https://www.facebook.com/102651978036190/

NobleMind Magazine, E. Y. N Church, Yola (2024)

25/01/2024

THE FIFTH GOSPEL
There are five gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Christians—but most people never read the first four.’
If the world will never read the first four gospels, then what will they read?
God's not looking for secret service agents in the church, but many Christians have gone incognito.
As followers of Jesus, our lives are on display. They’re being read. Paul the apostle, in speaking to the Corinthians, said, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Cor. 3:2-3). Our lives tell a story. A narrative. But what do they communicate? Our lives are meant to be good news. They’re meant to be contagious, magnetic, and desirable.
People should read our actions and our words and sense something transcendent.
If we want to make a gospel impact, the actions of our lives must correspond to the affirmations of our lips. It’s not either/or. It’s both audio and visual. Audio-visual Christianity provides the greatest gospel impact. The reality is that every Christian is on stage, whether he or she likes it or not. And the world is our audience. The world needs to hear and see our message. That’s what brings color to our Christianity. The greater sanctification we experience, the greater impact our lives can have on non-believers. By living large on Jesus, we give the world fewer excuses to reject Jesus at our expense.

25/11/2023

VIRTUOUS WOMAN
(Proverbs 31)

A virtuous woman is a woman of noble character, morals, principles, prayer, and hard work. She is classical and pleasant in every sense of her words and actions. Her endowment is based on her sense of industry and resourcefulness, not her physique, which makes her appear alluring.She can be a full-time homemaker, businesswoman, mother, or single lady.Her sense of fashion and appearance is exquisite, appropriate to her status, and meets the standards of society. She adorned herself with purity, being discreet in all her discourse—not censorious nor peevish. She is conscious of her values and never compromises by following the crowd. She is aware of her purpose and goals in life and never merchandise herself to pigs who don't value pearls. Such a woman is a trophy, a model, and a scarce commodity.
In today's world, women place much emphasis on external beauty despite being morally weak and anemic in character. They use a wide range of health products and supplements to look young, appealing, and to slow down the aging process. Proverbs 31 states that true beauty, however, is the embodiment of virtues rather than the result of makeup. The idea of a virtuous woman is not just an ideal; rather, it is a call to action for women to live lives marked by wisdom, faith, and devotion to God. Being a moral woman is a lifelong process of development, dedication, and self-improvement rather than an impossible ideal. J.J Terrah

20/09/2023

THE SIN OF GLUTTONY
Food sustains the body, giving it what it needs to function properly, and if prepared correctly can be a delightful experience. However, it can become such a big part of a person’s life that it controls his/her life, and eating becomes a top priority. Many people don't have self-control when it comes to food. Prob 23:1-3: " put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Ruminate over the phrase "given to appetite". The Bible clearly condemned gluttony as a sin which consumes the body and the soul. There is nothing wrong with moderate desire for food but a strong, compulsive and uncontrollable appetite is sinful.
A person can have an appetite even if not hungry. What's the difference between hunger and gluttony if one may ask?
Hunger is the stomach's feeling of discomfort caused by a lack of food intake.
While gluttony is an inordinate desire” for food and drink that goes beyond reasonableness and therefore departs from goodness. It is a sin opposed to the virtue of temperance because it is the immoderate indulgence in the delights of food or drink.
SIGNS
1) Obsessive food cravings
2)A preoccupation with obtaining and consuming food
3)Eating alone to avoid attention
4) Eating to the point of physical discomfort
5) A loss of control over the location where cooking/eating occurs
A person can be excessive in what, when, how, and how much he/she eats.
Hastily - by eating too rapidly, gulping down food or drink. As a gift of God, food and drink should be savored and enjoyed. To fail in this regard is not only impolite when in the company of others but can also be offensive to God.
Excessively - by habitually consuming more than is healthy.
Greedily - by demanding what the other person wants, Showcasing unwillingness to share food or drink with others or insisting on being served separately.
The cure for the sin of gluttony is self control through moderate consumption. We eat to live, not live to eat.

