIDLE THE TONGUE
James 1:26 - If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.

A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse.It includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. The bridle is used to control the horse and give it direction . without it the horse would move anywhere it pleases . The tongue like the horse must be bridled ,so it refrains from evil .

Proverbs 12:18 - Reckless words pierce like a sword ,but the tongue of the wise brings healing .

We live in a country where people speak recklessly ,not considering the effects their words can have on people . Politicians go on radio stations and feed listeners with harangues of reckless words. The television stations are no exception , the so called "big men " who society respects so much are the same people who create confusions among their followers . Reckless words have driven many countries into war like the genocide in Rwanda which resulted In an estimated 500,000-1,000,000 Rwandans being killed .
Such great power the tongue process . Because of human proclivity to sin ,our tongue can not be tamed totally . Our speech carries great power and so we must learn to say positive things always that would bless others rather than hurt them . Our speech has a great potential for good as well as evil so we must learn to use it wisely . In as much as the tongue can be dangerous ,we still have to speak . Think about how God created the universe . When the darkness was upon the earth and it was empty . When there was chaos and disorder ,He spoke to Change the state of the earth . He spoke things into existence and they obeyed . what if God had been silent ,what if he kept quiet the world would have still been void and chaos . Anytime we speak positively ,orderliness prevails .When we speak positively it's usually the way God does . Speaking his word also changes our lives .

PROPHECY -FORTH-TELLING confession  is another way of prophesying .It is also known forth-telling . When discussing the concept of prophecy ,it is normally viewed in two ways ; Foretelling which constitutes predicting what is going to happen in the future and forth-telling which simply means confession or speaking the mind God to his people . If only people would understand this and use their words wisely to better their lives rather than destroy them . Instead of running around for  prophecies , we can actually prophecy on ourselves simply by confessing the word of God  .
So fellow believers , would you rather hold your peace and live forever with the situation or speak to change negative things in your life ?

LOVE VS 'TONGA'

If you are a Christian ,then love is imperative .
It's worth noting however that the way the world views love today is quite different from the way bible sees It. For example ,when you ask a normal boy what love is, he is most likely to say it's a feeling one has for a woman or the desire to have sex .
Many factors contribute to this . The new song -Tonga,which has not only made it's way through the internet but also into the minds of the youth in Ghana ,I believe has done more harm than good to our youth and is about time we stand as Christians and speak .
We live in an era where the true meaning of love has been given a back burner . People have twisted it so they can use it to accomplish their evil desires .

Is love  truly all about Tonga ?
The song entitled " Tonga " Is the acronym for the phrase " The Organ No Guy Avoids " . It was composed by some guy named joy b . The problem about the song is that it undermines the dignity of a woman (it's even sad to see women dance to it ) and reduces their functions and use to mere "sex machines ". Ask any guy why he follows a girl and the overt response will be " because of Tonga ". The lyrics of the song says the fact that anyone seeks to date a lady does that for sex . The artist even said he went to the extent of attending a church revival but couldn't make a move because of the girls mum . So now that he has the girls phone number ,he would talk to the girl until he eventually get the chance to sleep with her .
There is no doubt the song is a hit and people love it . Sit in any car ,go to most university gatherings ,attend most parties ,visit the YouTube,log in to any social media and you are most likely to come across the the term " Tonga ". Truly the term is here to stay . what we must be concerned about though is the effect and the impart it is having on people .

So What is actually wrong with the song ?
Ha! a lot .We live in the world scientist call call a global village ,because of the aid of the internet ,and social media ,news spread more quickly than normal .People share posts ,video clips ,retweets ,audios on these social media thus aiding in the wide spread news or matters arising . I got to hear of this term mostly on social networks . In as much as these social mediums are not evil ,the devil uses it the more to accomplish evil plans You might be saying the devil can never create anything since he is not God ,i agree .The devil is not God ,and he hasn't created anything in his life before ,however he is a pervert ,perverting the good things God has created . Do let me remind you also that the devil was also/ is still a musician ,so he knows how to pervert these songs . He does this because he hates you .
Yes ! if you are a Christian then The devil hates you and if the devil hates you the world also does . Jesus warned his disciples about this in John 15:18
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

