Topic: I Must Decrease [Monday 9, October 2017]

Memorise: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30

Read: John 3:25-30

25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 18-20. Hymn: Sing Hymn 14 – Onward Christian Soldiers

MESSAGE:

For Jesus Christ to be fully formed in us, we must learn the secret of reducing our carnal nature to the level of divine approval. When a person is born, he is born loaded with traits that are enmity with God and consequently bring His wrath. An Apostle of Christ lists some things that make a typical fallen man; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These are the sins into which the first man and woman fell and we inherited. We must get rid of them if we want Christ to be fully formed in us. The pride of life is a subtle and complex sin for many reasons. Firstly, the proud will never accept that he is proud; except the power of regeneration comes upon the individual.

Our carnal man must die so that Jesus Christ can increase in us, and gradually, we shall be transformed to conform to the image of the Son of the living God. Beloved, I want to encourage you to make a decision to decrease that Jesus may increase. Let the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 characterize your lifestyle.

Prayer Point: Father, please help me to be transformed to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ my Saviour.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

Topic: I Must Decrease [Monday 9, October 2017]

Memorise: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30

Read: John 3:25-30

25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 18-20. Hymn: Sing Hymn 14 – Onward Christian Soldiers

MESSAGE:

For Jesus Christ to be fully formed in us, we must learn the secret of reducing our carnal nature to the level of divine approval. When a person is born, he is born loaded with traits that are enmity with God and consequently bring His wrath. An Apostle of Christ lists some things that make a typical fallen man; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These are the sins into which the first man and woman fell and we inherited. We must get rid of them if we want Christ to be fully formed in us. The pride of life is a subtle and complex sin for many reasons. Firstly, the proud will never accept that he is proud; except the power of regeneration comes upon the individual.

Our carnal man must die so that Jesus Christ can increase in us, and gradually, we shall be transformed to conform to the image of the Son of the living God. Beloved, I want to encourage you to make a decision to decrease that Jesus may increase. Let the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 characterize your lifestyle.

Prayer Point: Father, please help me to be transformed to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ my Saviour.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

Topic: Home Breakers!

Dear Reader,

I welcome you to this wonderful month. It shall deliver to you blessings, promotion, good health, and other things that you have been waiting for. This month, I shall be exposing “Home Breakers.”  With this title, you might think it is about a lady or man that you feel is a threat to your home. However, most home breakers are attitudinal problems that have not been worked on.

While Jesus was talking about marriage and family in Matthew 19:6 He said: Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. There are things that break homes; they cause family stress, pains, quarrels, lack of peace, separation and sometimes divorce. Most of them are caused by man himself. A good knowledge of some of them will help to keep your family free from such things. This week, I shall be pointing to two of these home breakers – ANGER and BITTERNESS.

ANGER: It is defined as a strong feeling of annoyance and hostility. It is human to get angry at one point or the other, but it becomes inhuman when you allow the feeling to overwhelm you. God’s Word in Ephesians 4:26 says: Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.  This means that you may be angry but do not let it lead you into sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let your day end still angry; get over it quickly.  When you hold on to anger, you open the door to sin.

If you are not pleased about the way your spouse does certain things at certain times, instead of exploding and speaking cruel words which can cause irreparable damage, learn to control your emotions. Take a walk or go to the prayer closet, until your anger simmers down. Anger is like a kettle of boiling water and as long as the fire is on, the water will boil faster.  To cool down the water, you need to turn off the source of fire and place the kettle on a surface. When this is done, the water that was formerly boiling will become cool enough to drink.

You can let off steam by discussing the issues at a right time or better still, pray to God about it. Tell God exactly how you feel, and allow Him to speak peace to you. Anger kills! A good example of this is found in Genesis 49:5, 7 which says: Simeon and Levi are brethren… cursed by their anger, for it was fierce and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Anger is a display of higher level of foolishness as stated in Ecclesiastes 7:9 which says: …Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools!  It has the same consequences as murder (Matthew 5:22). If you are the type that gets angry unnecessarily and uncontrollably, you need to deal with it before it deals with you. Anger breaks home faster than fornication.  Learn to control yourself!

BITTERNESS: This starts from very little things done by any member of your family that might have hurt you and you refuse to forgive and forget.  Every time you remember the incidence, you are hurt. Watch it! That is the root of bitterness springing up gradually. It will eventually lead to trouble, if it is not nipped in the bud. Hebrews 12:15 says: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you and thereby many be defiled.  Once bitterness gains access into your heart, it will magnify itself, begin to dominate you and you will be troubled.  For instance, if you are bitter against your spouse, you will not even want to be seen with him/her.

