Saying no to myself

An injection, a bitter pill, a reprimand, a fast, a sleepless night. What do all these things have in common? Discomfort. Our natural instinct as human beigns is to avoid things that come with pain, strain, discomfort or deprivation. That is part of the basis of our survival instinct, but sometimes we ignore this insctinct because we need to achieve something.

It is true that pain is part of the body's way of telling you something is wrong. Hunger pangs are your body's way of saying, you need to eat and heavy eyes tell you your body wants a rest. Your body puts pressure on you to make you do certain things at different times, but there are times that you don’t listen to your body because you know better. You sit still for that injection, you swallow that bitter drug, you ignore hunger pangs and ‘fast and pray’ and you stay awake all night to prepare a document for submission. Even though your body puts pressure on you to make it comfortable you (your mind) overrides its feelings because you are seeing something your body is not seeing.

I learned something when I read this scripture Hebrews12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. If you have ever asked yourself why you do things you don’t want to do, or why you do things you know you will later regret, consider this:

Can you remember that feeling you get when someone does something utterly and completely annoying and silly? For example an Okada rider splashes water on you while you are trying to get into an office for a business meeting or an interview.

There is this feeling that wells up inside you and all you want to do is give the person who annoyed you a piece of your mind. That is the feeling I am talking about. If the person drives off before you can express yourself, how do you feel? Pent up? Sometimes its like you might burst isn’t it? That is the pressure, that pressure that makes you feel, if I don’t do this or that, I won’t be okay.

When your spirit, soul or body wants something and is not getting it, it puts you under pressure. Its what motivates us to take actions to achieve our desires.

·         Pressure to Look a Certain Way MAKES us go on a diet J

·         Pressure to pass exams MAKES us study

·         Pressure to get out of trouble OR saying “I don’t want to give them something to use against me” MAKES us LIE

·         Desperation OR saying “If I don’t take this money, how am I supposed to pay my fees”, MAKES us STEAL

·         Pressure from pride OR saying “There is no way I can let them get away with it”, MAKES us Revenge

·         Pressure to fit in OR saying “I don’t want to be laughed at” MAKES us compromise on our values

Pressure plays a big role in how we organize our priorities

PRESSURE MAKES US ACT and the purpose of the action is to remove pressure and feel comfortable again. There is nothing wrong with pressure at all, as I always say, “In a world without hunger, everyone would die of malnutrition.”

The bible talks about sin and pressure saying in Romans 8:7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

So imagine a can of soda. When you shake the can, you cause the molecules to move around and the liquid to become pressurized. Once the can is opened the liquid must jump out and spray. The liquid has no choice it is powerless to stay inside the can, and it does not want to stay inside anyway. It sprays and gets wasted.

That’s why sometimes, no matter how much you try to do the right thing, there is a level of provocation that puts you under so much pressure that you just end up breaking and falling for the temptation. But I have good news for you.

Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. That little cover on the soda can is like the Spirit of God in you. Circumstances and desires can shake and shake and shake the can and put the liquid under so much pressure, but that cover will never pop-open on its own. If you let that cover keep the liquid in check until it settles down again, then when you open the can, there will be no waste, no regrettable compromise, no guilt. Just a very wonderful drink ready to fulfill its purpose.

On your own you may not be able to stop yourself from giving to the pressure that comes from within, but with the Holy Spirit at work in you, you will have extremely great success in holding in the pain and discomfort that resisting temptation can bring you way.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Pressure doesn’t feel good and pain is called pain for a reason, it is unpleasant. Sometimes there will be nothing in the present that makes you feel good about being under pressure. At that point, be like Jesus who when on the cross, had absolutely nothing in his present circumstance that he could use to console and encourage himself. Instead of getting discouraged, he, by faith looked into the future. He had to keep his mind on the promise God had given him. He was able to endure “for the joy that was set before him”. Hebrews 12:1-3

Halleluyah! We are no longer slaves to sin because we are no longer obligated to the sinful nature. Now we have a choice. Thanks to the the blood of Jesus we are no longer debtors to the sinful nature. We have a choice. Romans 8:12

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, “The pressure to __________________is painful, the pressure is pressing, I cannot deny that I am tempted to ________________ and I am under pressure to give in and feel free, but Holyspirit, I choose to bear it, rather than sin in order to feel better. Help me by your power”. Help me to stay true. Keep me by your word and your power

Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Please bless someone today by sharing this link on Facebook and Twitter. Have a great day

The promise I hold on to

Yesterday's note was an encouragement to stand on God's promises for you. So today, I am posting a small collection of Gods promises which you can meditate on and claim for your self and your family.