 
So to all my brothers and sisters ,who still think there is nothing wrong with the song  ,think again .
In my opinion ,the song contains certain hidden messages which actually has a negative impact on the youth. The youth today have lost respect for the women . The female gender has now been reduced to the lowest level. Used used and  disposed off  - use and dump . Use any woman any how you like and dispose her off . The dangerous thing here is that ,the song justifies the actions of the men . Its a pity to see how The dignity of womanhood is gone down the drain .
So now the sale of condoms would be on the rise ,there would be shortage of condoms again this year , teenage pregnancies would be rampant ,STDs would spread ,they would be broken homes ,social vices ,increase government expenditure,divorces will become the order of the day etc . What is disheartening here is to even see little children singing this song . You can imagine what we are teaching these innocent kids ,who wouldn't dance to any tune at a party unless it's Tonga .
Love
Love is patient ,it's kind ,it's devoid of envy and boast ,it's not proud and not rude ,love never fails . Love is a fruit of the spirit ,so true love comes from your spirit .
As Christians we love because we are commanded to do so and not because of our own lustful desires . True love is unconditional, that is not based on any condition or reasons. Jesus gave his disciples a command to love one another in John 13:34
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This scripture teaches us how to love . We must love as Christ loves . Then only way we know how Christ loved is his ministry .His ministry was a ministry of love .
He loved everyone to the extent of sacrificing his life for all of us . May  this be a clarion call to the youth .A call to love unconditionally like the way Jesus did . It is my prayer that God will touch the hearts of these youths and change their minds to conform to his .
Stay Blessed !

KENNETH BRAY
~Kenne-tics

DISSONANCE

The subtlety of the mind/ thought and its relation to behaviour /attitude is one that fascinates . It has been proven that our actions can greatly be influenced by our mindset or what we think about.The bible says " As a man thinketh ,so is he . This principle is simple and straight forward but at the same time it speaks of a general truth ;we are what we think . But does our thoughts always conform to our actions /behaviour ? of course not .
There could be dissonances and inconsistence with what we think and what we do. Sometimes we want to do somethings ,but we end up doing exactly the opposite , when that happens, we experience a state of mental conflict and discomfort known as cognitive dissonance .

