TMM HELP FROM ABOVE

Vol. 2 No. 1 Shinning the light to the whole World HELP FROM A PUBLICATION OF FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN NURSES

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2   TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 EDITORIAL NOTE 4  FAMILY LIFE 6 POEM 7 WHY YOU NEED TO SLEEP 9 INTERVIEW 11 GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY 12 EXCELLENCE 14 INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 16  CHRISTIAN HEROS 17 THE POWER OF THE SECRET PLACE 19 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS 20 IGE BEATRICE ADEDAMOLA TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 2

Editorial Note Psalms 121: 1-2 (NLT) 1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! Psalms 28:7-8 TPT Yahweh is my strength and my wraparound shield. When I fully trust in you, help is on the way. I jump for joy and burst forth with ecstatic, passionate praise! I will sing songs of what you mean to me! You will be the inner strength of all your people, Yahweh, the mighty protector of all, and the saving strength for all your anointed ones. All glory to God for another edition of Total Man Magazine, tagged” Help From Above”. We have been able to make it to this point through the help of God and you, our readers. May the Lord keep helping us to do more and keep blessing you. Amen! “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from where comes my help. My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth” Psalm 121 vs 1-2. \"King David helps to understand that there are places where help can come from but regardless of all these, his help is from the Lord\". The Lord wants us to make Him our only source of help even when there are diverse places our help can come. He wants our total dependency on Him for every help in all areas of our lives. “ The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted in Him and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him Him” Ps 28 vs 7. As we journey through this volume I pray the Lord will keep opening our eyes to see even beyond the letters in Jesus name. Amen TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 3

FAMILY LIFE PAUSE AND RETREAT. There is a say that both the good and the bad deserve prayer. When it comes to family and relationship not only will you have to pray but most importantly sit down, mediate and evaluate. In addition to several inputs that make a family successful in life, the place of constant relationship with God can not be overemphasized. A lot of families communicate on different things in marriage, but create no time to pause and retreat. When you plan for your summer holiday, not only does fun and sleep make you relax, retreat is a good instrument of rest if well maximized No family is balanced in the absence of praying and retreating. You can't feed other aspects of the marriage and neglect the spiritual altar of the family IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY RETREAT Family retreat helps the family to evaluate themselves 2 Corinthians 13 v 5AMP:Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected? Retreat will give you a better chance to evaluate yourself. where you are, who you claimed to be, where you are going and the lapses that you need to bridge in the family. These things cannot be achieved without a significant period of time together as a family. Family Retreats helps the family to stay more connected and bonded. When a family prays together it broadens and strengthens the bond of relationship. It is easy for families who pray together to stay together and do things together. Unity in the family springs from the act of doing things together. \"....guarding your convictions that fuels your love for God \" TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 4

Retreat set a pace for fulfilling divine mandates When you retreat in the family, you become sensitized to those things that God will have you do in the family, either as parents, children as family as a whole Family retreat increases your spiritual growth and Knowledge: One of the platforms that strengthens our spiritual capacity is family retreats and altars. This is a good place for children to grow and build solid knowledge especially in their formative years. nclusion, the pros in family retreat can not be overemphasized. Plan for one and you will he seed yielding abundance. FAMART TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 5

THE HANDS OF JESUS Poet: Greta Zwaan, ©2009 Little hands lie in the manger, flailing in the cool night air, Reaching out to touch His mother, feeling love and tender care. Junior hands within the workshop, Joseph teaching Him his trade, I imagine happy moments showing Mary what He’d made. Hands that held the words of Scripture, in the temple as a lad, Telling scholars things of glory; knowledge that they’d never had. Hands that gave a blind man vision to behold the world anew, Hands that touched a leper’s body, cleansed and healed him through and through. Hands that held the little children, cuddling them upon His knee, Telling weary, toil worn mothers, “Let your offspring come to Me.” Hands that took a cup of water from the woman at the well, Told her that He knew her heartache, things that she would never tell. Hands that baked the fish for breakfast on the seashore for His men, Hands that blessed the food he offered, bringing God His thanks again. Hands that whipped the money changers in a temple meant for praise When He saw the degradation and the anger that did raise. Yet these hands were gentle, loving, kind, compassionate but strong, Lifting up the broken-hearted, guiding lives that had gone wrong. These very hands have been rejected, humbled by a rugged cross; Nails that made His blood run freely; heaven’s gain, but man’s great loss. But these hands are still extended, reaching out to draw men in, Oh, the loving hands of Jesus, paid the penalty for sin. Oh, the loving hands of Jesus, paid the penalty for sin.” TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 6

