GOSPEL CORNER:WE NEED THE LORD TO GIVE US QARAH EVERY DAY. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PRAY THE PRAYER OF THAT UNNAMED SERVANT. TELL THE LORD, “GIVE ME SUCCESS—QARAH—THIS DAY,”

30/04/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, but the LORD rescues him from them all.
Psalm 34:19, AMP

RESCUE IS COMING
In the Scripture, Ruth was a young woman when her husband suddenly passed away. Her whole life was turned upside down with all that heartache and pain. It didn’t seem as though God had good plans for her. But being a believer doesn’t exempt us from great disappointments and hardships. There will be unfair things that we don’t understand, but this is where you have to trust that God is still in control. If you’re patient and don’t get bitter, God will give you beauty for the ashes.

Ruth went out in the fields each morning to pick up leftover wheat just to survive. One day the landowner, a man named Boaz, noticed Ruth. Long story short, they ended up falling in love, getting married, and having a little baby boy named Obed. Holding her baby, Ruth never imagined she would be that happy, that fulfilled. She didn’t have to work in the fields; now she owned the fields. Obed had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. Now Ruth is in the family line of Jesus.

A Prayer For Today
“Father, thank You that no matter what hardship or trouble I face, I can stay in peace knowing that You will rescue me from them all. Thank You that You were with Ruth in her disappointment, and You are with me in mine. I declare that I will be patient. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO
Beloved, I want to show you how you can pray for and experience God’s divine positioning for good success today.

There is a principle in interpreting God’s Word known as “the principle of first mention.” Every time a word is mentioned for the first time in the Bible, there is usually a special significance and lesson that we can learn.

Let’s take a look at the first occurrence of the word qarah. It is found in Genesis 24, when Abraham sent his unnamed servant to look for a bride for Isaac, his son.

The unnamed servant arrived at a well outside the city of Nahor in the evening and decided to stop there. There were so many young women gathered to draw water there that he did not know who would be the right woman for Isaac. So the unnamed servant prayed this prayer: “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”

The word “success” here is the Hebrew word qarah, and this is the first time it appears in the Bible. The servant essentially prayed, “Give me qarah this day.” It goes without saying that with the Lord’s qarah or positioning for right happenings, the servant found a beautiful virtuous woman named Rebekah, who became Isaac’s bride.

We need the Lord to give us qarah every day. I encourage you to pray the prayer of that unnamed servant. Tell the Lord, “Give me success—qarah—this day,” and depend on His unmerited favor to cause you to be at the right place at the right time!

GOSPEL CORNER : DESPITE WHATEVER YOU ARE FACING IN LIFE, TAKE TIME TO HEAR JESUS.

29/04/24

Today, despite whatever you are facing in life, take time to hear Jesus. If you are concerned about symptoms in your body, keep hearing and hearing about how our Lord Jesus loved to heal and still heals today.

Hear how He bore the cruel Roman lashes for you, so that by His stripes, you are healed (Isa. 53:5). Hear how He went about doing good and healing ALL who were oppressed (bodily, emotionally, and mentally) by the devil (Acts 10:38,5Matt. 9:35).

Hear how when He saw the crowds waiting for His healing touch, He was moved with compassion—He didn’t see them as people with impossible demands, but as sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36). And hear how He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Faith will infuse your spirit, and His divine healing and health will flood every cell, organ, and system of your body!

Beloved, if you are anxious about the needs and demands of tomorrow, keep hearing how God is for you and not against you. Hear how He has freely given you ALL things through Christ (Rom. 8:31–32), so that all you need to do is to freely receive ALL of His blessings, including the favor, wisdom, healing, and supply you need for whatever challenge you may be facing.

Hear the Son remind you of your loving heavenly Father, Who knows your every need and promises He will take care of you as you cast your cares on Him and simply seek first His gift of righteousness (Matt. 6:31–33). My dear friend, as you listen and become established in His grace toward you, every worry and anxiety will evaporate like mist as the morning sun comes up, and you will see His fresh supply of favor for every new need.

. of betrayal, if you’ve been hurt by the words of people close to you, or if you are just feeling plain discouraged, hear the Lord’s words of affirmation. Hear Him say to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Let these words restore your heart, bring stability to your emotions, and give you the faith to boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5–6).

My friend, to really grow in grace and see its fruit manifest in our lives, we need to keep hearing the Son and His words of grace, because it is so easy to slide back into being law- or demand-conscious, as opposed to being grace- or supply-conscious. Hear Him today. Hear His words of grace!

