A Life Worth Living Is Life Lived To Serve

The choir led us to sing the song during the Praise and Worship session. We sang with all our hearts. The song reverberated through the hall. The Pastor requested that we take the song again when he addressed the church. It was as we sang again that the last line of the chorus caught my attention. It caught fire in my spirit. The line wrapped itself tightly around my heart. It re-echoed in my mind for days afterwards.

“I live to serve Your majesty.”

The lyrics called out to me, urging an account of my life;

“Am I living my life to serve my King?”

“Am I living a life of service to His Majesty, the Most High God, the King of all Kings?”

I pondered on these questions for many days. It is amazing how just one line of a song can weave itself into our subconscious, becoming a part of our thoughts as we wake up in the morning, as we doze off to sleep at night and several times in between. That has been the case with me with this one line in the chorus of the song; “King of Kings, Majesty” written by Jarrod Cooper.

What Kind of Life Are We Living:

Self-focussed?

Philippians 2: 3-4 says “Do not be selfish;” Admonishing us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. It also admonishes us not to be concerned only for or look only to our own interest but to be concerned for the interest of others. The worst thing we can do with our lives is to live only for ourselves—focussing only on our needs, wants and gains.

The litmus test of living a selfish life as a Christian is the content of our prayers. Is your prayer more about you, yourself and everything you want God to do for you? God did not put us on earth to live for ourselves.

The next pertinent question we need to ask ourselves is about the motive for what we are doing under the canopy of service to God. Is it to call attention or bring glory to us? Whose interest is being served by our service?

When we do not with humility consider others, we are exhibiting pride and a preoccupation with self. Humility before God and man is a virtue every child of God need to strive constantly for. Our humility in service to God is demonstrated when we are concerned about the interest of others especially those in the household of faith.

Jesus demonstrated humility and selfless concern for others. We are called as believers to have the same mind as is Christ. To have the same mindset as Jesus Christ is to be others focussed.

We also need to note that Jesus did not serve others out of convenience. It cost Him something—it cost Him His life. We are self-oriented if we are serving out of convenience.

Others-focussed?

The bottom-line here is that Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. We have been called to be like Jesus in every way—to selflessly serve others. We become more like Jesus as we live a life of service. A life well lived is a life lived in service of God through service to humanity.

God has given each of us gifts, talents and abilities. We are to be generous with these different gifts God gave us—using them to serve and bless others—as faithful stewards of God’s manifold grace (1Peter 4:10). So that at the end of it all, God gets all the glory, praise and adoration. The service that you perform does not only supply the needs of the Lord's people, but it is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

I attended the oldest girls’ school in Lagos, Nigeria—Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos. The Motto of my Alma mater is In Love Serve One Another. I learnt about serving others in love from this school.

“The best use of your life is to invest your life in something that will outlast it” – Rick Warren

I truly concur with Rick Warren. The best way to live life is to live such that the echo of the impact of the life lived will continue to resonate long after that life is over. That is the way I want to live my life, in such a way that I will leave a lasting legacy that will continue cause an overflow of praise to God.

Serving The King:

I am serving my King when the things that I do, the services I render, brings glory and honour to Majestic King of Kings. I am serving my King when it is all about Him, about pleasing Him and doing His will. I am indeed serving my King when my act of service is out of submission and obedience to God and not out of convenience.

In everything Jesus did and said, He perfectly reflected the heart of the God. We are chosen by God as His instruments to do His work, to speak out for Him and to show others the goodness of God, that is, serving at the pleasure of our King.

We are serving the King when our act of service reveals God’s attribute of goodness, kindness and generosity to others.

How can we serve our King?

I found a motion song and study for God’s little ones at the hymnary.org titled “Serving The King” written in 1887 by John Hood, which detailed just how every part of our bodies can be used to serve the King of Kings irrespective of how little or insignificant we may think ourselves to be.

“Only a pair of dimpled hands

How can they serve our King?

Some ways of helping others find,

And little love-gifts bring.”

When I live to serve His Majesty, I don’t need self-efforts. I don’t need strive on my own. I only need to surrender every part of my being to the work of the Holy Spirit in me. For it is the Holy Spirit at work in us who points us in the direction of where the needs we can best serve are.

Here and now, I recommit myself to serve at the pleasure of my King. I must live each day of my life to serve His Majesty, the King of Glory, who loves me so much that He gave His only begotten Son for me and kept me by His might hands.

Dear Friends, what about you? What does it mean to you to live to serve His Majesty? How would you commit yourself to live a life worth living, a life that lives behind a lasting legacy?

Honestly, a life worth living is life lived to serve. A life lived just for self or for this moment alone is a wasted life.

Join me to raise 360 gifts items to bring about a 360-degree turnaround for good in the lives of two women. One is an amputee. The other is a wheelchair-bound widow. These gift items will be sold at a Christmas Charity Bazaar in Geneva. Proceeds from the sales of donated gift items will be used to support these two women through the provision of prosthesis, wheelchair and income generating activities.

Amazed At What God Is Doing

We are already in the ninth month of 2015. It is not the end of the year yet. But I cannot wait until December 31^st to take stock of the events of the year. I look back into the last eight and half months, and I am overwhelmed at what God has done and is doing in my life. Not only in mine but also in the lives of my family members. God is awesome.

The song played in my head as I floated into consciousness in the early hours of Wednesday;

Count your many blessings

Lay them one by one

Count your many blessings

See what God has done

Count your blessings

Lay them one by one

And it would surprise you

what the Lord has done.

