Dear reader we welcome you to our premier edition of Results Magazine. Warm greatings in the name of Jesus Christ. Results magazine is a publication of C.S.I.C which is a Christian inter-denominational, non-profit making organization.Through this magazine, CSIC aims at promoting information sharing among churches and its members to edify the body of Christ. It will also educate and inform Christians on economic and social issues.

In this edition, you will learn from biblical perspective why in life If you fail is your fault and if you succeed is your fault. It will also provide insights on How to help your spouse grow spiritually without taking the role of the Holy Spirit. As Christmas draws near, Results is giving you tips on how to spice-up your home without using all your hard earned savings and much more.

Results acknowledges that everybody has something that can change and encourage another person. Take this opportunity and share your testimony, word of encouragement and messages and be a blessing to someone else.

May God bless you abundantly.

Mary James

Eph 4:13

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From the Editor

If You Fail Is Your Fault If You Succeed Is Your Fault.

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Eph 4:13

od came so that we may have life and have it Christian, Muslim nor Orthodox.in abundance. Have you ever thought what We say there is money in circulation or there is no Gabundant life means and where will you live money in circulation. This means that money does

it? not travel in a straight line but in circle. so, find your In Matt 5:13-14 Jesus said,” You are the salt of the place in the circle and money will find you there.earth: but if the salt has lost its savor,how shall it be In Gal 3:13-14Christ have redeemed us from the salted? It is thereafter good for nothing, but to be curse of the law ,being made a curse for us: for it is cast out, and trodden under foot of men. written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a (salt is a preservative) verse 14, you are tree: That the blessing of Abraham might the light of the world. A city set on a hill come to the gentiles through Jesus Christ: cannot be hid.” that we receive the promise of the spirit The fastest thing on earth is light; see how through faith.it displaces darkness in a flash. You need to Whatever you need in this life is already deal with darkness in your life. made available by Jesus. It was not for sin But there rises an issue, a candle and a alone that Jesus died but for you to get your fluorescence bulb emits light but they have different inheritance- Change your thinking!voltage. A candle cannot be used in a stadium only in If Cain build a city despite being cursed, What about a room. you need to increase your voltage to be you blessed of the lord? Gen 4:17 and Cain knew used everywhere. his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch: and he Every man is a product of information; you cannot build a city,…say you are a doctor because you went to school. Many people you went together are not all doctors. But you, lecturer stood before you for four years This message was extracted from the VCD “Second spoke words and you became a doctor. The same Visitation” Available at Faith harvest Centre.way the word of God can make you whatever he wants.If God said you are a city set up on a hill then you should stop operating with a village mentality.What do you think of money? Money is neither

If You Fail Is Your Fault If You Succeed Is Your Fault.

Advertiser’s message

by Rev. David Praise

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?SalvationEph 2:1 ()And you has he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sin.

Jesus came so that we may have life in abundance. In Isaiah he says come now let us reason together though your sin be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red as crimson they shall be as wool.

? Submission/ obediencewhen Jesus called his disciples he told them come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men. The only thing they had to do was to obey and follow. The bible says that obedience is better than sacrifice. When you obey God will fulfill his promise of prospering you.

Psalm 1:1-3 blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of by: Dr Amon Nkambure

sinners nor sit in the sit of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the lord and in his law does he meditate day Rev 4:1 after this I looked and behold a door was opened and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the river in heaven and the first voice which I heard was at it were of water that brings forth its fruit in it season his leaves of a trumpet talking with me which said, come up here also shall not wither and whatsoever he does shall and I will show you things which must be thereafter.prosper.

These words were told to John in the valley of Patmos. ?ServiceThe spirit revealed to him the things that were to happen.

This shows that God will give you revelation when you Rev 22:17 and the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let are up There.him that hears say,Come. And let him that is thirsty People who walked with God have had a chance to put come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life their contribution to his decisions-When angles were freely. headed to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham

engaged God in a conversation. He pleaded to know if You were saved to win souls to Christ. Paul responded to god would destroy the righteous together with wicked the great commission after receiving the gospel, and he but god told him no. Lot was saved from the wrath of Godsaid,” I am a debtor both to the Greeks and the Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So as Gen 19:15 and when the morning arose then the angles much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you rushed Lot saying, arise take your wife and your two that are at the Rome also. Rom 1:14. One thing with God daughters who are here lest you be consumed in the is that he is not looking at your ability but rather your iniquity of the city.availability.

Moses also spoke to God when Israelites had rebelled ? Soaragainst God and said,” now if you shall kill all this people God wants you to enjoy the gifts and talents he has given as one man then the nations which have heard the fame you. He lifts you up to mount with wing like an eagle. He of you will speak saying, because the lord was not able to brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry bring this people to the land which he swore to give them clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.” steps. Psalm 40:2Nu 14:15-16

Gods call is upward he will never push you down. He calls us to:

This message was extracted from the VCD “Second Visitation” Available at Faith harvest Centre.

