MONDAY MESSAGE OF HOPE 25

When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, God put a power in you greater than any power you have ever encountered in your life. We are not supposed to go through life feeling disadvantaged and abandoned. There may be so many things against you that make you deeply worried. Beloved, Romans 8:11 says the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. We believe that Jesus has great power but many of us do not know that the same power lives in us. This power is so strong that death could not keep Jesus in the grave, a power so strong that all the forces of darkness could not stop.

Sometimes we go through life, full of negative thinking about ourselves. When we are faced with a heavy task, we sometimes see it as impossible, when our dreams come knocking, we think we can never accomplish our dreams, and these will always keep you away from your God given destiny. Beloved, do you know you are not weak; you are full of a great power. You are not supposed to back down from life and run away from difficulties. One thing with difficulties is that you can never run away from it. No man is free from it. In fact do not run from things that are hard, rather stand your ground and fight the good fight of faith.

Through the resurrection, the enemy has already been defeated; the key to the gate of hell has already been defeated. There is a power in you that is a no match to any power that tries to stop you. Do not fear, do not back down, do not feel disadvantaged anymore, stop feeling intimidated, stop moving around with a victim mentality, etc because you are also full of resurrection power. What is against you may look moré influential, more powerful, do not allow yourself to be defeated by circumstances, always move and act knowing deeply that you possess a divine power in you. Always act like that you are more than a conqueror. Stop going through life intimidated, when you have the most powerful force in the universe living in you.  When you know who you are and whose you are, when you realize that you belong to God, you will stop feeling intimidated, thinking that problems are bigger than you. If death cannot keep Jesus inside the grave, that difficulty cannot hold you back, that sickness cannot stop you, that circumstance cannot defeat you. There is a power in you greater than any power that comes against you.

Beloved, stop living your life in worry and complaining. People can say what they want. Jesus suffered, the soldiers mocked him. But that was not the end of the story. What you are passing through is not your end yet. The soldiers spit on him and even crucified him and he was nailed on the cross, he had all power, He would have called ten thousand angels, but he did not do it. He just did it for me and you. Hanging on that cross, there was a great earthquake, the sun he created turn its back and refused to shine again, there was darkness in the middle of the day, when the soldiers saw these they said to another, “truly and verily, He is the son of God”. When Jesus breathes his last breath on the earth, the veil on the sanctuary ripped from the top to the bottom, the veil was where the Ark of the Covenant dwells, where God lives. Nobody can go in there except the priests. When that veiled ripped, it was not to let God out, it was to let us in. Now we can confidently approach the throne of grace. You now have free access to God. God needs your relationship, it does not matter who you are, it does not matter the mistakes you made, or what you have done in the past. He has paid the price for every mistake, every wrong you have made. The veil is open; He is waiting to hear from you. His mercy is available for all.

When Jesus was put in the tomb, many thought it was over, it was a battle between life and darkness, Jesus and satan, but Jesus crushed the serpent and defeated him. He paralyzed him and rendered him powerless. On Friday, it looked dark, it looked as if it is over, but Sunday morning was a different story. Life conquered darkness, Jesus defeated satan. The grave could not hold him any longer. He came out holding the keys to life and death, full of power. The same power He gave to us. Jesus brought devil to his knees.

When the thoughts of worry, fear etc come to us, instead of dwelling on them and worried, beloved, remind him that He has no power over you. Do not give the devil a single opportunity in your life. What you are and who you are is beyond human comprehension. Always remind the enemy of his defeat. We do not have to fear the devil anymore; we do not have to fear the future. Hold your head on high, stop feeling depressed, the same power that broke the tomb lives in you, always tap into this power.

May God give you more strength to conquer your challenges and save you from every affliction.  Amen

Fr. Sanctus Mario

MONDAY MESSAGE OF HOPE 24

Resurrection literally means the act of bringing something that had disappeared or ended back into use or existence. Bringing something back to life again. In life we go through adversities, we have many unfair things happen to us, maybe we lost a loved one, we did not get what we asked in prayer, a friend betrayed you and may be a marriage did not last; these make it easy to be bitter, then feel disappointed and depressed and lose your enthusiasm for life. So many people are living in the past, always focused on how unfair life was to them; they now go round with a victim mentality and always blaming a circumstance or somebody else for their situations. I have so much discovered that sometimes our past prepare us for the future.