Bitterness stems out of unforgiveness, which is a great blocker of the presence of God in your home. Anywhere God is not, there will always be chaos. Bitterness steals and frustrates the grace of God in your life. The Bible says: Let all bitterness… be put away from you, with all malice (Ephesians 4:3). To do this, you must forgive and forget completely past hurts, so that you can live a peaceful and burden-free life. The principle of instant forgiveness has helped me a great deal.  My husband and I practise it and it has paid off.  It pays to forgive!

If you have challenge in the area of anger and bitterness, you need grace and help from God and this will come faster when you are born- again. If you would like to be born again, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today acknowledging that I am a sinner who needs Your forgiveness. I believe You died for me and rose again on the third day. Forgive me my sins, wash me with Your Blood and write my name in the Lamb’s Book of life. Thank You Lord for saving me.”

Congratulations, you are now born-again! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: Maintaining Purity in Courtship (1)

Dear Reader,

I am glad to let you know that, marriage can be one of the sweetest experiences on earth. However, it can also be a bitter pill depending on how you go about it. The Lord designed marriage from inception to be a thrilling experience filled with joyful events, new discoveries, and the euphoria of companionship. After designing and creating the blueprint for a happy home, the Bible says: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good… (Genesis 1:31). But the natural man with his own rules and ideologies corrupted it and this led to the “bitter pill” experienced in marriage and family today. The Word of God says: Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled (Hebrews 13:4). As believers in Christ Jesus, He has not left you alone to be confronted with the bitter experiences some have in marriage, through the defilement of the marriage bed in courtship. The Lord Jesus has provided in His Word, guidelines that will help you triumph in any area of your life, including courtship and marriage. If you will just follow them, you will reap the blessings that they carry.

The subject of marriage begins when two individuals, man and woman, make a decision to marry each other. That is the beginning of a real relationship. A real relationship is one where you love that person enough to be honest. Honest about who you are, what you plan to do and be, and how you feel about them. At this point, what does God’s Word say to the believer? It says: Prove all things… (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

To prove means to examine. You prove by getting to know the person better. Your would-be spouse needs to be proved. You too need to be proved, in order to know if you can cope. It is to know if you can actually be a help to the other person. This period of waiting and watching before the actual wedding is called courtship. Others call it, “going steady”. Whatever the case is, this is the period where you determine if you have made the right choice or not. At such a time, you need to be very alert and not be blinded by romantic feelings, because marriage is not a fantasy, but reality.

Next to love, the most important ingredients in relationships are openness and honest communication. If, as an intending wife you lack communication with transparency and vulnerability, then you need to work on these areas! Communication is a crucial foundation to every marriage, and open communication is necessary in order to understand what is truly motivating each other when you have differing points of view. Courtship is a period you get more acquainted with your would-be spouse. Despite the fact that you are getting closer and knowing each other better, courtship period should not be equated to marriage. What you do with this period determines how your marriage will turn out to be. This is actually the foundational stage of marriage. The Word of God says: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalms 11:3). At this stage, you can’t move in or sleep with your would-be partner in an attempt to know each other better. It is ungodly, unhealthy and doesn’t allow you establish a good foundation for your marriage. To maintain purity in courtship, you ought to know what to do during courtship. When you know what to do during courtship, you will be able to have a fulfilled one. I shall be taking some of them in these teaching and subsequent ones.

How then do you maintain purity in courtship?

Pray Together

As believers in Christ, you need to take time out to pray together and share God’s Word together. This helps you to ascertain your partner’s spiritual depth and genuine love for God. Pray together with this in mind.

Play games, visit friends together

In the process of doing this, you get to know who your partner’s real friends are. This is another way of knowing whom you are about getting married to. The saying goes, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” and if I may add “whom you will become” (Proverbs 20:13).

Visit family members

It is wise you don’t rush into this step, until your conviction is strengthened and you are sure of your partner. By so doing, you owe your integrity not only to God but also to your family. From the foregoing, you need wisdom to discern the kind of man or woman you want to live the rest of your life with.

To obtain wisdom, you need to accept Jesus who is the Wisdom of God as your Lord and personal Saviour by saying this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations, you are now born-again! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: How to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Dear Reader,

I welcome you to this great month in which your great desires shall be fulfilled. This month, I shall be discussing one of the vital factors that could be of great help in your relationship with your spouse. A lot has been said about communication, but I shall be approaching this topic in a new way, and dwelling more on “How to Avoid Communication Breakdown.”