HEALTH CORNER WHY YOU NEED TO SLEEP When health workers are given the opportunity to counsel their clients or patients, one the of the most talked about topics is “stress management” and “Adequate sleep” But surprisingly many of us do not practice what we preach. We understand the importance of adequate sleep on our overall health yet larger percentage of us do not sleep. An average adult needs to sleep for about 7hrs to 8hrs per night. It could be as low as 6hrs or as much as 10hrs depending on your body requirements. Adequate sleep improves brain function, body metabolism, respiratory function, immune function and the heart function and overall performance even at work. Adequate sleep is also one of the most effective way to manage stress. Heart failure, angina, obesity, and depression, low mental performance in some cases can be traced to inadequate sleep. Nurses busy schedules could prevent them from being able to have 7hrs or 8hrs of sleep at a go but you can learn to break down your sleeping time. Take few minutes nap between your work schedule if you can. Getting adequate sleep take conscious effort. Instead of seeing movies late into the night or reading late into the night, try to sleep early as early as possible then you can read when you wake up in the morning…That makes your brain function at its best… Here's a trick, design a sleep routine for your self depending on your schedule and body requirements and try follow it strictly. In conclusion, sleep is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to prioritize sleep and ensure that we are getting adequate and restful sleep each night. By doing so, we can promote optimal health and well- being, and improve our overall quality of life. TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 7

INTERVIEW Daddy Olabode is the immediate past President of Fellowship of Christian Nurses, South West Zone , Nigeria Can we meet your sir. My names are Olaoluwa Oluwatosin Olabode. I'm married with children. Briefly, can you tell us how you came into Nursing? My journey into Nursing started in the year 2000. It was divinely orchestrated by God who used my biological father, though I never wanted it. I was still hoping to study Pharmacy but was encouraged to do the nursing school entrance exam and that was it. Even when I gained admission into nursing school, I told myself I'm here to play because in my mind why will a male be in a school dominated by ladies. Let me be frank with you, I started playing around in school then but I still love God. I suppose that basic love I have for God was all that He needed to interrupt my plans. I eventually gave my life to Christ in the school in the year 2001, served the Lord's purpose in the school and still serving His purpose as He enables me. Our theme for this publication is help from above, can you help us shed more light on it? To start with, help from above can be simply put as help from God. It has been established from the scriptures through the words of our Jesus Christ Himself \"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above..........\". John 19:11. There is no one earth that has achieved anything without it being delivered from heaven above, whether the individual acknowledged it or not. Help received from God above is safe, secure and last longer than help received elsewhere. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:14 KJV, \"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him\". Going by this verse of the Bible, I would rather wait for what God will do for me than work out things for my myself. The difference in this is that what God gives me will last. Are you trusting God for any good thing of life, don't look elsewhere, look above for it. Seek God's help for that thing and I can assure you that you will never regret it. Amos 5:4 Who can receive help from above ? Anyone and everyone who ask for help from above will surely receive the help. Matthew 7:7-8. However, the express password to receiving help from God above is to surrender your life to him and be his child. As a child, you own everything your father has and when you ask Him, He will give it to you. TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 8