NESTLE’S SWEETENED INFANT MILK SOLD IN POORER COUNTRIES : NAFDACS RESPONSE

PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 28, 2024

DANIELS OG

The NAFDAC Management wishes to reassure the public that the Agency is fully alive to her responsibilities of assuring the safety, wholesomeness and quality of infant and young children foods offered for sale in Nigeria in compliance with the relevant standards and regulations.

This is following a Publication brought to the attention of the Management of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to The Guardian online publication of 17 April 2024 being circulated widely to the General Public via social media stating that Nestle, the worlds largest Consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and Cereal products sold in many poorer Countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases.

The report goes further to state that samples of baby food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America were tested and results of analysis, and examination of product packaging revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.

The Management of NAFDAC wishes to use this medium to reassure the public that the Agency exercises due regulatory diligence in the registration of infant and young children foods distributed and used in Nigeria in line with relevant Codex Alimentarius international food standards (Codex) and more specifically, Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).

This is applicable to all categories of infant and young children foods distributed by manufacturers, importers, and marketers of infant and young children foods operating within Nigeria.

Adequate, optimal nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential to ensure the growth, health, and development of children to their full potential.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) implements the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, developing international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice with the mandate to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair international food trade. Nigeria (NAFDAC) is an active participant at these international food standards setting arena to contribute Nigerias positions during food standards development.

Regarding the mention of Nido follow-up milk formula in the publication, NAFDAC wishes to state that the product is not registered in Nigeria, is not known to the Agency and is not in circulation in Nigeria.

The range of Nestle Cerelac infant cereals distributed in Nigeria are duly registered with NAFDAC in line with the Nigerian Industrial Standard for Foods for Infants and Young Children – Processed Cereal Based foods (NIS 256:2010) and the Codex Standard for Processed Cereal-based Foods for Infants and Young Children (CXS 74-1981 adopted in 1981, revised in 2006, amended in 2017, 2019, and 2023), as well as the applicable NAFDAC regulations for compliance with safety, quality, and labelling requirements. The scope of the standards covers processed cereal-based foods intended for feeding infants as complementary food from the age of six (6) months.
It is important to mention that these national and international food standards for processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children permit the addition of sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup or honey to products consisting of cereals which are or have to be prepared for consumption with milk or other appropriate nutritious liquids provided the amount of added carbohydrates from these sources shall not exceed the stated levels of 1.8 g/100 kJ (7.5 g/100 kcal); and specifically the maximum level of added fructose shall not exceed 0.9g/100kJ (3.75g/100kcal).
For cereals with an added high protein food which are or have to be prepared for consumption with water or other appropriate protein-free liquid, carbohydrates (if sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup or honey) are added provided the amount of added carbohydrates from these sources shall not exceed 1.2 g/100 kJ (5g/100 kcal); and specifically the maximum level of added fructose shall not exceed 0.6g/100kJ (2.5g/100kcal).

It is important to note that carbohydrates are made of building blocks of sugars and can be classified according to how many sugar units are combined in their molecule. Glucose, fructose and galactose are examples of single-unit sugars, also known as monosaccharides. Double-unit sugars are called disaccharides, among which sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar) are most widely known.

Infant and young childrens foods are strictly regulated by NAFDAC in recognition of the vulnerability of the target population and measures are in place to monitor and enforce compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and the national regulations Marketing of Infant and Young Children Food and other Designated Products (Registration, Sales, etc.) Regulations.

The Agency recently, on 22 March 2024, held a stakeholders engagement with members of the Association of Infant Food Manufacturers and Marketers in Nigeria (AIFMN), anchored by the Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) Directorate to further drive home the importance and special place of infant and young child nutrition.

MANAGEMENT
NAFDACsafeguarding the health of the Nation.

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NO TO DOMESTIC & SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS LAGOS DSVA INCLUDES COUNSELLORS AND TEACHERS ON TRAINING LIST

28/04/24

SHINA JO

PRESS RELEASE

In keeping with the commitment to establish the Kings and Queens Club in all schools across the State, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency trained school counsellors and teachers, drawn from Education District 3 who would serve as Patrons and Matrons of the clubs.

The Executive Secretary DSVA, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the essence of the training was to prepare the participants as patrons and matrons of the Kings and Queens club in their respective schools.

