Let These Parents’ Worst Nightmare Ignite the Flame of Revival

I am a mother. I have two sons. The standing rule in my family is that the boys call home anytime they move from point A to point B. I expect them to call in as soon as school is over before they begin their after-school activities. If I don’t get a call from the boys as at due, I would wait a while and call them. If I don’t get a response after making several calls, I'll send a prayer to heaven. I know God is keeping watch over them but they will surely have some explaining to do as to why they could not be reached. Why? You might wonder. Because like all parents, we want an assurance that our children are safe and fine.

A friend's daughter went “missing” a few years ago. She did not come back home after school and she did not respond to numerous calls on her cell phone. By 7:00pm, we were in their house. The women stayed with the mother while the men were on the street going from one police station to the other in the bid to find her. The waiting period seemed endless. We prayed and we prayed some more. Yet, the anxiety and concern continued to mount as hours went by. Praise be to God, she was found later that night. I still remember those moments of not knowing where she was or what was going on. You can't even begin to imagine the emotional state of the mother.

When David and his men came back to Ziklag, they found that their wives, sons and daughters had been taken captive by the marauding Amalekites. The Bible recorded in 1Samuel 30 that David was greatly distressed. The souls of his men were bitterly grieved to the extent that they talked of stoning David, each man for his sons and daughters.

It is a parent’s worst nightmare, that heart wrenching fear that your child can be taken away from you. How would such parents go to sleep not knowing where their child is or what has happened to that child? The subtle suggestions of the enemy as he paints the picture of worse-case scenario in the mind of the parent is enough to cause fear to grip the hearts of such parents.

On the 15^th of April 2014, over 200 young girls were abducted from their school while taking their examination in Chibok, Northern Nigeria by a group of terrorists. Multiply the number of these girls by two and you will have an idea of the number of parents grieving at this time not knowing where their daughters are. Add the grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters to the list. One can imagine that the souls of these people will be bitterly grieved and they will be in great distress at this time.

They know that their daughters are in the hands of men whose hearts are so desperately wicked that they will wantonly shed innocent blood without a thought. They know that their daughters are in the middle of nowhere exposed to many dangers. They know that each of these girls are in constant fear of what may happen to them and whether they will ever see their parents again. These thoughts must indeed add to the nightmare of the parents.

These parents’ worst nightmare is not theirs alone. It is the nightmare of anyone who has a child. It is the nightmare of anyone who has a conscience. It is the nightmare of anyone who cares about the fate of these girls. This is not just a crisis in a small corner of Nigeria, it is a national crisis. Knowing that terrorism doesn't respect borders, this nightmare is possible anywhere. This a reflection of extent of wickedness that man can perpetuate on fellow mankind for any reason.

But more importantly, it is a wake-up call to everyone called by the name of the Lord within Nigeria and beyond. It is a call for spiritual awakening for all the churches in Nigeria and for all those who have been at ease in Zion, feeling comfortable in their cocooned world.

When Peter was arrested by Herod and held captive in the prison, what was the response of the church? Fervent prayers were persistently made to God for him by the church (Acts 12:5). The fervent and persistent intercession of the believers brought about a divine intervention, the Lord sent an angel to deliver him. And when Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where a large number were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:12). They prayed without ceasing.

Perhaps, the nightmare of these girls and their parents will cause a stirring up in the hearts of believers in the land, which will result in a movement of prayer that will ignite a spiritual awakening in the churches and a revival, resulting in the move of God’s power across the land like the sweeping force of a Tsunami wave.

This is my earnest and fervent prayer; that the nightmare of these girls and their parents will cause men and women across the globe to fall on their knees, praying without ceasing and with strong purpose that the Lord will move in the affairs of men in our nations.

The revival that took place in Wales in 1904 began with a movement of prayer and was sustained by a movement of prayer. For a revival and spiritual awakening to take place in our nations, there must be someone or some people willing to travail in fervent prayers. Such fervent prayers are effectual because they can impact all the spheres of our national life.

This is the kind of movement of prayer that can be generated as a result of this incidence. So, as the Lord stirs up our hearts, let us gather together in our homes and in our churches, and pray for these girls held captive by these violent wicked workers of iniquity that the Lord will cover them with His feathers and hid them under the shadow of His wings. Let us pray that the Lord Himself will be a wall of fire around them and that we will recover all of them.

Let us pray for their parents that the Lord will garrison and guard their hearts from every agitating fears and anxieties with His peace which passes all human understanding. That they will be encouraged in the Lord and in His faithfulness as David encouraged himself in the Lord in 2Sam 30:6.

Let us pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon all of us in all our churches that will fire aflame a desire in our hearts to persevere in intercession until the move of the power of God in our nations is so mighty that it will pull down the barriers, which have hitherto divided us, and it will bring about unity in the body of Christ. To the extent that believers will passionately pursue God to work with extraordinary power in our land.

