Men, Women and Relationships

One indisputable fact of life is that men and women are two uniquely different individuals on so many levels, in many ways. Generally, men are logical while women are emotional. Men are thinkers, while women are feelers.A man for example will hire someone to work for him, once the person is qualified. He reasons that "since the person can do the job, I'll employ him." A woman conversely may say, "well this person is qualified but I just don't feel good about hiring him/her." Maybe this has to do with the “female intuition” which has commonly been termed as a woman’s “sixth-sense.”

Ironically, though men are thinkers, they tend not to over-think before deciding on issues whereas a woman will think about all the possible outcomes of a particular situation before she reaches a conclusion. She will want to play-out the "what if's" in her mind before deciding.

Women usually allow their sensitive side show, while men will tend to keep that aspect of themselves hidden. It is not that men don't cry, but they prefer to do so behind closed doors when no one else can see the tears. Interesting also is that though men are physically stronger than women, women are emotionally stronger than men. That is to say that a woman's threshold for handling emotionally difficult/stressful situations is much higher than a man's.

When it comes to communicating, women love to talk...while men can speak volumes in very few words, hence they are actually better listeners than women. For instance, when a man apologizes, he may not say more than "I am sorry, it won't happen again" A woman will not only say sorry, but will further explain why she did what she did...and oftentimes, she sees the man's apology as incomplete if he doesn't explain the "why's" and the "how's."

Generally, men are simple...while females are seemingly complex. A woman's "yes" can mean "no" and vice versa. Men and women will always respond differently when placed in the same situation. I can go on endlessly about the differences between these two genders.

However, what I want to stress is that these differences can't really be changed; they’re facts we have to live with. This is so essential in relationships because failure to accept them is what usually causes the most tension and misunderstandings. If a man and woman can honestly learn to celebrate their differences, they will have more peace in their relationship.

Women should learn to sometimes "get into the man's head." For instance, a woman should realize that just because her man does not let her see his emotions, doesn't mean he doesn't ever get hurt. Hence, she needs to be wise with the words she speaks to him. Remember that words are very powerful...they can either build or destroy. Women also should be mindful not to say things that bruise the man's ego. Since men talk less, they tend to get irritated and switch-off when a woman talks too much. So ladies, don't be loquacious during your conversations so you don't become a nag. Additionally, learn to enjoy some of the activities or hobbies your man likes. He will appreciate your effort, more than he will understand your disinterest in the things that interest him.

For the men, remember that women are emotional beings. Even if your lady acts tough, she's still a woman. Women love to "feel" good and they value appreciation and attention the most. Guys, you also have to be wise with the words you speak to her too. Say nice things to her as often as you can; women love compliments. Know also that when a woman wants your attention, she wants your full attention. If you've agreed to sit and watch a movie with her for instance, don't use that time to do other things like make phone calls. Men should learn to listen to the female intuition especially if your lady has a "bad feeling" about something. Many husbands have dismissed such gut-feelings from their wives only to make a decision that turns detrimental in the end.

The bottom-line is that men and women should appreciate who they are. It was never a misdeed or mistake that God created us with these idiosyncrasies. Like I once heard Pastor John Hagee say during one of his teachings, "a man is a man for a reason, and a woman is a woman for a reason." Neither one should expect the other to be like him/her. In a real loving relationship, we should be more understanding of our differences and learn how best to relate with each other based on these differences.

 

A love song for Jesus

My first blog post after several weeks. Its a love letter to Jesus...

Lover of my soul, sweet song in my heart;
Lover of my soul, the peace that never will depart.
Lover of my soul, the force that propels me;
Lover of my soul, your love so compels me.

You took my pains, you put away my shame;
You took my mess...removed all my brokenness.
For a death sentence, you gave me eternal life;
Instead of mourning...my heart remains rejoicing.

Lover of my soul...my greatest treasure;
The One who loves me beyond measure.
My heartbeat, my every breath;
My life, my very strength.

Lover of my soul...my unfailing rescuer;
Lover of my soul...my redeeming Saviour.

Not perfect...but graced!

I once stated in one of my posts that I don't like to get too personal on any social media. I value my privacy a lot...and I'm fully aware that once you put your personal business out there, it becomes every body's business. The few times I share personal life experiences, it is because such are relevant to whatever I may be blogging about at that precise moment.

This blog is not a diary of my personal life, neither is it an autobiography-type page. I started this blog as an outlet to share my views about faith in God, everyday life issues dealing with love and relationships and so much more.

However, inasmuch as I may write encouraging words, I have never claimed to be perfect, devoid of any weakness or short comings. For crying out loud, I am human...and therefore I am bound to err every now and then. I surely have made decisions I'm not too proud of. I have most certainly offended people along the way. There are people who may view me as their enemy...just like I view some as mine too. I've without a doubt hurt people I shouldn't have (knowingly or otherwise).

