Blessing Annatoria - Stay with Me

 

Annatoria has released an amazing Afrobeat Gospel anthem Stay With Me.

She is the 9th winner of the Voice UK and what a lovely voice she has. It is always nice to see what the winners and contestants are doing now from major talent shows.

I came across the song when she appeared on my "for you page" on Tiktok

The song asks questions about her journey in faith which we all can relate to. Are we always on that narrow path do we make mistakes? Are we living righteously? But one thing for sure we want God to stay with us by our side.

 Take a listen and even look up the lyrics, You wont be disappointed.

God Calling - Review

 God Calling is an emotional tear jerker of a movie. The acting will not blow you away but the message is loud and clear

It tells the tale of a family who loses their child in an accident and the subsequent events after. 

Sade filled with guilt and addiction she journeys through hallucinations dreams and spiritual encounters. Her husband annoyed by her habit full of grief seems upset that she has started to answer to God as opposed to still saying He is calling her.

It's a movie that shows God's love in the face of adversity. Reminding us He is always calling us. Sometimes our experiences cloud our hearing but God is persistent and never gives upon us. This one is worth the watch

God Calling is available to watch on Netflix.

No more sacrifices. Jesus paid the price already

Recent news in Jamaica has highlighted how important it is to test the spirits. A cult group which basked in evil and deception has been rumbled after a member managed to alert the authorities. This was not a church of God.  Please keep the members and the families of those who lost loved ones in prayer.  May the remaining members discover the real God and no longer be deceived. So much healing is going to be needed.

Jamaica is known to have a church on every corner. It also is known to have obeah and witchcraft practices which is frowned upon but exists. In what is called the western world. Such practices have shown an increase as more people move away from God centred beliefs.

Read and listen to the Bible yourself. Study it learn it and invite the Holy Spirit in to be your guide.

As you become more familiar with the Word of God certain things become easier to recognise and see and understand. 

1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Remember Jesus became the sacrificial lamb and no more blood sacrifices are required nor needed. God has never and never will require a human to become a sacrifice. Jesus already paid the price for our sins. No more bloodshed.

John 1:29-31

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

Read more about the incident in Jamaica via links below

The Daily Beast - Background 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/human-sacrifice-is-the-gruesome-end-to-jamaican-cults-creepy-history

The Jamaica Observer - member tells of her experience 

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/front-page/cult-victim-tells-all-100-000-fee-to-stay-in-smith-s-ark-where-congregants-slept-on-the-floor-and-were-fed-dumpling-and-mackerel-gravy_234312

RARE INTERVIEW: Denzel Washington on why he gave his life to Christ

Actor Denzel Washington shares his journey in faith

Palm Sunday

 

Happy Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week in the Christian calendar. It is the Sunday before Passover / Easter.

It commemorates the day when Jesus rode triumphantly into the Jerusalem and was greeted with chants of Hosanna Hosanna to the King. As people waved palm leaves and laid them in his path as he rode by.

Read more about Palm Sunday in the below scriptures:

Matthew 21:1-9 

Mark 11:1–10

Luke 19:28–40

John 12:12–19

Witholding Nothing

 

This is such an amazing song.

Whilst watching church online today I just started singing it and thought I need to listen to the words some more and sing it and exalt my Lord.

What do you do when you feel a song in your heart that you cannot help but sing

The lyrics say

I surrender all to you

Everything I give to you

Witholding nothing

Witholding nothing

Maybe God wants me to surrender more of myself in this moment and that is what I plan to do. Witholding Nothing.

Christian Tik Tok

 Do you use Tik Tok or any social media to spread the love of God to the masses?

Here is a video of Christians sharing the gospel and more via popular app TikTok curated by a youtuber.

PRAY FOR THE STRONG ONES TOO

PRAY FOR THE STRONG ONES TOO 

Even the strongest amongst us need prayer too. 

Their battles may not be seen or known but a battle is a battle

Keep everyone in prayer even those you think don't need it. Check in on your friends. 

#prayer #churchfamily #goodsamaritan

The UK Blessing

For a while now I have seen Youtube suggest this song to me. Its called The Blessing it is originally sung by and written by Kari Jobe , Cody Carnes and Elevation Church.

What I love about this song is that it is rooted in scripture.

Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you

This just may become a church favourite. I know when I listen to it and sing along I am filled with hope and gladness and reminded of the promises.

I am sure it will bless you too.

A Prayer for the Frontliners

The Building May Be Closed, But The Church Must Not Be Silent!

The world we are living in today has drastically changed since the end of 2019 when the world was made aware of the Sars 2 COVID-19 virus. It is believed this to have originated in Wuhan, China and spread like wildfire to the rest of the world. It is a viral infection and spreads just like the flu and common cold. What makes this one so contagious is that it is a novel coronavirus and new to humans. Novel viruses are often traced back to animals.

During this season the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the need for people to wash their hands often and to not touch your face. We are also to limit our time around people who are not from our households including family members. It has spurred a new term called "socially distancing."

But what does this all mean for the global church family? What about your local churches? Most churches have taken the COVID-19 threat seriously and have closed their buildings to reduce the risk of the disease being amongst the flock and everyone becoming infected. Other churches have been in defiance and chosen to carry on as usual.

Yet the Bible tells us to not only have faith but utilise wisdom. A church in America was found to be at the centre of an outbreak which claimed many lives. People are socialising and throwing house parties because they do not wish to be told what to do. However, let us use wisdom during this time and utilise the technology we have and use it for good. Use it to spread the Word of God.

Many churches already stream their services live. If your church does not do so already please be that person to reach out and teach them how. There is a plethora of apps and services that can be used. Some of the most popular ones are Zoom, which many use for Bible Studies, Facebook Live and Youtube Live for sermon delivery and many more.

So now many Pastors and Ministers are streaming the Word of God live from their homes. The hashtag #ChurchOnline is proving popular on twitter. Christians have even taken the #FlippedTheSwitch challenge and changed it to #JesusFlippedTheSwitch to share their testimonies These hashtags trend on twitter often.

So you see the church does not have to be silent. The Word is there and the opportunity to reach your church community and beyond is available now. Even when the pandemic eases the use of tech should not cease.

Please check on the elderly and vulnerable. Help them get connected to technology so they can stay connected.

Don't forget to use this time to read the Bible and pray pray pray.

Prayer for the Royal Family

Let us pray for The Royal Family at this time. 

There is an assignment by the enemy to sow division, sorrow and destruction in this, 

at times, painfully public family. 

Our Heavenly Father has great love for each of them and we call for Gods people to intercede on their behalf so that the plans of the enemy would be cut off.

We pray for Gods peace

We pray God would release His love and comfort upon them. 

That God would pour out His blessings of unity, love and give them His Wisdom to navigate His solutions to their challenges.  

We pray for an opening to wise counselling to be heard.

We pray for protection 

And cover them with the precious Blood of Jesus.

In Jesus Christ Name

(* Prayer notice taken from church group portal. Thought I would share this based on the prophetic message included)

The Gospel in 60 seconds

Christians explain The Gospel in 60 seconds in this video below.

Would You go to Prison for Your Faith in Christ?

In the book of John 15: 18-21 Jesus lets it be known that the world which hated Him will also hate Christians too. They will hate followers of Christ and will seek to persecute them too.

In modern times it is not unheard of for a Christian to be taken to court for their faith and beliefs.  Even the expressions of faith. This happens all over the world. 

Asia Bibi formerly of Pakistan was in-prisoned based on false accusations of blasphemy. She only received her freedom recently. Christians in developing worlds are pushed out or wiped out completely. 

In the so called developed westernised nations and those who espouse democracy and freedom for all, the courts are used to silence and persecute Christians for sharing their faith even when the only thing spoken about is how much God loves you. 

In the UK Christian street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi was arrested and his Bible confiscated. He was later released with no charge and has since been given compensation for the wrongful arrest.

Pastor David Lynne is a Canadian preacher known for his street preaching. Various videos of him engaging with various people can be found on Youtube. He is always respectful and allows people who wish to speak even with opposing views share their thoughts too. He currently is going through a court process in Canada. He did not preach hate, he preached love for all. A preacher who preached about God's love, which is what the world only wants to hear is still in court for sharing the gospel. 

This video from his youtube channel has an update from his court appearance. Which has lead me to ask;

Would you go to prison for your faith?