Getting There Here From

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Greedy

Unfortunately, the Stevens' experience is common. In a materialistic, consumer oriented culture, we face a real challenge in teaching thankfulness and contentment to children. They are conditioned to believe they are entitled to everything they want — now! Kids have also come to believe they should always get the biggest and best.

The Center for a New American Dream reports another disturbing trend known as the nag factor. Its recent surveys found that nearly 60 percent of kids nag their parents for a toy or a privilege even after being given a no. In fact, 10 percent of all 12- and 13-year-olds admit they will beg their parents more than 50 times for products they've seen on TV.

Grateful

Christian parents are called to cultivate character traits such as thankfulness, generosity and self-sacrifice. The Bible commands us, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Jesus warns us, "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). And Paul describes greedy people as idolaters who will not inherit the

kingdom

o f G o d (Ephesians 5:5).

One of the most effective ways to combat the cultural mind-set is by modeling a grateful attitude. Verbally thank God on a regular basis, even for simple things like a roof over your head and food.

Also, do your best to model gratitude in your other relationships: friends, relatives and co-workers — and not only when they do something special for you. Let others know how much you appreciate them simply for who they are. Express that kind of unconditional gratitude to your spouse and children as well..

Gimme, Gimme!Teaching children to be grateful and generous.by Dr. Bill Maier

www.jesus24seven.orgContinued pg 7

On Christmas morning, after devouring Mom's legendary homemade sticky buns, the Stevens family gathers around the Christmas tree. The three kids — Danny, 10, Molly, 8 and Christopher, 6 — excitedly begin opening their presents.Their parents' joy soon turns to dismay as they observe the children's behavior. Like hungry sharks in a feeding frenzy, Danny, Molly and Christopher greedily r ip open each gift only to toss i t aside, searching for another package bearing their names. Particularly troubling to Sharon and Rick Stevens is that none of the kids acknowledges the relatives who sent the gifts in the first place. They show zero interest in opening the cards attached to the gifts. After each child opens the final gift, all three continue to search for still more presents, making comments such as "Is that all I get?" or "How come Molly got more presents than I did?”

Want to give your home a facelift without spending a room from drab to dramatic. This project can be made even

fortune? There are several easy options. easier by using pre-finished trim.

You feel inspired to give your home a makeover. But you

don't have thousands of dollars to spend. There is an Replace hardware and/or cabinetry

alternative. You can get a big bang for your decorating buck Two makeovers that are likely to pay off at resale time are

with the following simple projects. redoing your kitchen and bathroom. This doesn't mean you

have to hire someone to gut the entire rooms. There are

Repaint the walls some relatively easy projects that can make a huge

You can dramatically change the look of your home for difference. The simplest one can be to just change the

very little money by giving it a fresh coat of paint. Painting hardware on the cabinetry or replace the faucets. You may

a room a different color can give it a completely new look. also want to consider replacing any stained or out-of-date

Not only are there a myriad of color choices to choose from sinks, and painting, staining, or replacing your cabinetry. If

but you might also want to consider using a special you're handy, you may be able to do some of these projects

technique such as sponge painting to give your walls a faux yourself for even greater savings.

finish. You can pick up books that explain how to do it

from your local hardware store. Some stores even have Changing your flooring

how-to classes available that you can sign up for. Replacing your flooring or upgrading your carpets can also

make a big difference. Changing the flooring in your

Add decorative trim kitchen or bathrooms from linoleum to tile, or replacing

Another simple home makeover is to add decorative trim. some of your carpets with hardwood, can make it seem like

By adding a chair railing or crown molding, along with you almost have a new home

color-coordinated paint and wallpaper, you can change a

Easy home Spice-up

www.jesus24seven.org5

where spiritual growth is concerned. You're living out what you're experiencing with God. Is it

by Rob Jackson appealing? Is your relationship with Christ making you a more enjoyable person to live with—or just The answer doesn't lie in lecturing or manipulating a more religious one?your mate. Instead, consider the following five

actions you can take to better understand your Those who languish spiritually especially need to spouse and make the concept of spiritual growth see the real deal. Your mate will benefit from your more intriguing to him or her.companionship when you're serious about your devotion to Christ and realistic about your

struggles, too. W h e t h e r y o u r spouse is a new Christian, a non-Christian, or just an u n c o n c e r n e d You should not Christian, it's hard only share your not to overreact faith with your when he or she spouse, but your doesn't seem to care concerns as well. about the most I t w o u l d b e important thing in hypocritical to your life. But try to pretend you're remember that God n o t w o r r i e d loves your mate when a spouse even more than you s t r u g g l e s do. He may even be spiritually. But taking your partner how you share on a journey that will m a y b e a s ultimately produce a i m p o r t a n t a s d e e p e r f a i t h . what you share.

