Realities and Truth

GETTING READY FOR THE NEW Tomorrow marks the end of year 2020. It’s been a year of experiences different from other years but in everything we give God thanks because this is His will concerning us. As we appreciate God for this eventful year and cross over to a new year, year 2021 our year of Plenty, Taking New Territories, these thoughts resonates in me; It’s time to get over fear by doing what you’re afraid of. Don’t be a victim. Victims blame, Victors learn. Victors figure out what went wrong and rearrange their life so that it never happens again. Otherwise life will just keep throwing the very same lesson at you until you ‘get it.’  Be a fast learner and do more of heart learning. Heart learning is transformational learning while head learning is informational learning. It’s time for total transformation. Rom12:1-2 See the future, the new territories you are about to take with the eyes of faith. Don’t let the past haunt or limit you. Nobody puts a new wine in an old wine skin. It

NEW BEGINNINGS  Many nations have entered into the second phase of the lockdown due to the rise in the pandemic. However don’t allow your heart to be troubled. When you do what you can, trust God to do what only Him can do. There are a few things I will want you to consider as the year runs to an end and we look forward to a new year; -Don’t be afraid. God has not given you the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Fear tolerated is faith contaminated. Don’t allow what you see or hear create fear in you. Believe only the report of the Lord. Your future is bright. -Separate yourself from distractions so that you can be in tune with God to know what next especially His thoughts for the new year. Genesis 13:14 KJV [14] And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: -Have a plan. Planning is the process of thinking about the ac

GLITTERS AND GOLD 1 Samuel 16:7b. “. . . for God sees  not  as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  All that glitters is not gold is a popular saying that is pregnant with meaning. The phrase means do not be deceived by looks because a person may look innocent but they are not. Outward appearance can be greatly misleading. There is more to a man psychologically than the physical being. Like shining glass pieces which dazzle and glitter like diamonds the appearance of men can be greatly misleading. Samuel went to the house of Jesse as instructed by God to anoint one of his sons as king. Every time any of them passed by, he would say surely the Lord’s anointed until the    Lord said, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him. We all make the same mistakes at the point of making crucial decisions and the effects can sometimes be very devastating. The shining outer look of something is not a con

  APPRECIATION CHALLENGE   Philippians 2:13 KJV [13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Every man needs a man to get to the next level or to breakthrough in life. Jesus needed John the Baptist, Moses needed Aaron, David needed Jonathan. No doubt, it is God that stirs up the heart of men to help if not the willingness will not be there. He is the One that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. As we give God thanks, there are people around us that God has used for us this year one way or the other that we need to appreciate irrespective of their status. They may be our colleagues at work or in ministry, mentor/boss, driver, auxiliary staff, family and friends. We must not sing the praises of people only when they are long gone but we should do this while they are still alive and are with us or around us. Don’t wait until they leave before you realize their worth. Let’s make out a list and appreciate these people this month,

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE  Jeremiah 30:19 KJV [19] And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Welcome to the month of December. The Lord has been so faithful despite the many challenges this year, especially that of COVID-19. Some people have lost loved ones, some lost their jobs and so many other issues to contend with. Reminiscing, it dawned on me that if we have ever had a reason to lose someone or something, God is the reason for not losing everything. Sometimes we cry we have no shoes, while there are people around us who don’t have feet. If we can not think, we can not thank God.  Why do we need to thank God? -It’s a command. Psa106:1; 1Chr16:8 -It is the will of God. 1 Thess5:18 -It shows that we trust God to help us through it all -It causes God to move on our behalf as in the above scripture. He promises to multiply us.  I have 2 assign

  SAND AND STONE Ephesians 4:32 KJV [32] And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. We will be looking at a few stories from now as the end of year is fast approaching and I pray it ministers to us.   Two friends were walking through the desert. They had an argument and one of the friends slapped the other in the face. But the one who got slapped didn’t say anything but wrote in the sand, “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME.” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered, he wrote on a stone, “MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” The friend asked him, when I slapped you, you wrote it on the sand, now that I saved you, you wrote on the stone, why? The other friend replied, “When someone hurts you, write it on the sand where wind of forgiveness can blow it away. But

