The Joy of Accomplishment

What a joy it is to accomplish something new! It could be so refreshing to see the end of your toils and labours. It could be finishing a project, completing an assignment, graduation or anything else. The same feeling accompanies each of them. There is that deep sense of fulfilment that goes with accomplishment. The more we have such feelings the more life we add to our existence on earth.

Everyone can enjoy such rapturous feelings but not everyone does. This is because not everyone is accomplishing something of worth. Many are busy, very busy but with little or no accomplishment. If we must have the joy that comes through accomplishment then we must accomplish. We must accomplish things of worth.

The beauty of accomplishment is that it creates an opportunity for joy not only in our lives but in the lives of others. It increases our influence and multiplies our effectiveness. It positions us for greater accomplishments. It builds our confidence and emboldens us. If all these things happen through accomplishment what then does it take to accomplish?

Firstly, there must be a worthy cause. A cause is what makes something happen. Without a cause nothing can happen. You cannot build something on nothing. A cause is a vision. It is a direction that ensures a destination. It is a reason. Life is a cause and is sustained by a cause. So anyone who does not understand the cause of his or her existence will be a wanderer. There is a reason for our existence or else we wouldn’t be alive. If we want to find out the reason for our existence we must get back to the Cause of our lives. That Causeless Cause is God. He alone knows the reason for our existence since He created us. Our lives will have no meaning and know no true fulfilment until we get back to our Maker.

Secondly, when we have found our reason and meaning from God, we will begin to know the required decisions to make and goals to set. This will require mental efforts. God gave us minds so we can think. It takes proper thinking to have a fulfilled life. No man was created a zombie but unfortunately, many spend their lives living like zombies. Thinking is the hardest form of work and that’s why many don’t engage it. It seems easier to live like a robot than to sit down and do some real and critical thinking. For many their brains have been on vacation for many years. A statistic has it that of all humans only five percent think, fifteen percent think they are thinking but are not and eighty percent will rather die than think. The sole reason many lives stink is because they don’t think. The prodigal son of the Bible remained prodigal, wining and dining with pigs and people he didn’t like, living where he didn’t like and doing jobs he didn’t like as long as he refused to think. The day he sat down to think, an end came to his stinking life. He was able to gather the broken fragments of his life and made something beautiful out of it. One moment of real thinking will save you from a lifetime of stinking.

Thirdly, real commitment is a must if we want to have a lifetime of joyous fulfilment. Lack of commitment is a singular most formidable reason why many people fail in life. The reason is that commitment takes up time and energy and many don’t know what and when to give their time and energy. Since we don’t have all the time, we must understand proper time management if we want to succeed. It will actually cost you everything to achieve something of worth. Half commitment is the recipe for failure. It is the cause of failed marriages, businesses and careers. It takes more than contribution to succeed. It takes total commitment.

An illustration from the book ‘2000+ Bible Illustrations’ will buttress this point: “The difference in a contribution and total commitment is usually the difference in failure and success.
A chicken and a hog were walking past a church building one day when they noticed the Sunday morning sermon posted on the outside bulletin board, "Helping the Poor." They walked a ways when the chicken suddenly came across with a suggestion. "Say, Brother Hog, why don't we give all the poor people a nice breakfast of ham and eggs?" The hog thought a moment and replied, "That's all right for you to say because for you it is only a contribution, but for me, it's total commitment!" Jesus succeeded in His mission because He was totally committed to the task before Him. He was willing to give up everything, even His life, for the cause He believed in. No one really succeeds in life until he reaches the point that he is willing to lay down his life. Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." Disraeli said, "Nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfilment!"”

Finally, the issue of focus comes to play. Broken focus is a serious malady. It is the mother of a thousand failures. It is the harbinger of sorrows and perpetual regrets. You will never succeed without focus. This is because focus fortifies commitment. Focus is concentration. It is determination to succeed in a cause. Focus says no to other good options and pays no listening ear to myriad distractions. It takes patience and endurance to be focused and focus produces desired results. Focus means the main emphasis. The greatest challenge of life is to keep the main thing the main thing. It is so easy to get distracted. Focus requires concentrated effort and that effort is what many don’t want to apply. Fulfilment requires focus. No focus no fulfilment.

