There will be downs, but

There will be days when you won’t feel like waking up. Get up still

There will be moments when praying and studying the word is a chore or a bore, but pray still

There will be tough challenges and moments when you don’t feel like doing anything. But do it still

There would be moments when the door you are knocking on doesn’t open. Keep knocking still

There will be moments when your expectations won’t be met but keep putting down the effort

There would be periods of seeds that you plant that don’t seem to germinate, keep planting seeds anyway

Our relationship with Him and life’s journey is not solely based on emotions and instant results. It is based on faith in the impossible and pushing through regardless of circumstance

Your emotions are not your master.

Happy 2024!

Christianity of Convenience

Christianity of convenience says, “Yes Lord, but this part of my life is out of bounds to you”.

Yes, but you are not allowed in my thoughts

Yes, but how I make money shouldn’t concern you. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a portion

Yes, but my body and what I do with it is my business. You should understand

Yes, but I need to deal with this person first

Yes, but this thing doesn’t hurt anybody

Yes, but I’ve got my career and business figured out. Just chill

Yes, if I’m done with this thing early enough, we can talk

Yes but I’ve got my life planned. Your input will be appreciated though

It’s a farce, a lie, an exchange of gold for wood.

Christianity is Yes Lord. No ifs, buts or maybes. YES LORD!

Traveling again

Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash

After having this conversation with a friend, we decided to visit a new city. It had been years we last met and knowing that the perfect time was only a myth, we decided to go anyways. For me, I kinda needed it to unwind after the difficult previous weeks.

I left late because perfection takes time 🙂 It was my first time taking this trip, so I relied on the map for directions. A few hours into the journey, I came across this car that was driving up ahead. Unlike other cars this car’s route aligned with mine. After about an hour of driving tow to tow, I was certain we were heading in the same direction. I stopped looking at my map because it was frankly inconvenient. This car was just easier to follow.

After a while, the car took a right turn and I followed. Until it took yet another turn into a gas station and then it dawned on me. “What am I doing?” I thought. My gas was full and there was absolutely no need to get a refill or snacks. I opened my map again, had to re-route my trip and lost about 10 minutes.

Remember I started the journey late right? Well, the Sun bade me farewell and then all I could see was the few feet of light thanks to my headlamp. I had 2 concerns as anyone would; driving late at night into this new city and moving fast just in case.

Lights!

A few moments later, I saw some lights from within my vanity mirror, it was blue and it flashed. God Abeg!! This can’t be happening. Slowly, but surely all the cars behind me gave way and it was clear that I was made. Heart beating, pulse rising. This couldn’t be happening. I made my way to park at the right side waiting for the inevitable. The lights got brighter and brighter until the perfect day but it didn’t stop behind me. It went past me. Whew, the relief that flooded my belly. Not today!

So it’s dark, I’m trying to save some time and then I move close to a convoy of cars who again seemed to be going my direction. You would think I learned something from my earlier 10-minute detour but nope, not me. I saw a ramp that resembled my destination and it didn’t help that all the cars ahead of me climbed it. As soon as I got on the ramp, the map started convulsing – I had missed my way again. This detour took at least 20 minutes of driving off-road in pitch darkness – the pressure was getting incredible!

I realized as I thought about these events how easily we may be influenced by the choices made by others.. You may have heard the saying that 20 children cannot play together for 20 years and I couldn’t agree more. It is a futile exercise to follow someone without often checking your map because nobody is traveling to your destination with the same set of skills in the same proportion. In reality we’re on a lone journey with ourselves

What is your Map? Your map is a combination of;

1. Who you Are
2. What your Skills are
3. What your Goals are

We frequently fail to recognize our individuality despite the fact that our various skills and talents ought to be a clear indicator. And when there is a difference in results, we compare them to others- another grave mistake.

Permit me to use one more analogy because this piece is about driving. Blindly following others is the same as buying gas when your brake pads need to be replaced urgently or replacing the wrong tire when you have a flat tire.

STICK TO YOUR MAP!

On Soft Targets

I have a hypothesis about why Pastor’s Kids (PKs) typically tow a different path from their parents.

In battles, opponents rarely go head-to-head, instead they exploit each other’s soft targets with the hope that it would be sufficient to win.

In the movie, 300 they kept on going strong until the opponent found and exploited their soft target (weak point)

Let’s look in the bible.

Often times we don’t realize that Delilah was Samson’s soft target. The philistines had tried but failed to kill him and since they couldn’t, threatened Delilah (soft target) to get him to talk. It worked

For Job, his possessions and family were soft targets. He lost most of them but thankfully he didn’t waver and won in the end.

