Kingdom Exploits With Uche

When we gathered the Teachers in Yei

As we employ our gifts and grace towards building a new nation in South Sudan, we are strongly
persuaded that the quality of teachers here are the yardstick that measures the achievements and hope we envisage.

They may not always remember this or be remunerated adequately
for their service, but a teacher’s role in nation building cannot be overemphasized.

Despite severe oppositions and ridiculous comments against this Conference from some quarters, we decided to proceed with it and
gathered teachers in Yei on the 5th of May. We tagged the conference, “The
Teacher: An agent of change.” Eighty teachers attended, along with many
members of the community. We had a memorable experience.

Mr. Kepo James, the Principal of Yei Teacher Training
College, and Rev Johnny Anikpe made wonderful presentations and moderated the
discussion sessions. We cast the vision for the Conference and shared our expectations, listing eight reasons why
we believe our gathering at this time is not only essential, but
non-negotiable.

Here are five of our eight perspectives:

1. As a Christian body, we’ve
come to see that our overall outreach to the youth (most of whom are students
and comprise over 80-85% of our members) is very limited because a vital agent
(the school teacher) is not fully involved.There needs to be a deliberate and collaborative effort between
school teachers and Christian ministries.

2. We are convinced that our
discipleship work within the schools will be more fruitful if we connect
with a few teachers, lead them to Christ, and train them to both mentor and
model truth to their students. A single teacher speaks to more
students weekly than any pastor here.

3. We told them we are interested in their development to the extent that
we’ve made (and are still making) contact with some individuals and
Christian-focused teacher-trainers and educators who are willing to come to
South Sudan to train teachers, as part of their contribution to the building
of this new Nation.

4. We made it clear that we want
to see teachers in Yei and South Sudan make deliberate eternal commitments to know,
love, follow and serve Jesus, thereby become active participants in God’s
redemptive Kingdom purpose in the schools.

5. We proposed an Association of
Christian Teachers that could:

a) Provide a platform to receive visiting
trainers

b) Look closely at the challenges of
teaching in South Sudan and solicit international assistance.

c) Make it possible for teachers to meet
regularly for talks, to share information on available courses, and to sharpen one another in
their profession.

d) We hope that this forum (Association)
will provide the Christian community a platform for mentoring and discipling teachers who are Patrons and
Matrons of the student fellowships.

At the end of this Conference, ten teachers gave their lives
to Jesus. We are following up with them now.

Imagine what could happen if all of them kept the faith and
became Christ’s hands and voice in their schools.

If you have a call or a passion to instruct teachers and
equip them. We need to connect with you. There’s a great ministry waiting
for you here in South Sudan.

Fruit from the Students’ Prayer Conference 2012

We didn’t plan it like this.

We couldn’t have anticipated it.

We even thought the message on 10/40 Window and missions across the borders of South Sudan would be too deep for these kids at this time.

We were wrong. Abba answered us beyond our prayers.

When Elspeth and her husband Phil finished their short presentation on missions to the Muslim world and prayed, Phil made an altar call for students that want to serve God’s cause as missionaries to Muslims and especially Arabs.

To my utter amazement and joy, almost 50 students responded immediately.

I was deeply moved as the pastors stepped forward and began praying for them and their decision.

We asked them to come the following evening for a follow-up talk and discussions. 43 of them showed up (some, even before we arrived) and told of how deeply convicted and committed they are to this call.

This conference saw another 185 give their lives to Jesus after Rev Johnny Anikpe’s exhortation.

The joy and celebration at the end included the surprise visit of the Hon. Commissioner of the County. He greatly encouraged the students and appreciated the ministry’s thrust among them. We prayed for him.

This was all Abba’s hand at work.

We can see South Sudan as a sending nation within the next few years.

We see an army of trained and unstoppable warriors for Christ’s cause, matching northward with love in their hearts and passion in their souls.

They are getting the message and soon, they’ll be giving it across the borders of this land.

These few photos below help tell the story of the Yei Students’ Prayer Conference 2012. Thanks for praying.

Students were led to pray on various issues. It was a time of serious intercession.

They were led in series of powerful worship sessions too.