I am amazed at how much God has done and what He has done. Counting it all is like counting the sands on the beach, where do I start from?

At the beginning of 2014, the word of God to my family was that “we shall recover all” (1Sam30:8). We stood firm on that promise throughout the year. It was combined with another word that “we shall not see the rain or hear the wind, but our ditches shall be filled with water” (2Kings 3:17). At the end of the year, we had many testimonies of how God followed after His word to fulfil it in our lives. I believed that we carried over these promises into 2015 and received along with it that this is our year of divine establishment. I trusted God for the establishment of His word in our lives, and for us to be established in the centre of His will for us.

I can sing over and over again that I have seen the Lord’s goodness, His mercies and compassion. I have seen His mighty hands working on our behalf. I can testify that God is faithful to His promises. His words are effectual, and they have the power to produce an effect in our lives.

In April, we flagged off the fundraising efforts of the Feet Of Grace Foundation during the Hit The Street For Their Feet Charity Walk. The funds are still coming in. Two amputees received prosthetic limbs. One is doing very well. But Olivet has developed some diabetic ulcers on her second foot making it difficult for her to make maximal use of her prosthetic limb. Do pray along for the healing of the second foot and the grace to bear up under this affliction.

We are getting set to support another amputee who also needs to have her prosthetic limb replaced after using and repairing the current one several times in the last seven years. I am so grateful to all our donors and supporters who have not considered their support an once and for all effort.

The Lord promised me in 2013 that He will give me the Feet of Grace that will take me to places where my natural feet could not take me; places beyond my imagination. He has been doing just exactly what He promised. He opened the doors to me to share my testimony in several places I could never have imagined I would be visiting a few years ago, talk less of speaking there. I shared my testimony in Lagos, Geneva, Zurich, London, Yupaica, Los Angeles and Chicago. And there are still more coming before 2015 is out. The number of kilometres I have covered in this year alone surpasses what I was able to do during the last seven years of my affliction.

My second son successfully completed his high school education in May and gained admission into a great science and engineering College in Claremont, California. I had the opportunity of accompanying him to support his transition to the college, a desire that eluded me when my first son went to college in 2012. I couldn’t get out of my bed then to see him off. That was painful. But God turned it all around for our good. We didn’t have the opportunity to visit the College selected by my second son before he accepted the offer. The orientation section provided me the opportunity of finding out more about the college where our son will be spending the next four years. The peace of God flooded my heart as I learnt more about the school. I knew without any doubt my son is where God wants him to be.

It has been a year of reconnections. Right from May, I got reconnected with friends from my high school days. It is more than 33 years since I saw most of them. Then in August when I got to California, I met my Sistafriend of over 40 years again. It was pure joy holding her in my arms. We saw each other last in 1987. But we kept in touch over the past years. God worked it out for us to spend a few precious days together catching up on our lives, sharing our testimonies and encouraging one another. Reconnections continued as I met friends from my university days, and finally my Best Lady at my wedding and her family.

I was amazed at the warmth and love we still shared despite the many years of being physically separated. The fellowship was vibrant. The icing on the cake was meeting so many who have been praying for me without knowing me or thinking they would ever get to meet me. They prayed with all fervency as I walked through the valley of the shadow of death in 2013. Their joy is indescribable when they finally saw me alive, well and walking.

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” – John 15:12

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."- John 13:35

I have felt true love showered on me right from the beginning of this year, everywhere I went. Many people going out of their way to make themselves available to God to be used to bless my family and me. Help keeps coming when most needed. I am truly humbled and blessed to be the recipient of this kind of brotherly love.

I wanted to be with Sally's husband and children since the day I heard that the Lord had called her home while I was in a coma in 2013. God gave me that opportunity this month. It was humbling for me to stand on the same altar she once preached from and faced the congregation that is still coming to terms with her absence. I bless God for His grace keeping her husband and children. Her husband testified of God’s sustaining grace flowing towards them each day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share with them how Sally’s legacy spoke to me about finding and fulfilling the purpose for which God gave me this second chance at life.

Above all else, I am grateful to God for life and for the opportunity to be a vessel He can use. I am grateful for the way He is using the story He is writing of my life to touch lives for good. What God has been doing this year is beyond my imagination—simply amazing.

Upcoming Events:

·       Weekend of Hope and Glory at House On The Rock Church International, London, UK – Sept. 19^th – 20^th

·       Local Speaker at Geneva Q Commons. Lake Geneva Hotel, Versoix. Geneva – Sept. 25^th, 2015 Geneva Q Commons

·       Launching of the InzpireTV. Geneva – Sept 26^th, 2015 Inzpire TV Trailer

Pause, Listen, Balance, And Stay Focused.

Once upon a time, my agenda was snow-white. The occasional specks of ink on my agenda were mainly activities relating to keeping me alive—hospital appointments, physiotherapy and home care. That is now history of past events. It is no longer breaking news that Irene’s plate is always fully loaded these days. Hence my absence from the blogosphere over the past three weeks.

The run-up to the Hit The Street For Their Feet Charity Walk on April 25^th was hectic. It left me breathless. I have not had time to catch my breath since then. All the donations coming from across three continents had to be acknowledged and receipted irrespective of the amount because each of them made a difference and added value taking us to our set goal. I am so grateful to God that I have much to acknowledge. The administrative part of the Charity is still ongoing.

