September 26, 2015 · 6:43 pm

8 Things That Christians Should Never Say

I AM A FAILURE

You became a new creation when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you have indeed accepted Jesus, it is no longer you who lives but Christ who lives in the real you (Galatians 2:20). Since we know that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and we know that the fruit of that Spirit consists of love (Galatians 5:22), then it goes that love lives inside of us. Why is it important to know that love lives inside you? It is important because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). So if Christ who is love is living in you, and love never fails, then it goes that you are not a failure. Since your identity is now in Christ, you should never again identify as a failure.

You have to be able to separate the results of what you did from who you are. In fact for the believer, there is no such thing as failure, the only thing that exists is results. Moreover, the reason any of us fails is because we chose not to do things God’s way. When you do things God’s way, you do things love’s way. Though love’s way may at times take you through trials and tribulation, you can rest assured that the end result is victory and success.

If you want to know more about love’s way, I implore you to mediate on 1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7.

I CAN’T

Henry Ford is famously quoted as saying those who believe they can and those who believe they can’t are both right. If you believe that you can’t, then it is likely that you have turned many opportunities into traps and many stepping stones into stumbling blocks. It is likely that you take decisions based on security and reality – playing it safe all the time and never disturbing the waters of familiarity.

As a believer, you are not meant to live by the reality that you see around you.  Though you are to acknowledge it,  you are meant to live by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). If you focus on reality, your focus will be on the way things are. If you focus on faith, then your focus will be on the way things should be. In that sense, all progress requires faith! To make my point, just imagine what the world would look like today if the cave man never saw beyond his present reality.

Remember this: Faith can but fear can’t

You and I are meant to live by faith (Galatians 2:20). We are meant to achieve great things to the glory of God. To live by faith requires that we trust and believe in God’s ability no matter what.

Therefore it is not a question is of if you can or can’t, it’s a question of how strong your trust and believe in God is!

I AM A NOBODY

The moment you accepted Jesus is the moment you were adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). In that moment, you took the name of God and gained access to all the power and privilege that the name commands. Since God is the King and you are now a son or daughter of God, then it goes that you are now a prince or princess. Moreover, you are not just a prince and princess of any earthly king, you are that of the King that made the heavens and the earth.

So for you to say that you are a nobody is to misunderstand who you have become in Christ. You are not just somebody but you are a very important body. You were born again not only to receive eternal security but to rule and reign in this life. Isn’t it time you started to live your true identity?

I AM POOR

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1). If that is the case and you and I have become heirs of God and co-heirs with the Lord through adoption (Romans 8:17), then you and I are very wealthy indeed. Now just because you and I are not enjoying the fruit of our inheritance just yet does not mean that we are not wealthy. In Christ, all the resources that we could ever need are available to us.

Yet here is the thing: God will only entrust his riches to those good stewards that will carry out His purpose. God will not give you and I something we do not have the character to handle. If we do not have the character to handle wealth, then wealth becomes an instrument of destruction and not of blessing. God loves us too much to allow that to happen. So instead of saying I am poor, the best question to ask is where can I make a tangible change.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE

Since Christ tells us that nothing is impossible for those of us who believe (Mark 9:23), Impossible is a word that you should remove from your vocabulary. While it is okay to say in humility that it is impossible for you, you should follow it up by saying nothing is impossible with God. Since Christ lives within you and I, impossible things can and will flow through us through faith-full action.

So stop saying that it is impossible for your situation to turn around. Stop saying that no one wants you because of your situation. Stop saying that it is not possible for your relationship to be mended. We serve a God who specializes in the impossible.

Do not let your unbelief be the reason you are not seeing the manifestation of God’s power in your life.

I AM PHYSICALLY UGLY

God says that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. While God spoke the worlds into existence, we are told that He formed us (Genesis 2:7). This means that He took His time to craft you and I. He decided what you should look like and He set your features especially as He liked it.

For you to say that you are ugly is to say that God has made something that is imperfect. The only reason you think that you are ugly is because you have gone away from God’s standard of beauty and imbibed that which has been made popular in your particular culture.

Friend, the only thing that makes you and I ugly is sin – both as persons and in person. That’s it.

IT IS TOO LATE FOR ME

To say it is too late is to give up on God. God never gives up on us so we should never give up on Him. There is nothing we have done or can ever do that God cannot redeem.

No matter what you have done so far, it is not too late. Just because you have written a few bad pages, chapters or have written a horror story so far does not mean that you cannot change the story around. Simply hand the pen of your life to Jesus and watch how He turns your story around. With God it is not over.

If God can perform a miracle through Elisha after his death, realize that even death does not end the impact of your life. So do what you can now even if you have a few days and watch your story live on forever through the people you touched.

We serve a God that may tarry but is never late (Habakkuk 2:3).