Having a good understanding of what communication means, will go a long way in helping you to avoid its breakdown. Therefore this week I shall be discussing “Understanding Communication.” A man that seeks knowledge will increase in wisdom. The Bible says: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).

What then, is Communication?

Communication is the art of carrying on a meaningful conversation. The dictionary defines it as, “the art of passing information across; the transference of thoughts.” Someone also simply puts it as an act of transmitting information and ideas from one person to another; it involves a sender and a receiver.

It is important to understand that effective communication must be two ways. In the case of family communication, both husband and wife must participate in conversations before it can be said to be communication. Once there is free access to each other, it becomes a time of sweet fellowship.

The basis for a fruitful and lasting relationship in the family is effective communication. Lack of communication is the reason behind so much tension within many homes. Communication can be said to be the glue that binds the marital relationship together. Communication is the key to success in marriage. A wise man once said, “If you talk together, you stay together,” and I believe it very strongly.

For instance, looking at the first family; the Adam family, you can appreciate the importance of effective communication. God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam believed but failed to effectively communicate the seriousness of the instruction to Eve. She thought it was a minor issue. Lack of adequate communication brought about their fall. You shall not fall!

Furthermore, communication in marriage could be likened to a life giving river. When husband and wife cannot communicate, a huge dam is built stopping the flow of water.This causes everything around them to suffer and slowly dies, so seeds planted cannot grow. This way, the spouse develops a strong inward thirst for their unmet needs which eventually cause multiple cracks throughout the relationship. Many promising marriages have been ruined because of communication breakdown. Your marriage will not breakdown in Jesus’ name!

To enjoy a free flow of communication with your spouse, you must develop a good communication with God. The scripture in Hebrews 3:4 helps us to understand that although every house is built by men, He that builds all things is God. Thus, God is the ultimate Builder of the family. That is why once a man or woman lacks effective communication with God, the communication between others is affected.

Therefore, let the communication lines between you and God be open all the time. Learn to rob minds with Him; as you do, His great mind will rob off on your little mind, making it sharper. Personally, I have found that God helps us to communicate better with each other; I have never had difficulty expressing myself to my husband and he to me, because we give utmost priority to our relationship with God.

If you desire effective communication in your home, the right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today acknowledging that I am a sinner who needs Your forgiveness. I believe You died for me and rose again on the third day. Forgive me my sins, wash me with Your Blood and write my name in the Lamb’s Book of life. Thank You Lord for saving me.”

Congratulations, you are now born-again! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: The Real Source of Power [Monday October 9, 2017]

But seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . — Matthew 6:33

A man or a woman who has been focusing all attention on financial gains, or business, or social prestige, or who has centered all his affection on some one person, experiences a devastating sense of loss when denied the thing that has given life its meaning. In these tragic moments, the individual recognizes how terribly and completely alone he is.

In that moment the Holy Spirit may cause the worldly bandages to fall from his eyes so that he sees clearly for the first time. He recognizes that God is the only source of real power, and the only enduring fountainhead of love and companionship.

Prayer for the day: From out of the depths, Lord, my eyes have seen that only You are unchanging, eternal love. Help me to put You first in everything I do.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: Resist The Temptation Of Sin – Monday October 9, 2017.

Luke 22:3 “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

Text: Luke 22:3

Some people have speculated that Judas betrayed Jesus in an effort to force Jesus into a confrontation with the Roman government. Then He would have to use His supernatural power in self-defense and overthrow the Romans, thereby giving independence back to the nation of Israel.
This idea is based mainly on the response of Judas when he saw that Jesus was condemned. Judas “repented himself” (Mt. 27:3), implying that the condemnation of Jesus was never his intent. However, scripture does not endow Judas with noble (even if misdirected) virtues. He was simply a thief.

This verse makes it very clear that Satan entered into Judas and was responsible for putting the betrayal of Jesus into Judas’ heart. We can be assured that Satan’s only purpose in motivating Judas to betray Jesus was to steal, kill, and destroy (Jn. 10:10).

Moreover, the fact that Satan possessed Judas does not acquit Judas of the responsibility for his actions. The devil goes about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He cannot devour just anyone. We have to give place to him. By being a thief, Judas gave Satan access to him. He may have never intended to betray Jesus and therefore “repented himself” when he saw that Jesus was condemned. Once he began to willfully submit to the sin of thievery, it was hard to stop.

