Fresh talks started last week in a bid to see the power-sharing government in the region resurrected.
The Stormont administration has been collapsed for more than two years following a breakdown in relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Six previous talks initiatives to restore devolution have failed to find consensus.
The latest talks come shortly after an impassioned plea from a priest conducting the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee.
Father Martin Magill urged politicians present at the funeral at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast last month to work to restore Stormont.
Ms McKee was killed by the dissident republican group the New IRA during disturbances in Londonderry.
The local leaders of the Catholic Church, Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Methodists were among the group which met Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, Irish deputy premier Simon Coveney and the political parties at Stormont House on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, they expressed hope that the new talks were a “fresh window of opportunity, born of tragedy”, but warned “courageous and compassionate leadership” is needed.
“As leaders of Ireland’s main churches, we want to add our collective voice to support and encourage everyone taking part in this new round of political talks to seize the opportunity for a new beginning that lies before them,” the church leaders…
A Promise For You From Bible Promises: [15/MAY/2019]
Topic: It Is Finished (Part 2)
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30.
Read: John 17:1-9
It is finished means it is finished, there is no reservation. All things are ended and completed. Jesus sealed everything with this word just before He gave up the ghost on the cross for you and I. Remember He left no room for argument and unnecessary questioning about what has actually finished. But then, from the pages of the Scriptures, we could understand what He meant by it is finished which we discussed one of those things yesterday. Today, let’s look at the second thing out of the three things Jesus finished on the cross.
2) The Work of Reconciliation was Finished. Before the fall of man in the garden of Eden, man had a mutual and working relationship with God unhindered. God in His Almightiness usually comes down to fellowship with man in the garden. The Divine made the mortal a friend. So there was a cordial relationship between God and man. But when sin was introduced by Satan through Adam and Eve, there was a crack in the friendship. The heart of man became wicked and unholy for God to fellowship with, then came destruction upon man. Gen 1, 2, 3. 2 Cor 5:17-19
But God promised the coming of His Son to restore back His relationship with man. Gen 3:15. Therefore, Jesus came and died on the cross to reconcile us back to God. The blood of Jesus brought reconciliation between God and man again. When man lost his place in God through sin, Jesus blood forgave, washed and cleansed the sin of man and restored him back to God. And now, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have full access to God the Father. Hallelujah!!! Friends, are you washed in this blood of reconciliation? Be washed.
Bible Promises Thought: When man lost his place in God through sin, Jesus blood forgave, washed and cleaned the sin of man and restored him back to God.
Benjamin Field, 28, is on trial with magician Martyn Smith, 32, charged with murdering Peter Farquhar, 69, and planning to kill his elderly neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, 83, following a sustained campaign of “gaslighting”.
Mr Farquhar died in October 2015, while Miss Moore-Martin, a retired teacher, died in May 2017.
Oxford Crown Court heard that Field, the son of a Baptist minister, told a friend he had a “struck a deal” to live with Mr Farquhar, a novelist and former English teacher, at his home in the village of Maids Moreton in Buckinghamshire.
Oliver Saxby QC, prosecuting, read extracts of chat logs recovered by police from Field’s laptop in which he used the name “StAbleMan” and chatted to someone known as “the Big Unikitty”.
In the logs, Field said he was living with gay Mr Farquhar, while also in a relationship with work colleague Nina Eriksen-Grey and having sex with other women.
The jury heard that Field’s life was getting complicated as he juggled living with Mr Farquhar while also seeing Miss Eriksen-Grey.
Field and Smith deny murder, conspiracy to murder and possession of an article for the use in fraud.
Field, of Wellingborough Road, Olney, Buckinghamshire, also denies an alternative charge of attempted murder. He has admitted four charges of fraud and two of burglary.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 15 May 2019 – Don’t be Intimidated!
1.Thank You, Father, for creating me in Your image and likeness; and for the salvation of my soul. (Click HERE for Open Heaven 15 May 2019)
2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.
3.Father, let every spirit of malice, envy, and jealousy, toward any zealous and committed child of God, be destroyed by Your fire, in my life, in Jesus name.
4.Father, please, empower me to use every gift and opportunity You have given me, to advance the cause of Your kingdom, in Jesus name.
5.I confess that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me; I overcome and slaughter every Goliath on my way, in Jesus name.
6.Father, give me the zeal, the faith and the Will, to do exploits and achieve great and mighty things for Your kingdom, in Jesus name.
7.Father, let every attempt of the enemies to frustrate and discourage me from serving You, be frustrated and scattered, from above, in Jesus name.
8.Father, uphold me by Your right hand of righteousness, and empower me to do Your work to the point of reward, in Jesus name.
9.Father, please, keep my eyes from beholding vanity and help me to live through today, and everyday, without committing a single sin, in Jesus name.
