This Way To...

I am always amused each time I hear comments about villages, hamlets or small towns. People who live or come from big towns sometimes poke fun at individuals from villages by saying; "are you not from this way to village?" We are familiar with big sign boards at the entrance of cities saying "Welcome to ..." and then there usually is a slogan of what makes the city stand out. However, when you travel on the highway and you are approaching a small village, there will be a small wooden sign post with the inscription; "this way to..."

 

There is a similarity between the above description and the road to eternity. Mathew 7:13 NIV

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it".

 

Jesus himself is the Way, the Truth and Life. In other words, there is a need for a personal encounter in this race to heaven. It has to be more than a fad, routine or what is expected of you. Jesus is the compass as we run this race and He alone is the one who give us strength and grace to carry on. We are faced with discouragement and we tend to grow weary by the distractions on the road, however, we are called to remain focused and run the race set before us. Having an encounter means; acknowleging that you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, repenting, confessing and forsaking your sins, inviting Jesus into your heart as your Lord and saviour and asking Him to lead you through His word to heaven.

 

Maybe you are wondering what am saying, there is a need to bring your life under the management of the Lord Jesus Christ so He can become your Lord and saviour and write your name in the lamb's book of Life. If you have made this decision but have become weary and it seems that His promises will never come through because of life's challenges, know this that He is not a man that He should lie!. Whatever He has said will come to pass. If your focus is shifting, or you have become familiar with the whole process, vocabulary and activities in Church, there is a need to go back to the place of rededication and commitment back to the Lover of your soul. Jesus loves you!

 

Live this week with a conviction that you know whom you believe and let your light shine. Let men know that "This way is to eternal life" through your life style.

 

Blessings

 

 

Doubt your doubt

Have you ever noticed that every time you decide to take a bold step, do something unique to improve yourself or situation, you begin to second-guess yourself?. You doubt if you have heard from God or you are just following your imagination; if for any reason you come across challenges you tell yourself you probably were biting more than you can chew. So when this happens what do you do? Do you give in to your doubts and abort your God-given idea? Do you keep at it, continually watering it with prayer in faith? Do you always turn around every time there is an obstacle in the way? I understand there are times we make a wrong decision and we have to turn around to regroup, however, I am talking about instances when you are double sure and yet you chicken out because of challenges. You have to learn to doubt your doubt.

 

The story of a young man who was facing a not too pleasant situation; he had heard about the God of Israel and the mighty works in the past: Judges 6:12-16 KJV

¹²And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

 ¹³And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

 ¹⁴And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

 ¹⁵And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

 ¹⁶And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

 

God does not use your stature or status to determine where He wants to take you to or what He wants to use you for. When He has promised, do not look at your situation to wonder where or how He would do what He has promised. That is why you have to hold on to the word of God and doubt every doubt that comes your way.

 

Perhaps you have purposed to improve yourself academically and you have the admission letter but not the money, start a business, learn a trade, invest into your future, improve your marriage relationship, serve God better, spend more time with your family, whatever decision you have made lately, go for it. Yes, it is now mor than ever that the negatives forces will rear their heads to discourage you. Do not allow the enemy to sow the seed of doubt into your heart. Remember his sole ministry is to steal, kill and destroy. The first step to carrying this out is to have you doubt what God has promised or spoken to you about.

 

Like the word of God came to Gideon; "Go in this thy might"! Doubt every voice that makes you question the feasibility and possibility of what God has said to you. You need to doubt your doubts so you can arrive at the place of your destiny!!!

 

Have a prosperous and blessed week:)

 

 

Keep your guard up

Do you not feel like giving up these days when you are faced with discouraging attitudes around you. As a Christian you have expectations; perhaps you have been a Christian for a while and it seems as if everyone just does whatever they need to do to get by. Sometimes getting by could mean watering down what you have received, compromising your stand a bit, not a whole lot! Pride has taken on a new color and flavour and it is not just what it used to be; recognizable from a distance. The devil has a way of painting even the most evil things to make it appealing to the strongest of Christians these days. Perhaps you hear everybody blowing their own trumpet and wonder why you should be silent or humble when it is the squicky wheel that gets the grease. Coloring the truth and not being too strict on the flesh even though its our worst enemy. I was at a gathering sometime ago, it seemed as if everyone wanted to show how much of the scriptures they knew, how much research they can do, nothing wrong with showing off your knowledge of the word mind you, at the end of the day, I left the place feeling kind of empty. I then asked my friend what happened there? Is there a problem with me? How come I was feeling the way I was feeling, totally unmotivated or edified even though I had been with believers and we had talked about the word of God.   

