Complete. Focus. Consistent.

In December 2014, a dear Sista of mine asked us which word will guide our actions in 2015. I didn't have to think deeply about it. The word jumped right out of my heart. As the month went on, several events occurred that enabled me to concretize the word that became my watchword for 2015. During the last week of December at our family devotion, my second son asked each of us to get ONE WORD that will define 2015 for each of us. My husband clarified this by asking us to meditate on where we believe God wants us to be by December 31^st, and what we know the Holy Spirit wants to work out in our lives. He noted that this will help us to define our goals for the year.

I knew that we needed to have a vision in order to move with intensity towards achieving a goal. Without a vision to engage our attention we are likely to vacillate, dissipating precious resources. It is the target we move towards that keeps our passion stirring. So the question for me was, what does God want to accomplish through me and what He want me to accomplish for Him?

I knew without any doubt that the key goal God wants me to fix my gaze on. And it is;

COMPLETE

The word jumped right in front of my sight and fixed itself relentlessly in my line of vision. And I knew why.

I looked through my bookshelf and my e-book reader, there were many books I started to read that I did not finish. When I did the same exercise with my beading, I found a number of pieces, I designed and started to work on, but to-date they remained uncompleted. I did not need to search further; I have a major God-ordained assignment that I have yet to complete. I did not need a handwriting on the wall to tell me that God wants all these unfinished projects completed. I knew that I had to engrave COMPLETE on the palm of my hands so that it is constantly before me.

In order for me to accomplish the goal of COMPLETE, I would need to give attention to two important attributes; these are FOCUS and CONSISTENT.

Why is it important to COMPLETE?

It is only those who finish the race that gets the prize. It is not sufficient just to start the race. Paul admonished us in 1Cor 9:24 to run with the intention of winning the race. You cannot win a race that you didn't complete. I once watched a race in which one of the athletes fell down. She didn't stay down on the ground, but she picked herself up, resumed the race, completed and won the race overtaking all the athletes who passed her while she was on the ground.

There are times when you don’t even have to win the gold prize, but the joy of completing the race and having your personal best record is sufficient.

We will not realize or achieve the purpose of an assignment if the assignment is not completed. That is why it is important that we complete every task we set our hands upon to do. The works God wants to do in me and through me cannot be achieved if I don’t complete the tasks He assigned to me.

I cannot but run each of my race to its logical conclusion. I have to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. I have to apprehend the purpose for which Christ has apprehended me.

Be Focussed:

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; (Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT)

“…but I focus on one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3: 13b – 14.

I learned that I needed to keep my eyes focussed on the goal if I am to attain to everything that God has called me to do.

Nehemiah refused to be distracted from his assignment—the task at hand. He was engaged in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. It was a great and important work, Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and the rest of his enemies called him away from the work several times, but he refused to go to them. “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come to you. Why should I stop working to come and meet you?” (Neh. 6:3-4).

From the above we see how we must respond to every distraction, discouragement or intimidation that seeks to take our attention away from what God has called us to do. Rather, we must work with greater determination in the face of distraction.

I need to keep my eyes fixed on the goal by staying focussed; Refusing to be sidetracked if I am going to COMPLETE my tasks and assignment in a timely fashion. This calls for discipline, determination, and commitment.

The Bible says that whatever your hand finds to do, do it well and with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in grave (Ecclesiastes 9:10), and do it as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23).  Doing half-measures or mediocre jobs cannot bring honor and glory to God.

“Heroes are the women and men, who each day, pursue a silent personal victory. A victory over average. A win against mediocrity. And a success above defeat.” – Robin Sharma

Be Consistent:

Since I get easily distracted by the television and I work at home, I resolved several years ago not to put the TV on during the day. But on this particular Saturday last December, my husband left the TV on as he went out, and I didn't bother to switch it off. It was on a sports channel that I felt could not distract my attention from the beading work I was doing. There were a number of championships going on. One of them caught my interest. It was the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastic Championship in Nanning, China.  Oleg Vernyayev, an Ukranian male gymnast, won the gold medal.

The commentators as they discussed Oleg’s performance stated, “You can learn a lot being around World Champions.” They discussed at length one characteristic of Champions; they are consistent. This fact was repeated in several other games shown.

According to Robin Sharma, “World-class performance is less a natural gift and more a daily decision. The best just practice more.”

Consistency is achieved when ability is married long enough to hard work. It is derived from perseverance. Our intention will not get us to accomplish the task assigned to us. We have to go beyond intention and day-dream, to apply hard work with patience on our ability long enough to get the job done.

"What we often call brilliant is the fruit of long, patient and consistent hard work"

However, in fulfilling my God-ordained assignment I need the strength only God brings as I seek Him and rely on Him. We cannot depend on our ability alone. We need the grace and endurance from God to fulfill God’s call on our lives and to complete the tasks He has assigned to us.

Keeping my gaze fixed on the goal; COMPLETE, has enabled me to prioritize my activities and focus my attention on the activities that are essential to take me towards accomplishing my assignments and my dreams. It has limited my options. It has also helped me to cut my tasks into manageable chunks that I can consistently work on each day.

Dear Friends, by the grace of God in 2015, I will complete my assigned tasks. I will stay focussed on the goal. I will be consistent. What about you? What are you committing yourself to accomplish in 2015?

Out Of My Control

For many years, I travailed in prayer over these intractable situations. For months, I beseeched God for a change. For the past few weeks, my heart was weighed down under the heavy burden. They were issues within my circle of concern. I yearned for a change. I longed to see broken relationships restored. I desired a breakthrough the walls that hitherto resisted progress and improvement in certain situations. I wanted to see a Sarah laugh.

