faith

ON THE BRIDGE

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One of my most pleasurable moments are the times I am on a bridge and passing through. Whereas I cannot place the exact reason, I have often enquired within me why that joy comes. I have resolved that whereas there may be others to be discovered, my joy comes from the fact that I am able to escape all that is down under the bridge. A bridge serves a couple of purposes. The remote service of a bridge is to make way. The more obvious services I find are: 1. An escape from the entanglement under and arrive at an earlier time. In some areas where bridges are built, they are built over existing roads. The passageway the bridge creates is oftentimes better to pass through, easier, and faster, for one to get to his destination. 2. An escape from drowning. Many other times, at the end of the present road we tread is the large water body. Yet, that is not our destination. To arrive at our desired place, one must have to cross the water. Since men are not built to fly, they have learnt to build bridges. By reason of the bridges, we can safely cross to our desired places of rest. In any case, bridges are important to arrive at one’s destination. If we remain on the road of the  lowland, we may find ourselves entangled in the hustle and bustle, and may either find it hard to step out and continue our journey, thereby arriving later than we ought to have arrived. If we do not have bridges, times will come where we are at our wits end. There will be nowhere else to turn except to go forward. In these times when going forward appears like being in between the devil and the deep blue sea, we need a bridge, so that we do not drown. Without mincing words, I have found that Jesus is the bridge of life, necessary to arrive at our designated or desired destination. Jesus is the means by which we passed from death to life. Our passage from death to life is the assurance that we can pass from any seeming dead end and yet blossom in greater dimensions, even those yet unknown to any man. Jesus assures us of this; we can rest assured. By this, we know that we have hope for life ahead. If we yield to Jesus and allow him bridge the gap between our present situations and our desired places, we will be better off. If He does, we will arrive better, faster, and in a grander style than we may have conceived. God’s presence in our lives is an everlasting signature of hope. Although unseen, he makes this hope tangible to us by tokens of signs that he shows us. He wants us to believe Him and stay put on that bridge. Do not look back, do not turn back; Jesus has got your back. There is hope and a great deal of potential for success if we stay on the bridge. We get excused of every contrary element on the way. Our best bet therefore, is to stay put on the bridge. You can read from the top again and understand in context. Jesus is the bridge. He is the guarantee of hope, a blessing that makes rich and adds no sorrow. Just one message to end: STAY ON THE BRIDGE!

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CROWNING

7 Comments / Leadership / / / , ,

When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.” Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt of a donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:1-9) Notice the people who gave Him the accolade and honour of King? Not one magistrate, not one priest, not…. but people who He has ministered unto, people who have seen His nobility and leadership and salvation, etc. Also notice He wasn’t denying that He is King as accorded to Him but not because the people said so; rather because it was prophesied by God. A lot of times we seem to be waiting for validation from different entities (government, Europe, ICAN, etc.), which is not a bad thing but not fundamentally necessary. I mean if we get validation from these entities good and an advantage, but if we don’t should we then throw away God’s intention for our lives and live under what these entities have defined us? I tell you sometimes they define us so wrongly! The elders and Pharisees defined Jesus a lot of things, He didn’t have to wait for their validation to be what God called Him right from before all those entities existed. Now does it mean we should dishonour these entities? Hahaha you will be against God by that. Honour entities but don’t wait for their validation to be what God wants you to be. What if you you get their validation or endorsement? We appreciate it. But we are defined and moved by God alone.

