FOURSQUARE GOSPEL CHURCH IN NIGERIA
7, AKANGBE STREET, OWOSENI BUS STOP
2016, OUR YEAR OF UNCOMMON REWARD.
APRIL IS OUR FAMILY MONTH.

THEME: IDEAL CHRISTIAN HOME IN A CHANGING WORLD.
TEXT: GENESIS 6: 7-9. HEBREW 11:7
Sunday 03/04/2016
Topic: Foundation for ideal Christian Home.
Text : Matthew 7:24-25. Genesis 2: 21-25.
Minister: Rev. Moses Ogunbode

Introduction
Christian marriage is a holy estate, instituted by God.
It is honorable and ought not to be entered lightly or unadvisedly, but thoughtfully, reverently, discreetly, soberly and in the fear of God.
Therefore, it is important to start your home according to the word of God, not doing so is to run it after the standard of the society and suggestions of Satan.
The Bible says if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalms 11:3

In building a house, there are standards and procedures professionals follow. The same thing applies to the way we build our homes.
Jesus Christ says whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will linen him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. Luke 6:48
Study therefore the plan of God carefully because only Him can help you build a home that is strong enough to withstand the storms of life. Please build on the Rock.

MESSAGE OUTLINE
(1) Laying the foundation for your home. Genesis 2:21-25.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Psalms 34:13,
 keep your tongue from evil
 and your lips from telling lies.

Galatians 6:7. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap

We must not allow deceit and falsehood to be the foundation of our relationship. Whatever you sow, you will reap.

(2) Locating your Spouse.

Hebrew 13:4, Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Proverbs 3:5-8. Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

Proverbs 6:25-27 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
 For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?

Marriage can be a determinant factor in our making heaven, we must therefore be careful and choose carefully. That God has chosen for you does not mean you will not have issues in the relationship.

(3) Living with your Spouse.
Matthew 19:3-6, 3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate

1Peter 3:1-7. Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

As far as you are a child of God and you are married, there is no other place to call home. A wife cannot live elsewhere other than her husband’s house. So also man has no other place to call home.
There is no divorce in the dictionary of God. If you are divorced, you will remain unmarried until other party dies. Otherwise, doing contrary by marrying another woman/man amounts to Adultery. No adulterer will see the kingdom of God.
Submission is not slavery. It is dancing to the tune or agreeing with your husband.
No sane man will misbehave to a submissive woman.
A man who maltreats his woman will not have his prayers answered.

PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY
1) Every family will experience peace, good health and prosperity in Jesus name.
2) Every family will be more devoted to God and things that pertaining to Him
3) Lord, help my family to set its heart on heavenly matters.
4) Every troubled home be healed and stubborn children be delivered
5) Father let your love continue to reign in our home.

CONCLUSION
Through determination, commitment and most importantly, prayer, we can build an ideal Christian home even if the world is changing the standard and focus.
The world will continue to change, we must do everything possible to make our family work.

WE HAVE AN ANCHOR THAT KEEP THE SOUL

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain? 

    We have an anchor that keeps the soul
    Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
    Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
      Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love. 

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy the blast, through strength divine. 

It will firmly hold in the straits of fear,
When the breakers have told the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow. 

It will surely hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the veil.

Posted from WordPress for Android by Olafusi Agape Kolawole.
Touching lives

Read This First

Marketing tips

You’re here because you want to discover how to use effective marketing to increase your income, grow your business or start a new business, correct?

Good. You can use this app to learn everything you need to know to do just that. But before you run off and get reading, let me tell you a little more about myself…

My name is Henry Baker, I’m an entrepreneur from Southampton, United Kingdom. For the last 10 years or so I’ve helped over 50,000 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs just like you, to increase their income and create the lifestyle of their dreams.

In 2010 I wrote and published a book called “How To Grow Your Business While You Sleep”. It took me just 77 days to write it, publish it and best of all, make it a best-seller. I wish I could say this happened as a result of my marketing…

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IS GOD PRIDEFUL IF HE WANTS YOU TO WORSHIP HIM 24/7 IN HEAVEN?

Is God Prideful if He Wants You to Worship Him 24/7 in Heaven?

 PETER GUIRGUIS

Heaven…

Is it going to be boring or exciting?

A young man contacted me through social media a few weeks ago because he had a lot of questions about God.

I’ll call him Taylor.

One of the questions that Taylor had was about heaven:

If all we do in heaven is “worship” God and stay with Him, won’t we get bored. Don’t you think eternity would be such a long time? Do we get what we want in heaven?

Taylor kinda has a point. I remember having the same concerns when I was younger.

Taylor had two more interesting questions:

1. Why does God want people to bow down and worship Him anyways?

2. Isn’t that kinda prideful?

You’ll find the answers to these two questions in this blog post.

Plus, you’ll discover 4 truth statements that’ll help you expand your horizons when it comes to heaven.

Don’t miss truth #3 where I compare God to the Mona Lisa. (please don’t stone me yet until you read it)

Does It Matter if Heaven is Boring or Exciting?

If heaven is a boring place, then:

Your life on earth will be drab because you’ll have nothing to look forward to

You won’t be motivated to live a godly life

You won’t tell others about Jesus

And if you misunderstand God and think He’s prideful, then:

You’ll have a shallow relationship with God

You won’t be motivated to pray and read the Bible, which are crucial to your spiritual growth

Satan will have succeeded in putting a wedge between you and God

So yeah, you bet, understanding the truth about heaven and God matters!

