Sacrificial Love

 

As humans, whenever we think of the concept of love, it usually comes in the form of the feeling. The one that gives you goosebumps and butterflies. Not the one that’ll make you break you back for someone or even go as far as laying down your life. But as Christians, we are also called to this type of love. We are to exhibit not just the flowery version but the down in the pits version. As the New Identity Magazine put it: “Sacrificial love in any relationship…. means loving the other person with good intentions, good actions, and with no regards to yourself”. However, “sacrificial love can be restricted or restrained by what you are willing to sacrifice in that relationship”.

While reading the devotional for the YouVersion word of the day (19^th Oct.), the verse John 3:16 jumped out to me like I was reading it for the first time. And it began to make me think about this phrase, sacrificial love. Imagine someone loving you so much that they gave their most precious gift, the only one they had, for that matter just to save you. It’s mind-blowing! Even the Apostle Paul in Rom. 5:6-8 (AMPC) called it an extraordinary thing and even went as far as saying that if one did it for a noble, lovable and generous benefactor (an almost perfect helper), it would make sense. But it wasn’t! Instead, God did it for people that weren’t of any help to Him. Isn’t that amazing?

A reflection of this love God showed us was done by Abraham, when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac in Gen. 22. After waiting for years for the child of promise, God came to him and asked him to sacrifice his only son. When we grow in our walk with Christ, there are certain things we will need to sacrifice; some may be easy and some may be extremely difficult. In certain cases, because of those we are called to witness to, we would need to sacrifice certain habits. A ready example that comes to mind for me is alcohol. Why? Because it is a debate I hear a lot. As children of God, we are called to live a life that is a worthy example and that is no small responsibility. Remember at the start, I mentioned that what you are willing to sacrifice can restrict or restrain your sacrificial love. In the case of Apostle Paul, he went as far as saying: “Therefore, if [my eating a certain] food causes my brother to stumble (sin), I will not eat [such] meat ever again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble” 1Cor. 8:12-13 (AMP). This is just one example. It may be greater than meat, but the point is, in order to live a life like Christ, we must be ready and willing to walk in the way of love and be sacrificial in our relationships (Eph. 5:2). Keep in mind that not everyone we do this for would be worthy of it, but that’s the beauty. They are not meant to, if they were, there wouldn’t be anything sacrificial about it. It’s easy to love a new born baby but difficult to love someone that betrayed you. Nowhere was it recorded that Jesus hated Judas!

As we go into the final week of October, I want you to ponder on this question: what am I willing to lovingly sacrifice? There will be moments in our sacrificial love journey when our strength will fail and we will be tempted to turnaround and run away, imagine if Jesus had done that, instead of yielding (Luke 22:42). The good news is God is more than able and willing to give you the strength (1 Chr. 16:11, Is. 41:10). In this new week, I charge you to love like Jesus would. Stay blessed and remember, God loves you recklessly!

Song for the week: Reckless Love

Photo Cred: YouVersion

Do It Afraid!

At different phases in life, we all experience the emotion called fear. Fear is a very powerful emotion and can either be the field in which we are buried in or act as the fire through which our character is forged. Fear is such a strong feeling that it can make one abandon all forms of reason and logic in the quest for survival. When confronted with fear, the human mind is presented with two options: fight or flight. A lot of times, in running from fear, we encounter even more troubles along the way.

That was the case of the children of Israel when a few spies were sent into the Promised Land and ten of them came back with a negative report (Num. 13:28-29, NKJV): “Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” They were faced with the classic fight or flight scenario and as the bible told us, they were so afraid that they chose the latter (Num. 14:1-4). As a result of this fear, they spent 40 years wandering the wilderness (Num. 14:34). All because of fear, 40 years of their lives were lost.

Just like the children of Israel, you may be facing a situation or mountain so great that fear has got you frozen in your tracks. Despite the fact that you are literally a few short steps from entering into the promised land. Let us learn from the Israelites and be like the Joshua generation, who went in and took the land. It is ironic that in order to enter into the land filled with milk and honey, the Israelites had to fight; but just as they did, so would we. In order to possess the land God has promised, you have to do the work of fighting and taking control of it. Keep in mind that God has not only commanded us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9), He has also promised us that He will be with us throughout the journey (Matt. 28:20).