They got the message and we warred in prayers together.

Uche, casting the vision for the Prayer Conference.

When Phil made the call for missionaries who’d take the gospel northward, these ones responded.

Pastors praying for those that answered the call to be missionaries to the ends of the earth… northward of South Sudan. Praise Jesus!!

Rev Johnny Anikpe leading several students to Jesus. Many of whom are primary school kids, hearing the gospel explained simply for the first time.

185 in all came to Jesus here. Discipling them is the next task.

Pastors were called out for prayers and we prayed for them; asking for unity, humility, protection, provision…

Pastor Stanley LoNathan prayed for the leaders of the two Sudans

It was a good time of prayer and worship. Some will never be the same again.

Cross section of ministers at the Prayer Conference

It was a pleasant surprise to have the Hon. Commissioner of Yei River County come to address the meeting.

The students and the organizers were encouraged by the comments of the Hon. Commissioner. He showed a great sense of understanding, and humility. He asked for support and partnership to build a greater Yei.

Rev. Johnny led prayers for the Hon. Commissioner.

There was celebration, dancing and joy in the end.

The saved took timeout to fill their decision slips. You could sense the joy among them.

Food was served and we had fun.

It was a pretty long queue for food but in the end, everyone got a good portion.

The task ahead of us in discipling and training these youth is an arduous one. But we remain focused amid many distractions. With your continued prayers and support, we’ll do valiantly.

Preparing for the promised rain

While at a very heated prayer and worship session amidst some friends and Dr John Nyikako in a small shelter in Yei, back in 2007; I had a vision I believe clearly defined my ministry in Yei.

Lost in worship before the Lord, I suddenly found myself on a high hill, overlooking several cities and villages I recognized to be within the borders of the then Sudan. I knew I was looking southward as the sun was now west bound on my right side, calling for dusk.

The Nation was experiencing a prolonged session of drought and food was scarce. As I beheld the lands before me, I was shocked by the dryness of the landscapes from where I stood, as far as I could see.

Then without warning, a thick cloud emerged and rested over one of the villages. Instinctively, the villagers began to shout for joy and gather their buckets and basins to harvest what they believed would be a heavy rain, the first in years.

Sadly, I saw this thick cloud move away slowly and re-positioned itself over another village. The same scenario played out, sudden joy was quickly eclipsed by deep sadness as this same cloud moved on.

The cloud moved to many villages and cities and never gave the rain. I knew those places and recalled my visits there. As the drama continued, I heard a voice behind me say, “Go to Yei and tell them what is coming. Prepare them to receive the rain. It is coming their way soon.”

It all happened in seconds kind of, and I got it. This was confirmation of what I was to do here- Sound an alarm, Prepare a new generation whose hunger for Christ’s glory presses them to wait in anticipation of the promised rain.

God is promising something great, something made in heaven for the sons of men. Our share is near, but we have to prepare to engage it. We have to long for it deep enough to receive it. We could miss it if we wait to see a sign before we prepare.

Abba says, “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you…” (Jer 29:12-14 The Message)

As we gather a few hundreds of students tomorrow for the Students’ Prayer Conference 2012, we’ll set our hearts to seek Him and we’ll certainly find Him.

We’ve endured this pain and heart wrenching disappointments for too long; it’s time to stand in the gap and see Abba turn things around.

“Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 64:4 The Message)

Indeed, When man works, man works; When man prays, God works.

Will you Stand in the Gap with us for this new thing God has promised in the Nations of Sudan?

The news out of the two Sudans must change for Abba’s glory and fame.

Discipling with a new identity

No one can aptly answer questions
on the essence of being, without a direct and intentional relationship
with Jesus Christ. He calls it, being Born
Again. It is in entering into this relationship with Jesus that the
journey towards discovering why and who we are begins.

The reality of our changed identity
is liberating. Years ago, slaves purchased their freedom with cash or in kind.
Till date, people’s privileges or its lack defines them.

But we become members of
Christ’s family and assume a great heritage as children of God only by believing
the finished work of Christ.

We immediately begin to enjoy
divine attributes and sonship rights
with Jesus; though our understanding of the total package may be limited. We
may not look it in the beginning, but the fullest potential is waiting to be
called forth from within, with the help of discerning leaders around us.