This here is real spirit food, remember to digest it.

"And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 28:13-14).

1. My future is secure in God. My Children will flourish and be a blessing on this earth. 




"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Genesis 28:15).

2. I am never alone. God will never leave me.



Psalm 91:10 - No evil shall befall you,Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

3. No evil shall find its way into my home

(Psalm 92: 12-15) The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. 


4. I will flourish and excel at everything I put my hand to do in Jesus Name.


As you claim these precious promises, they become a reality in your life in Jesus Name.
Amen




“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 NIV

When your dream is behind you...

Remember the story of Jacob we talked about yesterday? One exciting thing the Holy Spirit taught me form that story is that many times when you are following God, you will have to walk away from your dream in order for him to make it your reality.

When Jacob woke up from his dream of heaven, he was fully aware that he was standing on his own home. His land which God told him was his own in the dream. He was a king, yet a pauper. He had to stand up, pack his bags and walk away from his dream to a land far away. Not knowing how he could reserve the land for himself or when he would return. All he had was God and God’s Promise. Genesis 28:12-17

Let me ask you, “Has God promised you anything and it is still a dream?” Maybe the only glimpse you have of it is the promise he gave you, which is behind you, in your past. Did you once discover something great in yourself and now you find yourself doing some 'mundane tasks', compared to the grandeur you imagined for yourself and experienced in the past?

I try to think of Jacob. How did he feel when he was arriving at Labans house with nothing more than the Staff in his hand. When he was working as a Farm hand working for 7 years taking care of Labans animals for Racheal only to be cheated. Then working another 7 years for no other reward except Rachel. For over 20 years after he found his dream, touched it, lived it for one night. He was living a life with no apparent connection to it. It was like HIS BEST DAYS WERE BEHIND HIM. But God was with Jacob.

Maybe in school you were a ‘king’, a motivational speaker, a great writer, or during your NYSC you were the best musician, the one with all the great business ideas or the most industrious (you may have even run your own business). Maybe in primary school you discovered you had a passion for art, cooking, engineering e.t.c You may have thought you would be a great Evangelist working miracles for God because you experienced it some time ago. But here you are, life has happened to you, and you feel like it's all in your past. You found your dream you achieved it, but you had to walk away from it for some reason. Now you are a Mother, a teacher, a driver, a marketer, a Manager a business owner, a writer, you are any and everything except what you dreamt of and tasted. You may feel an emptiness that your dream is now behind you. Let me give you a word of encouragement today. Your dream had to go behind you so that, God could put it in your future. God was with Jacob.

God is telling you today to hold on to his word, the promise he gave you. His promises never fail. If you need a word from God, get one using James 1:5 (click to read) but whatever you do, hold on to Gods promise because it will take you where you are going. 

THIS IS JUST THE PROCESS. God says. “I will not leave you until I fulfill what I have promised you.”  He is preparing you for your dream. What you saw in the past was just a taste. Whatever you are doing now, do it unto the Lord. 

ITS ALL PART OF THE PROCESS. The process may be long but its preparing you so that your dream can come from your future into the present. 

WHAT JACOB DID EVEN THOUGH HE WASNT YET AT HIS DREAM JOB

• ·         Worked hard and learnt the value of Labour
• ·         Learned how to manage a large estate of Live Stock
• ·         Learned how to manage a large family
• ·         Learned the value of integrity
• ·         He worked as unto God not Minding Laban's trickery
• ·         He was faithful not cheating Laban
• ·         Obeyed Gods instructions

 

WHAT JACOB GOT AS A RESULT

• 1.     So much Livestock of his own that He could afford to offer up to 500 animals to Esau (cows, bulls, rams etc)
• 2.      2 Wives
• 3.      2 Maids
• 4.      11 Children
• 5.      More than enough money to buy land for all his possessions and family, when he God back home

And in Genesis 35 God told Jacob, Arise and Go to Bethel. You thought your dream was in your past, but it was your future and it is now time to make it your reality. Halleluyah, Jacob was now able to buy the land and occupy it.

THE PROCESS THAT TOOK HIM AWAY FROM HIS DREAM, LED HIM INTO THE FUTURE HE DREAMT ABOUT

Halleluyah!

