Serving God with the whole family (Joshua 24.15; Colossians 3.18-21)

The family is the unit of the society. If the family is peaceful, godly and prosperous, the same trend would be seen in the society and the nation at large. That is why the devil targets the family and seeks to disrupt and destroy the home. An example is what Satan did to the families of Job and David with the attendant negative consequences on the society. Today, the devil causes divorce, waywardness, rebellion, conflicts, business and career failure, poverty, backsliding, infidelity, etc in order to remove harmony from homes and destroy the family.

One way to defeat this enemy of the family is to serve God together as a family. God has placed believers in homes to serve as the connecting link with heaven’s power and as intercessors for those who are still aliens to the grace of God. Believers must do everything in their power to see that members of the family serve God together.

The family is an institution that is of great importance to God. Having instituted it, He gave clear commands in the Scripture concerning it. These commands reveal His original plan for the family and how it should be preserved to continue to fulfil that plan. Departure from these clear commands will certainly bring problems in families. When God’s commands are broken, His blessings cannot be claimed or enjoyed.

The devil is unrelenting in his quest to disrupt families so as to frustrate God’s purpose and negatively impact the society at large. Part of his weapons include spirit of disobedience, waywardness and unscriptural ambition in children; marital and financial unfaithfulness among couples; immoral activities in the family fuelled by social media and wrong use of technology; peer pressure and worldliness. The believing members of the family must stand in the gap and contend against these ungodly forces threatening the families. The Lord will surely salvage and secure our families and bring His will for our homes to pass as we call on Him.

Ponder: What are the best things in life?

The best things in life are things money cannot buy. You can buy a crowd but you cannot buy true friendship. You can buy fear but you cannot buy loyalty. You can buy insurance but can't buy well-being and health. You can buy security service but cannot buy safety. You can buy religion but cannot buy salvation. You can buy happiness but you cannot buy joy. You can buy serenity but you cannot buy peace. You can buy power but you cannot buy authority. You can buy the things of the world but you cannot buy heavenly things. You can buy ephemeral things but cannot buy eternal things. So, evaluate your life. What are the things you have? If all that you have is what money can buy or has bought then your life is suboptimal and you are very poor. 

Inspiration corner: Be Focused

A ship that sails by every wind never comes to harbour. If you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks, you'll never get home. A life without focus is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point, and cannot make a meaningful impact. The convex lens focuses sunlight on a spot of a paper and can cause it to burn through. The focused life is a life of power and impact. Focus has to do with heart fixation, prioritization, purposefulness, and persistence. Challenges are inevitable in life but the right focus will pull you through. If you aim at nothing, you'll surely hit it. A goal-less life is wasted existence. Have focus in life, but much more importantly, have the right focus - PowerLines.

Why Nigeria is making progress backwards

 Many reasons are responsible but 90% of the problem is due to leadership failure.

Abysmally poor leadership

Incompetent leadership

Corrupt leadership

Undisciplined leadership

Lying leadership

Lost leadership

Confused leadership

Divisive leadership

Oppressive leadership

Suppressive leadership

      Deluded leadership

Ignorant leadership

Visionless leadership

Thoughtless leadership

You may add your own.

“Good governance is the art of putting wise thought into prudent action in a way that advances the well-being of those governed.” 

― Diane Kalen-Sukra    

In other words, good government requires justice, and justice ultimately requires that people be governed by their friends. In a democracy, where we govern each other, we must all be friends, or the system will become oppressive.” 

― Michael Austin

Please show mercy and be considerate

 These are not the best of times for the economies of nations across the globe. But these are not the best of times for the economies of individuals and families as well. So, trying to fix the nation’s economy and to ensure that the nation stays afloat, should not translate to strangulation and suffocation of citizens.

©PowerLines 2020

Calm down? For how long?

 

The need to calm down has been impressed upon Nigerians following the viral video of the smart infant negotiating his way out of a parental spanking. Our leaders have seized the opportunity to echo the need to calm down to all and sundry. I think it is good to heed their advice. Unlike that smart kid, the negotiating power of Nigerians has been taken away and they have been reduced to a state of helplessness not knowing what would come next at any point in time. Nigerians are manipulated, oppressed, abused, misused, and impoverished.

Stay calm (PowerLines Blog 2020)

Without real leaders, Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria will remain backward

This region is the most economically backward in the world. It is the White man's burden. It comprises nations that depend on handouts from the West. Critical sectors of national life in these nations - Education, Power, Health - are comatose. The quality of life in these countries is very low. Nature has endowed many of these nations with wealth but they can not manage it for their economic benefit. Citizens from these countries are scattered all over the world like sheep without a shepherd. And the pitiable part, it's like the scenario won't get better any time soon. Reason: fake, corrupt and incompetent leadership.