You may be reading this and thinking to yourself, yeah Sage “it is easier said than done”. What would you say if I told you that I recently had to fight after I had ran away from a particular situation twice! But as God promised, He has been with me and will continue to be with me throughout the journey. As my pastor recently said, “even if you’re afraid, do it afraid!” My charge to you is simple: have faith in God and do it afraid! You will be shocked at what you can achieve when you take that first step. Step out and watch God show out.

Photo cred: Mark Twain

The Potato, The Egg & The Coffee Bean

 

A potato, an egg and a coffee bean walk into a bar; doesn’t this sound like the start of a good joke? While listening to a short podcast on the Morning Moxie titled: A New Way to Respond to Old Problems by Joyce Meyer, I heard her speak about this analogy and it stuck to me. In the message, she talked about three types of people: the potato, the egg and the coffee bean and how they each respond to adversity. In their situation, the adversity was the boiling water they were placed into. Now let’s check out each person’s response:

The Potato: for anyone that is a fan of potatoes, whether irish or sweet, one thing you’d definitely know is that when they’re uncooked, they’re hard. But despite their hardness, when you put them into a pot of boiling water, after a period of time, they become soft and squishy. The potato represents those that face challenges and cave to those challenges. When faced with a mountain or any challenge, they become all soft and squishy like the disciples when faced with a storm (Matt. 8:23-27); adversities and mountains scare them away regardless of their size. These are the people described in Prov. 24:10 (MSG): “If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place”. See Peter (aka the Rock), Mr. Hard Guy, they asked him if he knew Jesus and he went soft (Luke 22:54-62).

The Egg: the egg represents those that go into adversity soft and timid but come out hard and strong. They lose all their softness and become battle hardened. Seems good, right? Wrong. The problem with responding to adversity this way is that you become harsh and bitter and may end up finding it difficult to love others the way God expects us to love our neighbors (Mark 12:31, I Cor. 13:13). This hardness can also result in stubbornness (Ex. 10:20). Check out Pharoah, he went through adversity and continued to harden his heart (Ex. 7:13) and as a result of it, his people suffered numerous losses even to the point of losing their first born son (Ex. 7 – 11). God doesn’t want us to have a hardened heart (Ps 51:17, Eze. 36:26).

The Coffee Bean: these are the people that go into the boiling water (adversity) but they don’t allow it define them. Instead, they take it and create something new; in the case of the bean, coffee. Adversity drives them to live a life of impact, a life that brings people to God and shines so bright that people glorify God (Matt. 5:16). In the middle of adversity, they learn to abase and abound (Phil. 4:12). Though the storms of life blow, they tighten their belt, adjust their armor and stand (Eph. 6:13-18). These people know that there will always be problems in life (John 16:33) but regardless of the size of the mountain, they gat this (Phil. 4:13)! They also understand that the problem is but for a season and purpose (Rom. 5:3-5) and that no matter the size of the mountain, God will not give them more than they can handle (I Cor. 10:13). They also know that it is working together for their good (Rom. 8:28)

As we go about the rest of the week, I charge us all to be like the coffee bean or as Bruce Lee said: “be water, my friend”. God will neither leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6) and remember through it all: we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37)!

Photo cred: Potato, Egg & Coffee

Destiny Helpers

While reminiscing about my life journey and the obstacles I have overcome, the phrase ‘destiny helpers’ kept coming to mind. As I ruminated on it, it occurred to me that I wouldn’t have made the progress I have made thus far without these destiny helpers. “Destiny helpers are men and women whom God has positioned to help you in life”. It could be someone at work that speaks for you when you’re not in the room (performance appraisal) or someone that gives you counsel on a decision you’re struggling with. In other circumstances, they would even bless you with the resource you need but didn’t have. They are people that carry your matter more than you yourself would and they leave you bewildered as to why.

In the bible, there are so many people that were able to excel or experienced a breakthrough because they had people that carried their matter on their head. Take for example Queen Esther; at the start of her life, her uncle Mordecai helped her by taking care of her and training her (Esther 2:7) and much later in life, she then became the helper of the Israelites (Esther 4 & Esther 8). She came to the assistance of the Israelites despite the risk she faced. Another was the Shunamite woman, whom thanks to Elisha, was able to have a child after years of barrenness (II Kings 4:14-17). When you look at these people, you would notice that they ended up helping each other at different points in life. In the case of the Shunamite woman, she helped Elisha by providing him with accommodation (II Kings 4:9-10).

