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17/01/2025

MOMENT OF DAILY ENCOUNTER (MODE)

Date: 17TH JANUARY, 2025

TOPIC: BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES OF GETTING ANSWERS TO PRAYERS
⚓Scripture: Mark 11: 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! In continuation with our subject of praying with understanding. We have established basic fundamental understanding a believer you have to be able to pray with understanding. Today, we shall outline Biblical principles of getting answers to our prayers.

*What are the principles that guarantees results when you pray?*

I. Define what you want before you begin to pray: Do you want to pray just to minister to the Lord or you want to pray for intercession or you want to pray for supplication define it. If you are making request determine exactly what you want before you begins to pray. It is worrisome that some believers storm heaven with a cry of prayer without any definite request! If you begins to pray without definite prayer request, the only answer you will receive is, 'what exactly do you want?' A good example is blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46-52). He was praying for Jesus to have mercy on him without being specific in his request. All the shouting only attracted the attention of Jesus and then came the need for specificity, "what do you want?":
*Mark 10: 51. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.*

It was at this point that he got what he wanted! Beloved, let's learn to be specific in our request.

II. Look up for scriptures that cover the specific request you are about to tender to God. If you can find it either a promise or a prophecy from the scripture that covers your request, then be rest assured that it is a done deal. This is why, God said:
*Isaiah 41: 21. Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.*

You bring forth your strong reasons when you are able to get the scriptures that cover your request because the Bible define the boundaries of God commitment to us. He is eternally committed to His word.

III. When the two items mentioned above is ready then you can now proceed to prayer proper. Your prayer should begin with adoration before making your request.
*Philippians 4: 6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.*

Please understand that praying is an opportunity given to you by God to verbalize your needs to Him. Don't assume He knows! Yes God knows what you want, He is aware of all your challenges yet He is waiting for you to ask in prayer because that is His modus operandi. Someone may ask why will my heavenly Father be waiting for me to pray before He attends to my needs? It is because He has given you a will! You have to exercise your will by asking God in prayer.

Jesus taught us to pray by opening our mouths when He said:
*Mark 11: 23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith* .

Observe closely the word "say" and "saith" in the above scripture connotes you opening your mouth to say something about the issues of concern! So if you don't say something don't expect anything. Your results are determined by what you say! This is why we say a closed mouth is a closed destiny.

IV. Pray with faith; Every believers has faith though in a measure (Rom.12;3). So deploy your faith no matter how small it is and it will receive heaven's attention;
*Mark 11: 24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.*

V. Get rid of offense by all means! It doesn't matter wether the person is your spouse or your parents, offence will stop your prayers from being answers. Jesus further said:
*Mark 11: 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.*

The matter of past offence will certainly spring up in your mind and the easy way out is to forgive the offender. To hold on to any possible offence is to block the answers to your prayer.

VI. Pray passionately to the father in the name of Jesus. Let your heart and mouth be involved in the prayer and be rest assured, answers will come for you in Jesus name.

*Remember this* Heaven is real and hell is real! Pains agony and regrets awaits every soul that denies Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. Give your heart to Jesus today.

*Prayer points:*
~ Father thank you for your word to me today.
~ Father help me to do the needful while praying to get results in Jesus name.
*Prophetic Declaration;*
~ I declare your season of celebration cometh!
~ I declare Supernatural restoration is your portion this year in the name of Jesus.

*Assignment* : Get Bible references on the subject you want to pray about before you start praying.

From your brother Alex
God bless you
pastoralexanderjames328@gmail.com
©️MODE17012025
For your testimony, prayer and counselling please call 📞 +2348052014626

17/01/2025

16/01/2025

MOMENT OF DAILY ENCOUNTER (MODE)

Date: 16TH JANUARY, 2025

TOPIC: PRAYING WITH UNDERSTANDING PRAYER AS A CHRISTIAN (PART 2 )
⚓Scripture: John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! Previously, we established that there are understanding believers should have about the subject of prayer that will enhance our prayer life. If you must pray with understanding as a Christian then you must understand prayer.
We have discussed two points that served as fundamental to praying with understanding. Today, we shall continue along this line.