How can one receive help from above firstly as a nurse and as an individual ? To receive help from above whether as a nurse or not, you must acknowledge your helpless state and the one person that can help you, who is God Almighty, JEHOVAH EBENEZER. 1Samuel 7:12. Nursing is a very delicate and sensitive job because we deal with lives. Therefore as nurse who wants to care for a life and give the best, you need the help of the owner of the life so as not to care wrongly 2Samuel 4:4 NLT. It is only natural to know that you cannot understand the human body better than the owner of the body which is God. He has the manual of every life, hence as a nurse that must be helped from above, you must realize that regardless of your intelligence and knowledge you must trust God for His help. Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP How do you know if a help is from above or not? A help that is from God will be pure, good, acceptable, perfect. Such help cannot be repressed or suppressed. It will be obvious for all to see and it is undeniable. If it's a help from God, there will be witnesses. What will receiving help from above do in the life of a man ? It brings an end to struggles. Such a man enters into his peaceable rest. What are the implications of not receiving help from above ? The implication is that one starts to struggle in life. There will be frustration, depression, for not achieving your set goal, and when frustration is full blown, death is imminent. It is usually said that \"heaven help those who help themselves\", how can this balanced with our theme ? There is no man that has helped himself to succeed in life. If you ever see such a man, that kind of success will be laced with corruption, selfishness, impurity because a natural man is selfish and to have helped yourself, you must have only thought about yourself not minding what happens to others. As far as the scripture is concerned, the only good you can do for yourself is to trust in the Lord and not believe you can do something special to become successful. Except the Lord build the house........Psalm 127:1-2. In your journey in life sir, can you share with us practical examples of how you have received help from above ? I am going to cite two experiences I had in this regard. The first was a computer based exam I wrote some years ago(TOEFL). I actually experience His help because I did not have enough time to prepare for this exam but I relied on God while going for the exam. I received His assurance before I started the exam and I got a pass mark that I needed. The second which is the most important practical help I've received from the Lord till date is when I served as the president of FCNSWZ. I'm not sure there will be enough space for me to TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 9

share these on this platform but I can say to you categorically, and brethren around can testify that I am a man greatly helped by God. When I was commissioned for this work, I looked at myself as not capable and unfit for it. I cried and cried. I prefer to serve in FCN behind the scene but it pleases the Lord to choose me. continueWith His help, I enjoyed the gift of men with whom we did a lot together. God be praised . What are the hindrances to receiving help from above Pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, unbelief, procrastination, How has your service in FCNSWZ helped you ? I really thank God for giving me the platform of FCNSWZ leadership where I received His help. It has helped me to trust God for anything and everything. It helped me to also serve in the Nurses association of the Hospital I worked. It made me a better husband to my wife and better father to my children. I learnt sacrifice that is hinged on God's help. I learnt how to be balanced in all I do with the help of God. Is there any role FCN plays in the life of a Nurse or Nursing students in receiving help from above ? FCN plays a major role in the life of a Nurse or Nursing student in receiving help from the Lord. FCN is a platform set up by God to help the Nursing community in Nigeria to bring balanced and complete care to this dying world. FCN is a spiritual voice to Nursing Nigeria and the spirituality determines the physical and other aspects. A spiritual nurse will nurse differently, carefully, intentionally and passionately. This fellowship helps us to understand that care is not complete when the spirit, soul and body of that man is not attended to. This is where the vision of FCN is coined from, \"caring for the total man, spirit, soul, and body\". 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The fellowship organizes programs from time to time to equip nurses spiritually, mentally, physically, academically, maritally, politically, and the likes. This body is expected to be in every institution where you have nurses or Nursing students in Nigeria. Your final words sir? This topic being considered is what everyone must give attention to. God's help is the most important thing that made life worth living today. Remember, if God had not helped humanity by sending His only son to die for our sins, we would have been condemned to death. John 3:16. Do not look for help where there is none. Seek no help from Egypt of this world because it will backfire. Only look up to God of heaven and the earth for help. Psalm 121. He is the very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1. Let me leave us with the story in the Bible when there was famine in Samaria. The famine was so great that people ate dung, killed their children for food and thus led a woman to meet the king of Israel seeking help. This is the response from the king, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, what can I do? I have neither food from the threshing floor nor wine from the press to give you.” 2 Kings 6:27 NLT. Why struggle and trouble yourself trying to achieve something, when you can get the help you need from God. TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE |10