I believe it is time to enter the realm of accomplishment and partake of the immense joy it brings. Don’t allow yourself to be shifted out of purpose of God for your life. This is your time.

DON’T GIVE UP!

One of the easiest things to do in life is to quit and give up. This is because we naturally wouldn’t want to put or leave ourselves under the crushing weight of contrary situations. We want to run away from dangers and hide in the face of difficulty. It’s just natural. It’s just human. But life is not made to be lived on the realm of softness. And of course, it is important to note that life is tough. Life will bring you to a point when you have to choose between quitting and continuing. And at this point, many quit.

Why do we quit? We quit when we are not getting the expected results. Lots of time we get into businesses, relationships and others things with expectations. Some of these expectations are realistic while others are not. But as long as we retain unrealistic expectations we are bound to be disappointed. Sometimes our realistic expectations are not forth coming as at when expected and so we quit. We quit doing what we know is right. We quit believing in the power of our dreams. We quit. Unfortunately, many people don’t realise that often times the breakthroughs lie just after the quitting point. We don’t realise that our salvations are nearer than when we believed and so we quit. Had we persevered a little longer, maybe our victory would’ve smiled at us. But that eludes us because we did quit.

Also, we quit because we were ill-prepared for our endeavours. The Scriptures enjoin us to sit down and count the cost of any endeavour before embarking on it. But most of times, we let our emotions and enthusiasm override our reasons and start without adequate preparations, only to realise that we would need more than emotion can offer. Not to prepare is to prepare to fail. We must count the cost of the journey before starting. The beauty of a project is in the completion. Abandoned projects make ugly sites and that is the reason many lives are ugly. We cannot go forward in life by abandoning what we started but we will not fare better if we don’t prepare before starting.

Furthermore, we quit because of lack of courage. The worst state in life is a state of discouragement. It’s a pathetic state. Not even God can do a thing worthwhile in the life of a discouraged person. Before any major assignment in life God will work in the heart of the person to put courage there. This is because only a courageous person can win. Lack of courage is more dangerous than lack of talent and skills. When courage leaves success leaves. This is because success and courage are partners.

Finally, we quit because important people around our lives don’t believe in us. It could be very distressing to anyone when the people who are supposed to aid you become your detractors. It could really be disheartening when your supporters turn against you. At such moments, it is easy to quit. But you see it is still possible to win in spite of your oppositions. If you believe and are fully convinced in your course of action then go on. No one can stop you without your consent. If you refuse to consent to negative views and opinions they can’t stop you.

Are you convinced about what you want to do? Are you facing discouragement right now? Be assured you are not far from your breakthrough. This is not the time to giveup; this is the time to go up. Keep moving. Keep keeping on. Keep believing. Keep trying. Without the last breath of your life keep fighting. You may be faint be don’t give up. You may be knocked down but don’t give up. Rise up and move. The snail may be slow but with steady inputs will get to its destination. May God grant you the grace to continue and cross to the other side called victory.

Birthday!

My birthday was on Oct. 3 and it’s a date I cherish as it offers me opportunity to cast my mind back in retrospect and see the manifold blessings of God for which I owe Him thanks. God has been gracious to me on every side and I have so many reasons to thank Him.

On my birthday last year, I was single but this year I’m married to the most important woman on earth. To make things wonderful, her birthday is also Oct 3. So you can imagine what a memorable time it could have been. Is it a coincidence or what? I think it is a coincidence orchestrated by God. I deeply appreciate God for the privilege to be married. I did an article on the greatest treasure we can ever have recently on my other blog: http://realmenonline.blogspot.com/ , I think it will wise to check it up.

Every year our birthday comes around and that should tell us many things. Firstly, it is important to know that we don’t have all the time to waste. With each tick of the clock, we are getting closer to our graves. We can’t retrieve lost times and so it becomes important to maximize the time we have left on earth to do worthy things that will affect humanity for good and bring glory to God. We must live with eternity in view because whether we like it or not, we can’t stay here forever. To do this effectively, we need to understand our purpose and pursue it with vigour. There is no place for laziness and laxity. We must live like people who have no time because we don’t have much it to make our contribution.

