From the Pastor's Desk!::How to be filled with the Holy Spirit

There are several ways of understanding "Filling with the Holy Spirit." Some people teach that it happens at conversion: when one asks Jesus into his or her heart. Others believe that filling occurs at some point during the believer's growth: at baptism, or simply when the Spirit decides. Still others believe that the filling of the Spirit is a temporary, circumstantial occurrence, used for specific work of God on earth through His servants. Whatever your personal beliefs, several Scriptural steps are most certainly involved.

1. Become a believer. In preparation for The Filling of the Spirit, one must be a believer in Jesus Christ as Son of God who made the full payment for our sins. Without this acclamation of faith, one cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, for biblically, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and of Christ. This is very clearly stated in the New Testament

 2. Confess known sin and seek and receive forgiveness for all sin by reliance on the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Scriptures teach that God works in those whose lives are free of SIN. Keep "short records" with God about sin. Confess sin instantly, letting no departure from God's will continue

 3. Desire to be fully controlled by the Holy Spirit, which may also be called being under the full influence of the Spirit or to be constantly led by God. Seek this control in prayer. Do not place any conditions on what God may do in your life. Be ready for him to exhibit his control in any way he pleases. Do not demand anything as a sign of his filling. Expect only that he will make his full dominion evident as He did in the beginning

 4. Read examples of people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Such as Acts2:4, Acts10:44-46 and Acts19:1-6

 5. Claim the promise of God that he will reveal himself and fill your life with good things. Say the prayer for Wisdom and Revelation in Ephesians 1:17 for yourself. I recommend that you say this prayer everyday for one year and God will begin to reveal many things to you. 

* Believing that God has responded by taking charge of your life (filling) as you have confessed, sought Him, and invited Him to control you, begin walking with Christ by faith, confident that He is leading and will lead you fully and empower you to live for Him.


 * Galatians 3:14 says that we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. James 2:14,20 says that faith without works is dead. Ask God what you can do for Him to walk in faith.

::SIN:: From the Pastor's desk!

SIN: AN IMMORAL ACT CONSIDERED TO BE A TRANSGRESSION AGAINST DIVINE LAW.

Text: Matthew 18:9  Matthew 5:29-30

Who causes us to sin? James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

How sin enter the world? Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" All humans are born in sin, sin meaning missing the mark of perfect obedience to God, which Adam and Eve transgressed. That is why Christ came to the earth and died to provide the ransom sacrifice to atone for our sins.

IS TEMPTATION SIN?
Temptation is not sin. If temptation were indeed sin, then Jesus would not have led a sinless life. But as the Bible says, Jesus was "tempted in all things," yet without sin ( Heb. 4:15).
Still temptation should not be taken lightly. That's because it is the gateway to sin. Temptation is often strongest when we are at our weakest. In fact, the longer we allow it to brew in our thoughts the more dangerous temptation becomes. Therefore, we must learn to recognize temptation and keep it in check.

WHAT'S SO TEMPTING?
Temptation is one of the enemy's most powerful "schemes" for misleading God's people ( Eph. 6:11, 16). It causes us to focus on the "passing pleasures" ( Heb. 11:25) of sin instead of the rich rewards of serving God with a pure heart.

Is God pleased with our sin? Romans 5: 8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (John 3:16) However, there is a distinction between committing a sin and repenting and being forgiven, as opposed to practicing sin willfully. (1 John 3:4-8)

How can we be free?  That means a total change of direction, away from the sins and temptations, and toward the forgiving grace of a loving God. If you have allowed lust to control your life, yield to God as the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin. God will forgive and cleanse you physically, emotionally and spiritually, if you humbly come to Him (1 John 1:8, Romans 6:23).

THE WAY OUT
Temptation can be difficult to resist. But God has not left us as helpless victims of temptation. He has promised a "way of escape" ( 1 Cor. 10:13) to all who trust in Him.

SEE also>>

 What The Bible Says About Drinking Alcohol

 The Ten Commandment!

How to Overcome Obstacles to Positive Change!!!

 Overcoming Sin!

Prayer

Sin is like a Quick Sand

Pray, Care & Share Jesus!