I will like to leave this with every nurse that is reading this interview. You have been helped by God to be at a vantage position as a health care worker, therefore be intentional in helping the sick, needy and dying. They need serious help because they came to the Hospital and God has provided the help for you the nurse for that shift in that particular unit/ward. Don't disappoint God, rather, be like the Hebrew Midwives who rescued not just lives but generations. Exodus 1:15- 21. Shalom I really thank God for giving me the platform of FCNSWZ leadership where I received His help. It has helped me to trust God for anything and everything. It helped me to also serve in the Nurses association of the Hospital worked. It made me a better husband to my wife and better father to my children. I learnt sacrifice that is hinged on God's help. I learnt how to be balanced in all I do with the help of God. GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY and restoration to God-kind of life. come into your I use this golden privilege to invite life and start Adam lost something precious in you to receive this Life, who you this new life the garden of Eden to Satan, he have been doesn't matter, the sins If you have done lost the life of God, he became a you have committed is not the this, you are now sinner, a slave to sin, self and Satan issue because you can't do a new creature, and by virtue of that, every man on contrary due to the life you carry . contact us via earth became sinner, every effort In accepting this invitation, you +2348108671488, and activity of man to get back to have a new life that can overcome +2348132629811 God and be in his good book sin, self and Satan, the eternal life. or+234816485021 couldn't work but God In His 6 to be of further infinite mercy and everlasting love Won't you accept❓ help to you. will not allow man to continue to wallow in helplessness, He sent To accept, Admit you a sinner, Jesus, His only begotten Son that Confess your sins, Ask Jesus to there can be exchange of life and TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 11

MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS BALANCING WHILE WORKING. It is no news that majority of nurses combine study with work because nursing itself is a vast advancing profession and if you do not want to be left behind you have to keep advancing in knowledge and skills. Luckily for us there are opportunities to combine both work and school. Working while schooling can be really demanding and if not well balanced can end in total disaster. But many of us still need the money we earn from work to study. Below are 7 strategies to maintain excellence in academics while working 1. BE REALISTIC have a full understanding of what your reality is. Now that you have to study and work, if you can only take one course at a time together with your workload, then focus on one. People tend to bite more than they can chew when it comes to work and study. Having a full time job has its own expectations and challenges and adding education to the already busy schedule will definitely increase the pressure on you. If you work full time, determine exactly how many classes you can take per semester… If possible, pick up a job with a light work-load that you can manage to combine with your study program 2. CREATE A PLAN At the start of every semester, get all your syllabi and record all examination schedule then create a plan for your study. Identify how best and where best you can study and stick to it. 3. LEARN TO PRIORITIZE This is a very important skills you must learn. When you identify what you need to do and how you want to do them, then you now have to arrange them in the other of priority. You may need to skip some activities that are fun to do like partying, watching live soccer games or hanging out. Remember it’s just for a season, so set aside distractions as much as you can. 4. TIME MANAGEMENT If you can manage your time well, then you can manage your life. Plan to use each hour of your day featuring all the task you have for the day. Then highlight your free period and fix them if you must. For instance, you can decide to take a few minutes nap during your lunch break, read some of your books or reply emails or do assignments while in a bus. 5. JOIN A STUDY GROUP One of the k ey benefits of group study is that it allows individuals to share their strengths and knowledge with one another. This means that if one person is strong in one area, they can help TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 12

others who are weak in those area. You tends to have a sense of belonging to a community of people with common goals. It also provides an opportunity for you to ask questions and get clarifications on complex topics. It also provides a social support system that can help you reduce stress and increase your motivation to study at times when you don’t feel like studying especially when you know you are accountable to the group. 6. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF Having a heavy schedule and studying will inevitably cause you to stress out every now and then. But you must identify how best to manage stress. You can listen to music, exercise regularly, go for massage, eat healthy foods instead of junks and make sure to get enough sleep. 7. ACKANOWLEDGE GOD This is the last but the most important. Few years ago I was struggling with merging academics with business and ministry and at some point I became so overwhelmed and afraid that I might not be able to meet the spiritual needs of people in my care and do well in my courses and when I finally went to God for help, he spoke to me from Prov 3 vs 5 and 2Tim 2 vs16. Proverbs says; trust in the Lord with all of your might and lean not on your own understanding, in all that you do acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Living both the student and professional life can be tough and put a lot of strain on your personal life but you can turn this strain into motivation and get the result you want. And at every point you get overwhelmed after you have worked hard and study hard, turn and ask God for help. Acknowledge Him in every step of the way and He will send help from above. THERE IS SPACE FOR YOU IN GOD'S AGENDA TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE| 13