I cried out to God, “I know there is nothing impossible for You to do.”

I asked the Lord to give me the mountain looming before me for a possession. “Give me this mountain, O Lord or make it plain.”

I wanted to the power to fix the situation, which laid before me like a pile of a million pieces of puzzles.

But I also knew that I cannot do the work of the Holy Spirit, so I petitioned God to do what only He can do—change hearts and change situations.

These situations were out of my circle of control.

On Thursday, December 11^th, 2014, I woke up with an irritation along the suture line on my rib-cage. Soon the irritating itch became a full blown throbbing ache in my chest. By mid-day, I was agonizing in pain. It did not respond to the painkillers or steroid. But I still went for my Moms’ Prayer meeting. It was the last one for the year and we planned to have lunch afterwards. We prayed about the pain. I was restless through the lunch. The pain was radiating deep in my right shoulder and my right arm felt numb.

Back at home, I tried to reach my husband far away in New Delhi. I needed his medical opinion and guidance. The painkillers were not effective, and I was crying out to the Lord for relief. It was at this stage, I had to call my GP. He asked me to call my Pulmonary Specialist at the Teaching Hospital. I was hesitant. I knew what was likely to follow that call. They asked me to come into the ER immediately. In a short while, the ambulance arrived at my doorstep. This was not on my arm-long agenda for that day. But the situation had spiralled out of my control.

All the way to the hospital, I struggled to reject all the suggestions of the enemy. I refuted them with the word of God. But all the things that I had dreamt to accomplish this year and those initiated flashed across my mind. It was a long list of unfinished tasks.

The next few hours confirmed again that the last place anyone want to be is in the ER, especially during this season. The pain was controlled. They ran a battery of tests to confirm the situation was not life-threatening and the suspicion was proved false. But I began to have another bout of irritating itch. I was having an allergic reaction. This time it was generalized. I itched from the top of my head to the tip of my stump. The course of steroids offered no relief. The doctors were not willing to increase the dose of the steroids. They had to determine the best antihistamine to use given my peculiar situation.

It was 2:00am. The itching was unbearable. The doctors were attending to critical situations. Unable to control the itching, sleep deprived, physically and emotionally fatigued, I crumbled on the bed. I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the itching, which I could not control. I was overwhelmed by the other issues out of my control. And the dam broken.

The nurses heard me crying and came into my cubicle.

“Pourquoi, Madame? Pourquoi vous pleurez?”

I heard her ask why I was crying. She touched my shoulder. My body was folded in a crumbled state as I sat on my stumps, my head laid between my knees and my arms over my head. I did not respond but continued crying.

“Madame?” she shook my shoulders. I lifted my tear-drenched face. There were two of them standing over me. I motioned my hands over my body.

“J’arrive.” She went out of the cubicle and the second nurse took her place, holding my shoulders. In a minute, she was back with a bottle of oil. She asked if they could apply the oil on my burning skin while we await the doctors. Indeed, they anointed my body from my face to my stumps. It cooled down the itch. It was like the balm of Gilead that calmed my wearied body.

A few days later, a dear Sista tagged me in a post on Facebook. I read the post and these words became engraved in my heart:

Those things in your circle of concern but out of your circle of control are definitely not out of God’s control. They are in God’s control and in God’s hands.”

It was a clear message from God. Like the oil the nurses applied on my body, the words were like a soothing salve on my burdened heart. It was the third message the Lord impressed on my heart within two weeks during which I pondered on all situations for which I sought a resolution, and to unravel the convoluted and knotted issues in my circle of concern.

God had ministered to my agonizing heart during the preceding week. First, I was reminded of the many instances in the Bible of when God proved Himself to be the God over impossibilities.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:37

Faced with Goliath who kept taunting the people Israel and their God, David received divine strategy and intervention that gave him the much desired victory over the Philistines. I was reminded that there was a murderous Saul who the Lord touched and turned to Paul. I was also reminded that the dead body of Lazarus was already emitting odour from decay, yet God raise him from the dead and restored him to the fullness of life.

I knew there is no situation too far gone for God to turn around and there is no heart too hard for God to touch. I was reminded that the things which are impossible for man are possible for God. I can’t fix the situation. I can’t unravel the knots. But God can. I was encouraged to surrender all the issues burdening my heart to the One Who specializes in doing the impossible.

The second message, God impressed on my heart was;

Wait with joy, hope and praise.

It can be really hard to wait especially as another year comes to an end and you have yet to see your dreams and desires fulfilled. It is difficult to wait when the longing desire for a change burn with an aching heat in your heart. Waiting is serious business. Yet I know that God has called us to with hope anchored on His unfailing promises. He asked us to wait with joy overflowing from the assurance of hope and with praise because we know faithful is He Who has promised.

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” – Hebrews 10:23.

If God said it, He will do it. God is infinitely faithful to keep His promise and fulfil His word.

I was encouraged to wait with praise because God is Omnipotent. He is infinitely capable of putting His Omnipotent power on display in each of the situations I presented before Him. He can do all things. There is nothing too hard or difficult for Him. There is no purpose of God that can be thwarted. He is the One Who upholds the entire universe by the Word of His power.

I knew praise is a very effective weapon of warfare. I knew that as I acknowledge God’s limitless power in praise, I am also calling it into manifestation in my life, in the lives of those in my circle of concern and in the situations out of my control.

