Reflections

As we enter into a new year, the year of 2020 vision (the only year we’ll get to use this), I can’t help but be grateful to God for the gift of life, friends, family, health and many more. Through the course of the year, we all experienced ups and downs but through it all, the Lord brought us out stronger. In preparing for the new year, I thought it best to look back at some of our popular posts of the year and don’t worry, we won’t turn into a pillar of salt. First off, I’d like to say thank God for the inspiration to finally start my own blog and for each article that has been posted and thank you to all my faithful readers (special shout out to Champs and FemT).

We started of the blog with a post titled ‘Still Rolling Stones’. In the post, we talked about the grace of God. Just as a rolling stone gathers no moss, so does grace cover us and ensure that our sins and mistakes do not stick to us. Just as Romans 8:1 says: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. As we go into 2020, keep this in mind!

Next up was a post on ‘Capacity Building’. The essence of this post was about the need for us as Christians to constantly build our capacity in anticipation of the next level God is taking us to. After all, the bible itself asked us to study to show ourselves approved unto God (II Timothy 2:15). As we go into 2020, be intentional about building your capacity.

Next bus-stop? One of my favorite things about being a Christian, faith! The post was titled ‘Faith:the currency of the born-again Christian’. As we go into 2020, there will be things that will test our faith. Situations that will look impossible! But remember this, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will move mountains (Matthew 17:20). The post was inspired by a message titled ‘It’s about the faith, stupid’.  Sticking with the topic of faith, is another of our posts titled ‘Sustaining Faith’. This post looked at the life of Job and all the trials and tribulations he went through. The phrase was gotten from a Joel Osteen devotional. When you are in the middle, that point between when the excitement of starting has faded away and the joy of finishing or winning, we need sustaining faith; to ensure we never give up.

Who is in your room? Weird topic for a blog post, right? This came at a time when I was experiencing writer’s block but we thank God for giving us a word through Pst. Steven Furtick on IGTV lol. This post looked at the story of the girl Jesus brought back from the dead. In life, people will always leave us or reject us but the most important thing we can do is to ensure that no matter what, Jesus is in the room with us. How? By letting Him in. He already told us, that He stands at the door knocking, waiting for you to let Him in (Revelations 3:20).

Then came the Easter period and with it, Easter turkey and a hot post titled ‘He is Risen’! Through the course of 2019, there are goals that we may have written down for the year, resolutions that we made and were never met, dreams that faded away for one reason or the other; this post is there to remind you that the same God that rose Jesus from the dead will bring every dead thing or desert back to life again. Go into 2020 believing that God has resurrected all our buried dreams, hopes and aspirations and trust in Him to bring them to pass in Jesus name. Amen!

As we wrap up 2019 and reflect on it, I'd like to ask: what is your perspective? Life is all about perspectives. This is one of my favorite sayings! Why? Because as we go through life and face different situations or disappointments, it is important we keep the right perspective. In 2020, as we chase our goals and dreams and hang on to the promises of God which are Yes and Amen, it is important that we keep the right perspective. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and not a single word that He has spoken will return to Him void. Keep this in mind as you go into the New Year!

As we go into the New Year, the charge is simple, remind yourself that in God there is no condemnation, have faith, build your capacity and keep the right perspective; after all, His promises are Yes and Amen! Happy New Year everyone.

Photo Cred: New Year

Actor No Dey Die for Film

In the immortal words of Brymo on MI2: “I be actor for this action film”!

This post was inspired by a message preached at my church (Waterbrook) on Dec. 15^th, 2019 titled Fearless Finish by Pst. Jerry Eze. For those of us that are fans of action movies and are also Nigerian, at some point in your life, you would have heard the phrase ‘actor no dey die for film, if actor die, film don finish’ (warning, this phrase was coined in the ‘90s (I think)); it simply means that as long as the actor is still alive, the film hasn’t ended. When you think back to one of the biggest blockbusters of the decade, Avengers, Tony Stark only died when the film was about to finish. Why? He still had a purpose to fulfill, a mission to complete.