  EXERCISING SELF CONTROL   Proverbs 25:28 KJV [28] He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. What does ruling over your spirit mean to you? This is talking about self control. Self control is self restraint and self discipline. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Everybody needs self control. We need to learn how to deal kindly with people and respond to harsh words with tenderness. The Bible considers someone who has control over his own spirit better than the person who conquers a city. We easily identify people who don’t have control over their spirit when they are offended, criticized, attacked or challenged. Some people are easily offended. Offenses will always come but we have to be in charge of our reactions. The Bible says whoever is slow to wrath has great understanding. An example is the reaction of some drivers when another motorist drive rough beside them. They probably want to teach the person a lesson, make ungodly

  PRESS ON Philippians 3:14 KJV [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The year is running to an end faster than we can imagine. We thank God for His mercies. There are few things we purposed to accomplish this year. Some have been ticked while others are pending. It is not because God is not willing to do His part but because we’re not determined enough. In everything, there’s a part of humanity and that of divinity. Pressing toward the mark is a personal responsibility. When we do what is humanly possible, God will do what is humanly impossible. It is not totally dependent on God. There were quite a bit of distortions this year that were beyond our control like the Covid-19., however that is not enough to stop us. Our level of determination must be greater than the obstacles we’re faced with. It’s not too late to press into those things that we desire for this year and to gain momentum for the coming year. We need to form the habit of c

  LITTLE CAN BE MUCH 2 Kings 4:2 KJV [2] And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Everybody is blessed one way or the other, though in different portions and dimensions. We all have a measure of faith and blessing. Don’t disregard what you have whether it is appreciated by other people or not. God can do a lot with what you have no matter how small it looks if you are willing to lay it down. This woman    needed a miracle and the man of God, Elisha knew that there’s harvest in every seed. Zero multiplied by zero will produce zero. What you hold back can not increase or bless you. So he asked her what she had in the house. The first thing she said was she had nothing in the house before she added that there was a pot of oil. She probably didn’t want to part with the little oil left in the house. It was that pot of oil that looked insignificant that delivered

  PUSH UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS   Lk18:1-8 The story is told of a widow that wanted justice from an unjust judge. Hear what the unjust judge said: Luke 18:4-5 KJV [4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; [5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Life is a constant battle: don’t let your battle wear you out, instead wear it out. Like the widow, we need to push until something happens. We must persist until we get what we want. Persistence is a firm or obstinate continuation in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Persistence is tenacity, determination, resolve, resolution, purposefulness and staying power. The story of Diana Nyad    emphasizes the power of persistence. This woman has been a long distance swimmer for many years. At age 28 she tried to swim from Cuba to Florida. She tried again and failed. She failed a total of four times. M

  GOD OF VENGEANCE ARISE Job 14:7 KJV [7] For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. [8] Though the root thereof wax    old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; [9] Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth bough like a plant.  Anything of great success starts small. Nothing of great significance happens overnight. That was the journey Nigerian youths embarked on for a better Nigeria. Looking at the present situation in Nigeria where young people took to the street on a peaceful protest against police brutality and harassment, the consistency, tenacity, composure and determination is quite commendable. They were obviously passing across their message and making impact. They have shown more leadership in their coordination especially without having anyone to lead them. And the same thing that they are clamoring for is what is repeating itself even during the agitation.

  NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL   Proverbs 29:2 KJV [2] When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. The story is told about the Israelites in Egypt when Joseph was alive and they enjoyed the place but in the book of Exodus we saw what happened when another king came into power. The story changed.    They set taskmasters over them to afflict them until it became unbearable.    Everything has to do with leadership as we see in the above scripture. Oppression is to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power. It refers to discrimination when the injustice does not target and may not directly afflict everyone in society but instead targets specific groups of people. Oppression can take place anywhere. It can happen in the market place, office, home or church. Nobody functions properly under any form of oppression whether subtle or outright. This was what

  POSSESSING YOUR POSSESSION. Welcome to the last quarter of year 2020. This month is a month of Possession. What does it mean to take possession? It means to seize, appropriate, take, get, acquire,    obtain, secure, procure, occupy,    capture, commandeer e.t.c. These words broken down will give us a better understanding of what we ought to do. Which of these words strike you more? Taking possession requires courage and boldness. Life will not give you what you desire but what you demand.    Things will not fall on your lap, you have to go all out and get them. Jacob had to wrestle to get into the next phase of his destiny. How determined are you? The woman with the issue of blood pushed through the crowd even in her frailty. The kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent takes it by force. God promised the Israelites the land of Canaan, but they had to fight to take possession. Some times you need to contend in battle for what is yours. Your body is the temple of God not a pla

  MAKING PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT (3) Making people feel important has its own benefit. When you help others feel important, you help yourself feel important too. You can’t make people feel important without appreciating them. Nobody likes being taken for granted. People feel important when you let them know you depend on them with comments like “i don’t know what I’ll do without you”,    you always make things easy for me.” Remarks like this make people feel necessary and help them increase their performance. People thrive on compliments. Everyone craves praise and wants to be assured they’re doing a great job. Praise is not only for big accomplishments. Little things matter.    Don’t classify people. Treating someone as second class never makes you a first class. Don’t hug glory, invest it. When you are acknowledged or rewarded for a service, appreciate others who make it happen. Share praise, that way, people sincerely know that you appreciate their value. They’ll be glad to do more. D

  MAKING PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT (2) In continuation of our discussion last week, today we will be looking at the benefit of making people feel important.  When you make people feel important, they care about you. And when they care about you, they do more for you. Customers will buy more from you, your staff will work harder for you, family and friends will go out of their to do anything for you. It pays to make ‘little’ people feel like big people and ‘big’ people feel even bigger. A person of worth always add value to people by visualizing them at their best. As he thinks big about people, he gets their best out of them. If you don’t take stock, you will think you’re making much impact in the lives of people when you are making little or nothing. Have you really been able to bring out the best in people or someone else had helped those around you before they met you?    Do you look out to hire or poke the best or like King David, do you bring out the best in people who are nobody? Pos

  MAKING PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT (1) Philippians 2:3 KJV [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. The desire to be important is man’s strongest, most compelling non-biological hunger. Everyone has a desire, to feel important. Advertisers take advantage of people’s crave for distinction and recognition so they say ‘only for people of class’; ‘for people with distinctive taste’.    The airlines make people pay more for class distinction. If it’s not important, they won’t waste their time. Displaying the attitude ‘You are important’ gets result and it cost nothing. According to the scripture above, let us esteem others better than ourselves. When you make feel people feel important, it doesn’t make you feel less, instead you are appreciated more. There’s the tendency to view people who can’t do anything for you as not important and that is a major blunder.    People avoid those who make them feel less importa

EXPECT TO RECEIVE  Acts3:1-10 It is easy for us to get use to some things that have stayed with us so long, such that we don't expect a change. The story is told of a man who was born lame and had lived with it for over 40 years, begging for alms at the gate of the temple. He woke up as usual to his daily routine of hopelessness, begging for alms not knowing that it was his appointed time for a notable miracle. There was no hunger for a change unlike blind Bartimaeus in Mk10:46-47 who was also a beggar and desired more than begging. He heard that Jesus was passing and began to cry for the Master's attention. They tried to stop him but he cried the more a great deal. He got what he wanted through persistence. Jesus stopped and saw that he was blind and was a beggar but needed to be sure of what he wanted, rather than assume that a beggar will always want money. He asked in vs51 what do you want me to do for you? He said that I may receive my sight. He got his sight. You will get

