Tackling some BIG Questions

This past Sunday , I taught a group of children ranging from about 9-11 years old. It was Easter Sunday, but I was directed to teach them a lesson about God creating everything on earth. The lesson was going fine and then the big questions came, two of them I'm going to talk about in this post. The first girl asked me "Who made God? Like who gave birth to God?" I honestly was stomped-I had no words. And then the Holy Spirit came to my rescue-he spoke through me. I am going to tell you guys what I told her, God is not man (this is supported by the bible verse that says God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent) That being said, you cannot expect him to share characteristics of man such as reproduction. Granted we are created in the image of God, but God is not a human being. And then I told the girl, that's why Jesus (who is God) had to become man in order to come save us from our sins. She seemed satisfied with my answer, so we moved on. 

And then I asked them to think of something that God created that wasn't good (Genesis 1 says God saw that everything he made was good). This question seemed to have them thinking hard, but not for long. This young boy said Humans are not good. The Holy Spirit already gave me the perfect illustration to this question. If Apple sells you an iPhone and you decide to go throw it off a bridge , you cannot succefully blame apple for your phone the is destroyed. The same situation with Humans and God, God has granted us free will, but if we decide to be reckless and shut him out, we cannot blame him for our recklessness. Going back to the illustration, apple will give you a new phone, but you have to pay $100+, BUT God comes to fix you for $free!! It's amazing really, the way God loves us, but it's so hard to realize sometimes how much he loves us. He said in his word , that while we were still sinners he loved us, can you imagine the love when we are trying to create a relationship with him? Turn to him today! He is knocking on the door to come into your heart! 

Prayer: God help me to understand your overwhelming love for me. 

P.S I typed this on my phone, excuse any errors*

Lottery: Good or Bad?

Lottery: Good or Bad?

Lottery. When most people hear that word, they instantly think gambling. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines lottery as “an event or affair whose outcome is or seems to be determined by chance”. After listening to differing opinions on the definition of lottery, I came to the conclusion that most people believe there has to be some type of investment by the individual. In other words, you have to pay for it. I believe there are other types of lotteries such as the American Lottery, Gambling, Room assignments in College, Jury duty, Raffle tickets, Flipping a coin, Military service, Admission into special Magnet schools and College, and Betting on sport teams. These are not the only examples of lotteries, but it is all I can think of right now. Now, if you have never been involved in any of this? That is commendable.  

I was at a church gathering where a question was raised on whether playing the “lottery” was a sin or moral preference. I got up to defend that it is not a sin, just a moral preference. And I am pretty sure some people were probably thinking, “Oh the pastor’s daughter wants to go and play the lottery, maybe that’s what she has been learning at that college”. I hope that at the end of this blog, you will have peace of mind LOL.  For the sake of this blog post, we are going to assume that the definition of lottery is gambling. Well, I wanted to know why playing the lottery, but not being addicted was a sin because I mean FREE MONEY, who doesn't want that?! And I know that biblically, man is only expected to eat from where he worked (Genesis 3:19). I reasoned that technically, the man is making an investment with money he worked for so that doesn't apply. The answer that was given at this gathering was not satisfying so I did what any other teenager would do, I got on twitter and asked friends that I believed would have great insight on the matter.

My logic was that, it is not explicitly stated in the bible that lottery is a sin so what is the issue?! The main response I got from my friends was that, well it can lead to idolatry and of course, idolatry is a sin because you cannot serve God and serve gambling. It is general knowledge that gambling is addictive and addictions always come before God to the person addicted. And I have had time to ponder on the matter, it does not make sense to pay about $30 per day seven days a week to play the lottery because that is $210 wasted per week. Think of the ridiculous amount of goods that can buy! Now, if you play the lottery and you do not believe you are addicted to this “hobby”. Then that is great! However, do the math and figure out how much you have wasted on the lottery compared to how much you have made, does it make sense mathematically? All you are doing is giving the government more money.

The bible might not explicitly state that playing the lottery is a sin; however, does the spirit of the lord wrestle with you every time you go to 7-11 or the gas station to purchase the numbers? If it does, then there has to be a change. If it doesn't, continue to seek the face of God on the path you have taken. I can tell you now, that if you are spending potential tithe and offering money on the lottery, you need to make some changes. Playing the lottery is one of those activities that are not necessary for survival and it is better to not be involved because they can be harmful such as smoking, drinking, fornication, adultery etc.

PRAYER: Heavenly father, I thank you for today. I just pray for people out there that are struggling with different addictions. Allow them to recognize that you are the Lord of their lives and free them from the sin of idolatry. Amen

Special thanks to Ayobami A., Paul, Lade and Dami for their help!   

Is God First?!

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, how much do you rely on God? As we start this New Year, there are so many decisions and self-reflection to be made. Many people making vows to be better this year, and rightly so. There is no point starting a New Year, New Semester, New Job, New life without planning to achieve some goals. However, I know for a fact that having goals without God is extremely pointless. In the past, I strongly believed in my ability to reach my goals. Throughout high-school, I included God in ten percent of all my decisions. Now that I think about it, I wish I was wiser. I made God to be the friend I spoke to once a year. You know that friend you only call when you need something? Yeah he was that to me. And I can tell you, I suffered the consequences. I took decisions because I believed that the statistics I worked hard for in High School will provide Scholarships, College Acceptances and Job opportunities. I forgot I was the daughter of the greatest provider. I believed that the numerous awards I got were enough to help me stand out on my college applications. I forgot that God is the greatest highlighter! I mean He spoke light into a dark world (Genesis 1:3).

This past summer, I decided to consciously include God in my life. It was a challenge, but I had God’s help. I went into my first semester of college feeling like a super woman because I knew God had my back. Of course, it was a big adjustment-it is still a big adjustment-, there were some days that were hard for me, but I tell you God never left my side. I came out of this semester a winner so many times. My point is, MAKE GOD FIRST. It is harder than you think, but he is ready to be your best-friend. God is waiting for you and he wants to give you grace to rely on him. All you have to do is run into his arms. I promise you, there is no other place you want to be.

READ: 2^nd Corinthians 12: 9a

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

PRAYER: Abba, please help whoever is reading this become more trusting in you and understand the love you have for them. Amen.

Anyone make New Year resolutions? I want to read yours! Comment below!

Give Thanks To God

The Open heavens of today focused on giving thanks to God because that is his delicacy. After i remembered reading this, i must tell you i felt icky and embarrassed by my ungrateful attitude. God works to make sure i stay protected and holy, but once i do not get something- that i dont want-i start to ask God unnecessarily questions and act like i have been forsaken? Yes my attitude was as unreasonable as it sounds. The fact that God is with me daily, monitoring all my actions and sending down angels to protect me is enough. It is way better than any special program. And now that i think about it, i need to spend more time thanking God than asking why things are not going my way. This is something we should all do, everyday before you go to bed tell God THANK YOU. The bible passage to go with this advice is Psalm 50: 14-15
"Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

fulfill your vows to the Most High,

and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

If you have not gained anything from my rant please remember that God is available for you to call upon and he will deliver you! As long as you feed him his delicacy: THANKS-GIVING! May God bless everyone who lays their eyes on this blog. My great protector will wrap his arms around you and protect you from the evils of this world and disappointments that may come your way. Amen!