On Thursday, May 15^th, 2014, we will gather together here in Geneva to pray for our girls in captivity, for their parents and for our nations. We will continue to persevere in prayers until we see the victory of God over those who seek after our land to destroy, destabilize and devour.

Dear Friends, will you be stirred up in your hearts to be a part of this movement of prayer that has the potential to bring about a revival in our land? God bless you as stand in the gap.

And It Came To Pass

On May 5th, 2012, I posted a blog - An Icon For A Dream. Below is an excerpt from the blog:

"I have yet another dream, a vision of an answered prayer and in this vision, I saw myself—handbag over my arm, passport, ticket and boarding pass in one hand and my carry on luggage in the other hand—walking into a Jumbo Jet, in readiness for a long haul flight. I walked into the plane without any encumbrances or paraphernalia, just my personal effects. Indeed, that will be the open manifestation of God’s promise fulfilled in my life which will require no further explanation—a walking testimony."

Earlier that year in February and at the Geneva Writers' Conference, I wrote a poem, "I will fly again" during the Poetry class I participated in. It was the first time that I read a poem in public. I was moved to tears as I read the poem and the class instructor also asked me to read it again. It was quite significant for me because I had never considered myself a Poet though I had written many of what I called "my poetic musing." She affirmed me and asked me to continue to work hard at this skill. She did not know my history or story but there were obvious signs that indicated that the poem had deep personal meaning.

My mother once said that I had itchy feet. It was a parlance in Yoruba to describe someone who loves to travel and does travel a lot. In those days I did a lot of travelling within and outside Nigeria. My job was travel intensive. And I loved it -- going to different places, seeing different cultures and tasting diverse cuisine. As years passed, travelling became a consistent part of our family lives. For a number of years, we had to live apart because my husband and I were working with two international organisations in different duty stations. Travelling by air was a regular and frequent activity. I love flying, gliding above the clouds. But in 2007 I became too ill to travel. It required a lot of planning and special assistance for me to travel by air or even by road. By 2010, I was grounded.

That was difficult. I wrote a number of poems to express my inner turmoil at not being able to travel either for pleasure or work. I felt like a plane grounded in a hangar, and like a caged bird. Both are meant to spread their wings and fly, soar above the mountains. But my wings were clipped by my medical situation.

But I had a dream, a vision and a desire. I knew that it would come to pass and I will fly again.

On Monday, December 16th, after over three years in the hangar, I walked out my house with my bag packed, this time it was not to the hospital. It was to the airport. And it came to pass, I flew again. It was with exhilarating joy.

As we sat in the waiting room, my husband and I recalled the last couple of times I had travelled; we remembered how anxious we were that the batteries powering the oxygen concentrator would last until we were on board.

This time last year, the facts of my life made it look impossible that we could be living our dream, just a year down the road. I had a big swelling in my neck. Celebrating Christmas 2012 was simply an act of faith. We were unsure what was going to happen next as the cyst on my thyroid gland was growing at an alarming rate.

By the turn of the year, on January 2nd, 2013, I was admitted into the hospital, and on the third, I underwent a very distressing and uncomfortable surgery to remove the tumour. On April 13th, I was back in the operating room for a life-threatening surgery. And on May 30th, I was in the operating room again, this time for a life-changing surgery, which redefined our normal.

Despite all these facts, the truth of God's word remained unchanging. And that is, faithful is He Who has promised (Heb. 11:11), He is able to accomplish all His purpose concerning us. And it came to pass, according to His Word that there shall be nothing hard of difficult for God to do (Jer. 32:27). It came to pass just as He has spoken, that He keeps my soul in life. He restores my health and heals my wound. He is the God that heals me.

God is able to do all what He says He will do

He will accomplish all the promises He made to you.

Today, my heart simply rejoice in the Lord, Who has made it possible for me to live my dream and granted me the desires of my heart in accordance to His will for me and His promise to me.

Dear Friends, the facts around you today may be contrary to your dreams and visions for your life. And it may look almost impossible for your dreams and heart desire to come to pass, but I want you to know that God always do what He says He would do. At the appointed time, God visited Sarah, and it came to pass just as He had spoken to Sarah. At the appointed time, as God promised Abraham, it came to pass (Gen 21:1-2). Through the challenging and difficult waiting time, God preserved her and her husband, Abraham. He ensured that nothing could thwart the fulfilment of His promise to them (Gen 20).

He is still the same God alive and active on your behalf today, if you would put your trust in Him and hold on with hope and patience on the unchanging truth of His Word. At the appointed time, it will come to pass, all the righteous desires and dreams of your heart based on His promise to you.