I HAVE NO FRIENDS

No matter how many earthly friends leave you – perhaps because of what you did or what you did not do – I want you to know that you will always have a friend in Jesus. His friendship does not hinge on your behavior but hinges on who He is. So do not allow the enemy to tell you no one loves you and cares about you. It simply is not true! Jesus is a friend who loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17).

Now Jesus is your friend but are you His friend? Have you accepted Him into your world? If not, then today is your day to ask Him into your heart. Now here is the cool thing, the more you become a friend of Jesus (love), the more you will find that real friends who are loving gravitate towards you.

In Christ, you are never alone!

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September 9, 2015 · 8:02 pm

4 Things We Keep Doing That Keeps Getting Us In Trouble

IGNORING WEAKNESSES

We all have weaknesses. To say we do not is to lie to ourselves. But what do we do with our weaknesses? Do we simply ignore them and focus on our strengths? No, that would be a mistake for we are only as good as our weakest link. Is the answer to focus on strengthening our weakness at all cost? No, that is also a mistake because our weaknesses will never match our strengths no matter how hard we work at them.

So its darn if you do and darn if you don’t right? No again! God gives us a way to handle our weaknesses without expending energy and without compromising our strengths. Instead of moping about our weakness and wishing it goes away, what we have to do is submit our weaknesses to God and allow His power and favor to wash over us. What? Is that all there is to it, you must be wondering. Yes, that’s it. It is so easy that it is difficult.

Practically, the way we do this is by: (1) realizing those things that trigger our weaknesses  and (2) praying to God when those triggers are pressed. How do we know this works? We know by these two things: First, when the prospect of dying on the cross triggered weakness in Jesus, He responded by praying to the Father who in turn sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). Second, God told apostle Paul when he was tired of his weakness to simply really on His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Personally I have found out that it is impossible to beat myself because (1) it hurts when I punch myself and (2) no matter who wins, I lose. I find that it is much easier to submit to God and have Him handle me. He is gentle and oh so effective!!!

KEEPING  THE WRONG COMPANY 

Just as keeping bad company will keep you from achieving anything in life, keeping the wrong company will keep you from achieving all that you can achieve in life. If you keep the wrong company, you will not feel fulfilled AND it will cause a lot of trouble in your relationships. Just think of the eagle and the dove. While both the eagle and dove are wonderful in their own right, they are not meant to flock together. If the eagle flocked with the dove, the dove would feel like it is holding the eagle back and the eagle would feel unfulfilled because it is not reaching its fullest heights. If they loved each other, they would let each other go to be the best that each can be.

If you are a dove, should you try to be an eagle? No way!!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a dove. If you feel as a dove that you are inferior to an eagle, then you have drunk the Kool-aid of comparison and self-imposed inferiority complex. The dove cannot help being a dove just as much as an eagle cannot help being an eagle. God made them the way they were supposed to be. Our job is simply to reach our fullest potential (not someone else’s). Anything else will bring dis-contentment!

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus – Galatians 3:28

REJECTING HONEST AND TRUTHFUL INPUT

We all need four sets of eyes. We need a set of eyes in front of us to see where we are going and we need another set of eyes in the back of our head to see what is coming behind us. Now perhaps the reason we are made with only one set of eyes is so that we are reminded of our need to be in relationship with other people.

All of us need someone to watch our backs to make sure we are not blind-sided by unseen forces. Failure to do this means that we are always learning by experience instead of by correction. If you are like me, you do not want to learn everything by experience – experiences are just too painful.

If you are the ‘I don’t need anybody’ kind of person, I implore you to reconsider your stance. The truth is that we all need somebody. If you have someone who is encouraging you to change (like your family), do not despise them. Take your pride out of it. It is much better to learn a lesson from home than to learn it from the world. The world will not be as forgiving and only wants to capitalize on your flaws.

Remember, the people who love you most will give you the most honest and truthful input. Also remember that just because an input is honest does not mean it is truthful. You do not want someone to just tell you what they honestly feel – for the feelings may be erroneous. You want people to tell you what they have honestly seen based on their close observation of your behavior.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses – Proverbs 27:6

BEING INSENSITIVE

If you wrap a diamond ring in dung, do not be surprised if no one opens up the package. If you think that it is silly to forego a diamond ring just because of its package, you are right! But the point is not that you are right, the point is that the gift has not been received.

The point of the diamond ring example is this: People act more on emotions than they do on facts. If you do not cater to people’s emotions, people will immediately take it to mean that you do not care about them – even if that could not be farther from the truth. Since nothing has the ability to damage emotions faster than words, you must be careful of not just what you say but how you say it. Most people will remember how you said something versus what you said. If fact, how you say something will often change the meaning people associate with what you said. Thus you must continue to be sensitive to people in the way you communicate at all times to ensure that the love you so want to give is received. Do this and you will save yourself a lot of grief.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some – 1 Corinthians 9:22

 

 

 

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September 5, 2015 · 6:04 pm

A few Good Reasons Why You Should Stop Trying to Live for Jesus

There are two main modes of thought when it comes to how to live. The first mode of thought comes from the world. If you listen to the world, it’ll tell you to ‘live for you’. It’ll encourage you to be true to yourself and be honest with who you are. The problem with the advice ‘live for you’ can be summed up with the question ‘who are you?’ The second mode of thought comes from religion. If you listen to religion, it’ll tell you to ‘live for God’. If you are a Christian,  you’ll be specifically encouraged to ‘live for Jesus’.