10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye, grant him more grace to do exploits for You, in Your vineyard, in Jesus name.
11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.
12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.
13.Your Personal petitions. (Philippians 4:6)
14.In Jesus name I pray. (John 14:13-14; 15:16)
15.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.
Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s book Ministry, in Jesus name.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 15 May 2019 – Don’t be Intimidated!
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. — Psalm 23:1-2
In order to reach our goals, you and I must follow God’s leading. People will offer us a lot of advice, and some of it may be good, but some of it may not. Or it may be good advice, but simply not what will work for us.
It’s important that we always look to God first and listen for His guidance and instruction.
God has created us as unique individuals, and He does not lead us all in the same way. So, if you want to win your race, you will need to find your own running style or your own way of doing things.
Of course, we can learn from other people, but we dare not try to copy them at the cost of losing our own individuality. Appreciate the advice and example of others, but follow God’s leading in your life.
Prayer Starter: Lord, I know You have a great plan for my life, and You desire to lead and guide me every step of the way. Help me to seek and follow Your leadership in my life more than anyone or anything else. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Mark Twain said “There are thousands of excuses for failure but never a good reason”.
Luke 14:17 (KJV) And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
Everything is ready for you to become great in life but people limit themselves with excuses.
Luke 14:18-20 (KJV) 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
If you are looking for excuses, there are lots of excuses to make but never excuse yourself!
Romans 2:1a (KJV) Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man.
Stop procrastinating, stop shifting what you want to do for another day, do it now!
Benjamin Franklin said “I never knew a man who was good at making excuses, who was good at anything else”.
If you see a man of excuses, he will never be good at anything. When you want to be the best, you will always find an answer no matter the challenge. If you want to give an excuse, there is always one to give.
Tell yourself, no more excuse and get up! God has created you to be the best, do not limit yourself. It is time to sit up. You do not have any excuse and the devil is not your problem; you are your problem!
There cannot be a rise without a price; you must invest into your future. Until you forego something, you will never go up. There are certain pleasures you have to let go now to gain the treasures of tomorrow. Little things make the difference in every facet of life. To get the most out of life, give life the extra mile that makes the difference between winning and losing.
In the race of life it is only those that are willing to pay the price that get the prize!
God bless you.
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
THE MESSAGE:
There is a conflict between the sinful nature (flesh) and the Spirit. It looks easier to walk in the flesh and a struggle to walk in the Spirit. The reason is simple, in sin did my mother conceive me. Now, the works of the flesh are summarised as four (4) abuses of human sexuality, two (2) false religion or sin of superstition, nine (9) sins of temper and two (2) sins of the appetite or excesses.
The sexual sins reflect from active involvement (adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality, prostitution and pornography), impure thoughts, and suggestive attitudes like touching, provocative dressing and sex humour.
The fruit of the Spirit is the medicine for the works of the flesh. The fruit is the manifestation of the character of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As we submit to the Holy Spirit and follow His directives, it becomes easier to subdue the manifestations of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is summarised thus: fruit that directs our thoughts towards God (love, joy, and peace), fruit that directs our attention to others (longsuffering, kindness and goodness), and the fruit that directs attention to oneself (faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfil the acts of the flesh.
Prayer: O Lord! I submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Please, lead me daily to live out the fruit of the Spirit and to live victoriously over the flesh in Jesus Name!
Dearly beloved, I bring you greetings in the name that is above every other name, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God and our soon coming King. It is always a great pleasure to come your way every Sunday with a word from the Lord. We live in an hour and time where believers are paying more attention to miracles and the blessings of God rather than being fruitful in the Kingdom. Beloved, you were saved so that you could become an extension of the Hands of God in getting others saved and established in the Kingdom. My assignment today is to draw your attention to the infallible, errorless word of God.
He spake also this parable; a certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and found none. Then he said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord let it alone this year also, till I dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. Luke 13:6-9 (KJV)
Based on our texts, we need to ask ourselves some sincere questions. Are we just ornamental plants, very pretty with a lot of flowers but no fruit? Ornamental plants can be good in our homes for decoration and beauty, but God has not called any of His children to be just ornamental, He has called us to be fruitful. Thank God for all the religious clichés, thank God for the nice dresses we wear to church, the beautiful time of praise worship and all that is good, but if that is where you stop, then beloved, it is time to wake up, because someone’s life is depending on you being fruitful.