"You can expect your vision to be realized. You can expect whatever you are believing God for to “come to pass.” I promise you that. It may not be at the time you want to manifest itself, but it will come to pass. It may not come in the form you want to come in, but it will come to pass!" (Revd. Lauren Webb, Examiner.com).

I am a living testimony of the truth that God fulfils His promises. He Who has done great things for me is able to do the same for you too. He is never late in fulfilling His promise. There may be just eleven days left of 2013, but it is more than enough time for God to turn your situation around for good. Don't give up hope. Don't give up on your dream. Hold fast to the promise of God to you and rest assured that in His own time, God will make all things beautiful in your life. It will surely come to pass.

The Incredible Potentials of a Seed

Today's blog post takes its leap from the blog I posted last week:  Connecting Lives Beyond Imagination (click on the link to follow). I was overwhelmed by the way God used one man’s act of obedience to set in motion a series of reactions, interactions and connections which is providing opportunities for open doors for many, and enabling us to pursue our dreams and the fulfillment of our destinies.

Through these series of connections and linkages, I am coming to a deeper understanding that God sees and knows the great potentials of our ordinariness or the things we consider to be ordinary.

A Seed:

Mustard Seed

The black mustard seed, which was the smallest seed grown by the first century farmer in Ancient Israel, is known to grow to the heights of 3.7 meters (12 feet). The seeds of the orchid flower are like minute dust particles, so tiny that it cannot be seen by unaided human eyes, yet it grows into the beautiful orchid plants which blossoms in the forest, in our gardens and homes.

Seeds have great potentials and when nurtured, they produce abundance, greatness and significance. Seeds multiply. Every seed sown by the sower has the potentials to produce many more seeds. One little tiny seed has the potential to multiply itself up to 10000%. Each time I hold a cob of corn in my hands, I attempt to count the number of the grains as I nibble them off the rows. I am simply amazed that all of them came from just one seed of corn. And each stalk of corn has multiple cobs on it. The multiplication is simply exponential. Every farmer knows this truth.

Seeds carry the power of continuity because each grain of corn on the cob is a potential seed with the potential for multiplication and to continue the spread of the corn beyond the point where it was first planted.

No seed is ordinary no matter how tiny or invisible to human eyes as it may be. Every seed is a seed of destiny because it has the capacity to influence destiny. Every seed is a seed of significance because it has the potential to make a difference. Every seed is a seed of promise, because it carries a promise to bring about a bountiful harvest.

Something of great and immense significance has been infused by God into the DNA of a small tiny seed.

You are a Seed:

In Genesis 9, God pronounced on Noah and his sons a blessing, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” One man and his three sons are to multiply until the whole earth is filled. Awesome! What a great potential for multiplication and fruitfulness this is?

God also promised to make Abraham exceedingly fruitful and to multiply him greatly, and make him father of many nations (Gen. 17: 2). He had placed in Abraham a seed that will bring forth many nations, though for almost a hundred years the seed laid dormant. One man, but in him lives the seed from which many people and many nations would arise.

Our God is a God of exponential increase. He made a great and mighty nation of one man. Kings were birthed from him because God said of Sarah that Kings of people shall come from her.

We also, the seed of Abraham, and like seeds, we have stored in us the potentials for greatness and significance. God has placed in us the seed of greatness and the seed of significance. For the moment, that potential may be dormant. And we may not know what exactly this potential stored up in us is or what we have been called to do. Nonetheless, it is worth waiting patiently for it to be revealed and for us to discover it. Be assured that you have the potential for significance hidden within you. There is something unique and only-you-can-do that God has gifted and equipped you for. You can depend on the help of the Holy Spirit to find it and to act upon it.

The Seeds We Sow:

We as the children of Abraham are blessed to be a blessing and an inexhaustible dispenser of good to others. We can indeed be the conduits of God’s answer to someone’s prayer.

When we sow seeds of mercy and kindness into the lives of those God bring along our way, and this seed is nurtured by the grace of God, it affects and changes the hearts and lives of the receiver, bringing forth a spiritual harvest of eternal value.

We can sow the seed of words of encouragement, our time, our energy, and our resources into the lives of others. We can be the ones God can use to open doors of opportunities to others. It only requires our willingness to listen and to obey the leading of God, and a desire to make a difference in every sphere of influence God has given us. We sow seeds into the lives of people when we make the effort to invest in them.

The seed we sow into the lives of people God brings across our path may seem unimportant and inconsequential. As long as we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, the God of exponential multiplication and great harvest, will multiply that seed beyond our wildest imagination to the glory and honour of His Holy name.

Do not despise, scorn or make light the days of small beginnings or the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10) in your life and in the lives of those around you. God often uses the weak and unlikely instruments to bring about great things. It is an act of unbelief and ingratitude to scorn humble beginnings. It is an evidence of pride to despise the days of small beginnings in the lives of other people.