'Justice For Trayvon' Movement Struggles To Find Focus

In the two weeks since George Zimmerman's acquittal, the same activists galvanized by his trial are finding it hard to focus the energy of the Trayvon Martin movement.
For 16 months, supporters of the Justice for Trayvon movement rallied behind a common goal: Make sure Zimmerman, the man who killed Trayvon Martin, stood before the bar of justice.
But after Zimmerman's trial and acquittal, that united front has splintered.
Martin's father, Tracy Martin, spoke to lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week during a summit on "Black Men and Boys." He told them he wanted legislation that would honor his son's legacy.
"I would like to see that [the] Trayvon Martin name is attached to some type of statute or an amendment that says you can't simply profile our children, shoot them in the heart, kill 'em, and say you were defending yourself," Martin said.
A growing number of celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z and Madonna are calling for a boycott of Florida because of its far-reaching Stand Your Ground gun laws.

French Court Charges Strauss-Kahn With 'Aggravated Pimping'

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund who was forced to resign amid allegations of sexual misconduct in the U.S., faces charges of "aggravated pimping" before a court in his native France.
A trial date has not been set.
Strauss-Kahn, 64, stepped down as head of the IMF in 2011 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid. Although those charges were later dropped, they derailed the politician's plans to run for the French presidency.
In 2012, prosecutors accused Strauss-Kahn of . On Friday, authorities said they would go ahead with formal charges in the case.
The Associated Press, quoting judicial officials, says that prostitutes questioned in the case said they had sex with Strauss-Kahn in 2010 and 2011 in France and also in Washington, D.C., where he lived while working at the IMF.
In France, it is not against the law to pay for sex and, , "pimping is a broad crime that encompasses aiding or encouraging prostitution."
However, the news agency says, "Because the parties allegedly involved several prostitutes, Strauss-Kahn will stand trial in Lille on the more serious charge of aggravated pimping, which carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine."
Strauss-Kahn, who has maintained that he has been unfairly targeted because of his lavish lifestyle, has acknowledged attending sex parties but says he was not aware the women were being paid for their services.

SPANISH TRAIN CRASH::Train Driver Held In Spain Following Deadly Derailment

Spain's Interior Minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, announced Saturday that the driver of a high-speed train that derailed this week, killing at about 80 people near the town Santiago de Compostela, has been detained on suspicion of negligent homicide.
Diaz said Francisco Jose Garzon Amo has been discharged from the hospital and taken to a police station, The Associated Press reports.
Garzon's appearance before a court was expected to provide the first official explanation of what occurred in the crash, the deadliest in decades in Spain. Earlier, Spanish justice officials said Garzon, 52, would likely testify on Saturday.
, the train appears to have been moving at twice the speed limit as it negotiated a dangerously sharp curve just before the derailment. It's not clear whether the brakes failed or were never used.

Dozens Killed As Egypt Demonstrations Turn Deadly

At least 37 people have been killed in bloody clashes overnight in and around Cairo after protests escalated into violence, with supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi saying police shot at demonstrators.
NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson confirmed the number of dead at one field hospital alone, and said that the toll is likely much higher. Doctors at the field hospital are telling reporters that many of the injuries were caused by live ammunition.
Thousands of pro-military protesters had occupied Tahrir Square, answering a call from Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to bolster his mandate after the army chief removed Morsi from office earlier this month.
The Muslim Brotherhood responded with counter-demonstrations, reports , prompting clashes between security forces and Morsi supporters.
Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said security forces began shooting shortly before pre-dawn morning prayers, .
"They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," Haddad said.
Al Jazeera is reporting that have reported to makeshift hospitals in the area.

Heartless Mum Sells Baby

The police in Imo State are now investigating how a 27 year old housewife, Mrs Njideka Okorie eloped with six months pregnancy and went into hiding where she was later delivered of a baby girl which she sold to one Agatha Okoronkwo at Isieka Ihiala in Anambra State for N100,000.
Saturday Sun gathered that Njideka has been married to Samuel Okorie , for over 10 years. The marriage was already blessed with four children while they were expecting the fifth child, the wife eloped with six months pregnancy from their home in Orlu, Imo State.
The housewife also fled her matrimonial home with the other four children in March and returned four months after, precisely on July 5, 2013, with the four kids, but without the pregnancy of their fifth child.
It was learnt that the inability of Njideka to explain what happened to their baby led the husband to lodge a complaint against her at the Orlu police station.