When you have the right perspective on heaven and God, you’ll get:

Reassurance that God is a good God and that He has an excellent plan for your life

Encouragement to keep moving forward even though things in your life aren’t turning out the way you want

Inspiration to worship God for who He is, not who you think He is

4 Truths That’ll Help You Understand God and Heaven

For you to worship God the right way and have the proper perspective on heaven, you have to know these 4 truths.

Truth #1 – Your Bible Doesn’t Say You’ll Be Bowing Down to God 24/7 in Heaven

I can’t think of any Bible verses that say you’ll be on your knees, bowing down in front of God, and singing songs for the rest of eternity in heaven.

So if there are no Bible verses that support this, then where does this common idea come from?

It comes from Revelation 4:8–11. The Apostle John writes about what he saw in heaven. This is what he wrote:

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

‘Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!’

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

‘You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.

– Revelation 4:8-11

Notice that it’s the four living creatures that are bowing down to God all the time.

The 24 elders lay their crowns before God. You and I will probably do that too.

But notice there’s nothing that says that you’ll have this mechanical interaction with God: stand, kneel, lay down your crown…repeat forever.

That brings you to truth #2.

Truth #2 – Your Definition of Worship May Be Wrong

You might think that worship is when you go to church and sing songs to God.

That’s a narrow point of view on worship.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1–2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Paul’s definition of worship is much more than just praising God in a church. His definition of worship is giving God all that you have and all that you are.

You’re no longer living for the world; you’re living for Jesus.

Worshiping God is about communion and fellowship with Him.

So even if God does want you to worship Him 24/7, that’s okay.

That’s because when you have the right definition of worship, it puts things in the proper perspective.

But then you might fall into the trap of thinking that God wanting you to worship Him all the time is prideful.

For an answer to that objection, check out truth #3.

Truth #3 – Your God is Way Better Than the Mona Lisa

To understand why God isn’t prideful when He says we’re to worship Him, I want you to think of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Mona Lisa is one of the most if not the most intriguing pieces of art in the world.

It’s gained so much attention because it is a masterpiece of art.

People can go to the Louvre Museum in Paris and stand to admire the painting for a long time.

This is what it looks like to stand in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. It’s a humongous crowd.

PEOPLE STAND IN FRONT OF THE MONA LISA TO ADMIRE ITS BEAUTY

The Mona Lisa is such an amazing painting that it causes people from all over the world to want to stare at it for a long time.

No one is forced to stand in front of the Mona Lisa and appreciate it’s charm.

But the thing is that it’s such a beautiful painting that it causes people to want to stand and admire its beauty.

It’s the same way with God. It’s not that you have to worship God. But it’s just that God is such an amazing, grand, and beautiful God, that the natural reaction is for you to worship Him when you’re with Him.

When you stand in God’s presence:

You can’t help but kneel before Him

You can’t help but praise Him

You can’t help but adore Him

God doesn’t make us worship Him. But being in His presence and seeing how amazing He is causes our natural reaction be to worship Him.

Check out what David wrote about God in Psalm 27:4.

Even without seeing God physically, David had a keen appreciation of how beautiful God is.

It made David want to praise God, and to worship Him all the time.

Truth #4 – Your Mind Will Be Blown Away

Nobody knows all the things that you’ll be doing in heaven.

Whether you believe in near death experiences or not , most people agree that heaven is going to be amazing.

Some of the things that you may be doing in heaven ( if you’ve put your faith in Jesus and are going there ) are:

Eating (Isaiah 25:6)

Seeing friends and family (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Celebrating (Revelation 19:19)

Worshiping (Revelation 5:13)

Sounds incredible, right?

That’s exactly what the Word of God says about heaven.

Best of all, there’ll be no more sin in heaven.

Wow, that gets me excited!

Key Takeaways

Here’s what you learned today:

1. The Bible doesn’t say you’ll be bowing down in front of God 24/7 in heaven.

2. True worship is giving God all that you have and all that you are.

3. Just like you can’t help but admire the Mona Lisa when you’re in the Louvre Musem, you can’t help but worship God when you’re in His presence.

4. Heaven is going to be a fantastic place for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus.

Tell Someone About How to Get to Heaven

Won’t it be sad if some of your family, friends, and co-workers don’t make it to heaven?

That’s why now that you’ve reached the end of this article, I’d like to ask you to think about one unsaved person that you know.

Invite that unsaved friend, family member, or coworker to lunch.

When you’re out with them, start a casual and relaxing spiritual conversation with them.

Here’s a list of 10 questions that you can choose from.

Pray that the Lord would direct your conversation so you’d either

share the gospel , or your testimony.

Question For You

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to in heaven? Share in the comments because it’ll encourage other people.

SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION.

SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION.

What happened to that baby, someone asked? I said don’t worry everything is okay. He wants to become a man. He is being circumcised.
What is circumcision? I have done close to 500 circumcisions during the course of my work. It is a very painful experience especially for the neonates.

What is circumcision?
It is the SURGICAL removal of foreskin from the glan penis. Foreskin is the tissue that covers the head of penis. It is an ancient practice and has religious and cultural connotations.
Circumcision is a very painful procedure, but all thanks to the modern medicine practice where anaesthetic agent like Zylocaine either in injection or gel form are employed ‘to kill’ the pains. It takes about ten to twenty minutes, could be lesser or more depending on the type ( local or plastibel ) employed.
Circumcision done in infancy takes lesser time to do and heals faster. There is also better blood control when compared to one done in adulthood.