Using this analogy, we are all actors (protagonists) in the movie called Life. And in this movie, just as in any movie we watch on TV, there are ups and downs, twists and turns, comedic situations, drama, horror etc. Despite all this, there is one constant, You, the actor! One man (who I can probably call the greatest actor of all time) that faced all these was Jesus Christ. He was born in a manger (Luke 2:7), grew up as the son of a carpenter in a town (Bethlehem) that was looked down on, stunned scholars at the synagogue at a young age (Luke 2:46-47) and was baptized by John the Baptist; a dove even descended on Him after He was baptized. His life was on the up and up until He was betrayed and bada bing bada boom, it took a downward spiral. Betrayed by Judas (Luke 22:47-48), denied by Peter (Luke 22:54-61), tried by Pontius Pilate, made to carry His cross to Calvary while people beat Him and spat on Him. Got to Calvary, had His hands and feet nailed (imagine the pain) to the cross and was made to wear a crown of thorns (Luke 23, John 19:2). This was as down as anyone can get. One minute He’s been hailed as the Son of God, had a crew of 12 disciples, next minute He was betrayed for money (how many of us have been there?) by one of His disciples (Matthew 26:14-15) and it was all down from there. Or so the devil thought! He thought that by killing Him, the movie of Redemption would end there. But like all action movies, actor no dey die for film! Just when you think the actor is dead, a hand reaches out from the rubble, you see some movement and BOOM! the actor pulls himself out, picks himself up, dusts himself, renews his strength and determination, goes after the bad guy and emerges victorious. When the devil thought he had killed Jesus, Jesus was just starting. Why? Jesus had a purpose to fulfill and until it was fulfilled, He couldn’t die or leave.

We all have a purpose in life and until we achieve that purpose, nothing life throws at you will kill you. It may make you sad, even knock you down but it will not kill you! Whenever you are knocked down or rejected, do like David, renew your strength in the Lord, get up and pursue the enemy (ISamuel 30:6-19). You will not only catch up, you will defeat the enemy and recover all. As we enter Christmas, the charge is simple, always remind yourself that you are the actor in your movie and all things work together for your good (Romans 8:28). You will emerge victorious!

Wish you a Merry Christmas

P.S.: Our final post for the year 2019 will be published on the 30th of December

Photo Cred: Avengers: Tony Stark

The Promises of God...Yes and Amen

Oh, I'm not losing hope

Cause I know that my God is faithful

Do you know that Your God is faithful?

All Your promises are "Yes and Amen"

The Christmas season is upon us, which means that a new year is just around the corner. In this instance, the new year ushers in a new decade. As the sun sets on the second decade of the millennium, it only feels right to remind ourselves that our God is a faithful God. As He once said, His words never return to Him void and whatever He says will be accomplished (Is. 55:11). From the dawn of mankind, God has been faithful to every single one of His promises. God once told Abraham to count the stars (of course it was impossible for him to do so) and He promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars (Gen. 15:5). At that point in time, Abraham did not have a single child to call his own, yet God made him a promise that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Despite not knowing how it will happen, Abraham believed God (Gen. 15:6) and it came to pass.

I count on one thing

The same God that never fails

Will not fail me now

You won't fail me now

In the waiting

The same God who's never late

Is working all things out

Since that promise was made, God has made many more promises to us. One of such promises was that by His stripes, we are healed (Is. 53:5). Recently, someone dear to me had a health challenge. I remember getting the news and how downcast I felt. The initial scan was worrying; the doctors gave different interpretations to the results from the scan. In the space of 4 days, four scans were done, each with its own result. During this period, I reminded God of His promise of healing, glory to God, the fourth scan came back and all was well. The issue that one of the doctors said could not be healed was completely healed! Praise God! Unknown to me, just a few days to this, a song by Vertical Worship titled “Yes I will”, kept ringing in my head over and over again. On my way to work, I would have it on repeat; little did I know what it was preparing me for. During this period, all I had to do was believe, remind God of His promise, do what David did (strengthen myself in the Lord, I Sam. 30:6) and keep repeating the song.

Do you know that for every situation you are facing, there is a promise in God’s word for you? Search His word! Is there any promise God has made to you that is yet to come to pass? Are you aware that the promise can come to pass suddenly (Is. 29:5-6, AMPC)? Whatever the situation you find yourself in, there is a promise from God for you, all you have to do is search for the promise, remind God of His promise to you, hold on to it and have faith (Hab. 2:4, Heb. 11:6). All His promises are yes and amen (II Cor. 1:20), meaning He has answered yes and it is so. Even if that promise was made years ago, God is never late and a very present help (Ps.46:1)! He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8)!

PS: Before writing this post, I prayed to God for light, and in less than 2 hours, it came. God never fails!

Photo cred: Zammie

Song: Yes I will by Vertical Worship, Yes and Amen by Housefires

What is Your Perspective?