Little deeds of kindness can snowball to touch lives of many for good and become a spring board to launch others into living in their God-ordained destiny. You never can imagine how far God can use one act of kindness. Little seeds of mercy sown into lives can grow to reach many more lives across many continents.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” – Luke 16:10. Can God trust you and me to sow these tiny little seeds of kindness, mercy and compassion into the lives of His precious ones?

Often, a seed has to wait for many months before it gets the opportunity and the right environment to begin to germinate. It may appear that the seeds we have sown have remained dormant. Be patient. At the right time and at the right place with the right set of conditions, your seed will begin to multiply as it is meant to and it will bring forth bounteous harvest to the glory of God.

As we approach the end of the year and with the festive season in the offing, it is a great opportunity for us to consider how we can be used of God to be a blessing to many far and near. There is something God has placed in your hands, a seed, which you can sow into lives this season. I encourage you to prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide, lead and show you how you can and what you can sow into the lives He will lead you to.

There is great joy and reward in being a blessing. It is an act of gratitude and obedience, a wonderful way to express our appreciation to God for His marvelous works in our lives.

You are blessed exceedingly beyond your imagination. Believe it, dear friend!

The Conceit of Idleness

In 2003, I took time off work on health grounds and also to assist my sons adjust to their new environment – we had just relocated to Geneva. Coming away from a full-day loaded agenda to a flexible home management schedule, my friends thought I would not last 3 months. I was too active to be home-bound.  I did survive one year before I got restless. The boys did not need me as much as they used to do. I could not make the house cleaner. The wheels were running smoothly. I was involved in the Parents activities in the school but it was not enough to keep me busy. And I felt a strong urge to be able to contribute to the family income again. There was no where I needed to be or where I would be missed if I did not show up.

I did a stint of marketing food supplements for those watching their weight. I did an even longer stint of marketing beauty and face cleansing products. I even volunteered to work pro bono at the Nutrition Department of an International Organization in my city. While all of these did not generate the kind of income I needed, they kept me gainfully engaged.

Recently, a Sista-friend shared with me her concerns about a mutual friend who has been out of work for a long while, and was unwilling to accept a position offered him. He claimed that the position was beneath him. He had set a standard of the kind of job he was willing to do and it was either that or a “big time” business. He was not willing to settle for anything less. I was aghast, shocked at his adamant position. He has a young family to support, bills to be paid were mounting up plus debt to be settled. The situation was simply beyond my comprehension.

Is this faith, or foolishness or simply being presumptuous?

Or am I the one with the problem here? So I went in search of what the Bible says about being unwilling to work.

The Bible warned us in very strong terms against idleness. “…Work with your hands” (1Thess 4:11).

“…The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2Thess. 3:10).

If anyone is not willing to work then he is not to eat either. Such as could work but would not work should not be maintained in idleness. As children of God we must be creative, productive and action-oriented like our God. The Bible recorded that God worked for 6 days before He rested from His work on the 7^th day.

“Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need” (Eph. 4:28).

The point is that there must be a willingness and eagerness to work, and to take action to accomplish something even if it appears for the moment that nothing is happening or there is no dividend.

If there is a willingness to work and there is yet to be an opportunity, the individual will keep seeking, he will get up every morning and go out in search of something to do. He will not sit back at home idle. He will be willing to exert himself and go the extra mile to make a living.

 

www.squidoo.com/churchcartoons

Paul demonstrated that hard work is essential even though he had the right to depend on the people since he was ministering to them. He said “we were not idle when we were with you. On the contrary, we worked day and night, laboring and toiling, so that we are not a burden to you…” (2Thess. 3:7, 8).

Those who are not busy, who live lazy and idle lives, walk irresponsibly and become busy bodies. With much times on their hands, they meddle in other people’s business and interfere in the lives of others. They go about talking nonsense, saying things they ought not to. Devil will find work for idle hands.

Idle people, because of their laziness and slothfulness, reduce themselves to become a great burden on their families, friends and the church, depending on the bounty of others. They also deprive those who are truly in need access to the limited resources available. Those who are diligent in their business and earn a living, have great pleasure in doing it, and they are also able to contribute to helping those in need.

Idleness is productive of misery. “Keep away from everyone who is idle and disruptive” (2Thess. 3:6).

Busybodies denotes being busy with useless, superfluous and unproductive things, that is, to be occupied with trifles. But man was created by God to be an active, productive and creative creature, made for work and business.

Those who believe that some activities, chores or jobs are beneath them remain rooted at the same spot. They want the big-bang, they are waiting for a windfall or the beyond-imagination, which will propel them straight to the top. They don't want to do the hard work of building. So they wait and wait, and while they are waiting, they complain, grumble and blame everyone but themselves for their situation. They refuse to take responsibility for their inaction.