*What are the various understanding Christian you have on the subject of prayer?*
I. Understand that God is your father and that He is seek relationship with you as father to His children. Therefore all prayer must be directed to Him
II. Understand why Christian prays. We pray as a platform of fellowship, making requests, finding out the mind of God and also a platform of exercising our Dominion mandate.
(For details check previous edition )

III. Understand that the name of Jesus is what we have been given to pray:
*John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.*

Observed Jesus is teaching us to pray to the father in His name. So, when you pray, you pray to the father in the name of Jesus. That is our access code! Some are fond of saying "through Jesus Christ our Lord "! Jesus did not say through my name, rather He said in my name:
*John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.*

Please note that the name of Jesus is the authentic seal that guarantees answers in prayer. Wether you start your prayer by saying 'in Jesus name" or you conclude it "in Jesus name" - indicates the authority upon which you stand. The name of Jesus is the only authorization the realm of the spirit can not reject. So when we mention the name of Jesus angels stand at attention waiting for the next instructions. When we mention the name of Jesus Holy Spirit goes to work! When we mention the name of Jesus demons tremble and host of Satan and kingdom of darkness bowed their knees and head in shame. So next time you are praying, pray with understanding that the name of Jesus has been given to you as a stamp that must accompany your prayers.

IV. Understand that the first part of you that prays is your mind. So if your mind is not involved in your prayer then you are playing. Infact there are prayer that has not been verbalise yet God answered it because God can see and know if truly your mind is praying or not! Many don't recieve to their prayers because it is only the mouth that prays their minds is not praying. If you want to pray therefore make sure your mouth is saying the same thing your mind is saying. There are times your prayers is still in the reasoning faculty and God has gone ahead to answer those thoughts of yours. The Bible said;
*Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,*

This is why we encourage Christian to think positive thoughts because your prayers begins in the realm of thoughts. Learn to think on the word and in answers to your prayers (which is also your thoughts) you will a better life.

V. Understand that prayer should not be limited to your language! You can pray in your language, and you can as well pray in the language of the Holy Spirit. Infact, prayer in the language of the Holy Spirit is highly encouraged because praying in human language limit us. The Bible said :
*1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.*

The beauty of it all is that our faith is built when we pray in the Holy Ghost
*Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,*

Imagine you are praying and at thesame time you are building your yourself spiritually. The Bible said:
*1 Corinthians 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.*

Beloved, if you are not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, it time to get filled with the Holy Spirit, don't allow this month of January to pass you by, because you are missing a lot if you are only limited to your language in prayer. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit can supplies the utterance of praying in the language of the Holy Spirit. Your Christian life will take a new turn as you do that because you will never be stranded in prayer anymore. For the Bible said:
*Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.*

*Remember this* : Heaven is real and hell is real. The decision to spend eternity with God begins by surrendering your life to Jesus

*Prayer points:*
~ Father thank you for your word to me today.
~ Father I received grace to pray with understanding in the the name of Jesus.

*Prophetic Declaration* :
~ I prophesy Divine increase in all realms of life this year in the name of Jesus.
~ The grace to pray well, accurately, praying with understanding recieve it now in the name of Jesus.

*Assignment:* Re- examine your prayer style today and determine to pray with a better understanding.

From your brother Alex
God bless you
pastoralexanderjames328@gmail.com
©MODE16012025
For your testimony, prayer and counselling please call 📞 +2348052014626

16/01/2025

15/01/2025

MOMENT OF DAILY ENCOUNTER (MODE)

Date: 15TH JANUARY, 2025

TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING WHY CHRISTIAN PRAYS (PART 2)?
⚓Scripture: Matthew 7: 7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! Yesterday, we started sharing on why we pray as a Christian. Today we shall press further on why we pray as a Christian.

The idea of knowing why we pray? Who is at the other end receiving our prayer? The answers to these questions will motivate you to pray.

Let me begins by saying if you are in a large house and there's no one to cry out for help will some how stops you from calling. But the moment the awareness that you are living with someone in the house be it your spouse, children or domestic staff you can always call/shout out and someone will respond. Now the motivation behind your calling or shouting out is this awareness that someone is with you in the house and as such that person will answer you when you call! This is the same picture you should have about God, an awareness that God is at the other end hearing and answering your prayers. See Him as your father who wants to relate with you. This is why he said:
*Matthew 7: 7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.*

*Why Christian prays?*
I. We pray to have fellowship with God (Jn.4:24)
II. We pray to show our cooperation with God by inviting Him to do something on earth as we obey the principles of asking, seeking and knocking. God will do nothing except in response to this principles. (For more details check yesterday's meditation).