The flurry of events screaming like oversized billboards and reminding me of the seemly insurmountable mountains were intent on blurring my vision from God’s omnipotent power, which is able to change the most difficult and extreme situation. They sought to distract my attention from His amazing goodness in our lives this year. So I became even the more determined to offer exuberant praise to God.

With this came the confidence of hope that I can rely on God Who resurrected the dead. He is able to resurrect dead dreams and dead relationships, and turn dead ends to open doors. The more I praised God in the midst of the situation, the more I was energized to dare to dream of a change, to dream of restoration and to dream of victory.

I asked that the Lord to give those in my circle of concern yielded hearts. I asked on their behalf for a broken and a contrite heart, and a willingness to let God have full control. I prayed for a deeper understanding of God’s power to work out His purpose in our lives.

As 2014 rolls to an end, perhaps you find yourself in a similar situation, faced with mountains of impossibilities and surrounded by challenges, I encouraged you with these same words with which the Lord encouraged me:

Those things in your circle of concern but out of your circle of control are definitely not out of God’s control. They are in God’s control and in God’s hands.”

God has it all under control. Wait for Him with praise, with hope and with joy. He is infinitely reliable. He is Omnipotent.

Match into 2015 with the confidence of this hope and assurance, and with an uplifted face. May the hope that comes only from knowing God as the Omnipotent Father and Jesus as Lord fill your hearts and home with great joy this Christmas.

Blog Post 100: Not Static. Not Stagnant.

This blog post refused to be written in a hurry. Rightly so, it is my hundredth post since I started blogging in November 2011.

I spent five days last week in the hospital undergoing a 6-month post-surgery checkup. Yes, indeed it is six months since I had the life threatening open-chest surgery. My God is truly awesome and worthy of my praise. Tried as hard as I did, I just could not get the post finalized in time for posting on Thursday. Do bear with me.

My second son, DE, was 5 years old and had been ill on and off for a period of time. So I took with me on a trip from Tamale to Accra, where I was scheduled to attend a series of meeting at the Country office, to see a UN staff doctor for a checkup. After the consultation with the doctor, I left him in the care of my colleague while I attended my meetings. My colleague gave DE sheets of paper to draw on and colour to keep him occupied. He sketched a number of what appeared to be long and tapering objects and coloured the tips red. When asked what he had drawn, DE promptly responded, “Mummy’s fingers and long nails.” Well, I took good care of my fingers and kept well-manicured nails. His agro was that I kept my nails long while I insisted on having his nails cut.

Over ten years later, in April/May 2013, I suffered from severe oxygen deprivation at the extremities (my feet and hands) and also had renal failure. A short while after I regained consciousness, I noticed changes on my nails. They were discoloured, some were deformed, a couple had fallen off and some had what looks like blood clot under the nail. There was also a dark band and indentation across the nails.

Deformed

With dark band

As my fingers became re-oxygenated, they recovered and a new season of refreshing came upon the nails. During the last 4 months, I observed that as the nails grew, the dark bands moved up and after sometime, the part of the nail above the dark bands literally separated along the line above the bands and in some cases while the upper part was still attached to the nail bed, causing a lot of discomfort.

Despite the extremely difficult circumstances my nails were subjected, they struggled to grow again because the living part of the nail was active. The dark bands have almost reached the tip of my fingers. Soon it will be a figment of my memory that they have once experienced a season of darkness.

In Biology, we were taught that all living beings exhibit seven characteristics. Among these are movement, growth and reproduction. Everything that has life must grow, move and reproduce. Nothing that God created with life is expected to be static or stagnant. Man was created to be an active creature.

There was a time that the earth was without form and void, and darkness covered the deep. It laid in waste, empty and chaotic, and was shrouded in thick darkness. Then came a spark of hope. God did something about it (Gen. 1:2).

Why?

Because emptiness and chaos is not of God, He is not an Author of confusion. The Bible recorded that the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. And God began to speak things into existence—“Let there be…” He made some things— the sun, moon and the stars. He created some things—great creatures of the sea, every living and moving things and He created man (Gen1:2-28).

He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply/increase in number.”

At one time or the other, we will experience seasons of darkness in our lives -  periods when things go wrong in different spheres of our lives, when we are treated unfairly or unjustly,  and periods of trials and tests, of insufficiency and lack, and of troubles – spiritual, physical and emotional. These leave dark bands across the landscape of our lives.

Perhaps, you have dreamt dreams and nurtured great desires in your heart, and the fulfilment looks bleak

.

Or you have been sitting on the same spot for years waiting for a breakthrough in a particular area of your life and it is not forthcoming.

Or you have been going around the same mountain for so long.

What do we do at such times?

Put our hands over our heads, and our heads upon our knees, moaning and wailing?

Make a move - Let it be God-directed:

David was a man who had many seasons of darkness in his life. Let’s take a look at one of them described in 1 Sam. 30. He and his men returned from following Achish to fight against Israel. He was rejected by Achish. When they got back to Ziklag, they found that their wives, sons and daughters were carried away by the Amalekites and their homes burnt down. They had lost everything.

What was their reaction?

They lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength to weep anymore (vs. 4). Whilst his men remained bitter, angry and full of grief, David took an action to address his situation.

First, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God – he found strength in God (vs. 6b).

Second, he enquired from the Lord what steps he should take to deal with the situation – he sought God’s direction and leading.

God gave him clear instructions and in addition, He gave him an assurance of victory — “Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

There will be times we will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, times we will pass through deep waters, and times we will walk through fire (Ps. 23:4, Is. 43:2). The key word is THROUGH. We walk and pass through difficult and dark seasons. We are not expected to stay static and rooted there. We must at such times turn towards God, be encouraged and find strength in Him, and seek His face for instructions – What shall I do in this situation?