Is there a problem with trying to live for Jesus? You better believe it. How can you and I live for a perfect and sinless savior? The simple answer is that we cannot. Try as hard as we might, we fall short of living up to the standards of Jesus (God). In fact, the only person who can live for Jesus is Jesus. Thus to try to live for Jesus is to set yourself up for a life of wondering if you are doing enough, a life of performance anxiety, a life of fear and doubt, and a life of endless striving to be good. It is a life of law keeping –  a life of bondage.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: If you find no peace in your christian walk and you feel shackled as a christian, it is likely that you are trying to live for Jesus.

The good news is this: God does not want us to live for Him, He wants to live for us! If you don’t believe me, perhaps you’ll believe the Holy Scriptures.

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me – Galatians 2:20

The scripture above says ‘I no longer live’. If we are no longer alive, how can we live for anyone? Moreover, if we are dead, then someone has to live in place of us. That person who is supposed to live for us is Christ.

Since God is not a control freak, He will only live for us if we allow Him to do so. Now if you are like me, the only way I’d allow someone to take my place in anything is if (1) that person is better than I am (2) that person is worthy (3) I have faith (trust and believe in that person). I’d say Christ fits that billing extraordinarily well.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: The only way Christ can live for us if for us to surrender in faith

Why allow Christ to live for us rather than try to live for him? Here are 8 good reasons:

  • Living for Jesus involves works and requires a lot of effort, but allowing Jesus to live for us involves faith because only our surrender is required.
  • Living for Jesus leads to anxiety, but Jesus living for us leads to peace.
  • Living for Jesus leads to condemnation unto despair, but Jesus living for us leads to conviction unto repentance.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to keep up appearances, but Jesus living for us leads to transparency.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to be depressed about who we are not, but Jesus living for us leads us to be confident about who He is and who we are in Him no matter our shortcomings.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to shy away from God when we get it wrong, but Jesus living for us leads us to move towards God when we get it wrong.
  • Living for Jesus leads to fear and doubt, but Jesus living for us leads to faith and love
  • Living for Jesus comes out of religion, but Jesus living for us comes out of relationship (intimacy).

Story of Job

Job was a man who tried to ‘live for God’. By all intents and purposes he succeeded in doing just that. In fact he was blameless when it came to living for God. Yet, his life was filled with fear. He would quickly go and make penance for his children after parties out of fear (Job 1:5). He also feared that he was going to lose all he had (Job 3:25).

In due time he found out that religion could not sustain him. After losing everything, he came to the realization that he had only ‘known about God’ (religion) instead of knowing God (relationship) (see Job 42:5). The turnaround for him came after he realized that he could trust God and that there was nothing that God could not turn around (Job 42:1). Once he surrendered to God in his heart fully, he not only regained all that he had lost but got a double portion of what was lost.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: Even if you are doing a great job living for Jesus (obeying the law), the glory of living for Jesus pales in comparison with glory of Jesus living for you.

 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious – 2 Corinthians 3:7-11

If we are to see the manifestation of the glory of God in our midst, we have to stop trying to live for Jesus and we have to allow Jesus to live for us. We have to move beyond religion and move into intimacy. I speak to myself.

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August 8, 2015 · 6:05 pm

How Can I Experience God’s Best For My Life?

Do you believe in God?This week I roused myself early each morning to attend 6:00 am prayer at church. Though we all sought the Lord for different things, a common theme emerged. We were all crying out to the LORD for His glory to be revealed in our midst, in our lives, and in our communities. In other words, we wanted to see his majesty, splendor, magnificence, beauty, honor and victory manifested in a tangible way.

As I pressed in with the rest of my brethren in prayer, asking the Lord to show me His glory, He spoke to me saying: You ask me to show you My glory; My glory is already present within you; All you have to do is yield to it. When He said this, He brought to my remembrance the following passage of scripture:

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory – Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)

How Can I Experience God’s Glory?

Through the bible, we know that Jesus is the brightness and radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3). We also know that the Father is glorified when our lives bear much fruit (John 15:8). Hence we understand by these scriptures that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory because His life bore an incredible amount of fruit. And Indeed Jesus life is still bearing fruit through the relationship He has with those who accept Him.

In fact while physically in this world, Jesus’ life bore so much fruit (through healing, preaching, setting people free…) that we are told that the world is not big enough to capture all that He did (John 21:25). So how did Jesus bear so much fruit and so manifest the glory of God? He did it by surrendering himself completely to leadership of the Holy Spirit who spoke to Him the words of Father (John 5:30).