III. We pray to enforcing our dominion mandate: Every Christian is given an authority to exercise Dominion on earth! The age or gender of that individual does not matter as long, the understanding of whom you are as one who can exact authority on behalf of God on earth by virtue of their dominion mandate, they can always enforce it. The Bible said:
*Genesis 1: 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.*

However, the mechanism of exercising our Dominion mandate is through prayers. Refusal to pray means you allow your self to be dominated by things you were authorized to dominate over. This is why prayer is necessary for maintenance of daily victory. Jesus have given us the victory but we have a part to play to maintain our victory and that is in prayer as we exercise our Dominion mandate.

Our exercise of Dominion mandate is legislative in function. And to legislate means you must enforcing the will of God on earth! It also means to write a law on behalf of government of heaven on earth. This is what the Bible mean by:
*Matthew 16: 19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.*

Observe the clause "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven' - to bind here means disallowed and you disallowed by enforcing the will of God. This is why we must know the word of God because that is the written will of God for us. Your knowledge of the word will help you to exact the will of God correctly thereby exercising your dominion mandate.

Also from that same scripture (Matt.16:19), we see again the clause "and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"- to loose here means to allow! This is where you legislate by writing with your mouth what you want in accordance with the will of God on earth. It is this legislative function that makes men stand to say by this time tomorrow a, b, c will happen! This is the brain child of prophetic declaration! You can actually decree certain things or condition that you desire according to Job 22:28! You are legislating when you decree and that is your dominion mandate and you do that in prayer.

IV. We pray because prayer provides an excellent opportunity to know the mind of God
*Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.*

Many desire to know the mind of God concerning the year but neglect prayer. It is in prayer you know the mind of God concerning that bothering issue of your life. Some of you reading this now is actually at road junction of your life, not knowing wether to go left or right! Beloved, stop bothering yourself on what next to do, simply go to God in prayer. That was exactly what king David did as at the time he was confused :
*1 Samuel 30:8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.*

This kind of prayer is called prayer of enquiry, where you ask questions concerning bothering issues of your life. The point to note here is that you must know how to recognise the voice of God. The challenge many times is that many of us don't know when God is speaking in response to our questions. We must therefore cultivate the attitude of listening to God after prayer, learn to know Hs voice then you can access directions cheaply.

*Remember this* : Heaven is real and hell is real! The decision to spend eternity with God is best made now, give your heart to Jesus Christ today.

*Prayer points:*
~ Father thank you for your word to me today.
~ Lord I obtain grace to open my mouth and pray this year for the release of all that you have in stock for me and exercising my dominion mandate in Jesus name.
*Prophetic Declaration*
~ I declare you shall experience the rain of abundance this year in the name of Jesus.
~ You are next on line for the rain of favour this year as you begin to engage the mystery of prayer in the name of Jesus.

*Assignment:* practice the act of exercising your dominion mandate in fulfilment of your prophetic word this year.

From your brother Alex
God bless you
pastoralexanderjames328@gmail.com
©MODE15012025
For your testimony, prayer and counselling please call 📞 +2348052014626

15/01/2025

14/01/2025

MOMENT OF DAILY ENCOUNTER (MODE)

Date: 14TH JANUARY, 2025

TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING WHY CHRISTIAN PRAYS?
⚓Scripture: Matthew 7: 7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! We started sharing on praying with understanding yesterday and we did established that if Christian must pray with understanding that there are fundamental understanding a Christian should have., which are understanding God as your father and understanding why we pray as a Christian. And we give one reason why we pray as a Christian. Today we shall press further on why we pray as a Christian.

Several people prays for various reasons'! The Jewish people prays three times a day as a life style. The Moslem prays five times a day as a life style. Traditionalist pray, the occult has their way of prayers. All of these various groups prays for one reason or the other. What about Christians? Why do we pray? Do we also prays just for religious purpose?

