1. God has created you in the Light, and with the light. The light brings your vision into clarity.

 Satan (the challenger), stands to oppose the Light and the vision of God for your life, for your marriage and for the Church. He aims to steal the light and the vision, and to kill it and destroy it. Make a commitment today not to give up on your vision, and not to give up on your marriage - no matter how difficult it seems (remember darkness makes it seem worse than it actually is). Instead, make a vow to fight for what is rightfully yours! Challenge the challenger and give him a run for his money. As a Church, we understand how we were formed and the eternal purpose of the Church of the Holy Ghost. Because of this, we have no intention to hand the Church over to Satan so he may kill and destroy it. We are committed to the fight - even to the point of death.

Do not stop fighting for your vision.

2. Bold, fearless, arrogant and daring - that's how the devil is behaving these days. He is standing in front of the altar and screams insults at the Holy Throne - "Come out with your hosts of angels. Bring your Son out, your claimed token to save these people (the Church). Let's see if you can save them now."

Will the Church simply keep quite in the face of so much evil, or will it stand and defend the Faith?

3. In addition to the below, and in preparation for prayer meetings this evening, remember that the devil will use your dirty laundry - not to shame you - but to shame the Church, and to scorn God. What we do privately provides great ammunition for the devil to destroy this kingdom - and he has so much of it right now.

Will the people of God keep fighting against their own salvation?

4. Confidence in our standing with God gives us security to confront evil. Notably, we are not even shaken or afraid of bad news - we simply trust God in all situations. Nothing scares us-be it a threat of retrenchment, a diagnosis with terminal illness, a possible termination of relationship, or a tip off on a risk to life/being hunted; none of these news should move us to a point of fear. For we know who our God is.

Psalms 112:6 - 8 "6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes."

5. Jesus said: "You are those who have stood by me in my trials" (Luke 22:28 NIV)

Tomorrow, as we reflect on the many trials that we have endured individually as believers and collectively as a Church, let us also pray that God may continuously bring into our lives people that we can deeply trust, those that can stand beside us in our trials. As Jesus had his disciples, whom he called 'friends', during the most intense time of his ministry, so too should we have friends that will encourage us and pray beside us in all seasons.

Be a friend tomorrow and pray for somebody else.

6. To love a Church so much is the epitome of loving God and loving your neighbour like you love yourself. Many have heard my declarations of how much I love the Church, but still I feel the need to impress it - as though no one knows already. Today was yet another reason why I love the Church of the Holy Ghost so much. Thank you for a heartfelt worship. You are my family.

7. The Church needs more people who will spend time praying - in their homes and in the temple, for every service before it begins. The war between light and darkness is intensifying and the enemy is hiding in the last place you would ever look. Why is the Church sleeping? Rise up and pray (Luke 22:46).

8. If anything must be said about death, let it be said that it is not in itself a state of rest. Death is a conduit through which we enter into eternal rest, which we would have already attained in Life.

The manner in which we exit the physical world determines the manner in which we will enter the spiritual world. And should we fail to draw peace and rest from Christ whilst living in Him, we will soon discover that death does not deliver that to us too - unless by God's mercy. So, on this Sabbath day, let us yet again strive to enter into His rest and although hard pressed from all sides, let us seek peace and understanding so it may forever be well with our souls.

And may the Holy Ghost intercede for the departed souls.

9. "There we saw the giants; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:33 NKJV)

When you perceive yourself as being already defeated, then there's nothing left for your enemy to fight - he has won the battle. Stay in the fight even when you feel like a grasshopper, cause greater is He that is in you than the one who is in the world.

10. The privilege of coming into contact with the heart of God and be intimate with His Spirit brings with it the huge responsibility of carrying the heavy emotions of those who pray to Him daily, and it drowns one's listening with the sea of many voices that seek to draw His attention.

The Church of the Holy Ghost is like a sponge that absorbs all of these emotions and voices, and unleash them directly into the heart of God; and in turn absorb the grace of God from His heart and Spirit, and release it to the people.

May the coming week be one of prayer for you, and may your heart and spirit receive God's amazing grace. Someone across town loves you dearly and prays for your life.

11. Spent my first day in Nigeria, Lagos. In a conversation over lunch, discussing Nigerian culture, food, tradition and religion, I remarked that its a country remarkably strong on faith - both Christianity and Islam.

Two local people responded: "On the outside."

Reflecting on where we are as a Church, do we appear as though we are strong in faith but actually weak inside? Have we harnessed the spiritual depth that transcends the words we speak, the kind of faith that speaks for itself? Can our faith be the model for those who seek to know God more?

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