Monday, January 31, 2011

A FRIEND SENT ME THIS MESSAGE AS TO WHY JEHOVAS WITNESSES DO NOT VOTE


read this n knw y we Jehovah witnesses don't take part in worldly things!!!!!Who Really Rules
the World?
Many people would answer the above question with a single word—God. But significantly, nowhere does the Bible say that either Jesus Christ or his Father are the real rulers of this world. On the contrary, Jesus said: "The ruler of this world will be cast out." And he added: "The ruler of the world is coming. And he has no hold on me."—John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.

So the ruler of this world is in opposition to Jesus. Who could this be?
A Clue From World Conditions

Despite the efforts of well-meaning humans, the world has suffered terribly throughout history. This causes thinking persons to wonder, as did the late editorial writer David Lawrence: "'Peace on earth'—nearly everybody wants it. 'Good will toward men'—almost all the peoples of the world feel it toward one another. Then what's wrong? Why is war threatened despite the innate desires of peoples?"

It seems a paradox, doesn't it? When the natural desire of people is to live at peace, they commonly hate and kill one another—and with such viciousness. Consider the cold-blooded excesses in monstrous cruelty. Humans have used gas chambers, concentration camps, flamethrowers, napalm bombs, and other heinous methods to torture and slaughter one another mercilessly.

Do you believe that humans, who long for peace and happiness, are capable, in themselves, of such gross wickedness against others? What forces drive men to such loathsome deeds or maneuver them into situations where they feel compelled to commit atrocities? Have you ever wondered whether some wicked, invisible power is influencing people to commit such acts of violence?
The Rulers of the World Identified

There is no need to guess at the matter, for the Bible clearly shows that an intelligent, unseen person has been controlling both men and nations. It says: "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." And the Bible identifies him, saying: "The one called Devil and Satan . . . is misleading the entire inhabited earth."—1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9.

On an occasion when Jesus was "tempted by the Devil," Jesus did not question Satan's role as the ruler of this world. The Bible explains what happened: "The Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him: 'All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.' Then Jesus said to him: 'Go away, Satan!'"—Matthew 4:1, 8-10.

Think about this. Satan tempted Jesus by offering him "all the kingdoms of the world." Yet, would Satan's offer have been a real temptation if Satan was not actually the ruler of these kingdoms? No, it would not. And note, Jesus did not deny that all these worldly governments were Satan's, which he would have done if Satan did not have power over them. So, then, Satan the Devil really is the unseen ruler of the world! The Bible, in fact, calls him "the god of this system of things." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Yet, how did such a wicked person ever come into this powerful position?



Could Satan
have offered
Jesus all
these world
governments if
they were not his?
World governments being offered to Jesus by Satan



The one who became Satan had been an angel created by God, but he became envious of God's position. He challenged God's rightful rulership. To this end he used a serpent as a mouthpiece to deceive the first woman, Eve, and was thus able to get her and her husband, Adam, to do his bidding rather than obey God. (Genesis 3:1-6; 2 Corinthians 11:3) He also claimed he could turn all of Adam and Eve's yet unborn offspring away from God. So God allowed time for Satan to try to prove his claim, but Satan has not succeeded.—Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10.

Significantly, Satan is not alone in his rulership of the world. He was successful in persuading some of the other angels to join him in rebellion against God. These became demons, his spirit accomplices. The Bible speaks of them when it urges Christians: "Stand firm against the machinations of the Devil; because we have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but . . . against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places."—Ephesians 6:11, 12.
Resist Wicked Spirits

These unseen, wicked world rulers are determined to mislead all mankind, turning them away from the worship of God. One way wicked spirits do this is by promoting the idea of survival after death, even though God's Word clearly shows that the dead are not conscious. (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4; Psalm 146:3, 4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) Thus, a wicked spirit, imitating the voice of one who has died, may talk with that one's living relatives or friends, either through a spirit medium or by a "voice" from the invisible realm. The "voice" pretends to be the departed one, yet it is actually a demon!

So if you ever hear such a "voice," do not be deceived. Reject whatever it says, and echo Jesus' words: "Go away, Satan!" (Matthew 4:10; James 4:7) Do not allow curiosity about the spirit realm to cause you to become involved with wicked spirits. Such involvement is called spiritism, and God warns his worshipers against it in all its forms. The Bible condemns "anyone who employs divination . . . or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead."—Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8.