You are not actually defined by your past, you are prepared by it. Every challenge and adversity you faced may have something positive God deposited in it. Your character may be developed, your strength will be on the increase, vision enlarged etc. Sometimes in some difficulties you experience a new level of God’s goodness. Maybe somebody wronged you, or you made some poor choices, this makes you feel dejected, always think in the right path and know that most of these prepare you for the future.

Beloved never allow things in life to happen to you, but for you. In other words God would not allow me go through it if He did not have a purpose for it. He did not allow that adversity to come just like that if He does not want something good to come out of it, even though it may be difficult and unfair. If you would just keep thinking in the right way and have a positive attitude, it will not only get you of that situation, it will prepare you for the future. It did not happen by accident. All things work together for good for those who love God. St. Augustine says “love God and do whatever you like” but here I will add, “love God and accept whatever that happens to you as good”. Remember this bible verse didn’t say all things are good. Because you may not like it. May be you encountered a setback in your marriage, in your life or in your business etc do not let the setback be a central focus of your life. Continue to keep your goals in front of you. Keep your dreams alive. Jesus endured the pains of the cross. He knows the joy of resurrection set before Him. He trusted His Father to lead Him through. Just like Jesus, Continue to have faith and focus on what is in front of you. Even though what you are passing through may look like a stumbling block, God may use them as stepping stones to get you to a higher level. Trust the way, God is taking you to.

There is always something positive behind the cross. There is always something positive behind every adversity. Keep your dreams in the right perspective, you are not defined by your past, you are not defined by your family background or by how somebody treated you, even by the mistakes you made. You are prepared by your past. Life is too short to start killing yourself now. You may have been through the cross, through the crucifixion, through the burial, beloved. Now is the time of resurrection. If you have to live this resurrected life, you have to have a resurrected mentality. That means this is the time to shake everything off and posses a victory mentality. This is not the time to move about defeated again but to move and act in faith. Shake of that condemning voice today, shake off that guilt and live a resurrected life. This is the time to change your mentality. God’s mercy is bigger than any mistake you have made. And God can use everything to your advantage. Your dreams may have been buried because of your past and your reaction to it. Now is the time to resurrect them again. Be unstoppable.

Sometimes you have to really appreciate anyone who did you wrong, who taught you great lessons in a hard way. Appreciate those people that hurt you, write them a check even,buy them gift, if you can. Sincerely they stretched your talents, they taught you great lessons. Most of the things you have today were born out of difficulties. They made you grow. Now you have possessed a lot of strength and confidence. Sometimes when it looks like one of our dreams have died, we just give up. Many go through disappointments, instead of getting a fresh vision for their life, they run around in self pity. They stop at the cross and the burial. They still have to move to the resurrection point.

You cannot continue to mourn over something, you cannot change in your life, and the time of resurrection is the time to change your mentality and refocus, get ready for the things God has prepared for you.

Beloved, there is a great lesson to be learned in the resurrection event of our Lord Jesus Christ. He went through tough times but it was a way prepared by God for our salvation. When you go through tough times, you may not know what God is preparing ahead for you. If not for some adversity you may not be where you are today. Sometimes take time and thank God for all the difficulties in your paths, thank Him for all those that worked against you at your back, thank God for the bad situations around you. Sometimes what people see as shameful and degrading, God sees as good. He might be preparing you for a great level. Stop being sour and continue your Calvary journey, your resurrection moment may be near.

Your life may be filled with guilt, that you always condemn yourself. This is the time to shake it off. And move on. Difficulties are sometimes beneficial. We grow in difficulties. And characters are developed at these moments. Forgive all that wrong you. This is the time of resurrection. David said though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil. He did not say though I live in the valley, tucked or even die in the valley. He says this valley must be passed, that means this valley is temporary, it must come to pass. We all have something in the natural that steal our joy, that makes you worried, you have to keep the right perspective like David and say no, am going through this, it is not coming to stay but to pass. That valley is not your permanent address nwannem. Oga adicha mma.

May God give you the grace to conquer your depressing situations and live a resurrected life. Amen.

Fr. Sanctus Mario

MONDAY MESSAGE FOR THE DEPRESSED 23….

The cross has become the quintessential symbol for the Christian faith. In the earliest times it is highly cruel and shameful to die through the cross. Crucifixion was the arguably the most shameful way to die in the first century. Jesus chose this way. It looks confusing; it looks very stupid how God will choose to die in the hands of humans and the worst on the cross. Dying on the cross is one of the unacceptable things a Jew can do. The Cross was adopted by the Roman Empire with the intent to suppress and intimidate. It was devised as a method of execution that prolonged the suffering and death of a victim. It was originally reserved exclusively for slaves and was considered one of the most humiliating and shameful things a person could ever endure. No one would accept that in our time.