PROFESSIONALS' CORNER Dont be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else DARE TO BE DIFFERENT The scripture says in 1 Cor 15 : 58 (AMP) that, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose]. Life they say is all about sowing and reaping. Whatever a man sow, the same is what he will reap. If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly and if you sow bountifully you will reap bountifully. You can't be doing things just like others and you expect a result that is different from theirs, NO! Hence if you want a different result, if you want something better than the majority are getting, then you need to be different from them. You don't need to follow the multitude. Majority doesn't always carry the vote when it comes to issues of life and destiny, you can stand to be the only one doing the right thing. The above scripture encourages us to always abound, always being superior, always doing more than others, always excelling, always doing more than enough in the work of the Lord, in the business God has given you, in the profession God has placed you. Knowing fully well that there's nothing you do that's in vain. God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, He's the rewarder of them that are diligent in their business. The following are the areas you can be different as a professional 1Cor 15 : 58 above says..... always abounding in the work of the Lord, i.e doing more than enough. We are in the generation where laziness is the order of the day with excuse like \"I cannot come and kill myself for government or any employer\". Even those with their personal business will still say the same thing. But the word of God is sure; Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men Proverbs 22 : 29. To be diligent is to be hardworking, to be industrious. It's to do your work with focus and all concentration. Hardwork pays in the long run. It places you before kings and noblemen. David was an example in the bible, he was busy tending his father's flock and from there when his diligence will pay off, he was taken from there and became the king. For God said, He has found a man after His own heart in him. A lazy man cannot be a man after God's heart because God Himself is not lazy. Diligence will make opportunities to meet preparations in your life. TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 14

PROFESSIONALS' CORNER Punctuality they say is the soul of business. African time has become the slang in the mouth of almost everybody, which is just an indication of irresponsibility and lack of diligence. As a professional that wants to be different, punishment or a clocking machine shouldn't be the threat that will make you resume work as at when due. Have regard for people's time and have regard for yours too. If you can go as early as 7am for an interview for that job, regardless of where you came from, you can resume at 8am without any problem. It's a matter of determination and intentionality Procrastination is a thief of time and it's an attitude of the lazy people. Why postponing till later what you can do now. As a professional that wants to excel in life in whatever you do, learn to cease the opportunity of NOW to do what needs to be done. As a professional nurse that has been helped by God, that has obtained mercy and has the Holy Spirit, always yield to the voice of the spirit without procrastination. Some lives have been carelessly lost in the hands of some nurses because of insensitivity and procrastination for example, the Holy Spirit prompted you to check on your patient but you gave the excuse that you just left his side and that you will go later, before you knew it, the condition deteriorated within a twinkling of an eye and the patient died. This is one of the attributes of a nurse learnt in school, but how many are really empathic when delivering their care? If you're empathic you will not be aggressive with that patient regardless of what the patient did to you. If you have empathy you will not delay giving that patient in severe pain his /her analgesic Let Jesus be seen in you. Even when He saw the sick, the scripture says that He had compassion on them. In conclusion As a nurse, always remember that you being in this profession is by grace and mercy that you have received from God and that's more reason you must do everything to glorify God who has called you. Always abounding in the work of the Lord, always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord, knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose. \"Majority doesn't always carry the vote when it comes to issues of life and destiny. You can stand to be the only one doing the right thing.\" TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 15