                         
                                  COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Social psychologist refer to cognitive dissonance as the presence of incongruent relations among cognitions (thoughts and understanding ) which usually occurs when people hold two /more conflicting beliefs ,ideas or values that frequently results in excessive mental stress and discomfort .
The stress arises within a person who holds a belief but performs a contradiction action /reaction .
(source : wikipedia )
Leon Festinger ,the inventor of the theory proposed that when people exhibit behaviours which are inconsistent with their beliefs , they experience a discomfort called the cognitive dissonance . He said an example can be a smoke addict who despite knowing the dangers and harm smoke has on his health ,he overlooks them and goes ahead to smoke . He goes ahead to do what he knows will kill him .This shows the inconsistency between his behaviour ( a smoker ) and his cognition ( he knows smoking is harmful to his health )
Also when someone is forced to do something they actually don't want to do ,dissonance is created between their cognition (I didn't want to do it ) and their behavior (I did it) .
Cognitive dissonance is a very common discomfort which happens when there is inconsistence between what you want to do and the reality . There is a dissonance when we perform actions inconsistent with our beliefs (cognition ).
This I believe was what Apostle Paul experienced as he penned the text in Romans 7:15 . He said "I don't understand what I do .For what I want to do ,I do not do but what I hate I do" .
Now Paul achieved a lot as an Apostle . He founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe . Paul used his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to take advantage in his ministry to both Jewish and Roman audiences.
For many ,for a man like Paul to make those statements  about  himself simply surprises them .How can The man who had written about 13 books of the New Testament say such things about himself .But  whether we like it or not ,Paul was not only crying for himself but was voicing out the struggle of every Christian ,that is, the struggle with sin .
Romans 7:15
I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate.
Have you ever thought to yourself why you do somethings even though you hate doing it ? Have you ever done something though you knew it was wrong ?Although that action is inconsistent with your beliefs ; Is as though another man lives within you who shrewdly cajoles you to do the very thing you know is wrong .
The unregenerate man is dead in sin , as a result of Adams fall .Every human being is therefore born spiritually dead . Due to this death ,we are naturally ;
1.Hostile to the the laws of God 2.Totally depraved
3.unable to follow God .
After salvation ,and after receiving a new life ,we still err and go contrary to God's law .
We don't do things we know we should do ,howbeit we hate the struggle and would like to live according to God's word ,we don't . We all struggle against sin,though we fail over and over again ,we still want to do better .Though we are forgiven and saved ,sin still dwells in our flesh .
The life of a Christian on earth is a continuous struggle with the flesh . There is therefore a contention between our Spirit (to do the right thing always )and the flesh (to do evil ) .
Here suffer me to quote the exact words of Paul in the book of Romans 7.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am merely human, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate.
16 Now if I practice what I don’t want to do, I am admitting that the Law is good.
17 As it is, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me.
18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For I don’t do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don’t want to do.
20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me.
21 So I find this to be a principle: when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me.
22 For I delight in the Law of God in my inner being,
23 but I see in my body a different principle waging war with the Law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that exists in my body.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death?
25 Thank God through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, because with my mind I myself can serve the Law of God, even while with my human nature I serve the law of sin.
Apostle Paul describes himself as unspiritual ,a slave to sin ,a wretched man and a prisoner of the law of sin .His outburst created paroxysms of controversies as to if this passage referred to either believers or the unsaved .
It therefore begs the question "aren't those words used to describe unbelievers ? Whether to believers or not ,the key to understand this passage ,is to first understand the two natures of a Christian .
THE SIN NATURE AND THE SPIRIT
Before the unregenerate man becomes saved ,his only nature is sin ,he is totally depraved in sin;he is a slave to sin . He sins because he is a sinner ,it's his nature .And even after he receives Christ and becomes a new creation (2cor 5:17) he still lives in the old flesh which still has remains of past habits and sins . There is therefore a constant battle for dominance between our sin nature and the Spirit over who wins at pulling the believer to his direction .The spiritual nature drags him towards God and The fleshy nature pulls him towards disobedience and sin . The believer therefore wants to do the right thing but has something within that does not support what he wants to do and desires to do exactly the opposite .
OVERCOMING SIN
Reckoning yourself dead :As Christians ,the power of sin has been broken in our lives . Hence when a Christian sins it is his willful act and not sins domination over him .
2.Rely on the Holy Spirit ;we can not be saved by grace and be sanctified by our own efforts. We must therefore rely on the Holy Spirit to do that .
Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death?
What glad tidings for the undeserving,for Christ to come and die ,so those who believe In him will be saved and hence transformed .
When we put our faith in Christ we are set in a process of sanctification .
Do let me put this very plainly, Sanctification is a process and can never be complete -It is that which believers are conformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ . Though some sins are easier to overcome immediately one is saved ,others are not .There is therefore the need for constant renewal of the mind .
Behold I am vile -job 40:4
Jesus Christ , our
Justifier ,didn't come  for the righteous and

HOW TO BE HAPPY

Everyone longs for happiness. we do a lot of activities just so we can be happy .There is even a therapy for happiness .The truth of the matter is We all deserve to be happy at all times . But how can we be happy ?

First of all ,we must understand what happiness is and what it's not :
Happiness is a choice and not a result . It is a state of being and a state of the mind . We can never truly experience happiness when we base it on the result of life .

The Apostle Paul ,wrote the book of Philipians when he was In prison and Interestingly this book is the happiest letter he had ever written . I contains the word " rejoicing" 17 times . Amazing right ? . Happiness is not the absence of troubles ,but an inner contentment and satisfaction . As long as we live in this world ,we are bound to have problems .If you haven't had any ,then you haven't bumbed into the devil yet ,that is to say you and the devil are moving in the same direction . We usually get carried away with our problems because we place so much value on them . It is not our problems that is the problem, but the way we see it that is the problem .

Today I want to tell you that You can still be happy even in the worse times . You can be happy iresspective of the circumstance and It is the will of God for you to do so .
May you rise above grief and sorrows. Remember anything that makes you sad or sorrowful is not of God . May the joy of the Lord be your strength .