I have a past that is laden with messes and even mistakes...but we all have such, right?. The problem is that most times, we seem to think that some sins/weaknesses are better than others...therefore we have this prideful notion that some Christians are more "righteous" than others. There is no such thing. These are doctrines of men. My Bible tells me that all true believers are the righteousness of God in Christ. God declares us righteous by reason of our faith in His son Jesus, not because we are good. Also, God doesn't  categorize/qualify sin. Jesus Himself admonished us to remove the LOG in our own eye, before we can see clearly to take out the speck in our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). Now tell me...a log or a speck...which is larger? When we point a finger at someone, three are pointing back at us. We all have faults, weaknesses and stuff we need God's help in overcoming. Hence, we all must repent before God every time the need arises, even as believers. This is a hard lesson God personally taught me quite recently; and I had to repent of stuff that I realized were unbecoming of me.

I can say boldly that although I'm a  born-again Christian, though my spirit has been renewed in Jesus, I still fall short sometimes, and I make mistakes. This is because my reborn spirit still resides in a mortal, corruptible flesh. I stumbled on a teaching from Bill Winston some days ago where he put it so clearly that as believers, we have to retrain our minds to think in accordance with the new nature of Christ we received. Paul said aptly that, we must die daily to our flesh (1Cor 15:31). We must kill its desires and learn to walk according to the leading of the Spirit of God. This is a mandate for all true Christians. I'm learning to do this in my personal journey with God too. We however can only do this with the aid of the perfect grace of God, the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

Having said all this, nothing takes away the fact that I am a child of God. I am redeemed by His perfect blood. Most importantly, in Him, I'm a new creature...old things have passed away. And this is not on account of my good works...I'm simply a product of God's gift of grace. I may not be where I should be, but I'm long gone from where I used to be. I may not be perfect, but I am graced! I'm learning to make such confessions to myself...whenever moments/thoughts of doubt creep in.

I'm so thankful for this grace, everyday of my life. I don't deserve it, God knows; no one does. But God is good and His mercy toward us endureth forever.

I'm sharing this to encourage any Christian who may be feeling defeated. Know that as far as you're in Christ, absolutely no one, and especially not the devil...has got anything on you. God's got you in His palm, and Jesus your great High Priest is always interceding for you. His death on the cross & resurrection wasn't to futility. Be assured that He loves you...don't ever doubt His love.

If we can keep our focus on Him, on that wondrous cross that saved us and on His word...He will help us be better everyday. That is the work of His unending grace.

Remember Proverbs 4:18 states that, "...the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." That perfect day is when Jesus will come and take us to heaven!

The greatest is love...

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love," 1Corinthians 13:13

The entirety of our Christian-walk is based on the three things mentioned above: faith, hope and love. We are Christians because of our faith in God, in Jesus as His son and in His finished works on the cross of Calvary. We also have faith that every promise God has made concerning us will come to pass. We have hope that the good things we expect (which we don't yet see) will be manifested because God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

However, as I read through the entirety of 1 Corinthians 13, something began to dawn on me as I got to verse 13. Many of us are so caught up in maintaining our faith and hope for better things, that we overlook the most important precept of all...LOVE. Love is greater than faith and hope. At the beginning of the chapter, Paul wrote, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing," (1Cor 13:1-4)

We are nothing as Christians, if we do not have the love of God in us. Love is the very nature of God. And if we profess to be in Christ,then we have the nature of God...so we should express the love of God in our character and behavior. While Jesus walked this earth as the Son of man, He had love and compassion for everyone. As Christians, we ought to do same. It is of no consequence to have faith that can move mountains, if we lack the love of Christ in our hearts.

One of the reasons Jesus attacked the Pharisees as much as He did is because they didn't walk in love. Sadly, we find that this hypocrisy is very much alive in the body of Christ today. We even talk, and preach about God's love...but we do not practice it.
Everyday, many Christians pass up opportunities to do something good for someone else. Amazingly and ironically too, such are so full of expectation for good things to happen to them.

Truth is that we should not even profess to love God if we don't love others. Infact, the love we show others is proof that we love God. Love is the fulfillment of the law. As Christians we must love God will all our heart, soul, and might...and love our neighbors as our self (In order to know what God's definition of love is, read verses 4-7 of this same scripture). If we are not walking in love, how can we be a witness to unbelievers about Jesus?

As I end this piece, I urge you to take some moments of solitude and examine your heart. Is the love of God truly resident in you? Is this love evident in the way you behave towards others?

There's no need to despair if you have fallen short in this area. God Himself will help you fulfill this aspect of your Christian-walk. If you can truly surrender your shortcomings to God, because He does love you, He will help you be the Christian that you ought to be.