Buzzfeed Asks if an Atheist can Date a Christian

Buzzfeed shared a video that asked; If an Atheist can date a Christian?

It is not unheard of for a Christian to date and marry an atheist nor is it unheard of for an Atheist to date and marry a Christian. It happens. You also get people of different faiths who find love together.

Let us look at this from a Christian perspective and Bible scriptures that will often be referred to.

One of the first scriptures you will hear regarding the suitability of your future partner regarding faith is 2 Corinthians 6:14  which says

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

King Solomon was a faithful man. He was full of wisdom and charm it would seem. As much as he is respected for his faith and wisdom he was a flawed man. He had hundreds of wives and mistresses. Some were pagan and idol worshippers. He let them erect altars to their pagan deities in holy places. This went against the will of God. It also lead in part to his downfall.

With that being said the Bible also teaches that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believer. So all is not lost after all.

But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; 1 Corinthians 7:12-14


The only other part to highlight is the unwillingness of the believer to say my children will be brought up to know God or at least the basics. Most Christians teach their kids about Jesus, but it's left up to the child to decide what they believe and if they believe. But to offer your children no spiritual guidance can be deemed senseless. Because whatever you believe, normally impacts how you choose to live your life and your children see and observe from you. However in the end the child will decide what they believe from what they do not.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. 
Proverbs 22:6 

So can a Christian and an Atheist date. Yes they can. It will come with spiritual challenges but overall the success depends on the two dating. Love conquers all, right?

What are your thoughts? (video below)

The Voice UK's Gospel acts Equip to Overcome and Roger Samuels

The Voice UK has completed it's battle round stages and artists are now vying for the semi-finals before the final. This year we have seen some amazing gospel singes take centre stage. Tom Jones was definitely blessed with some amazing singers. Which included Equip to Overcome (E2O) and Roger Samuels.

I have seen Samuels sing live in person at churches and church events before. He is very gifted and talented. I am hoping both acts do not stop at this stage. That they will take the exposure they have and use it to help propel them into the next stages of their careers.

You can keep up to date with Equip to Overcome on their Twitter and Youtube channel

You can keep up to date with Roger Samuels on his Twitter  and Youtube channel

People Tell a Pastor Why They Don't Believe in God

Pastor Erica Campbell sits down with a few people who share with her why they do not believe in God. They include people have had faith-based backgrounds who share why they do not believe and what they actually do believe. It is a very interesting video conversation. Erica did well with her responses.

Take a look at the video.

Would You Risk Your Life to Spread the Gospel

By now most people will be aware of the American adventurer and missionary John Chau who lost his life on an ill-fated mission to spread the gospel of Jesus with the Sentinelese people. Its come to light that since he was 18yrs old he has felt it in his heart a calling from God to connect with the islanders and become friends with them in the hope of sharing the good news. 

No one actually knows what the tribe actually calls themselves. Due to their isolation, their language is different to their neighbours the Jarawa people who were also once uncontactable. They too reside in the archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian sea and come under India's state control. Strangers are often greeted with arrows and there has only been one time where they interacted with outsiders. This tribe is so rare that exposure to Western diseases such as the flu to the various poxes could kill large numbers of them further putting them at risk of extinction.

So Chau knew the island has a 3 mile exclusion zone but he chose to venture there anyway. His first attempt he ran back and left notes. The next attempt he was killed as an unwanted intruder. His misadventure has lead to people asking if Christians have a right to spread the gospel. Christians have pondered if he indeed was motivated by a calling from God.

The Bible teaches us to use wisdom in all that we do. Should Chau have done the right thing and approached the Indian government for a Restricted Area Permit. Would you risk your life to spread the gospel? How do you share the gospel today? How do you know its a calling and not something you simply just want to do?

Who Are The Evangelical Christians?

Has the name Evangelical Christian been co-opted by white Christian Americans who do not care about the poor and prefer segregated churches? Is it a bastion for TV preachers? Does the term mean the same thing globally? AJ+ takes a look at Evangelical Christians and how they often differ greatly in America based on race and economics. Whilst globally the Evangelicals have a different meaning of who they are.

He Converted to Christianity From Islam

Watch this video as a former Muslim Cyrus Speaks, explains his own encounter with God changed his life. He shares his journey from Islam to Christianity.