Spiritual Motivation. 

Some of us are naturally inclined to develop our spirituality.

Perhaps we’ve always had questions about how best to live, about the mystery of birth and death, about the way to inner peace and wisdom. Our rational mind, good for many things, is not able to answer these larger questions; and so we become seekers on a search for answers.

For others, a life-changing crisis motivates one to go on a spiritual search. A loss, transition, or illness suddenly disrupts our life and compels us to find a meaning for our suffering and a new purpose in living. But probably for the majority of us, the motivation to search spiritually sneaks up on us during the course of living our habitual, day-in, day-out life. We don’t know why, but we begin to ask questions we never bothered with before.

• What is the point of living the way I do?
• Why should I keep on repeating my life the way it is now?
• Am I settling for a life that’s too safe?
• Am I wasting my time?
• Is this it?
• What am I looking for?
• What’s missing?
• Isn’t there more?

These questions generate feelings of restlessness, confusion, indecision: even the simple things seem complicated. We may start to fantasize that the only answer is to change our life – get divorced, get a new job, move to another part of the country or even to another culture. Drugs and/or alcohol can start to become important to us to provide relief by dulling our mind.

In some cases, the internal stress of our confused struggle can produce physical symptoms, such as nervous tension, insomnia and various other troubles (digestive, circulatory, hormonal), and the first person we go to for help is our medical doctor. The doctor will hopefully be successful in alleviating our stress symptoms, but the core of the struggle is still within us.

We may intuit that something new needs to happen to us, but we don’t know what it is. We become motivated to go on a quest, a search, a journey, in order to find this newness of renewal. The ancient wisdom, however, is that this newness has to happen inside us; our habitual personality self has to cross the bridge to the universal, to experience meaning and the feeling of renewal that we are searching for.

Seeking Answers

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Seeking the Answer
By Alicia [GMG]

I have been having conversation with people lately centered around seeking answers to their questions. One of those people being myself. I have noticed that the same answer keeps bubbling up from beneath. Seek God. He will give you your answer.

I know it sounds too simple. Not possible for all the many questions that people have. The diversity in our lifestyles and families. But, I know it is true.

One of the most common scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” As Christians we know that God has a plan for us. But, in times of struggle it is hard to see and understand the bigger picture when family members are sick, jobs are stressful, friends who aren’t talking to you.  However, we must look at the following verse. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I have been reminded lately that the more I seek God the more in understand. The more I am able to make decisions. Understand God’s way of doing things. Jesus walked this earth knowing, seeing and feeling everything we have or will go through. God will give you answers. I am asking you today to go to the source of understanding. God.

How to Win the Battles of Life

The Christian life is a battle. I have been following Jesus for four decades. As I look back at these years they have been years of great blessing – more than I could have asked or even imagined. At the same time there have been many challenges and obstacles. There have been very few periods when I have not been facing some kind of battle.
The nature of these battles has varied enormously. There have been internal battles – times of intense temptation, doubt, fear and anxiety. There have been times of deep sadness, great loss and bereavement. There have been battles over health, sleep, finances, work and relationships. There have been periods of great opposition and criticism.
Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Papal household, speaks of our battle being against a ‘triple alliance … the world, the flesh and the devil’.
First, our battle is against the world – ‘the enemy around us’. Second, it’s against the flesh – ‘the enemy within us’. Third, it’s against the devil – ‘the enemy above us’ – which the apostle Paul describes as ‘the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’ (Ephesians 6:12).
Each of the passages for today has something to say about how to win the battles of life. 

1. Do not trust in your own strength: trust in God

Psalm 33:12-22 The key to winning your battles, according to David, is not to rely on your own strength, but to put your trust in God. This goes against the grain, but at the end of the day human strength and power is not enough: ‘No king succeeds with a big army alone, no warrior wins by brute strength. Horsepower is not the answer; no one gets by on muscle alone’ (vv.16–17, MSG).
Rather, God gives victory to those who trust in him: ‘Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We’re depending on God; he’s everything we need. What’s more, our hearts brim with joy since we’ve taken for our own his holy name’ (vv.18–21, MSG).

Merciful Lord, grant your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.)

2. Do not fight each other: unite around the King

Luke 1:26-38 Raniero Cantalamessa points out that, ‘In the tales of medieval battles, there always comes a moment when the orderly ranks of archers and cavalry and all the rest are broken and the fighting concentrates around the king. That is where the final outcome of the battle will be decided. For us too, the battle today is taking place around the King … it is the person of Jesus Christ himself that is the real point at issue.’
The theological battles of the twenty-first century are not those of the eleventh century, which divided Catholic and Orthodox churches. Nor are the battles those of the sixteenth century reformation. The battle today is the same as the battle of the first century: is Jesus a universal Saviour?
Luke sets out right at the start of the Gospel a number of claims about Jesus (vv.31–35):

• Saviour
  The angel says to Mary, ‘You are to call him Jesus’ (v.31). The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘saviour’.
• Messiah
  He is the long-awaited Messiah in the line of David. The angel says, ‘The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end’ (vv.32–33).
• Son of God
  The angel goes on, ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High’ (v.32). Jesus’ birth was unique, as is explained by the angel in these verses. Mary was a virgin, and so a ‘normal’ conception was clearly impossible (v.34). Instead she was told ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you’ (v.35a). The angel then immediately explains why this is so significant; ‘the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’ (v.35b). We see here how Jesus is both fully human (born in the normal way), and yet also fully God (conceived by the Holy Spirit).