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GLORIOUS SHIELD

36 Comments / Faith, Life & Development / / / , ,

The foundation of the African society is well entrenched in idolatry and wickedness. Understandably therefore, wickedness is natural to man, especially one who knows not God. He will go to any length to do as he pleases. That is why many fear “our village people”. The unsavory consequence of this is that we become scared to step out to do that which God has placed in our hands and hearts to do. For those that step out, they try to walk so cautiously that they hardly make any remarkable headway in a long time. Some of these fears are unfounded, and for others, there are actually people who rise up against them to trouble them on all sides. Others attempt to inflict us with their own unbelief in God, by making us believe when they say to us that “there is no help for us in God.” In spite of our perception of these village people or wicked friends or the actuality of their existence in our individual spheres, the Lord Almighty, whom we serve and whose we are, has revealed to us this unassailable truth: HE IS A SHIELD FOR US; HE IS OUR GLORY; IT IS HE WHO LIFTS OUR HEAD. God is the shield who bore our griefs. When He took them all on the cross, we were in Him, under cover. Regardless of what anyone might do to us, we take cover under the truth of the death of Jesus Christ for our sakes, and the victory He won for us. Now we truly can sing, God is for us, nothing and no one can stand against us; as our Shield, He bore it all for us. The arrows that would have been shot against us He endured, the curse and rejection that would have been our lot was His’ to bear. In majesty and glory He bore them for us, making a public show of them, triumphing over them in it. We are Christ’s and our lives are hid with Christ in God. Now, we can wield God’s Word as a shield too. When we enforce His words in prayer, making declarations and decrees concerning God’s word, we wield His word, and it becomes our Shield. As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler(shield) to all those that trust in him. Understanding that Jesus is our Shield and He is with us, we can cry to Him and he will hear us, He will answer us, and He will sustain us. Fear is rooted out also. Should anyone come against us, we remain bold knowing that our Shield has made them toothless bulldogs. In conclusion, our Shield is Glorious for many reasons. First, He took all the ills that would have come to us and covered us under the shadow of His wings. Next, He put Himself inside of us so that each of us can wield this shield in our own individual peculiar situations. Lastly, though not least of all, this shield is Light. The glory that He exudes by Himself and through us paralyzes darkness and leaves them dumbfounded. By giving us Himself, he has given to us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, and all of these are in the face of Christ Jesus, our eternal shield. Hallelujah! We step out with honor! Hallelujah! We step out with glory! We step out without fear! We have peace on every side! We can rest assured that our enterprises will succeed, because we are under cover, and the one who covers us can never be defeated. We are allies with the Commander of the Universe. Glory to God!

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THE BANE OF SUCCESS (Concluding Part)

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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other thing. Abraham Lincoln. So far we have seen fear and mediocrity as banes of success, however, the list goes on and on. But one final Bane I will want us to look at is one that walks with us daily. It seats where you seat and lies with you, it craves for ease and comfort,  it wants to marry a rich man or a great lady but it does not want to prepare for that feat, it wants to sleep in but also want to be wealthy,  and it tells itself, “what will be will be” It is YOU Only “You” can become prideful; only “you” can have “humble pride” Pride is simply the over estimation(and something under estimation) of self. If God says you are great, it would be pride to say you are the greatest and it would be a “humble pride” to say you are the least. It is YOU who procrastinate -procrastination is more subtle than fear. Whereas fear simply says do not do that, procrastination says, “that work is hard, let me do the easy one first, then later I do the “hard one” and in most cases we end up never doing the most important task, “the hard”. Not because you cannot but the YOU is enjoying the pleasure of ease, the company of mean men, and the flattery of comfort. Procrastination is subtle because you can go about feeling that you are doing something but cumulatively, it’s a barrel of nothing: an empty container that weights no more than a feather in the balance of life. Beware of the consequences of procrastinating a more important task for a less important one. In addition, indecision, laziness, hate, envy, discrimination, indiscipline, and lots more are things that you (rather we) entertain (directly or indirectly) in our lives for we are for all times and purposes our own worst obstacle. You may be destined by God, to be in charge of an undertaken that is among the most ambitious and faithful of the 21st century; an undertaken that will impact the lives of millions, and yet, YOU can decide not to go through with it by choosing the road of least resistance. Because YOU have decided to settle for less. The Antidote If there is any fault in a product, you take it to the manufacturer for a fix. 1. God 2. You The solution is God and You. Here is what my friend Philemon Agebe wrote about God and… in a fine truth titled “Deo et.” Deo et means “God and” in latin. The underlying burden of this article is nothing other than the invaluability of God in Creation. There is no meaning in life outside of God; As a part of the Productivity tour, Deo et will place God side by side everything. You can fit anything into the space after the “and” and there will be meaning. God and Productivity; God and You; God and Evil; God and everything: The classic is “Deo et”. Therefore, for you to overcome and become a success, you must be in affiliation with God and partner with Divinity.