  BECOMING A BETTER YOU (6) We will be looking at relationship with yourself in this article. The commandment to love your neighbor as yourself speaks volume and that is the basis for this write up. It begins with loving yourself before loving others. For you to love your neighbor, you have to love yourself first. You can only love others as you love yourself. Relationship with yourself determines your relationship with others. It is easy to neglect yourself without realizing it, so we want to shed conscious light on it.  How well do you love yourself?  What values do you possess? Are you completely honest with yourself? Who do you surround yourself with? Who listens and supports your vision or dreams? Do you serve others without serving yourself? Loving yourself entirely and ensuring your needs are met is a spring board to doing the same for others. How you treat yourself is how you will treat others.  Accepting all aspects of yourself completely and treating yourself well makes servi

BECOMING A BETTER YOU (5) Two balls were put together, one was inflated and the other was deflated. The deflated ball was thrown up and it came down and remained on the floor. The other ball was thrown up, it came down and bounced up again. It’s a function of what’s inside you. This week we’re looking at building yourself to becoming a better you. Every man is endowed with ability. It can only be activated by you. You are an entity with a distinct identity, be conscious of this. Build yourself intentionally. This is your sole responsibility. Increase your efficiency. Have a plan to improve yourself and bring out the greatness in you. There’s a treasure in you, enhance it and project it. We’re in a season of upgrade. Everything around us is upgrading. Don’t be left out. Upgrade yourself Spiritually, financially, academically/intellectually, relationally and physically. Joseph did not appear before the king in his prison clothes. He had his challenges yet he changed his clothes, dressed

  BECOMING A BETTER YOU (4) People’s opinion about you is good and worth looking into. However your opinion about yourself matters. Some times people tell you what you want to hear, not necessarily the truth. If nobody will be honest with you, you can not afford not to be honest with yourself. What do you think about yourself and what are your core values? The way you see yourself helps to boost your self worth. Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent, so don’t give your life to others to determine. If you don’t know who you are, people will define you. Jesus knew who He was before He asked His disciples who people thought He was and their own opinion. Once you know who you are, don’t be afraid to give it expression. You don’t need anybody to make you complete. You are complete in Him. You are not a damaged product so you don’t need anybody to fix you. An addict looks for what will fix him when the solution lies in him. You can need help to improve yourself not change yo

BECOMING A BETTER YOU (3) During the past week, we lost a father in the faith in the person of Apostle Alfie Fabe in Cape Town, South Africa. One common thing people talked about him was, he left you better than he met you. A man like David, who took young and hopeless people and invested in them. Today, these men and women are living proofs of his apostolic grace. He always added value everywhere he went. He had a father’s heart and held relationships in high esteem. He loved to connect people. He was never afraid of introducing people to his network.  That brings me to my discussion today. You are blessed to be a blessing. How much of a blessing are you? Not everyone is confident to allow others meet their contacts/network (especially those they consider a blessing to them) or are willing to introduce people to opportunities that will improve them. It’s just a nature in some people not to share what they have. They feel threatened and prefer to hold back. It may be because of past ex

BECOMING A BETTER YOU (2) There’s nobody that is living that has reached the peak of his abilities. There’s a more glorious future ahead of you. Don’t drown in your past mistakes or achievements. God says behold I do a new thing, the former things you will remember no more. There are things you need to let go, for you to get to the next level. Apostle Paul makes this clear in Philippians 3:13-14 KJV [13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  It’s good to appreciate where you are but don’t let it limit you or hinder you from forging ahead. It’s a personal decision to press forth. We all need to keep going forward. The children of Israel got to the Red Sea, they thought they were stranded but the Lord told them to go forward. You will not be stranded. You are unstoppabl