Time to be Active and Creative:

Wait in His presence until you get clear instruction AND take the necessary steps to move forward! Growth and movement requires effort, time and other resources but above all, it takes willingness and determination to move and not remain static or stagnant.

What is holding you rooted to the same spot?

Usually, it is fear. The enemy uses fear like a shackle to pin us down, to hold us back and to limit our movement. Fear paralyses and keeps us static and stagnant.

Sometimes it is fear of failure. It could be fear of rejection, of being refused or even fear of death. Fears whispers doubt and disbelief into our hearts – maybe God’s word will not be fulfilled in this case. But let me give you this assurance: God’s words are effective. His words are not idle. They always accomplish the purpose for which they have been sent forth and will never return to Him void. God will do what He says He will do. He will never go back on His word or renege on His promises.

God’s grace is also abundantly available and sufficient to move us away from the spot to which we have been rooted.

When God, the Trinity, created mankind in their image, He put in us the ability to relate with the Holy Spirit. He, as our teacher and counsellor, broods over us and brings creative and purposive life out of our chaos and makes a ministry out of our mess. Also, because we are created in God’s image, God’s creative ability is at work in us to make us creative like our Creator.

God has created us to be active. He created us to be productive, to increase and to grow.  He created us to be creative. Sometimes growth may mean for us a deeper spiritual maturity, which we are all called to attain in Christ.

He did not create us to be static or stagnant or idle or to live in fear.

Dear Friends, it is time to move from this spot where you have remained static and stagnant, and from the spot you've been held down in fear. You have encompassed this mountain long enough. It is time to follow God’s leading and instructions if you want to fulfill your destiny and possess what God has ordained for you for a possession (Deut. 1: 35 – 2:9).

Today, is the day to take action. Let it be God oriented, directed and guided.

More To Be Desired Than...

I recalled an incidence which occurred last summer as I prepared today's blog post. It was at a time when I was going through a rather rough time with my health and I had lost my appetite. At such times, I looked for sweets, chocolates and cakes to pep up my appetite. I have a favourite cake shop.

I could not immediately find someone to take me to this shop (my husband and the boys had to travel at that time), and there was no way I would send someone to get the cakes for me. I had to do the selection. So I decided to go myself. Accompanied by a friend staying with me and I took the risk to drive just to satisfy my craving for the Cartier Cakes.

Recently, I had reasons to evaluate my personal Bible Study time and for all the reasons that I may proffer, some genuine and some not tenable, I found that I lacked consistency.

Spending quality time in praise and in prayer was non-negotiable for me, and against all odds, I will make every effort to keep that time. I found it exhilarating just praising and worshiping God. However, over the past few months, I had not given the same attention to my personal Bible study nor had I made the same effort to spend time in God's presence, just listening to Him and hear Him speak into my heart. It has been sporadic and I know I have been drawing on the stores laid up much earlier.

"Speak to my heart," I have cried many times.

"Open my ears that I may hear Your voice," I prayed.

But how I could I hear, if I will not take time to listen?

How would I not miss the call in the midst of many distractions if I am not attentive to His voice?

Yet I know I need to have clarity. I need His guidance, leading and most importantly, I need to hear His instructions as He leads me in this new phase of my life and as His plans unfolds.

During the past week, I have been hit from different directions by messages declaring that it is not only important to speak to God through praise and prayer BUT it is equally important to spend quality time listening to God speak back to us. It is also important to make every effort to seek God's Word.

The guest preacher in church last Sunday said;

"God wants our attention."

"It must be the top priority in a believer's daily life to hear the voice of God."

"A disciple trains and disciplines himself to hear, know and recognize God's voice."

Solomon said, "O Lord, give me a heart that listens so I can judge Your people and tell the difference between good and evil …" (1Kings 3:9 God's Word Translation). Another translation says, give your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart that I may judge your people and discern between good and bad.

For us to discern aright, to make the right decision, and to walk in God's purpose and fulfil our assignment, we need to have listening hearts and ears that knows and hears His voice.

God speaks to us in many ways, through His written Word, in still small voice into our hearts and through the counsel of godly people He surrounds us with. It is important for us to know and to hear His voice for ourselves. A greater ability to recognize the voice of God is given when we spend quality time in His presence. The question is, are we spending enough time alone in God's presence to know and recognize His voice?

A few days ago, meetmeatthemeadows.com shared the verse below and it latched itself to my heart:

When I discovered Your Words,

I devoured them.

They are my joy and my heart's delight,

For by Your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.

Jeremiah 15:16

Discover - to find by searching. Received by divine revelation. Requires diligent seeking, a desire for it and a devotion of time and resources to find it.

Devour - to eat hungrily. Consumed with eagerness.

Delight - brings joy and rejoicing. Received cheerfully and treasured in the memory. Digested in our mind, mixed with faith and carefully retained.

As I meditated and pondered on this verse, I realized that this should be our attitude and approach to God's Word. Something we diligently seek and search for. "Truth is like 'treasures hid in the field;' he alone who seeks it with unprejudiced mind finds it" (Pulpit Commentary). When we find it we must consume it hungrily. Why? Because it brings joy and rejoicing, a delight to our hearts.

"Your Word filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to You"

(NET Bible).

Ps. 19:10 says "Your Word is more to be desired than gold, even more than fine gold. They are sweeter than honey and the drippings from the honeycomb." Job said, "…I have treasured Your Word more than my necessary food." God's Word is food for our soul. It is wholesome, nourishing and strengthening.