[VIDEO]::AWKWARD PROPOSAL: Rapper, DJ Khaled Proposes To Nicki Minaj With A $500k Diamond Ring

37 year old record producer, rapper, DJ and record label executive, Khaled bin Abdul Khaled, better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, asked Nicki Minaj to marry him via a video posted online.

He explained why he wants Nicki as his wife.
"I want to be honest with you. I love you. I like you. I want you to be mine. The only reason I'm not telling you this face to face is because I know that you're busy.
You need a man like me in your life that’s gonna take care of you and respect you. You gotta take your time and think about it, I understand but I know I have to be here today to let you know how serious I am and about how serious this is to me.
I want to let your fans know, my fans know, my family, your family, that I wanna marry you. I been working hard to get this ring.
Nicki Minaj... will you marry me?'

 DJ Khaled popped the question with a $500,000 diamond ring and with help from MTV. Nicki hasn't responded yet. The two recently worked together on Nicki's latest single 'Twerk It'.

See his proposal video below

UNN Releases Post-UTME Screening Results

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka has announced the release of the results of the 2013 Post-Universities Tertiary Matriculation Examination (P-UTME) screening exercise held at the Nsukka Campus of the institution on July 18 and 19 respectively.
The Communication Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor, Gabriel Ndu, who disclosed this in a statement, said that the candidates who participated in the screening were drawn from all the faculties of the university.
According to Ndu, the results were released within 24 hours after the exercise was held on each day.
He, therefore, advised the candidates that took part in the screening exercise to visit the university portal, www.unnportal.com to check for their results.

"Why I am still single" Jude Okoye opens up in new interview

Jude 'Engees' Okoye is the elder brother, manager and director of Peter and Paul Okoye, popularly known as P-Square. Excerpts from his interview with Bayo Adetu of PM News

Peter and Paul already have kids; and we all know their heartthrobs. Can you tell us the one in your life?
Why are you people always forcing me to come to the public? I don’t want to be a celebrity and I am not one of them. I don’t sing, dance or act. I love where I am now (hiding myself) and if I love to do that, how do you expect me to introduce the lady I am dating? Back to your question, I have somebody, yes but I won’t tell you her name.

Joselyn Dumas' sexy outfit to the launch of her new TV show

Ghanaian TV personality Jocelyn Dumas pictured above at the launch of her new TV show 'At Home With Joselyn Dumas' yesterday evening.

Nigerian transplant patient Roseline Akhalu wins right to stay in the UK

Roseline Akhalu, the Nigerian woman who was diagnosed with kidney failure a few months after arriving in the UK in 2004, had a successful transplant, then claimed she would die within weeks if she was sent back to Nigeria, has won the right to remain in the UK following a successful appeal.

UK Border Agency initially rejected Roseline's appeal to remain in the UK after her transplant in 2009, saying 'the care of a foreign individual was the responsibility of their state of nationality'. Roseline's lawyers argued she would die within weeks if she was returned to Nigeria as she would never be able to afford the drugs that keep her alive.

The 49-year-old widow needs regular hospital checks and will have to take immuno-suppressant drugs for the rest of her life. Now she's free to stay in the UK and get free medical treatment.

How to set up Google Chromecast

To hear Google tell it, you'd think its Chromecast practically installed itself. I can tell you from experience that this is not the case.
To Google's credit, Chromecast setup is a breeze compared with some of the hair-pulling experiences I've had involving the Apple TV, for which I suspect Apple designed the remote control out of metal in order to help you withstand the compulsion to throw that thing back into the useless hell it spawned from. But I digress. Here's how to set up your Google Chromecast.
Plugging it in
Sounds simple enough. Grab your dongle and stick it in. But there's more to it.
First off, the Chromecast dongle requires more power than an HDMI port alone is able to provide. So to deliver the extra juice it needs, a Micro-USB cable is included that can be run to either the included power adapter, or ideally, an available USB port on your TV. The latter option will minimize cable clutter, save on power, and give you one fewer thing to plug into what is likely an overcrowded power strip behind your TV.

An elegant solution, sorta.