I'll definitely pray this prayer for myself too because...I do know I fall short, everyday.

A psalm after my heart.

Psalm 139 is undoubtedly one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. From the first time I discovered this psalm of David, (which was quite a number of years ago) I fell in love with it. Whenever I read it, my heart gladdens with joy at the love that God has for me, yet it also marvels at the exceeding goodness of God.

Psalm 139 vs 1-3 reads, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways." God knows all my ways and thoughts; whether good or bad...He knows them all. He knows the words I would speak before I even think of them.

Verse 16 states that: "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. " Hmmm. God knew everything I would do, even before I was born. He designed all my days before He even formed me. He knows my substance: what I can handle and what will break me down. No wonder He said He will never allow us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Furthermore, He knew the mistakes I would make, the bad decisions I'd take, and the sins I would commit. Still, He loves me. And this is because God knew that one day, I would make a choice to forsake my ways and follow Him. That is why He sent His son to die for me...for He sees farther than man sees. He's the beginning and the end, but He sees our end before our beginning.

Further still, this passage of scripture gives me peace because I know that God is always with me. Examine Verses 7-10: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me." Wow! What blessed assurance.  When things are good, and even when things are bad. Through the darkness, down times and moments of confusion, He is always with His loved ones and He will always bring us out.

Even as I write this, my heart warms up. God indeed loves me. God loves us all. He loved us before we were formed. He loved us before we were His. He loves us now that we're His and He will love us forever. No wonder the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, "nothing can separate us from the love of God." God is always with us.

In conclusion, I leave you to meditate on verses 17-18: "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand."

 

Humble Yourself!

I’m quite certain that every Christian who is familiar with the key men of God in the Bible knows that David is the only person who was described as “a man after God’s heart.”  We all know too well the story of David, how God called and anointed Him to be King when he was just a shepherd boy, and of course how he slew the Philistine giant Goliath with a mere pebble to the amazement of all. The book of Psalms written primarily by David, is one of the most widely read scriptures in the Bible.

For quite a number of months now, I’ve been pondering about this honorable man of God and have been trying to understand why He was so loved by God, so much that our Saviour Jesus Christ has His earthly heritage in the lineage of David. This is confirmed in the book of 2Samuel 7, where God makes a covenant with David, promising to establish his kingdom forever. David was not a perfect man, just like none of us (even those that are God’s righteous) are. He had his weaknesses, and he committed two notable sinful acts….adultery and murder.  But God’s love was continually upon this man after God’s heart all the days of his life. My thoughts on this issue compelled me to spend ample time reading about the life and times of David.  Its been months since I started, but it was today, as I read through 1Samuel 7 that it finally dawned on me one of the reasons why David touched the heart of God so much. He possessed a character trait that God expects from everyone who professes to love Him: humility.

David was a genuinely humble man. He always saw himself as nothing, as much as he was revered and loved by all of Israel.  For instance, Saul had spent years wanting to kill him but when David had the chance to retaliate, he spared Saul’s life. Because he still saw himself as a servant in Saul’s kingdom (since Saul was still King), he didn’t deem it right to avenge his master. In fact, I don’t think in his heart, David ever thought of Saul as an enemy. This act also portrayed that David had a forgiving heart…and true forgiveness requires humility. David even openly mourned when Saul died, proving that his loyalty to Saul was genuine.

As successful as David was as King of Israel, as many victories God gave him, as many cities as he conquered, he never let pride enter his heart. This is in complete contrast to Saul whose pride was ultimately his undoing. David’s humility also showed when he praised God and danced until his clothes fell off as the Ark of the Covenant  was being taken back to Jerusalem (2Samuel 6). David’s wife Michal even despised him for this, because she felt it was a show of shame for a king to behave that way in public. David’s response to her was, “it was the Lord who chose me…to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord, and I will be even more undignified than this and will be humble in my own sight” 2Samuel 6:21-22. David didn’t allow his position as King, affect how He expressed his praise and worship to God. Even when he sinned against God and was confronted by the prophet Nathan, he admitted his sin to Nathan, and God forgave him (see 2Samuel 12:1-15). I bet David must have felt ashamed when Nathan came to him; however, he did the right thing by confessing.

David may not have been a perfect man, but he sure had a perfect heart. His humility stands out for me because the word of God states that, if you humble yourself before God, He will lift you up (James 4:10). This explains why the glory of God was evident in his life. The scriptures also state that God detests the proud, but He gives more grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). And we can clearly see the grace of God at work, even in that God forgave David for all his sins. It is evident by the words David used in writing the Psalms, that he never attributed his success and fame to his own effort, but rather to God’s favour, grace and love.

Pride is completely antagonistic to the nature of God and having examined closely the life of David, it is now my prayer and desire that pride remain as far away from my heart as possible. I know that if I can get my heart in the right place by God’s grace, then my actions will be right as well. May God help us all be men and women after His own heart.