In John
1:42, Andrew introduced his brother Simon (Peter’s original name) to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,”‘You are Simon son of John. You will
be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter)” The name Cephas
(Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) means ‘rock’. As recorded in the Gospels, this
Peter was anything but a rock.

He capped it when he thrice denied
his close friend and Master, Jesus; after boasting he would die for Him (Mark
14:29-31; 66-72). We can all identify with that can’t we?

I noticed Jesus called Simon’s
name twice (Luke
22:31-34), kind of revealing His concern for this broken identity.
But He gently reassures him and affirms his leadership position while exposing
Satan’s prayer request to have him and the entire team as his play toys.

I imagine that the calmness
in Jesus’ voice and the look on His face drowned the import of that very
shocking prophecy about Peter’s denial.

Jesus renamed Simon and the Zebedee
brothers deliberately. He gives this inner circle of friends a new identity and
then sets about working on them to produce the character that is in line with
that identity. It takes a special relationship to truly rename another man, outside a
master-slave environment.

As I plan and pray for my time with
old and new disciples in Yei when I arrive there in a few days, I’m reminded
that when Jesus looks at us He sees beyond what or who we were. He sees and
longs to relate with us based on what and who He says we are and can become as
we yield to His leadership.

Those men were with Jesus for a
little over three years. He managed their childishness, chided their
faithlessness, tolerated their ignorance and corrected their misconceptions
with His eyes set on the end result.

Do you see beyond what they say
and what they see?

Leaning heavily on Abba’s grace,
I’ll once again give this discipleship thrust in Yei my best shot. I’m looking forward to connecting with some people at a whole new level on this trip.

The resurrection of Jesus was the
greatest event in all history. But without daily infallible proofs of changed
lives (achieved by making disciples), Easter would have been long forgotten.

Lord, when tomorrow comes with
demands for the worth of today’s tasks, may my service and focus reveal your
patience and matchless wisdom.

Stir me LORD!

Stir me Lord, when
I’m too pleased and contented with myself.

When my dreams
have all come true because I dreamed too small.

When I arrived too soon because I never ventured into unsafe territories.

                           Disturb me, Lord, when in the abundance of things I possess,
                          My head seems too
large for the Crown of Life and I am losing

My thirst for the springs of
living water.

Save me Lord, for I notice that the more I fall in love with this life,
My dream of eternity with You in heaven loses its thrill so quickly;

And in my desire
for more stuff, my vision of Your new Heaven dims.

Provoke me Lord, to dare more boldly and venture to wilder fields;
Where I lose sight of civilization and life’s challenges reveal Your mastery in
majesty.
There, I shall find heavenly treasures and bask in Your ever abounding
grace.

Arouse me
Lord, when I welcome slumber for seemingly good reasons,

And ignore the
rise of little follies contending for my affection.

O stir me Master, when I engage a fast to seek Your face,

But the flesh cries for mercy, and I listen with affectionate concern.

Disturb me Lord, when Your Word seems stale and boring;

And I spend hours
absorbed with the internet and TV,
Entertained by
sports, music, movies and the ideologies of men.

Will You not stir
me Lord?
When my spirit grows
lean, being starved of fellowship with Your Spirit,

And yet my friends and family giggle at my latest outfit- a bulging
stomach.

May Your zeal for Your name stir me Lord, when all my prayers are for me and mine,

Cos I forgot or ignored Your first request in “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Will You give me rest, Lord, when the sigh of the lost, the cries of
orphans,

And the groans of widows
fill the air and they seem like noise to me?

Forbid this, Lord!

Stir me Lord, when
my choices seem to make You number one;

Though I know You
seek to be all in all, the First and Last but I resist.

Save me Lord, when my offerings and ministry are numbing my guilty conscience,

Which has embraced unforgiveness and other secret sins.

O Lord, may the
cause of Your Cross and the abundant witness of changed lives
Ever remind me of
the great price You paid to have all of me.

These I pray in the name of My Saviour and Commander, Jesus, The Christ.