Please note that the various religion around the world prays for various reasons. Some pray for the fun of it! Some pray to appeal to a deity like Baal worshipers (1Kg.18:26). Some pray for the purpose of invoking strange spirits or make incantations etc!

The idea of knowing why we pray? Who is at the other end receiving our prayer? Will I ever get answers to my prayers? Etc Were some of the questions that bothered me a lot when I became a Christian! When I was a Muslim, prayer was a mere recitation! The five times a day that the Quran commanded the Moslem to pray, are different recitations at different times. So when I became a Christian, I discovered it was quite different! Christians have a different view of what prayer should be! Some have argued that since our God is the all knowing God, He knows our needs and as such there is no need to pray or petition Him for anything. Well, let's look at it from the Bible

*Why Christian prays?*
I. For fellowship
For more details check yesterday meditation

II. Christian prays because prayer is a means of inviting God to do something on your matter because God will do nothing except in response to the asking/request or demands of His children in prayer. Look at what Jesus said:
*John 14: 14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.*

Please observed the clause "I will do"! This is a great promised to pray for Christians who may be thinking who am I praying to? God said if you can ask, be rest assured that God will do it for you.

A close look at the scripture again reveals that God will do nothing except you ask Him! On another occasion, when Jesus was teaching principles of the kingdom, He said:
*Matthew 7: 7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.*

So, you are not entitled to receive if you don't ask! You can only find when you seek and No door should open without you knocking ! The principle of asking, seeking and knocking is cooperating with God to do certain things on earth. Even when it has to do with revelation or direction, the Bible said:
*Jeremiah 33: 3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.*

There are so many things we do not know on earth, God is saying invite me to show you, and one sure way to do that is in prayer. That's is besides providing us with the opportunity to fellowship with God it also afford us the opportunity to ask questions! Do you need directions for the next phase of your life, it will not happen unless you ask God in prayer. Someone may argue that but there are those who are not praying yet receiving! Let me quickly submit to you that if you ever received anything that you did not ask for, know for sure someone has prayed for it without your knowledge. It is either your parents or your pastor is praying out the results you are enjoying or they have entered a covenant with God that is authorizing what you are receiving. If you check very well, there's someone somewhere praying or entering a covenant on your behalf. Do you know the prayer of one man can spare an entire territory from disaster? That was the case of Lot who enjoyed exemption that clear the entire nation because Abraham prayed for him (Gen.18:22-33). The prayer of a godly mother can affect the lives and destiny of all her children and the entire family to the third generation.

*Why will God do nothing except we pray?*
It is because it negate His principles; God is a God of order and principle! For the Bible said:
*Psalm 115: 16. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.*

A close look at this scripture reveals that God has given mankind the earth! Hence He will do nothing except at man's invitation! If God does anything without a call from the earth, It will violate His principle. He gave us a mind and a will, so with our will we can reject His help or request for His help. So making request for his help in prayer is willingly submitting your will to God!

Therefore, an opportunity to pray is an opportunity to invite God into your situation. It is an opportunity to ask, seek and knock at the door of mercy.

Please note also that there are things God does in response to the principles that govern the earth. So you cannot be living by violating God's principles and yet you are asking God for a blessing, it makes life complicated. It is like a case of minus five plus five, the answer will be zero! So, while you are busy praying, ensure your life doesn't contradict the word of God! Let your life and your ways be straight. So that you can enjoy the blessings of God that are inherent in principle and as well as in prayer.

*Remember this*: Heaven is real and hell is real! The decision to spend eternity with God begins now. Give your heart to Jesus today.

*Prayer points:*
~ Father thank you for your word to me today.
~ Lord I obtain grace to open my mouth and pray this year for the release of all that you have in stock for me in Jesus name.
*Prophetic Declaration*
~ I declare you shall recover all this year in the name of Jesus.
~ You are a candidate for the blessing this year as you begin to engage the mystery of prayer in the name of Jesus.

*Assignment:* Engage the principles of asking, seeking and knocking for the fulfilment of your prophetic word this year.