Another hiccup in this first step is that the Chromecast dongle may not fit quite right in the space carved out around your TV's HDMI input -- especially when you factor in the Micro-USB power cable that juts out from the top. To give you a little extra flexibility, Google includes a small HDMI extension cable that can easily be plugged into cramped inputs.
Once you're plugged in and powered on, switch your TV to the corresponding HDMI input and you should see a short Chrome startup screen and an invitation to get started.

A few easy tools the whole family will love

This summer we’re posting regularly with privacy and security tips. Knowing how to stay safe and secure online is important, which is why we created our Good to Know site with advice and tips for safe and savvy Internet use. -Ed.

Summer is here, and with kids out of school it is a great time for families to explore the web together—from learning what makes fireflies glow to playing online games together. But while there is a lot of entertaining, educational content online, there are also materials I’d rather not see when I’m surfing the web with my family. Google has built a number of tools that parents can use to help keep content they would rather not see from popping up on the family computer. It takes less than five minutes to turn them on, so follow the steps below to help make your search results more family-friendly this summer.

1. Turn on SafeSearch in Google Search
Turning on SafeSearch is an easy way to help you hide images, search results and videos intended just for adults. It’s especially helpful if you’re concerned about the content that might pop up on your family computer, and it’s easy to turn on. Just visit the Google Search Settings page, go to the "SafeSearch filters" section, and check the box to filter mature content from Google Search result pages. These preferences will apply for any searches done using that browser on your computer. If you have multiple browsers on your family computer, you might want to turn SafeSearch on for each one.

You can turn SafeSearch on or off from the Search Settings page

2. Save and lock your preferences
Once you’ve set your preferences, make sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the page. And if you're signed in to your Google Account, you can also lock the SafeSearch filter so others can’t change your preferences—just click “Lock SafeSearch.” Now the setting is protected with your Google Account password. While no filter is 100 percent perfect, with SafeSearch on you can feel more confident browsing the web with your family.

3. Turn on YouTube Safety Mode
YouTube Safety Mode helps you and your family avoid videos that might be OK with our Community Guidelines, but you might not want popping up on your family computer. Turning on Safety Mode in YouTube takes just one step. Scroll down to the bottom of any YouTube page and click on the button that says “Safety” at the bottom of the page—now you can choose your preferences for Safety Mode.

Click the button that says “Safety” at the bottom of any YouTube page, and then choose your preferences

4. Lock your Safety Mode preferences
Just like with Safe Search, you can also log in with your Google Account and lock YouTube Safety Mode on each one of your computer’s browsers. It will filter videos with mature content, so they won’t show up in video search results, related videos, playlists, shows or films. YouTube Safety Mode will also help hide objectionable comments.

5. Turn on SafeSearch on mobile
SafeSearch is available on your phone or other mobile device, as well as the web. You can turn on SafeSearch for Google on your mobile device by opening your phone’s browser and visiting google.com/preferences. Scroll to the SafeSearch Filters section to select what level of filtering you would like to enable. Be sure to tap “Save Preferences” after you’ve made your selection.

To enable SafeSearch on YouTube’s mobile app, first open your settings, then press “Search.” From there, select “SafeSearch Filtering” and select moderate or strict filtering.

Helping your family have a positive and safe experience with Google is important to you, and it’s important to us, too. That’s why we’ve partnered with parents and experts on free and easy to use tools and resources to help your family stay safe and secure when browsing online. If you’re interested in even more of our tools and tips, please see our Good to Know site, and stay tuned for more security tips throughout the summer.

A new Google Maps app for smartphones and tablets

Introducing a new Google Maps app for Android smartphones and tablets, also coming soon to iPhone and iPad. It’s a new mapping experience that makes exploring the world and getting to the places that matter to you a lot faster and easier. The app is gradually rolling out globally in Google Play and will be available soon in the App Store.

The new Google Maps for mobile builds on the design we released for iPhone last December and improves on it with a few useful search and navigation features. And it's the first dedicated app for Android tablets and iPads. We’re also retiring Latitude and are making some changes to offline and My Maps which we’ll explain in more detail below.

First, here are a few highlights that make this release stand out:

Explore: Explore is a fast and easy way to visually browse and discover new places without even typing. Simply tap the search box and you’ll see cards showing great places to eat, drink, sleep and shop.