Secondly, it tells us that God has given us a whole year to improve ourselves and the society at large. The question is -have you improved in the last one year? Someone has said that in the next ten years the world will still be the same except for two things: the books you would have read and the people you would have met. What are the books you have read in the last one year? How have they helped you in your development? If you are still thinking the same way you were thinking by last year it’s a sign that you might not improved much. Who are the people you have met and how have they affected your life in this last one year? Are you getting better or worse? You are the only one who can answer these all-important questions and you have to answer them.

Thirdly, it tells us that if we don’t do anything about our state we will still remain where we are now by next year. Someone also said that the only thing some people do is to get old. You can’t afford to live your life just to get old. You are created to improve on yourself using all the available resources God has made available to you. It’s time to get better and move forward. One of the finest truths I have discovered is that anybody can get better. It is important to make sure that we keep improving every year. Don’t let next year meet you where you are today.

In conclusion, I pray for you that you will be all that God has designed and empowered you to be so that by next year you will have something to celebrate.

Victory through Stability

Below is a copy of my recent preaching in church. It was well received and impactful. Hope you will find it inspiring.

Text: 1Cor 15:57-58

INTRODUCTION
God?s will for us is to live a victorious life. That is the only time we are fulfilling His plan. He desires to see His children enjoying constant and consistent victory in every endeavour of our lives. Nevertheless it will take a stable live to enjoy victory.

But we live in a world of changing standards. There seems not to be a definite and concrete yardstick for measuring ideas, opinions and beliefs. Yet in the midst of such relative world, God expects us to be stable and absolute people. In reality victory is tied to stability. No one will willingly trust an unstable person. If therefore we want to attain the victorious life that is possible in Christ, we must trust God for grace to be stable and walk in the principles that will ensure our stability

STABLE: Steady and not liable to change. In this message, we shall consider the qualities of stability by taking STABLE as acrostic for vital qualities.

S- Secure: firmly fixed; well guarded and strongly fortified or protected. Psalm 57:7, 108:1; 112:7, 34:5, Heb 12:2 Num 21:1-4 John 3:14, 15

T- Temperate: mild or restrained in behaviour or attitude: 1Cor 9:25 Titus 1:8; 2:2

A-Accommodate: to adjust actions in response to the needs of somebody; to allow for something: to be adaptable enough to allow something without major change. Eph 4:2 Col 3:13


B-Balance: Harmony: a state in which various parts form a satisfying and harmonious whole and nothing is out of proportion or unduly emphasized at the expense of the rest; emotional and mental stability. Prov. 4:20-27. Balance in business and family life and others

L- Loyal: faithful. Prov. 25:13, 28:20 Dan 6:4 Matt 24:45, 25:21 Luke 16:10 1Cor 4:2

E- Endure: ability to bear prolonged hardship; persistence over time Ezk. 22:14 Matt 24:13 Mar 4:17 2Tim 2:3, 2Tim 4:3, 5

In conclusion, let me ask you in the words of Ezekiel 22:14, can your heart endure? Can you go through the processes needed for your victory in life? Many people started well but faded away because they couldn't endure. Allow God to take you through the processes needed for your much desired victory.

SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP

I had the priviledge of teaching a top leadership class in church yesterday. It was a life transforming session and I feel it will be a blessing to you.

TEXT: Eph. 5:1, Ex 20:1-21, John1:1-14, Matthew 5:1-48, John 13:1-17, 1Cor.5:1-13, 2Cor 1:4-11
INTRODUCTION:
God designed us with success in mind. He equipped us with all the necessary requirements for success. Also, when He selected us, He empowered us to succeed. It is therefore God’s will for us to succeed. This is because our success brings joy to His heart and blessings to humanity. He wants us to succeed in whatever endeavour we find ourselves in (Psalm 1:1-3). The essence of this training is to show us God’s strategy for lasting success. As we imitate God we will replicate His kind of success in our leadership endeavours.

DEFINITIONS
Successful: Having the intended result; turning out well; fruitful, positive, effective and thriving.
Leadership: Ability to lead i.e. the ability to guide, direct or influence people.
Successful leadership therefore is the ability to lead people to the actualization of the intended result.