Seth Barnes first posted this prayer by Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) in 2007 here. This is my revised adaptation of it. Pray along.

I’m thinking about gambling

Our financial state as a fellowship on campus in 1992 was so
bad, we looked to 7Up for redemption. It was those days of amazing
promos aired by major soft drink companies, led by 7Up and Pepsi and later,
Coca Cola. They offered attractive prizes, from cash to brand new cars. I remember 13 Jettas!!

All you had to do was buy a bottle of any of their products,
check the inside of crown cork for an instant gift item or match some numbers
or letters written inside the crown cork to win the mega prizes.

Lucky winners were announced weekly on a Network TV Show.
The tension in the Nation was memorable as people consumed these products with more than mere refreshment in mind.

Our motive on campus was sincere so we added fervent prayers
to facilitate the anticipated jackpot. We were later convinced it was gambling and
stopped.

I heard the story then of a man who threw a birthday party
for his 3yr old child and served the kids in the neighborhood bottles of 7Up
and Pepsi but without the crown corks. They all refused the drinks since the
celebrant’s dad took the corks.

The Nigeria Medical Association protested to the government, as they
felt the promos would soon lead to increased cases of diabetes and other related
diseases nationwide. They brought the promos to an abrupt end.

This short article (much like an ad) on the $500m
lottery jackpot up for grabs now in the USA caught my attention yesterday. It
reminded me of the expectations we nursed on campus those days, when a bag of
7Up and Pepsi crown corks all colored with luck and hope, jangled away in my
locker.

A friend asked me sometime ago, “What’s wrong with
desiring to win a lottery so one can use the money to help others? If one gave
the entire winnings from a lottery or most of it to feed the poor, would that
be wrong?”

What of the American Visa Lottery? Is that gambling
too?

After all the Bible says, “Sow your seed in the
morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which
will succeed…” Ecc
11:6 Quite a punchy scripture for ardent gamblers you’d say.

But doesn’t dependence on luck undermine the favor, grace and
sovereignty of God or are there exceptions? What does the Bible say about
gambling? Is it the same as “casting lots” or “sowing
seeds”? Should we just leave God out of this matter?

Not many things can be as alluring as the desire to get rich
effortlessly and quick. Corruption thrives on account of this and even
Christians struggle in the snare of opportunities that are questionable.

Someone said though, “…playing the lottery is much like
drinking alcohol. If you can’t do it without a dirty conscience then don’t, but
be careful that what you are feeling is not the guilt heaped upon you by
Pharisaical pietists who will spend thousands on golf clubs… and all manners
of entertainments not employed for life or furtherance of the Gospel…”

Addiction to gambling, like alcohol has broken many marriages and
shattered many dreams. Its seductive nature provides a great platform for seeds
of covetousness to manifest in manifold insidious forms.

That said, what if someone bought you the ticket that
eventually won, would you toss it into the fire with a shout like, “Get
behind me Satan!!” or would you thank God for the miracle? What if a
lottery winner pays the tithe in full or even in part to your church or ministry,
as the leader, would you return it?

What counsel would you give someone planning to spend some
money on gambling this weekend?

Pit stops for a father

“I’d tried to reach my accountability partner all day
without success. I left him a message to call me immediately… I knew he would
get the message. When he finally called, I was not near the telephone and before
I could reach it, the answering machine had picked it and I didn’t know. With much tears, I shared
my struggles with pornography and sexual addictions with my friend, who
listened patiently. He encouraged me and prayed with me. When I got upstairs, I
noticed my 8yr old son was sitting by the answering machine. He’d been
listening to the discussion.”

This was the tragic mess a father found himself in, as told
by Joe Dallas.

Being a good dad is tough. Biblical models are surprisingly
few.

It’s a great privilege to be called Daddy. Sometimes I
wonder if I really understand the scope of my responsibilities as a father to
two amazing sons. I live in a culture where we call some key leaders in our lives “daddy” or “mummy” depending… But I wonder how much I know of these daddies
and how much of me they know.

How close can we get with no masks on? What should be the
healthy boundary? How much freedom do they need today? What part of me should
be private?