The training which was for selected counsellors/teachers from selected Government and Private schools from Education District III which comprises (Eti-Osa, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki and Lagos Island ) took place on the 24th and 25th of April, 2024 at the conference hall of the Education District III premises.

During the course of the training, facilitators from the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency taught series of topics such as Gender Based Violence, Gender equality and parity, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health, Anger Management, Child’s Rights Law, amongst others.

Asides the 30 selected counsellors and teachers from both private and government schools, there were representatives of the District, including the District Counsellor, Dr. Rita Keinka.

In view of our commitment in ensuring this initiative is adopted in private schools,

Directors and Members of staff of the Office of Education and Quality Assurance (OEQA) were on ground to provide support towards ensuring a successful training.

The training ended with participants being empowered with new knowledge and ready for the upcoming 8 weeks engagement of selected children who would at the end of the engagement, be inducted into the Kings and Queens Club in their respective schools.

Adejoke Ladenegan-Oginni

LAGOS DSVA

27th April, 2024

GOSPEL CORNER: GRACE CAN SET YOU FREE FROM A LONG-TERM ADDICTION

28/04/24

Kate was addicted to alcohol as well as dependent on a cocktail of strong antidepressants, tranquilizers, beta-blockers, and sleeping pills. Over time, trying to cope with the high-octane demands of being a corporate highflier as well as the strain of maintaining her success and image had driven her to look for relief from all these sources.

To the rest of the world, Kate appeared to have it all together. But in reality, her despair over her inability to cope without those substances only plunged her into a vicious cycle of defeat.

Kate tried everything to beat the bottle and her depression: She made appointments with psychiatrists and psychologists and even faithfully attended support groups for alcoholics. Through these endless appointments and meetings, she experienced what she calls “a few bouts of recovery” that lasted several days at best.

In the end, Kate found herself on the verge of giving up. But God had other plans for her. He led her to one of the leaders in my church who encouraged her to keep hearing the preached Word and praying in the Spirit.

And as she kept listening to my messages on God’s grace, God began uprooting the wrong beliefs that had taken hold in Kate’s mind and replacing them with right beliefs about herself and her future.

The more she heard, the more she was able to keep her eyes on Jesus, instead of trying to overcome the symptoms. The more she heard, the more she was able to be at rest, to see God’s blessings in the little things, and to supernaturally not even experience withdrawal symptoms. And in a short time, four long and treacherous years of addiction to alcohol disappeared for Kate.

The same can happen for you. In a supernatural instant, you too can experience liberation from destructive habits, fears, and bondages.

You may not be able to understand how grace can set you free from a long-term addiction, but you can experience it in your heart and experience His liberty in your area of challenge!

WORLD MALARIA DAY: LAGOS ADVOCATES HYGIENE PRACTICES AND SANITATION TO COMBAT MALARIA

27/04/24

PRESS RELEASE

ELIZA DD

In commemoration of World Malaria Day 2024, the Lagos State Government emphasizes the critical role of maintaining a clean environment in the fight against malaria. Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi highlighted this message during an awareness and sensitization walk held in Alausa-Ikeja.

Prof. Abayomi, represented by the Director of Disease Control at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Rotimi Agbolagorite emphasized that this year’s theme, “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world,” underscores the urgent need to intensify efforts against the disease, especially in malaria-endemic regions like Lagos State. He stressed the importance of community awareness and involvement in promoting preventive measures to reduce malaria transmission.

The Commissioner emphasized preventive measures such as the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and timely administration of antimalarial drugs as proactive steps to protect residents. Prof. Abayomi reiterated that while malaria is treatable and curable, negligence in adopting preventive measures can lead to severe complications.

“We commemorate World Malaria Day on the 25th of April every year. This celebration is an opportunity to intensify awareness creation and community sensitization, particularly in regions like West Africa where malaria is endemic,” he said.

Prof. Abayomi stressed the importance of intensifying awareness campaigns to improve citizens’ health-seeking behavior, noting that negligence can exacerbate the severity of malaria cases.

Reaffirming the Lagos State Government’s commitment to the fight against malaria, the Commissioner disclosed that Lagos is open to productive partnerships aimed at eliminating malaria. He commended the relentless efforts of stakeholders and partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (YEDI), in the malaria elimination campaign.

Manager of the Lagos State Malaria Elimination Program, Dr. Abimbola Osinowo urged caregivers to ensure children between six months and two years receive malaria vaccination for effective prevention.

“The malaria vaccine is highly effective, having benefited nearly a million children in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya. Caregivers should ensure their children receive vaccination, especially between 6 months and two years, to prevent severe forms of malaria,” she said.