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THE BANE OF SUCCESS (CON’T)

3 Comments / Faith, Life & Development / / / , ,

2. Mediocrity:Whatever is worth doing is worth doing excellentlyThe assumption that average is enough is the reason for stunt progress in the lives of so many.Someone said the challenge is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low and hit. The mediocre lifestyle is actually living less than we are capable of. Example, you were asked to lead in a song, you sang like you hated singing and you are a choir member; your excuse was that you do not want people to feel you are “over sabi” (Someone that gives more than their best). You were told a week before that you will be taking the opening session of a program, you said okay, but you came up and delivered your session like a fish out of water, your excuse; “I have stage fright”. But you never made any attempt to conquer that fear. This is mediocrity, a bane of success and contrast of excellence.Many people can dance, many can sing, many can talk but only those who are outstanding get a chance. The AntidoteAn Excellent spiritThis an attitude of excellence.We are in a day and age where people are promoted on the basis giving a far above average input that yields far above average interest. Daniel a foremost politician of the monarchical system of the Babylonian empire yet he was relevant, sorted for, and promoted to high ranking positions in four regimes. Even if the seating monarch came to office by bloody coup d’état, he still sort the counsel of Daniel who from childhood to adulthood gave his best (God-ability) in whatever he did.In whatever you do, where ever you are, live as though you are the best actor in the story of your life.The best man is he who is yielding himself to the beatings of the Blacksmith; the mouldings of the Porter; the pruning of the Husband man; the chiselling of the Sculptor and the making of his Maker. to be continued….

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THE BANE OF SUCCESS

13 Comments / Faith, Life & Development / / / , , ,

He who waits to feel like it before they train themselves will never achieve anything worthwhile. A successful business mogul, a top-notch ICT expert, an anointed preacher of the gospel, a billionaire and Philanthropist, an effective Executive or the CEO of a fortune 500, A loving father or a Proverb 31 mother, an exceptional Student or even a outstanding musician. Whatever the case the truth remains that deeply inscribed in our heart is the desire to be successful. Even though many people want to be successful, there are few things that can poison our chances of the success we desire. 1. Fear:Fear is one of the longest standing bane of Success. It has crippled many dreams, aborted many seeds of greatness and ensured that countless potential never saw the light of day. What Fears are we talking about? A. The Fear of the UnknownWho knows what will have become of that business idea of yours if you were not to scared of starting.What is the use of working hard if you are not certain of the outcome? Some people have had this mental lock and have decided to put so much effort to walk on a road that is common to all men. What the Omniscient has in store for you may be what eyes have not seen nor ears heard yet the fear of this unknown will hinder your access to those promises.Sometimes this fear comes because the content of your dream has never been done by anyone, therefore in our perplexity we quiver into our shell for fear of the unknown. B. The Fear of FailureWhat if it does not work? But what if it does? You must come to a point where you realise that someone failed does not mean the person is locked out of any chance of success. When you allow the fear of failure to creep into your minds, you will never achieve anything significant.The fear of failure diminishes one’s chances of success faster than you can imagine. C. The Fear of RejectionNobody likes to be rejected. What will people say?So many people dread to make any move in the direction of their vision. This fear of rejection has created barriers between parents and their children, the children cannot approach their parent to ask for permission on matters that affect their life for fear of being turned down.I remember a story;A boy wanted to be a disk jockey in a Radio station. He did not have any college education but went to the radio  station and ask the manager if there were any vacancies, the manager said no and sent him away, this boy came the next day, the manager said “didn’t I send you away yesterday?” The boy replied, “sir I don’t know if anybody was fired or laid off yesterday.” “No one was fired or laid off now leave.” The boy left and returned the next day, greeted the manager and ask if there was any vacancy, the manager looked at him and said, “didn’t I send you away yesterday, why have you come here again?” The boy replied “sorry Sir, I thought someone died or someone resigned.” The manager could not help it but told the boy to get him a cup of coffee and that was how he started because the fear of rejection has been dealt with. The Antidote for FearFaith:If you call men like Gideon you will see men who overcame the fear of failure through faith. The prodigal son overcame the fear of rejection, fear of the unknown because he dare to believe that his father will accept him even as a servant.A man of faith will say, ‘I can’t fail: I will either win or learn a lesson.’ You need to fight your fears with faith and faith comes from the word of God. Do not go about feeding your fears by looking for people to tell “don’t comman kill yourself” else you will leave all your life working below your God-given capacities. Work does not kill.You’re told that “…nobody in your family has done it before”. Well, you can be the first.This sickness, this poverty, this negative cycle has been in the family for generations and who knows who will get it next?FEAR NOT it is a lie from the pit of hell. Have FAITH, God is in you, with you, and for you to break that siege and bondage of fear. …to be continued.