It's all about perspective. The sinking of the Titanic was a miracle to the lobsters in the ship's kitchen.

According to Google, this was a joke told by someone on Twitter. The point of the joke is that life is all about perspective. There are those that see the glass half full and those that see the glass half empty. Which are you? As children of God, the bible says in this world we will face tribulation; when we face tribulation, what perspective do we see things through. The inspiration for this message came while I was listening to a message by Steven Furtick titled The Lazarus Factor (God of the Outcome). 

In life, it is important that we have the right perspective in every situation. It is in having the right perspective that we are able to have faith regardless of the situation. In Rom. 8:28, the bible says 'all things are working for my good'. But how does one believe that when they've just lost a loved one or an opportunity? How does one believe that when the appointed time is still tarrying (Hab. 2:3)? The odd part of Hab. 2:3 is that in the same verse, it says: though it tarries and ends with it will not tarry. Weird much! The only way out of the conundrum that is this verse is to have the right perspective. You can either have the perspective that the vision is tarrying or you can have the perspective that it isn't yet the appointed time and when it is the appointed time, it will not tarry. Now let's get back to the story about Lazarus and Martha's perspective. 

While the title of the message makes it seem that the focus of the message would have been about Lazarus, nothing could be farther from the truth. While Lazarus was mentioned, his sister, Martha was mentioned quite frequently. It was Martha that went to meet Jesus at the gate it was Martha that Jesus asked if she believed and it was also Martha that responded when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away. So, let's visit Act 1 Scene 1 of the movie titled The Death of Lazarus. In the first scene, we are introduced to the characters as they send a messenger to Jesus to tell Him that the one whom He loved was sick. See the angle they used, the one whom Jesus loved. This was meant to make Jesus hurry up to their town and heal him. What did Jesus do? He stayed for two more days! When He finally arrived at Martha's town, she marched straight to Him at the gate and..."Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21 NKJV)". First of all, even though it seemed like the appointed time had tarried she still saw Him as Lord. It is very important that regardless of the situation, our perspective on Jesus as our Lord and Savior should not change. And for Martha, even though she had just lost her brother, she still saw Him as Lord and then went a step further to say that she knows that whatever she asks of God, God will give her. She still believed!

As we go through life, it is important that we keep the right perspective. The right perspective is the one that still believes, the one that sees Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The one that believes that at the appointed time, it will not tarry. One person that came to my mind as I wrote this post is Horatio Spafford. He wrote one of the most influential songs ever 'It is well'. He wrote the song as his ship (yeah it was that long ago) sailed past the spot where the vessel that carried his wife and four daughters sank. Only his wife survived and she sent him a telegram with two, now famous, words "Saved alone". All this happened to him while he tried to recover from the losses to his business as a result of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. His perspective to all these events was 'It is well with my soul'. As Joel Osteen wrote in today’s devotional 'Delivered From All': When it feels as though you’re far behind, outnumbered, outsized and outclassed, instead of being discouraged, have a new perspective. What is your perspective?

P.S.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Reckless Love

It's been a month since we published an article, so sorry it has taken so long. Thanks to everyone that has messaged to ask when next I would post on my blog. You are very much appreciated. If this blog was a house, it would be covered with a layer of dust so thick, it would take a team of professionals to clean it out. But with God, nothing is impossible. This post is the first of two articles that I have being led to write about. 

The title of the post Reckless Love is of course picked from the great song of the exact same title. As I listened to the words of the song in full blast it kept resonating within me. Somewhere in the song, you hear talk of the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God. A love so strong that no obstacle is too great for Him to overcome. A love so reckless that it is willing to leave the ninety-nine just to look for you (Matt. 18:12). This makes the popular proverb 'a bird in hand is worth three in the bush' look silly. Imagine God loving you so much that He is willing to leave not one but ninety-nine just to enter the bush to look for one. As the bible says, God uses the silly things of the world to confound the wise. You can be sure He has achieved this multiple times and just because of His love for you, He did exactly the opposite of the ‘wise saying’. One of such great times can be found in John 3:16:  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. How reckless! God loves us so much that He took such a reckless decision and sacrificed His only son without any guarantee that those whom He sacrificed His son for would love Him back. A version of this action was first recorded in the Old Testament when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Abraham loved God so recklessly that he would have completed the act had he not been stopped by God. All God wanted to know was how much Abraham loved and trusted Him. 