Imagine if, back in Chapter 28 Jacob had woken up from the dream and said, "God has promised me this land, I’m not going to walk away from it even if he tells me to, why should I go and work for Laban my uncle when I am the owner of this vast land?"

 Follow God, your future is not in the dreams and goals, your future is in HIM.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:  Lord God, help me to stand on your word and realize that you will bring me back to the dream which you gave me. Help me to remain faithful so that your process will prepare me fully for the future you have in store and I won’t loose out in the end.

I take authority over depression and discouragement. I receive joy for the journey. Speak to me Lord, give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding for the journey. Help me never to forget your promise. In Jesus Name.

Amen.

Thank you so much for reading, I am sure you were blessed. Please bless someone with this post by forwarding the link and also post your comments. God bless

Your Celebrity Status

Read Genesis 28:10-22 (Click to Read)

This is an interesting story of Jacob's journey after his father had given him a blessing. His journey was not one he could complete in a day. He had to make a stop, he needed a place to lay his head, a place to rest and sleep. He chose a certain place and he made an excellent discovery. Read to find out!

Did you notice in verse 11 the place he chose to rest at was called “A certain place”. The bible didn’t record the name i.e He came to a certain place, no name, no prominence just one of the many places he could have found to lay his head. He took a stone, no name, no prominence, it could have been any other stone, there was nothing special about it, he just needed to put his head on it. He didn’t have anything special planned just sleep, wake up, continue travelling.

Who could have guessed what would happen the next morning! In Verse 18 He woke up and and said “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” He setup that ‘Ordinary Stone’ as a pillar unto God and he anointed it and gave it a new name. Something great had happened there, the place could no longer be ‘a certain place’ the name needed to be recorded. And so In Verse 19, not only did the bible NOW record the original name of that ‘a certain place’ (Luz). The bible recorded that Jacob gave the place a new name, and also recorded the new name, ‘BETHEL’.

What happened over night that made these things move from being just like any other to attaining ‘Celebrity Status’? If you clicked on the link and read the passage then you know the answer to this question.

Verse 12-15 

12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

The Lord met Jacob at Bethel! 

One thing we all need to know without any shadow of doubt is this: 

When anyone and I mean anyone experiences Gods anointing through you, when God meets someone at the point of their need through your actions or words. When God gives a person a word of breakthrough and deliverance through you or when someone experiences the love of God in you. You will most definitely move from being just any other person, or any other Christian, being any other man, woman, teacher, student, cleaner, father, client, husband, wife, child e.t.c People will want to know “What did you say your name was again?” That is where you will find your celebrity status, the type that is worth something even in the life to come.

  

So, in line with what we read yesterday, we should constantly hunger for more of the Holy Spirit to be at work in us, until we are overflowing and begin to affect other people’s lives. To the point where they say “Wow! God is in this person? I didn’t even know. That means God is real oh!” From that moment on, you attain Your Celebrity Status (which you were not even hungry for in the first place, because you were busy Seeking First the Kingdom).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord fill me with your Spirit, fill me afresh, fill me anew, make me hungry for more of you in my life. Help me to be a blessing and when I come across people who need a touch from you, use me. Here I am Lord, use me. In Jesus Name, Amen

Try to Imagine it!

TRY TO IMAGINE IT

                                  Matthew 6:32-34   

When you read that verse, what do you think of?
Many of us feel guilty that we are not doing enough 'Kingdom Work'
Some of us look at our jobs as a hindrance to obeying that verse.
Yet others feel good saying "I spend all my time working in Church"


But what does that verse really mean? What is God saying there?
The verse (in case you didn't click the link) is, Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Have you ever felt guilty when you read this scripture because you think about your job and how tasking it is and how you don't have time for evangelism and prayer and choir meetings?



Imagine having a bucket of water and a cap-full of disinfectant. When it gets into the water the aim is to disinfect the water, but it will most likely also change the taste, color and smell of the water. Imagine pouring the disinfectant into the water and it says, "Oh! because the water is so much and I am so small, the color of the water wont change so let me not mix with the water Ill just stay on one side of the bucket." does it make sense? What about the disinfecting? 
Your job is part of your 'Kingdom Work'.

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?