“Grandma, is it true that when daddy was my age you use
to spank him?” That was a question my son Ed asked my mother last year. Shocked,
she lied to him, thinking she needed to protect me by painting a good image of
me to her grandson. I don’t blame her.

But he was just asking to confirm what I’d told him about my
childhood. Luckily, I was there to correct and manage the apparent confusion.

Here are a few more questions I’m asking myself this weekend as I
think of my role as a dad.

1. What do my sons consider our family core values
aside what I say they are?

2.
What would they rather keep as secret from me?

3. Am I making my sons work hard to gain my
approval?

4.
Do they look forward to our time together?

5.
What was the best fun time we had together? What
of the worst… most painful?

6.
Are we dysfunctional in any way?

7. What am I doing they think I should stop or
spend less time doing or start doing, to them or with them or for them?

As I read Seth Barnes’ blog on
parenting here,
I noticed I scored pretty low in the list he made on things parents may need to repent to their children for:

ï¿½ If you disciplined
them out of anger.

ï¿½
If you neglected
them at some point as they grew up.

ï¿½
If you yelled at
them or abused them in some way.

ï¿½
If you failed to
love your spouse as you should have.

ï¿½ If you didn’t
protect them adequately (from pornography, from violent video games, from the
opposite sex, from family members, from abuse).

We can perform poorly in any other discipline but not
parenting our children to be passionate lovers of Jesus and believers in the
values we’ve set out to pursue and project.

Give this job your very best shot. My mentor Timothy Olonade told me, “…those boys are kids for a very short time. They shouldn’t grow up trying to figure out what they missed because you weren’t there.”

As a father, how are you doing with this great task of parenting your
children? Do you have anything to ask them to forgive you for?

Pathways to victory over masturbation

For many men, the
giant Jupiter among the planets of our emotional solar system is sex. When the
spectacularly larger sun of Christ’s supremacy is rejected as the center of the
solar system of our lives, all the planets (other life issues, sex inclusive)
go out of orbit.

What a chaos results! But when
Christ is restored as supreme to the blazing center of the solar system of our
lives, harmony is restored. For in Him, ALL THINGS find their
bearing and purpose. (Col
1:16)

Last week’s blog on this topic generated some online but much offline comments. I wished the offline gabs were posted here.

Anyone asking questions on how to
stop masturbation has certainly developed a taste for this naughty sexual act.
They’ve most likely hit the habit stage and are now desperate enough to admit
their need for help. They deserve tested answers and may even need therapy. There’s a force operating at that level that requires more
than self-will to handle.

Thus, to counsel that one should
“just stop it”, if they don’t like it is to not reckon with the operations of the addiction and also misjudge the nature of this insidious vice.
People, who have never suffered the intense pressures of an addiction, most times lack the experience needed to guide victims
into the light.

Though we know from Apostle Peter’s
instructions that some, who are still bond by an evil habit may hypocritically attempt
to counsel others (I’ve done this before), hoping to proffer workable solutions
for them.

Their counsels may or may not be
useful but how tragic, that the consultant physician cannot cure himself first,
of the very same malady harassing his patients. It’s either a case of willful ignorance or blatant
deception. I have been there and I know that life.

I was hooked on masturbation for
many years. Having been exposed to sex very early in life, I needed a secure
and constant platform for practice. Masturbation offered it and I carried this
habit like a precious little luggage into my Christian walk. Pity!

As a Christian, I tried hard to just stop it. But like the force of
gravity which may appear absent when an object is projected upward, I’d relish
my freedom until the fuel of my will power, which sometimes was a powerful
Christian conference runs-out and the pressure returns, dragging me under
again.

From my experience, I know that
most men hooked on masturbation use pornography. Men need an image to sustain
the act and relive the experience. This is the crux of the problem. That image,
defiles! Pornographic images which are difficult to erase from the mind act as fertilizer for seeds of masturbation and other sexual lusts.

There’s no debating the fact that
99% of men who masturbate habitually are addicted to the orgasmic experience it
offers, which is often the chief goal. But some also use it when angry, tensed
up or stressed out. It’s a drug of choice for those who have unconsciously embraced the
fantasy of sexual lust as a key component of their skewed identity. This is self-idolatry.