What are the benefits of circumcision?
There is some evidence that circumcision has health benefits, including:
A decreased risk of urinary tract infections.
A reduced risk of some sexually transmitted diseases in men.
Protection against penile cancer and a reduced risk of cervical cancer in female sex partners.
Prevention of balanitis (inflammation of the glans) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin).
Prevention of phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) and paraphimosis (the inability to return the foreskin to its original location).
Circumcision also makes it easier to keep the end of the penis clean.
TEXTS
Colossians 2 vs 11, Philippians 3 vs 3, Deuteronomy 30 vs 6, 10 vs 16. Jeremiah 4 vs 4 Romans 4 vs 11.
DEFINATION
What is circumcision of the Spirit? Spiritual circumcision is cutting off of the unnecessary tissues around our spiritual life. It is the yielding to the Holy spirit.

PREAMBLE
This piece is not to teach you all about circumcision but to provoke our spirit into total submission to the will of the Almighty God.
God initiated the covenant of circumcision with our father Abraham in Genesis 17 vs 10-14 Jehovah specifically commanded patriarch Abraham to circumcised all the male child in his house from eight day, whether born in his house or bought, they must all be circumcised, and that the covenant will be an everlasting covenant. The commandment was passed down to the next generations. Even when they were in Egypt, the tradition was kept.
After the exit of Moses, God commanded Joshua to circumcised the Children of Israel the second time. Joshua 5:7-9. Their reproach was rolled away at Gilgal. They stayed there until they were healed.

The implications of circumcision.
Whenever it is being done, God remembered His covenant with his people and fulfill his part of the bargain. The physical and spiritual implications of circumcision are enormous.
Let’s examine them one after the other.
Circumcision is to be done. It is not optional. It is a commandment and a covenant.
It has to do with cutting off of tissues.
Whatever is cut off is not necessary or needed or useless
Someone has to do it which means you cannot do it for yourself
The foreskin that is to be cut off is actually hiding the glory of the glan penis.
Something must be cut off.
It is done in private
It is a point of obedience and consecration.

What are the spiritual implications of spiritual circumcision
After the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the act of physical circumcision was no longer necessary or aptly put it has to go away with the first. In Hebrew 8 : 6-10, We were told that Jesus Christ having received a superior ministry entered into another covenant with us the new testament believers. The physical act of cutting off of the foreskin is no longer a prerequisites for becoming a member of God’s family. This time around, the circumcision that is needed is that of the heart. The Lord said, He will remove the stony heart and replace with the heart of flesh. Jeremiah 4:4 says ‘circumcise yourself to God, circumcise your heart to the Lord, ye people of Judah and Jerusalem. Circumcision according to the book of Deut 30:16, brings about total and genuine love for God. Circumcision is a seal of our righteousness, Romans 4:11. Spiritual circumcision takes away focus from ourselves to Jesus Christ. It rubishes all vainglory and self righteousness. By cutting off the foreskin of our hearts, we worship God sincerely. The unnecessary tissues covering our spiritual life are cut off, Philippians 3:3.
Colossians 2:11, in Him we were circumcised, sinful natures are put off. The powers of sins are destroyed. We also walk in newness of life. The cutting off of the foreskin was done by His Holy spirit in us. He convicts us of guilt, of sin, righteousness and judgement. He uses His scalpel to remove the gangrenous/dead tissues around our conscience. Our life becomes a new one. Old things are passed away, all things become new. Our life receives a new direction.
The spiritual circumcision makes us conclude that nothing can separate us from the love of God which was is our Lord Jesus. Romans 8: 35-39. We vow never to look back again because we have put our hands on the plough of the kingdom Luke 9:62.
By being circumcised, we leave everything to follow him. Luke 9:23
Total obedience becomes a part of our life.
Are you circumcised? You must have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ.
You must be willing to live a life of Holiness. Hebrews 12:14
Take a moment to xray your life my friend, have you Ben circumcised in the spirit? Is your heart that of flesh or stone? A baby is born then circumcised. Have you been born again? Is your name written in the Book of life? You cannot be a fornicator, adulterer, liar, armed robber, a cheat, a money launderer, lesbian, gay, and all sins as captured in Romans 1 vs 26-32, Galatians 5:19-21 and think you are of God.
If you have given your life to Christ and all these still manifest in your life, you must cry to God for the second circumcision.
Are you in covenant with God. Why not ask Him to circumcise you afresh. Pray to Him to remove the dross from your silver.
Do you have any questions or comments, you are free to use the comment box.
Yours
Olafusi A Kolawole
http://www.Facebook.com/fishwithadifference
http://www.twitter.com/oakagape

Posted from WordPress for Android by Olafusi Agape Kolawole.
Touching lives

Breast Cancer Part 1

Breast Cancer Part 1

BREAST CANCER PART 1

The month of October in every year is set aside as the Breast Cancer Awareness month. While most people are aware of how Cancer is ravaging our world and the attendant loss of lifes and properties little or nothing is still being done by those who should be concerned about the scourge.

While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same. Though various governmental and non-governmental agencies have made a lot of progress in advocating and sensitizing people around the world but we still have a long way to go and need your help!

This piece is to sensitize and educate ourselves on what Breast Cancer is all about.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month ( BCAM), also referred to in America as

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ( NBCAM ), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.

The month of October was adopted in 1985 by America cancer society and AstraZeneca. They aim to promote Mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against Breast Cancer. 

The Pink Ribbon as an international signs of breast cancer awareness. Pink ribbon express moral support for women with breast cancer. The pink ribbon idea started in 1991and adopted by NBCAM in 1992. Pink and Blue ribbon is sometimes used to symbolise breast cancer in men.

What is Cancer?