Sin cannot be controlled. We cannot just sin “a little.” Sin, like a cancer, always grows until it brings forth death. Submitting ourselves to God and resisting the devil is our only guarantee against being devoured by the devil (Jas. 4:7). When we choose to sin, we are not submitting to God or resisting the devil.

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).

Topic: Your First and Highest Calling [Monday October 9, 2017]

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:9

Do you know what God wants you to do more than anything else today? He wants you to fellowship with Him.

He wants you to walk with Him and talk with Him. To discuss the things of life with Him. He wants you to draw near to Him and partake of His very nature.

So many of us get so caught up in striving to please God in the things we do that we forget our first and highest calling is just to be in fellowship with Him.

That’s right. God longs for us just to want to be with Him.

Have you ever considered how much it would mean for you to just come to God and say, “Father, I didn’t really come today to get anything. I’ve prayed about my needs already and Your Word says they’re met according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So I just came to be with You. If You have anything You’d like to tell me, I’m ready to listen…and I want You to know that whatever I see in Your Word, I’ll do it. I’ll put it into effect in my life.”

Why don’t you tell that to God today? He’s waiting to have fellowship with you.

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1-7

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.

Topic: From Worms to War — Monday October 9, 2017.

Read: Judges 6:11–16, 36–40, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32–33; Colossians 1

The Lord said to [Gideon], “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” –  Judges 6:23

It was ten-year-old Cleo’s first time fishing, and as he looked into the container of bait he seemed hesitant to get started. Finally he said to my husband, “Help me, I-S-O-W!” When my husband asked him what the problem was, Cleo responded, “I-S-O-W! I’m scared of worms!” His fear had made him unable to act.

Fear can paralyze grown men too. Gideon must’ve been afraid when the angel of the Lord came to him as he was threshing wheat in secret, hiding from his Midianite enemies (Judg. 6:11). The angel told him he had been chosen by God to lead His people in battle (vv. 12–14).

Gideon’s response? “Pardon me, my lord, . . . but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (v. 15). After being assured of the Lord’s presence, Gideon still seemed fearful and asked for signs that God would use him to save Israel as He promised (vv. 36–40). And God responded to Gideon’s requests. The Israelites were successful in battle and then enjoyed peace for forty years.

We all have fears of various kinds—from worms to wars. Gideon’s story teaches us that we can be confident of this: If God asks us to do something, He’ll give us the strength and power to do it.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the assurance that You are with us.

To take the fear out of living, put your faith in the living God.

This message was written By Anne Cetas [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Strength From Knowledge [Monday October 9, 2017]

Scripture: A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. Proverbs 24:5

Thought For The Day: To be enlightened is to be emboldened; to be informed is to be reinforced; to gain revelation is to gain momentum.

Knowledge connotes the facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education. It is the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

Knowledge, especially of the truth, is critical to freedom. There can be no freedom without revelation and information, both spiritually and physically.

On the other hand, ignorance sponsors oppression; ignorance is the reason for tolerance of negative and oppressive situations. There are situations you may be tolerating now because you do not know better.

Our anchor scripture tells us that …a man of knowledge increaseth strength. That is to say, when a person lacks knowledge especially in spiritual matters, he is bankrupt of confidence, audacity and authority. He becomes very timid; everything frightens him.

When you are informed, your story must change. When you receive light (revelation/insight), it shows you your rights. Your light connects you to might and might sponsors your fight. At the end of the fight, you gain flight or freedom.

Beloved, to be enlightened is to be emboldened, to be informed is to be reinforced. To gain revelation is to gain momentum.

My counsel to you is: if you are weak in any area of your life, acquire knowledge in that area. I see you rising to the top, in Jesus’ Name

Remember This: To be enlightened is to be emboldened; to be informed is to be reinforced. To gain revelation is to gain momentum.

Assignments

1. Ask God for a greater knowledge of His WORD

2. Spend time with God’s Word daily

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for a greater knowledge of Your Word in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: STRENGTH FROM KNOWLEDGE

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 12:1 to 14:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8, Psalm 79:1-13, Proverbs 24:30-34.

Quote: When His Presence becomes your residence, then your strength becomes unbeatable. Culled from GO IN THIS THY MIGHT by Dr Paul Enenche

Today In History: 09/10/1855 – American inventor Isaac Singer patents sewing machine motor.

Amazing Fact: It would take less than six months to get to the moon by car at 60mph (95kmph).

Don’t Forget To Attend: The Healing and Deliverance Service tomorrow by 9:30am. Invite your friends and loved ones.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr 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.