God would have used another way to save the world; He would have shown the world signs in heaven to prove He has forgiven the world. For Jesus to choose the most painful and cruel way of agony, shows that something must be behind the cross. The way of the cross is filled with persecutions, agony, trials, suffering and death. It is full of pains, rejection and mockery. The way of the cross is unacceptable but first our Parents chose the way of pleasure and plunged us into suffering and death but Jesus chose the way of the cross and brought salvation.

The cross looks shameful but behind the cross, there is victory, there is salvation. It was no longer seen as a place where Jesus was overcome by shame, mocked and laughed at but a location where shame was overcome by Jesus, a place where God’s mercy now  flow like a living water.  In other words, Jesus transformed the cross from a place of shame to a place of victory.  Jesus was stripped and humiliated, bore the cross in front of a crowd, scorned, despised, mocked and abused to the point of death. It is also Jesus that God resurrected and lifted up the highest place in Heaven giving him the name above every name (Philippians 2 verses 6-10). Now by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:2-5). At the mention of his name every kingdom bows.

In the cross, there is no longer loss but victory, no condemnation but vindication, no humiliation but exaltation. No shame, but glory. The way of the cross (the way of self-denial), is the way of life, for “If anyone desires to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23. The way of the cross is giving yourself entirely to God. Jesus accepted the cross to fulfill the will of the Father, and God exalted Him. Just as Jesus had to bear His cross, we have a cross to bear as well. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Our cross represents the same for us as Jesus’ cross represented for Him. Our salvation can also come through our daily crosses.

Sometimes behind our cross is a perfect victory. Sometimes when you think all hope is lost, blessings you never imagined could be on the way. Beloved never despise the cross. The cross is our symbol. It is the symbol of our victory; it is the way of glory. No one is without a cross, find out your cross and carry it with joy. There is always victory at last. Today many of us want the way of pleasure, the way of comfortability, the way of flexing, the way of enjoyment and this has made many to enter many occultic groups, this has made many to make evil covenants, this has made many to thread where they are not supposed to which after they have come to themselves, they begin to regret. The truth is that this life is not eternal. Why you kill, kidnap, dupe, and scam to enjoy the world, do not forget your life here is limited. You have an eternal life to protect. The way of the cross is not wanted or cherished by anyone, no one wants it but sometimes blessings are packaged behind it. Jesus is the way. Follow the way. Sometimes only in the Cross of Christ can we receive power when we are powerless, find strength when we are weak, experience hope when our situation is hopeless. Only in the Cross is there peace for our troubled hearts.

Many people today who have made mistakes in life are those who wander from place to another seeking for solutions to their problems. Let me surprise you a little, God may give you a challenging situation to lead you to your destiny. God may allow you to be betrayed to lead where He wants you to work for Him. God may allow you to pass through rejection to wake up the hidden talents in you. Most great men today are those who rose up to their challenges. Most of the great books today that now inspire people are written under challenging situations. So many who suffer one sickness or the other may be a cross for expiation of their sins. Look into your cross and find out the reason behind it. Not every problem is man made, not every problem is a problem even. Most of the things you see as problems are blessings but hidden. Anyone who sees Jesus suffering will call him stupid, but he knows the power behind the cross. Accept the cross today, it may lead you to the crown. Do not lose your faith in God because you were rejected, because something so painful happened to you, live a life of total dependence on God. So many challenging situations have a destined purpose. Grab it with joy.

May God bless you dearest to accept this wisdom given to us by Christ and depend on Him both in good times and in bad times. May He give us the grace to still stand firm in the midst of problems and difficulties Amen.

Fr. Sanctus MArio

MONDAY MESSAGE OF HOPE 22

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It is not a new thing that many have already lost hope in life. So many people today are already tired of themselves, tired of what they are doing, tired of their conditions and even tired of God. Many today contemplate how to take away their lives or How to do something queer. They no longer have hope in what life can offer. Many sick people today are already praying and waiting on God to come and take away their lives. All Hope is Lost. Many have suffered several marriage crisis, some have lost big amount of money in business transactions, now the inability to pay up the money they borrowed for the business leave them depressed, without any hope. Many Christians in the midst of these crisis have wailed before God, cried and fasted, but still their situations remain unchanged. They now lost hope totally in God and in what life can offer.
Many children who live in a poor background seem to have lost hope totally in their future.