Every day, cells in your body divide, grow and die. Most of the time cells divide and grow in an orderly manner. But sometimes cells grow out of control. This uncontrolled growth of cells forms mass or lump called a Tumor. Tumors are either Benign or Malignant. Benign tumors are not cancerous but if left untreated can pose a health risk, so they are often removed. When removed they don’t reappear and they do not invade or spread to the neighboring tissue.

Malignant/cancerous tumor on the other hand are made of abnormal cells. They can invade the surrounding tissue and spread to other parts of the body. A Malignant Tumor that develops in the breast is called BREAST CANCER.

What are the types of Breast cancer? What is Self Breast Examination? For more on this topic, watch out for the next part

High Blood Pressure, any problem?

MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS HIGH, WHAT ABOUT THAT?

Sir, your Blood pressure is too high, it is 200/120 mmHg. Are you familiar with such a reading or have you seen such reading before. There are many avoidable deaths but people keep dying that notwithstanding. Blood pressure check is one of the simplest medical examinations that could be done by even a layman. But, be that as it may, so many people are guilty of never having checked their Bp before. Some knew they should do it but are just too busy to do it.

I remembered vividly some years back, some groups of Landlords in my community were out on light shedding because some houses were owing security fee. Some owing up to six months. They set out to enforce the payment without which a defaulter would have to be without electricity for some days. They got to this man’s house, one of the famous man in the community. There ensues an argument as to whether he actually paid what he claimed he paid was actually so. The brouhaha dragged on, muscles were flexed, tension rose and were about to engaged in fisticuffs when the famous man slumped.

The whole community was thrown into a great confusion. You hit him with Juju (Africa voodoo), I did not touch him. The whole process was hurriedly abandoned. He was rushed to the Hospital. Alas, he was diagnosed with CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT otherwise known as STROKE.

Questions were asked, eyes were raised, suspicion and all what not. Doctor, what could be responsible for this, someone asked? It was discovered that our patient smokes, he’s an alcoholic, though he knew he had such a condition, he has refused to checked his Blood pressure in the past four months.

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure is a silent killer. It is difficult to know from the physical outlook of a man or woman. The only and sure diagnostic method is by using instrument called stethoscope and  Sphygmomanometer, the manual type is better and gives more accurate readings than the Digital ones. Any members of healthcare team should be able to check blood pressure effectively. When last did you check your Bp?

What are the risk factors for Hypertension?

The risk factors are divided into Modifiable factors and Non-modifiable factors. What this means is that some things you can controlled or adjust and some things you don’t have power over. The top 10 risk factors for high blood pressure include:

Being overweight or obese

The more you weigh the more blood flow you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure inside your arteries.

Too much salt (sodium) in your diet

Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, and also causes the arteries in your body to constrict. Both factors increase blood pressure.

Too little potassium in your diet

Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. Potassium causes the smooth muscle cells in your arteries to relax, which lowers blood pressure.

Drinking too much alcohol

Having more than two drinks per day can cause hypertension, probably by activating your adrenergic nervous system, causing constriction of blood vessels and simultaneous increase in blood flow and heart rate.

Stress

High levels of stress can lead to a temporary, but dramatic, increase in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol, you may only exacerbate problems with high blood pressure. Relaxation and meditation techniques effectively lower blood pressure.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen) can cause marked worsening of existing hypertension or development of new high blood pressure. It can also cause damage to the kidneys, worsening of heart failure, and even heart attack or stroke. Ibuprofen is a member of the class of drugs called NSAIDs, which includes naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, and Anaprox), sulindac (Clinoril), diclofenac (Voltaren), piroxicam (Feldene), indomethacin (Indocin), Mobic, Lodine and celecoxib (Celebrex).

Cough and Cold Medications (Sudafed and other brands that contain pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine)

Cough and cold medicines frequently contain decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. These medications cause your blood pressure and heart rate to rise, by constricting all your arteries, not just those in you nose.

Certain chronic conditions

Certain chronic conditions also may increase your risk of high blood pressure, including diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea.

A diet low in vitamin D

It’s uncertain if having too little vitamin D in your diet can lead to high blood pressure. Researchers think that vitamin D may affect an enzyme produced by your kidneys that affects your blood pressure. More studies are necessary to determine vitamin D’s exact role in high blood pressure. However, talk to your doctor about whether you may benefit from taking a vitamin D.

Heart disease and stroke.

Risks among certain groups

African-Americans – If you’re African-American, there’s a good chance that you or a relative has HBP.

Women – Starting at age 65, women are more likely to have high blood pressure than men.

Children – While HBP is most common in adults, children can develop it, too.

Family history

Height, hair and eye color runs in families — so can high blood pressure. If your parents or close blood relatives have had HBP, you are more likely to develop it, too. You might also pass that risk factor on to your children. That’s why it’s important for children as well as adults to have regular blood pressure checks. You can’t control heredity, but you can take steps to live a healthy life and lower your other risk factors. Lifestyle choices have allowed many people with a strong family history of HBP to avoid it themselves. Learn about lifestyle changes you can make to prevent HBP.

Advanced age

As we age, we all develop higher risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Blood vessels lose flexibility with age which can contribute to increasing pressure throughout the system.

Gender-related risk patterns

A higher percentage of men than women have HBP until 45 years of age. From ages 45 to 54 and 55 to 64, the percentages of men and women with HBP are similar. After that, a much higher percentage of women have HBP than men.

Lack of physical activity

Physical activity is good for your heart and circulatory system. An inactive lifestyle increases the chance of high blood pressure, heart disease, blood vessel disease and stroke. Inactivity also makes it easier to become overweight or obese. Give yourself the gift of improved health and lower blood pressure with regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity .

Overweight and obesity

Being overweight increases your chances of developing high blood pressure. A body mass index between 25 and 30 is considered overweight. A body mass index over 30 is considered obese. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. About one in three U.S. children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. Excess weight increases the strain on the heart, raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can also make diabetes more likely to develop. Losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can help lower your blood pressure and your heart disease risk. To successfully and healthfully lose weight—and keep it off—most people need to subtract about 500 calories per day from their diet to lose about 1 pound per week. Calculate your body mass index and learn how to manage your weight .

Drinking too much alcohol

Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase blood pressure dramatically. It can also cause heart failure, lead to stroke and produce irregular heartbeats. Too much alcohol can contribute to high triglycerides, cancer and other diseases, obesity, alcoholism, suicide and accidents. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. If you drink, limit your alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

Possible contributing factors

There is some connection between blood pressure and these factors but science has not proven that they actually cause high blood pressure.

Learn how to kick the habit.

Sleep Apnea

Some 12 million Americans have sleep apnea, according to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute estimates. Sleep Apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder in which tissues in the throat collapse and block the airway. The brain forces the sleeper awake enough to cough or gulp air and open the trachea up again. But then, the whole cycle starts all over again. Pauses in breathing can contribute to severe fatigue during the day, increase your safety risks, and make it difficult to perform tasks that require alertness. Sleep apnea is also a risk factor for such medical problems as high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes and stroke. Learn more about sleep apnea .

Secondary hypertension: HBP caused by a pre-existing problem

In 5-10 percent of high blood pressure cases, the HBP is caused by a pre-existing problem. This type of HBP is called secondary hypertension because another problem was present first.

Factors that may lead to secondary hypertension include:

Kidney abnormality, including a tumor on the adrenal gland, which is located on top of the kidneys

A structural abnormality of the aorta (the large blood vessel leaving the heart) that has existed since birth

Narrowing of certain arteries

The good news is that these pre-existing problems can usually be fixed. For example, doctors can repair a narrowed artery that supplies blood to a kidney. Once the root cause of secondary hypertension is corrected, blood pressure typically returns to normal. For those with HBP, a physical exam and some tests can help your doctor determine whether your high blood pressure is primary or secondary hypertension.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION?

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.

A few people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleed, but these signs and symptoms aren’t specific and usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage. I’ve seen a man who will always use Felvin and Ibuprofen every night. One day, I was forced to ask him why he uses the drugs everyday. He said, it’s because of constant headache every night which will not go even with antimalarial. I checked his Blood pressure, lo and behold, it was way too high. I placed him on some antihypertensive. Within a week, he became better and was off daily analgesics.

Hypertension is one of the risk factors for developing other cardiovascular diseases, it is better to check your blood pressure often. The dangers of self medication can not be overemphasize, don’t engage in it. Consult your healthcare practitioners when you have constant headache, rigging or noise  in your ears, feels dizzy when pregnant or suddenly have a swollen legs.

Hypertension is a silent killer. Prevention and adequate knowledge about the ailment is a key to preventing the devastating effects of its complications.

Educate your families and friends about this silent killer

Do well to share this post

Take action today, GO CHECK YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE.

What did you think about this post? Your comments, questions and advice are welcome.

Stay healthy. Your health is our concern

Olafusi Agape Kolawole

7 WAYS YOU CAN DEVELOP A PROPHETIC CULTURE IN YOUR CHURCH? By Joseph Mattera.

HOW CAN YOU DEVELOP A PROPHETIC CULTURE IN YOUR CHURCH?
A prophetic culture is an exciting and much needed element for a cutting-edge local church.

By “prophetic culture” I am referring to having a sense of anticipation among the attendees that God is going to manifest His presence and speak directly to His people, either through the preached Word of God or through the worship experience. There are several things needed to bring this kind of atmosphere into a local church.

The following are some of the ways to develop this culture:

1. Minister to the Lord instead of entertaining men.

Often when I observe local-church worship services, it has more of a performance orientation then a worship orientation. When the focus is on performance, the goal is to entertain the attendees rather than minister to the Lord. Acts 13:1-2 teach us that the Antioch Church ministered to the Lord. This is much different than merely attempting to drum up enthusiasm and hype the people emotionally. A church that learns to minister to the Lord will also have regular seasons of God speaking corporately to their local church regarding their destiny and calling. This will release a powerful prophetic culture in the congregation!

2. Have regular seasons of congregational fasting and prayer.

Our local church has had a weekly prayer meeting for over 30 years. It is often during these meetings that God has spoken to the leaders and myself about what He is saying and doing during that season of our church life. Furthermore, we have set aside three times per year when we consecrate days for corporate fasting and prayer. During these times people are empowered, lives are changed and the church experiences a time of cleansing and repentance.

A church that doesn’t have regular, vibrant prayer is not allowing God to speak clearly and drill down deep to get at the root issues of sin and lethargy. Churches like this may have a great organizational flow and many good programs, but lives are not being transformed, and disciples are not being made. Like Samson of old, many churches like this would not even know it if the Holy Spirit left them

3. The elders should have a lifestyle of seeking God.

Leaders who do not live to seek God will not be able to lead the church into their prophetic destiny. Leadership not surrendered fully to living in the presence of God is left concocting mere strategies and programs that leave their congregation empty and powerless. Only leaders who seek God can usher in a prophetic culture.

4. The worship team should have a lifestyle of seeking God.

Many musicians and singers I have met in the body of Christ have no personal prayer life. They are committed to the church only because it gives them a platform to express their skill. Only worship leaders and musicians that seek God as a team and in private can be sensitive enough to usher in a prophetic culture in their congregation.