24/08/2023

SELF DISCIPLINE
Self discipline is one of the most important and useful skills everyone should possess. It is the manifestation of restraint, firmness, purposefulness, self-mastery, perseverance and ability to resist distractions/ temptations.
Our society tends to associate self-discipline with athletes, celebrities, business owners and the likes. This is because they achieved a level of success that typically cannot be reached without a high level of self-discipline. But how do we develop self-discipline as people who don’t fit into those categories?
As Christians, we don’t have the luxury of having the attitude that others do when it comes to lack of self-discipline. We can’t just say “this is how I am”, and move on. In fact, because of what the bible says about self-discipline, we actually have no excuses. "For the Spirit of God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and SELF-DISCIPLINE "(2 Tim 1:7). The success that God intends for us, requires rigorous self-discipline. But It takes more than willpower and determination to be self disciplined. You need to go through learning and training processes until being self-disciplined becomes a habit.
STEPS INVOLVE IN CULTIVATING SELF DISCIPLINE
1) Write your goals: Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thoughts. Organize your thoughts, figure out what you want and write it down. Always think on paper. A goal that is not in writing is not a goal but a mare wish.
2)Stay focused and avoid distractions: Distractions are the enemy of accomplishment and discipline. Your ability to resist temptation will turn bad habits into good habits.
3)Accountability partner: Having someone to share your goals and keep you accountable can help keep you on track and motivated to stay disciplined.
Self-discipline is imperative for becoming the person that God wants us to be. We must not see ourselves as finished products; rather as work in progress.

13/08/2023

PRIDE
Pride is defined as high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing or conduct. It is a grievous sin that can be egregious yet inconspicuous. Because it is so deceptive, we are often oblivious to our pride. Awareness of pride is essential since it hinders our relationship with God. The Bible refers to pride by several names: self-exaltation, haughtiness, puffed up, lofty, conceit, arrogance and boastfulness.
Pride is at full display whenever virtue, status or success is paraded in an open gallery for the sake of attention or complement. Jesus chided the phareses for parading self righteous behaviors for attention. Pride seeks and entertains praise from others.
Consequences
1) Pride Destroys Your Spiritual Life
Pride is very problematic but perhaps the worse problem it creates are the spiritual consequences it fosters. It prevents the person from growing spiritually, and also builds a chasm between the person and God. A prideful person will ignore the convictions of the Holy spirit.
2)Pride Hinders Growth
Arrogance stagnates spiritual and personal growth. Pride prevents a person from having a teachable attitude which is essential for growth. You have to admit ignorance and be willing to be taught in order to grow. Both are absent from a person with a prideful disposition.
3)Pride Destroys Relationships
No one likes to hang around, much less fellowship with people who are too prideful. It’s unpleasant being around such people who never admit their wrongs. To them, admitting they’re wrong is humiliating. A prideful person doesn't distinguish between humility and humiliation.

31/07/2023

SUNDAY SCHOOL BIBLE MYTHS
There are volumes of Bible stories graphically told by Sunday school teachers and preachers that are not only inaccurate but imaginary. Some misconceptions are relatively misrepresentation, but others are preconceived notions of others that can lead to serious misunderstandings and ultimately cause people to question things the Bible never actually stated.
1) TWO ANIMALS OF EACH KIND ENTERED INTO NOAH'S ARK
Ask Christians who are vaguely familiar with the biblical account of the Flood how many animals of each kind Noah took into the ark, and you likely will hear, “Two!” Most Bible students are familiar with the instructions recorded in (Gen 6:19) "And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark". It seems that fewer people, however, are aware of (Gen. 7:2) where God
supplemented this original instruction, informing Noah in a more detailed manner to take more of the clean animals which some were used by Noah to offer burnt offerings after the flood."seven each of every clean animal-two each of animals that are unclean" (Gen 7:2)
2) DELILAH WAS A HALORT
Most Christians call Delilah a harlot. But There is no verse in the bible that tamed her as a pr******te, only that she was a woman living in the torrent valley of Sorek . There was a pr******te mentioned in (Judges 16:1-2) who lived at Gaza but not Delilah who lived in the valley of Sorek. The author was intentionally silent about her name. The story of Samson and Delilah started from (Judges 16:4).
3) THE THREE WISEMEN
Matthew records the visit of the magi from the east in his gospel; He does not, however, state how many magi were there. There were at least three gifts (Frankincense, gold, and myrrh which is probably where this misconception stems from).
Conclusion
If we misrepresent or casually accept factually wrong teachings regarding Scripture, then we are not only inaccurately handling God’s Word, we are promoting untruth.