No matter who you are or your position in life, you will always need these people. Jesus had destiny helpers, his 12 disciples; through them, He was able to spread the gospel (Matthew 10, Mark 6:7-13). Elijah had Elisha whom assisted him, even as far as bringing water for Elijah to wash his hands (II Kings 3:11). Naaman had his servants, without them, his pride would have caused him to miss out on a life-changing miracle (II Kings 5:1-14); David had numerous destiny helpers but the one that stood out for me was Jonathan. That’s because Jonathan carried David’s matter on his head that he even sided with him against his father, who also happened to be the king (I Sam. 20). Later in life, David helped Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son (II Sam. 9). In the journey of life, you will meet these people at different points in your life; they could be people that you yourself helped in one form or the other when they were in need. Some of these people are there to either give you counsel and much needed direction or even provide a resource that you need; others would connect you with the right people or even train/mentor you in preparation for the next level. Ultimately, God is our helper (Ps. 46:1, Is 41:10-14) but there will be times He would send help in the form of a person and regardless of how they come, be grateful to have them.

As we commence this new month, this is my charge to you: reflect back on your life and think of times when people came through for you in different ways, especially when you least expected it and thank God for bringing each and every one of them your way. In closing, I would also like you to pray these prayer points: 

1. Lord, let my destiny helper locate me. 
2. Let my destiny helper not be helpless to help me.
3. Thank you Lord for every destiny helper you have sent my way.

Declaration from NLP on Aug. 5th: The Wind of the Spirit is connecting me!

P.S. In case you are wondering about the second prayer point, read Esther 4:10-11, NKJV.

P.P.S Take time out to read these additional articles: 

• Destiny Helpers and Destiny Killers; 
• Pray for Destiny Helpers.

If you’re looking for additional prayer points regarding this, check these out:

• https://prayerparliament.com/o-lord-connect-me-to-my-divine-helpers/
• https://everydayprayerguide.com/2019/01/25/30-prayer-points-to-locate-my-destiny-helpers/

Photo cred: Helper

What God Cannot Do Does Not Exist!

There are truly songs for every season of our life. While preparing to go to bed after a discouraging day, I decided to look for songs that could minister to my spirit. In the course of searching, the Holy Spirit led me to a song that I had on my phone but had never played: The Anthem by Dunsin Oyekan (ft. Pst. JerryEze). As odd as it may sound, I had slept off listening to the gospel song I initially selected when this song started playing. I woke up and couldn’t stop the song because the words were so powerful and the testimonies that Pst. Jerry shared were just amazing.

The song served as a timely reminder that what God cannot do does not exist. We all have different things we are hoping to God for. Some are minute (small), some are extremely great. But regardless of what those things are, God can do them all. It is His pleasure to give us good things. When we read the bible, there are many stories of people whom God performed mighty and marvelous miracles in their lives. We have Sarah who conceived a child when she was past ninety years old (Gen. 21:1-7). We have Daniel who was shut up in a lion’s den and was not harmed (Dan. 6:16-23). We have Gideon who won a great victory with 300 men (Judges 7). We have Jesus who fed the 5000 and later the 4000 with food that was not even enough for 20 people (Matt. 14:13-21, Matt. 15:29-39). We have Samson who killed a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:6). We have Moses who parted the Red Sea (Ex. 14). Joshua who received courage to take over the mantle of leadership from Moses (Joshua 1). David who won a great victory with a sling and five stones (I Sam. 17:40-54). The royal official whose child was healed by a word from Jesus (John 4:43-54). Elijah who outran chariots (I Kings 18:45-46)! The man at the pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity for 38 years (John 5:1-15). The Shunammite woman who was barren, conceived, lost the child and had the child restored to her again (II Kings 4:8-37). So many examples!