 

A scripture had been in my subconscious all week and I went to check it out in another translation of the bible, wao! that was it, it lifted my spirit up and I can not but share it. For as many as are feeling down even as Christians, for as many that are discouraged, thoroughly put off by the things they see, do not be. That is another trick of the enemy, if I cannot get them to parties and worldliness, I will bring another version of it on home or church delivery!  Let the scripture verses below elevate your spirit; 1 Peter 5:8-11 The Message

 

^8-11Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

 

So in the face of every challenge and difficulty (not financial or material now but spiritual),  keep your guard up knowing that God has better plans for us and they are eternal and glorious. Is it not encouraging to know that God has the last word, not the devil or those who are wearying your hands. Keep your guard up!!

 

 

Excuse Us...

One of the easiest way to get yourself out of a difficult situation or refuse responsibilities is to give an excuse. How many times have you refused to help someone in a tight corner and justify it by saying; I have my own issues that am facing, so why should I then be loaded with your own extra responsibility. We give excuses at home; spouses tell each other reasons why they can not assist each other, at work, at church and so on. We often take the habit of giving excuse to high heights that they become detrimental to our own progress in life. How many of us give excuses about why we have been stuck at a dead end job for years? We have excuses for why we have not grown spiritually -  it is our Pastors fault. We give excuses for our lack of promotion and say it is because we are people of color, our accent, the boss does not like us and the list goes on. Hear what the slothful man says; Proverbs 22:13 The Message:

"The loafer says, "There's a lion on the loose! If I go out I'll be eaten alive!"

 

Does this sound funny or outrageous but that is directly from the Bible. Is that not what we do when we refuse to; grow cordial and production relationships at home or at work, when we procrastinate about going back to school, starting that business, winning souls, getting married, living holy, not going to church or having a personal relationship with Christ,changing our attitudes for better towards our spouses and maybe children?

 

There will always be a valid excuse for what you fail or refuse to do. However, that does not make it right. What are you afraid of pressing forward to get? Life is full of challenges; but for those who will reach out, remain oblivious to the consequences of failure for trying, there are ample opportunities and those are the ones who willl lead and rule over the weak, lazy or procrastinators.

 

Stop giving excuses and start pursuing your God-given dreams and purpose, receive God's wisdom, grace and courage to launch into the deep.

 

You are more than you think! See you at the top.

Good Judgement

 It is very easy to be attracted to a man or woman because of their height, looks, dressing, phonetics, diction and wealth. People may be drawn to an individual because of their sense of humor, or wit. However, there is a quality that is very important, it makes a difference betweeen a wise and foolish person - Good Judgement. This is a quality that will distinguish an individual especially a woman in the midst of many. Judgement is defined as ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action, good sense; it also means discretion.

 

I Samuel 25:3

"A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. ³ His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite".

 

You wonder why an intelligent woman will marry a mean and brutish man... but that is not my focus here.  A woman is always faced with decisions not only for her immediate family but for her extended family as well. Often times she is a sisters, mother, sibling and daughter. She has to be able to exercise good judgement in dealing with her in-laws and if she lacks good judgement, trouble can stem from this for her. How many woman are being accused of stealing their husbands from his family because they lack good judgement?  In some families a man can become alienated from his family members if the wife does not have the ability to exercise good judgement. Well, you may be quick to quote "and a man shall leave and cleave"... Very true but you as a woman should understand the role of good judgement in maintaining peace between your husband and his parents, siblings and even his friends.

 

Abigail averted trouble from coming to her entire household due to Nabal's folly. She was not there when her husband said the wrong thing but she knew if she did not move into action straight away, trouble was looming and large too! Do we try to nip things in the bud when it comes to interpersonal differences or do we assume "it is non of my business attitude"? Am I asking you to meddle in family matters as it relates to your in-laws? No! However, there are instances when your good judgement is able to save the day as it did in the case of Abigail. How many relationships with friends have gone sour because a wise woman was not there to make peace. As a Christian woman, ask God for wisdom to exercise good jugement in all situations.

We can learn the following from Abigial:

She knew what to do - ability to decide V18 - 19

She was conversant with the word of God and knew what to say, she prophesied about David's future and she was able to secure a place for herself there. V 28-31

She was strong, smart and quick to act - her ability to think on her feet made it possible to avert the wrath of David

She was prepared - She did not have to go to the market to get what she took to David

 

Good judgement will avert danger, preserve and improve relationships and channel resources aright. May we be able to do that which is right in the many decisions we need to make in Jesus name.

 

Blessings.