VALUE-O-METER

It was one of the hot afternoons somewhere in Dambuwa, ‘Sok-City’ (Sokoto state), I sat alone at a corner in my lodge just to meditate. As I meditated, I suddenly remembered something that happened at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Gallery during my university days and I burst into laughter, I laughed and laughed as I refreshed my memory on that great incidence. Not to bore you, let me give you the gist. On this fateful day, after series of lectures coupled with a very stressful day, I had to find my way home under the hot sun of the sun shine state - Ondo State. Realising the need to withdraw the very little amount of money remaining in my account, I was on a mission to sweep out the little change in my account and probably the least denomination any ATM could dispense. Mounting the stairs of the beautifully built ATM Gallery, I immediately got into the gallery and located the machine that was meant for special people like myself who had come to sweep out the last money in their account. As usual, the queue was relatively long that I had to be the eighth on the queue (I guess). While waiting for my turn, other members of the “Account Sweepers network” joined the queue behind me not paying attention to other machines. Meanwhile, a young engineer who was working on one of the construction sites in the school walked into the ATM Gallery, looked around in awe and tried to understand why eight people were standing on a queue waiting to use the ATM while other machines had just two persons on the queue. Still wondering, he joined the short queue and made his withdrawal; as he headed for the glass door soliloquising about the funny “Long and Short Queue ATM Model”, he paused and turned to the users in confusion saying openly “Excuse me, what is happening here, why on earth do we have just two people waiting to use this ATM while that other ATM has about eight people on the queue?”. As soon as he finished speaking, we all couldn’t help it but laugh with some of us laughing more hysterically upon remembering what had brought us to that ATM. My school was approaching the end of the semester and almost all the students were financially humble (you know what that means right?). The unfortunate thing is that the engineer never got a response to his question other than a weird reaction which left him more confused. Leaving confused, the engineer gently left the ATM Gallery. Let me save you the stress and not leave you confused like the young engineer. The fact is that the ATM with two persons was dispensing a thousand naira while the ATM with about eight people was dispensing five hundred naira - now you get the gist! Most students who had less than a thousand naira in their accounts were waiting to withdraw their last five hundred naira to sustain themselves pending the time they will get their next allowance from home or sponsors. Others had up to a thousand naira in their account the previous day just to wake up that morning to discover that their banks had rudely removed some unexplainable yet little sum of money that has reduced their hallowed savings to nine hundred naira plus. Hence, they had no option than to remove their five hundred naira and recharge their mobile phones with the rest. Here is my discovery - In life, men will only pay attention to what gives them value. Value is all about the ability of someone or something to solve people’s problems or meet the important immediate needs of people. As long as the ATM with the long queue was concerned, it offered value to those who used it, their waiting was worthwhile as long as their needs were met. Value is not about how much you have or how expensive you are; it is about your ability to touch lives, meet people’s needs and solve problems with the little that you have. People will only gather round a person or system that offers them value. Value is your only ticket to relevance in life. I leave you with these questions: What needs are you meeting? What problems are you solving? How many lives are you touching with the little resources you have? How Valuable are you? Value-O-Meter! #In_Christ_Alone.

Just Believe!

I was at my uncle’s place on a Sunday morning, he woke me up at about 04:30 am to iron my clothes for the service; without wasting much time, I hurried to the ironing board and ironed my shirt and trousers respectively from the outside; while I thought to myself that I had uniquely ironed my shirt. Just when I finished my uncle came around with his trousers, I offered to help him iron but he declined, insisting that I use the time for other things.
Since there were truly other things I had to do, I decided to move ahead to do them, just as I took few steps away, something caught my attention, ‘my uncle started ironing his trousers from the inside from the pocket.’
This really thrilled me because as a student who doesn’t really have the luxury of time, all I do is iron my shirt from the outside and that’s all! As if that wasn’t enough, just after ironing the trousers (he had already ironed his shirt the previous day), he brought out his underwear (boxer shorts) to the ironing board, and this wowed me.
While I thoughtfully watched my uncle, a thought came to my mind and I saw God giving me an illustration of what happens after salvation.
When God washes the life of a man with the blood of His Son; Jesus, just as my uncle washed his clothes with soap, God doesn’t stop there, He continues working on that cloth by ironing it from inside to the outside, just as my uncle did. This implies that even after we have been saved, God still desires to take His time to work on our lives from inside or from our inward parts, to our outward parts. God begins to work on our habits/parts that we cannot see at first but, will in a short while reflect because they are the deep issues of the heart: issues concerned with our mindset, our way of thinking, our views towards life, our habits and addictions, and these things in no time affect the way we speak, dress, behave and relate with other.
God has not saved you just to wear a “shirt and tie” and look like a “pastor” on Sunday, using sanctimonious words; He has saved you so that He can firstly work on your heart and give you a solid foundation in Him. God has not called you to patch you up; He has called you to totally renew you. Some will say “…as soon as you are born again, JUST BELIEVE AND YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE”, yes! That’s correct but, “THAT’S NOT ALL!”
There is a place of God working upon your heart through His Spirit to conform you to Himself; there is also a place of YOU fleeing every appearance of evil 1Thess. 5:22.
The work of Grace is not to save us from sin and leave us in sin, the work of Grace is to teach us to deny every form of ungodliness and worldly lusts, helping us to live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world. Titus 2:11-12.
God’s aim is to redeem us, Jesus gave himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and PURIFY unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Friends, don’t be deceived, don’t “just believe” that now that you are saved, you already have eternal life. Yes, you already do, but don’t stop there, “just believe” that Jesus can work on your heart, “just believe” that you can be made perfect, “just believe” that you can have victory over sin and every form of addiction, “just believe” that you can overcome “Worldly Lusts”, “just believe” that God can give you all you need to finish your race well, yes! “Just believe” but don’t stop at “just believing” you have eternal life, but keep believing until eternal life (which is the life of God) finds full expression in you. Keep believing and you will fully become like Him.