As you think of these actions, imagine what was going through Paul's mind when he tried to make sense of the action (Rom. 5:7). An action He took without the guarantee that we would love Him back. An action so reckless that nothing we can ever do will earn it back. Some of us have done pretty reckless things for love. So please share either in the comment section or privately to me on WhatsApp:

• What is the most reckless thing you've done for love?
• What is the most reckless thing you've done for God? 

One thing I can definitely tell you is that God loves you (Rom. 5:8) and there is nothing you can do to change that fact! No crime, no amount of drugs or substance addiction will change that fact! How do I know? He gave up His only begotten son-not for someone else to adopt or raise-but-to die. God loves you and will do anything for you. 

The charge is simple, believe in Him (...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life) and if you think you don’t matter, Jesus (through a parable) told us exactly what happens in heaven when one person returns to Him (Luke 15:3-7). If you want to return to Him or if this is your first time, just ask Him to be your Lord and Savior and invite Him into your life. He is literally standing at the door of your life at this exact moment waiting for you to invite Him in (Rev. 3:20).

Photo Cred: Reckless Love

The Road Home

When the bible says that God works in mysterious ways, He truly does! I was recently doing a few things at home and jamming the song Skeleton Move by Master KG feat. Zanda Zakuza. This song came into my space during the recently concluded Total AFCON 2019 tournament when the Super Eagles defeated Bafana Bafana. I remember going online and seeing a letter addressed to South Africa signed Bode Thomas. Eventually curiosity won and I found out it was from a South African song. Since then a song that has a total of 4 sentences repeated at various intervals for 6 minutes and 9 seconds became a jam I listened to for different reasons. Anyways, while listening to the song, there is a sentence that’s repeated over and over again: “remember the road that will lead you home”. As I listened to this line, the oddest thing happened; the Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse:

It was so odd as it came right out of nowhere and from a very absurd source. But as I thought about the lyrics of the song and the verse, it made so much sense. As human beings, there is always going to be a tendency to go astray; but when we do, never forget the road that leads home and that road is Jesus Christ. No matter how far astray you may have gone, Jesus is the way and when you come to Him, He will lead you home. When we read the bible, it is littered with stories of people that went astray but still found their way home by returning to Jesus. In Luke 7:36-50, we are told of the story of a woman that went to wash the feet of Jesus with fragrant oil (perfume). This act of worship and repentance led to her sins been forgiven. In vs. 48, He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” She found her way home by returning to Jesus. Another example can be gotten from the great King David. He went astray by sleeping with another man’s wife, killing the man afterwards and then moving her into his house (this is the abridged version, read II Sam. 11 to get the full version). In Ch. 12, God sent Nathan to inform David of the result of his actions but in vs. 13, David repented and his life was spared. These two are just some of the few examples of people that went astray but found their way home by returning to Jesus.

I want to assure you that no matter how far you believe you have strayed, you can never stray out of the boundaries of God’s love for you and He told us as much in John 3:16. The sweetest part of it all is that even before we loved Him, He loved us first (I John 4:19). As we go into this new week, the charge is simple, do not forget the road that will lead you home. That road is Jesus and as long as you return to Him, He is more than able to lead you home.

P.S. If you haven’t asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, now is the time. If you want to return back to Him, now is the time. He is waiting at the door, open it and invite Him in (Rev. 3:20).

Photo Cred: YouVersion Bible App

Mental Health

The month of May is known as the Mental Awareness month, so this post may be coming a bit late. Usually, as humans when we have health issues, it tends to be easy to notice but herein lies the problem with mental health. In some cases, it is easy to notice and in others, by time it is noticed it is too late. Mental health is an issue that affects a lot of people yet very few show it and even fewer work up the nerve to talk about it due to the stigma associated with it. You would think that in the 21^st century, people would be able to discuss mental health just as easily as we discuss malaria. 1 in every 6 (17%) adults experience a common mental health problem. Common mental health problems range from anxiety to depression to stress. So one would wonder why there is still a stigma to coming out. As a young child, growing up and even well into my 20’s, I had to deal with depression and turned to songs from musicians like Eminem and Linkin Park. These guys gave me music as a form of escape from dealing with my issues, so imagine my shock and sadness when I learnt that Chester Bennington (the lead singer of Linkin Park, the guy whose songs helped me escape from my issues) committed suicide or when news broke that Robin Williams, the world famous comedian committed suicide. I had so many questions! If these guys helped others through their works, what happened to them? How did we fail them?