What happens in Gods Kingdom? Streets are paved with Gold, Food is delicious, there is no sickness, there is beautiful music, there are many mansions, the gates are made with precious stones, the laws are God's laws, everyone worships God. If we were placed on earth to replicate this, CAN YOU IMAGINE how far from our goal we are? When last did you see a road that was not tarred? This morning? We have not finished paving the streets on earth with Bitumen, how much more gold. Try to imagine an economy sustained by God-given principles because Top Economists are working with Divine Direction. Economic Recession wouldn't be a term we understand.


Try and imagine, the technological wonders we would have in this world if the devil didnt keep taking us backwards with wars, imagine the medical discoveries, imagine what we would be paving roads with if so much money wasn't being spent on Nuclear weapons, please TRY AND IMAGINE the level of education and knowledge if there was no poverty in the world, imagine the cars imagine the life!

Remember with me for a moment what happened when God created Adam? He showed him all the animals and said "Name Them". That is the role he expected us to play, he didn't say "Adam, this is the antelope take care of it well." No! God gave us raw materials and said, make something out of it, bring my kingdom and dominion here. Make this place my kindgom. All our tasks are meant to be fulfilled by Gods enablement. Personally some of my best ideas for my job came after or during a time of prayer or worship.

Remember this scripture? 

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.


Imagine what life would be like, if you asked the Holy Spirit what area your business should expand into, or what he wants you to achieve on your job. Seeking Gods Kingdom first means always being hungry to be used by the Holy Spirit to do his will where ever you are. At work, At home, In church, With Friends e.t.c


What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?

Matthew 6:32 is a reminder that IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD. When he gives you that brilliant idea for a new invention, it may bring prominence, that's nice, but don't change your hunger to a hunger for prominence, it may bring money, don't change your motivation to money. Instead, always keep your mind on God and His kingdom. Commune with God and be filled with his word and the Holy Spirit will take you in the direction where you will find your greatest and most useful self. Just remember, it might not be the direction you think, and then again it may be.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Holy Spirit, I want more of you in my life, I want to be an example of the believer in thought, word and deed. Help me to know God's will and do Gods will even on my job. Help me to be hungry to do your will at all times and to put in my best into everything I do. Use me to bring about great change and great benefit to the world around me and may it all be to the Glory of God in Jesus Name. Amen

'The REAL You'

The you you have is a result of the you you feed. - Me
Why feed the real you? who is the real you? Is any you that you feed the real you?

This poem will help us decide.

LIVING LARGE: “I AM IN CHARGE”

I saw a car one day, drive off and leave its owner. “Oh No!” He cried, “my car, my pride!” “I’ll get you back, I’ll get you fixed. Come back to me, I need a ride.” He quickly bestowed upon the car brains so it could find its way back to him and thus the car said. “Good bye owner, you’re on your own Now I’m in charge, I’ve got to go. I feel so grand, I’m Living Large.” Around and Round the owner chased. “Please stop a while, let me inside. You’ll take me here, I’ll take you there. In serving me, you’ll have a life, but on your own, there’s naught but strife.” “Go away owner, I’m in control, never again, will you hold the reigns.” Around and round the car did go, Left here, right there, and a u-turn there. It came to a stop for it couldn’t go on. Its gas was gone, Its tyres frayed. It smiled with pride “Oh what a life. I drove and drove

I rode and rode and now my time has come. Oh! Dear scrap yard, take all I have for life has been so hard.” There in the yard, he met a truck, “Hi there, Old friend.” He said to him And told long tales all day, all night of zipping and zapping around and round Of sights he’d seen and places he’d been Of hurdles he crossed and things he escaped. “Oh! What a joy, to have lived free.” “Do you know what you are?” His old friend asked. An ambulance from all your stats. Please tell me more, about your days, I’d love to hear your other tales What precious lives you must have have saved, The thrills you felt the days you did The lows you had, the days you failed What a full life you must have lived An ambulance with precious cargo But first my friend, please tell me how come. Your steering wheel, still looks so new. I would like to know “Who was driving you?”

Imagine a headless Chicken, A Car with a faulty Steering wheel on high speed and a Worm Cut in half.

What do they all have in common?

Much movement, Much Activity, Much Achievement but to what end? To what purpose?

The REAL YOU is the part of you that connects you to God. The part of you that helps you fulfill your greatest purpose and live the most exciting and free life you can live.

Feed your SPIRIT and DISCOVER how AMAZING God has made you.

Don’t just live because you are alive.

Life makes the most sense when you are truly in tune with GODS GRAND DESIGN.

The Real you is your spirit, it only feeds on God's Word

Feed the Real You