5. The gift of prophecy should function among the members.

The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:1 to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 instructs the church neither to quench the Spirit nor to despise prophesying. Prophecy is the greatest gift when it comes to edifying the church according to Paul the apostle. Prophecy can come forth through the anointed and authoritative preached Word, or it can be an anointed exhortation expressing the heart of God from any believer present in the congregation.

First Corinthians 14 gives rules for the use of this powerful gift so everything is done decently and in order, but in the name of biblical order many churches have shut down this gift totally! One of the greatest ways to create a prophetic culture in the church is to encourage use of this gift with biblical guidelines every time believers come together. (Whether in small groups or in during altar calls when people are being prayed for.)
In large congregational gatherings it is difficult for non-leaders to use this gift corporately, and when it is used to minister to another individual, there should always be a designated leader present to judge the word.

6. The congregation should be equipped to commune with God.

God has given the church many doors to enter into His manifest presence. Many believers understand just one kind of prayer (mostly intersession or petition prayer). The greatest way for the church to be equipped to commune with God is to observe how the leaders seek God during corporate prayer gatherings. This is because this kind of anointing is better caught then taught. Believers can learn from mature God seekers the various movements of how God draws us into His presence and orchestrates corporate seeking. However, for the prophetic culture to permeate the church there should also be congregational instruction.

Instruction should include topics such as; how to wait upon the lord, the difference between worship and praise, meditation upon the word of God, intersession, supplication, spiritual warfare, and the prayer of faith. The more versed a church is regarding these various ways of interacting with the Father, the more the prophetic culture will permeate that church.

7. The Word of the Lord should be preached every week.

The lead pastor should be a voice for the Lord and not merely an echo of men. Too many pastors are too busy to seek God. The result is they often retrieve their sermons online or from commentaries. (These commentaries are good tools to inform a sermon but should not be mimicked in its entirety.) When a lead pastor is primarily a “God seeker,” he will not only study and pray to prepare to preach, but will teach out of the overflow of their robust private devotional life. Perhaps nothing creates a prophetic culture in a local church more than when people know they are going to “hear what the Spirit is saying to their church” through the preached word every Sunday.

May the Lord help every true church in the world develop a prophetic culture so that we can disciple the nations. After all, it is not by power or by might but by His Spirit says the Lord (Zech. 4:7).

What is Phubbing?

What is Phubbing?
Are you guilty of Phone snubbing. Have you ever ignored someone who really needs your favour for your mobile phone. It is called Phubbing.
Phubbing is really becoming an epidemic in the United states and UK.
The act is not only rude and inconsiderate, it could escalate an already strained relationship. Imagine how that little misunderstanding became a great conflagration that engulfed your whole life. Most often than not, when couples are not in good talking term, they turn to their phones and social media to snub their partner.
Human beings are social animals, we were created to interact and mingle but when our creations become an obsession, then real danger is lurking.
Phubbing might seem reasonable to you but think of the negative effects it may have on your world, your relationship and your ministry.
You complain that their “wahala” is too much. Is that a good reason for Phubbing them? Esther the Queen could have snubbed the other Jews because Haman’s threat wouldn’t get to her as a queen but she took it too far by fasting and praying for three solid days. She also went to the King Ahasuerus court which was against the norms. Esther and her generation were set free of Hamas’ planned Holocaust.
Phubbing is not good enough. With or without you, God’s will will surely come to pass.
If you’re curious as to whether you or your partner is guilty of phubbing, you can try to answer the following questions used in Roberts’ study. But be warned, you may not like what you discover.
During a typical mealtime together, my partner pulls out and checks his/her cellphone.
My partner places his or her cellphone where they can see it when we are together.
My partner keeps his or her cellphone in their hand when he or she is with me.
When my partner’s cellphone rings or beeps, he/she pulls it out even if we are in the middle of a conversation.
My partner glances at his/her cellphone when talking to me.
During leisure time that my partner and I are able to spend together, my partner uses his/her cellphone.
My partner uses his or her cellphone when we are out together.
If there is a lull in our conversation, my partner will check his or her cellphone.
Don’t allow phone and social media ruin your life and relationship.
I’ve read about someone who has more than 2000 followers and friends on Twitter and Facebook whom he connects with everyday, on the day he needed help most, none was around to help him out save two of his neighbors.
Don’t sacrifice normal relationship stuff because of social media. Connect more with people around you. Be good to them. Give them your attention. Don’t idolise your mobile gadgets. Your phone is your phone, it isn’t running away. Take out time to discuss with your friends, spouse, boss, your employees and your social/religious group.
Simple phone calls to the members of your online community as recently done by Akinsoji Sodiq of Adresocial will further cement your relationship.
STOP PHUBBING.

Common mistakes internet marketing newbies make.

Deadly Mistakes Internet Marketing Newbies Make
By Adesoji  

Are you a newbie in internet marketing ? This is an article you should read and apply. Reading through to the end and then making the required changes will help you a great deal. It is very sure you will fall into these mistakes as a newbie, but you have an advantage. This would help you know what the deadly mistakes are and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: They Settle For Free Hosting and Avoid Getting A Domain Name
Almost all newbies end up doing this. Cutting costs is smart, but cutting them in the wrong places can simply be deadly for your fledgling business. If you are building a blog, you can continue using the free hosting but if you are building a business, you need to get a paid hosting and a domain name .