I remember listening to a brilliant song by Logic titled 1-800-273-8255 (which is also the phone number for the American National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) and how it resonated with me. The song talks through the process of a person deciding to end their life as they felt they didn’t belong and nobody cared about them and ends with the person saying they just want to live. While there isn’t a one-size fits all answer, what I can say is whenever you are faced with mental health issues, do not keep it to yourself. Find a confidant and open up to him/her; one of the best things in life is having a support system, knowing there’s always someone in your corner (even boxers have someone in their corner). Turn to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and open up to Him. Heb. 4:15 says we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. Whatever it is, be it depression, stress, anxiety or any other issue, turn to Jesus and He will help you (if you read the next verse (Heb. 4:16) that’s literally what He says). He has definitely helped me in my mental health journey and I can say I am doing much better now than I was 5 years ago and even a year ago. Does it mean I won’t still struggle with it? No! But it means that when I do, I remember Jer. 29:11; I also know to turn to Jesus and He will be there to help me fight it. 
Life is precious and even though it may not seem obvious at that point in time, your life means a lot to someone. As we go into this week-while I can’t call it a charge-make it a point to check in on people, say hello to them, ask how life is treating them. You just may save a life with that one call, at the very least, you’ll make someone happy.

P.S.

If you feel alone, remind yourself that joy comes in the morning, the sun will always come out and your life is extremely important to someone.

Here are some bible verses to also help you: Bible Verses to help with Mental Health
Photo Cred: YouVersion Bible App

Imole De (When Light Comes)

There’s a great song by Dunsin Oyekan titled Imole De! I heard it a few weeks ago in church and really loved it. The opening line of the song says “where’s darkness at the sight of light”. Have you ever noticed that no matter how dark a room is, the moment light comes in, darkness disappears? That is because light is more powerful than darkness. A brief search of the word darkness and you’ll find that darkness is the absence of light. Same search of the meaning of light and you will find that while darkness is the absence of light, light is not the absence of darkness; light is an illuminating agent. Why is this important?

All the way back in Gen. 1:3 (NKJV), the first recorded words that came from the mouth of God was: “Let there be light”. The first thing God did was to bring light into the world. This was however physical darkness. Fast forward to the New Testament, this time around the darkness that enveloped the world was a spiritual darkness. Instead of repeating Himself, He sent His son Jesus Christ to be the Light of the World and “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9).

This verse brings it home to you and I in two ways:

The first relates to us as believers. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He illuminates our lives and renews our mind. Matt. 5:14 (NKJV) says: “You are the light of the world”. As the light of the world, we have an assignment to not hide under a basket (Matt.5:15) but to do like Jesus, go out into the world and let our light shine before men (Matt. 5:16). We have a duty to go out into the world and represent Jesus. Represent Jesus in such a way that those who are yet to give their lives to him, will want to do so and in doing so, receive the Light into their life. In doing so, we will win souls into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second is that even though we are the light of the world darkness will still try to fight back. We will face challenges in the world, but be not afraid, you will overcome. In John 16:33, Jesus said “...but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”; just as Jesus did, so will we. And in doing so, fulfill John 1:5 (AMP): the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it (and is unreceptive to it).

As we go into a new week, the charge is simple, go out into to the world and become the light and also stand strong in faith knowing that whatever the darkness throws at you, just be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome it and so shall you!

P.S. Imole De Oh! Okunkun parada

Be Courageous

Courage as defined in the dictionary is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain etc., without fear. This definition will give you a better understanding of why Courage with all his courage was known as Courage the Cowardly Dog (for those that watched cartoons in the same time period as I did).

As Christians, courage and faith go hand in hand. Courage is what will make you act outwardly on what you see inwardly (Bishop T.D. Jakes); sounds like one of the key ingredients for faith, right? In the book of Joshua, the first chapter, God told Joshua to be courageous four different times. Why? The things God wanted to achieve through Joshua were great and mighty things and in order to achieve those things, Joshua needed courage. Courage to go where he had never been before. Courage to go from a P.A. to the CEO. Courage to take over the mantle of leadership from a man as great as Moses and take his people where they had never been before. As such, God needed to admonish him, not once, not twice but four times; and that was just in Joshua 1. Flip back to Deut. 31, Moses admonished the children of Israel to be strong and of good courage, then he turned to Joshua and admonished him to be strong and of good courage. In the space of two chapters, the phrase was repeated six times. Once to the children of Israel and five times to Joshua. But why was it so important to repeat the same phrase six different times?