  I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me – John 5:30 (Amplified Bible)

See, Jesus was able to manifest the glory of God because He surrendered to the Spirit of Grace (the Holy Spirit) who was within Him and empowered him to bear much fruit. Why did Jesus surrender to the Spirit of Grace? It was because He fully trusted the Spirit’s leadership and guidance for He knew the Spirit was from God the Father.

In other words, the trust and belief that Jesus had in God, enabled Him to surrender His life to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and so allowed Him to do those things that glorified God – things that were seemingly impossible before.

Hence, we see that faith (trust and belief) in God leads us to surrender to the grace of God (the Holy Spirit) who then in turn empowers us to radiate the glory of God. The truth is simply this: Faith leads to Grace; Grace leads to Glory.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: The glory of God is radiant and draws people to God because it accomplishes both the supernatural and natural things that defy man’s belief and expectation. In other words, evangelism is helped when the glory of God is manifested in a tangible way.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: It is impossible to experience the glory of God without  having faith and walking in it.

How Can I Recognize Faith?

Faith is the key to experiencing the glory of God. Without faith, we are unable to do the works of God. No wonder James, the brother of Jesus says that ‘faith without works is dead and that he will show his faith by what he does (James 2:14 – 18). By this we see that talk alone is cheap and profits nothing!

Real faith on the other hand unleashes the power of God and reveals the glorious works of God. Only words of faith carry life-changing power which in turn carry out the will of God. It does something tangible.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it – Isaiah 55:11

Hallelujah, I will say it again: Real faith releases the power of God (grace) which then in turn unleashes the tangible presence and evidence of the glory of God. Real words of faith does something, it just doesn’t go into a vacuum!

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: Faith releases power that accomplishes something tangible – that something is the will of God.

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power – 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT)

How Can I Grow My Faith?

But I don’t have much faith you say! Well Jesus says that we can move mountains if we have faith as tiny as a mustard seed! So don’t underestimate what even the tiniest amount of faith can do.

If that’s the case then why is the size of my faith important you ask. The size of our faith is important because it determines what we ask of God and what we are believing in Him for. Indeed, God grants to us that which we have enough faith to believe in. First, if we do not believe, we will not ask. Even if we do ask  but not in faith, we receive no reward. So dare to believe. If we call ourselves believers, we ought to believe!

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask – James 4:2

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him – Hebrews 11:6

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God – Romans 10:17

If you want to grow your faith, all you have to do is spend more time reading and meditating on the word of God. The more of His word you have within you, the more you are able to hear from God – for God will never speak contrary to what He has written in His holy word. The first things that God will start to speak to you is how much He loves you and how He is for you and not against you. He will show you the errors of your ways and then give you a promise for the future. How amazing!

This love which He shares with us is what draws us to lower our guards, get closer to Him so we know Him more. By so doing, we come to trust and belief in Him more. Faith = trust and belief in God. If we trust and believe in Him and trust and believe that He loves us, then it follows that we will trust and believe in what He says and move in it – thereby unleashing grace and glory.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: The size of our faith determines the size of our request. In other words, if we limit the size of our faith, then we limit the manifestation of God’s glory in our lives. So, believe big and ask big in faith – and go from glory to glory.

Food For Thought: If you want God to show you His glory, then you have to show God your faith

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July 25, 2015 · 3:43 pm

What is Holding You Back?

indexFear dreams of and creates non-existing monsters and obstacles that play the role of stopping us from attaining that which we desire the most. Moreover, it creates an ally called pride that justifies, cheers on, and encourages every action that fear takes. Hence, fear creates pride, and pride is a promoter of fear. Love on the other hand creates a bridge that towers over the danger that fear puts in our way and offers safe passage to our land of promise. Moreover, it gives birth to humility, the engine that provides the horsepower for continued progress along the highway of love.

The good news is that love is stronger than fear and humility is more powerful than pride. So how is that we can defeat fear and pride? Practically, the answer is to simply walk in love and humility – do not try to fight fear and pride for they are crafty and fierce foes.

Do you spend more time hiding from yourself and justifying who fear has made you become or do you spend more time improving yourself by conquering fear with love. It can be a frightful thing taking a look at who you truly are in the mirror. In fact, of all the people that we may lie to, we tend to lie to ourselves the most. Fear is a lie and love is the truth. Every moment we continue to in fear is a moment we continue in a lie – for the monsters that fear projects are merely illusions. So how do we get rid of this lie? The answer is to simply believe in the truth?

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life – John 14:6

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. To believe in the truth is to believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to believe in who He is and to believe in everything he says about you through the scripture. When you begin to consider for starters that you have been made right with God, you are the son or daughter of the most high and powerful God, nothing can separate you from the love of God,  you are seated with Jesus in heavenly places, you are above and not beneath…you will begin to look at fear not as a juggernaut to fear but an enemy to trample over.