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FEAR DEMYSTIFIED

6 Comments / Faith / / / ,

I have always wanted us to look deeply at a concept that has somehow became part of us. It is neatly integrated into our existence by a reality we find very simple to grasp. It has kept us sedated in the ocean of our minds while robbing us of what we could be by pointing us to the incomprehensible nature of the unknown. It haunts our actions and inactions altogether, leaving us void of the desire to move. It has grown to become a tangible part of our present through its profound contributions in our past and gaining grounds in the future we have. In its tectonic nature, it is shaping our future into what we never dreamed of because we are too frail to ask the question “WHAT REALLY ARE YOU FEAR?”. FEAR is just a feeling sponsored by the voice in our heads, drawing our consciousness to our inadequacies, gradually taking our attention off our strengths. Like every other feeling, it is within the confines of our control. In other words, we ought to control fear. Fear rules us by painting an abstract reality whenever we incline to listening to ourselves rather than speaking to ourselves. To check fear, simply talk to YOU whenever YOU is asking YOU to listen to YOU.

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Your ID card na Your ID?

26 Comments / Faith, Life & Development / / / , , ,

So that great morning I stepped out of the hostel happy and rushing to meet up with something, and the great schedule for that day. It was in 2017 in FUTMINNA. Na so security man stop me to ask for my ID card o. I pleaded with him that I left it in the hostel and what followed was “how will you leave your IDENTITY in the hostel?” I’m not so confrontational oh but that morning the Holy Ghost don brood over me as I prayed and read the bible. Na so I quickly answer baba oh “MY ID CARD IS NOT MY IDENTITY SIR” He sent me back to get my ID card oh, but I ensured I made that point clear with smiles on my face from my heart. We are not defined by the externals. What is in us is what defines us. And that which is in us is God. Not our grades, certificates, government, schools, houses we live in, background… just God alone. Arise oh Africa… Africa is YOU!

