THE SANCTITY OF LIFE By Sammy Penda

At the beginning of life, we hope for longevity. At the end, we notice its brevity. For some reason, we never get satisfied with the time of life we live on earth. At least that's the general feeling of the bereaved. Anyway, what is long life with no relevance to the society? And is life really short or does death catch us by surprise? 

I'd be easily convinced if I was told that there isn't a single key task in the late Nelson Mandela's to-do list that hasn't been performed. He lived his life to the maximum. He left a legacy that everyone wants to emulate. I pray that the same becomes of me and you. That our lives may not be a matter of inhaling and exhaling but of resourcefulness and giving back to the community.  

Life is a drama, a movie and you're the main actor. Unfortunately for you, there's no rehearsal, so you've got to do your best right from the start. Fortunately enough, you can make mistakes and start all over again, not from the top, but from where you went wrong. 

Each new day is a new opportunity. A new chance to prove to yourself and to the world that you've got what it takes to do what your heart desires. To be who you want to be. To defy the odds and change the course of your life. Like the sun, even though you go down and it looks like you're no more, wake up the next day and brighten up the world. 

SO CLOSE YET SO FAR AWAY By Evelyne Kirui

This is one of the most conflicting statements I have heard. I never quite understood it until I stopped viewing it literally.

In our solar system we learn that the planet closest to the sun is mercury. With this information logic will bring me to the conclusion that, mercury must be the hottest planet. The reality is mercury is not the hottest planet, why? Mercury has no atmosphere, it lacks a warming blanket to maintain sun’s heat. Logic is not always true, even Satan as evil as he is, he was once an angel of God.

Us men like to assume that the closer you are to something definitely you are the one getting the best out of it. This statement is not so definite, its a matter of choice.

There is one analogy i was given that never made so much sense till now. There is a difference between a pastor and a poster. A poster shows you the direction and stays put as you follow the directions yourself while a
pastor shows you the direction and walks down that road with you. With this you realize not everyone who preaches God’s word will actually get to heaven despite how close they considered themselves to God. This validates the fact that, it does not matter how close you are, what matters is if you will choose to use the closeness to your advantage.

Many of us are good musicians,business consultants, bloggers, pastors, public speakers, athletes, scientists even poets. These abilities are not just close but rather they are in us yet we never tap into them. We do not use them to at least make an impact. One thing Lucky Dube will always be remembered for is his music, if he had sat on his ability we would not have heard amazing contemporary songs like: prisoner, different colors or house of exile. He used his music to inspire, correct and preach unity and that is how he left a mark in this world. We might not all sing but let us use what we have to become legends in our own way.

Let us not procrastinate greatness. Once we get the heat let us let it in and use it to our advantage. Musicians sing, writers write, athletes run, doctors treat. Lets not wait to do it later, life is too unpredictable to leave things to chance.

Every single day you wake up, is a day closer to the day you will go back to your maker. That is a harsh reality but we have to know that so that we can use what we have been blessed with before we loose it.

The wise are not those who gain knowledge but rather those who retain the knowledge and finally put it to use. That is the true definition of wisdom.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT By Stephen Karani

Perhaps this is the most life changing revelation about the word of GOD, which will change the way we handle this eternal word of truth; with authority and strong conviction to transform the life of every believer.

I still do love those old school movies where the art of warfare is characterised by brave men, fast horses, heavy armour and sharp swords. A soldier back then was a force to reckon with, his life revolved around nothing but daily arduous training, war songs and heavy meals consisting majorly of lean meat.You are totally sold out to the state no meddling in the affairs of civilians. You literally eat, drink and sleep war.

Now to put things in to perspective, let’s turn to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he describes the full armour of GOD. However before we go further it will be worthwhile to mention that any born again believer who doesn’t realise he enlisted in the army of GOD the day he accepted Christ in his life, is living  very dangerous life because sooner or later he will be shot dead without knowing it.

Before going to war there are some basic principles that every soldier knows about warfare. Firstly he needs to have the right mind-set and by mind set I mean no cowards can be soldiers for the affairs of war need a very brave heart and focused mind t nothing but total annihilation of the enemy and victory. Secondly proper training is essential to know the right techniques to use during the battle, to build ones stamina and know survival tactics when you run out of options (read plan B).Last but most importantly, your armour and weapon of choice and how you handle it on the battle field, will be very essential in determining the scores after all is said and done-victory or defeat.

Ephesians 6:13-17 speaks of the FULL ARMOUR OF GOD. Paul takes his time to explain each part of the armour in relation to a Christian ready for battle against the forces of darkness. My main focus will be on the only offensive weapon a soldier has at his disposal. It is I must say, the only thing that can influence the length of the battle and the outcome of the struggle. The sword, I must say can either inflict fatal wounds upon either of the combatants or inflict a deathly blow depending on how it is wielded.

You and I both know that a fatal wound is not the best option in this battle, the enemy must be vanquished completely never to return to oppress us or our dear ones. My advice, aim for the heart and thrust the double aged sword provided for us by our commander in chief Jesus Christ with all skill and might obtaining flawless victory within a minute. Folks, having a shiny armour and a robust double aged sword is not sufficient if you lack enough skills and hours on training. You will be equated to a submachine gun in the hands of a toddler, it’s simply another useless piece of toy or worse.

Verse 17 says…and the word of GOD which is THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. The enemy-the devil- knows the power of God’s word and he will do everything to prevent you from taking it seriously thus handle it carelessly, make you very busy for the word so that you remain fully ignorant and vulnerable to his attacks. The word of GOD Is GOD himself…the same word that created the heavens and the earth, raised the dead, turned water into wine, chased demons away, forgave sins, opened the eyes of the blind and destroyed every evil attack of the enemy on GOD’s People. We need to read it daily and hold to it firmly like a real sword so as to have the strength and skill to wield and inflict a deathly blow on our enemy or we shall always be under the devils Yolk.

TIME BOUND by Denis Miano

Some people die because the formula in them is poverty...

A time has come not to opt for whatever comes our way but effort from failure. A sudden change of thought is better than no action at all. Effort makes up traits in the journey of life to change our ways. Nevertheless, let us not lose hope. We determine paths ahead of us.  Turning from failure then committing to reach our goals and attain success.

A crown is for the determined and hardworking. As a lame mans language beckons, success does not come on a silver platter. Let us rise above ways thought of us, to those that are best for us. It threatens a flow of tears realizing how the world has changed. Behold a disgraced beauty that now lies of the universe. Greed overtakes and the law of the jungle emanates every man for himself and God for us all. 

Till when will this discomfort resulting to corrupt ways and sinful practice disappear? We must convert to good morals for countries to be at peace. To be precise, it takes ones efforts to determine his means. Certainly, God gave us serenity to accept what we cannot change, wisdom to know the difference and courage to change what we can.

A time has come to rise and befall all that devours us. For in doing our best echoes a chance of greatness. Not dwelling much on what a man is judged of entirely. By giving him a chance, character builds up after rectification of his weakness. Being a nation of peace with justifiable terms is done with unity of governance. In pursuing our portion to deserve success we stop the corrupt nature of modernization.

A time has come to change, accept a renewal of our old, pathetic, weak and stupid ways of living our lives.