A LETTER TO JESUS (pt 1)

Goodmorning Jesus ,
I enjoyed your presence this morning ,is been quite long since we had this fellowship and I miss it. I miss the way you listen quietly when I talk .I miss the times you speak to me and give me directions and ideas to solve my issues . I know I went far from you this time but you were never far from me . Though I didn't give you attention because I was busy ,you still had time for me . I doubted you but you still believed in me. I looked at my inadequacies and weakness and stamped my self a failure yet you looked at my strength and still believed I could . Left to me alone ,hell was to be what I deserved . Am nothing ,not even better than a pig . I looked right yet I did things that displeased you . I enjoyed the praise singers voice ,but those Same praises pulled me down .

I am coming back to you lord ,I hope you will take me back . I feel lost in this world and I need you back in my life . The morning is supposed to be a joy lord ,but not mine . I can't help but to clothe my self in grief every morning . Isn't the morning supposed to be met with joy, The joy of beginning a new and victorious day .
How can I be victorious if I feel like a failure in the morning . I wish you will make me all over again , anew !, but perfect this time .If it is possible lord ,I want to be perfect ,free from guilt ,sin and all manner weaknesses . But if not ,use me as I am ,for what is the use for a donkey like me if I am still tied to the stake . Nonetheless I know you have untied me and set me free solely for your purpose . For when you rode on the donkey , it was a joyful entry into Jerusalem, that alone assures me you are still in the business of untiring and riding on donkeys even now,no matter how stubborn they are . Jesus ,I just wona thank you for your sacrifice on the cross ,though I never deserved it , you pre- ordained and chose me, by that I am counted among the elect. You shed your blood for my vilest sins and took them away . You took my place and was made sin . You loved me even before I was a clothe of blood and predestined me to be saved . Thank you again and I know you love me irrespective of what I am. If you will never leave me then May I never leave you ,tie me with a girdle to your waist . Shut me in your bosom ,let me be stuck to you so that it will be impossible to separate . I want to feel your heartbeat and think the way you think . May my spirit be sync with yours o lord for the world is very tempting and she seeks to entice me with her pleasures . May I not fall for her seduction lord . Wrap me in your arms so I May never go!

HOPE

All of us have one way or the other hoped for something to take place in our lives: We hope that things will get better in our lives; we hope that we can overcome a particular challenge; we hope for miracles to happen; we hope our husbands will change; we hope that our prodigal children will return home; we hope to get money; we hope to be healed of our sickness. The truth of the matter is that hope must always be buttressed with faith. Hope and Faith are like two elements in a set; they go together. Many people usually have confusions as to when to use these two words - faith and hope. Though they might seem synonymous and are used interchangeably, they are actually different. For us to know the right meaning of hope in the Bible, we must first understand what faith is. The biblical definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11: 1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (NIV) Another version states: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT) From the biblical definition, a few key words emerge. They are: Confidence - to be sure of something. Hope - to expect something to happen. Since faith is when you are sure (confident) of what you are hoping for, then hope is an expectation one has, which usually does not give a 100% guarantee of receiving what you might be expecting to get. Apparently faith and hope, to some extent, function together because hope alone can never get you what you need until faith is applied. It's 2014, and it's a new year with great promises for all of us. A lot of people all over the world are excited about what this new year holds for them. They have great expectations (hope) of achieving great things this year. However, the passion with which they started the year might die out gradually as they go through the year. They might lose hope after going through the hard times and begin to doubt God. This must not be so! Our hope in God must not die out even in the hard times. The new year comes with a lot of blessings and challenges so we must prepare ourselves for all of that. It is very important that we expect big things to happen. It's normal for us to hope for the best things in life. But should it end there? No! This is where faith is needed. Don't lose hope, continue to trust in God. Be hopeful that things will change and they will. Be sure of what you hope for and be certain that it will happen no matter what. [by Kenneth Bray]

PLANNING FOR THE YEAR .

2014 is here atlast ..Its a new year and many including myself are beckoned with the daunting task of making resolutions and plans for the year .To many it's one of the most difficult things to say when they are asked the begging question .."What are your resolutions for this year ". Many people find it extremely difficult to plan and a lot more challenging to do as they have planned. so I have decided to dedicate my first post in 2014 to explain how I think you can make your resolution without any" pain in the ass ".