It was in the midst of that that I realized that I had only thirty days (now seventeen) left to the wedding of the dear daughter of Zion who God used to support me during the year post my amputation. She cared for me and attended to my needs during those early days while I learnt to regain my autonomy and to get accustomed to my new definition of normal as an amputee. She has been a blessing to me. I had committed to help translate her dream to reality and time was fast running out. I was in overdrive now.

Alongside came the preparations for the Annual Conference, which took place in my church last weekend. While we were getting ready, I had to go for a surgery to correct what the doctors termed “a rare form of adhesion” which got my tracheotomy scar stuck to my trachea. It was a day surgery. I was back in my kitchen barely 3 hours after the surgery. But it was a restless and rather painful night afterward and has required a twice a week trip to the hospital to keep an eye on it.

In the midst of all these, my accountability partners and very concerned friends were keeping a tab on me. They wanted to know where I was, regarding my pending assignments—completion of my book and getting the Feet Of Grace website running to name a few. And the pressure mounted.

That was when I had to pause. I needed to take a deep breath. I was feeling overwhelmed and overcharged. I have a passionate aversion to idleness with a relentless drive for purpose, perfection and making a difference. It appears that this combination has pushed me to the other side of the spectrum.

The outlook for the next four months seems even more charged with several planned travels, ministry project and pending Ministry training assignments. It was the time for me to pause and listen.

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens, empowers and infuses me with strength from His limitless stores. But I am not called to do everything.

Having a clear guidance and direction from God as to what He wants me to do, when, where and how He wants me to do the things He has called me to do has become an imperative. I must pause and listen. If I am not quiet, I cannot hear Him speaking to me. It is only when I am getting instructions from Him that I can balance all the many balls that I have to juggle in the air. It is only by His grace that I can do the things He has called me to do. I need to pause, listen and balance.

I know God also has a deep aversion to idleness. Several passages in the Bible points in that direction.

"And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?'” – Matthew 20:6

“"The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." – 2Thess. 3:10

“You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,” – 1Thess 4:11

I also know that God does not want me to burn out or run on my own steam, I cannot be useful to Him that way. Therefore, I must insert precious times of rest into the equation.

Several key points shone brightly like a lighthouse on a dark night as I processed all the above.  I will share some of them with you.

1.       I have to learn to say NO:

If I am going to stay focused on the goal and accomplish the tasks God laid on my heart for this year, I have to give myself the permission to say No. First to myself and then to others. A young man challenged me recently to master the art of No in an excellent article he posted on his blog - The Art of No. It is not just about saying No but how to manage a No response. What do I mean by saying no to myself? I mean I cannot do everything that comes to my mind even if it sounds great and will benefit someone.

2.        I need to prioritize:

Some tasks are important, but they are not urgent. Some things that God calls us to do are urgent and important because someone is waiting at the other side to receive of it. I cannot afford to be lackadaisical about the things that are important in God’s kingdom agenda. The fact that He has not issued a deadline the way my bosses at work would do does not mean that I can do my God-ordained assignments at my convenience.

3.       Ultimately, my accountability is to God:

God has called me to be a good steward of the resources He has assigned to me to manage. These include the talents, gifts and abilities with which He endowed me. As a steward of God’s resources, there will come a time I much give an account of what I have done with these resources. As well as how I have fared with the responsibilities and tasks He assigned to me. Doing His will and fulfilling His call upon my life requires my utmost attention and dedication.

God’s all-sufficient grace is available and richly abounding to each of us so that we having all sufficiency in all things and at all times may abound to every good work. I want to abound in good works. My earnest desire is to impact lives for good, make a difference and leave a lasting legacy. I must, therefore, run the race set before me tapping into the rich grace available to me and with my gaze focused on the ultimate goal.

Over the coming months, I will do my best to keep this space we share together to enrich and encourage one another active while I strive to maintain a balance in my responsibilities and commitments. There will be guest posts here, and I hope to see the blog relocate to the Feet Of Grace website as soon as it is up. In the interim, I ask you to uphold me in prayers; that I may have strength to do what I am called can do, courage to accept those that I cannot do and the wisdom to know the difference. Pray also that God will send me help fitted for this assignment.

I pray that each of you will flourish in the place where God has assigned you.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed with so many things to do? Share and let's encourage one another.

Know Your God_31 Reasons To Be Grateful

Thirty-one days of 2015 have flown past in a flash. January was very busy and challenging month. It was also a fulfilling and inspiring month in many ways. It was a month during which I experienced many instances where I had to consciously and consistently force my spirit, heart, emotions and body to align with the word of God. I am truly grateful to God for the way He used January to set the tone for my walk with Him in 2015.  I know without any iota of doubt that this is going to be an exciting year that will take me to a new level in my relationship with God and in the direction of fulfilling His call on my life.

I am glad and will testify on December 31st how blessed I am to know my God deeply, intimately, and truly.

“…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

Daniel 11:32b

Today's blog post is the outcome of my reflections on the many lessons I learnt in January. They were checkpoints where my knowledge of God was the anchor for my soul and the sole source of peace. They gave me more than thirty-one reasons to be grateful that I know my God. I will by the grace of God expand on some of them in future blog posts.

Deep Conversations With Self: I think one of the first set of lessons I learnt this year, was to reinforce the truth that I am significant and relevant first and foremost because of who I am in Christ Jesus. I am also significant and relevant in God's kingdom agenda. I have a specific role to play and God has assigned me a unique space to lead by influence and make an impact.

I grew deeper in the knowledge of God as I studied again the Book of Ruth guided by a book titled The Gospel of Ruth written by Carolyn James. The book placed Ruth in the context of her environment at her time. It made all the difference. I got to know God deeper through a deeper understanding of the lives of Naomi and Ruth. I will dedicate a post to this soon.