Executive Director of Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (YEDI); an adolescent health organisation, Mrs. Tomisin Adeoye commended the Lagos State government’s inclusive governance approach and reiterated YEDI’s commitment to malaria prevention through collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Health.

The Lagos State Government urges all residents to join hands in creating a hygienic environment and adopting preventive measures to combat malaria effectively.

Signed

Tunbosun Ogunbanwo

Director, Public Affairs

26th April, 2024

FIGHT AGAINST SGBV: LAGOS STATE ENGAGES RESIDENTS AT IRU L.C.D.A

27/04/24

PRESS RELEASE

VICTORIOUS TD

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has today through it’s Community Engagement taken the SGBV message to the monthly CDC meeting in Iru Local Council Development Area (LCDA) to raise awareness about SGBV on the 26th of April, 2024.

The Executive Secretary of the Lagos DSVA, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the Agency remains dedicated to ensuring that the SGBV message is disseminated at every nook and cranny of the State.

She said the menace in the State must be eradicated as the State Governor has declared a Zero tolerance stance for all cases of SGBV in the State.

Mr. Omanda Andrew, Chairman of the CDC, warmly received the team and provided an overview of the agency’s purpose for their visit.

Opemipo Ogunse, a Community Officer from the Agency, informed participants about the seriousness of SGBV.

She highlighted the different services available for survivors and explained the procedures for reporting abuse, listed the Police Family Support Unit (FSU) with which the agency collaborated and outlined proper reporting methods.

This was also an opportunity to enlighten residents on the prevalence of different forms of abuse including emotional, verbal and psychological abuse

The toll-free line and other SGBV awareness materials were distributed to the participants at the event.

Mr. Ayodeji Sagay, the secretary, expressed appreciation to the agency for the informative session and affirmed their commitment to combating all forms of abuse.

Adejoke Ladenegan-Oginni

Head- Public Affairs Unit

LAGOS DSVA

26/4/2024

GOSPEL CORNER: GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY. HE’S NOT JUST IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE, HE’S IN CONTROL OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. NOTHING CAN STAND AGAINST HIM. WHEN IT’S YOUR TIME

27/04/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
1 Peter 5:10–11, MSG

THE FINAL SAY
You may be in a season of suffering and struggle. You may feel that your health, your marriage, or your finances are never going to get better. No, God Himself is about to step in and do what only He can do. When you see how He restores and brings you out better, your mourning will turn into dancing, your sorrow into joy, your weeping into laughter. Don’t believe the lies that you’ll always be lonely, you’ll always mourn the loss, always be brokenhearted. No, your time is coming.

God says, “It won’t be long until I have you back on your feet.” It won’t be long until your health turns around, until your child gets back on course, until the situation in your marriage resolves. It may look as though the enemy has won. The good news is that God has the final say. He’s not just in control of your life, He’s in control of your circumstances. Nothing can stand against Him. When it’s your time, doors will open, freedom will come, healing will show up, good breaks will find you.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that there is a purpose for whatever suffering comes my way, and You have great plans to use it for my good. Thank You for the promise that the day is coming when You put me back on my feet. I believe and declare that You have the final say. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO
I received a letter from a man, whom I’ll just call Patrick, who struggled with sexual addictions for more than ten years. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t break free from those addictions no matter how hard he tried.

His conscience would plague him with reminders of his sins every time he tried to read the Word. This fed his belief that he wasn’t good enough for God and that God didn’t want anything to do with him because of his addictions.

This man lived in this realm of self-torture day after day. Then one day he read one of my books, Destined To Reign. Through the book, he came to discover and believe in Jesus’ finished work at the cross.

He said, “I just decided to rest in Jesus’ finished work, His forgiveness, His victory, His grace, and His love, and pornography and masturbation now have no power or dominion over me. It truly is awesome, especially because I had tried for more than ten years to get victory, and all it took was for me to know the truth and rest in Jesus’ finished work. All glory to God!”

I don’t know what guilt you may be struggling with today, but God does. You no longer have to live under the dictates of your conscience, which condemns you every time you miss the mark. See the blood of Jesus cleansing your heart, and be free from the prison of guilt to experience victory like this precious brother.

I encourage you to fill your heart with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that are full of God’s love and grace. When your heart is full of Jesus, wrong beliefs will begin to be replaced by right beliefs.