Addiction to the orgasmic experience
explains why a woman or a girl (even a virgin) who’s never used pornography nor
had extra martial sex could be enslaved by masturbation.

The solutions I present here are not independent of one another and are
based on my personal experience and the counsels I received, shared and seen work for determined disciples.

1. Before repentance,
there’s always guilt. Many people struggling with masturbation repent many
times over and are remorseful for as long the shame lasts. But repentance needs
deliberate actions beyond will-power to sustain the change of heart and guarantee lasting victory.

2. Destroy all links to
pornographic materials and stay away from movies, music, places and even people
that seduce your heart in that direction. The mind has to be properly
conditioned to engage in a sexual act. Guard yours with all alertness.

3. Prayer and rigorous
fasting sessions were my one-punch-two-hits solution. I discovered to my joy
that during prolonged times of fasting and prayer, the appetite for sin,
especially sexual lusts disappeared. I fed vigorously on the word of God and disciplined myself through fasting thus developed the fruit of the Spirit called self-control Gal 5:22-23. Self-Control is NOT will-power, it is Spirit power, working in us to do the mind of Christ.

4. But I couldn’t be
fasting all the time! So there was a need for a backup plan. I had to humble myself
and submit to several friends whom I told my challenges in this area. I noticed
a remarkable peace come over me with this bold act. Truly, there’s healing (victory) when
we confess our sins to another to pray along with us (James
5:16). I understood that walking in
the light as He is in the light (1John
1:7) meant unmasking myself to someone, before true fellowship with them
and the Lord, along with deliverance can happen. Find a safe person.

5. Victory could also come
instantly, such that the desire for the habit quits in a miraculous fashion. Sometimes
the person can’t explain how it happened. That was my experience with stealing,
but not masturbation.

6. Above all, enthrone the Lord in your
heart as the primary essence of living. Be addicted to the glory of God in all things. A heart that’s not overwhelmed by the
love and glory of Jesus cannot experience freedom from an addiction like masturbation. At the core of
the problem is a weak affection for the Saviour, who longs to be Lord of all. A
fervent love will ask like Joseph, “… How then could I do such an
immoral thing and sin against God?” (Gen
39:9) A focused heart will say like David, “I have set Jehovah always
before Me; because He is at My
right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory
rejoices; My flesh also shall rest in hope.” (Psalm
16: 8-9)

For those entrapped by masturbation,
your deliverance could come via a divine, yet lengthy therapeutic process with seasons of rising and falling. But don’t give up.
Abba sees your struggles and hopes you choose the noble path of war, against an
enemy that threatens His glory in your life.

If you’d like to connect with me on this issue, send an email ucheizuora@yahoo.com Let’s plot your jailbreak together.

Masturbation: Your perspectives on this Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s counsel

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome founder of Christ Embassy International, is undoubtedly one of most popular preachers in Nigeria and probably in black Africa.

This video clip airs his official counsel to those struggling with masturbation.

If you can’t play the video clip or have problem hearing his words, please read the transcript below.

[Transcript of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s
counsel on Masturbation in a TV program.]

Kwaku from Ghana: “Pastor how does one
overcome masturbation?”

One of Pastor Chris’ Assistants: “Firstly, it is a thing of
the mind. You’ve allowed it… which has become a habit to you I’m sure…
em… is first stop it and you have the power to do that as a child of God. You
don’t want something, you can stop it. So, don’t think about it, don’t go in
that direction and stop it. You obviously have a problem with it and that’s why
you are needing solution. And the Bible says that “…God is at work in us both to will
and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 The ability of Christ is
in you to stop anything you don’t want and you can. If you don’t want it.”