The Changing Phases of Motherhood:
In 2015, my first born son will turn 21. He is a man in his own right, who is developing significant relationships beyond our immediate family. I saw my once-a-baby making significant decisions and plans of his own. But above all, I saw him in a situation, where his knowledge of God and personal relationship with Him was illuminated brilliantly.

My second son will turn 18 this year, and will leave home for the university. I saw his deepening desire to grow in the knowledge of God. I saw him and his brother displaying strength and calmness in the face of disappointment and difficult situations, when things did not go the way they wanted.

These two young men gave me many reasons this month to be confident in God that He is able to keep them deeply rooted in Him whether they are at home or 8000km away from home. They gave me many more reasons to give praise and thanks to God.

Growing in this confidence is an on-going process enhanced by me having a deeper knowledge of God. Believe me, I went on several emotional roller coaster since December contemplating the change that is bound to take place in my family this year as my husband and I become empty-nesters.

State Of The Union:
I spent many hours seated on my wheelchair with arms folded over my chest staring at the snow-covered field beyond my house in contemplation. It got me reviewing the state of my union with my husband. I asked myself how ready we are for life together without our children at home. I learnt that in the busyness of life, it is easy drift to the mundane, to the things that do not have direct relevance for the growth of our marriage. As a couple we must make conscious effort to keep our relationship vibrant, vital, rich and thriving.

The deeper I grow in the knowledge of God the more I understand how important and significant my marriage is to God and His Kingdom. It is not just about me and my husband, there is so much more that's hinged to the success of my marriage. I learnt again that my husband and I have to work together to ensure that we don't take each other and our marriage for granted, and we make every effort not to let our marriage fall into a state of disrepair. We can accomplish this by having a shared focus on God and a shared goal of fulfilling His purpose for our marriage.

My husband always says that better must not be the enemy of good, meaning that we must not neglect to appreciate what we have while seeking for something better. So I learnt that I must be very grateful for where I am in my marriage but must continue to strive for the best God has for us. I discovered many more reasons to be grateful to God for my husband in this process. For as long as we have breath, there is always a deeper dimension and a higher level to attain in our relationship with our spouses and with God.

Refuting Arguments:

Studying the Gospel of Luke is a requirement for the Lifesprings School of Ministry training I embarked on last October—quite a journey indeed. More on that later. While studying again Luke, I saw quite vividly the way Jesus refuted all the arguments of the enemy and resisted devil's temptations with the word of God.

There were some times this month that all I wanted to do is just stay in my bed and not get up. My mind was assaulted with many suggestions and arguments by the devil. My body was discomfited and sometimes felt disjointed. And yet this is the same month that I have been learning so much about God. The enemy is very clever. I learnt through these experiences that it is not sufficient to have a head knowledge of God. It has to be an active knowledge where we use the word of God to refute the arguments and distractions of the enemy, and the dictates of our daily circumstances.

I learnt that I have to align my spirit, emotion and body to the word of God on a daily basis. This brings an indescribable peace.

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. – 2Peter 1:2

On National Issues:

There is so much going on in my country in view of the forthcoming elections. Following the discussions on the social media has been disheartening. The word of God has provided a solid anchor for my soul as I travail in prayer for the Almighty God to put His sovereign power on display in my nation. I know that God rules in the affairs of men. I know that He knows the deep intents of hearts of men. I know His understanding of the events of our lives as a nation is beyond that which we can perceive. He has the life of every living thing in His hands. He holds the power over every nation. All the intrigues of politics and power play are plain before His sight. Ultimately, men will only discern what is right to do only if they know their God and trust in Him for insight and guidance. And that is my prayer: that God will grant each of us a spirit of discernment and demonstrate His majesty and power in the affairs of our nations.

I got to know God in a deeper way:
It is amazing how much more I learnt about God this month and how deeper I have grown in Him through this in-depth study of what it means to know God. It has been a worthwhile investment of time. If you want to take the study of knowing God deeper, I strongly recommend the following books;

-          The Attributes of God by A. W. Tozer

-          Knowing God by J. I. Packer

-          Also take some time to study the sermons of Charles Spurgeon.

Today’s post is long. I switched off my self-edit button and simply poured out my heart on this page. I wanted you to know just how much I am so grateful that I know the Almighty, All-sufficient and Omnipotent God as my God every single day of January. I am grateful He knows me as His daughter.

Dear Friends, in the world we live in today, Know Your God is not optional. It is a deliberate choice every child of God has to make. It is not going to happen by wishful thinking, it will take your willingness and an investment of your time to dwell in God’s presence until you know Him as intimately as He wants you to.

Please take time to ponder on the following questions;

-          What difference has knowing the Lord God make in your life this year?

-          Can you think of something you did or something you said during January that showed someone else that you really know the Lord and that you are a child of God that you have something that changes men’s hearts, you have a gift and it changes the way they live?

-          How does the knowledge of God reflect in your life in times of adversity and challenges?

In what ways are you grateful that you Know Your God? What steps are you willing to take your relationship with God to a deeper level this year? Share in the comment box below and let’s keep encouraging one another.

May the grace and peace of God be multiplied to you in increasing measures as grow in the knowledge of God.

Know Your God_Part Two

In the first part of Know Your God posted last week, I shared why it is important to know God especially at the brink of the unknown and when we face trials and persecutions. I will continue on this subject in this blog post.