It is reassuring to know that God will never give us something bad when we ask Him for something good (Matt. 7:9-11). Whatever it is that you are hoping for, I’m here to tell you a simple but yet powerful truth: What God cannot do does not exist. All we have to do is seek Him diligently (Heb. 11:6), trust His immutable word and give thanks (I Thess.5:16-18). There will be times in life when the storms make it difficult to do so, ask God for grace to help you (Heb. 4:16) and have faith (Heb. 11:1). He will send you a helper (John 14:26). The bible says it is God’s pleasure to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32), never forget that. Never let the enemy cause you to forget that. In this second half of the year, write it boldly on the walls of your heart and imprint it in your mind that God has never failed and will never fail. If He has said it, He will do it (Is. 55:11, Jer. 1:12). There has never and there will never exist a thing that God cannot do. The charge is simple: make your requests known to God and believe that He has done it (I John 5:14-15).

 

P.S. I’d love to hear from you about times when God came through for you in an impossible situation. Please share in the comments section.

Photo cred: Quote

This One Na My Heritage!

 

This one na my heritage is the pidgin version of this is my heritage. Picking up from our last post (Don’t Lose Your Song), I spent the week applying one of the steps suggested in the blog: Search for gospel songs that can minister to your situation. In searching for gospel songs, I remembered a lovely song by Jahdiel titled Heritage. It is a very powerful and uplifting song that talks about (as you guessed it) heritage.

While listening to the song on a rarely cool evening in Lagos, I started to think about what it means when we speak about our heritage. There are many definitions of the term heritage; one of my favorite defines heritage as “something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth”. I also googled the meaning of the word and Google's dictionary called it “a special or individual possession” and gave an example that shocked me: “God's love remains your heritage”. How powerful is it that this was an example for its definition?

When we’re born into this world, we’re born into a life of sin. We are also born into an earthly family and each family has its own heritage (which forms part of what is known as generational pattern) and it is used to explain why certain things happen or don’t happen. Despite all these, because you have been born into this world, God’s love already belongs to you and He has demonstrated it to you (Rom. 5:8, I John 4:19). But what happens when we become born again? Do we still keep the heritage of sin that was given to us at birth due to Adam and Eve’s sin? Do the generational patterns of our earthly family continue to apply to us? Thankfully not! The Bible says that when we are in Christ, we become new creatures and old things have passed away (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV). When you become born again, you gain a new heritage and become part of a new family, a heavenly family. The only generational patterns that apply to you are those that come from Heaven. Thanks to this heritage, you now have power to do greater things than even Jesus did on earth (John 14:12, NKJV). Think about anything Jesus did, you can do it too! You are no longer bound to sin, you are a new creature and you will get to see the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you haven’t done so before, I urge you to give your life to God and become born again. No, you don’t have to enter into the womb again, you only have to invite Jesus into your life and accept Him as your Lord and Savior (John 3:3-5, Rom.10:9-10). When you accept Jesus, you can declare: This one na my heritage! Replace the word ‘this’ with anything you want; it could be victory, good health, wealth, prosperity and good success (Joshua 1:8), power to do exploits or heal the sick (Phil. 4:13) etc. The old heritage that comes from been born into sin is completely gone! You are no longer bound to negative generational patterns (such as anger, polygamy etc) or limitations in life. You are completely free from them; as a child of God na your heritage be dat.

As you go into this week, I charge you to remember your heritage as a child of God. Do not forget that “ye are gods” (John 10:34, KJV). No matter how bad the situation you are facing may be, no matter the number of times you have failed or fallen. Do not forget your heritage as a child of God! With this God-given heritage, no matter the present circumstance, you have a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). Because God said it, you can take it to the bank without any fear of it bouncing back (Num. 23:19, Is. 55:10-12).

Don't Lose Your Song!

 

If there is anything you should know about me, it is my love for music and singing. My love for singing runs so deep that a friend once said: “no matter what Onome is doing, he is always singing!”. So it would come as a shock to anyone that there was indeed a time in my life that I lost my song. What caused it? I went through a period in life that was characterized by disappointments and heartbreak. It took me almost 3 years to realize that I had lost my song and it came as a shock to me. How did I find out? I was taking a bath and realized I could not sing any of my favorite songs off-hand. I had suspected for a while but I never fully came to terms with the fact that it happened.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25, NKJV)

