Faith in God is essential in our walk with Him. In fact, it is the basis of our relationship with God because without faith in Christ’s finished work of redemption, no one can be saved. Even after our salvation experience, we cannot please God without faith.

Faith is the key that grants us access to the divine treasury in times of trouble. With faith, Christian can go through life’s challenges triumphantly. Faith is absolute trust and total dependence on God in all aspects and situation of life.
Therefore, as Christian Parents, it is your responsibility and duty to build your children’s faith in God. This is the way to build their confidence in God and prepare them to face life’s challenges with courage.

As Parents, you need to help your children have a personal relationship with God. Make them understand that we are saved by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8). Let them know that the same faith in God by which they were saved is what they need to overcome any challenges in their lives.

Teach them to pray always, depending totally on God’s promises at all times instead of seeking help from ungodly sources or resorting to self help. Tell them about bible characters who trusted God in difficult situations and how He delivered them. Show them how to study and listen to the word of God and teach them to obey it because it is the source of faith.

Above all, reinforce your teaching with your exemplary life. Let your children see that you put your trust in God. Practically demonstrate total dependence on God when you are faced with unpleasant circumstances. This will enable them to demonstrate unwavering faith in God and receive divine help in all circumstances.

The home is your Children first classroom and you are their first teacher. Although, they may not utter any meaningful word yet, their little eyes see quite a lot. Be sure they are storing in their brains the things they see you do. Set good examples for them because they carefully watch and unconsciously mimic you. They will replicate your behavior and way of life.

An undeniable fact is that your child will not always remain a child. As they grows older, your influence becomes more significant. They match your precepts with your practices, to see if they agree. If they do, they follow with ease, but if they conflicts, they get confused and rebel against you and your ideas. Children spot hypocrisy and double standard more quickly than your mind can fathom. Therefore, to have a positive influence on your child, define your values, moral and human values, and follow through on them faithfully.

It is no news that some children nurse the desire to be like their Parents when they grow older, and the reason for that is not farfetched. Their Parents′ lives are worthy of emulation. They see in those Parents who they want to become in future. Are you what your child wants to become? What kind of model are you to your child.

Remember, they are watching whatever you do in their presence, good or evil, right or wrong.
Live right if you want them to grow upright.

Ps 126:1-3
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Freedom is one of the most difficult things to describe. It may however be better understand from an opposite perspective. Perhaps we can grasp freedom much better by first explaining its opposite- slavery.
Nothing reduces a man more than slavery. Nothing has the capacity to debase a man as much as slavery. Slavery takes away the pride of a man. Slavery takes away all of his dignity. When a man becomes a slave, his right; even to life is withdrawn. He is counted as one of the belongings of another man. It is my prayer today that as many as are under the despotic reign of Lucifer would be made free today by the power of Jesus name.
Slavery limits the capacity of a man to think straight. Let me remind you of the sad story of the prodigal son (Luk 15: 11-32). He had left his father’s house with a lot of possessions and had wasted all of his inheritance. He fell into slavery by his own very design. He lived among pigs like one who had no people. It was so bad that he had to eat from the crumbs of pigs. When a man is enslaved, he is treated as the equivalent or even worse than an animal.

I remember the pathetic story of the children of Israel also. They had been in the land of captivity for over four hundred years and the children of glory were now so used to the low-life of servitude in Egypt. They had seen the miracles performed by the hand of God through Moses and Aaron forcing the hand of Pharaoh to let them go. They had seen the outstretched arm of God. So it was surprising when it so happened that on the day that God parted the sea they wanted almost to go back to Egypt. “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt...it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Ex 14: 11-12). Can you even imagine that? The children of Israel actually said it would have been better for them to continue in slavery that to embark on this journey of freedom!
It tells me one thing: slavery rewires the thinking of men. It is my prayer that as many who have now settled for the low-life of slavery instead of the abundant life of freedom, God of Heaven will break the yoke upon their heads in Jesus name.