PROFESSIONALS' CORNER TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 11 Ability to Practice Empathy: Being able to identify the feelings of others help you to relate well, react well and even pray for them. Ability to Maintain Relationship: Learn to reinforce relationships outside the workplace. Periodic follow-up on them helps to keep relationships stable even after work. Good relationships with people help us as christians to meet the spiritual needs of our colleagues and clients which is a great tool for evangelism. KATHRYN KUHLMAN HEROS OF FAITH “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21, NKJV) Kathryn Kuhlman was born May 9, 1907. She had an encounter with the Lord at the age of 14 and knew right away the Lord had called her to ministry. A few years later she began evangelizing locally, eventually establishing a church and then later, she traveled around the United States. A mark of Kuhlman’s ministry was flowing in the gift of healing. Her life, like so many other ministers, was marked by triumph and tragedy. Sometimes our worst failures are of our own making. It is remarkable that for someone who was so sensitive to the voice and presence of the Holy Spirit, Kuhlman also blatantly disobeyed Him at times. Nevertheless, God never left her. This should be a comfort to us all. The Bible says, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29, NKJV). Many books and articles have been written about Kathryn Kuhlman, but I want to relate instead, a story told by one of my Bible college professors of a personal encounter she had with the famed evangelist. Pastor Jean Darnall and her husband Elmer led a church in Pennsylvania, in the 1940’s. Several of their congregants were getting together to attend one of Kuhlman’s meetings. Having never heard of Kuhlman, Darnall decided to tag along. All ordained ministers were typically seated on the platform behind the speaker in those days, so as the meeting began, and Kuhlman took to the pulpit, Darnall had a first-hand view of all that took place. Spontaneously, and quite suddenly, enormously powerful miracles were happening all over the large convention center. A woman with a large mass on her neck on the front row was instantly healed – the mass simply disappeared. People were leaving wheelchairs behind and walking for the first time in years. But something troubled Darnall about all this. Not once did Kuhlman open a Bible, or talk about the blood of Jesus, or other things one might expect. So, she simply prayed about it and returned home when the meeting concluded. Some months later, Kuhlman held another local meeting and Darnall decided to give it another try. This time, as Kuhlman approached the pulpit, she said, “Today, I feel I should take some time to teach you about the blood of Jesus, that healing is a part of the atonement, through the finished work of Jesus Christ.” This pleased Darnall, but when Kuhlman concluded, she said to the congregation, “This is the work of the ministry” and with that she whirled around, pointed right at Darnall, with her long, bony finger, and said, “And you had better get to it!” It was so obvious Darnall was the one she was pointing at that all the other ministers looked right at her. Kathryn Kuhlman was said to have had a very personal and deep relationship with the Holy Spirit, something that is available to us all. hsource: ttps://www.times-advocate.com/articles/founders-of-our-faith-kathryn-kuhlman/ TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 16

Christian Lifestyle THE POWER OF THE SECRET PLACE O happy day, that fixed my choice On Thee, my Savior and my God! Well may this glowing heart rejoice, And tell its raptures all abroad. Happy day, happy day..... was probably the song we sang the day we gave our lives to Christ or we remember that day and the joy that filled our hearts. It is indeed a memorable experience, but we must not forget that it's not enough to accept and confess Jesus as our Lord and savior, but much more to continue in Him till the end and finish the race with \"welcome ye faithful servant of the Lord\". The bible admonishes us in Col 1 :13 ERV You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. If there's no risk of giving up, this admonition will not be necessary. If there's no risk of starting the race well and stopping half way or finishing wounded, this admonition by Apostle Paul wouldn't have been in the scripture, but God who knows the end from the beginning, who knows what lies in the journey ahead of us warned us. To remain sure and strong in faith till the end is not automatic. Jesus Christ while on earth didn't overcome the hurdles and trials in the word without the secret place. Oftentimes, we hear the bible says \"He departed into a solitary place and prayed\" (Mark 1:35), \"He gathered His disciples and taught them the word\". It is only in and with the strength of God, received in the secret place that we can finish strong, it is only in the strength of God that we can run this race and not give up. However this strength is not gotten on the street nor in the air, but we get this strength when we sit in the secret place, i.e when we feed ourselves with the word of God and pray. If Jesus could not succeed in His earthly ministry without these, I wonder how we think we can scale through life clean and clear without them. The place of consistent fellowship with God cannot be overemphasized if we intend to finish this course set before us safely. There's no alternative to it! Your church attendance cannot substitute it, your tithe and offering cannot substitute it, your career advancement cannot substitute it, the fat money you have in your bank account cannot substitute it, not even your tittle in the church cannot substitute it, nothing can substitute it because nothing can give you the communion and satisfaction you get in the secret place. It is called secret place because it is a place of personal dealings with God. It is a place where you sit face to face with God, where you do not have anything to hide from your maker, where you can be naked and not ashamed. What are the advantages or the power that lies in the secret place? TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 17