Then came the questions:

Can I truthfully say with all boldness that I have treasured God's Word more than my necessary food?

Am I paying enough attention to listen to what God is saying to me through His written Word?

It was at this time that I remembered how I made a definite decision and the effort to go after Cartier Cakes against all the odds, and this gave me only a momentary satisfaction. It sometimes require a sacrifice of time to dwell in intimate and close fellowship with God to hear Him speaking to us. It take time to meditate on the Word and to lay it up in our heart but God's Word gives long-lasting satisfaction and it is of eternal value.

What is it that you diligently seek after each day?

God's Word is more to be desired than ___________ (fill in the gap as it applies to you).

Craving for you

 

Cartier-swiss.ch

Craving for you
was like a stubborn itch
upon my heart.
It won't go away.
Getting to you
was a risk I should not take
Yet no one could get you for me.

Against the odds
On this bright summer day
Heat soaring
Sun high in the sky
I climbed the hill
I crossed the river
In search of you
who my heart craves for.

With utmost patience I waited
to get close enough to you.
The final stretch was tortuous
At last, I made it through the woods
And there laid before me
An array of sweet temptations
A delight to the eyes
And satisfaction for a craving
Who could have selected you for me?
None but I.

Were I to desire You
more than I crave the sweet tempter
Were I to seek after You
with the same zeal
Then would I discover Your Word
And make haste to devour them
As one who hungers after Him
Who is an everlasting delight

to my soul.

© Irene Olumese (2013)

Speak To My Heart

In the last 2-3 weeks, I have been following a discussion on a Sista's blog (Uniquely Woman) in response to the question she posed, "What is the difference between your will and God's will? How do you know God's plan for your life."

There has been a lot of very interesting and illuminating responses to these questions. I have also spent time ruminating on the question. It reminded me of a statement I heard in a movie I watched several years ago.

Last Flight Out was presented by Billy Graham and World Wide Pictures. It was truly inspiring and a delight to watch. I highly recommend it. Dr. Mateo Barrero, a dentist missionary, said as he was dying: "There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will, except in His presence." It is a profound statement worthy of consideration, and it has stayed with me since then.

I am endeared to medical missionary work and would certainly love to be a part of one. This movie portrayed the dedication and commitment of those who are called to serve in this vein in remote villages, and the joy and hope they bring to many even in the face of life-threatening challenges. I will come back to this later on in this post.

In my post last week (I Am Chosen), I stated that "You are carrying a calling of God upon your life whether you realize it or not." Every Christian has a calling of God upon his/her life. We are given a set of gifts and talents, and taken through diverse experiences to prepare us stand in the place wherein we are called to fulfill a God-ordained assignment.

The question therefore, is how do we know the will of God for our lives and how do we know what we have been called to do?

God nudges us from within in the direction of His will and we are able to pick the nudging by the Spirit of God dwelling in us if we are sensitive to Him. This nudging can be so strong that you can not ignore it. The Bible says in Philippians 2:13; "for it is God Who works in us both to will and to do of good pleasure." It is so wonderful to know that the Spirit of God working powerfully in us causes to will, (to desire to do) the will and the pleasure of God. He also empowers us to do it, when we submit to His plans, will and calling for us.

God has equipped each of us with special gifts and skills we need to occupy the position He has appointed for us in His plan and for us to fulfill His calling upon our lives. He also goes to a great length to prepare us for our calling. We will experience the greatest blessings of our lives if we take steps to walk in our calling.

Therefore, it is of great necessity that each of us must earnestly desire to be in the center of God's will for our lives. I have heard many ask, how do I know His will and calling for me?

The short answer is, it is by dwelling in the Presence of God and seeking His face to know His plans for your life. And by listening to His voice speaking into your heart (Is. 30:21).

That is my earnest heart desire and the crux of today's message:

Speak into my heart, Lord God,

Let me hear Your voice calling out to me:

This is the way, walk in it.

Are we taking time to listen to His voice speak into our hearts? It takes conscious and deliberate effort to be quiet and to listen to God speaking. The only way we can walk in the fullness of His will and purpose for our lives is by taking directions from Him and that can only happen if we take time to listen to His voice.

Ps. 62:11 says "Once has God spoken, twice have I heard this, that power belongs to God." This is attentive listening. God is always speaking but are we listening, are we paying attention to His Voice?

"My son, pay attentions to my words, incline your ears to my saying" (Prov. 4:20). He speaks into our heart through the voice of His Holy Spirit, through His Word and through the counsel of God-fearing and matured Christians. We are assured of the truth of His Word. It makes assurance doubly sure when His word is confirmed in our hearts.

We can trust God to guide us into His will when we are in doubt and to strengthen us to do every good work He has called us to do. There is a song I learnt many years ago back in the University. I have not been able to retrieve the full lyrics but I do remember these lines.

I want to be in Your will, Lord

Doing only the things You want me to do

I got to set myself aside

And let Jesus guide.

Our will always will conflict with God's will except we submit it to God. Since His thoughts for us are always thoughts for good, to prosper us and to give us a hope and a future, we will do very well for ourselves to stay in the center of His will.

I am in that phase now, where I am waiting on God to unfold His plans for the next stage of my life. I am waiting on Him to speak into my heart and guide me in the way to go. I am waiting on Him to teach me what to do. I am waiting on Him to open the doors to me to walk in the fullness of His calling upon my life.

My prayer for you is that you will know the center of His will for your life and you will walk in it. being fully assured that He Who has called you is able to complete and perfect all that concerns you.