Are you supposed to lose hope in your self why you are still alive? Beloved, is it more better to lose hope in God in the midst of difficulties or cling to Him still despite what life can offer? Beloved for the fact you are still alive, there is a future for you. Giving up now means accepting death even. No one knows what tomorrow can bring. There is always light at the end of every tunnel. In the midst of storm, the only thing that can keep you going is your Hope in God, your Hope that every thing is going to be fine. Never worry much on what you are passing through now. The only mistake you can do is to accept it as something permanent in your life. Though difficulties keep knocking at your door, create an inner peace, that things are turning up for you.

I know it can be highly challenging to stop looking back at what you have gone through, at people who have decimated your name at your back, at what you lost etc. Beloved I advise you to leave the past in the past. Correct your mistakes and forward on. The future is still unknown, you can still make something out of it. No one moves forward, looking back. Bring your focus back to where you are now, begin to do something again. It still sounds somehow, that many have lost hope in themselves. They have already accepted that things are working against them.

There are times when we feel utterly hopeless. When our hopes and dreams are shattered, never to be fulfilled. When we can not see beyond our pain to grasp the hope Jesus offers. But, how about the faithful wife who has prayed fervently for her marriage to survive, and yet her husband chooses to walk away?
Or the husband who sees his wife being pulled into an emotional affair, begging her to return to her family, and yet she succumbs to the other man?
The child whose father abandoned the family and yet clings to the hope one day he will have a relationship with his dad only to see his dad die prematurely?
The woman who longs for a child only to suffer health consequences making it impossible for her ever to conceive?
The couple who prays over their sick child, begging God to save her, to heal her, only to see her life slip away?
Or maybe it is something else. Maybe it is addiction that robs you of your youth, or depression that steals the life of your spouse, pornography that destroys your marriage.
Whatever it may be, hope is lost. Divorce, Death, Infertility, Cancer, Drugs, Suicide, So much pain. So much anguish.
Hope is Lost.
Where does one turn when hope is lost? It is a question with which I struggle every single day. Many have walked through hopelessness in many unpleasant conditions. The question then is “How do we keep moving forward?”

Sometimes when challenges and adversities hit us , we bow before them. Some heed to crime, immorality and drinking. For them, there is nothing life can offer them again. Beloved, lies in you are great gifts from God; the mind and the will. With the mind you can think out anything, with the will , you can do anything. Tap into these great gifts. Today many depend totally on some people for their future, if those people do not come up with their expectations, they begin to hate them and then stay at home doing nothing. How can you depend on someone who is not your Maker, who does not know your mission on earth. Put all your Hope in He who sent you into this world and He who knows why you are Here. He knows who to breathe in your favour to help you. Get out of your comfort zone and start doing something, no matter how small. Believing in His divine intervention.

We all have moments when we feel disappointed, betrayed and abandoned. Moments when we feel life no longer care about us. Moments when we feel God has deserted us and does not answer our prayers again. This sometimes makes you to hate your life, hate God and every thing about God. In Acts 27:20-25, Paul narrated his experiences on his journey to Rome to face Caesar. The journey was by sea, and it was terribly rough. At a time during the journey, Paul Him self wrote “all hope that we should be saved was then taken away , for many days, we could not see the sun or the stars and the wind kept on blowing hard, we finally gave up all hope of being saved”.

Paul was in a major crisis, firstly he was taken a prisoner for doing good. As if that was not enough, he was in a dangerous and hopeless voyage, which was not of his own making. What did he do? He took courage (he was of good cheer) and encouraged his fellow travelers.
This is the first step in coming out of the storm, regardless of what is happening do not lose your courage, and do not give-in to depression. Avoid cursing and imagining how hopeless your future will become. Please note courage is not a gift that is given it’s a weapon that has to be taken. Arm yourself with this weapon. Problems are meant to be solved not feared, hardships are to be broken not stared at. Everyone faces problems so don’t make your own special. Cheer up and take the bull by the horns and get on top of things with your faith that puts you above.

Jesus is our hope in every circumstance.
Beloved always know that there is nothing like beyond repair in the presence of God. Instead of losing hope entirely, cling to Him still. When all hope is lost, keep that single hope you have on your Creator and work out your salvation. Do not stay in one place waiting for God to do everything, tell him to direct your steps, then come out and fight for your future. Never die thinking there is no more hope. You are not God, you do not even know why you are passing through hard times. Your Maker only knows, so go back to Him and then follow the inspirations of your Heart.

God bless you dearest and give you the grace to fight all your challenges Amen

Fr. Sanctus Mario