1.Heart check and heart search. The secret place is one of the avenues where we can have our hearts searched and checked out. You will see yourself like in a mirror, you will see yourself just as you are, just the way God is seeing you. The word of God will search you out and reveal any hidden error. The scripture says in 2 Tim 3 : 16 & 17 ERV; All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting people’s faults and training them in the right way to live. Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work. Through the scriptures, through prayers, those of us who serve God, those of us who have been called according to His purpose will be prepared and have everything we need to do every good work, we will get everything we need to finish well and finish strong. It is the place of revelation. A christian without a functioning secret place is blind and cannot see whatever lies in front of him/her and hence predisposed to falling into error, deception, heresies and all sorts of things. The psalmist said in Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes to see the miracle-wonders hidden in your word. Hidden in the word of God are wonderful things, mysteries, truth, counsels that are able to keep our heart from falling. The light of the word of God shines upon our heart and our eyes of faith is lighten. And when this happens, hope is restored and strength is renewed It is the place of purging. The Scriptures says in Malachi 3:3-4 ERV He will make the Levites clean. He will make them pure, like silver is made pure with fire! He will make them pure like gold and silver. Then they will bring gifts to the LORD, and they will do things the right way. Then the LORD will accept the gifts from Judah and Jerusalem. It will be as it was in the past—as the time long ago. In the secret place, we come in contact with God, the purifier, the refiner. He purifies us like gold and silver, removes every dross from our lives, makes our lives offering and services acceptable before Him. When we are purged and purified by God, the Bible says we will be able to do things in the right way, we will serve Him acceptably all the days of our lives It is the place of strength renewal. Lk 22 : 39 - 43 explained how Jesus went to pray before His arrest. He went there with a heavy heart, considering the fact that He was about to be crucified. But in the course of praying, the bible says in verse 43 that an angel appeared unto Him from heaven and strenghtened Him. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ was discouraged, His heart was heavy, and He went to God in prayer. He even prayed that the cup should pass over Him, but He said \"the will of the father be done\" and He was strenghtened. Same things happens to us in the place of fellowship and interaction with the Trinity, we receive strength to do the will of the father. We receive strength to run the race that has been set before us with patience and endurance, we receive strength to overcome temptations, our weaknesses are exchanged for His strengths. He bears our infirmities and carries us on His wing in the secret place. It is the place of safety. Eph 6 : 10 - 18 KJV admonishes us to put on the whole armour of God so that we can withstand all the strategies of the devil because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against power, against rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 18

wickedness in high places. Brothers and sisters, there are forces against our souls, the devil is not happy that we have been saved out of his kingdom, hence he's looking for means to draw us back but he has failed! Because we have a way out. Ps 91 v 1 KJV says He that dwell in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. TPT says When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. Hallelujah!! There's safety in His presence! Safety from sin! Safety from flesh and its works! Safety from the strategies of the devil! It is my prayers that the Lord will continually draw you closer to Himself, He will cause your heart to dearly pant after Him, and this race, you will end well and end strong in Jesus name. You will not stumble, you will not stop half way but the Mighty Hands of God will keep holding you. Amen SOME OF THE GREAT BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ OR READ AGAIN IN 2023 YOU CAN READ SOME OF THESE AND OTHERS WITH A BOOK READING COMMUNITY; ALMOND CLUB TO READ WITH ALMOND, CONTACT: +234 810 867 1488 TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 19