Jesus is the answer to every thing that holds us back.

If you have no clue what that means. It means that all the answers you are looking for are available in Him and through Him. Do not spend your time searching for that which is already available to your through Jesus. To get a hold of it only requires that you humble yourself and surrender to Him.

So how can we rid ourselves of fear and pride? The answer is to call on the name of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist makes mention of this when he says: I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all of my fears – Psalm 34:4 

So I implore you to seek the Lord today and allow Him to deliver you out of your fears. You don’t have to keep fighting a battle that has already been won.

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July 5, 2015 · 4:33 pm

Redefining Your History

What would you say to me if I asked you to tell me your history – would you tell me a series of events in your life? If you had asked me to relay my history to you a few weeks ago, I would have gone into a tirade about my past – telling  you tireless stories of both the good and bad.

If you asked me today, my answer would be different. I’d tell you that I cannot tell you my history as it is still being written!

What does history mean to you?

History is a complex word that comes from two root words: ‘His’ and ‘Story’. Using this root definition, it goes that anyone who asks you for your history is really asking you for your story. As long as you are breathing, your story is ongoing. Hence, your full story cannot be told until all the stories that make up your life have been fully complied. In other words, your history cannot be fully told until after you have breathed your last breath. ,

Light-bulb moment: History is nothing but the story of the compilation of the stories that you have written over the course of your life.

Who decides your history?

The excerpts of your history are written on a daily basis based on your choices and decisions. You cannot blame any person, people, event, or condition for writing or deciding your history…they cannot. The best they can do is influence and impact your story. Your history is just that…your story. Your history is what you decide to pen.

Consider the story of a minister who decided to obey the call of God and move his family to Turkey. Shortly after reaching Istanbul, he became gravely ill with cancer. What was he to do? He had spent a bulk of the family to relocate his family and was now out for the count. Instead of allowing his condition to make him sour; instead of feeling sorry for himself; instead of blaming God or simply fading away into the sunset, he choose to write a different story. He numbered his days and decided to redeem the short time he had left to fulfill his purpose. So he poured himself into the work of ministry and served the people. Note: The word ‘minister’ means to serve.

The community he served watched him closely and were astonished at his joy despite his grave condition. Upon his death, the community held a grand funeral for him and buried him on a hill reserved for the most accomplished and revered. Moreover, a lot of people flocked to the local church after his death for they wanted what he had. Gloria Deus!

See, he could have allowed his condition to influence him to write a life story of gloom but he instead chose to let his life tell a story of boom for the kingdom of God. He turned the lemons that life gave him into lemonade.

Light-bulb moment: You history is not decided by what happens to you but how you respond to what happens to you

When we define history as a story that is written by us rather than a compilation of events , then the real history of something as brutal as slavery starts to look somewhat different. The story of slavery written by the slave owners is a story of power, greed, inhumane behavior, and savagery. But the story of slavery written by the slaves themselves is that of resilience, perseverance, courage, and strength. Not a bad story. In fact, it is a story that should fill anyone with boldness. Looking at history this way, slavery should no longer be a mental stumbling block for those affected by it. It should be a psychological stepping stone. Note that this is not to excuse the story written by those who practiced slavery but to remove the power the story has on so many.

Redefining history: What if I am writing a terrible history?

Your story is a jigsaw puzzle you are putting together. While the pieces in play are often put there by uncontrollable circumstances, others, and external forces, you ultimately decide which piece to put on your puzzle board and where the piece fits. While you can rearrange normal jigsaw puzzles, your life story is different in that you do not get a redo if you put a piece in the wrong place (since no one can go back in time). Instead, what you get to do is pull another piece of bag of choices that life gives you, reshape it, and fill the gap that was left by your wrong choice.

In other words, it does not matter how many mistakes you have made up till now in putting your life story together – it does not matter how off your jigsaw puzzle may look –  you can recover and fill in the gaps.

This is exactly Moses did. At 40 he made a very bad decision of killing a man. For all intent and purposes, it looked like his story was done, but this was not the case. Forty years later he got another chance to redeem himself. He took his chance and at 80 years of age went to the same place where he had committed murder. This time instead of killing, he saved over 2 million people. Though 80 years of Moses’ life was nothing to write home about, hardly anyone remembers that those years. The story people remember is that of him leading a nation out of bondage.

At age 65, rotten luck seemed to have ended Colonel Sanders retirement dream. His business had gone bankrupt and he was penniless! Instead of focusing on how his jigsaw puzzle looked, he focused on his next move. Long story short, he ended up getting someone to pay him royalties for his friend chicken recipe. The KFC franchise was born and Colonel Sanders became a very wealthy man.

How will my story read?