Now I remember being asked many times what my resolutions for the new year were ,which I normally didn't know what to say .I actually hated planning because I thought it was time wasting .However over the years I have realised how important making your new year plans can be .It helped me improve upon many aspects of my life including my character .

I believe planning for the year can be a lot more fun and challenging at the same time (since not all your plans can be achieved within the year ) but in all things just be consistent .

It Boils down to another question " how do you make your new year resolutions ?".Before any attempt to answer this question we must first consider the need to plan .

Take this analogy : A sailor of a boat carrying about 5men and women sets off from one town with no clear destination .They carried with them a lot of goodies and money and as they sajourned ,they stopped at every nice town to party untill all their money was finished .They were now stuck in the middle of the ocean with no where to go and with no money .

A man without any plan for his life is like the sailor with no clear destination ,you end up being blown by every wind and eventually waste your precious life .

To make your resolutions you must first consider who you are , who you want to be and what you want .

WHO YOU ARE
Who you are or who you want to be is very different from what you want to be .If you consider who you are ,you would realise what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you have and don't have . If you realise this (Which of course you will ) , it becomes the key to unlocking your true potentials and the call to plan for your life .. If by any means you already know yourself then we thank God ,you will then realise how Imperfect you are and the need to make adjustment to your life.
Every body needs adjustments in his or her life .If we are able to understand this then making a new year resolution wouldn't be a big deal .

WHO YOU WANT TO BE .
I remember when we were kids ,we all had great ambitions but as we were growing up all vanished .It's amazing now that even children have wonderful dreams and aspirations than many adults ,because of lack of proper planning .
Who you want to be in future (remember future can also be tomorrow ) will determine your plan of action .who you want to be entails your profession ,character , status ,etc .

When you know who you want to be it becomes easy to plan for it .

WHAT YOU WANT .
Normally we use what we have to get what we desire .You May not achieve what you want unless you demand for it..Demand is subtly different from desire .Simply put demand is a desire backed by an action or will power . So back to our subject ,it stands to reason that what YOU WANT in the new year determines your actions and plans .

After analysing and answering these key questions you can now make those resolutions but remember any plan which does not include God would one way or the other lead to a dead end .

CONCLUSION .
like I said making resolutions can a lot more fun especially when it is achieved .
This means you must set achievable goals .To make your work more easy you can also categorize your plans into groups ,say spiritual :Read the bible twice a day ,win 100 souls ,pray more often ...
Academic : Improve upon weak subjects ,Read wide ,do more research ...
Business ,character etc .When you do this it becomes very easy to track any change  or challenge so as to make adjustment.

There is a wonderful feeling at the end of the year when you realise what you have been able to achieve . It's not easy though,sometimes it's very difficult to achieve some goals .What you can do when that happens is to pray , stay motivated and remain steadfast .
I hope you find this very useful . Your comments are welcome ,if you feel I May have omitted some things ..

Best regards
KENNETH BRAY (Author)

PRAISING GOD IN ADVANCE

(1 Thessalonians 5:18) "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

This is a month of thanksgiving and we have a lot of things to thank God for; especially for being so good to us throughout this year. There is actually nothing we deserve to get from God in that He is not obliged to bless us because of our good works, but for the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The fact that we are still alive alone suggests that God has been good to us all.

Many people will be thanking God for marriages, children, success in business, progress of ministry, peace in the family, etc. It's good to thank God for all these but I believe it must not end there. Thanksgiving shouldn't only be offered during the "good" times. Rather, it must be seen as an offering, an act of worship and a way of life. Thanksgiving must be offered irrespective of your current circumstances or problems. It must be done at all times; good or bad.

Thanking God only when everything seems to be going on well is like saying you would serve Him or worship Him only in good times. When that happens, you end up not serving Him at all because life is not all perfect: It can be sweet some times and sour at other times, but in all things we must give thanks .