Destructive addictions will be replaced by new, positive habits. Fear, shame, and guilt will begin to dissolve in the warmth of His perfect love for you. Experience His love today!

GOSPEL CORNER: YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS FOR YOU AND NOT AGAINST YOU.

26/04/17

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light. But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22–23, AMPC

THE LIGHT IN YOU
Jesus says that the lamp of the body is the eye. Your “spiritual eye” is your conscience. He adds that if the eye is clear, if your conscience is clear, life is good. You’re going to be happy, filled with light. You will have a positive vision and will enjoy God’s blessings. But many people are living with a heaviness, a darkness, hanging over their lives. They have some nagging feeling, something’s always bothering them. They’re not happy. The problem is they don’t have a clear conscience. They’ve ignored the warnings for too long.

When we’re not doing what we know we should be doing in certain areas, our lives get darkened and heavy. Maybe God is dealing with you about having a better attitude, about something you’ve said, about spending more time with your children, about eating healthier, or about what you watch and listen to. Whatever it is, make a decision that you’re going to pay more attention to your conscience and that you are going to be quick to obey. When our conscience is clear, condemnation flees and light fills us.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that because of Jesus, my conscience can be clear and my life can be full of light. Search my heart and show me where there is any lingering darkness, any area where I need to change. Help me to keep my spiritual eyes sound and live free from condemnation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Whether you are aware of it or not, what you believe affects how you live your life. What you believe determines how you think, how you perceive a situation, and, ultimately, what course of action you take.

I’ve said this time and time again, and time and time again, I’ve also seen this principle borne out in people’s lives: Right believing always produces right living. This means that if you want to see right living in your life, you need to understand the importance of believing right. When you believe right, you can’t help but live right.

You see, people are struggling to control their behaviors and actions because they don’t have control over their emotions and feelings. They don’t have control over their emotions and feelings because they don’t have control over their thoughts. And they don’t have control over their thoughts because they are not controlling what they believe.

The converse is true. When you begin to believe right about God and in His love for you, you begin to change the way you see yourself and your situation. You’ll stop feeling hopeless. You’ll begin to lose your fears. And you’ll respond differently to negative people and situations.

This is why God wants you anchored in the powerful truths of His Word to believe in His love for you. Your heavenly Father wants you to believe that He is for you and not against you.

He wants you to know and believe that He is on your side, rooting for your success and propelling you toward your breakthrough with His love and tender mercies. He wants you to open your eyes to see what He sees when He looks at you—His beloved child.

My friend, I encourage you to take time to meditate on the truths in each of the daily readings we’ve selected. I believe that as you do, you’ll see old defeatist thinking habits falling away. You’ll find the most stubborn of addictions supernaturally annihilated. And you’ll find a confident expectation of good for your future and destiny in Christ strengthening your heart and creating amazing days ahead for you!

NIGERIA STILL DIRTY AND NOT ENVIRONMENTAL READY TO END MALARIA… Public Experts

EndMalariaInNigeria

25/04/2024

PRESS STATEMENT

WORLD MALARIA DAY 2024

FRANCIS NWAPA

Today as Nigeria join the rest of the world to mark world malaria Day, a day set aside globally to remind people of the catastrophic effect of Malaria on humans, we in #EndMalariaInNigeria say that this year’s theme

“Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world.” is in contrast with what’s obtainable in Nigeria as there are No intentional efforts to be accelerated by Government or policy makers.

The Nigeria “Environmental design” remains a mosquito breeding sites and assess to free qualitative health care for Nigerians remains a mirage and there are no indices that reflect it will change any time soon.

For example, the world Health Organization asserted this “Inequities in access to education and financial resources further exacerbates risk: children under 5 years of age from the poorest households in sub-Saharan Africa are 5 times more likely to be infected with malaria than those from the wealthiest households.”

In the last one year, more families have been thrown into Multidimensional poverty in Nigeria making it more difficult for families to feed well and assess basic health care service.

In a malaria endemic country like Nigeria there should be a conscious efforts towards modern drainage, Dam and sewer construction, for effective water and waste management with the aim of eliminating mosquito breeding spaces.

Again, proper government housing scheme alongside constant power supply will enhance the fight against mosquito.

Expanding primary health care services to cater for growing community population and investing into research centers among other strategic actions can adequately help in prevention, detection and treatment of malaria cases.

We call on Government to adopt these preventive approaches in the fight against mosquito in other to eliminate Malaria.

Francis Nwapa
Convener #EndMalariaInNigeria