Your story is novel you are writing for the world to read. If you do not like what you have written so far, just start to write a different story. What most people care about in a novel is a good ending. Likewise, what people care about most is how you finish your life story – not how you start it.

Apostle Paul was one whose story did not start so well. He caused a lot of ruckus and ballyhoo in his early days and cheered as a lot of good people were killed. But after seeing the light, he decided that he was going to write a different story. He no longer cared to be a persecutor of Christians but a promoter of Christianity. So he choose a different path and put all his energy into promoting his belief. When he was finished, he had penned what is now 2/3rd of the New Testament –  an undeniable wealth of knowledge for all believers.

Friend, for you to decide against writing a new story today is to allow the past to unduly influence your future. And to allow the past to unduly influence today’s story is tantamount to copying yesterday’s story and rewriting it as today’s story. It shows lack of faith and imagination. Why take away from your present life by rewriting your past story?

Light-bulb moment: If you do not like your history, just write a new one!

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May 30, 2015 · 1:27 pm

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!’ I heard it for the first time in 2002 from an older lady in college. See, I worked as a math tutor and she was a non-traditional student taking college courses after work. One afternoon, she came in wearing a sad countenance. Halfway into our session it became clear that her mind was elsewhere so I asked her if everything was alright. At this she apologized and told me she was thinking about her 9-year old son – how it hurt her that he was growing up without his father. She told me how she went from being a stay-at-home mom to having to go back to work, and is now taking college classes so she could get a better job and build a better future for her and her son. After she finished giving me a few more details about her divorce she said finished with, “my mom always says when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.

Friends, this phrase has become more prevalent in my thinking the last couple of weeks. Indeed, life has handed me some lemons lately. Yesterday, as I pondered the phrase, the Holy Spirit quickened me and used it to teach me 7 life lessons

Lesson 1: When 

It is not a matter of if lemons (troubles) will show up, it is a matter of when they show up. Lemons in life are inevitable. Instead of hoping that lemons never show up in our lives, we are better served to prepare for those lemons. Prior preparation allows us to respond in love rather than react in fearfulness when trouble does come. This is where we want to be.

Consider that the prince and princess that rode off on a shiny white horse into the sunset in the fairy tale did not ride forever. The horse got tired and they had to get off the horse at some point – even if it was just for a bathroom break. So don’t dread the lemon, prepare for it. Whatever you are prepared to deal with is less daunting when it comes to pass. Moreover, be careful not to break off a fairy tale just because a lemon shows up in it.

In this life you will have trials and tribulations, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world – Jesus Christ

Lesson 2: Life

Lemons come from life. Most of the lemons we encounter in life come from our own or other people choices and decisions. Some lemons do come from what mother nature dishes out (i.e. natural disasters) but these are in the minority.

No matter where your lemon comes from, know that it does NOT come from God. God does not give lemons, God takes away or redeems lemons. Settle that in your spirit right now.

No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone – James (brother of Jesus)

Lesson 3: Gives

While it is true that life will give us lemons, it is not true that we have to keep possession of it. For example, unless you are a farmer, if given a pile of dung, are you likely to keep it? No, you are likely to throw is away or sell it. Even if you are a farmer, you are unlikely to keep the dung in your house but you will put it to good use. The same goes with a lemon of a car. You will not keep such a car but get rid of it.

Similarly, we should not keep possession of every lemon that comes our way – especially the rotten ones that serve no useful purpose. If your old friends have become lemons in your life, find new ones. If your hobby is killing you, find a new one. If the demands of your job is causing a major rift in your marriage, it’s a lemon, do something about it.

There are somethings given to us to posses, then there are others things given to us to transfer. God does not want us to merely take possession of lemons but wants us to do something with them. Ask Him what he wants you to do with the lemon you have. Is He calling you to take possession of the lemon or throw it away?

 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess – God the Father

Lesson 4: You

The lemons we have are trouble enough. We should not take possession of other people’s lemons.

Consider Joyce Meyer’s story: She is always very clear about the lemons that she had in her life – lemons she carried with her as a result of an abusive father and a cheating husband. Yet she is equally clear that Dave Meyer did not take possession of her lemons but stayed content while she wallowed for a while in self-pity.

In other words, we should not expect anyone else to take possession of our lemons and we should not try to give others our lemons

Furthermore, while playing the blame game makes us feel good, it does nothing to rid us of our lemons.

Cast your cares and anxiety on the Lord for He cares for you – Peter

Lesson 5: Lemons

Do not deny that the lemons in your life exists and do not meditate on them. Just as ignoring the lemons in your life will do nothing to give you rest, meditating on your lemons will do nothing but give your lemons power over you. Accept that the lemons exist but also accept that there is a God greater than your lemons. Lemons are simply opportunities for God to show off in your life when you give them to him.