There are numerous blessings God gives us which we are oblivious of, probably because we haven't seen or realised it yet. My brothers and sisters in Christ who think they don't have a cause to praise God, I suggest you give it another thought. If you are alive today, then you have cause to thank Him. There are people who claim they haven't really enjoyed the year because of some crisis they have faced. Anytime these thoughts fall into your minds, think about those in the hospitals undergoing series of operations and those who have lost their lives during the year; those who won't witness the beginning of 2014. Praise is what we really need to offer to God. From the scripture above, two things are clear: Periods /circumstance and God's will.

PERIODS /CIRCUMSTANCE

There are some periods when everything goes on well for us and other times too it seems all hell have broken loose .There always comes a time in every believers life when all hell breaks loose ,however ,the paradox here is that it is actually a time to put on the garment of praise and praise God in advance . We are admonished to thank God in all circumstance or periods in our lives .This stands to reason that our Thanksgiving to God isn't dependant on the present circumstance but on the nature of God .Remember it's not about you (it's not about what you have or don't have ,what happened ,who died etc but on who God is .He is sovereign ).

Many people think they have no reason to thank God simply because of the crisis they may be encountering at that moment or something negative which took place in the past . Truly ,basing your art of gratitude to God on those things signifies you have been defeated already . True worshippers are those who praise God even in time of trouble .They praise God in advance for the victory won .When you praise God even in the hard times you tend provoke God to move and alter the "imposibilities " in your life .Praise is what opens the heavens and the gates of heaven for you to receive your miracle .

Psalm 100:4 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

GOD'S WILL Thanksgiving is  the will of God for us .He desires or wills that we praise him in all circumstances and not  give up on it .The powerful song by MARVIN SARPP kept resounding in my mind when I was writing this article so I decided to use it as the caption . Praising God in advance means you are thanking him for what he is about to do In your life even in the worse situations .That is faith .When you overlook the problems and still smile at God and say thank you God, You shame the enemy .

Job said in the worse times of his life , "though he slay me yet will I hope in him ".This to me is a prayer every believer must pray at certain times in his life .

YOU CAN'T BE SELF-MADE

There are somethings we cannot accomplish on our own. To attain greatness,we will need the help of others .
It is said that "no man is an island of himself ".Based on this, i draw this conclusion ,"There is no self-made man".
You can never achieve greatness on your own, you will need the help of someone no matter how small. God himself said it is not good for man to live alone. This was because God recognised that we all need the help of others.He is a God of multiplicity ;He created all of us differently with different abilities and unique talents so that one person may not be able to do everything ,on his own.

March around the city once with all the armed men . Joshua 6:3.

Gods direction to joshua was that the israelites should march around the city 7 consecutive days together with all their armed men. For this strategm to take place ,Joshua will need the help of other men.
I think it well to say that, physicaly we can contribute the fall of jericho to the fact that all the armed men who marched around the city made the ground weak, which made the walls to collapse.
Imagine Joshua alone , single handedly doing that. It is somewhat impossible for joshua alone to march around the city so that it will colapse unless he used the help of the armed men .

IMPORTANCE OF TEAM WORK

Two heads ,they say ,are better than one. When we do things together it is a lot faster and easier. Teams play a very important role in our organisations as well as our personal lives.
Every employee is dependant on his fellow employee to work together and contribute efficiently to the organisation.

It has been observed that the outcome is better when employees work together as a team rather than what an individual can do in his best possible way. An individual will definitely take more time to perform if he is single handedly responsible for everything. Team work is also important to improve the relationship among people within the organization ,as well as other institutions such as marriage ,churches ,homes etc .

WHO ARE THE ARMED MEN ?

When we talk of the armed men ,in joshua's case,we picture a group of physically built warriors with ammunitions ;Armed to the teeth .
They are men who are very experienced in battles and are graced with many success stories of their fights . In our case ,the armed men can be anyone who has gone through life and has experienced failures and success . They are those who have already attained greatness or are on their way there .
The armed men are those who are always ready to help you overcome a challenge or give guidance to those they are mentoring .
They are those who don't just talk ,but also offer the means you may need . There is greatness in every man ;the difference between you and the one who has already made it is that he knows something you don't know . Without the armed men ,Joshua couldn't have done this colossal task . Likewise we would need the help of people to achieve greatness.