Inevitably, those waiting for a windfall or open heaven will likely miss it because they are not at the right place at the right time to receive the windfall or open heaven when it comes. They are too lazy to move from the spot where they are rooted.

While we are waiting for ours dream to be fulfilled, we need to keep ourselves gainfully preoccupied, building a strong foundation, improving our skills, acquiring new and relevant knowledge, and preparing for our dream to come to pass.

“Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). They took action which demonstrated their faith in God. Their works put their faith in God on display. They did not just speak or talk about their faith and trust in God but they took steps/actions which demonstrated that they trusted God to act on their behalf.

I know that God does not despise the days of small beginnings. And I know that he who is faithful in small things, to him more is given. God has promised to enlarge our coast.

As Christians, we should demonstrate a high standard of integrity, excellence and diligence in all we set our hands upon to do. Knowing that we stand as God’s ambassadors in whatever area of influence God has given us. We are the salt of the earth there and the light beacon directing others to Christ. We should be examples of those who demonstrate a high standard of responsible work ethics in our vocation and calling.

If we can work and are unwilling to do so, we miss opportunities to have the glory of God put on display in our lives at the workplace or market place, and we also miss opportunity to attract others to Christ when they see His good works in us.

It is a good thing to leave a godly heritage for our children and not just wealth. The sure way to do so is by teaching them the value of hard work and of working in the consciousness of God.

Gina Rinehart, an Australian mining heiress, will not leave her wealth to her children because she noted that they have not “developed the requisite skills, capacity, experience and responsible work ethics to manage wealth.” Gene Simmons wants his children to “be forced to get out of bed, go out, work and earn a living.” These are two of the wealthiest people in the world who would not leave their fortunes to their children.

Christianity does not take us from the work and duty of our calling or vocation, but it teaches us to be diligent in it. It is a responsible thing to encourage others to work and when positioned to do so, we should create opportunities for others to be gainfully engaged.

There is a difference between those who cannot work and those who would not work. Those who cannot work as a result of weakness, handicap, illness and old age should be provided for by the body of Christ, their families and government.

The Proverbs 31 woman is my standard of a hardworking, industrious, multi-tasking and God-fearing woman. She does not eat the bread of idleness. She taught me that I can be constructively engaged no matter what my circumstances may be. Dreams don’t get fulfilled neither can we walk in the fullness of our calling if we are idle and unwilling to start “small.”

Be encouraged to start something today. Take a step forward, it will take you towards living your dream. 

I'm Going All The Way

The New Year is an opportunity to celebrate new beginnings. It also provides the opportunity to renew commitments. Although the year is over a week old already but it is not too late to wish you a happy and prosperous 2013.

I apologize for not posting a blog last Thursday as usual. You will find out why as you read on.

I watched on the TV a challenging racing event through the country side a while ago.

 © Denyskuvaiev| http://www.dreamstime.com/

They ran…

…They jumped over huge hurdles.
     …They splashed through muddy puddles.

In wet shoes, adding to the discomfort,

they kept running,

overcoming the obstacles,

going all the way to the finish line.

The race is called the steeplechase. It is easily one of the hardest events in athletics. It is a test of endurance.

Pathway to change:

Life is a series of processes. Raw materials are processed to produce usable products. Students undergo training to become professionals. There is a process to go through for  dreams to be translated into reality and a desired goal to be reached.

Process is the pathway to change. Sometimes there are many steps in the pathway. We find obstacles along the pathway to change—hurdles to leap over and puddles to wade through—these make the process more challenging.

"We are all on a journey to somewhere,

and the twists and turns are what makes it interesting"

- Jeff Goins.

Implicit in this, is the time required for the process to be completed—time required for change to take place. When time is required, it calls for waiting, and waiting calls for patience and endurance.

Those who would go the long haul and all the way to the finish line have need of patient endurance. Waiting for a miracle, for a dream to come true, and for a goal to be accomplished can be a test of endurance and patience—just like the steeplechase race and the process to change.

These are the virtues waiting taught me—patience, endurance and perseverance.

Perseverance is the tenacity to endure to the end and not give up along the way—the patience to wait well. There is a difference between waiting and waiting well. If we are encumbered with anxiety and agitation during the waiting season, it makes the period more stressful and seemingly more prolonged.

Waiting well with patience is resting on the grace of God which is abundantly available. It takes the sting out of the waiting. Ultimately those who learn to endure the long haul with patience will have much to be glad for at the end of the race or process.

Lessons in endurance:

In the school of discipleship, there is no limit to the number of times you will be required to take lessons in endurance and patience. But each lesson and test you take and pass takes you to a higher level.