From your brother Alex
God bless you
pastoralexanderjames328@gmail.com
©MODE14012025
For your testimony, prayer and counselling please call 📞 +2348052014626

14/01/2025

REMEMBERING THE FIRST AMERICAN BLACK FILM MAKER OSCAR MICHEAUXHe was the most successful black writer, producer and director in the United States until his death in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1951.Eventually Hollywood recognized both Micheaux’s genius and his crucial role in opening opportunities for Black Americans in front of and behind the motion picture camera. In 1987, Oscar Micheaux was memorialized with a Hollywood Walk of Fame “Star.” Two years later, he was given posthumous awards by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (1989) and the Director’s Guild of America (1989). Each year Gregory, South Dakota, Micheaux’s adopted home town, stages the Oscar Micheaux Film Festival.

13/01/2025

MOMENT OF DAILY ENCOUNTER (MODE)

Date: 13TH JANUARY, 2025

TOPIC: PRAYING WITH UNDERSTANDING
⚓SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! All around the world various religion offers prayers! The Muslims prayed as a lifestyle, others prayed as a sacrifice or as a rituals. These various religion do their prayers based on their understanding of whom they are praying to, serving as their god! However, those of us who are Christians prays differently because we have a better understanding (Matt6:5-7). It is quite unfortunate that some of us still prays like the them because of lack of understanding. Today, we shall be looking at the understanding a Christian should have by considering the topic praying with understanding as a Christian.

It is understanding that makes you outstanding in life! If you must do well as a Christian, we must understand prayer.

*What are the understanding we should have as a Christian that will help us to pray right?*
I. The first understanding we must have as a Christian is that God is our father! This is why Jesus model of prayer begins with our father (Matt.6:9). So understand that God is interested in relationship with you as a father. For other religion might not be interested in relationship but our God in heaven is interested in relating with us as children and prayer provides that unique opportunity to relate with God as a father to his children. If God is not yet your father don't bother wasting time, let Him become your father now by surrendering your life to Christ.

II. The second understanding you must have is the reason why we pray as Christians.
*Why do Christians pray?*
I. We pray as a Christian because prayer is a platform for fellowship.: God is a Spirit and man is a spirit, it is prayer that provides the platform for the union of the spirit of God with that of man. This fellowship is also known as Koinonia in Greek! Here man's spirit is able to interact with God's Spirit and both form a partnership (2Cor.13:14). The Bible said:
*John 4: 24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.*

Observe the clause "they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth"! And the only platform for such fellowship is prayer. Prayer helps us to fellowship with God. The Bible said:
*1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.*

It is through fellowship we show our dependence on God! To refuse to pray is to refuse to fellowship with God. Hence refusal to pray therefore is a show of our independence of God which is tantamount to pride.

Beloved, it is not all the time we engage in prayer that we must make requests because that negates the primary reason for prayer which is fellowship. Jesus taught us how to pray by giving us a model, known as the Lord's prayer. This model begins with adoration;
*Matthew 6: 9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.*

Observe from this scripture that God must be your Father and then approach Him with reverence 'Hallowed be thy name'. Meaning adore Him! Exhalt Him, worship His Majesty by mentioning His names.
*Isaiah 12: 4. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.*

Beloved, is God your Father? If yes! Then adore Him daily by singing His praise, make mention of His name as the El-Shaddai, El- Olam, Adonai, Yahweh, El-lohim,. Jeovah -Jire, Jehovah-Nissi etc! This is how we fellowship daily! You can as well like Abraham bow your head in worship without a song(Gen.17:3), you can do likewise! You can roll on the ground, postrate, kneel down etc. You can as well add a song just to worship His majesty, the king of Kings and Lord of Lords!

If however, God is not yet your Father, you can make Him your father today by giving your heart to Jesus now.

*To be continued tomorrow!*

*Remember this*: Heaven is real and hell is real. The decision to spend eternity with God is best made now, give your heart to Jesus today.

*Prayer points:*
~ Father thank you for your word to me today.
~ Lord, you are my Father help me to maintain a solid fellowship with you this year in Jesus name.

*Prophetic Declaration* ;
~ As one under grace I declare you shall not have any reason to cry or regret this year. If at all you will shed tears, it shall be tears of joy.
~ May your life experience a supernatural touch this year in the name of Jesus.

*Assignment* : Create an atmosphere of worship and fellowship with God because that is the primary reason for prayer.

From your brother Alex
God bless you
pastoralexanderjames328@gmail.com
©MODE13012025
For your testimony, prayer and counselling please call 📞 +2348052014626