A page from my walk with God

I always try not to get too personal in my blog posts mainly because I really value my privacy. However, I’ve decided to be sharing some of my personal experiences relating to my Christian walk. My desire is that by so doing, other believers may be encouraged in their own relationship with God.

I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was about 13years old. Prior to this, I vividly remember my mum once asking me when I would get saved, and my response to her was, "when I understand what being saved is all about." I always wondered what thoughts went on in her mind as a result of my statement, but she recently told me she was quite satisfied with it. Well, I later responded to an altar call one Sunday in church after a sermon that moved me.

However, as I grew older and began to handle life on my own, I found it tasking keeping up with being born-again. The fact that after High School, I left the shores of Nigeria to the United States to pursue my University education, further compounded issues for me. The life I lived in America (being a student and working) hardly left much time for me to get engaged in church activities the way I'd wanted to. As years went by, I started to become lukewarm in the things of God. Not that I denounced my faith, but it took a backseat to everything else in my life.

A number of years down the road, certain events happened in my life which made me sit back and question everything I’d understood about salvation. By this time I was back home in Nigeria and had a family of my own. I found myself having to go through some unpleasant experiences which made me doubt my faith in God. I wondered if He really had been watching over me like His word says. I wondered why He didn't speak to me before I made certain decisions that led me to this moment. I was seemingly confused as to whether I was truly born-again. This was roughly four years ago.

What I want to share today is the fact that it was in the midst of this very turbulent storm that God began to reveal certain truths about salvation to me. It was then I got the understanding that in order for you to really embrace God, you have to get to the end of yourself. You have to come to a point where everything you know, fails you. I got the revelation that for you to be truly saved, you have to actually need salvation. You must come to a point where your only option is complete faith in God.

I have now understood that being a born-again Christian is about being sold-out to Jesus. It is about placing God first in your life, above everyone else. It is about dying to yourself (your needs, your wants, your feelings, your wisdom & knowledge), and living for Jesus. This is what Jesus meant when He said we must take up our cross and follow Him…we must sacrifice our lives on the altar of the cross and receive a new life which is totally yielded to His will and purpose.

Being saved is not just about reading your Bible once or twice a day, but it is about allowing the word of God to take residence in your heart. It is not about going to church once/twice a week. Yes, we must not forsake the gathering of the brethren. But fellowship with other believers and serving God should be done out of our love for Him, not as a legalistic ritual or religious routine. We should do these things; (pray, obey the word, and participate in church activities) because we want to please God. Even our giving of tithes and offerings should be done as an act worship and love for Him, not as a legalistic practice.

This is the first of a few posts I’ll be writing on yielding to God’s purpose. The truth is that until you surrender wholly to God, you will never really enjoy the salvation Jesus obtained for you by His death and resurrection.

 

This thing called Love...

The world over, love is something that has been so severely misunderstood, misconstrued and abused. For many, love is often equated with attraction, lust or a desire to be with someone. Because of this fact,some have entered into relationships based on how good or excited they feel about a person. Such liaisons are purely based on attraction. Sadly, for those who get into such relationships, nothing seems to remain after the attraction, feelings of euphoria and the imaginary "butterflies in the tummy" fade away. The end result is that the relationship eventually falls apart. For others, love is confused with lust, which is nothing but physical or sexual desire for someone else. And once lust is acted upon, there is nothing left to keep the relationship going. All these perversions of love are simply the tricks of the devil and his plan to keep as many people as possible from experiencing what true love is.

One might then be led to ask: what is love? Well, because i am a Christian...i tend to look to the word of God for answers to all of life's questions on different issues. This is simply because God's word is truth. Of course there are quite a number of bible verses which talk about love and after meditating on several of them, i came to my own understanding that:

1. You cannot truly love someone else if you don't love yourself and you cannot love yourself if you don't first love God. Love flows from God because God is love and love is God. The love you receive from God enables you love another human being.
2. Love is not an emotion or feeling. Real love transcends emotions. For instance, if you love someone, you'll always do your best to please him/her, even when you don't feel good about it.
3. Love is acceptance. When you truly love, you accept someone for who they are. You don't judge them based on their past, weaknesses or mistakes. Neither do you try to mold them into who you think they ought to be. But if the person loves you in return, he/she will naturally try to work on areas in their life that aren't so praiseworthy.
4. Love isn't love until it is expressed through actions. It is not enough to say the words, you have to prove love by the things you do. Even God proved His love for us by sending His son Jesus to the cross. John 3:16
5. Love is sacrifice. A sacrifice always involves you emptying of yourself in some way. When you love someone, you will inconvenience yourself for their sake without thinking twice.
6. Love sees uniqueness, not weakness. Love understands that no two people can have the same attitude and personalities. Love appreciates and celebrates the differences in these areas.
7. Love sees what is hidden to the rest of the world. If you love someone, you can almost sense how they're feeling without the person having to say anything.
8. Love respects. Yes! Whether male or female, if you love someone, you'll show them a great deal of respect in all ramifications. You respect their ideals, values and even their personal space.
9. Love always gives. If you love, you must give of yourself, and your time when the need arises. Love gives without being asked.
10. Love is friendship. Real love is genuine, committed & loyal friendship between two people. In fact, friendship is the foundation that keeps love intact. A true friend will always be there, even when it hurts to do so. As the bible states, "greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for a friend." See John 15:13.