Dear friend, freedom opens the eyes of men. Paul speaking to the Ephesian Church in Eph 1:18 says “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,.” To be candid, freedom starts with knowledge.

The same Paul spoke yet again in Phil 3:10- 14 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”
Even Paul only found freedom and self-actualization in knowing and daily following Christ. If there is one advice that I consider necessary to give you today it would be that you find Jesus with all of your strength. Lay hold on him when you contact his revelation and ensure by all means that you never let him go.

Freedom is not a reckless life, lacking of accountability. Freedom is; knowing Jesus and following Him for the actualization of the full potentials of your life. That is the cross to which I call you today. That is the gainful enterprise to which I invite you to dedicate the remaining of your life.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” ( Matt 16:24-25) Now, this is the mystery of freedom. Those who seek genuinely liberating freedom must learn that there is a price to it. That price is absolute and sheepish obedience to Jesus. When you lose yourself to Jesus you find yourself in purpose. When you become a slave to his will you find the freedom to live the abundant life he promised.

Happy Independence Celebration

12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.
13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.

Jubilee is that year in Israel when men and women were released from debt (Leviticus 25:23-38) and all types of bondage (Leviticus 25:39-55). All captives and prisoners were to be set free during this year, debts forgiven, and all property returned to the original owners. All labor would cease for one year.

The point of Jubilee′s year was that the Israelites would dedicate a year of rest to the Lord, acknowledging that He had provided for their needs. One full year!
There were a lot of advantages to this because it not only gave the people a break, but vegetation won’t grow if people overwork the land. By the Lord′s institution of a year of rest, the land had time to recover and produce a stronger harvest in the future years to come. 
Perhaps it would help us to realize how important the year of Jubilee was if we realize that one of the main reasons that the Israelites went into captivity was that they didn’t observe these resting years as commanded by the Lord (Leviticus 26).

Dear Reader, a Jubilee is a year of rest. It is a year of release from all forms of enslavement. Therefore I pray for everyone reading this material right now who may have been enslaved by the despotic reign of Lucifer, it would be your year of irrevocable release in Jesus’ name.

Let me remind us as we prepare to enter into this year of perfect Jubilee that for every promise of God there are conditions to be fulfilled. So, what are the conditions for partaking in the upcoming Jubilee.

One, Service
Apostle Peter admonishing the early church had this to say “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
1Peter 4:10.
Service cannot be overemphasized in the kingdom assignment given to Christians. To be born again means to be born into a holy service unto the Lord – Galatians 5:13. Service makes us relevant and gives us worthy position in God – John 12:26. Genuine and heart-felt service unto God qualifies every child of God for the rest that God has promised unto them. Every service has reward – Hebrew 6:10. Now, you need to know that there is quality service and there is substandard service. Both Cain and Abel offered unto God as an act of worship their token of service but one was honorable while the other was reckoned by God as dishonorable. This is where conscience is critical. When you serve dear friend, please do so with all your heart as unto the Lord.

Second, Giving
Giving should be seen as an opportunity to invest and prosper – Matthew 6:19-21 but unfortunately many people think of themselves as helping God or helping the receivers when they give to God or to men. When we give to God, it is in fact a privilege. God does not need the help of any man to fulfil his missions. When we give to any man it is actually a privilege because it could have been the other way round - It could have been us in need of the giving but grace found us. Brethren, to be blessed the more, give the more – I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)

Lastly, Obedience
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28). In the Kingdom of God, nothing is as valuable as obedience, not even service. For instance if your service is not within the boundaries of obedience God forbid that you receive rebuke instead of reward. As it is often said “to obey is better than sacrifice”, but obedience is hard labor with submission to God which gives us the power to resist the devil – James 4:7, Luke 9:23. It is in total submission to God that we find the courage and strength for complete obedience.

As we prepare for the 70th Anniversary of the RCCG, I want to congratulate all members of the RCCG. I want to also wish you a very merry and life-transforming Convention. I pray for you as you go to the Perfect Jubilee Convention that in this very Convention, your rest will be made perfect. This year is declared the year of your Perfect Jubilee in Jesus’s name.

