“Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you leaders of Israel.

Listen, you members of the royal family.

Judgment has been handed down against you.

For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia Grove. But I will settle with you for what you have done.

I know what you are like, O Ephraim. You cannot hide yourself from me, O Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. Your deeds won’t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you do not know the Lord .

The arrogance of Israel testifies against her; Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with them. When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord, they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them.

They have betrayed the honor of the Lord , bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth.

Sound the alarm in Gibeah! Blow the trumpet in Ramah! Raise the battle cry in Beth-aven ! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin!

One thing is certain, Israel : On your day of punishment, you will become a heap of rubble. “The leaders of Judah have become like thieves. So I will pour my anger on them like a waterfall. The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols. I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood.

When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria— to the great king there— but he could neither help nor cure them.

I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces! I will carry them off, and no one will be left to rescue them.

Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me.”

Hosea 5:1‭-‬15 NLT

………….

He who has ears let him hear.

From the Bible, we learn that righteousness is not gotten through works, or by merit or achievement. In fact, the Bible describes attempts by man to become righteous as ‘filthiness’ and ‘insubordination’…

The early verses of Luke chapter 5 does more than show a miracle of provision and abundance. Those verses of scripture portrays Peter in a light that helps us appreciate why Christ chose him as the rock upon which to build his church despite his human imperfections and why it was possible for Peter to experience a net-breaking catch of fish.

Scent leaves! They’re found almost in every home garden in my part of the world. Botanical name-Ocimum gratissimum, scent leaf is an aromatic shrub used extensively across tropical and subtropical regions, including Nigeria.

Scent leaves are sweet-smelling spicy leaves commonly used in soups, stew and a few other kinds of foods. While studies have suggested some medicinal benefits of scent leaves, my love for this shrub lies in its aromatic side, a love that goes way back to my childhood.

I grew up in the coastal parts of Nigeria, precisely in Rivers State. One of the memorable things about growing up in this area is the early exposure to seafoods and the different delicacies that can emerge from them.

I grew up eating seafood based foods, notable among which are the Rivers Native Soup, Fisherman Soup, Onunu & Freshfish Pepper Soup. These are really deliciously yummy meals and scent leaves add great flavours to some of these dishes. There is hardly anytime you’ll eat any of these delicacies and not proclaim; ‘The Lord Brought My Soup!’

I particularly plant scent leaves in every new home I move to. My family recently moved home, and along came my little scent leaf shrub. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one in my neighbourhood who spices up soups with scent leaves. In my short time here, my once luscious little scent leaf shrub, starting looking dry and bare. The shrub was struggling to meet the demands from more than one user.

Did I become grumpy? Yes and sorry! It might just help if people would just stick little scent leaf plants in the soil in their backyards…what do you think? Shhh, I didn’t say that to them. Sadly, I found myself having to buy scent leaves from the market. Not very nice. And each time the now bare shrub in my small garden stared at me, a little sadness filled my soul. Well until recently…

I decided to take a walk around the house to see how well my flowers were blossoming; very well I must say, and I love them. That was when I noticed the fine spread of little shrubs around the area of my little scent leaf shrub, a spread that extended well beyond the location of the original plant. A closer look confirmed these were new scent leaf shrubs sprouting all over the place. Amazing! This is almost too good to be true…..

Immediately Proverbs 11:24 came to mind…

“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 11:24 NKJV

Oh! If only my sprouting little shrubs were gold…. 🙂

And no, I am not grumpy any longer… infact, you are welcome to have some of my scent leaf.

Don’t stop giving, never stop sowing. Whether you sow sparingly or bountifully, keep sowing. Remember though that there’s more reward for the bountiful sower….

“..but this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.“
II Corinthians 9:6 NKJV

“..and let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Galatians 6:9 NKJV

Happy Monday!

I hope you enjoy the recipes..?

……………..

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Blessings & Love Always.

equipped with all this information and knowledge, it is difficult to be downtrodden by principalities and powers, or by any other scheme of the evil one. do you know who you are?

The weapon may be formed, but it won’t prosper
When the darkness falls, it won’t prevail
‘Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph
My God will never fail
Oh, my God will never failI’m gonna see a victory

I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You,

There’s power in the mighty name of Jesus
Every war He wages He will win
I’m not backing down from any giant
‘Cause I know how this story ends
Yes, I know how this story endsI’m gonna see a victory

I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You,

Lord am gonna worship my way through this battle
Gonna worship my way through.

You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for goodI’m gonna see a victory

I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord
I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You,

Lord You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You’re turning it around
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good,

Songwriters: Ben Fielding / Christopher Joel Brown / Jason Ingram / Steven Furtick

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

An armor is seldom a combative tool, an armor is a protective gear. The enemy didn’t go to sleep following Jesus’s victory on the cross. No, the devil is still the god of this evil age and he is committed to ensuring that not so many people come to know about their freedom, liberation, newness of life through Christ Jesus.

in this Kingdom worry has no place because we know to ask and receive, seek and find, to knock and have access to open doors (Matthew 7:7). We know to say, believe and have, to speak to the mountain believing, and to see it move (Mark 11:23).

Some things in life are just impossible. For example, it is impossible for a virgin to give birth to a child (well, except with current medical interventions). It is impossible for a dead person to come back to life (John 11:44). It is not normal to be subtracting from something and yet for that thing to be increasing (Proverbs 11:24)

So when Mary said to the angel; ‘how can this be’? She wasn’t being unreal.

“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus . Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
Luke 1:30‭-‬31‭, ‬34 NKJV

That is why I can understand how you feel about taking that seemingly impossible step. It is practically impossible to achieve success as is.

Well, my Bible tells me ‘nothing is impossible with God’, and that includes every possibly impossible thing.

The question then is; ‘are you doing it on your own or with God?‘

“Commit your way to the Lord , trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.“
Psalms 37:5 NKJV

God is the One who brings impossible things to pass.