If you read the history of the children of Israel, as they journeyed to the Promised Land, they faced many obstacles. One of the obstacles they faced was that of the Canaanites who were so big, the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers. Another was of a city so fortified it required a miracle to conquer. They needed to have the courage to stand and say they had come too far to turn around. As children of God, we are called to constantly act in faith and to do so, we need to have courage. It takes courage to step out and take territories. It takes courage to get back up after every setback, after every disappointment and chase your dream. It takes courage to keep applying for jobs over and over again, despite the numerous rejection emails (if you even get feedback). It takes courage to trust in God that your story will be different when the doctor gives you a bad report.

All I will ask you, like Bishop T.D Jakes asked is: do you have the courage to act outwardly on what you see inwardly? Or will you die a dreamer on the verge of almost (like the children of Israel almost did when they saw the Canaanites)? It takes nothing to be mediocre, to fit into normalcy, but if you want to be extraordinary, to win…. you need to have the courage! If you want to take territories like God commanded us to do in Deut. 1:8, you need to have the courage. If you want to take back all that the enemy has stolen from you, you need to have the courage (before David went after his enemies, he needed to encourage himself in the Lord (I Sam. 30:6)). Courage is key!

Ask yourself, do you have the courage?

P.S. Remember, real failure is when you fail to try. Be strong and of good courage!

Photo cred.: YouVersion Bible App

Additional resource: Courage by Bishop T.D. Jakes

Give Thanks

I recently got an answer to a major prayer that I had been waiting on God for; when the answer came through, all I could think of was the fact that I had to give thanks to God for an answered prayer. Hence this post, as it was laid in my spirit to write an article on giving thanks. This is actually an old post that has been updated and as if God wanted to give me further proof that I was to write on this topic, I had a need to go through my old sent mails for a file; I found this post while searching for what I needed. Those days, as a young child I doubt I ever saw any of my friends say thanks to their parents for making them eat something they didn’t like, in my case fish; but when they brought home food from Mr. Biggs or gala or chupa chups, we would be overflowing with thanks for the gifts. But God doesn’t want us to only give thanks when He gives us gifts but also when we’re going through situations that make it seem like the world is collapsing around us. One person that definitely practiced this, regardless of the circumstance, was Jesus. He gave thanks when He fed the 5000 and He gave thanks when He was preparing for His death.

Why is it important to give thanks to God in all situations? I Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that it is the will of God. He wants us to thank Him even when we don’t feel like it. Are you going through a heartbreak? Thank Him. Are you going through a job loss? Thank Him. Are you going through a sickness like cancer? Thank Him. Why? Because He is good and His love endures forever (Ps. 107:1)! In thanking Him, even when it isn’t going your way, it shows you trust and love Him.

But as we all know, it isn’t exactly easy to say God I thank you just after losing that pregnancy or after losing a job you’ve worked so hard to get and to maintain. So how then do we go about doing what the bible says is the will of God?

Practical Steps to Give Thanks

Thank Him for the little things: remember that time you woke up and your lungs filled with oxygen? No? For those of us in Nigeria or places similar, remember that time you walked into your house and turned the light switch and the light came on? No? Or that morning you woke up and the beautiful rays of the sun greeted you? These are little things that happen in our daily life. Thank God for them. I still thank God each time my cash/POS transactions go through. If you haven’t had to chase a bank to refund your money or raced to the bank first thing in the morning so they don’t destroy the card, you won’t understand the stress levels. The point is, thank God, no matter how little the situation.

Thank Him in faith: are you expecting a miracle or a door to open in your life? Thank Him. Why? Because you’re letting God know that you have absolute trust in His ability to deliver as He promised in Phil. 4:19; that verse says all your needs, keyword ALL. Remember the incident of the five loaves of bread and two fishes? Jesus didn’t call down fire and brimstone. He didn’t summon the angels in the higher places. He simply said: Father thanks and that was it.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. -Mark 6:41 (NIV)

There’s a lot of power in giving thanks to God, do not let any situation no matter how tough or discouraging stop you from giving thanks.

The charge to each and every one of us is to give thanks with a grateful heart; start with the little things. Thank God for the gift of breath. When you see the sun rise, thank God for the ability to see such a beautiful scene. Little by little, you will be able to cultivate the habit of giving thanks and before you know it, you’ll be thanking Him for walking or like I do for withdrawal from the ATM.

Why Didn’t You Say Something?