I urge you to take a close look at the scriptures in 1Corinthians 3:4-7 where Paul gives God's definition of love. It will give you an even clearer picture of what love entails.

This is the first of many posts I'll be doing on the subject matter. My ernest hope and prayer is that more people get to enjoy a lifelong love relationship with that one special person. This is what God purposed for us from the very beginning.

RELATIONSHIP 101: Do's and Don'ts

If there's one issue that everyone will be faced with at one point in time, it is that of relationships. Because every person has an innate desire to belong, to relate with the opposite sex and to experience love, relationships are part of the human experience. If you look to the creation story in Genesis 2, you'd see that Adam was lonely in the garden, even though he was technically not alone (as there were other animals on earth). However, Adam didn't have someone of his kind (human) and type (compatible) to relate with. We can therefore see that the need for relationship with the opposite sex was in man from the beginning. Of course, most adults who enter into relationships desire for such to end in marriage, which is still in line with God's purpose. When God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, He created Eve and she became his wife.

However, we must understand that not every relationship is meant to end in marriage. Some relationships are just meant for the moment, or to put it more aptly, for a season. There are people God brings into your life for a purpose, and when this purpose has been fulfilled, He removes them.

For those that aren't at that point in life where marriage is desired, exercise caution and wisdom when embarking on close relationships. There are people that will not add any value to your life, but rather subtract from it. Just because you like a person, doesn't mean you need a relationship with the person. Many relationships are simply time-wasters while some people will only help destroy your destiny or distract you from it. Furthermore, avoid being involved with someone who makes you compromise your faith, values and ideals. The worst mistake we can make is to constantly get mixed up with people who make us conform to their own image or ideas of who we should be. Never lose yourself and your identity because you want a man/woman to love you. Learn to guard your heart from unnecessary heartbreak and hurt.

If you desiring marriage, then believe that just like God tailor-made Eve for Adam, so has He created a spouse for you. There is someone that is your perfect match, one who compliments you in every sense of the word...someone with whom you will build a lifelong relationship. By faith, you can ask God to bring this person into your life. And when you find the one God made for you, you'll be accepted for who you are...even your weaknesses won't be an issue. As a Christian, always remember that you have the Holy Spirit and the word of God to guide and counsel you in every aspect of your life, even as regards relationships.

Be productive with what you have

In "The parable of the talents" in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gave an illustration of a master who apportioned talents to three of his servants before embarking on a journey. Upon his return, he found that two of them had invested and made a profit on what he gave. The one that he gave five talents now had a total of ten, and the one he gave two talents had a total of four. The man was pleased with these two and blessed them. The third servant had received one talent and didn’t do anything with it; instead he buried it in the ground and presented it back to his master. The master chastised and punished him for this…verse 28-29 says "So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."  
As I spent some time meditating on this scripture, these are the lessons I learned from it:  

1. It is not how much you have that makes you successful, but it is WHAT YOU DO with what you have. The servant who received two talents and gained two more, was just as successful as the one who received five. I understood this from the fact that the master pronounced the same blessing on both of them. He said to them in verses 22 & 23 respectively, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." They both had a different number of talents, but were equally blessed in the end. The master was displeased with the servant who didn’t do anything with what was given Him. By so doing, he didn’t achieve success and also missed out on the master’s blessing.

2. When it comes to talents and gifts, it is not about how many things you're able to do. It is about being productive with them. The servant who got one talent may have felt he was at a disadvantage than his counterparts, so he decided to just bury it, rather than invest it. This was the wrong attitude to have. Even if you are gifted at one thing, make the best of it. Do the best you can with it.

3. God rewards us for our faithfulness in using what He gives us. Being faithful at something is about putting effort into it. The master here said he would make the first two servants faithful over much because they were faithful in the little they had. He rewarded them for their effort, their diligence.