Now you may wonder why it is important not to lose your song. There are different examples in the Bible as to the importance of singing but there is one stand-out moment that I believe encapsulates it for me. This is because of the situation in which it occurred. How ridiculous do you think it was to their fellow prisoners and the guards when they heard two men singing in prison? If there is ever a place to lose your song, it is in prison. A prison is one of the darkest and harshest places you can ever find yourself. No one goes into prison with hope or a vision. While not everyone may have been to a prison physically, we have all experienced being in a prison in one form or the other. Mine was a combination of an emotional and financial prison and in there, I found it hard to sing. The Bible says that we are not ignorant of the devices of the devil (2 Cor. 2:11, NKJV). As born-again Christians, you would notice that God loves music; one of the devil’s strategies is to take away your song. Why? Because satan knows that God loves music, he understands its power and what happens when you sing. He will do his utmost to make you despair and take away your voice. In doing so, he believes that he has permanently imprisoned you.

If you have already lost your song or are in the process of losing it, I’m here to tell you that you can find it. God is the God that makes a way, even in the wilderness (Is. 43:19), so no matter what, He will make a way for you to find your voice again. Here are a few suggestions of what you can do:

1. Open your heart to God. God is waiting at the door of your heart for an invitation. (Rev. 3:20, NKJV).
2. Talk to Him about the issues you’re facing, He really wants to know about them (I Pet. 5:7, NLT)
3. Trust in His ability to pull you out and give you a new song (Ps. 40:1 – 3, AMPC).
4. Search for gospel songs that can minister to your situation; there are songs for different seasons of life. Find one and enjoy it. It is good to praise the Lord (Ps. 147:1,NKJV).
5. Educate yourself by reading the word of God (Joshua 1:8, NKJV). You can either commit to reading a part of the Bible daily or a devotional plan. Thanks to technology, there are Bible apps like YouVersion Bible app that either suggest or enable you to search for devotionals based on keywords.
6. Listen to sermons on podcasts or YouTube.

Always remember, as born-again Christians, singing is a very powerful weapon in our arsenal and the devil will either try to make you lose your song or divert your attention to songs that will corrupt your thinking. With this in mind, I leave you with a charge: if you have lost your song, trust in God’s flawless record of pulling people out of whatever prison they’re in. Find your voice and scream!!!!

P.S. Enjoy the song: I’ve seen Him do it

Additional reading resource:

10 Bible Verses About Singing

Don’t Lose Your Voice

Image Source: Song

The Barrenness of the Wilderness

 

As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, there is a season for everything (Ecc. 3:1-8). Some seasons are better than others and thus more eagerly anticipated. Almost no one anticipates the Wilderness season but as Ecclesiastes tells us, we will all at one point or the other experience this season. For some it may last a decade, for others it may be shorter; one thing is sure: the wilderness season is inevitable.

For anyone wondering, a wilderness is a place that is wild, uncultivated and inhospitable. Bringing it to this context, a wilderness season is that period in your life when nothing is working or everything you do ends up in disappointment, no matter how hard you try. This period in life tends to be characterized by betrayal, disappointments or lost opportunities. In summary, one can call it a crisis season.

In the bible, many of our heroes that went on to achieve greatness went through this season. Take Joseph for example, he went from been the favorite son to been sold into slavery and subsequently sent to prison. It was not easy but one thing was clear all through, Joseph never lost his trust in God. One thing Joseph understood was that the wilderness was nothing more than a test (Ps.105:18-19, AMPC) and through that understanding, he stayed faithful to God, even when it sent him to prison (Gen. 39).

Another example was Job. When you read the opening chapter of the story of Job (Job 1), it reads like the most tragic of stories. It opens with the rosiest of openings any writer could give a lead character in their novel. He was prosperous in every way imaginable. Wealth? He had it, the bible even recorded him as the greatest man in the East (Job 1:3). Children? He had ten of them! What could a man like this ever want. But in the worst plot twist ever, a few verses later, he lost everything! One bad news followed hot on the heels of the next and by the end of Chapter 1, he had lost all his children and property. But guess what, he still remained righteous (Job 1:22).