According to J.I. Packer, the author of Knowing God;

“The highest science, the loftiest speculation and the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, nature, work, doings and existence of the great God whom he calls Father.”

Therefore, the most fulfilling depth of understanding and height of knowledge that man can ever aim to attain is to know God.

Who is this great God that we need to know and have a personal revelation of?

We know from the scriptures that all the changes and events in our world today have been plainly and perfectly foreseen by God. Nothing catches God unawares. Nothing comes to Him as a surprise, not at the global level, or at the national level or personal level. He is the God of all knowing, Who knows the end from the beginning.

All power belongs to God (Ps 62:11). God is truly powerful. His power is amazing and beyond description. Who can understand the thunder of God's power? Who can count the evidences of His power?

“So inconceivable, so immense, so uncontrollable is the power of Deity (the Godhead) that the fearful convulsions which He works in nature conceal more than they reveal of His infinite might!”

– Arthur. W. Pink (The Power of God in “The Attributes of God”)

Even that which is displayed of His might to the visible creation is beyond what we can comprehend. There is infinitely more power logged in the nature than can be expressed by all His works. His splendour was like the sunrise; rays flashed from His hand, where His power was hidden (Habakkuk 3:4).

“He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.…” - Psalm 104:3.

If the wind that is the most impetuous of all the elements, having the ability to move forcefully and with almost inconceivable rapidity and can be tossed into utmost rage, is under God’s feet and beneath His perfect control. Then I am fully persuaded that there is no situation now or in the future that is beyond the power and control of God. Power is the name of God, that is, The Almighty. God and power are inseparable. God’s essence is ALMIGHTY so that it is not limited in regards to action.

“He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power 

(C. H. Spurgeon).”

“God and power are so inseparable that they are reciprocated. As His essence is immense, not to be confined in place; as it is eternal, not to be measured in time; so it is almighty, not to be limited in regard of action (S. Charnock).”

This is the great and mighty God who wants to reveal Himself to us and who desires for us to know Him intimately. He is also the God that says “Fear not, for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God… (Is 41:10). He is consistently and continually with us. We are never alone.

He is also the God, Who out of nothing, made all things by His Word alone. Man needs tools and materials to work and create something, but God began creating with His Word. Not a single jot of His Word spoken concerning you will ever fall to the ground, but what He has designed, what He has declared, shall infallibly come to pass. WHAT AN AWESOME GOD! This great God is worthy of our implicit confidence and trust.

“But seeing that He is clothed with omnipotence, no prayer is too hard for Him to answer, no need too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for Him to subdue; no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no misery too deep for Him to relieve,” – Arthur. W. Pink

What does it mean to know God truly?

The only way we can truly know God is first to believe that God exists (Hebrews 11:6) and that He only is God, and there is no other (Deuteronomy 4:35).  We must also come to Him through Jesus Christ Who is the only way to God and a personal knowledge of God. There are no multiple ways to come to the true knowledge of God except through Jesus Christ.

Secondly we must acknowledge that God speaks to man, and the Bible is His word. It is in the Bible that God reveals Himself, His promises, and His will. The more we study the Bible for ourselves, the more of God is revealed to us and the more of Him we know. Know Your God means that you study the scriptures so that you can be certain of the truth and know beyond the shadow of doubt the reliability of everything you were taught. This is what Luke wrote to Theophilus in Luke 1:4.

Knowing God requires a commitment to being willing to accept and to obey His instructions, which we read from His Word. It is insufficient for us to study the Bible, but we must be willing to put what we read into action.

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land”

 – Isaiah 1:19

To come into the true knowledge of God, we must be prepared to dwell in His presence. But first we need to come to the realization that God is ever-present, and He is everywhere. This means that we are never alone. He is with us everywhere we are and in every situation we are. When we are praying, we are speaking right into the ears of God.

You can only get to know someone better and intimately when you spend time with the person. You get to know someone deeper and more intimately as you dwell in each other's presence, sharing your heart, your dreams, your hopes and aspirations. We can only do this when we talk with one another, and we give attention to listening to one another. Just as all relationships need to be kept vital and fresh, so is our relationship with God. It requires conscious and active effort. We know God intimately and personally when we carve out the time to dwell in His presence through prayer, studying His word, fellowshipping with Him in praise, worship and adoration. When we truly worship and praise Him, we are dwelling in His presence

The more we know of God, the more we will discover and see His glory on display in our everyday lives. The more we dwell in His presence, the more we will know that God speaks to us. As we dwell in God's presence, He speaks, expresses and reveals Himself to us. It is there that we hear the secrets He wants to make known to us. As you plunge yourself into the deepest sea of knowing God, you will come out refreshed and invigorated.

We are being transformed into the image of God as we contemplate the Lord’s glory when we dwell in His presence. God chose us in advance to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. God wants us to become more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. Our lives gradually become brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives, and we become like Him.

Insight comes into our lives comes from knowing the Holy God. If we are to become like God in character and if we, by our life of service, are to reveal Him to the world then we need to know Him aright. We must know Him as He reveals Himself.

A knowledge of God is the foundation of all true education and all true service. It is the only real safeguard against temptation. It is this alone that can make us like God in character.

To disregard the study of God is to sentence ourselves to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds us. This is a sure way to waste our lives and lose our soul.

In the days we are living today, Know Your God is not a request.

 It is an instruction.

I sincerely believe that none of us can truly live the life God has called us to live, and fulfil our God-ordained destiny and purpose without knowing God intimately and having a personal revelation of Him. That is why I strongly recommend that we earnestly seek after God and make concerted effort to dwell in His presence without noisy distraction of the world.

