Church tings

 It's 10. 30am  and I swiftly tip toe into the  church. Then all eyes switch to me. I suddenly feel threatened and unwelcome. Almost all seats are taken. I do a quick analysis. There are two main columns. One is full of women and children and the other few a men and youth. The last seats are full of ruddy youth and I feel odd seating next to them. I walk boldly oblivious of the noise my sharp-shooters are making. Now everybody is looking at me. I sit next to an old woman and everybody goes back to listening. No sooner do I sit down than the speaker signals that we all stand up. It's praise and worship time.I don't know any of the songs and I am trying hard to keep up with the dancing rhythm. The old woman next to me keeps confusing my rhythm. She keeps stepping on my shoe. However I am catching up and as soon hear "mambo sawasawa". I love this song. I am now singing joyfully but then the song is cut and we all sit down. Someone is talking up there but I can't get my eyes off the ceiling. There is a small bird that keeps flying above us. I think it's looking for a way out. I follow it with my eyes and desperately hope it sees the exit. After about 20 minutes it finally flies out. Now I promised myself to be attentive during the preaching. I pull up in my seat and attentively listen until someone catches my eye. There is this girl in the front seats who keeps looking in my direction. Everytime she looks back, our eyes meet then she looks forward again. I will not look at her this time but she looks again and our eyes lock. She suddenly jolts up and starts walking out. She is the lightskin type and I follow her back with my eyes to my satisfaction.Then a phone rings. I mean, seriously? Who doesn't put their phone in silent mode during church? Everybody is looking for the culprit but they soon face my direction. I look oblivious till I realize it's mine. I quickly take it out of my pocket and try to end the call. My fingers are moving as fast as they can but it's still ringing. I finally switch it off but the stares I get make me feel like crawling under my seat. It's preaching time. I quickly go to my phone's Bible app and read through. Then I notice a Twitter notification. "#kenyavsnigeria" is trending. The pictures there are hysterical . I go through them with quiet chuckles and sighs. Then I move to Facebook and enter a few pages before I suddenly hear "the grace of our Lord..", the program has come to an end and everyone is going out. I switch off my phone and walk out.

A prayer of truth

A prayer of truth (PART 1) 

Every once in a while we find ourselves in predicaments  we had once sworn never to go back to. We knelt, lifted our hands and vowed to God to have stopped  that sin. We felt liberated and confident. We had "repented". For a while we testify freedom and preach it but then something happens, we do it again. Guilt strikes it's powerful blow and we run back to God. 

We kneel again and condemn the devil. We pray with deep conviction and declare redemption. We have "repented",  again. This cycle continues for most of our Christian lives. These happens as a result of many wrong turns:for example quenching the Holy Spirit (1 thesalonians 5:15 a lesson for another day).  However most of us were never liberated from the sin in the first place(another lesson for another day). 

What I want to talk about today is a prayer of truth. A prayer of confession that pours all our afflictions to God. A close look into the book of psalms puts it all into light. In Psalms 6:2, David says "Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I [am] weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed."  David admitted to God he was weak. He prayed in truth. 

A prayer of truth confesses to God all our struggles. See that the moment we vow to never sin again, we are relying on own strength. We take God out of the equation yet we know without Him we can do nothing (Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.) 

We need to cast all of our weaknesses,struggles and slaveries to sin to God:asking for His strength to defeat them. Basically, we need to speak the truth. It is my prayer God will guide you more on this matter.