When you consider the stories of these men, one thing remained constant: they trusted in God and never turned their back on him. Despite the tragedies they suffered. When you experience the barrenness of the wilderness, it is important to remember that it is just a season and like every season, it will come to an end. No matter how many years it takes! The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness before they reached the promised land. During the wilderness season, there will be times when you will want to give up, times when you want to fall back to a life of sin, times when you will want to turn your back on God. Remember, it is a test and God wants each of us to pass the test in order for us to be refined and made into what he wants us to be (James 1:2-4, Rom. 5:3-4). In this season of life, trust in God and search His word for His promises; one promise that always encourages me is from Is. 43:19 (NKJV):

“Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

As we gear up for a new month, the charge for anyone like me that is in the Wilderness Season is to search His word and trust in God and His promises over us. All His promises have come to pass (Joshua 21:45) and remember, He is Jireh! This too shall pass. If you don’t believe me, ask Joseph (Ps. 105:20-22) and Job (Job 42:10-17). Despite all they lost, God not only restored them, He gave them more than they ever had pre-wilderness season.

 

P.S. Enjoy this awesome song by Elevation Worship and Maverick City: Jireh

Photo Cred: Davy Jones Locker

He is Risen: Rejoice!

March 2020, the world went into various levels of lockdown, dependent on the severity of the Covid19 virus outbreak. A year later and people around the world are still experiencing the lockdown in one form or the other. When you reflect back on this, it is very easy to let the seed of hopelessness bear fruit. It is very easy to believe there is no light at the end of the tunnel and things will not change or improve. The beauty of Easter is that it is the perfect representation of hope and trust in God and the fact that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel.

2000 years ago, on the day we now call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (as per the prophecy, Zech. 9:9) to shouts of Hosanna (Mark 11:1-10)! 5 days later, he was crucified on the cross with two criminals (Matt. 27:32-38). Imagine how his disciples and followers felt. In the space of 6 days, they went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The low was so low that one of his disciples, Peter, would deny any knowledge of Him before He was killed (Luke 22:54-62, Matt. 26:69-75). In a moment like this, I can imagine the amount of despair people felt.

For people that had seen someone as their Savior, the one to free them from the bondage of Roman rule, three days is a mighty long time. The good news is that the despair they felt was only temporary. On the third day, still in the sad mood, two women went down to see his tomb (Matt. 28:1) and guess what? He was no longer there! Imagine the shock they must have felt when they saw the stone had been rolled away and there was no body inside (Matt. 28:2-6). But all this was forgotten when Jesus appeared to them and said: REJOICE (Matt. 28:9)! Suddenly, they had gotten to the end of the tunnel and seen the light! Suddenly, their hope and joy were restored!

There are times in life that we feel hopeless because of a disappointment or a betrayal. Maybe it is because you have so many dry bones in the valley and it seems impossible for those bones to live again. I’m here to tell you: rejoice! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same power that can restore your broken bones or restore life to your dry bones (Eze. 37:1-14). He has never failed and He will never fail! Rejoice in the knowledge of that and become a prisoner of hope; God will restore double to you (Zech. 9:12)! He is Risen, rejoice!

 

Happy Easter 

Live Expectantly!

 

Welcome dear readers to the end of the first quarter of 2021; first quarter down, three more to go.  Imagine just existing through the rest of the year and not being expectant of anything. Life would be so dull and boring and that’s why I’m here to tell you to live expectant. This thought occurred to me one evening as I was preparing to go out to buy some groceries; while getting ready, I began to think back on a miracle I’m expectant on from God and how I wake up each morning expecting His goodness and an answer to my request.

In Ps. 3:5 (NLT) David said: “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly”. Not only did he make his requests, he also waited, knowing that something good was about to happen. As we pray and make our requests to God (Phil. 4:6, NKJV), we should also be expectant of an answer to our request; not have an attitude of if it comes it comes but an attitude of faith and trust in God (Prov. 3:5, NLT).

There may be situations in life in which you have being expectant and nothing has changed, keep expecting, don’t stop. One example of someone who kept expecting despite the fact that nothing was changing was the prophet Elijah. Like every good hero, there’s usually a backstory that leads to the climax of the hero’s journey. In Elijah’s case, the backstory (I Kings 18) was that the people of Israel had begun to follow Baal (a false god), there was great famine in the land and Elijah had to show the people that God was the only true God. As the hero’s story reaches its climax, he not only got the people to return back to serving God but he also rooted out the prophets of the false god. Once that was completed, he went to pray to God for rain. Now get this, while he was praying, nothing seemed to be changing in the physical (I Kings 18:43) but he remained expectant and on the seventh try, his servant told him he saw a cloud (I Kings 18:44). This was a man that had given his promise to a King (I Kings 18:41) that didn’t like him, so he definitely needed this to come through. Talk about pressure!