Enhanced navigation: In addition to current traffic conditions, we’ve added two new features to help you navigate around traffic. You can now see reports of problems on the road that you can tap to see incident details. While on the road, Google Maps will also alert you if a better route becomes available and reroute you to your destination faster. This feature is available only on Android and is coming soon to iOS.

Designed for tablets: A dedicated tablet design brings all the features of this new app to Android tablets and iPads, which makes exploring the world from the comfort of your living room much more fluid, smooth and fun.

Reviews, Zagat and Offers: There’s a new 5.0 star rating system that gives you a quick read on how your friends and others rate places like restaurants, bars and cafes. For an expert’s opinion, the Zagat badge of excellence and curated lists are integrated into search results so you can quickly spot the very best places. From “Best Restaurants to meet for a drink in NYC” to “Best Restaurants in the Mission” in San Francisco, Zagat’s there to help you uncover the local gems.

And finally, Google Maps for mobile is a great way to discover valuable Offers from national brands like Macy's, Michael's and Toys "R" Us, labeled right on the map. All these features can make it a lot easier to navigate the world, no matter what adventure comes your way. One important change you should know about is that Latitude and check-ins will be retired. These features will no longer be a part of the new Google Maps app, and will stop functioning in older versions by August 9. We understand some of you still want to see your friends and family on a map, which is why we've added location sharing and check-ins to Google+ for Android (coming soon to iOS). More details about Latitude and check-in changes can be found in our help center.

The offline maps feature for Android is also no longer available. Instead we’ve created a new way for you to access maps offline by simply entering “OK Maps” into the search box when viewing the area you want for later. Finally, My Maps functionality is not supported in this release but will return to future versions of the app. People who want to create powerful custom maps can still do so with Maps Engine Lite on desktop.

Helping you find great places is what we love to do. And as more of us use mobile phones and tablets in our daily lives, information that’s useful to you isn't just about what you need, but also where you might find it. Today’s update is an exciting step forward for Google’s maps—one that we hope will make it faster and easier for you to explore and discover places you want to go.

Update July 16: The new Google Maps app for iPhone and iPad is now live. Visit the App Store today to download it.

Posted by Daniel Graf, Director, Google Maps

*The new Google Maps for mobile is compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean Android devices and iOS 6+ when available. Please note some of the features mentioned in this post aren’t available in all countries.

From TVs to tablets: Everything you love, across all your screens

When I was growing up, my family had a single screen we huddled around every day: the television set in the living room. Nowadays, we “huddle” around multiple screens—laptops, smartphones and tablets—using them almost interchangeably as we navigate through our day. In a world of ubiquitous computing, life would be a lot simpler if we didn’t have to learn new behaviors and interfaces each time we switched screens—if we could have one consistent, intuitive experience no matter where we are or what we’re doing. Today, with the launch of Chromecast and the new Nexus 7 tablet, it’s even more effortless to enjoy content you care about—whether it’s video, music, movies, games—wherever you are, across your devices.

Introducing Chromecast
To help make it easy to bring your favorite online entertainment to the biggest screen in your house—the TV—we’re introducing Chromecast. Chromecast is a small and affordable ($35) device that you simply plug in to your high-definition (HD) TV and it allows you to use your phone, tablet or laptop to "cast" online content to your TV screen. It works with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music, with more apps like Pandora coming soon. With Chromecast, we wanted to create an easy solution that works for everyone, for every TV in the house.

Remote-free
Once your Chromecast is set up, you can use your phone, tablet or laptop to browse and cast content to your TV, play and pause, control the volume, and more. But unlike other streaming solutions, you can still multitask—send emails or surf the web—while enjoying what’s on the TV screen. It works across platforms—Android tablets and smartphones, iPhones, iPads, Chrome for Mac and Windows (more to come), so your personal device is also now your remote control.

Cast the web to your TV
In addition to apps like Netflix, you can use Chromecast to bring a broad range of content available on the web to your big screen, thanks to a new feature in the Chrome browser that allows you to project any browser tab to your TV. From sharing your family photos to enjoying a video clip from your favorite news site, it’s as simple as pressing a button. This feature is launching in beta, but we’re excited for people to try it out and give us their feedback.