Very few spouses would react negatively to In any event, be careful. God may choose to reach comments like, "I know you're going to be safe to out to your spouse through you, but He doesn't share this with, but it's still not easy to admit I'm need your help. Sadly, spiritual conflicts are often w o r r i e d a b o u t y o u . "made worse by a spouse attempting to jump-start a mate's conscience or play the role of the Holy Spirit. The spouse who struggles with faith issues needs a

gentle partner to come home to. A holier-than-thou approach is sure to deepen the divide—not only between your partner and yourself, but also While perfection isn't possible or even necessary, between your partner and God (and it can't do much your behavior can attract or repel your spouse

Be Patient

Be Authentic

Don't Stand in the Way

What can you do when you and your have the same level of spiritual maturity or interest?

spouse don't

Helping Your Spouse Grow Spiritually

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Continued next pg

Be Patient

Don't Stand in the Way

Be Authentic

Stay Balanced

Examine the Reasons

for your own walk with Christ, either). Nobody wants to be smothered or judged or patronized. It's not an issue of spiritual leadership or authority; it's just human nature to pull away when someone invades your space physically or emotionally.

When you're honest about your own faith issues, you assure your spouse that it's part of the journey to have questions and doubts. Your transparency can be especially healing if your mate has felt—accurately or not—that spirituality has become a competition in your marriage. This process applies the scriptural idea of comforting others with the same comfort you've received (2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. K.J.V ).

There's no doubt about the importance of faith. But it's possible to lose a healthy perspective, especially when you feel your mate's Christian commitment is at stake. Even though you believe you can trust God with your partner's spiritual development, you may try to take matters into your own hands.

Sometimes a concerned spouse drops hints or invites others to offer unsolicited counsel to the spiritually indifferent spouse. While well intended, these approaches are manipulative. Others withdraw from a mate and become excessively involved with church or other religious endeavors.

Make no mistake: You can't be too devoted to Christ. Nor should you minimize your faith to a c c o m m o d a t e y o u r s p o u s e . B u t o v e r -spiritualization and hyper-religiosity will hinder your efforts as much as falling into the opposite ditch of apathy.

Before you sum up your spouse's struggle as merely a "sin issue," take some time to consider his context. What was his religious experience as a child? Was his faith nurtured or hindered? Was his parents'

Stay Balanced

Examine the Reasons

Generous

You can help your kids learn to be generous by serving others who are less fortunate. Christmas time is ideal for service projects. Your family might volunteer to serve Christmas dinner at a local rescue mission or visit residents at a nursing home,

singing carols and delivering Christmas cookies.

The majority of children receive a boatload of new toys each year. They soon lose interest in most of these toys, which wind up collecting dust in a closet, basement or storage bin. One family I know has instituted a Christmas tradition in which each of their kids chooses several of his or her old toys to donate to a homeless shelter or a local charity. They deliver the toys as a family the week before Christmas, so their children can see where their toys are being donated and experience the joy of giving away their possessions.

Christmas also provides an excellent opportunity to start sponsoring a poor child in a developing country through an organization such as World Vision or Compassion International. Our family sponsors a little girl in Indonesia. When our children are old enough, we plan to take a short-term missions trip to Java to meet her.

Finally, while your kids are still on vacation, set aside an afternoon for them to write handmade thank-you notes to the friends and relatives who gave them gifts. Even young children can participate by decorating simple cards with crayons, stickers and rubber stamps. Make this a family project, as you help your children learn to develop the "language of gratitude" through words and pictures. This article first appeared in the December, 2006 issue of magazine. Copyright © 2006 Focus on the Family

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Continued from pg 4

faith meaningful or a chore? Has he experienced a personal re l a t i o n s h i p w i t h C h r i s t o r m e re re l i g i o n ?

The Bible is clear: We're not authorized to judge others (Matthew 7:1 Judge not that you be not judged). Sometimes in marriage we're prone to judge because of what we know—or think we know—about our spouses.

We do know, however, that God cares about our mates. The struggle may take time, and may even challenge our faith. In the meantime, we can trust Him to nurture our spouses and our marriages.From Focus on the Family's Complete Guide to the First Five Years of Marriage, published by Tyndale. Copyright © 2006, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured

Continued ...

7

Smell the Flowers -- Eat the Rice

Attention, Please!

A sailor, while bringing flowers to a cemetery, noticed an old Chinese man placing a bowl of rice on a nearby grave.

The sailor walked up to the man and asked, "When do you expect your friend to come up and eat the rice?"

The old Chinese man replied with a smile, "Same time your friend comes up to smell the flowers."

At the auction, the man's eye caught the most beautiful parrot

he had ever seen. Determined to have the bird, he began bidding. Each time he bid, someone out bid A businessman who needed millions of him. Higher and higher the bidding went dollars to clinch an important deal went to until, finally, he won the bird.church to pray for the money. By chance he

knelt next to a man who was praying for As he was paying the Auctioneer for the $100 to pay an urgent debt. parrot, he commented, "I certainly hope this The businessman took out his wallet and parrot can talk. After what I'm paying for pressed $100 into the other man's hand. him, I would hate to find out that he can't."Overjoyed, the man got up and left the

church. "Talk? Don't you worry sir, he can talk,"

The businessman then closed his eyes and replied the Auctioneer. "Who do you think prayed: "And now, Lord, that I have your kept bidding against you?" undivided attention..."

The Most Beautiful Parrot

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Humour

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