Since spiritism brings a person under the influence of the demons, resist all its practices regardless of how much fun, or how exciting, they may seem to be. These practices include crystal-ball gazing, use of Ouija boards, ESP, examining the lines of one's hand (palmistry), and astrology. Demons have also caused noises and other physical phenomena in houses that they make their territory.

In addition, wicked spirits capitalize on the sinful bent of humans by promoting literature, movies, and television programs that feature immoral and unnatural sexual behavior. The demons know that wrong thoughts if not expelled from the mind will cause indelible impressions and lead humans to behave immorally—like the demons themselves.—Genesis 6:1, 2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Jude 6.

True, many may scoff at the idea that this world is ruled by wicked spirits. But their disbelief is not surprising, since the Bible says: "Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) His most clever deception has been in blinding many to the fact that he and his demons really exist. But do not be deceived! The Devil and his demons are real, and you need to resist them continually.—1 Peter 5:8, 9.

Happily, the time is now near when Satan and his cohorts will be no more! "The world [including its demon rulers] is passing away," the Bible assures, "but he that does the will of God remains forever." (1 John 2:17) What a relief it will be to have that evil influence removed! May we, therefore, be among those who do God's will and enjoy life forever in God's righteous new world.—Psalm 37:9-11, 29; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4.

read all the scriptures!

Embrace Your Season

God has ordained seasons and cycles in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. But we have to be careful not to allow our attitude to keep us from moving forward.
Understand that in God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are plowing seasons, planting seasons and watering seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase; but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. It’s during the plowing seasons when God’s bringing issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for promotion. If you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is not to lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep plowing by speaking the Word daily. As you do, you’ll pass the test, and God promises your due season is coming!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

what goals have you set this year

A big reason people lose their motivation
is because they set such a high goal for
themselves that has to be completed
within a certain time. When it starts to
seem like they are not going to be able
to make that deadline, they get
discouraged and in turn lose their
motivation. Now even though there is
nothing wrong with setting big goals, you
still have to be realistic and still set
small attainable goals.
When you do this, you are guaranteed to
reach those small goals that will not only
build your confidence but keep you
motivated at the same time and this of
course will eventually allow you to reach
that big goal but with smaller steps.

THE BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT 1964

This Agreement is made this eighteenth day of May, 1964 between KENNETH DAVID KAUNDA, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia of the one part and SIR MWANAWINA LEWANIKA THE THIRD ,K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland, acting on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors, his council, and the chiefs and people of Barotseland of the other party is signed by the Right Honorable Duncan Sandys, M.P Her Majesty's principal secretary of state for common wealth relations and for the colonies, to signify the approval of her majesty's government in the united kingdom of the arrangements entered into between the parties to this agreement and recorded therein.

Whereas it was proposed that the northern Rhodesia shall become an independent sovereign state to be known as the republic of Zambia.

And where as it is the wish of the government of northern Rhodesia and of the Litunga of Barotseland, his council and the chiefs and people of Barotseland that northern Rhodesia should proceed to independence as one country and that all its peoples should be one nation:

And where as having regard to the fact that all treaties and other agreements subsisting between her majesty the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and The Litunga of
Barotseland will terminate when Northern Rhodesia becomes an independent sovereign republic and her majesty's government in the United Kingdom will there upon cease to have any responsibility for the government of Rhodesia including Barotseland. It is the wish of the government of northern Rhodesia and of The Litunga of Barotseland to enter into arrangements concerning the position of Barotseland as part of the republic of Zambia to the place of the treaties and other agreements hitherto subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and The Litunga of Barotseland:

And whereas on the sixteenth day of April, 1964 a provisional agreement was concluded at Lusaka with purpose and it is the desire of the government of northern Rhodesia and The Litunga, acting after consultation with his council to conclude a permanent agreement with this purpose:

NOW THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH and it is hereby agreed between the said Kenneth David Kaunda, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, on behalf of the government of Northern Rhodesia and the said Sir Mwanawina Lewanika the Third, K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors, his Council and the chiefs and the people of Barotseland as follows:-

1. CITATION AND COMMENCEMENT
This agreement may be cited as the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and shall come into force on the day on which Northern Rhodesia, including Barotseland, becomes the independent sovereign Republic of Zambia.

2. THE CONSTITUTION OF ZAMBIA
The constitution of the republic of Zambia shall include the provisions agreed upon for the inclusion herein at the constitutional conference held in London in May, 1964 relating to:-

(a) The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the individual;
(b) The judiciary; and
(c) The public service and those provisions shall have full force and effect in Barotseland.

3. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the people of Barotseland shall be accorded the same rights of access to the high court of the republic of Zambia as are accorded to other citizens of the Republic under the laws for the time being in force in the Republic and a judge or judges of the high court selected from among the judges who normally sit in Lusaka shall regularly proceed on circuit in Barotseland at each intervals as the due administration of justice may require.

(2) The people of Barotseland shall be accorded the same rights of appeal from the decisions of the courts of the Republic of Zambia as are accorded to other citizens of the Republic under the laws for the time being in force in the Republic.

4. THE LITUNGA AND HIS COUNCIL
(1) The government of the republic of Zambia will accord recognition as such to the person who is for the time The Litunga of Barotseland under the customary law of Barotseland.

(2) The Litunga of Barotseland, acting after consultation with his Council as constituted for the time being under the customary law of Barotseland shall be the principal local authority for the government and administration of Barotseland.

(3) The Litunga of Barotseland, acting after consultation with his Council, shall be authorized and empowered to make laws for Barotseland in relation to the following matters, that is to say-
(a) The Litungaship;
(b) The authority at present known as the Barotse Native Government (which shall hereafter be known as the Barotse Government);
(c) The authorities at present known as Barotse Native Authorities;
(d) The courts at present known as Barotse Native Courts;
(e) The status of the members of the Litunga's Council;
(f) Matters relating to local government;
(g) Land;
(h) Forests;
(i) Traditional and customary matters relating to Barotseland alone;
(j) Fishing;
(k) Control of hunting;
(l) Game preservation;
(m) Control of bush fires;
(n) The institution at present known as the Barotse native treasury;
(o) The supply of beer;
(p) Reservation of trees for canoes;
(q) Local taxation and matters relating thereto; and
(r) Barotse local festivals.

5. LAND
(1) In relation to land in Barotseland the arrangements set out in the annex hereto shall have effect.
(2) In particular, the Litunga of Barotseland and his Council shall continue to have the powers hitherto enjoyed by them in respect of land matters under customary law and practice.
(3) The courts at present known as the Barotse Native Courts shall have original jurisdiction(to the exclusion of any other court in the republic of Zambia)in respect of matters concerning rights over or interests in land in Barotseland to the extent that those matters are governed by the customary law of Barotseland: Provided that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as limiting the jurisdiction and powers of the High Court of the Republic of Zambia in relation to writs or orders of the kind at present known as prerogative of writs or orders.
(4) Save with the leave of the court at present known as the Saa- Sikalo Kuta, no appeal shall lie from any decision of the courts at present known as the Barotse Native Courts given in exercise of the jurisdiction referred to in paragraph (3) of this article to the High Court of the Republic of Zambia.

6. CIVIL SERVANTS
All public officers of the Government the Republic of Zambia who may from time to time be situated in Barotseland shall be officers serving on permanent and pensionable terms.

7. FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Government of the Republic of Zambia shall have the same general responsibility for providing financial support for the administration and economic development of Barotseland as it has for other parts of the Republic and shall ensure that, in discharge of this responsibility, Barotseland is treated fairly and equitably in relation to other parts of the Republic.

8. IMPLEMENTATION
The Government of the Republic of Zambia shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that the laws for the time being in force in the Republic are not inconsistent with the provisions of this agreement.

9. INTERPRETATION
Any question concerning the interpretation of this Agreement may be referred by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to the High Court of the Republic for consideration (in which case the opinion thereon of the Court shall be communicated to that Government and to the Litunga of Barotseland and his Council) and any such question shall be so referred if the Litunga, acting after consultation with his Council, so requests.

10. REVOCATION
The herein before recited Agreement of the sixteenth day of April, 1964 is hereby revoked.

In witness whereof the parties hereto Have hereunto set their hands in the

Presence of: - K.D.KAUNDA Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia (Signed)
E.D. HONE Governor of Northern Rhodesia (Signed)
(Signed) IMENDA SIBANDI Ngambela of Barotseland
MWANAWINA LEWANIKA III Litunga of Barotseland
Signed by the Right Honorable Duncan Sandys in the presence of :- (Signed)
(Signed) RICHARD HORNBY DUNCAN SANDYS
Parliamentary Under Secretary of Her Majesty's Principal Secretary
State for Commonwealth Relations of State for Common wealth Relations And for the
Colonies and for the Colonies

ANNEX TO THIS AGREEMENT
1. The Litunga and National Council of Barotseland have always worked in close cooperation with the Central Government over land matters in the past have agreed that the Central government should use land required for public purposes, and have adopted the same procedures as apply to leases and rights of occupancy in the Reserves and Trust Land areas, where applicable. At the same time, the administration of land rights in Barotseland under customary law and practice has been under the control of the Litunga
And National Council in much the same way as customary land rights are dealt with in the Reserves and Trust Land areas.