I had a terrible dream that got me scared. I prayed and fasted. Later in 2022, I had a pain on my leg, I took analgesic and that was the last thing I knew but God revived and healed me. I’m also thanking God for my granddaughter’s birthday.
- Mummy Ajadi

I bless God for His faithfulness in my family and also thanking Him for my husband’s birthday.
- Sis. Akintunde

I thank God for successful completion of Senior Certificate Examination. The Lord made the examination easy and successful.
I also bless God for another year of my Sister’s birthday.
- David Yahaya

I bless God for success in my JAMB and WAEC Exams. Also, thanking God for my sister’s birthday.
- Tomisin Odunuyi

I had a terrible cough that was later diagnosed as tuberculosis. It was so terrible. This year February, God healed me completely.
- Eddie Lawrence

I bless God on behalf of my Parents. This month is their wedding anniversary
Also this month is my birthday. Halleluyah!
- Olawale Timilehin

I bless God for another year of my daddy’s birthday.
- Abolade Adeleye

Gen 8:1-4
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Rest is what happens after work.
Rest is the reward for a meaningful work done to honest means. You rest from the weary of the job of a day. The Bible says after God had worked full six days creating heaven and the earth and all that is in it He rested. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” (Gen 2:2)

Many people seek rest without doing meaningful work. It does not work like that. Sleep is poison to a slothful man because through the course of most days he would have done but little work. This is why the Bible instructs in Proverbs 24:33-34 “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.”
Men who rest without doing meaningful work are courting poverty, lack and misery at close quarters. If there is one value thing that I like to commend to you as the second half of this year begins, it is the power and sanctity in dignified labour. This second half of the year, do some good work. Do meaningful work with your hands. Exert yourself a little more. Don’t sit idling about in your office all day long. Don’t be that clumsy folk going from table to table leaving piles of files unattended. Be exceptional.

I remember the charge of Bishop Abioye last year to a band of young men and women who attended a conference where he spoke. Permit me to quote him “Many people are asking young men and women to take it easy. I say to you young men, do not take it easy. Get on the move. Do some decent work. Exert yourself”. Please exert yourself dear reader. A great work ethic always add value to life, it never diminishes any man.

Now let us now examine the dimension of God’s expectation after meaningful work- Rest. You see, when you have worked hard, it is also important to rest. As you may already know; Rest is not just sleep. Many people sleep 7-8 hours each night who have not even one second of rest. Rest is not sleep. Rest is far deeper than sleep.
Second, rest is not the absence of troubles. I would like to be able to tell you dear brethren that the mystery of the cross guarantees an eternal life of bliss without a single day of challenges, but that would be an honest lie. I would like to tell you that being on the side of God saves you from all the problems of life and guarantees a life without challenges but that again would be a lie. The truth dear reader is that even the best of the brethren whose “linen” are immaculate white sometimes experience some of life’s most debilitating challenges. The Bible in James 1:1-2 speaking of the trying of our faith says “ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Your question then would be where then is the rest? -Rest is defined as the peace of God.
As Jesus slept in the inner cabin in Mark 4:35-40, there was a wind. It was fierce and raging wild. Everyone in the boat was seriously frightened while Jesus of Nazareth was having a good sleep. It was in the midst of a great storm but Jesus was unperturbed. The storm could not steal his peace. There are many people reading this piece right now that the storms of life are stealing your peace, I pray for you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, peace be still.

Rest is the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Many men want to understand the life of other men. They seek to know the source of the strength of others, they even try to know the source of their power. When men succeed in knowing your source and understanding the secret of your secrets, they have unraveled you. Many men are seeking to know the source of your peace may they never succeed in Jesus name.
Dear reader as we enter another half of the year, it is my prayer for you that the Grace of God will find you in all things. I pray that God’s rest will be your reward on every side. May God cause you to have rest on every side.

Wishing you a happy new month.