4. I believe that God doesn't show favoritism/partiality when it comes to our talents. Because He loves us all, He puts gifts in us according to our ability to handle them. In the parable, one servant got five talents, the second got two but in the end, they were both commended in the same way by their master. In the eyes of God, someone who can sing and act is not better than someone who can only sing. Remember that He loves us all equally.
5. Letting your gift lie dormant (buried) in you, shows ingratitude to God. Ungratefulness closes the door for more blessings to enter your life. You bring glory to God when you put to use what he has placed in your hands. God promises to bless the work of our hands (see Deutoronomy 28:12). Don't be lazy with your talents. Put them to use, work with them (to glorify God)...and He will surely reward you!

Managing your time daily

We live in such a fast paced world. People have work deadlines to meet, business meetings to attend, daily errands to run among other things. Throw socializing in the mix and you’ll discover that most people are hardly able to keep up with all they have to do daily and even weekly too. Even if you’re not part of the working class population, you likely still have a number of duties to perform every day. Whether it involves household chores, school runs etc., and time would definitely be involved in all of these.

Many of us are unable to accomplish all that demands our attention and even have time for ourselves. Yet, it is quite pertinent that every person has some time every day, no matter how little, for rest and relaxation. The human body is like a machine, which can breakdown if it is overworked or stressed. You cannot function properly if your body is not well maintained.
However, because there are roughly about 18 hours in every day with which we can be active, one must learn how to employ time management skills in order to accomplish one’s tasks effectively.

The first thing I believe one needs to understand and accept is that our bodies must be in a healthy state to function properly. So before you start off your daily routines, be sure to have a proper meal at breakfast. Even if you’re one of those diet fanatics, breakfast is definitely a meal that shouldn’t be skipped. It is better to eat a small/light breakfast than not to have anything at all. This will help to rejuvenate your body and give you the boost of energy required to work.

Next thing I’d recommend is to have a daily to-do list. On here, you write down every task that needs to be done that day. You can make this list while you’re having your breakfast. But if you’re a busy mom for instance, and have early morning school-related errands to carry out, then write this list before bedtime the previous night. The list should be comprehensive and of course doable, not impossible. Be sure to also include very important phone calls that need to be made. The idea of writing a to-do list may sound so elementary to you, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget stuff. Even if you have a 9am-5pm job; you may still have other things to do.

The next thing to do would be to prioritize every item on that list, with the most important things at the top. This will give you a clear idea of which tasks to begin first. Again, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, everything that involves the kids’ school should come first, then stuff like cleaning, laundry and preparing lunch can come next. You can then list out-of-the-house tasks next, so that way you end up picking the kids from school before heading back home for the day. If you work a regular 9am to 5pm job, then you’re pretty much not free till after close of work. You can plan to make any important phone calls on the way home (if you ride the bus) or when you get home (if you drive yourself). Leave lengthy social activities and family leisure time for the weekends.

Once you’re done prioritizing, you can begin to do the tasks one after the other. Do them in as timely of a manner as possible, knowing that every minute counts. Parents should find ways to swap days when it comes to helping the kids with homework. Fathers shouldn’t throw that responsibility entirely to the mothers – they are your children too. Try and cultivate the habit of not doing anything tasking after dinner time. You can instead use this time to relax, watch television, read a book or maybe catch up with your pals on social media. Relaxation is very important for your mental well-being. However, remember not to keep very late nights if you have to wake up early the next morning. Every adult needs between 6-8hours of sleep every night in order to be well-rested.

I’m in no way saying that these are the only ways to properly manage your time every day, but I do believe they can be quite helpful. I use to-do lists and believe me; they make life a lot easier. Fortunately, most mobile phones have this app, so you can carry it with you everywhere. You can even set reminders in your phones if need be. I do this a lot as well!

I do hope you get to try out these methods in the hope of having more productive and stress-free days!

Welcome to your new life in Christ!

Did you recently give your life to Jesus Christ? By this i mean did you repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your life to be your personal Lord and Saviour? If your answer is yes, then you are now saved...you are born again. By this, i mean you are now a child of God, you have become the righteousness of God by your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Your feet are now set on the path that leads to eternal life as John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” I truly believe this is the most fulfilling decision that anyone could ever make in life. Knowing that you not only have received God's grace to live an abundant life on earth, but that you will reign with Jesus in heaven when this earthly life is over should evoke feelings of great joy in your heart.
I'd like to say that you've now officially become a Christian. In Christ, old things have passed away...you are a new creation as the word of God states in 2Corinthians 5:17. Nobody can hold your past against you! By reason of the shed blood of Jesus which cleansed you from all unrighteousness, you are a whole new person. You've been redeemed and reconciled to God. Praise God!