Pastor Chris: “It’s… that simple. The question is,
“How does one overcome masturbation?” The reason you are thinking of overcoming it is because it has become a
habit for you. It’s the way you stop any habit. Masturbation is not more of a
habit than any other habit. Okay so, once you make up your mind to break a
particular habit, you do it. You just stop it, by getting your mind to just
think of something else. In fact the way you destroy a habit is to replace that
habit with another habit, and it’s the habit of not doing it. But there’s something
I’ll like to bring to your mind that may be of help to you is that the reason
you want to stop this, is because of what you think it is. If you were in the
habit of playing football, you probably wouldn’t ask us how can I stop playing
football. Because you think there’s something wrong with this, alright, so,
that is where your problem is coming from. But no matter how wrong it is in
your mind, get this straight, in itself, it is not a sin against God. Now, I
say that for a reason, that many Christian will think it is a sin against God
and Satan uses it in oppressing them, oppressing their minds and making them
feel ineffective and inefficient in the things of God. But once you get to
understand it’s got nothing to do with God it’s you and your own body, then
Satan loses his power to use it to accuse you. Alright, so if you don’t like
it, stop it. But, God’s got nothing to do with it. It’s your own body.
Masturbation is about you and your body. God is not offended by it, He’s only
offended by any habit that takes a hold of your mind and if this takes a hold
of your mind and dominates you, God is offended by the fac” [end of clip]

Do you agree with him/them?

Why or how is masturbation a sin against God?

Has Pastor Chris’ counsel (or something similar to it) helped you if you once felt ensnared by this habit?

If you’ve stopped the habit of masturbation, how did you do it?

Kindly use the Reader Comments box below to share your views;
freely critic Pastor Chris’ counsel on this subject if you so wish but
please don’t attack his character.

Your candid response and perspectives on this matter could be of great help to someone, somewhere, somehow, someday.

Help us disciple future great parents at Dreamland South Sudan

The source of their identity is one of the biggest issues young
people are struggling it. What is it? Where does it come from? If they fail to
get clear cut answers to these questions by the time they are 18, they’re dangerously
setup for dysfunctional lives in adulthood.

Science has made some incredible advances on how the adolescent
brain functions. During teen years, the brain prunes itself.

They are like trees that need constant
trimming to add beauty to their surroundings. Teenage minds are developing at great pace in our day and thus need special care.

A significant part of the pruning needed addresses identity issues.
There’s no querying why this is essential for orphaned children. The big questions however are, “Who or what is doing the trimming and how?”

I see a few principal actors, working sometimes unconsciously and independently
for the same goal.

One is centripetal in nature, working from the inside; and the
others are centrifugal, working from the outside.

It’s clear that young people vacillate today more than they did
thirty years ago, because parents (a centripetal force) have played such a huge
role in their life. Moms want to stay close, so they smother instead of mother.

In fact, parents hover, serve, protect, reward and obsess over
their children more than at any time in modern history. This makes the children
tend to draw their identity from their parents when their brain is pruning
itself to become more independent.

This reality is more pronounced in social structures with pretty well
defined and large middle class.

I cannot say same for the over 100 orphaned children under our
care in Dreamland (ages between 4-15), desperately in need of a model to admire
and follow, in need of balanced spiritual nourishment, parental supervision and
purposeful practical coaching. This is the greatest challenge of our ministry
to the orphaned children in Yei today.

Many of these children at Dreamland are entering their adolescent
years with their identity quite unkempt. We have little time left. We need urgent
help from people with a call, the training and burden for such as these.

I’m particularly alarmed by the emotional health of the girls
among them. They are changing very fast and the world around them is taking
notice. We must protect them.

Peers on the outside (a centrifugal force) wield gradually taking
the role of parents or guardians and in
many cases, forcing parents and their helpers to assume a more corrective (instead
of instructive) role at home in order to deal with the absurdities which are new
realities they sense or see in their children.

The emergence of great mothers and fathers, and great ministers of
the gospel is in the destiny of our children at Dreamland. But first, someone
has to model it for them. That someone must come to dwell among them.

The opportunity to mentor a new generation is begging for
connection in Yei with these children. Who will take the first bite?

They don’t have the encumbrances of the internet and TV, other
centrifugal forces the youths are dealing with. Ours have a hunger for a future in and with Jesus that
cannot be ignored. Someone said, hungry people don’t stay hungry for long. I totally agree. These
children must be fed the right kind of spiritual meals and now is the time.

A team is coming our way to pour their life into these children. But
for how long?

Please pray along for a seamless entry for them, eternally fruitful bonds
with the kids and long term commitments.