TWO PATTERNS OF LEADERSHIP
1. Formal Pattern: this is leadership carried out in accordance with established or prescribed rules. It connotes proper organization and adequate structure. It incorporates policies, and procedures derived from established principles. A successful leadership must have formal structure. The leader must be grounded in the organization’s fundamentals and functional procedures. He or she cannot afford to be a novice. There must be proper descriptions, duties and expectations to and from the organization. This will enhance his or her chances of success.

2. Informal Pattern: this means leadership that is free of ceremony. It connotes relaxed and casual rather than ceremonious and stiff. This brings life to the organization and enhances the probability of success for the leader. The leader has a serious duty to merge the two dimensions of leadership patterns if he or she wants to be successful.

ILLUSTRATIONS
1. GOD. The Old Testament deals basically with the formal leadership pattern. God took time to lay down laws, judgments, precepts and statutes while in the New Testament, He stripped Himself of the formal robe and identified with us in the person of Jesus. Because He effectively merged the two patterns, we can deal with Him personally and more effectively. The informal galvanizes and clarifies the formal. Ex 20:1-21, John1:1-14

2. JESUS. Jesus took time to further teach His disciples formally and also spent time with them informally. He knew them personally, identified with them in difficulty and ensured freedom of expression among them. He ensured there was no class distinction among them. Matthew 5:1-48, John 13:1-17

3. PAUL. Paul also dealt with both the formal and informal. 1Cor.5:1-13,2Cor.1:4-11

CONCLUSION
Max de Pree said, “The best management (leadership) process for today’s environment is participative management based on covenant relationships”. There is no better place to implement this than in the Church. If we want to be truly successful as leaders, we must be both formal and informal. May God enable us to make this a reality in our lives and leadership endeavours. Amen.

Make Your Choice

Being a man is not easy. Indeed, it could cost you everything in life to be a real man. It is appalling to see majority of people go through life without actually becoming the man of their dreams. Many end up as failures and wonder why after all their efforts.

One thing emerges as I look at the Scriptures and life in general. I see that you cannot use a crooked means to attain a straight end. The means determines the end. If the means is wrong, then the end will be wrong. The advent of computers and internet has raised our options and multiplied our choices. But technology cannot take the place of principles.

Life follows established patterns. The most potent being the pattern of choices and consequences. Every choice has consequence. The consequences may be delayed but not denied. It may take a long time but will surely manifest. While we don’t have the power to determine consequences we have the power to make choices. We have the power to choose our life patterns, values and priorities. The consequences derive their origin from our choices.

The Scriptures say, “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were empty, and the travellers walked through crooked ways” (Judges 5:6). Not only is this true in times past, it is very true in our time. There are highways and crooked ways. Incidentally, the crooked ways are more appealing than the highways and many easily choose them. Shortcuts will cut your life short. The success attained following crooked ways is transient and temporal. True success can only be found in the highways of diligence, honesty, competence and host of other time tested principles. The choice is yours. I have made my choice and it is the highways. What about you?

Before God Gives

There is no day or moment when heaven is not been bombarded with requests from people all over the world. We have many desires and requests and sincerely believe that God who has promised to answer us will always do as He has said. But unfortunately, things don’t work that way. That you spent hours and days in prayer requesting for certain things from God wouldn’t mean your requests will be granted. Certain things will have to be in place.

Abraham was given the promise of a son by God and since he believed God and waited patiently for God’s promise, he eventually received the promise. But the promise wasn’t really his until his encounter with God at the Mount Moriah. God told Abraham to sacrifice this beloved son of his and waited to see what he would do. Abraham obeyed God in totality and God assured him of His eternal blessing on him and his offspring. Why did God send Abraham to the Mount? Why would God instruct Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son? God wanted to deliver Abraham from Isaac.

The issue of deliverance is a cardinal one. We pray for many things but get no answer because God has not succeeded to deliver us from what we are asking for. God will not give you what He hasn’t delivered you from. Because God delivered Abraham from Isaac, He gave him Isaac. If you want anything from God, trust God to deliver you from it else you may not receive it eventually.