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JUST OBEY

28 Comments / Faith / / / , , , , ,

As young adults, we are energetic and ready to face the future. Besides our energy, the realities of life seem overwhelming and they altogether constitute another reason why we must face life headlong and squarely, if we must succeed. As we go on ahead every new day, the hurdles round and about us seem to weigh us down and sometimes sponsor the idea that we are incapable of facing the future or reaching out to live out the life we may have envisioned. Consequently, we live with the idea that the future is more out of reach than it is within grasp; it becomes a survival-for-the-fittest kind of struggle. For some of these ones, their philosophy of life is that we rise by the downfall of others. Everyone struggles to reach their desired future, even if it means to run roughshod over another. Worthy of note, however, is that all these actions are based on a fear of the unknown, fear of the future, and the desire to accomplish intended goals come what may. Notwithstanding the reality of the foregoing, this should not be the case. In life, provisions had been made for everyone especially for those who have known Jesus Christ as Lord. There is room for everyone at the top. There is no need for anxiety over what the future holds. God has taken care of everything even before we were formed. The very substance of our days were written in His book — and none can blot it out — long before any of them began to take shape in reality. Our fears are unfounded; If we stay with God, they must fade. If we will inherit the earth, shall we not dominate the paths He leads us through? Since He has put us in His special land, we need not worry because we are in a place where His eyes do not leave all year long. We are tremendously blessed. So blessed we are that we do not need to be angry with another, envy or be jealous over them. No one needs to fall before we rise. Our paths are distinct. In the Bible, a heathen nation did not know that although they were not serving the God of Heaven, He had provided for their protection. So they sought to protect themselves by bringing Israel to ruins. When they tried to curse them but failed, they brought Israel down by making Israel sin against their God. If Moab knew God’s word and mind concerning them, they would have acted differently. God had told the Israelites not to fight them because He was the one who established them in that land. But Moab’s attempt to keep themselves safe amounted to a distraction from purpose. Definitely, should there have been a mark that ought to have been met, Moab would have fallen short, for they were distracted by a cause that God had already provided for. So it is today; if we distract ourselves by unworthy causes, we presume to take God’s place in our lives, and that can earn us no good. But we will be confident if we know God’s mind about us and rest in His love. Moab was a heathen nation, but we are the children of God, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Knowledge of God’s word is a defense. Similarly, in the scheme of things, had Israel simply kept to God’s commands for them, they would never have fallen to the ploy of the Moabites. They would have continued their journey, and achieved their goals safely all the way. The security we crave for, need, and desire in life is nowhere else but in Obedience to His word. Therefore, obedience to God’s word is our security. In conclusion, we must realize that God has got our backs. He’s provided all we need to succeed in life. He has indeed given to us all things that pertains to life and godliness. Let us not be presumptuous to go against the covenant. For those who do wickedly against the covenant are corrupted by flatteries, but without fail, if we know our God, and His word about us, and walk with Him in obedience, we will certainly do exploits, crushing every obstacle that comes our way. That God is for us, even when we do not know it, is our confidence. We win all the way. Jesus is for us, no one can be against us. Hallelujah!

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The Eye: FAITH

35 Comments / Faith / / / , , , , ,

I have often been amazed at the perspective of little children about their parent. When you hear them talk about how their parent could do just anything, it gives one an idea of how they perceive possibility. Even if their parent were superheroes, they are only super, not limitless. One of my encounters with such perception was a conversation between two young boys, The one said to the other, “my father can carry this car like this…” demonstrating a lifting above the head, and to my amazement, the other responded in the same similitude but now pointing to an even bigger car. Apart from the firmness of their assertions and the indelible trust they have in their fathers’ ability, I was more perplexed by the possibility that they totally believe all that they were professing and that alone made me want to interrupt their discussion. Just when I was about to interrupt their conversation a thought struck me, why did the other child not exclaim “aahn aahn you sabi lie oh” in response to the first child’s claims but pointed out an even bigger possibility or impossibility to you reading right now.? What then is the difference between you and these children? Quick answer, Perception. It has nothing to do with age, or gender, or even skin color. Perception, a pivotal concept in defining true or false, right or wrong, possible or impossible and the list goes on and on. Perception simply refers to the way one sees and relates to things (physically and spiritually). For the believer, perception governs your interaction with both the physical and spiritual world so you can not afford not to see correctly. Often times we struggle with the realities of the kingdom because of wrong perception. The calling of the believer is a call of Faith. And faith is like the eye you must see with it. One scripture that always comes to heart whenever the matters of faith are in focus is “But without Faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that heis , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Until you can see clearly the potency and trust in the infallibility of God, you can not get anything by Faith. If we must pull through in the matters of faith we must see I Am in the same light as those children see their Fathers, without a perception of impossibility, contrary to the voice of reason or daunting realities.We are not being naive when we dare to trust God. What is naive is seeing life from just a material perspective. When we speak by faith, we are not denying reality but simply calling forth a new reality in the face of this present reality anchoring on the potency and infallibility of I Am. Like little children we trust wholly, and we are oblivious of impossibility when we dare to see by Faith.

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