Herod tried to get Jesus and so ordered the killing of male kids; soft targets.

When the enemy saw that he was loosing with Jesus, he went for his disciples and eventually got Judas, a soft target. After Jesus’ death, he went for the apostles/disciples but they quickly became strong. Then he went for the churches and tried to plant thorns to ensure they remained misdirected, misguided or misinformed.

The same is true today.

The enemy always exploits weak points or soft targets whether they be things (cars, jobs, houses, businesses) or people (loved ones and friends) especially when he has tried and failed with us.

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I think PKs are mostly soft targets and are heavily targeted by the enemy which is why many turn out a complete 180 degrees from their parents. “Since we can’t get the parents, we’ll go for the kids and destroy their legacy”. Maybe that’s a reach, I’m not sure but it’s too consistent for it to be a coincidence.

PK or not, you’re not exempt. It’s not enough to pray for those you love, they too need to know just as much as you do because the question is not if there would be challenges, it’s a when.

Do you get angry at people? Read this

I heard one unpalatable news about someone and I was pissed. Really pissed. Slowly but surely the anger began to brew. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit interjected and reminded me of the passage; For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Folks, that anger dissipated immediately.

The day that that passage (Ephesians 6:12) settles within you is the last day you will be able to hold anyone in forgiveness or get overly pissed off with someone.

Now that I think about it, I think it’s the reason Christ while on the Cross was able to say “Father forgive them”. Similar with Stephen and others who died gruesomely and forgave while in persecution.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

My Bus Trip

Bus Conductor

This morning on my way out, I had to switch buses*.  The former conductor gave the money I gave him to this new conductor and the journey continued.

Few minutes later, the new conductor tapped me and asked me for money. I gave him the look and reminded him of the former conductor’s payment. The rest is history.

The enemy acts in like manner; he always asks for things that have been done seeking to steal, kill and destroy what is rightfully ours. From your finances to health to relationships etc but we must always take a stand based on the

God’s promises. Is 53:4-5 contains one of such promises.

PS* In Nigeria, buses are typically managed by conductors. They collect the cash and communicate with the driver on where to stop depending on passengers’ destination.

Leaving Everything

R​eading the book, Driven by Eternity by John Bevere, I was drawn to “If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me]. Matt 16:24

I ask myself, what is the essence of setting goals or even dreaming about the things we want ?
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him 2 Timothy 2:4

Am I a soldier? Oh yes look up Ephesians 6:18

You may say “For he will give us the desires of our heart” Ps 37:4 but if we indeed obey Him, then our desire would be to please Him 

Matt 7:21- we must do the will of God to make heaven.

The will of God is not morality. Anyone can be moral without knowing God or Jesus. It is obeying Him step by step.

Remember the moral rich man? Matt 9:21 Jesus told him to sell everything and come and follow Him. Do you catch it? Do you get it? The will of God is “different” for all of us

Trust Issues???

Are you tired of trusting people?

Have they let you down more times than you can count ?

Maybe it’s because you put so much trust in them. People fail not because they’re wicked but because they’re human. They have their desires, fears and shortcomings.

Take a look at Jeremiah 17:5-8

Thus says the LORD:

5 “Cursed is the man who trusts in man

And makes flesh his strength,

Whose heart departs from the

LORD.

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

6 And shall not see when good comes,

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

7 And whose hope is the LORD.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

8 Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought, 

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Something in Your Hand

​Get something in your hand and wave it in the air. 

What do you have in your hand? God told Moses

What do we have around? Jesus asked the disciples. 5 loaves and 2 fish. That was enough for God.

What do you have? Get serious with it. Offer it to God and watch it. 

You are the Fig Tree

​Jesus went up to the fig tree because he was hungry. It wasn’t the time for figs so it was only normal but then Jesus cursed it anyway and it had to obey. 

We don’t know if that fig tree was fruitful in the last season or otherwise. What mattered was that at that point Jesus made a demand on the fruits of the plant and it failed at the test. It suffered a grave consequence. The leaves didn’t just wither, it went down to its roots. A tree dried up to its root is good perhaps for one thing; manure for other plants

What does this teach us? That God can make a demand on our gifting or talents and we must be ready to deliver at all times. 

But most importantly one day Jesus is coming back and it won’t matter if you cast out demons or devils the night before. It won’t matter if you raised people from the dead. What would matter is what he finds you doing when he comes. 

God expects the best from us in and out of season. Whether we feel like it or not because he’s coming like a thief in the night, suddenly! 

If you can read this, I’m not trying to scare you but to prepare you for the big day. Come to him now, His loving arms are wide open…for now