Every once in a while, we find ourselves facing a situation or an obstacle and expect it to magically resolved without us saying something to God about it. I know the bible says He knows the innermost depths of our heart but God desires a relationship with us and in order to have that relationship, He gave us Matt. 7:7 and Heb. 4:16. Telling us to approach Him and ask. I have being facing some challenges recently in life and realized I hadn't said anything to God about it. I was thinking about it and worrying about it but I was barely, if at all, saying anything. Then I read my devotional and it asked me the question "Why Didn't You Say Something?" It stopped me in my tracks and reminded me to always say something about what I was thinking about. I hope it blesses you as much as it blesses me. It is from the daily devotional From Faith to Faith by Kenneth Copeland Ministries. This particular devotional was written by Gloria Copeland.

“I believed...therefore have I spoken.” 2 Corinthians 4:13

Consider the following scenario:

“Where do you want to go eat, honey?” the husband asks.“Oh, I don’t care. Anywhere you want to go is fine with me,” she’ll answer.

Taking his wife at her word, the husband will go to his favorite restaurant. The problem is, the wife doesn’t really like that one. Once they get there and start to order, she’ll be acting a little aggravated.

“What’s wrong?”“Oh nothing,” snaps the wife.“Something is bothering you. What is it?”“I didn’t want to eat here. I want to eat somewhere else.”“Well, why didn’t you say something?” he’ll ask in exasperation.

Now, that’s just a small example, but it illustrates a very solemn truth. Someday, when our earthly lives are finished, when we stand before Jesus, someone might say, “Lord, I really needed clothes for my children when I was on earth...I really needed healing for my body...I really needed deliverance from my circumstances.” And I can just hear Jesus saying to us just what the husband said to his wife, “Well, why didn’t you say something?!” Those words may shock you. You may be sitting around in the midst of a crisis waiting for God to act—when all the time, He’s waiting for you. Jesus is waiting for each one of us to take the power and dominion He gave us and use it to put those devil-generated crises where they belong—under our feet! Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore [you] go!...” (Matthew 28:18-19, New International Version). You lay hands on the sick and they’ll recover. You cast out the devil. In other words, Jesus was saying, I’m giving you My authority, so use it!
Whatever crises you’re facing right now, stand up, take authority over the devil and say something! Say, “Satan, in the Name of Jesus, I take authority over you and your assignment against me and my family. I take authority over you in this situation, and I declare deliverance and victory in the Name of Jesus! You take your hands off me. I am a child of the living God. I am covered by the blood of Jesus. And I am delivered! Amen.” Now the challenge is to leave that place where you made your stand of faith and keep saying what you believed—what you want to come to pass (Mark 11:23).

If you want a change, why don’t you say what you want? Jesus said you can have what you say!

Analogy of the Bones Part 2

In our last post, we talked about Bones Valley and the tests Ezekiel went through while he was there. If you didn't read it, click here. In Part 2 of the series, we discuss the essence of the bones in Bones Valley. Please read, comment and share. Stay blessed.

By now, I’m guessing some of you would be wondering like I was in service: what does dry bones have to do with anything. What do dry bones stand for?! Dry bones are those issues and problems we face in life on a daily basis. From miracles like money to buy food to being delivered from barrenness or the woman with the issue of blood. Let’s see Matthew 15:22-28. This was a woman with a very dry bone in her life:

^22. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

She was going through a lot, God being a merciful God, you would think He would have gone: Be Healed! Not one bit! He first tested her, in order to see her level of faith and trust in Him. In vs.23, you’ll realize that despite her pleas, Jesus did not answer her. How would you feel if you went to your parents to ask for something you desperately needed, let’s say school fees, and they continue watching TV like you don’t exist? But because the woman knew the bone in her life and been desperate to leave Bones Valley, she didn’t give up. Eventually Jesus responded and in responding, you’d think alas, He has answered her and her moment of deliverance is at hand. Wrong! Then came test number two:

^24. He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Imagine that. Just imagine! At this point some of us would have given up or even worse, resorted to insults. What did this giant of faith do? She cried even more and even knelt down (Vs. 25). Then came the final test, test number three:

^26. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

At this point most of us would have responded in anger (myself, possibly, included). But what happened, this daughter of Zion had before approaching Jesus entered the place of revelation and understanding. Read what she said:

^27. “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.