Back to the subject of medical missions and missionaries. There are many missionaries out there in remote places who are not only taking the gospel of truth to the people but they are also providing access to basic health services and to basic education. Perhaps, God is also calling you to go or may be to support those who working out there.

Operation Blessings International, the 8^th Mile Project in Nigeria are just some of those  doing fantastic jobs out there. If you can't go, you can support them through prayers and in tangible terms. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart about this and to show you how to go about it if this is His will for you.

I do pray that God will make a way for me to participate in such a mission someday; taking the Word of God to the people as well as assisting to provide services that will add value to their lives. It will be a dream come true.

You will make a difference to the lives of many people if you walk in the center of God's will and there also you will experience the greatest blessings of your life. Dear Friend, don't miss it. Stay in the presence of God and pay attention to His voice speaking into your heart. It is the best place to be.

Speak To My Heart By Donnie McClurkin

A New Definition Of Normal

It was with exhilarating joy that I walked into my house on Friday 9^th, 2013, knowing that I am back home to stay and not on a day visit. A number of things had changed, the three oxygen reservoirs were gone. And there were no more blue tubes lining the stairway and the floor in the sitting room. Hallelujah! It was pure joy.

On the following Sunday, with joy overflowing everywhere I was received back into the church. I walked to the altar and with my family besides me, we gave thanks to God for keeping me alive and for bringing me back into His house. We sang "Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven" and "I Am A Living Testimony" by the Mighty Clouds Of Joy. I could sing again. Isn't God wonderful?

I noticed another change, we were not in a hurry to leave the church immediately after the service, because I was running out of oxygen. We had time to share fellowship with the brethren and our friends. Praise be to God.

Dealing With Change:

After a few days back at home, I was quick to realize that our definition of normal had changed. We had to implement a number of changes in the way we do things in order to accommodate the changes that had taken place in my life. There were moments in these past few days that I felt overwhelmed by these changes. At such moments I had to quickly remind myself that I have been singing, "I could have been dead and gone, but You kept me living on. I thank You, Lord, I'm still alive."

Change comes to us in diverse way through our experiences and sometimes, through the challenges we face. It could be the death of a loved one, ill-health, loss of a job, loss of limbs, broken relationships, change in location, failed project and accidents to name but a few. In most cases, we are not given time to prepare for change. It could take just a phone-call.

Things may never be the same again after such changes. I watched a film yesterday called "Courageous." In it, the Pastor said, while counselling the grief-stricken Mitchell whose nine year old daughter just died, that dealing with grief is like dealing with an amputation, because every amputee knows that that you will heal but you will never be the same again. This hit me like a thunderbolt because I know just how true that is. 

Change brings brand new beginnings.

As I adapt to this new phase on my life, I know that there are some things that will never be the same again. A major change has occurred in my life. As the Pastor I mentioned earlier also said, you can choose to be angry with God for what you have lost and what you can not have again or you can choose to be thankful for what you had, what you now have and what you can still have if you entrust your life into God's hands.

Ultimately, your change, whatever it is, can become a change for good depending on your attitude and your posture towards God. Because God always work all things together for our good.

Job had to deal with a massive change in his life, after the loss of his children, property and health, but no where in the entire book was it recorded that he was angry with God. He did not sin or charge God foolishly. Notice his posture of resignation to the sovereign will of God in his period of adversity (Job 1: 21-22).

Learning To Persevere:

In my blog post last week, I discussed enduring hardships, trials and suffering. I had the opportunity to discuss with a number of friends during the past week on this subject, and it appeared that often Christians are ill-prepared to endure hardship or to persevere through it. As soon as something goes wrong and not in accordance to their expectations, they get angry with God become sour in their attitude.

Jesus learnt obedience through the things He suffered, and He is the Son of God. This experience made Him to be perfectly equipped to become the Author and Source of eternal salvation (Heb. 5: 8-9). Christ's sonship did not exempt Him from obedience, suffering or change.

How can we as His co-heirs think that in our walk with Him, we will not partake of His suffering if we are to partake in His glory when it is revealed. We also being sons of God are not exempted from suffering, challenges and changes. These are instructive in deepening our knowledge of God and by them we learn experience. If we endure with Him, we will also reign with Him (2Tim. 2:12).

How do we learn perseverance if we have no reason to persevere?

How do we learn to be steadfast during trials if we are not tested?

How do we learn patient endurance if there no challenges to endure?

Yet, the Bible encourages us to add all these qualities to our faith so that we can become fully matured. Because, if we possess these qualities in increasing measures, they will keep us from being idle and unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. Whosoever lacks these qualities is short-sighted  and spiritually blind. We are therefore admonished to be all the more eager to make our calling as Christians sure.

Perseverance, patient endurance and steadfastness are essential qualities for fruitful Christianity. They only come through what we suffer when we go through trials and testing. All these bring about changes in our lives. They define a new normal for us.

Through this new definition of normal, we are equipped to fulfil our God-given purpose and destiny.

This song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle ministered to me in one of those moments when I felt overwhelmed.

For every mountain You've brought me over. 
For every trial You've seen me through. 
For every blessing, hallelujah; 
for this I give You praise.

Dear Friends, whatever change is taking place in your life at this moment, I pray that the superabundant grace of God may richly abound to you as you learn to persevere through it.

At The Precipice Of Despair

© Polina Kuznetsova | Dreamstime.com

Do you by your words put your listeners or readers at the precipice of despair?

Does the complexity of your life's situation put you at the brink of hopelessness?