Why does God do this? Because anything He has not delivered you from has the potency to destroy you. It has the power to replace God in your life. It can blindfold you from the ultimate purposes of God for your life. It can transform to the end instead of the means. So for these and other reasons God keeps working in you to prepare you for what He has already prepared for you. Until He achieves this deliverance in you, He may not release the answers to your requests. Therefore allow God to tidy up His work in you and watch Him bless you beyond your wildest imagination.

He is trustworthy

Weekend was very stressful for me. I had to teach for hours in the Bible School, attend a serious night vigil and so couldn't fully be in a dear brother's wedding. Woke up this morning needing rest but would have to go to church. I had to deal with a distressful stomach bite which we suspect might be ulcer. But I believe God I'll be alright. Sometimes the greatest thing we can do is wait and trust God for the manifestation of His faithfulness in our lives.

You see, if we live for God we can trust Him for His timely intervention in every area of our lives. He heals, He delivers and protects. He guides and guards His own from the intentions of the devil. He will not deliver you to the will of your enemy. He will stand by your side and offer wisdom and timely assistance. He is trustworthy.

Open Door Sensors 2

Doors really do open! Challenges can be dealt with and obstacles can be removed. It's possible to get into your inheritance no matter how long. I believe nothing should permanently shut doors of opportunities against you.

In the last article on open door sensors, I presented following God as the key to opening doors. In this I want to say another sensor for open doors is Prayer.

Peter was imprisoned by Herod but prayer was going on in the church to God for him. As a result of the heartfelt prayers the Iron Gate was opened to Peter.

Incidentally, it wasn't even Peter who did the much praying. It was other people. Do you have people you can confide in and trust that they will support you in prayers as you face difficult situations? It's very crucial. Don't live life in isolation. Don't be a recluse.

Learn to trust people and watch your life move forward. People, good people around your life may be all you will need to get to the next level of life. If Peter was a bad person, he would've died in the hand of Herod.

Quality Life: The Power of Words

Quality Life: The Power of Words

Open Door Sensors

We are in the season of open doors. There are certain doors God has ordained to be opened to you in times like this. They are doors that have been locked against you for a long time and you don?t what else to do to get them opened. As such you have branded them IMPOSSIBLE. But it is important to realise that with God nothing is IMPOSSIBLE.

Acts 12 tells us the story of Peter who was arrested by Herod the King and all arrangements had been concluded to have him executed. But the night before the intended execution, the Lord sent an angel to effect his deliverance. As Peter followed the angel after being liberated from the prison chains, they got to the Iron Gate that led to the city and the Scriptures tell us that the gate opened to them of its own accord. Peter didn?t need to struggle to open the gate. In fact he couldn?t have been able to open it had he tried.

How then did the gate open? It was opened by divine sensors. A sensor according to Encarta Dictionary is a detecting instrument: a device capable of detecting and responding to physical stimuli such as movement, light, or heat. As Peter walked with the angel, he was in tune with the Lord and so the gate could pick the signal and responded to them by opening up. When you walk with God, by obeying His instructions and living according to His word, you will have His presence accompany you as you walk the most difficult paths of life. With His presence around you certain doors will open for you effortlessly.

The Power of Words

Recently, I read in one of our national dailies of a couple who got married after more than seventeen years of separation. They were friends before the need for education and job put them apart. But seventeen years prior to this time the young came to visit her family and dropped a love letter for her. Incidentally she didn’t see the letter for seventeen years. When she did, it led to the reconnection and ultimately marriage.

You cannot afford to underestimate the power of what is written. What is written does not change with time. It remains constant and enduring. It has the power to change people. Imagine the magnitude of damage that has been done to humanity just because someone took time to write error. But if what is written has the power to destroy then also what is written can have the power to transform.

Of all writings the greatest is that which has the power to impact and transform the conscience. And there is no other writing that has that power than the Bible. The Bible has endured the greatest persecution, suffered the greatest attacks and assaults but has outlived and outlasted its persecutors. This is because of its Author-God. Since God is the Author of the Bible no man can destroy it either now or ever.

Therefore if we want to live and endure the test of time, the Bible must be our Book. Choose the word of God as contained in the Bible as the ultimate the determinant of your actions, beliefs and lifestyle and you will be glad you did. Let me ask you, “have you read the Bible today?”