Let me ask, what if that free hosting fails or if they discontinue that particular service, then you have to find a new domain name, which means that all of your efforts were a complete waste of time. Getting free hosting can have similarly disastrous results. While it is “cheap,” it is almost always bad, too. You will probably have to host advertisements for which you will receive no revenue. Also, adding a graphic header, a picture, or a flash presentation to your free site will make it load very slowly.
So what options are you left with? Clearly you won’t want to start by purchasing a dedicated server; that’s unnecessarily expensive. However, at a minimum, you will want to purchase a domain name – which you can get cheap – and you will also want to purchase a low-cost hosting service. You can get a domain name and web hosting.
Mistake #2: They Don’t Bother to Study Copywriting
Copywriting is the art of inducing a “most wanted response” through carefully constructed writings. Many people do not realize this, but good copywriting employs principles of both psychology and marketing. If you want to have a high visitor-to-action ratio – whether that action is buying a product or opting-in to your list – you will have to revise your copy to the point at which it is most effective.
This normally will require several revisions – and will always require you to integrate principles of copywriting. Many newbies set themselves up for disaster by creating a low-conversion sales page and then spending hundreds of dollars to promote it. Just think of the difference between a 1% conversion rate and a 2% conversion rate; that’s twice as many sales – and could easily be the difference between praise-worthy success and miserable failure. Of course, if you’re too busy to learn how to employ the principles of copywriting, you can always take the alternate route, which is to pay a copywriter to do the work for you; however, if you look at the average price of a relatively good copywriter (which is almost always in the thousands), you might be convinced to do otherwise.
Mistake #3: They Don’t Grow A List Of Subscribers
If you don’t build a list of subscribers , you are generally limited to direct sales, which usually have very low conversion rates, even when your advertising is extremely targeted, and your copy is top-notch. The average conversion rate for direct sales is usually lower than 1% but varies from industry to industry. One reason building a list of subscribers is so effective is because you can allow them to join for free, give them free newsletter issues or products to strengthen their loyalty – and then slowly and repeatedly make your product pitch.
Almost all authority sources on sales and marketing will tell you that the percentage of closed sales increases as the number of contact sessions increases. Each time you send out an email, you are increasing your chances of closing a sale, even if you aren’t making a pitch. In fact, newsletters without pitches will likely have higher conversion rates when they do make a salespitch. The bottom-line is simple: if you aren’t making an attempt to create a list of subscribers, your only hope is to make one-time sales. Once you miss that opportunity, you may never see that visitor again — and he could have potentially subscribed and made multiple purchases from you.
Mistake #4: They Always Join the Hottest Opportunity Available
This dangerous habit results in more failure and bankruptcy than most other poor self-employment decisions. Rather than working to create an effective business model, most Internet marketing newbies will be constantly pulled in three different directions by the latest product releases.
For example, one will tell them that selling physical products is the best way to make money. Another program will expose how blogging and using affiliate programs is a goldmine. And yet another report says that AdSense and natural search engine traffic is the only viable business model. Which of these is right? To the newbie (and in reality), each of them is right… and each of them fails, since the newbie buys all three and ends up moving in three different, non-beneficial directions.
The result is a complete disaster and a failure to generate any revenue whatsoever. How can you avoid making this mistake without limiting your ability to innovate and to learn? This is something you learn how to manage better over time, but the best way in which you can begin doing this is through goal-setting and commitment. Whenever you create a business plan, peg it to a specific goal (i.e., 3000 new subscribers in the next year), and then break it down into objectives. If you fail to reach your objectives, then alter them to more realistically reflect your final goal. If your final goal starts to look unrealistic, revise that, too. Drill this into your head: If you don’t get good at something, you won’t ever succeed. And jumping around from an opportunity to opportunity is a good way to guarantee that you’ll never get good at anything

Mistake #5: They Waste Countless Hours Doing Stupid Things with Traffic Exchanges and Safelists.
This is another major mistake newbie Internet marketers make almost without exception: they’ll join safelists and bomb them with every offer they’ve been exposed to, including ridiculous marketing schemes that yell scam. Another big mistake almost all newbie Internet marketers will make is joining traffic exchanges – and then spending every waking hour slamming their mouses to earn points through some outrageous system. The truth is, I’ve been there done that, and I conclude that traffic exchanges don’t work.
Mistake #6: They Promote a Product as an Affiliate and Send Traffic to the Affiliate Page, Rather than to their OWN Lead Capture Page.
They find an affiliate program – and then send traffic to it, rather than to an opt-in page (lead capture page) on their site or blogs. The biggest problem with sending traffic to an affiliate page – or even the main page of your website — rather than to a lead capture page on your own site or blog is that you are relying on direct sales methods, when you could be using follow-up series that will radically increase your conversion rate. Another problem with sending traffic directly to the affiliate’s program homepage is that you are spending your money and time to generate leads for other businesses, when you could be doing it for your own. Why attempt to sell someone else’s product directly to a lead you paid for, when you could get that lead to becoming YOUR subscriber instead, which would allow you to make that same pitch in addition to dozens of others down the road?
Mistake #7: They Fall for “Guaranteed Traffic” Scams
It’s hard not to fall for one of those “1,000,000 hits for $97” scams, but yes, most are scams – and they will not help you. With that being said, almost everyone falls for them once. In the cases where you do receive traffic from these scams, it is almost always complete garbage. The people being redirected to your site are sent there by some sketchy pop-under that they always close before your site even loads.
Plus, in most cases these visitors won’t even be able to read English – not because they never learned it – but because they’re not human beings at all; they’re robots! That’s right: some of these “guaranteed traffic” scams actually just slam your site with robotic spiders that crawl your pages and register as “hits” – and there you have it: robotic spiders crawling all over your website for only $97.
Whatever form of guaranteed traffic you buy – they all have one thing in common: they produce no results whatsoever. You won’t ever earn a penny with these programs, so don’t even bother. The only way you can get traffic is using normal methods that guarantee you targeted traffic from human beings. These are article marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing, paid adverts on high traffic blogs et all.
Mistake #8: They Never Consider the Possibility of Creating Their Own Products.
While many experienced Internet marketers make money selling affiliate products – especially with the high-end releases, almost all of the successful ones sell their products too. Here are just two of the reasons why not selling your products is a huge miscalculation:
1. Most affiliate products only offer a commission of 50% or less.
2. The biggest problem with not creating your products is that you cannot use them for joint ventures.
What you won’t hear in most traffic generation courses is that successful Internet marketers almost always generate traffic for successful product launches with joint ventures – not through pay-per-click campaigns or search engine optimization methods. They do this because joint ventures are the fastest, cheapest, and most effective way to generate sales or opt-ins. In order to actually have a successful joint venture, however, you must also have a good product (that is your own) and a good sales page with an opt-in form and a follow-up series (as we already discussed).
Now that you have seen the mistakes and how to avoid them, our desire is that you put what you have learned into practice. Doing this would help you get better and start achieving what pro-internet marketers achieve. Also, if you love what you have just read, our desire is that you share this with fellow newbie internet marketers. Feel free to subscribe with us so you can learn what you need to learn and become a success.