Having said all this, you should know that being born-again is not just about making heaven. It is also about having a personal relationship with God on earth. It’s about placing God first in your life. If you accepted Christ in the privacy of your own home perhaps after listening to a pastor preach on television, then you must find a good Bible believing church where you can hear the word of God taught regularly. Also, fellowshipping with other believers is a good way to sharpen your spiritual life...there's great power in numbers. You must also make out time everyday to have private sessions with God. Praying, worshiping and studying your Bible regularly on your own should never be overlooked. Know this, that because you have Jesus, you have direct access to God. You can pray to Him personally, in your own voice...in your own way. God has now become your father, and you can talk to Him just like you would your earthly father.

Cultivate the habit of meditating regularly on God's word. The more you do this, the more you'll begin to transform your way of thinking. God's word is there to guide and direct us in those moments of confusion. If you’ve not read much of the Bible, it may help to start with the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John where you can get a better understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus. What better way to understand what being a Christian entails, if not by reading the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Living a Christ-centered life may seem so tasking at this early stage of your journey, but His grace is there to help you through it. Don't forget the Holy Spirit...who is your helper, counselor and your teacher. Infact you should pray to receive the Holy Spirit into your heart as well, and you can call on Him anytime the need arises.

Welcome to your new life in Christ!

Words of wisdom...

I stumbled on these inspirational words of wisdom somewhere and thought to share them. Hope they'll mean something to you like they did to me.  

1. Believe while others are doubting
2. Plan while others are playing
3. Decide while others are delaying
4. Study while others are sleeping
5. Prepare while others are daydreaming
6. Begin while others are procrastinating
7. Work while others are wishing
8. Save while others are wasting
9. Listen while others are talking
10. Smile while others are frowning
11. Commend while others are criticizing
12. Persist while others are quitting.

Creation awaits your manifestat​ion

Yes, I believe that each and every human being on the face of this earth was born to be great! The reason I say this is because every person is created in the image (the likeness) of God and the life in us is from God. Therefore we each have a deposit of greatness in our being because God Himself is a great God. In other words, every human being has the potential to be successful and fulfilled. But if you are a believer, a true Christian who has accepted Jesus, then you've been set apart to achieve even greater things for God, for His glory. The scriptures say that “…the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits” Daniel 11:32. We can thus see that God does not expect those who know Him to be anything else but great. We even have examples of people in the Bible who were not just used by God for great accomplishments, but they excelled in what they did. The likes of Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Esther, Daniel, Paul were highly successful people.
However and quite sadly too, many Christians today have become content with a mediocre, average, and ordinary life even though they believe in and serve an extraordinary God. Many are under-achievers in life, and this is usually because of the decisions they make. Oftentimes, they place limits on themselves by their choices, while others decide what to do based on what people expect from them. Many believers are not living the abundant life that Jesus obtained for them through His death on the cross and resurrection. It almost seems as though it is more of the non-Christians who are doing extraordinary things on earth, pursuing their goals and living out their talents. This is disheartening as it is not God's plan for His own. 1Corinthians 2:9 states that "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." We see that God has a great plan for His children, and it is high time they begin to walk in accordance with this plan.
I believe that the first step to take towards this is to for one to transform his/her mind (way of thinking) by allowing it to conform to the word of God. Christians need to let their thoughts align with God’s word. Having a renewed/positive mind-set will then influence even the words you speak concerning yourself. Speak the word of God into your life positively. As a child of God, you have the mind of Christ so you need to learn to think like Him. Begin to see things from a heavenly perspective. Stop seeing yourself as an ordinary being. You're fearfully & wonderfully made. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation...the called of God. Do not limit yourself. In God, there are no limits...ALL things are possible with Him. Do not settle for less in life; stop lowering your standard of doing things. Instead, strive for the best and be excellent in all you're doing. Mediocrity is not God’s standard.

Secondly, do not allow the devil's tricks keep you from nurturing that seed of greatness which is in you. You are seated with Jesus in heavenly places, far above all the powers of the devil. Therefore he can only harm you if you allow him. Give the devil no foothold in your life; resist Him with the sword of the word, with your words and by your faith actions.
Remember that through Jesus, and by His grace, you can do all things. You were born to be great and all creation is eagerly waiting for your manifestation.

A special dedication to God

This is for you, my heavenly father
The one who can't be compared to any other.
O Lord, I cannot comprehend your greatness,
Neither can i grasp the depth of your loving kindness.
You are gracious to an undeserving me
Your mercy runs deeper than even the deep blue sea.
You framed me before you made the skies and the earth,
You thought of me before the birds were birthed.
You knew that i may choose not to follow you
Still you sent your only son,to atone for the bad things i would do.
What manner of love? What amazing love
Coming down from your throne above.
I cannot still understand it, My mind often tries to make sense of it.
I bless you my God for your grace towards me
For the salvation you gave when Jesus hung on a tree.
A thousand words, even the sweetest of song
Can never express how grateful i am that to you, i belong.
You are indeed my everything, and without you everything means nothing.
I vow to serve you all of my days
By your grace i will please you in all of my ways.
This is for you,my heavenly father
The one who can't be compared to any other.