BECOMING A BETTER YOU (1) This series Becoming a better you is what we will be looking at for a few weeks. It will include reassessing ourselves, improving ourselves and a lot more. But let me begin with our expectation of others not minding other people’s expectations of us. Would you like to be treated the way you treat others? Some of us expect people to do for us what we can not do for them. We also can not accept from people what we do to others. We need to be fair in life. It’s just so easy to know whether you are fair or not by asking yourself, would I be happy if anyone does this to me or my daughter/son that I love so much? That is why some people change the goal post at the middle of the game. Don’t treat people the way you don’t want to be treated. God is just. We’re sowing seeds daily by what we do. Some women treat their mothers in-law like intruders/enemies, some deal with their spouses with outright disregard. I agree that some of these people go beyond their boundaries

TRIUMPH IN OBSTACLES   Everyone of us is on a journey here on earth. As we go on, some roads are smooth and some bumpy. The bumpy road and turbulence in the air is a process that people don’t like to go through. We don’t want to be faced with obstacles but we want to share testimonies. The same way you write exams in school and go to the next class, so also we write in life, through difficult circumstances and trying times, and move on to the next phase. (The next phase, though wonderful, has its own challenges too but it’s nothing to worry about). Some will ask, will these challenges ever stop? The answer is no but the end has been determined before you started and it is victory for you. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him from them all. God has a way of delivering you from everything that is greater than you. He delivered Peter from Herod and the Israelites from Pharaoh.    The deliverance is not partial, it is total. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:

UTILIZE YOUR TIME Have you ever noticed our time flies? Time waits for no one. The Bible enjoins to redeem the time. Time is one thing    no one can stop, whether you spend it or invest it. Spending time means it is used in a way that you can’t account for it (wasted). Investing time is putting it into good use and having results to show for it. Time does not respect your age. It works both for young and old equally. It is always counting, that is why you must make good use of your day and let your time count.  What do you need to stop doing?  What do you need to start doing?  You are the light that is destined to shine, no matter how little you think it is. What you do with your time determines how bright your light will shine. You are not too young to make impact and you are not too old to do same either. Make your own impact positively. No matter how small, it will count.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV [1] To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: [2]

INVESTING IN RELATIONSHIPS   To invest means to expend money with the expectation of achieving a profit or material result. It also means to provide or endow someone or something with a particular quality or attribute. Investment is what everyone carefully does, expecting to receive returns. Nobody throws money around and the same goes for relationships. I always say relationship is a currency. The way we handle our currency differs. Some people rumple their money. Some forget it in their pockets and wash it with the clothes. We can not afford to be careless with our relationships. It has the potential of outliving us. David and Jonathan had a relationship. When Jonathan died, David said is there anyone left in the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 2Sam 9:1. Relationships are seeds that we need to carefully plant, nurture, water and harness. It is not every relationship that can be symbiotic (that gives mutual benefit). Some relationships can not pay you b

PUT ON THE LIGHT FOR OTHERS As individuals we go through things, positive and negative. Everything works together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Life is a school with different phases and so many ups and downs. In a school, when you are taught, you will sit for exam. Not everybody that goes to school make the most of it. The lessons of life can be through experiential knowledge (what you go through) or through the experiences of others, which has the ability of living you better or bitter. Some processes may be tough but we just have to go through them. Jesus too wished the cup could pass over. This article was inspired by a write up on the intention of Ibidun Ighodalo of blessed memory for her 40th birthday. A woman who went through IVF 11 times and none was successful and she eventually settled for adoption. She planned to help 40 families to have their babies. What a laudable project and I know God will bless 40 families with miracle childr

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS We are all blessed one way or the other. I see relationship as one of those blessedness. It’s important to God so it is very important to me. Some people will come your way for a short period and some for long periods almost a life time. When they go down memory lane in another ten years, would they be grateful they met you or otherwise? It is possible to be good and do a wrong thing that wipes out the good due to the extent of hurt it brings. I know there are people that you’re nice to that will forget and hold on to little wrong. There’s nothing you can do about that, just be good. Forgive, forgive and forgive. Applaud people when you can. Encourage them, help them, inspire them, appreciate them, love them, check up on them. These things have a way of coming back to you cos they are seeds. Relationships are resources, you may need to draw from, some time or maybe your children. You definitely will need people at every phase of your life. Don’t thin