Confused about the end times? Read this.

Billy Graham: There Is Great Confusion About the End Times
6:00AM EDT 9/29/2015
Donna Lee Toney/BGEA
In this book, Billy Graham points to God’s eternal deliverance, God’s eternal sacrifice and God’s eternal love and joy. (Courtesy/BGEA)
Weeks before his 95th birthday, Billy Graham said, “I am ready to start my next book!”
We had recently completed work on his book The Reason for My Hope—Salvation. It was the fall of 2013. Thinking he would want a break from going through drafts of another manuscript, I was stunned at his drive and asked: “Would you like to take a little break and start work on a new book after Christmas?” “No,” he said, “I might not be here next year!”
Oh, but he was—and still is. Nearly two years later, at almost 97 years old, his 33rd book will be released. He had remarked about the contemporary books that had been written on heaven and hell. There was still a book he wanted to write on this subject because, he said, “Many people today do not understand the fundamental truths about mankind’s eternal destinations and that each person has a choice to make concerning the most critical matter of life—where they will spend eternity after death.”
“Mr. Graham,” I replied, “you have written and preached on heaven and hell for nearly 80 years.”
“Well,” he quipped, “I don’t feel quite that old.”
In spite of his weak eyesight he said with a twinkle, “I just may live until my 100th birthday! … The more I listen to the news of what is going on in the world, and in the church, there is great confusion about the end times. Some people wonder how to get to heaven and others don’t seem to care if they wind up in hell. God has a lot to say about this, and He has not kept His promises hidden, but few pastors preach on it today. I would like to shed some light on what the Bible has to say about the subject of eternity for today’s generations.”
He asked me to assemble an outline from which we could work and ended the meeting with this thought: “Do it quickly because I’m an old man,” he said with a sense of Graham revival in his voice.
Before I left that day, I posed this question: “When people ask if heaven is a literal place and where it is, what will you tell them?” Looking through the window that framed the beautiful Carolina mountains surrounding his home he proclaimed, “Of course heaven is real because Jesus is real—He is the way, the truth, and the life—and heaven is where Jesus is—and I am going to Him soon.”
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In our several visits we talked about the wonderful aspects of a heavenly home and the devastating darkness of those who will never know such joy. He wished he could take all those who do not believe in the Savior to the foot of His cross where they could settle their eternal destination once and for all and have the hope of eternity in heaven.
Pouring through his literary works that span nearly eight decades, a fascinating outline emerged and, in time, the book Where I Am was completed—with foundational teaching from the Word of Almighty God. It is not surprising that all 66 books of the Bible point to everlasting life. It is a repetitive theme of Scripture. While Mr. Graham’s preaching was the gospel message of Jesus Christ, his evangelistic aim was to focus the light of salvation on eternity—where the human race will transcend the confines of a fallen world.
This man who wants to be remembered as a preacher of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has said, “Man is precisely what the Bible says he is. Human nature is behaving exactly as the Bible said it would. The course of human events is flowing just as Christ predicted. And God’s Word is real—from eternity past to eternity everlasting.” This is the essence of his new book Where I Am.
God’s Word is eternal, and eternity’s destinations will last forever. He has declared that mankind can choose the eternal flame of His judgment or live forever in His everlasting peace. The Good News is that God sends out a booming invitation that says: “Return to Me; come and share My eternal home and be with Me where I am.” That is heaven! That is home eternal!
Who would not want to be where Jesus is? He is preparing a place for those who love and serve Him—now! Jesus has filled this place with the riches of His eternal truth and everlasting righteousness where the fruits of His works will be forever glorified. There will be continual rejoicing over His eternal wisdom. The Bible proclaims that we will praise Him continually and serve Him unending before His eternal throne when He reigns—eternally!
In this book, Billy Graham points to God’s eternal deliverance, God’s eternal sacrifice and God’s eternal love and joy. These are the anchors at the heart of Mr. Graham’s sermons that have drawn millions of people to their hour of decision. The everlasting gospel that is washed in His eternal love will be proclaimed until the end. When that day arrives—eternity will come clearly into view. Mankind throughout the ages will witness the eternal kingdom and the everlasting King on His throne forever. This is why Jesus calls the lost and weary to His everlasting salvation with this promise of eternal forgiveness, mercy, grace and love: “That where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3)