Christians from all churches – Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Pentecostal – believe in Jesus as our Saviour, the Messiah and the Son of God. To be a Christian is to be a follower of Christ. All followers of Jesus are children of God (John 1:12). This makes us brothers and sisters. Furthermore, if we belong to Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in each of us (Romans 8:9).
This is what unites us as Christians. Therefore, the battle should never be with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In-fighting distracts and destroys. We need to focus on the real battle, which is around the King.
Mary sets a wonderful example of the right attitude. For Mary, the Lord is with her (Luke 1:28), within her (v.35), and over her (v.38). While, of course, Mary is unique as the mother of Jesus, all believers can know this same connection with the Lord.
The way we fight the triple alliance of the enemy is with the triple alliance of the Lord.
First, just as the angel tells Mary that ‘the Lord is with you’ (v.28), so Jesus’ last words to his disciples were, ‘I am with you always’ (Matthew 28:20). Whatever circumstances we face, we need not fear. The King is with us.
Second, the Holy Spirit is within us. As the Holy Spirit came upon Mary (Luke 1:35), to bring about a physical birth, so the Holy Spirit comes upon us, to bring about a spiritual birth. We are ‘children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’ (John 1:13).
Third, the King is over us. We are called to be the Lord’s servants. Mary’s response is one of strong, courageous, fearless and dignified trust. She is the model of faith. In the greatest and most decisive act of faith in history she offered herself to God as a clean page on which he could write what he wanted. I love the translation in the Living Bible: ‘I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants’ (Luke 1:38).

Lord, help us to focus on the real battle and unite around the King: our Saviour, Messiah and Son of God. I want to say, like Mary, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants’.

 

3. Do not be unprepared: listen to God 

Numbers 1:1-2:9

The battles of life need not intimidate you. All the way through history God’s people have faced obstacles and challenges. The book of Numbers is about how God’s people prepare for battle.
In Exodus we see Israel as a liberated people. In Leviticus we see Israel as a holy people. In Numbers we see Israel as a fighting force. In the chapters for today we see a military emphasis that sets the tone for the whole book.
When we read this through the lens of Jesus, we see that the Christian life is a spiritual battle. We are liberated by the cross. We have been made holy but we have a battle on our hands. As the people of God in the Old Testament prepared for their battles, so too do we need to be prepared.
In this passage we see three keys:

• Take instructions from God
  ‘The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai’ (Numbers 1:1). God can speak to you even in the very dry periods of your life, or in a place that seems completely godless. Of course, it is not enough simply to hear God’s instructions – you need to act on them too. This initial set of instructions ends with the report that ‘the Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses (v.54).
• Raise up good leadership
  The leaders were appointed from the community (v.16), and represented it (v.4), but ultimately they were chosen by God.

Leadership is key in every level and section of society. Parents are leaders in the home. Teachers are leaders in schools. We need good leadership in the church, marketplace, judiciary, government, media, arts, and so on.

• Mobilise the people
  Everyone had to be listed (‘by name, one by one’ (v.2)). This expression occurs over and over again in the passage. Each individual matters to God, and has an important part to play in his plans. What at first seems to be dry statistics, is in fact a key tool in mobilising and equipping the entire people of God.

Eugene Peterson writes in his introduction to the book of Numbers, ‘We need organisational help. When people live together in community, jobs have to be assigned, leaders appointed, inventories kept. Counting and list-making and rosters are as much a part of being a community of God as prayer and instruction and justice. Accurate arithmetic is an aspect of becoming a people of God.’

Lord, as we face the battles of the twenty-first century, we pray that we may hear your instructions, that you would raise up good leadership, both in the church and in society, and mobilise the people for the battles ahead.

Luke 1:26–38
I am fascinated by Mary. What an extraordinary person she must have been. To be told that you are going to have a baby is a pretty awesome experience. But, when you are young, unmarried and a virgin, to be told that you will be carrying ‘the Son of the Most High’ (v.32) would seem impossible and terrifying. To be unmarried and pregnant in that society was a terrible thing. Her total faith and acceptance of God’s will is extraordinary. You would think that she would have worried for her own reputation. It would have jeopardised her marriage to Joseph, hurt her family and her life itself would have been in danger. But she simply said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant ... May your word to me be fulfilled’ (v.38). 

7 Steps to Achieve Your Dream

Want to get going on your goals? This is how.

“Vision is the spectacular that inspires us to carry out the mundane.” —Chris Widener

Can achievement be broken down into steps? It isn’t always that clean and easy, but those who achieve great things usually go through much of the same process, with many of the items listed below as part of that process. So if you have been struggling with achievement, look through the following. Begin to apply them and you will be on the road to achieving your dream.