Take Time to Communicate

For two Sundays running my wife and I had not seen a beloved sister in Church and so while at home after a refreshing time in Church she brought it to my notice. We took time to call her to find out how she was faring. She was so happy and took time to explain her situation to us. It was indeed a very warm session.

The most potent way to sustain a relationship is communication. Lack of good and proper communication is the major reason breakdown in most relationships. No one has the power to know what is in another person’s heart except through communication. When we communicate we establish and strength our relationships.

Communication gives you access to people’s experiences and challenges. It enables you to know how people think and why they behave in certain ways. It enables you to know how best to deal with certain people and varying situations. It equips you to know when and how best to support and intercede for people. In fact, there can’t be a good relationship without communication.

For communication to be effective it must meet certain conditions. One of the greatest conditions is: Seek to understand then to be understood. The challenge is we always want to be understood before seeking to understand. As long as we do this, we will never build a good relationship. But when we seek to understand others, it prepares the ground for us to be received and understood. This is in agreement with the Scriptures, “Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about “(Mat 7:12).

Most communication problems will be solved by adherence to this condition. Therefore step out today and make a difference by applying this rule to your life and relationships.

Behind the Scene

As little children we were fond of playing the game of hide and seek. We loved to hide in certain secret places and thereby make more difficult for the one seeking us to find us. If eventually we are found we try to hide deeper the next time and so the game continued. Even fathers sometimes play this game with their little ones. And it is a joy for the little child to catch his or her father. That game seems to draw its origin from God. This was the finding of Isaiah, “Truly You are a God who hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour” (Isaiah 45: 15). Sometimes God like every other father hides from us and we wonder where He has gone to.

One of the most beautiful truths you can know is that God is there even when it looks like He isn’t there. There is always the tendency to think certain events typify the absence of God and at such moments the cry of is “God has abandoned us”. But what a joy it is to know that God is always present! It’s just a game of love between a loving Father and His child.

Also it is important that God’s working for you behind the scene. You may not see Him now but He is working all the same. Moses realized this, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

The more you walk with God the easier it becomes to understand His hideouts and fall into His loving arms. So go after knowing God and your life will be a living testimony of what God can do. Also remember to patiently wait for the manifestation of God's faithfulness which will take place in His own time.

WELCOME TO HARVEST

Certain things happen in certain seasons. This is because to everything there is a time and a season to every purpose. This is the season of harvest. I have had two confirmations of this already and I know it will be so. Certain things that have been impossible before now will be made possible.

When Peter was held captive and imprisoned, he was passing through a most difficult time of his life. Then suddenly God sent an angel to bring him out. Peter thought it was a dream but meticulously carried out the instructions of the angel and followed him. When they got to the Iron Gate that led to the city, the Scriptures say the gate opened of its own accord. Peter couldn’t have opened it had he tried. There are certain things that we can’t make happen even if we exert all our strength and energy but by the power of God such challenges will be taken care of in this season.

Get ready for your harvest. If you have been serving God and it looks like things are not working, don’t worry help is on the way. The Scriptures say that our salvation is nearer than when we believed. Don’t postpone your harvest. Now is the acceptable time for divine visitation and you cannot afford to miss it. Get ready, God is coming!

7 Things That Will Destroy Us

· Wealth without work
· Pleasure without conscience
· Science without humanity
· Commerce without morality
· Knowledge without character
· Worship without sacrifice
· Politics without principle

Gandhi

I AM SORRY

Yesterday, around 7.30pm, I felt a nudge in my spirit that something wasn’t alright. I couldn’t understand it immediately but later I realized I made a mistake. I was spending extra time with my computer at the expense of being at home with my wife. Immediately I asked God to forgive me and rushed home. My wife wasn’t happy but I took time to apologize.

A heartfelt expression of ‘I am sorry’ can do more for you and your relationships than any other thing. Learning to say ‘I am sorry’ will deliver you from so much danger and heartaches. It quells the fury of anger and revenge. It snuffs life out of bitterness and hatred. It rebuilds broken relationships and oils the wheel of friendship. But most importantly, it kills pride.