No matter what situation we face in life, trust and have faith in God. Elijah was so expectant that when his servant saw the cloud on the seventh attempt, he told the King to hurry back home otherwise the rain would stop him (I Kings 18:45).  Don’t just make your request known, be expectant of an answer to your request. The charge as we round up Q1 and go into Q2 is simple: have an expectant heart. Speak these declarations from Pst. Joel Osteen over yourself (feel free to add to them) in faith and expect:

An out-of-season blessing!

An I-didn’t-see-that-coming healing!

A greater-than-I-ever-imagined provision!

Obey First

For many of us that grew up in Sunday School or in Christian homes, this verse is one of the favorite verses that teachers and parents alike love to quote and with good reason. The pretext to this declaration by Samuel was due to the disobedience by King Saul, the man who was anointed King over Israel. God gave him a simple instruction: destroy all the Amalekites (I Sam 15:3); but Saul decided to obey God half way (I Sam 15:8-9, I Sam. 15:15), which is the same as disobedience/stubbornness (I Sam. 15:23), and ended up been rejected as King.

When we are given instructions, it is tempting to think you know a better way to do it meanwhile all that is expected of you is to obey and carry out to the last what you were told. This struck me even more while I was doing my devotional on the YouVersion Story of the day. The devotional plan is titled Jehovah Jireh and one of the devotions for the day (which was used in the Story) referenced Gen. 22:2. In this verse, God gave Abraham very specific instructions: 1. Take your son and offer him as burnt offering. 2. Go to the land of Moriah. 3. Go to the exact mountain I tell you. 4. Offer him as burnt offering there. Abraham obeyed God’s instructions to the last letter and God not only spared his son, He also provided the animal to be used as burnt offering (Gen. 22:14). It was on this day the name Jehovah Jireh (the Lord Will Provide) was coined.

When you compare and contrast the experience of Saul and Abraham, one will gain an understanding of why teachers and parents constantly tell children it is better to obey. Saul obeyed God halfway (which is the same as disobedience) and he lost his kingdom (I Sam. 15:28). Abraham on the other hand obeyed God down to the last and God not only provided (Gen. 22:14), He swore on Himself to bless and multiply Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 22:16-18). Fast forward to the Hall of Faith (Heb. 11) and you will notice that Abraham was recorded as one of the Heroes of Faith (Heb. 11:8-10) while Saul eventually lost his kingdom to David, while he was still alive. And you can imagine the shame Saul felt for the rest of his life. 

As we go into a new week, the charge is to obey God in all circumstances. It may not be simple to carry out but still do it nonetheless. Part of obeying God is having faith and trust in the fact that He knows better and His ways and plans are better. Like Pst. Joel Osteen says, pass the test; like Abraham did (Gen. 22:16). This is also applicable in the workplace. When your line manager gives you a task, obey it to the last instruction; if you have another way to do it, align with them first before you carry it out. Have a great week ahead!

The Incredible Hulk: Anger

You don't like me when I'm angry!

For anyone that has watched the movie The Incredible Hulk or any of the Avengers movies, you'll be familiar with the character known as Hulk. When Hulk is not being Hulk, he is a normal, quiet and intelligent guy. The kind of guy that people want to be around. But the moment he gets angry, he transforms into the Hulk. A creature with serious anger issues that has the power to decimate anything or anyone that got in his way.

When you read this verse, it helps you understand the dangers of anger. Just like the Hulk, once you get angry, all you can think of is SMASH!  and you begin to do or say things you never meant. The end result? A path filled with destruction, regret and guilt. It could also lead to missed opportunities and broken relationships. That's why the bible warns us that anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecc. 7:9) and to control our emotions (Prov. 25:28) in order to ensure we are not ruled by the spirit of anger. When you do so, you are able to let go of the hurt. You are able to free yourself from the pain and guilt of knowing you've wronged someone and God. You also get to showcase the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)! Like Aristotle said: "anyone can get angry...that is easy". But true strength comes from controlling that anger and showing wisdom in your reaction to the situation. 