Wow. As in wow. Aunty you try no be small and of course as a result of passing the test, her dry bones were brought to life. Oddly enough as I’m writing this, I just realized that in these two stories, they were tested three times just to see the level of their faith. Another person that was in Bones Valley was Philip in John 6:5-7. Like John 6:6 tells us, Jesus already knew what he was going to do but he needed to test the faith of those around Him.

What is important to notice is that as children of God, there will be times when we are stuck in Bones Valley. It is not because God does not love us or because He doesn’t care for us but because He wants to build up your faith and trust in Him. The only way out is for you to hold fast, grow in faith and trust and know that no matter how dry the bones or how full your valley is, there is a God who can give flesh to those bones and bring them to life. When next you read the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), take note of the bones those great men and women of faith had. In order to get out of Bones Valley, you must be ready to pass the test of faith. It will not be easy but remember Ps. 46:1 and PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens).

What are those bones (issues or problems) in your marriage? In your relationship? In your career? In your finances? In your health? In your ministry? Trust in God, be steadfast in your faith and see your bones come to life. Stay blessed!

Photo cred: Bible Verse Picture

Analogy of the Bones Part 1

Editor’s note: This is an old post that originally appeared on mysslafunky.com and was inspired by a message preached by Pst. Tony Rapu. This post has been slightly updated from the previous version. So please read, comment and share.

This analogy came to me during a Sunday Service in which my pastor preached on dry bones. During the message, I sat there wondering: whatever happened to the dry bones? What happened to the army that was created from those dry bones? They couldn't have simply vanished. Or could they? When you watch Nigerian movies, you watch how people just suddenly disappear only to re-appear in a shrine or in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, gone to the other world to save Jack Sparrow or retrieve some goblet to drink water and stay forever young. Why did they need those exact goblets! Speaking of bones, I just remembered the Curse of the black pearl and how Barbosa and his crew turned to skeletons under the moonlight. I'm digressing.

While I was thinking of all this, I heard the pastor mention that it was a dream and I went oh, I see! So Ezekiel was dreaming all along and all these years I assumed it was real. Like Ezekiel was walking and actually stumbled on a valley of dry bones and then proceeded to resurrect them as instructed by God. That would be really awkward. How do you start explaining to them that God rose them up from the dead? How do you explain to the family members of the soldiers that an army that had been dead for so long their bones had dried up had risen from the dead? So many questions!

Let me be very honest, before I arrived at this point of revelation, I was actually feeling sleepy and wondering how I would last the entire length of a sermon that had barely started. Thank God for the gift of revelation. In trying to battle the drowsiness, it hit me (revelation that is). At this moment, let’s flip to Ezekiel 37:1-14. In reading the first two verses, you notice that it was God that led him to that valley. Of all the valleys, it was the one that had dry bones that he was led to not the one overflowing with gold coins or milk and honey; there’s a very good reason. Let’s see:

^1. The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ^2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

One thing we should pick out is not just the fact that the valley was full of bones but of bones that were very dry. Meaning they have been there for a very long time and the sun had done a number on those bones. If this was a pirate movie, it would have been called ‘Bones Valley’ (or some sinister hilarious name). Ezekiel was in Bones Valley with the Lord and you can be sure there was going to be a test.

^3. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

When my pastor read this verse, I smiled: sharp guy! He threw the question back to God on a coded level and thought he had scaled the test successfully. As people, we like forming sharp or that na Warri sharp pass (Warri no dey carry last); the truth is that God will always be sharper. Ezekiel didn’t know that was just Test 1 of his mid-term Continuous Assessment. So let’s see what Test 2 was. God then said:

^4. “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ^5. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ^6. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Thankfully, as vs. 7 & 8 showed, he did as he was instructed and passed the second test. Then came the final test of his Continuous Assessment (as if the previous questions had not been testing enough). God then instructed him to prophecy breath into the bones. I’m sure most of us by now would have gone: Breath?! Into these bones! You first asked me if the bones can live, as a sharp guy I said: you alone know. You then asked me to prophecy life and flesh into the bones, so I don’t seem stubborn or lacking in faith I did as commanded. Now you’re telling me to speak breath into these bones. Na wa for you oh! However, Ezekiel had reached the point of revelation and understanding and passed with flying colors (37:10). What is important to note here is that it is very important as Christians to reach the point of understanding and revelation, otherwise we will respond like Ezekiel did in 37:3.

By now, I’m guessing some of you would be wondering like I was in service: what does dry bones have to do with anything. What do dry bones stand for? Come back for Part 2...lol!

Photo Cred: Bone Men