So it was for me last Thursday as I underwent a surgical procedure, which was indeed a test of endurance—how much pain, distress and discomfort I could gracefully endure. I asked the Lord to hold my right hand and surround me with His presence. He did.

Hours later, the doctors said, "Madame Olumese, you were brave and courageous." I mustered the strength to smile and give thanks to God Who held me in His Hands.

That night was one of the longest in my life, I wanted to scream, "I can't take any more," yet what came out was a whisper, "Give me the grace to endure this night, Lord."

And night did pass because the covenant-keeping faithfulness of God endures forever. With the dawn of the new day came the assurance of hope and confirmation of the victory God wrought for me.

Outlook for 2013:

These and more have set the tone for this year for me. That is, the readiness to go through the process that is required for me to reach my desired goal with endurance and patience.

Each of us have dreams or goals we desire to have fulfilled this year. It is profitable to begin the year with a strong determination founded on faith in God to go through the process or run the race, with endurance and with patience, irrespective of the obstacles along the way.

Going through the process may push our ability to endure to the limit. If we respond with unbelief, bitterness and discouragement, we will rob ourselves of the treasure God is refining in us and others who could benefit from it will also miss out.

You can't pick up endurance, perseverance or patience from the shelves. They can't be imparted on you by the laying on of hands. They have to be worked out in us through the testing of our faith. We learn to wait with patience when we don’t know the end date for the resolution of the situation but we only know there is an end to it simply because God says so!

It is in experiencing the challenges, overcoming the obstacles and going through the process that perseverance is squeezed out of us. And perseverance must have its full course so that we can become mature and complete. The sterling quality of our character becomes prominent and more obvious when it has gone through the process of refinement.

Every trial becomes an opportunity to see God's beautiful hands working in the finest detail in our lives.

Patiently enduring tests and trials puts the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promise and His power to sustain us on display. It also shows our trust and dependence on God's ability to keep us.

It is when we endure to the end that we can testify that it is God Who brought us through to the finish line.

This is my outlook for 2013—I'm going all the way to the finish line in every sphere of my life. And in all God has called me to do. I will not give up. I will not give in. I will endure the process until I get to the finish line. Not in my strength but by faith in God.

What about you? What goals have you set for this year? Will you trust in God for the grace to endure the process and remain resilient until you get to the finish line? You can rely on God's covenant-keeping faithfulness to see you through.

"Whatever it will take…to help you reach that goal!
Don’t give up HOPE!…I KNOW YOU CAN COPE!"

- I'm Going All The Way by Sound of Blackness

Strong in Faith

But Abraham was strong in faith. He did not stagger at the promise of God - Roman 4:20.

He was not moved. He was not agitated but he firmly believed the promise.

But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God - 1Sam 30:6. He did not give in under the weight of distress.

In the last few days, I felt overwhelmed with distress to the extent that I needed the truth of these words to sink deep into my spirit. I needed to learn a lesson or two from these witnesses who were "strong in faith" through their challenges.

Physically fatigued struggling to hold breath down, the muscles in my upper body cried out for relief. My mind was bombarded with suggestions which needed the truth of the word of God to prevent them from taking root.

"Be strong in faith" - my Pastor's words echoed in my spirit. I wondered if he knew how often he used that phrase whenever he spoke with me.

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me" - I quoted and spoke this verse to myself several times in the course of a day.

"He restores and renews my strength."

These promises of God are not mere words, they are authentic, true and backed by the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God Who exalted His Word above His name.

God is worthy of our confidence and trust—I know that to be true.

God's faithfulness is engaged to perform His promises—This I know too.

So I called my soul to order and asked, "what does it mean to you to be strong in faith?"

Abraham refused to let his far-gone circumstances discourage him. He had every human reason to be discouraged—he was impotent and his wife's womb was dead! He hoped when it didn’t make any sense to hope.  

Against the reality of his situation, he was absolutely convinced that God Who had promised is able to perform it.  I believe in my heart that against the reality of my situation God is able to fulfil His promise concerning me.

God's ability to perform what He has promised supersedes the facts presented by the challenges we face.

Our reality—challenging and difficult circumstances— are subject to change. God does not change and His Word does not change. If there is a promise in His Word upon which I can anchor my desire based on His will for me, then the truth of that Word supersedes the reality of my current circumstances.

Abraham waited for 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled. He waited in hope and in expectation. He did not waver. But he was empowered by faith as he gave glory to God.

David was greatly distressed but he strengthen himself in the Lord - he encouraged himself with his previous experience of God's faithfulness and he resolved not to give in to the despair which greatly weighed upon his soul.

What then is our fear? Is it that God will not do what He has promised to do?

That is unbelief and distrust.

"Unbelief is at the bottom of all our staggering at God's promises."