We walk by faith (trusting and believing in God) and not by what we see – Paul   

Lesson 6: Make

The first thing we tend to do when we receive a lemon is to pray to God to take it away. Then if God does not take it away, we may blame God for not taking it away or we blame ourselves for either being too sinful or not having enough faith to get rid of it. Friend, if God does not take away the lemon, it is because he wants you to do something with it. If all lemons were simply taken away then we would not have lemon meringue pie or lemonade would we?

When life gives you lemon as an ingredient, do not get mad. Ask God what he wants to create from the lemon and get moving.

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours

Lesson 7: Lemonade 

To make lemonade out of lemons requires three things: (1) squeezing the lemon juice out (2) diluting the lemon with water (3) stirring in sugar or honey.

To squeeze the lemon means to sift out the life lesson the lemon is there to teach us. For me, after cutting one of my biggest lemons, I found out that fear and pride was the juice hiding within the cleverly packaged exterior of security and independence. If I had been afraid to squeeze the juice out, I would have missed out on growing.

To dilute the lemon juice is to attack the problem area with the word of God. For example, if the lemon juice is sickness, it is time to focus on healing scriptures. If it is pride, the book of Daniel may be a good place to start. As we read the word of God on purpose we realize that juice is not as bitter as we once thought as we understand there is a solution. Magically the juice becomes more palatable

To stir in honey is to start moving in accordance to the will of God. As we do that, what was meant to bring a bitter taste in our lives starts to taste sweet.

So friends, let us commit to turn a few drops of bitter and tart juice into a cup of delicious and enjoyable lemonade.

When life gives you bitter lemons,  do not worry, but turn to God and He will help you make sweet lemonade out of it – Emmanuel  

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April 4, 2015 · 5:16 pm

It’s Difficult to Kill a Dead Man

81IwOxFrP4L._SL1500_Last night as I contemplated the suffering and adversity that Jesus endured on the cross, I thought to myself: Yeah, Good Friday was good for mankind but in no way, shape, or form was it good for Jesus (the man). No sooner had this thought entered my mind, it was replaced by a voice that reminded me that while a selfish man will avoid adversity at all cost, a selfless man who has died to himself welcomes and rejoices over the adversity that comes from doing what is right, upholding the truth, and fulfilling a purpose that is infinitely greater than himself.

Light-bulb moment: As a dead man, it is not a question of if you might go through adversity, it is a matter of when you go through it for doing what is right.

I was also reminded yesterday that Jesus was dead well before He ever died on the cross. He had totally and utterly died to himself and had become completely selfless – especially after the episode in the garden of Gethsemane. It was this selflessness that emboldened him to break the established rules in order to fulfill the law of love (God is love). The leaders in his time did not like that he broke the rules, so they found every reason to accuse him, arrest him, and sanction his suffering and subsequent death on the cross.

Light-bulb moment: As a dead man, you must regard obeying the unchangeable law of God as infinitely more important than obeying the changing rules of man.

In sanctioning the death of Jesus, the religious leaders thought they were putting an end to Him. How laughable! In truth they were only working to fulfill His most noble purpose. Moreover, he arose from the grave 3 days later. How shocked they must have been! What they did not consider is that it is ‘difficult’ to kill a dead man…a dead man cannot be killed off..he can only come alive!

Consider Nelson Mandela. The ones who held power thought they could put an end to his crusade to end apartheid by throwing him in prison; a place where they thought he would die. All they ended up doing was fueling the fire of change in the country. Mandela rose from the sentence of being a dead and forgotten man to being resurrected from his pitiful prison to rule the nation from his presidential palace.

The story of Mandela is in some way similar to that of Joseph in that Joseph went from the prison to the palace. Both left an undeniable imprint in their country and left a long and lasting legacy in the world.

Light-bulb moment: Though a dead man may endure adversity, adversity is nothing but a springboard to his success

So friend, if you are dead and selfless, be prepared to endure adversity. The folks who seem to hold sway may not like you (for whatever reason). They may even be convinced in their heart that they are right – like the pharisee believed. But remember that just because someone is honest in their belief does not mean their belief is not honestly wrong. Take heart and carry on in the will of God – no one can stop your impact in your world. Just as the only way a seed can produce fruit is if it dies (see John 12:24), the only way our lives will produce good fruit is if we die to ourselves and surrender ourselves completely to the will of God. Remember that the consequence of doing the right thing is not our responsibility; it is God’s responsibility. So die to live!!

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December 20, 2014 · 4:24 pm

You Are More than What People Have Said About You

superchamp_logo_symbol_fb.jpgWords are like rain. You cannot predict with 100% accuracy when they will come and you cannot stop them from invading your space. Moreover, just as the rain changes direction with the wind, words from the same source can tend to change direction without any prior warning. But just as you can build a tent over your head to shelter you from the rain and keep buckets to catch the rain you need, you can protect yourself from harmful words and you have a so in how words affect you.

Light-bulb moment: You cannot always control what words invade your ear-space, but you can always control how those words affect you

The first step in taking control of how words affect you is realizing that while you listen with your ears, you hear with your heart. Hence what you hear depends on two factors: The condition of your heart and how well your heart is guarded.