The first time I met this man, who I will hereafter refer to as the Old Prophet,  if my hope was not anchored on the  solid rock of ages, he would have dashed it into a million pieces. His words heaved heavy loads of hopelessness and discouragement, which fell like bricks on my heart. I went home and wept bitterly before the Lord. I wrote about this experience in Praise That Breaks The Yoke.

Two year and two months later, I met him again. He was relentless in his quest to create a picture of a hopeless situation. He thought it was my right to be fully informed. He described the complexity of the situation and called them a constellation of risks. He was so explicit and graphic in presenting the picture that if it were not for the peace of God guarding my heart, it would have melted in fear. In the audacity of arrogance he displayed, he wanted my approval for his position.

He saw no hope. He offered no hope. He stripped all hope away.

I wondered what he wanted of me, to jump off the cliff or resign myself to fate?

A Yoruba adage says, one death cannot kill the same person twice! 

I was not going to let it happen again. Something welled up in my heart against him and there was a strong nudging in my spirit to resist him. I knew I had to take charge of the situation. The tone of my voice changed. I felt like I grew taller in my spirit and he was no longer looming over me. I refused to cower before him. God gave me the grace and the strength to challenge him.

I knew at that instant that we were not wrestling against flesh and blood in this matter but against spiritual wickedness in high places. I refused to be pushed over the edge into the pit of despair and fear. "Raise a clarion call" rang aloud and clear in my spirit and I knew what we had to do.

My Heart Is Fixed

After the Old Prophet left us, my husband thanked God for the peace with which He garrisoned our hearts against agitating fears. Our hearts were at peace trusting in the Lord and we were not moved. It was pure joy to stumble on Ps. 108: 1-6 later that night as I flipped through the Bible in search of something to read.

O God, my heart is fixed - steadfast in the confidence of faith. Therefore, I will praise and make melody. I am God's beloved. He will answer  and deliver me. 

(Ps. 57:7, 108:1,6 paraphrased)

I was glad that I knew experientially and beforehand that I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. It was great to have this awesome promise.

Perchance, you are in a deep and complex situation where the problems are multidimensional and there seems to be no solution in sight. You are overwhelmed by many afflictions and pressed down by loads of care. Your heart is aching. You pine and long for a resolution, for a change in the situation. "When, O Lord?" has become your fervent and ardent cry.

When hopelessness rear its ugly head. Don't give up on hope. Don't give up on God. He will not abandon you. He will never leave you alone in the midst of your trials.

At such times, at the precipice of despair, we need a Friend. We must be very sure our anchor holds on a solid rock and our hearts are fixed on confident assurance that we have a Saviour Who can move the mountain.

Mountains may shake, earth may quake, and storms may swirl furiously, cling to hope. Let your heart be fixed. Let your heart be steadfast and confident. When your faith is established in the Lord and your heart is stayed on God, only then will you be able to sing and praise God in anticipation of what God will do irrespective of the situation. This brings hope. But if only in this world we have a hope, we will be of all men most miserable.

If by the abounding grace of God we are able to maintain a composed frame of mind in the midst of the crisis, we have an even greater reason to be full of praise and thanks. Though the change we long for may seem long in coming but if we pay attention, we will see His mighty hand holding us up. For this again, we can be thankful.

For we know that our God is awesome. He can move the mountain. He is worthy of praise.

While preparing this post, I remembered the card I wrote and pasted on my wardrobe door five years ago. I placed it in the line of my vision when I used to sit at the edge of the bed on my hands. It was Ps. 108:1. I placed it there to remind myself that my heart must remain fixed, steadfast and confident in the Lord despite the billows roaring around me.

The Power of Words

The following day, I met some other members of the Old Prophet's team. When they came in, they sat down. They did not stand over me. They presented the same information, even as graphic as the Old Prophet did. But with each challenge, they offered a possible solution. They offered no guarantee, but they gave hope. They were committed to finding a way around each obstacle facing us to the best of their ability.

Same information. Different presentation. Different attitude. Different result. When they left, they did not leave me in despair. They left me with assurance.

How is your word affecting the lives of people around you? Are your words full of life, hope and encouragement? Or are you manipulating, sowing seeds of discouragement and stripping away hope with your words?

If you cannot give a glimmer of hope, you should not extinguish whatever hope the person had left. Our words should not leave people in despair and without a hope.

I re-committed myself from that day to be an encourager at every instance as the Lord gives me the grace. I will be careful never to allow my words strip anyone of hope. Even when I have to present hard truths or facts, I will do my best to find a way to present it with an assurance of a way out. There will be times when we will be duty-bound to present a grim picture but we must not do so in a way that will put the receiver of that information at the precipice of despair.

This can be as subtle as the comments we make on issues concerning our nations, our families, our workplace (bosses), our churches, etc. The degree of hopelessness that is sometimes transmitted by comments made on the social media can be heartbreaking. Let us be mindful not to extinguish hope with our words but to ignite hope.

Dear friend, if today you find yourself at the brink of despair, hold on, cling to hope, don't give up. God will surely come through for you. Let your heart be fixed trusting in His unfailing love for you.

Have you been at the precipice of despair? How did you come away from there? Share your story in the comment box below and encourage someone today.

I share with you Awesome by Pastor Charles Jenkins.

Right Where You Are

I have always loved to write.

I scribbled stuff here and there when I was a teenager. I wrote scientific reports, speeches and presentations as a professional. I wrote notes of events happening in my life. I kept a journal. My friends encouraged me to write my story into a book. I started without a clear direction of how to present it.