For anyone dealing with the spirit of anger this is the charge: whenever confronted with a situation that could lead to anger, approach God’s throne boldly (Heb. 4:16) and ask God for wisdom (Jam. 1:5) and strength to deal with the situation. Remember, it is easy to get angry but true strength lies in responding with love and kindness. I pray for every one of us dealing with anger that God will give us the strength to be wise and show his love and kindness to those around us, regardless of the situation in Jesus name. Amen!

 

Photo Cred: YouVersion Bible App

Photo Cred: Hulk

Your Victory is Here: Can You See It?

I'm gonna see a victory

For the battle belongs to You, Lord

During my online service, I watched as Travis Greene ministered through the song ‘See a Victory’ and the above words from the song stood out to me. As he sang, he shared a testimony of the miraculous birth of his child despite the fact that his wife’s water broke at 21 weeks and how it inspired the great song ‘Made a Way’. Just imagine how difficult it was for him to see a victory at that point in time. Despite the doctor’s report, he had faith and God delivered a resounding victory by ensuring the baby was delivered as a full-term baby.

The bible says all things work together for your good (Rom. 8:28). Not a few things or whenever you do the right things but all things. There may be areas of our lives that we think we have failed in and are filled with dry bones. It could be a project, financing, a relationship or even a marriage but I am here to tell you that God has never failed. He has made a way when there was no way, He has brought dry bones to life (Eze. 37:1-10) and He will continue to perform miracles and make a way for you (even in the wilderness (Is. 43:19))!

As you go into this week, the charge is simple: See a Victory in every aspect of your life. The battle is the Lord’s (II Chr. 20:15, I Sam. 17:47) and He has never and will never lose a battle; vitoria e certa (meaning victory is certain)! Just look at David when he faced Goliath (I Sam. 17) or Gideon and his 300 men (Judges 7). God fought the battle for them and they emerged victorious. So will you in Jesus name!

 

P.S Enjoy the Song titled See a Victory

Photo Cred: YouVersion Bible App 

Mission Impossible: Faith Till The End

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2021 has kicked off to a great start. For anyone reading this post, I’m sure you’ll be wondering about the title. Well it came about while I was watching the movie Mission Impossible: Fallout. The climax of the movie has an insane helicopter chase scene in which the actor, Ethan Hunt pursues his nemesis, John Lark, in order to retrieve the detonator to two nuclear bombs. As you can imagine, it was a nail-biting scene; but as is often the case, the actor triumphed just in the nick of time. In this case, one second before the nuclear bombs detonated. But what I want to focus on is the revelation my movie partner got from the climax of the movie. While Ethan Hunt, the protagonist of the movie, went on a wild helicopter chase, his team was on ground figuring out how to defuse the nuclear bombs all the while trusting and having blind faith (because at some point, they lost communication with Ethan Hunt) that he would in fact retrieve the detonator.

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it...”

For lovers of the Mission Impossible film series, the above quote is all too familiar and serves as the opening for a wild movie ride that hinges on the IMF team having faith and trust in the fact that their leader will pull through for them against all odds. This is similar to what God expects of us as His children which is why the bible says that the just shall live by faith (Rom.1:17) and that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

“It is easy to have faith at the beginning and at the end. But can you have faith in the middle?”- Bishop T.D Jakes

As children of God, we need to live a life of faith. Faith in the fact that our God will never fail us. Especially when you’re in the middle of something you’ve being hoping for and nothing seems to be changing. Or even worse, you begin to experience radio silence from God (like the IMF team did). At that point, it is easy to give up hope; easy to tell yourself it will never change and all is lost. Just like the IMF team did when they could no longer hear from their fearless leader, continue to put in the work. Continue to trust in God and have faith that sooner than later, just when you think all hope is lost, He will bring it to pass and suddenly what you thought was lost (Is. 29:5-6) will turn around for your good (Rom. 8:28). When you think about the story of Lazarus, when all hope was lost, Martha still trusted in God (John 11:22) and Jesus brought Lazarus back to life (John 11:1-44).

There is no situation or circumstance too great for God. There has never been a time that He has failed and there never will be. As you start this new week, the charge is simple: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to trust in God and faith till the end; just like the heroes of faith did (Heb.11). He will come through at the right time (Is. 60:22).

 

P.S. Enjoy this song by Kurt Carr: I’ve Seen Him Do It

Photo Cred: MI