Do you realize that pride is the major reason many find it difficult to apologize? Each time you go to someone and apologize for a wrong you did, you puncture your ego and no one wants his or her ego punctured. But when we realize that peace and good relationship are superior to our ego and pride, we can go to any length to ensure peace and harmony with one another.

For you to step out of your way to make peace will mean that your conscience is alive. A conscience that is alive will be pricked when you are erring. It’s literally impossible to honestly amend situations if your conscience is hardened. Ask God to touch your conscience and watch Him transform your life.

Today is the right time to start amending your relationships. You have the ability to make the most out of situations and people. Don’t continue keeping malice. Go and amend your relationships.

God will Supply Your Needs

I was at it yesterday. Standing before a crowd of very enlightened christians to teach the Word of God. It was quite challenging but God saw me through. What a joy to hear testimonies of been blessed by senior christians who are priviledged to listen to the Rev. Simeon Afolabi.

The topic was -The Beauty of Divine Supply and the major text was John 2:1-11. Nothing is as beautiful as to have God as your Supplier. He is a Master at suppling abundantly. When He supplies He gives the best quality and He's never late. How can you enjoy divine supply constantly?

1. Make sure you call Jesus into your life and your endeavours in the beginning. When everything is still intact make sure the Lord is with you so that when you run short of supply you can call Him without guilt.

2. Learn to be frank with God. Don't pretend all is well when 'You have no wine'. Tell Him how it is with you. He loves sincerity and truthfulness.

3. Be willing to obey Him to the later. Partial obedience is total disobedience. Obey Him promptly and you will never lack divine supply.

Finally, why will He supply your needs? So that His name can be glorified in your life. He wants to receive glory through you, pls don't deny Him that.

Patience

Are there issues and expectations in your life? Have you been trusting God for certain things for some time now? Be patient. God doesn’t owe any man. If you will wait for Him, He will show up when you least expect. He wants to bless you abundantly but He demands you to be patient.

What happens when you are patient? You are matured and developed to carry the blessing. Have you considered that you may not yet be ready for what you are asking God for? Let patience mature you and God’s blessing won’t destroy you. For more on patience http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/patience/

Quotes
Patience and passage of time do more than strength and fury.
Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)

Patience is the best medicine.
John Florio (1553? - 1625)

Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.
Plautus (254? - 184 BC)

Have you prayed today?

I had a few challenges not long ago and was struggling to
solve them but to no avail. Then it dawn on me that I needed divine assistance. I prayed and the answer was swift that I couldn’t believe it.

Have you prayed today? Do you know that God doesn’t have a legal backing to interfere with your affairs until you pray? Prayer allows God to manifest Himself in the challenges you face. Don’t keep struggling to change the unchangeable, pray. Don’t keep struggling to do the impossible, pray. Do you believe in the power of prayer? Let me know.

Almighty God, give us the grace that we may cast away the
works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life.
Book of Common Prayer

wisdom Nugget

If you want to make a new contribution you will need a new preparation.

Stephen Covey

Wisdom Nugget

If you want to know how the market is ask the people coming from there
Chinese Proverb

Wisdom For Today

Today is important.

It can make you or mar you.

It can raise your value or devalue you.

It can increase you or decrease you.

But guess who determines
the worth of today?

You.

Therefore step out today and increase your
worth.

My wife and I

While in the office yesterday my wife called to find out if I was actually praying for the rain to stop. It’s been raining heavily since the early hours of the day. Should that demand prayer? Yes. We live in a house that is easily flooded. Earlier this month we attended a one week Convention in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. When we came back what we saw was shocking. Our house had been flooded. Our books and other belongings were seriously affected. I couldn’t believe it. We were very tired from the long trip but couldn’t rest with the bizarre situation our house was in. After recovering from the shock, we started cleaning and tidying up the house. It was really hectic, moving one thing from one point to another. We got a mason to do some work. Though the situation has improved but the danger is not completely averted. The threat of another flooding is real. But I believe God will deliver us. Recently, we started thinking of packing out of the house. Hopefully, we will get that done.