What is the condition of your heart?

A heart that’s not in good condition has a funny way of twisting words to match what it wants to hear. If your heart is hurt, every loving correction is a criticism that tells you to push your friend away. If your heart is healthy, the same loving correction is an act of kindness that pushes you to be the best that you can be. Same words, different interpretation, different result!

If your heart is filled with false beliefs about you and/or others, then your heart is not in good condition. So if you are going to take control of what you hear, you have to ask yourself the question: What do I believe about myself and what do I believe about others? Then you must follow it up by asking yourself why you believe what you believe about yourself and others.

Friend, what you believe about yourself should always line up with your identity. Since your identity is hidden in Christ, then you should only believe that which God believes about you. Anything other than that is to believe falsely.

Here are a few things that God believes about you: You are worthy, you are worth it, you are a special treasure, you can do all things, you are an overcomer, you are more than a conqueror. Do you believe this about yourself? If you don’t, then you have made up in your mind that you know yourself better than your creator knows you! Think about it. The creation cannot possibly know itself better that the one who created it. If your heart is filled with false lies, choose to submit your heart and soul to the words of your creator and meditate on them. You will find that your feelings will start to follow what you believe.

What is keeping guard over your heart?

A wise man spoke these words: Do not take to heart everything people say, lest your hear your servant cursing you. For may times, also, your own heart has know that even you have cursed others (Ecclesiastes 7:21).

You can replace the word ‘cursed’ with negativity, lies, slander or any other word you choose. Take heed of the wise man’s words. He says that you cannot always run away from negativity, therefore you must protect what your heart hears. Friend, you must build a shield of truth around your heart. The truth acts as a semi-permeable membrane. It allows what aligns with the truth to pass through to your heart and blocks ugliness from passing through. In other words, the truth is like a bucket with a filter that only allows the good rain in. That is why it is so important to know the truth.

Listen, even if you have done wrong, what you have done may be true, but it does not represent the truth about you. Everyone has done wrong…everyone. Do not allow your history to create your future. Know the truth and it will set your free! It will free you from condemnation, living in the past, depression, negativity about yourself and others.

Additionally, words that enter your heart create worlds in your heart. Do not allow the atomic bombs of what other people have said or are saying about you create your world. Those atomic bombs will only destroy your world and steal away your future. Deflect the rain of bombs away with the shield of truth.

Light-bulb moment: If you do not guard your heart with the shield of truth, you open yourself up to a world of hurt

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November 15, 2014 · 12:54 pm

What is God’s Will for My Life?

Yesterday, I came across the words,

‘The LORD will perfect that which concerns me‘ – Psalm 138:8

The words hit me like of blow to the solar plexus. Immediately, the thoughts ‘The LORD will NOT perfect that which does NOT concern me‘ entered my spirit.

Wanting to know more, I asked Him the question: What are those things that do not concern me? Immediately, He reminded me of the words He spoke to Peter towards the end of His time on earth:

 

‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me’  –  John 21:22

In other words, Jesus told Peter that His will for John should not concern Peter. The lesson for us here is this: The only thing that we should concern ourselves with is His will for our lives. We should not concern ourselves with God’s will for another person, talk-less of becoming consumed by it out of envy.

Knowing God’s will for our lives is key if our walk is to be perfected.

What is God’s Will for My life?

This is the question I get asked most often. Friend, another words for God’s will is what He wants us to do on a daily basis. God reveals His will for our lives on a daily basis as we follow Him (walk by faith).

Going back to John 21:22, God’s will for Peter at that point in time was to take a walk with Him. Nothing more, nothing less. Only as Peter followed God did He continue to reveal more to Peter. The same thing happened with Abraham. God told Him to go to some foreign land – the identity of which He did not reveal to Abraham. In other words, God’s will for Abraham was for him to pack his bags and take a journey to nowhere in particular! Only after taking the journey did God reveal more of what was to come to him.

The will of God for our lives is revealed to us moment by moment.

Now, what if Abraham had not obeyed the will of God because He did not see the purpose in taking the journey? Abraham would have missed out on the blessing of God. He would have missed out on his destiny. By this we see that the way to fulfill the purpose of God for our lives is to walk in His will for our lives.

So what is God’s will for our lives? It is simply to pay attention to His words and obey it diligently. Thus the only pre-requisite to knowing and following the will of God for our lives is having an intimate fellowship with Him. For how can we hear a person we are not walking closely with? And how can we obey someone we have not heard?

Living God’s will for our lives requires trust. Fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives requires consistency in following God’s will. Only as we walk in God’s purpose for our lives does He perfect that which concerns us (His will). Only then is our destiny revealed.

So spend time with God so you may know His will. Once you know His will do not question it but just do it. Then let Him take care of your purpose and destiny.

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