Step 1: Dream it. Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the dream! Fan the flames. Life is too short to let it go.

Step 2: Believe it. Yes, your dream needs to be big. It needs to be something that is seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable. You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream that he will build a $50 million-a-year company. That is big, but believable. Bad example: That a 90-year-old woman with arthritis will someday run a marathon in under three hours. It is big all right, but also impossible. She should instead focus on building a $50 million-a-year business! And she better get a move on!

Step 3: See it. The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture themselves walking around their CEO office in their new $25 million corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the mind to control the body to carry out the dream.

Step 4: Tell it. One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have told others, it spurs us on to actually doing it so we don’t look foolish.

Step 5: Plan it. Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you “get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”

Step 6: Work it. Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one! Unfortunately the successful are usually the hardest workers. While the rest of the world is sitting on their sofas watching reruns of Gilligan's Island, achievers are working on their goal—achieving their dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.

Step 7: Enjoy it. When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip, too. Give yourself some rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your dream to better others. Then go back to No. 1. And dream a little bigger this time!

REBOOT YOURLIFE BY EKPO B.J(BELS)

“Alright everybody…back to ones.”

This is what you’ll hear if you’re working on a film set and they’re going to reshoot a scene. I’ve been an extra in several films, and the more times I heard that phrase meant the more hours I was going to be spending on set that day. It wasn’t the greatest sentence to hear, but deep down I knew that the intent behind it was to get the scene completed just right. Going “back to ones” time and time again rebooted the scene until it worked.

There are times in our lives where we need to reboot ourselves. We get stuck in a pattern, follow the wrong path for too long or simply need a jolt; that’s when rebooting can be the best thing we can do. Think about when you reboot a computer: you’re essentially changing how it is currently functioning (usually slowly and sluggishly) and getting it back to where it was when you first powered it up. You’re not changing the entirety of the computer, just the way it is currently operating. When you reboot yourself, you’re doing the same thing. You’re not changing the inner workings of yourself, you’re changing how you’re currently operating.

But rebooting yourself isn’t as easy as pressing a power button or holding down control-alt-delete. There’s more to it than that.

 

Remove Yourself

When you are going about the reboot process, you need to step back and steer clear of whatever it is that you’re doing that is causing the need to reboot. That may mean taking a day off of work mid-week or taking a trip to get away from it all so that you can get clear with yourself. Regardless, it has to be something that you would not normally do. Calling in sick mid-week or taking one of your vacation days to break the pattern of a steady work week is one method. Using paid vacation to go as far away from what’s got you stuck is another. This isn’t running away from the problem – this is putting yourself in a place where you can really look at it and decide what the next step is. The goal is to reset yourself and you can’t do that when you’re still “on”.

 

Rest Yourself

Once you’ve taken the time to get clear on your next move, take the time to enjoy that moment. When a computer reboots it takes a bit of time to refresh itself. You don’t press the power button and see it instantly turn back on. It spends time getting ready for what’s next. That’s what you need to do.

You need to reflect on what you’ve decided to do and why you’ve decided to do it – and then look forward to what’s next. There’s no clutter involved, no stress. You’re just warming up. You’re getting ready to go. That takes time and energy. So rest up…and then go.

Recognize Yourself

Now that you’re clear and rested, recognize what you’re going to do to keep operating at the level you need to without having to reboot again anytime soon. Rebooting slows you down initially but once you’re up and running again you start to progress rapidly – as long as you stay focussed on what your intention is. You need to recognize this and act on it, otherwise you’ll be rebooting yourself again far too soon.

Yourself…Rebooted

Just as being stuck can be a stick in the craw of your productivity, so can not knowing how to get yourself unstuck. The next time you feel that you’d be better off just trudging through your difficulties, think about giving yourself a reboot. It may just be the wake-up call you need, and now you’ve got the tools to get it done.

Don’t quit on yourself and your situation. Take a page from technology and “force quit” what’s going on and fire yourself up again. You may find out a lot more about what’s going on inside you and whether or not you need to refresh your life – or if you need to upgrade your life.

THANKS FOR READING

Airtel New Data Plans 2016 : Get 2GB with N200 and 4GB with N500 on Airtel

Airtel New Data Plans 2016 : Get 2GB with N200 and 4GB with N500 on Airtel


Wow...this is a good improvement from Airtel,can you believe getting a 2gb data for just #200 and 4gb for just #500

Airtel New Data Plans 2016 
Airtel new data plans 2016

This data plan is the one on air right now,anyway no long story let's just grab the bomb

How to Get 2GB with N200 and 4GB with N500 on Airtel

==>Dial *482# and you will be presented with two data plan to choose
==>200/14 days/Unlimited
==>500/28 days/Unlimited

Choose any data plan that suit your taste and enjoy, the 200 naira is for 2gb and it is valid for 14 days

while the 4gb goes for 500 naira and it is valid for 28 days.
Airtel cheap data plans 2016

it is indeed an amazing offer from airtel but the problem associated with this data plan is that it can only be used on 2G network as stated in the screenshot above.
which means it cant be used on 3g networks...

so what do you think about this new data?