Watch out for the concluding part of Know Your God in the next blog post.

Know Your God_Part 1

Although 2015 is now two weeks old, it is with great joy that I wish you a happy and prosperous year filled with God’s rich and abounding blessings for you and your precious ones.

There are still three hundred and fifty days left of 2015, and we are still standing at the brink of the unknown. The year is pretty much unknown to us because we do not know what lies ahead of us. However, knowing the One Who has already known the end from the beginning and Who has seen December 31^st, 2015 right from January 1^st, will be critically important for how we live our lives in 2015. It will determine how we will fulfil God’s purposes for our lives.

Let’s examine the lives of two persons recorded in the Bible who stood at the brink of the unknown and the uncertain. We will benefit from the study of their lives and how they respond at such a time when they did not know what laid ahead of them.

The first example is Abraham:

He knew God and was fully persuaded of the truth of God's word. In Genesis 12, we learnt that God instructed him to leave his country, his family and his father’s home to a land that He will show him. So Abram departed as the Lord had directed him (vs. 4). Abraham heard the voice of God. He recognised the voice God. He received God’s instructions. He acted promptly. He did not question God. He did not know what was ahead. He simply obeyed by leaving. He walked into the unknown and the uncertain solely on God’s instructions. He did as he was told because he had a knowledge of the One Who told him.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, he obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance, although he did not know … where he was to go.” (AMP).

“By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left, he had no idea where he was going…. “(MSG)- Hebrews 11: 8-10

Another person, who took a step into the unknown on the basis of her knowledge of God, is Ruth:

She came from an idol worshiping culture. She got married into a household where they knew and served God. She was barren, and as if that was not bad enough, she became a childless widow within a household where they served God. She was a witness to the fierce storms that devastated Naomi’s whole life without any apparent intervention by God (Ruth 1).

“…No, my daughters; it is far more bitter for me than for you that the hand of God is gone out against me.” (AMP).

“Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord Himself has raised His fist against me.” (NLT). - Ruth 1: 13b

Yet Ruth chose God even when she didn’t know what laid ahead of her in Bethlehem. Her response to Naomi’s persistent plea for her to go back to her people was “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live; I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”

I strongly believe that she had come to know something about God that was strong, personal and true enough to override Naomi’s assessment of God as the One who had dealt her a bad hand. What kind of person would choose a God who her mentor in the faith declared has dealt badly with her but the person who has come to know that God differently and experienced Him in a way beyond what her current circumstances dictates.

She chose the true God to be her God and follow her mother-in-law into the unknown on the strength of what she had come to learn about God. Ruth showed me that we need to have a personal revelation of God to remain focussed on God when someone we look up to in the faith appear to give up on God or disappoints us.

There is something peculiar about people who know their God. This was illustrated in Daniel 11.

“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.”

 - Daniel 11: 32b – 33a (KJV)

Antiochus IV Epiphanes nicknamed “the madman” vented his fury against the Israelites and the Holy Covenant, and he abolished daily sacrifices. He desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. His army killed many people in Jerusalem, took many women and children as slaves and plundered the land. He forbade the Jews to practice their religion. He persuaded them through flattery to worship false gods.

 

In the midst of all the turmoil, a handful remained faithful to God. This small remnant who knew their God refused to engage in the abominable practices. The Amplified Bible noted that they proved themselves strong and stood firm and did exploit for God. They instructed many more in the way of the Lord despite the fact that they were persecuted and martyred for the faith.

"But the testing will refine, cleanse and purify those who remain strong and true to the faith, that is, those who know their God."

It is important to note here that not only do those who know their God stand strong at the brink of the unknown, they also stand strong when faced with trials, persecutions, difficulties, and challenging situation. These people knew God as the true God and they acknowledge Him as such. They not only profess Him but they also served and worshiped Him. They held fast to the faith in the midst of opposition, deception and disappointments. They endured against all threatening.

In the midst of the chaos and problems in the world around us, God has obligated Himself to us by promising that 2015 shall be our year of divine establishment. We have the assurance that God will establish us in His counsel and in the fullness of His purpose for our lives. We will need to know this God Who made such great promises to us intimately.

Dear Friends, we need to have a personal revelation of God when we face the unknown. We need an intimate relationship with the Almighty God if we are going to have a victorious walk in 2015. Who is this great God that we need to know and have a personal revelation of? What does it mean to truly know Him? What are the benefits of having a growing knowledge of God? We will examine these questions in the next post.

May the grace of God abound to you richly as you walk with the Lord in this New Year.

This blogpost is adapted from the Sermon I preached in Church on Sunday, January 11th, 2015.

Fly Away Empty

This world is not my home I'm just a-passin' through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

(Jim Reeves)

Truly, this world is not my home. Home is in Heaven. A place of indescribable beauty and of luminous light—brilliantly illuminated by the glory of God. A place radiant as pure gold, translucent as glass and clear as crystal where we will walk on streets of gold. All manner of precious gemstones forms its foundation. I can’t imagine what that looks like—all the agate, jasper, carnelian, topaz and amethyst in my beading inventory put together don’t give me a glimpse. Now add sapphire, emerald, onyx, chrysolite, beryl, chrysoprase and jacinth to the mix. What a delightful glow that must give.

There is absolutely nothing on earth that is worth missing heaven for.

Heaven—a place of joy and untold pleasures as we dwell in the presence of God and all tears are wiped away. A place of endless praise and worship with a vast crowd angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim singing “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” And the twenty-four elders cast down their crowns in worship and adoration of God Who sits upon the throne. A glorious place where we will never get tired of gazing at His face.