2. In these circumstances it is agreed that the Litunga should continue to have the greatest measure of responsibility for administering land matters in Barotseland. It is however, necessary to examine the position of land matters in Barotseland against the background of the Northern Rhodesia Government's overall responsibility for the territory.

3. The Barotse memorandum has indicated that Barotseland should become an integral part of Northern Rhodesia. In these circumstances the Northern Rhodesia Government will assume certain responsibilities and to carry these out they will have to have certain powers. so far as land is concerned, apart from confirmation of wide powers the Litunga over customary matters ,the position is as follows:-

(1) The Northern Rhodesia Government does not wish to derogate from any of the powers exercised by the Litunga and Council in respect of land matters under customary law and practice.

(2) The Northern Rhodesia Government would like to ensure that the provision of public services and the responsibility of economic development in Barotseland are not hampered by special formalities.

(3) The Northern Rhodesia Government recognizes and agrees that full consultation should take place with the Litunga and Council before any land in Barotseland is used for public purposes or in the general interests of economic development.

(4) The position regarding land in Barotseland in an independent Northern Rhodesia should, therefore, be as follows:-
(a) There should be the same system for land administration for the whole of Northern Rhodesia including Barotseland, that is, the Government Lands Department should be responsible for professional advice and services with regard to land alienation in all parts of Northern Rhodesia and that the same form of document should be used for grants of land

(i)                 for Government purposes and
(ii)               For non-Government and non-customary purposes. The necessary preparation of the title documents should be done by the Government Lands Department.

(b) The Litunga and National Council of Barotseland will be charged with the responsibility for administering Barotse customary land law within Barotseland.

DO YOU FAIL TO PLAN?

There is a saying that you may have heard and it says: People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Are you in that category? If you want your business to be successful, you must plan your strategies. How to start the business, how much money do I need, where do I get the products from, how can I make the sale or what happens when someone says no.

These are just a few of the things that you have to plan for. Without a plan you will as many have done in the past failed.  To make sure this doesn't happen to you start writing down the questions you will have to face as well as the answers that will keep you going until you reach your desired goal and achievement.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY (WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LISTEN?)

In any relationship listening without interrupting your partner is very important. You see, when you don't listen, it says many things. It says that you don't respect your partner and what they have to say doesn't mean anything to you. It shows that you are not patient because it takes patience to wait for the other person to finish what they are saying.

It also shows that you don't have any self control which is to keep quiet while your partner is speaking. It also shows that you are only interested in yourself and your own thoughts. James 1:19 says we should be quick to listen but slow to speak. Nothing, when you are in the middle of an argument will get resolved if you both keep interrupting each other or talking over one another and getting louder and louder in the process. Hear me when I tell you this. If you get this area under control, your relationship will only get better.

DON'T LET OPPORTUNITIES PASS YOU BY

There are many opportunities that come your way, but if you are not in the right frame of mind at the time, you can easily overlook them and let them slip right on by. You have to start today to be on the lookout for opportunities that can make your life better in some kind of way. 

God can open a door to a business opportunity, an opportunity to meet someone, an opportunity to learn something new or an opportunity to gain more knowledge and wisdom on a particular subject. Whatever it may be, you need to take advantage of it right then and there.

DON'T LET OPPORTUNITIES PASS YOU BYThere are many opportunities that come your way, but if you are not in the right frame of mind at the time, you can easily overlook them and let them slip right on by. You have to start today to be on the lookout for opportunities that can make your life better in some kind of way. God can open a door to a business opportunity, an opportunity to meet someone, an opportunity to learn something new or an opportunity to gain more knowledge and wisdom on a particular subject. Whatever it may be, you need to take advantage of it right then and there.

STOP ACTING LIKE THE WORLD

Romans 12:2 Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. - The way we think comes before we act. When you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, your mind should be on the path of renewal, the way you thought before should be transformed, the way you acted before should be completely changed.

Acting like the world should not even be considered anymore. If you have slipped back into that worldly thinking, let God change the way you think so you can please Him the right way and live a true Christian life like you are supposed to. It may not always be easy, but with the Help that God provides you will succeed and win.