Footnotes on worship

Below are just a handful of thoughts concerning worship that dropped in my spirit earlier on today. Hope it will make some difference in the way you begin to worship God from now on.


1. You can’t worship God with a heart full of pride, ingratitude and bitterness.
2. You can’t worship God when your mind is busy worrying about all the problems you have.
3. You can’t worship God when your spirit is not connected to His Spirit, for God is Spirit and must be worshiped in Spirit and in truth.
4. In order to worship God, you must first ask Him to help you put off every form of pride and bitterness.
5. In order to worship God, you must lay aside every burden, every worry, and every fear.
6. Worship is not about you, it is totally and completely about Him.
7. When you enter His presence, you must die to yourself, and tune your heart, your soul, your mind and your spirit to Him.
8. Worship, true worship is connecting to the heart of God, it is about appreciating God for who He is.
9. The same way you would tell the person you love how much he/she means to you, if you truly love God then you must pour out your love feelings for Him in worship.
10. Worship is very different from making requests to Him...when you worship, you don’t ask…you tell God who He is, and how much He means to you.  
11. When you worship, you can talk, sing, shout, you can even cry.  
12. Worship is total adoration of and for God.

Deciding Right

Each and every day of our lives, we are confronted with the job of having to make decisions about so many different things. Some decisions we have to make are pretty simple such as; deciding whether to get out of bed in the morning and whether or not to carry out our daily routines like going to work, business or  school.  These decisions are clear-cut because they really do not require any thought process. There are also situations we find ourselves in where we have to respond very quickly. For instance, if you’re crossing the street and you see a car suddenly come speeding towards you, you don’t need to think about whether to get off the road quickly so you don’t get hit. In fact in such dangerous situations, our natural response mechanism communicates to our brain that we need to flee. In other instances, a mother does not need to spend any time thinking of whether or not to pick up and try to pacify her crying infant; neither may a father need to ponder lengthily if he should take his son for soccer practice on weekends when he doesn’t have to work. These are responsibilities that come with the territory of being a parent.

However, there are other times we are faced with situations where making a decision becomes quite arduous. For instance someone who is not feeling fulfilled or deriving any form of job-satisfaction may be thinking of quitting his/her job in order to explore other possibilities far as a career is concerned.  Someone may also be thinking of moving to a new city, state or even country in search of greener pastures. People also have to make choices about relationships and marriage. In all these instances, decisions cannot be made at the drop of a hat. What makes decision making tasking in such situations is that there may not be any right or wrong choice. In such cases, the purpose for deciding is usually to take a step towards making one’s life better than it already is. In simple terms, the decision we take in such instances should affect us positively. This begs the question of: how does one make decisions in such seemingly ambiguous situations?

When having to decide about something that has no clear right or wrong choice, one must first take into account what the possible outcome of the decision could be. One has to examine what consequences (whether positive or negative) could result if a particular decision is made. For example, if one is considering quitting a job or moving to a new city, it would be sensible to weigh the pros and cons before actually taking the decision.
As Christians however, we should always remember that we are subject to the will and purpose of God for our lives. In other words, we cannot and should not live our lives outside of His plan/purpose for us. Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV) tells us that, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless, the Lord’s counsel – that will stand.”  Therefore before we even begin to even think towards a particular decision, we need to prayerfully inquire from God what His plan for our life is, and if the decision we want to make is in line with it. If we have already figured out what decision we want to take, we also need to be sure it is in line with God’s word. The Bible tells us that, “there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is a way of deceit,” (Proverbs 16:25 NKJV). As children of God, the last thing we want is to consciously take a decision that could lead us down a path of destruction. If we are confused on whether the decision we want to make is right or not, His word is always there to guide us and lead us to the right place. David put it so aptly in Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) “your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” God’s word brings light which gives direction where there is darkness.
When we are deciding on what to do, we should also allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be our guide, our helper and our counselor. Infact, what qualifies us to be called children of God is that we are Spirit-led (Romans 8:14). And the Spirit helps us in our moments of weakness (Romans 8:26a), when we are confused. It is therefore important for believers to stay in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
We can also help ourselves better decide what to do by seeking counsel from other people who can help us look at things from different perspectives. However, we should employ wisdom when doing so because not everyone may have our best interest at heart.
Having said all this, we should always bear in mind that we may not need to take too long in deciding what to do. Remember that time (and the world) is not going to stand still just so you can make up your mind on what you want to do. Also know that indecision is a decision in itself and could actually end up leading to regret much later in life. Finally, be assured that if you already made a decision that turned out to have some negative consequence, you can fully rely on the grace of God to help you out of it. As far as you are in Christ, He can turn any of your mistakes into something positive if you surrender it all to Him. Remember that “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 (NKJV).