Holy, holy, holy!  All the saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

(Methodist Hymn Book.  Written by Reginald Heber (1783-1826).

I am here on assignment. I am here to fulfil a purpose in God’s Kingdom agenda. On a bright morning, perhaps the sun will be shining bright in the sky or maybe it will be in the dead of the night with the moon’s silvery beams lighting the sky, whatever time of day or night, one thing is sure, I will hear the voice of my Maker and Master as He calls me back home. Then I will say, “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on to the light, lead me home.”

I’ll fly away O Glory I’ll fly

When I die Hallelujah by and by

I’ll fly away O Glory

To the land where joy will never end

I’ll fly away

(Alison Krauss)

On that glorious day, I will cross the river. I will fight life’s final war with pain. And then as death gives way to victory, I will see the lights of glory and I will know my Saviour lives (“Because He Lives – Bill Gaither).

Therefore, one thing I must make sure of is that I don’t answer that call and appear before the throne of grace with my hands still full of gifts and talents that I should have given out to impact lives. I must not appear before God without fulfilling His purpose for me. Oh no, that would be the greatest tragedy.

The home-call of Dr. Myles Munroe and his wife Ruth, on Sunday, November 9^th, was a wake-up call and a reminder that we know not the day or the time when we will answer that call. It is also sounded a resounding note of warning to everyone who has ears to listen that we must live each day ready.

Knowing the impact that Dr Myles Munroe had on many lives and understanding that we cannot sorrow like them without hope, I praised God for his life and for what God used him to accomplish. I read and listened to some of his messages. Here are some nuggets that ministered to me.

The Christian Character:

The first thing that I recalled was his last trip to Lagos, Nigeria where he spoke on the Christian’s Character. My Sista, Salt Nelson-Essien, shared a summary of his message on her blog, The Salt Chronicles—The Ugly Truth; Many Christians Have No Character and The Ugly Truth Part Two: We Christians Need To Get Some Character. Here's my take-away from the message:

·       Character is the essence of God. He is constant and unchanging. And we are created to reflect the image of God.

·       Character is our commitment to a set of values. It is integrating our word with our actions. Character is integrity

·       We should be like dry cement. Set in our ways. And our ways should be God's ways. 

·       We must stand resolute like a statue on the side of what is right in God's eyes.

·       Can you be counted on to remain “you” wherever you are, no matter who is watching?

·       Lack of character cancels our power to influence. It makes you to compromise. Compromise steals destiny, and robs the nation of leaders who can rule in the fear of God and make a difference.

Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all life is a test.

 – Rick Warren.

The greatest tragedy is not death but it is life without purpose:

The message below was the second thing that struck me.

This one is going to stay with me for a long time to come. How can anyone created in the image of God live a purposeless life? Yet many live without an understanding of the purpose for which God released them to the earth and without pursuing that purpose.

“The original purpose for a product determines its design, composition, capacity, and potential. Purpose may be defined as “original intent” or “reason for creation.”- Myles Munroe

The only way we can fully understand God’s original intent for each of us is by knowing God. The more of God we know through studying His word and dwelling in His presence, the more we become familiar with His purpose for our lives. Every detail of my life and every experience God takes me through aligns me with His purpose for my life.

“Circumstances and crises are God’s tools to move you into your purpose

and the maximizing of your potential.” – Myles Munroe.

Life Will Go On The Day After:

“The embassy doesn’t shut down because the Ambassador is recalled,” there were the words of my Sista, Bidemi Mark-Mordi, as she reflected on the passing of Dr Myles Munroe. She concluded with a note to  remind her that she is not indispensable.

When I visited the Myles Munroe International Facebook page, this was the message posted there.

We would like to inform you that the Global Leadership Forum will continue. The Forum will be for two and a half days. This is what Dr. Munroe would have wanted.,,,

Twice I organized very important events but on the day of each of these events I was not there. On the morning of the first one in May 2003, I was in an ambulance on medical evacuation from Tamale to Accra in Ghana. On the second occasion in April 2013, I was in a coma in the hospital. The two events went very well and were successful, without me.

Irene to self: if you do your job very well, things will go on well without you.

What Really Matters?

Today is God’s gift to you and me. James 4: 13-17 gives us a stern warning when we boast about tomorrow. “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it is here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “if the Lord wants us to, we will life and do this or that”’ (The Message). 

If you know today is your last day, how would you choose to live it?

“Embrace the importance of now, and refuse to allow the lull of comfort, fear, familiarity, and ego to prevent you from taking action on your ambitions (your dreams)… The cost of inaction is vast. Don’t go to your grave with your best work inside of you. Choose to die empty.” 

– Todd Henry (Author, Die Empty)

Bottom-line: Today is the best day to do that task and assignment that you know God has committed to your hands in all the sphere of influence He has given you.

Irene and friends, I challenge you today to live ready. Live aligned to your God-given purpose. Use the gifts God has given you to the fullest. Be prepared to fly away empty. What matters the most is that we hear;

"Well done, thou faithful servant!"

If the Lord permits, I want to look back on the day my body is committed back to earth and see those whose lives my life impacted while on earth giving praise and adoration to God, and celebrating a purposeful life. Oh, I would love to see them all brightly dressed with a touch of gold, carnelian (orange) and amethyst with hands lifted up in worship.

What impact are you making that the echo of which will continue to resonate long after you have gone home? Who are you mentoring? Your greatest and lasting legacy is the people you invested in.