Turning Point

In all of these, I did not see writing as a gift.  Until two years ago, in response to my desperate cry, God opened my eyes to see the gift He blessed me with and revealed to me how to use it creatively for His glory. I wrote about this in Sitting On a Gold Mine. Click to read.

That was when I became a full-time writer and I took definite steps to hone my craft. I started to write articles, essays, short stories and fiction novels to convey the truth of God's word—to enrich lives and inspire hope.

After three months of writing, in June 2011, I began to share a weekly Enriching Lives. Inspiring Hope. Newsletter by email with friends and family members. And in November of the same year, it evolved into this blog.

That mailing list has grown incredibly. The page views on the blog grew exponentially especially in the last three months. I could never travel to the 80+ countries from where visitors come to the blog. The reach of the message is gone beyond my wildest imagination like the silver branching of a lightning bolt flashing in the sky.

A couple of friends drew my attention to the chain of reaction which is taking the message to the uttermost parts of the world. Another writer led an appreciation of creative writing as a gift from God. I sat back and reflected on my small beginning. I marveled at God's faithfulness to do exceedingly more abundantly that I could ever ask, think or imagine.

My wildest imagination paled at God's ability to do limitless possibilities.

Home-bound, I write from the corner of my broken glass-styled dining table top, and right where I am, from my little corner, God is doing amazing things with the gift He blessed me with, in such a way that not even I could share in His glory

In that corner, I spent many hours writing, researching and studying. In between, I glance out through the window into the sky with a twiggy dry tree standing in my line of vision. I watched this tree changed with the  changing seasons, yet reflecting God's unchanging faithfulness in keeping me through my seasons.

It can be lonely alone at this little corner but it gives me utmost joy to know what God is doing with message He gives me the grace to write from here.

In your little way, in the little corner where you are, God can boast about you when you give back to Him to use for His own glory and honor what He has given to you. You can make a difference of eternal value right where you are.

Something in Your Hands

There is something in your hands that you can give to the world around you which will make the message of the cross come alive in their lives. You always have something to give. God has not left you empty handed.

I once read the story of a woman in a Chicken Soup Stories for the Soul^©. Unemployed, she was filled with self-pity, despite being jobless she searched for ways to give. Feeling worthless because she thought she had nothing to give, she glanced out of her window at her garden and found flowers blooming. She ran into the garden, picked, arranged and shared them with her neighbors  One of them turned out to be a desperate woman, with an alcoholic husband, a diabetic mother and two children she could hardly support. The flower delivery evolved into praying together for each other, until despair gave way to hope, until she found a job and the alcoholic husband quit drinking.

The boy with the five loads of bread and 2 pieces of fish was willing to share what he had. God multiplied it exponentially, it fed 5000 men, women and children not counted and there were leftovers (Luke 9:13-17). Talk about superabundant multiplication.

The widow at Zarephath gave all she had left - a handful of flour and a little oil to make bread for Elijah, and her jug of oil never failed until God gave rains back to the land (1Kings 17: 11-16).

What these witnesses and many others like them did, still stand as a memorial and a testimony today, encouraging us that we always have something in our hands to give, which God can multiply beyond our wildest imagination, and with rippling effect.

Who would have thought the gift of a bunch of flowers would have such a rippling effect? There is always something in your hands to give - your skills, talents, gifts, time, money, to name a few, and you can be creative with it.

Something You Can Do

There is something you can do right now, right where you are, which can impact lives for eternal significance, not by the magnitude of what you are doing but by the intensity of love, commitment and passion underlying it. There is something you can contribute that will advance the gospel of salvation.

Do the good you know to do. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Whoever knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Cotton Mather noted "that the ability to do good in any case imposes an obligation to do it."

You can deliberately seek opportunities to do good to people around you if you pay attention to them and to their needs.

It may be the way you respond in time of great adversity and affliction that will speak volumes about your relationship with God, and show Him as the source of your hope and confidence. When you patiently endure persecution, you show forth a God-given inner strength and peace that many will long and ask for.

Be Persistent, Consistent and Diligent

We must be faithful and diligent to identify and passionately pursue the assignment God has for us. For most of us, the impact of our assignment may not be visible or quantifiable now, and it need not be.

My husband shared the story of someone who sowed some seeds in her garden, nurtured, watered and tended the plant. It grew over her fence but appeared not to be blossoming. All she seem to see was the green plant but she kept at it until her neighbor exclaimed at the beauty of the plant—it was blooming on the other side of the fence.

God is able to make the seed you sow into people's lives to blossom in a way you could never have imagine. Don’t give up even when you don’t see results.

A Gift And A Blessing

Creative writing is both a gift and a blessing to me. I am amazed at the way God is using this gift to open doors to me and to bless me. It does even much more:

• It holds me accountable —I am compelled to practice what I preach.
• I am motivated to stay connected to the source of power and inspiration. I frequently have to ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration when I share a message.
• Often, I go back to read again previous posts and I receive encouragement when most needed. I get a fresh revelation and insight at that moment that it is sometimes difficult to believe that I wrote the piece.

Everyone has a calling and a God-given assignment. It may be to your family, community or to the nations. Whatever your assignment may be—right where you are, in the workplace, marketplace, school, via internet or social media—you can impact the world.

What perfect example we have in Jesus. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend. But while we were yet sinners, Jesus came and died for us. In the short time Jesus spent walking here on earth, He left an indelible mark on the lives of everyone who came in contact with Him!

Let this Easter be reminder of the precious gift of life Jesus died to purchase for us, let us be encouraged to reach out with this message of love from where we are. I pray that this will be a special time of celebrating God's miracle of life and amazing love for you and your loved ones. Happy Easter.