The question I’d like to ask you this morning is whose life are you touching? Every day you meet unbelievers, how many have you spoken to about Jesus? How many have you led to accept Him as Lord and Saviour? You meet weaker Christians on a regular basis, how many have you strengthened? You know some of them, but rather than help strengthen and restore them in the faith, you keep quiet because you perhaps don’t want to miss the business opportunity that brought you close to the person. My question is who told you that the relationship you have with that person is all about business? Are you aware that God might have created that opportunity for the purpose of strengthening that brother or sister? I know that you might have tried to minister to the person without getting results, but that is not enough excuse for you to go your own way. No, take out time to pray for that person, because it is not about words alone. Learn to back up your efforts with prayers. Trust God for a change and a restoration in the person’s life.
Beloved, I come to remind you that God does not want you to use your faith only to receive material blessings, but rather use your faith to snatch people out of the hands of the devil and by implication, hell. Life is not all about what to eat, drink or put on, rather it is about transforming lives. The time has gone for the Pastor to come and preach you happy every Sunday while you just sit down and all you leave the church with, is “that was a great service”. No, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. It is time to live fruitfully, impact lives and transform nations. That is what we are called to do and that is what we are going to do in Jesus name, Amen.
My prayer for you today is that in every area of your life, you shall be fruitful, you shall multiply and you shall replenish the earth in Jesus’ name, Amen. You are blessed!
Maranatha!
In His Royal Service Dr Mike Okonkwo The Presiding Bishop
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. – Philippians 4:4
Years ago, I decided I was going to walk by the Word of God. I told God that, as far as I was concerned, His Word was final and I’d confess it the rest of my life no matter what. That was the most important decision I’ve ever made.
Not too long after that, I decided that no matter what happened, whether I felt like it or not, I’d walk in love. Because the Bible clearly says “faith worketh by love.” It won’t work any other way.
Those two decisions—to operate by faith in the Word of God and to walk in love—are the two most important decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
Recently, though, God pointed out to me that there was something I’d been leaving out. The force of joy. He told me I have no right to walk by faith and love and just leave joy dormant in my spirit. It’s too important. As He taught me about it, I soon came to realize that joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, I might have an occasional triumph now and then, but I wouldn’t be able to sustain them. They’d quickly slip away.
You see, joy is what gives you the strength (Nehemiah 8:10) to hold steady when the circumstances get rough. Joy gives you the ability to laugh in the devil’s face when he starts trying to knock you off your faith. It gives you a kind of staying power that will make you a winner again and again.
So make a commitment to God that you’re going to walk, not only in faith and in love but in joy as well. Make it a point to rejoice in the Lord always…and there won’t be anything the devil can do or say to steal your victory from you!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 84:1-7
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
A person dedicated to God never comes to the end of the knowledge of God.
SCRIPTURE: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:29-30
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A person dedicated to God never comes to the end of the knowledge of God.
Dedication to God means giving one’s body, heart and soul wholeheartedly to God. It is living to give God pleasure with one’s life. To be dedicated to God is to spend one’s life, time, energy and resources for God.
In order to know if a man or a woman is dedicated to God, there are proofs and evidences to look out for in his/her life. Knowing these proofs will also help improve our dedication to God.
Now, one major proof of dedication to God is die-less passion for God. (Psalm 63:1-2). This refers to an unquenchable hunger or passion to God. It is hunger for God that cannot be conquered. This is coming to the point where nothing in this world can take the place of your love for God – no amount of worldly possession or height of earthly attainment. A dedicated person demonstrates permanent hunger for God.
A person who is dedicated to God never comes to the end of the knowledge of God. The more you know Him, the more you want to know Him. That a person that is restless, who is passionately yearning and longing to know more of God (Psalm 42:1-2). That is the passion of a man who is truly and genuinely dedicated to God.
Beloved, to have a heart that is comfortable with apathy and lethargy towards the things of God is a spiritual challenge. Make up your mind to be interested in what interests God.
REMEMBER THIS: A person who is dedicated to God never comes to the end of the knowledge of God.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Be dedicated in serving God using your time, resources and giftings to honour God.
Be dedicated to the service of God in church.
PRAYER: O Lord, I dedicate my life in service to You. I release my time, resources, giftings for Your service, Lord in Jesus’ Name
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: PROOFS (MARKS) OF DEDICATION
QUOTE: Nothing compels the attention of the multitude like proofs. When the proof is not strong, the pull is not strong. Culled from MAKING FULL PROOF OF MINISTRY by Dr Paul Enenche
DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 17:1 to 18:4, John 8:21 to 30, Psalm 111:1 to 10, Proverbs 15:11
AMAZING FACT: Charles Finney, the great revivalist, was a masterful orator; he addressed the audience as sinners and prayed for them by name. He prolonged his meetings until early morning and even carried his meetings to factories and as a result won innumerable souls for God.
TODAY IN HISTORY: 15/05/1957 – Evangelist Billy Graham launches his “crusade” in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: A fresh baptism of hunger for God is upon you today. Proceed with fresh fire in Jesus’ Name.
Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
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