#JESUS_IS_COMING_SOON
#IN_CHRIST_ALONE

FRIENDS BEWARE

2 Timothy 4:3-5
3 For the time will come when  they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they  heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn  away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  5 But  watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,  make full proof of thy ministry.
Friends beware,  there are so many false doctrines and demonic teachings around because these are the last days,  they will come and present the gospel to you like a piece of bread all in the name of Rhema or contextual explanation of the Bible, they are full of themselves believing they know it all, anyway that's the sign of how ignorant they are.
Know God for yourself, forsake not the ancient landmarks and separate yourself from them.
2 Timothy 6:1-5
1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters  worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not  blasphemed. 2 And they that have believing masters, let them not  despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do  them service,  because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These  things teach and exhort. 3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not  to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to  the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing  nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof  cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of  men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is  godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

#JESUS_IS_COMING_SOON
#IN_CHRIST_ALONE

His Presence,Knowing,Glory,Power

You know today the Church is full of motivational speakers who will tell you that "When the Praises go up,His blessings come down" yes that is true but when we praise God ,He has more in stock for us than just the "Blessings",in fact His blessings are the least things we can ever get,isn't it better to recognize that  "When the Praises go up,His Presence comes down"  isn't  "His Presence,Knowing,Glory,Power e.t.c" greater than His blessings,in fact in them we can find God's blessings and even more.
God seeks for Christians who will Praise and Worship Him not solely because they want His blessings but "He Himself".More than we ever want God wants to reveal Himself to us personally just that we have streamlined and limited our worship to an ATM Machine which we use to collect from God...

GOD'S PRESENCE IS A KNOWING WHICH COMES THROUGH FAITH AND NOT A FEELING!

John17:2-3
"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give  eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal,  that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom  thou hast sent."
GOD WANTS TO GIVE US MORE AND ALL OF HIMSELF.

#Selah.

YOU ARE WELCOME TO POPOOLA PAUL'S BLOG: GOOD NEWS!!!

YOU ARE WELCOME TO POPOOLA PAUL'S BLOG: GOOD NEWS!!!: Many a times the devil tries to destabilize us and makes us feel as if we are at the end of the rope,he fills our hearts with fearful though...

GOOD NEWS!!!

Many a times the devil tries to destabilize us and makes us feel as if we are at the end of the rope,he fills our hearts with fearful thoughts of disasters and dangers,he makes us think our diseases and infirmities are unto death and makes tears run down our eyes due to the pressures of life,he whispers to our ears "you can never rise again" when we fall and makes life look life a home of unending defeats,all these and many more he is doing and is willing to do that the word of God in John10:10a ("The thief cometh not, but  for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy") may be fulfilled,all these are indeed bad news,but not to worry because there is a way of escape,knowing that for every bad news there is an opposite which is a "GOOD NEWS".

Therefore; the Good news is that there is no need to panic or continue in the abyss of oppression because God has made a way out of your predicaments in that same book chapter and verse of John10:10b "I am  come that they might have life, and that  they might have it more abundantly."
And John14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

That way out you have been looking for is "JESUS"
Jesus is the way out of the devils oppression, Consider Him today and be free from the operations of the devil.

NOW YOUR DESTINY IS YOUR HANDS; "I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

JESUS PAID IT ALL

Jesus is talking to you "come out from amongst them,and be ye separate" Come out from amongst those sinful deeds of yours that have held you bound.Yes gold and silver you do not have to bail out yourself from this torment of the devil,but today i announce to you that there is a way out and no need to worry,because Jesus saw your wretchedness and helplessness and paid it all for you on the cross.All you need to do to be free from those habits,be setting sins that have refused to leave you and makes you shed tears after engaging in it, is just to accept the provision that Jesus made for you on the cross.Behold there is a balm in gilead and it is for the healing of the nations,a flowing river at the feet of His great throne for all who thirst to drink from,Food for the spirit in every of His spoken,written and revealed word all just for you. Are you tired of those habits,sinful deeds,or are you thirsty or hungry? Not to worry Jesus paid it all on the cross of calvary all for you,what you just need to do is to accept Him a your Lord and Savior,confess it and live it by living your life based on His word. ‪#‎JESUS‬ INDEED PAID IT ALL FOR YOU.