Take That Step, No Matter How Small

“I will not go to my grave with my dreams. I will either accomplish them or pass them on as a legacy for others to complete. Either way, my dreams will not die unaccomplished.”

My dear Sista and friend wrote the equation below in a message shared with me and other Sista:

Dreams + execution = Destiny in motion.

The words hit me like a thunderbolt. It was at a time that I was pondering on all my many dreams and wondering how I was going to accomplish them. So I modified the equation and kept it in view as a constant reminder of what I need to do to live my dreams.

Dreams + Action (even if baby steps) = Destiny in motion.

Dreams – Action  = Daydreaming / Wishful thinking (a waste of valuable time).

Identifying the actions to take and how to manage all of them within the time available in each day, however, is not and has not been an easy task. In fact, this is the real task. Believe me, you don’t want to know how many times and how much valuable time I have spent in conflict with myself trying to figure out how to keep myself on track and focused on all the things that I know I need to do.

I resolved to keep taking one step after another, no matter how small, on each of my tasks and assignments towards accomplishing my dream. I kept myself reminded that someone is waiting at the other end to be a recipient of what God has asked me to do. I cannot afford to fail God and I cannot afford to fail that child of God waiting for me.

It is a constant and daily prayer, asking God for guidance and wisdom to know what to do, when to do it and how to do it. And also grace to limit and avoid distractions.

Another Milestone Reached Touching Lives:

On Tuesday, September 16^th at around 7:30pm, my resolve received a monumental boost. I was hollering Hallelujah, praise be to God…..!!! I had opened the dashboard of my blog to check the statistics and apparently twenty minutes earlier, the number of page-views on the blog got to 20,000!

I love counting numbers, because numbers established milestones for me. With every milestone reached, I feel a sense of accomplishment. But more importantly, it is a reference point for me to stop, look back to see how far I have come, AND to give praise to the Almighty God Who brought me thus far. Honestly, every reason and opportunity to give praise and thanks to God is well worth it.

My heart is full of gratitude to God for this milestone for a number of reasons. Let me share some with you:

-          When I started this blog less than three years ago, I had no clue where God is taking it to. It was simply a step of faith. I am overwhelmed, amazed and astonished at what God had done with the blog in thirty-four months.

-          Sharing the story of my life so publicly was not an easy decision. I knew once I put it out there, I could not retrieve. I could not have shared our lives this way without the support of my husband and our sons. They believed with me that God wants to use our story to touch lives for good and to inspire hope in the lives of those who read it.

-          Through the blog, God has given me a platform to share the message of His amazing love and sustaining grace with so many people that I could never have reached in person. I am blown out to note the places where visitors come from. From Norway to New Zealand and over 100 countries in-between. From big countries like USA, Canada, Russia, China, Nigeria to Islands in the middle of the Oceans,

-    I am particularly grateful for the many people who have been inspired to hold on and not give up on hope through this blog and for the many new friends I have made on the platform.

I am so full of appreciation to God that this blog is touching lives for good. My heart is overwhelmed when I read the comments. Sometimes what I struggled the most to write is what God has used to touch someone at their point of need. Then, I turn my face towards heaven and say. “Thank You, Lord, for helping me to release that piece.” I am so grateful for every single one of you who visit the blog and interacted with it. You give me a reason to keep taking each step forward every day.

Beyond Writing A Blog:

Two weeks ago, in a land far away at 7:38am, someone got on the blog and read at least ten blog post within a short space of time. By the end of the day, this precious child of God had sixty-seven page views, perhaps more than one of them but it was all from one country—Ukraine, and at the same time. I look through the blog posts read and wondered what this precious child of God was going through at the time he/she came to the blog.

Until recently, I could not have located Ukraine on the map. But I heard of their crisis in the past over the gas from Russia. Checking further, I found that Ukraine is one of the top ten countries from where I get the most visitors since I started the blog. And now in the midst of the current crisis in that country, someone there found something to read on the blog, which I am trusting God to use to minister to him/her.

I stopped and gave thanks to God for the situation that He took me through and the grace He gave me in it, which inspired each article that is posted on the blog. Then it occurred to me, that there are many Christians out there not only in Ukraine but in many other countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Northern part of Nigeria, who need encouragement during this difficult and challenging times they are in. I stopped again and obeyed the nudging of the Holy Spirit to pray for them.

It is written in Acts 1:18:

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

It is an honour and a privilege to be a witness for Jesus in all these countries from where visitors come to the blog. This is the Great Commission to which we have all been called.

“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” 

– Matthew 24:14 (NLT)

The pivot of my dreams—the foundation upon which they are anchored—is to fulfil my God-ordained destiny. Central to that is to accomplish God’s calling and mandate for my life—being a witness for Jesus and taking the Good News to all nations is primordial in this. Every single one of my dreams has to be anchored on this goal—to turn lives towards God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

This must be the driving force for me and for you, my dear friends—for us to keep taking steps each day, no matter how small, towards accomplishing those tasks and assignments God has given us. And taking those actions that will lead us towards fulfilling our dreams.

Someone out there is waiting for what God has placed in you—the talents, skills and gifts—and the dreams you have conceived by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Don’t let the dreams and talents go to the grave with you. I encourage you to work on them and use them to touch lives for good and to turn hearts towards God.

I, Irene Olumese, resolve today that I will not go to my grave with my dreams. I will either accomplish them by the grace of God or pass them on as a legacy for others to complete. Either way, my dreams will not die unaccomplished.

What about you?