WORRY ANTEDOTE

Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. John 14:1

One of the easiest things to do in life is to worry. Invariably, there are many situations that place demands on us to worry about them. But we don’t have to give in to them and allow ourselves to worry. Sometimes, people may wonder what is wrong with you if aren’t worrying over your situations. They may mistake not worrying for lack of interest and unserious attitude. But there is a difference between worrying and showing interest.

Worry means a troubled unsettled feeling. That is a troubled state of mind. It means to be anxious. One other meaning of worry is illustrated with the disturbance dogs give to sheep. By their backing, pursuit and possibly biting dogs harass and disturb sheep. That is the same way situations tend to disturb us. But most situations cannot give mortal injuries but tend to make us feel they can and such feelings can produce more dangerous venom than the situation itself. So to worry about a situation is even more dangerous that the situation itself.

Many have failed in life as a result of worry. This is because worry saps energy and creativity. You cannot function at your best amidst worry. Worry makes situations larger than they really are. It makes a mountain out of a molehill; a giant out of a dwarf. Worry is a neutralizer. It can neutralize your potentials and make you incapable of acting accordingly. I understand what this means personally. I have been troubled lots of time and I can tell you that worry can incapacitate. But the most you cease from worrying certain ideas begin to filter into your mind. You begin to see the solutions to the challenge. Sometimes, though you may still be in the dark regarding what to do but worrying over it is not the solution.

The verse of Scripture above presents to us the perfect solution for worry- faith in God. There cannot be a better solution than that. Faith simply means to trust in God. It means to place confidence in God as the answer to your questions. By trusting God, you tell Him that He is able to handle the situations of your life. It tells Him that you depend on Him for help and solutions. And since no situation can defeat Him, we are sure of victory.

How do you express this faith in God? You can do that through prayer. When we pray we give God the right to interfere with our situations. We bring Him in through prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.”

It is time to begin to experience peace even in the midst of ugly situations. It is time to pray. As you do this, you will experience the reality of the Scripture.

Duration of Love

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end (Joh 13:1).

It could really be disturbing to see how many fall in love and fall out of love. We seem not to understand the duration of love. We sometimes take love to mean a feeling that comes and goes and our loving someone therefore depends on this fluctuating feeling. This is not the nature of love. Love is constant. It does not depend on feelings or emotions. It is superior to events and behaviour, beauty, fame, money, strengths and weaknesses, achievements and failures. Love is the only constant on earth. Therefore falling in and out of love only reveals our ignorance of the very nature and durability of love.

The only way to understand love is to find out from the Owner and Giver of love. God is love and no one can understand love outside of God. Checking back on the Scriptural passage above, we see Jesus loving His own and how long His love lasted. Who were these His own? They were His disciples, His followers. They were a group with many varied characters. One would betray Him, others would deny Him and yet others would not believe His message yet He loved them not for a time but to the end. There was no terminating of His love for them in spite of their weaknesses. His love was not conditional.

Everyone has his or her own. It could be your spouse, Child(ren), colleagues, friends and others. Do we love them to the end? Is not our love conditional? Why do we have increasing rate of separations and divorce? Is it not because we love to the middle or with conditions? God wants us to love to the end. It is better not to love than to love halfway. Don't start what you wouldn't finish. If you have your 'own' choose to love them to the end. Make up your mind and trust God to love unconditionally. That is the only acceptable love.

Eternal Perspective

"Follow me and I will make you..." (Matt. 4:19) That was Jesus call to his first disciples. It contained a command and a promise. The promise followed the command. Invariably, if they refuse to follow him they would never experience the making. The promise serves as a motivator to the demands of the injunction. Sometimes it's really difficult to follow Jesus, but when we realise that our making and success depends on it, it could serve as a motivation to allow him make us.

What was he going to make them? He was going to make them fishers of men. They were fishers before He met them but His calling and promise was going to lift their life to eternal perspective. They will be doing their work from an eternal perspective. Most times the calling of God may not make us to leave our jobs and careers but will definitely give eternal perspectives to them. By eternal perspective I mean seeing whatever we do from God's point of view. This we do by finding out whether what I do and how I do it will bring glory to God. With such attitude we will begin to work with the motive of bringing glory to God.

It's time to allow Jesus make us and by that bring glory to God through your work.