15/07/2023

ETIQUETTE OF A GOOD CONVERSATION

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation (James 3:13)
In conversation, The art of expressing one’s thoughts neatly and suitably is one which we must practice for ourselves. The commonest thought well put is more useful in a social point of view, than the most brilliant idea jumbled out. What is well expressed is easily seized, and therefore readily responded to; the most poetic fancy may be lost to the hearer, if the language which conveys it is obscure. Speech is the gift which distinguishes men from animals, and makes society possible. He has but a poor appreciation of his high privilege as a human being who neglects to cultivate ‘God’s great gift of speech. One of the first rules for a guide in polite conversation, is to avoid political or religious discussions in general society. Such discussions lead almost invariably to irritating differences of opinion, often to open quarrels, and a coolness of feeling which might have been avoided by dropping the distasteful subject as soon as marked differences of opinion arose. It is but one out of many that can discuss either political or religious differences, with candor and judgment, and yet so far control his language and temper as to avoid either giving or taking offence. If drawn into a discussion without intending to be so, be careful that your individual opinion does not lead you into language and actions unbecoming a gentleman. Listen courteously to those whose opinions do not agree with yours, and keep your temper at bay.
Even if convinced that your opponent is utterly wrong, yield gracefully,decline further discussion, or dextrously change the subject, but do not obstinately defend your own opinion until you become angry or more excited than is becoming of a gentleman. A gentleman should refrain from using harsh language even if called upon to express dissatisfaction by the conduct of his fellow brother.

21/10/2022

To a writer of distinctive masterpiece,
A composer whose voice is best heard through words. The Noble crew do wish to ceased this moment and celebrate with you. Happy Birthday and many more blissful years ahead.

28/08/2022

LEARN TO FORGIVE

Some people view forgiveness
as a virtue for the weak.
An act of mercy undeserved,
that serves no useful need.
They stand firmly in their judgment
and won't consider flaw a mistake.
They prefer to hold a senseless grudge than accept amends when made.
They feel they have some godly right
to reject and criticize.
Such a people are possessed by righteous anger and consumed by pointless pride.
They always focus on how they've been wronged and fooled.
They view forgiveness as an invitation for another stabbing or betrayal.
But they failed to understand that,
It's not offence that destroys relationships, rather it's the inability to forgive.
Such a people never knew that, there is no weakness in forgiveness;
Rather, forgiveness is the strength of the mighty.

13/08/2022

YOU'RE A STAR

You're a star,
Twinkle your uniqueness over the curtain of life,
And let not the reflections of others outshine your brightness.
Be strong and courageous,
Have faith in your abilities;
A humble confidence in one's self can sweep myriad of obstacles.

You're a star,
As you beam your light through the darkness of time.
Let the firmaments be illuminated by your glory,
Let your radiance light up the sky.
When ever we gaze up,
Let us see you shinning.

J.J TERRAH

13/06/2022

PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination is a thief of time,
Year after year it steals till none is left,
And to the mercy of a moment
leaves the vast concerns unaccomplished.

The 'Right Moment' is but a myth.
It's comfortable to adjoin a task,
But to delay is to invite danger
And to postpone is to banquet perils.
Be wise today;
It's madness to defer.

Procrastination is a lazy man's apology.
Life and opportunities can quickly slip away.