Will it come to pass as He has promised?

Will He do what He says He will do?

When? How?

The questions are endless. And when we don’t refute them with the word of God, they take root and make us question God's ability and faithfulness.

"The strength of faith appears in its victory over our fears."

I love the song - He's Able by Dietrick Haddon. The French version - Il est capable, conveyed the message of the song in a profound way which latched to my spirit and gave me a much needed boost.

Dieu est capable de faire

Tout ce qu'il dit. Il l'fera

Il accomplira

Toutes ses promesses envers toi.

Garde ta foi en Dieu

Il ne t'abandonnera pas

Translated literarily:

God is able to do what He say. He's able.

He will accomplish all His promises to you.

Guard your faith in God

He will not abandon you

He's able.

What great assurance this gave me. He will not abandon or leave me alone.

Guard my faith in God? Yes I can do that.

I guard my faith by taking God's word and using it to refute every lie and suggestion of the enemy. As I do this, my faith becomes stronger. The more I meditate on the word of God, the more I was recharged with the life in the word and strength was restored to my inner mind. The word of God kept within my heart is life to me and health to my whole body - Prov. 4:22.

"Faith honors God and God honors faith."

When I stand strong in faith, I express my confidence and trust in the truth and promises of God. By faith, I lean and depend on the strength of God's hands to keep me and carry my fatigued body..

To be strong in faith is to be assured that I am not praying in vain. I have an expectation of not only the fulfillment of the promises, but also of every degree of help, light, life and comfort which God might at anytime see necessary for me. And the exercise of my faith will draw multitude to God.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed with the challenges you are faced with? How do you guard your faith and stay strong in faith? Share your story and encourage someone today.

I Share with you He's Able by Deitrick Haddon

Waiting For a Change

“But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” - James 1:6 paraphrased.

There are many reasons why we pray.

We pray for our children, for our spouses, for our families, and for our churches. We pray for our workplaces, for our cities, for our nations, and we pray for ourselves.

We pray because we desire to see a change.

Sometimes trials and tragedies force us to our knees to pray. We pray when we are harassed by adversities and afflictions. Our righteousness does not shield us from the trials of life.

When we pray, often we do not get immediate answers to our prayers: there seems to be no instant change in the situation. God does not always give the response we expect or the answer on our timetable. God answers our prayers in His own time and His timing is different from ours. He does His things with due process.

The answer to our prayers may appear to take a longtime in coming but we must live each day in anticipation of the answers to our prayers.

When we pray, do we really prepare for the answer to come?

Do we have an expectation of God’s power to move on our behalf?

How is this reflected in what we say and do?

Waiting in Faith (Believing)

Faith demands that we wait for God's time. Waiting is an essential part of faith. Waiting for God is an authentic reality of faith. When you’ve had to pray for the same thing year after year you know the quiet resignation that can creep into your faith.

Do we pray because we believe God will fulfill His promises or do we just mindlessly make petitions before God without an expectation?

We must believe, and behave as if we believe, that God is able to use our prayers to bring about a transformation in that situation and that He is already working behind the scenes in ways beyond our imaginations to bring His purpose to pass.

It takes faith to live in anticipation of a change but your faith can not go beyond the knowledge of the word of God concerning what you are praying about.

Waiting with Praise

Complaining, grumbling and whining delays the answer to our prayers. We must be grateful that God is able and willing to answer prayers. We can deliberately hunt for blessings in that situation to give praise to God for while we are waiting.

Guard Your Tongue

What are you saying about the situation you are praying about at personal, family and national level?

Does your comment reflect hope, expectation and anticipation of a change in the life of person or people you are praying for? Or does it reflect a bleak future?

Do your words connote hopelessness or are you inspiring hope with your comments?

Are you laying a heavy cloak of despair on those who listen to you or lifting up their hearts with words of encouragement?

Sometimes our posture, words and actions after praying often implies that we do not understand the power of prayer and the might of the One Who answers prayers. It may be necessary to keep silent at times so that we do not say things that will negate our prayers or find something positive to hook our hope on instead of sinking in the quagmire of hopelessness and negativity. We can make a conscious effort to speak with hope while waiting for a change.

The changes we desire to see in our nations will not come with the depth of our analysis of the problems in the country. It will come only when we pray in faith, believing that God has the power to make a change starting with each of us and when each individual, in the sphere of influence God has given us, live a righteous life in integrity, pursuing excellence and serving as unto God—doing what is right by God’s standard.

Though we do not understand the reason why God makes us wait for answers to prayers we do know that He is working out His purpose during our waiting period. We grow in faith and become stronger in our time of waiting if we wait well. Waiting well requires us to be cautious, mindful and watchful over what we say, what pronouncement we make even in the name of analyzing or calling attention to the gravity of the problem.