TRIBUTE TO A DEAR FRIENDAND COLLEAGUE, LATE IGE BEATRICE ADEDAMOLA For someone whose pen always have something to say, hardly could it even compose a sentence since your demise. Beatrice!!! There were words I wanted to say to you. I thought your bridal shower would be the best place to say them and we were making plans. I wanted to say “THANK YOU” for giving me the courage to attend Nursing school. Coming into the school I wasn’t proud to be there, I was constantly looking down on my self as a failure who came back to the nursing she dumped almost 5years ago. The class was so full of people who are obviously younger and brighter. I even had some junior folks I have known from secondary school. I was constantly ashamed and most times I hid from the reality that we are now at the same level.. Beatrice, you were the first friend I made. You were obviously older than most of this people but you never let that define you. You had failed too and had start over but you never let that reflect in how you handle everything. You were always happy, positive and lively. You blend so well with everyone in every situations without insecurities. You would join people dancing randomly and tell them to teach you, join random conversations and blend yourself in the discussion. You were always everywhere… while I could be struggling to make one friend, you would have made ten effortlessly. There were times when I would just want to seat quietly somewhere in the back seat and I will see you at the front playing and having fun and I will have to tell myself… “You don’t have to be ashamed, Beatrice is older but she’s never insecured about it” You were one of the kindest and loving persons I know. I remembered been sick during exam preparations and couldn’t even move from my bed, I sent a message to the class group that I needed someone to please come to my room and help me get some drugs. I kept monitoring who read the message and so many people read it but you came to my room in 2mins after you read it saying you were just returning from church and you saw the message and you went back to get the drugs for me Beatrice. It's painful I didn’t get the chance to say all this to you. You were always motivating me to get out of my shell…. “Omo dudu, what’s wrong? “ you would ask anytime you notice I am not cheerful and not just me but every other person around you.. Will there be beans in heaven and locus beans so you can make a full pot of beans enough to last for a week and make that Ata dindin with iru for rice (atleast I learnt that recipe). I can’t remember how many times you had said to me; “Gold have you eaten, there’s rice in the pot o” TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE |20

I never knew GOOD BYE will have to be this soon Beatrice!!! I kept documenting everything we did since the day we heard you were unconscious. I would give you update of how everyone is doing including your fiance whenever I call him on phone, how I prayed for you, fasted and gave alms to the poor. I would tell you how everyone is really praying for you including our comrades who are far away. I was so positive that you would get out of that bed and we will read the documentary and thank God for everything. I had always known you to be a strong lady, you smile even when things are obviously falling apart saying things like; “ko si much” “igba die Na lo ku padimi” This time I also believe you will fight death and you will never give up. I was suppose to come see you on the Saturday preceding your demise but I couldn’t make it… Sunday was your birthday and I spent the day praying for you and even gave alms. Tuesday was when I plan to visit you at the hospital but I got the news of your death on Monday morning. You couldn’t even wait for me. Beatrice! Why did you have to surrender this time? That is so unlike you. I kept asking God what else could we have done to save your soul? I kept hoping maybe God has a plan of waking you up at the point of burial just to glorify himself and until they cover you up with sand I kept crying and telling God it’s not too late to do something. Being a nurse, I have seen a lot of death and some were really painful but I learnt to hide my tears and I kind of get used to not crying whenever people die. But when I got the news of your demise my heart was too heavy I cried till my eyes where swollen. Who would call me Omo dudu and fine girl? I finally was able to convince myself that if you were here, you would tell me not to cry but when I saw your video. I cried even louder. Your death is a great shock, everyone is pained. You were too young to die because you were valuable and even much needed at this time. You abandoned our wedding plans, the aso ebi plans, many plans e. t. c. Why did God design death to be unquestionable? I would have loved to ask him for a good reason why you shouldn’t live till old age. I kept checking if you would still wake up and whispering to God's ears that he can still do something, since you are still here and not even up to four days like Lazarus. I was expecting to hear stop.. stop, I am awake!! Until they covered you with sand. I guess this is the point to say goodbye. I guess you are at your bus stop already. You must be resting now and watching us from the spirit world. Even though you are no longer here with us, we can feel your countless hugs and care, your soft whispers of care and your memories lives on in our hearts. Even though, your sun had to set in daytime, you lived an impactful life. You may not be here for long but you will never be forgotten. Hope to see you at the resurrection morning. Adieu Beatrice!! Rest!! FCN Ado Alumni mourn you TOTAL MAN MAGAZINE | 21 Culled from Nurse Ogundeyi Gold's Facebook page

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