There is only One Who can bring about a change. He is the only One Who can touch hardened hearts and make it responsive and sensitive to His touch and malleable to His will.

What do I know about waiting?

At a personal level, I wait in hope to see the physical manifestation of my healing – It has been over 10 years of waiting but I have many testimonies of God acting on my behalf in this situation.

Beyond me, I wait to see changes in the lives and circumstances of families and friends I am praying for, and I wait to see my country become a praise among nations.

I have also learnt to consciously seek to see something to give praise to God for everyday and most times I don’t have to try hard, they are right there staring at me.

God delights in our prayers. He hears every prayer we utter in faith and He answers them in His own way and in His own time. When we pray, we must believe that God will answer. Our words and actions should reflect this expectation.

What are you doing to keep hope alive while waiting for answers to your prayers?

Share your story and encourage someone today.

I share with you Lifeline by Mandisa

At a Crossroad?

Are you at the place of decision making? At a crossroad where you must decide whether to turn to the left or right or to go forward or retreat? We know that life does not always give us a retreat option once a decision is made.

We also do not know what is down each road but we can say in the words of the song by Don Moen: “No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your hands.”

Perhaps you have made the turning into a road already and you know this is not where you ought to be but you are not ready to or can not retrace your footsteps back to the crossroad.

Several times in the course of a day, we find ourselves at the crossroads of decision making. Some decisions are minor and routine—what to wear, what to eat, when to sleep, when to get up, who to be nice to and such. While some are critical with life changing impact—what course to study, which university to attend, career choices, choice of a life partner, choosing to wait for God’s time, conducting our lives and business by God’s standard etc.

Some decisions ultimately impact our lives for years. No matter how hard we wish we could, there are some things we can‘t go back and undo, and we have to live with the consequences of such decisions.

Your heart desperately desires this ONE thing and you have waited for a LONG time for it to come and it seem not in sight.  You are tired of waiting for God to show up the way you want Him to in this situation. You find yourself at the crossroad where you have decided to go the way that will give you what you want but clearly not in the way God would approve but you hope at some stage you can come back and settle with God. You are taking God’s grace and mercy for granted.

There is a way that seems right to a man but the rightness of that way is like a phantom which arises from self-deception and it leads to destruction (Prov. 14:12). This way is a careless disregard to the will of God. It is highly provoking to God. And God can not be mocked.

Dear Friend, this is a passionate plea to you, don’t turn into this road, it is full of thistles and thorns ahead. If you have turned in already, it is not too late turn back NOW. You don’t want the agony of the burden of conscience. You want to keep a clear conscience before God in all things (Acts 24:16).

There is a clear difference between acting in ignorance and deliberately acting in error, no matter what the arguments maybe. What benefit would you reap from the things you would be ashamed of? What would you have gained by doing those things which you will later regret?

You may not understand God’s plans for you now and why He is taking you through this route but your life is in His hands. He has a good plan and purpose for your life. Don’t give up on God now. He will never give up on you.

My mother once said to me, “Never get desperate about anything. Desperate people do desperate (and despicable) things” – emphasis mine. Pursuing a route which will give a short term pleasure at the risk of deviating from the larger picture can not be desirable in the long term.

I read of a mother who advised her daughter that each time she is at a crossroad to visualize a perfect day in her future – at the age of 65 years – to the smallest detail – where she was, who she was with, what she was doing etc. If the decision she is about to make in the tiniest way leads her in the direction of the manifestation of that perfect day then it is worth pursuing.

At every crossroad, we need to fix our gaze and focus on our ultimate goal in life – if our goal is to please God by doing His will and thereby attain eternal life, we will be cautious not to turn into any road which will lead us away from that goal. We will be careful not to jeopardize our goal of attaining eternal life.

Robert D. Hales, in “Making Righteous Choices at the Crossroads of Life,” suggested three things that will help us in making decisions whenever we are at crossroads:

·         Prayer – ask for help, leading and guidance from the Holy Spirit

·         Study the Word of God to gain knowledge of His will

·         Seek wise counsel from those who have exhibited obedience to the commandments of God and demonstrated the willingness to follow the Holy Spirit.

Dwelling daily in the presence of God through prayer and the study of His Word will prepare us ready for the times of critical decision making so that we can by faith trust in Him when He asks us to wait at that crossroad for His time or to turn into the way He has prepared for us even when we do not understand it.

Are you the one who is tired of waiting? Don’t give up on God. He will make all things beautiful in your life in His own time.

What do you do when you are at crossroads? Share your story; it will enrich someone’s life.

Though I may not understand
All the plans
You have for me,
My life is in Your hands
And through the eyes of faith
I can clearly see.

 From Don Moen’s “God is God All the Time”