Inspirational – Page 2 – Promise Tewogbola

A Heart Condition

Picture this:

You are in a doctor’s office, waiting anxiously for the results of the invasive tests you just did. The doctor soon comes in with his professional poker face. He sits. And looks at you squarely.

‘You have a heart condition, sir’

Well, the fact is that you actually DO have a heart condition. And so do I.

Fortunately, by ‘heart’, I don’t mean that fleshy, four-chambered, fist-shaped organ in our chests that pumps blood through our bodies.

No. I mean that inner you where the very fibres of your emotions are knitted.

If it were possible to check your heart condition, what would be found?
Anger, Bitterness, Strife, Envy, Lust and Jealousy?
Or Love, Joy, Peace and Gentleness?

No one needs to tell you which is the better option.

To crown it all, the best Heart condition one could have is a Heart of Worship. And I don’t mean those slow songs that we listen to on Sundays. Those are fine, but it goes more than that. A Heart of worship is a lifestyle!

When you look at the magnificence of nature and you wholehearted bless God. That’s worship!

When you bless God for the very breath you take in every moment. That’s worship!

When you remember to let your heart sing uninhibitedly to the King of kings, not only for the large milestones in your life, but also of the daily benefits. That’s worship!

Cultivate the best heart condition today.
A heart of worship!!!

Four Cardinal Points

When I was younger, I used to tease my female classmates. A lot!

For instance, I once asked them how they would feel if on their wedding day, the officiating minister read John 4:18, instead of I John 4:18.

The latter reads:
‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love’

And the former reads:
‘For you hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly’

Needless to say, the very prospect of that scenario sent shivers down the spines of those ladies. Bless their hearts!

On a more serious note, the most memorized Bible verse is John 3:16. It talks about God’s love for humanity and how God sent His Son to give everlasting life to as many that believe in Him.
However, not many Christians are familiar with I John 3:16:

‘Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren’

For some reason beyond me, we all have been indoctrinated with an attitude of selfishness.

Our 4 cardinal points seem to be: Me, My, Mine and Myself. For others, it’s worse: I, I, I and I!!!

We all naturally want to amass and amass for ourselves to enjoy alone.
But alas, we are instructed to walk in the steps of Jesus.

Jesus put aside the splendour of His glorious heavenly majesty and came to the earth as a full man. Yet He was without sin. This fact alone should motivate us to be less self-oriented.
But Jesus didn’t even stop there!
He went on to die for our sins and imputed us with His righteousness. And we’d never be able to repay Him for His act of love.

Now, it’s highly unlikely that you are going to die for another person. Christ has already done that!
But are you willing to get ‘spent’ for the benefit of the less priviledged?
Are you willing to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in whatever manner that seems neccessary at any point in time?

Remember, you can’t walk with God and stay alive (to your Self-ish Cardinal points)

Lose your (Self) life, and you’d find your (God) life. The difference is so clear!

Is ‘COOL’ Really Overated?

When I saw it again this morning, I just knew it was time to chip in my two cents’ worth.

Is it a good thing to be ‘COOL’?
Is ‘COOLNESS’ really overrated?

Well, let’s first identify what ‘COOL’ is.

For some, it could mean being reserved, shy and soft-spoken.
Others would disagree and say it means being smart and trendy.

As a Christian, I believe being ‘COOL’ entails much more.

Yes, I understand that we are different people with different characters, mindsets and ideas. And as a result, our interpretations of ‘COOLNESS’ is a subset of who we are…

But allow me to submit to you, this day, that the height of ‘COOLNESS’ is being totally wrapped up under the control of the Holy Spirit!

Really.

Don’t you know it is possible to be charged up with the FIRE of the Holy Ghost, yet at the same time you are overflowing with living WATERS?

Duh, THAT’s cool!

You can be as BOLD as a lion, and still be GENTLE as a dove? Logically, they just don’t go together. But again, nothing in the Spirit ever makes sense logically.
How much ‘COOLER’ can one get?!

Be sincere now:

If you were just a regular ‘Joe’ and you came across a highly anointed individual, who manifests spiritual gifts and fruits, what would be your response?
I, for one, would go into my closet of prayers and desperately cry out for the Presence of the Spirit in my life, more than ever before!

My point is this:

There is a dearth of genuinely ‘COOL’ individuals out there.

What we have mostly, are individuals who fit into our preconceived notions of what ‘COOL’ should be. And as always, our preconceived notions are usually wrong.

The right kind of ‘COOLNESS’ is like a beautiful masterpiece of the Spirit.
It can never, never be overrated.
And thankfully, it’s meant for all!

Holiness, Not Loneliness!

For the umpteenth time, I’m going to tell you what you already know:

Nigerians are the most religious people in the whole world!!!

While I’m not averse to spiritual warfare (believe me, there’s more to life than what meets the naked eyes), but most Nigerian Christians are over the top.

I know that sounds like sacrilage, but hear me out.

It’s an open secret that God, by His Spirit, has given Christians an exceedingly unquantifiable amount of power in the Name of Jesus! (Check Eph 1 vs 19 for more details). However, for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume this power can be divided into units. Now, IF every individual, including pastors, is entitled to 10 units each, guess what would happen…
Over 90% of all Nigerian Christians would expend 9.8 units of the power on Spiritual warfare!!!
They’d contend with the evil spirits from their fathers’ side. Then, they concentrate on those from their mothers’ side. When they are done with that, they go on to bind the spirits of the rivers, trees, rocks, sands…….

Imagine being given 10 units of spiritual power and all you can ask for is your enemies’ head! When there are promises to be claimed and lands to be won for the LORD! Hmmn….Nigerians!

It doesn’t even end there. You see, the religious Nigerian’s favorite scripture is Obadiah 1 vs 17. Yet, they quote this verse in a unique manner:

”But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance…and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”

For some reason, they always seem to omit the phrase ”…and there shall be holiness…”!

God is a Holy God. And He desires His children to be holy like Him (Check Lev 11 vs 45).

It’s never going to be easy to be holy. But the good news is that Holiness comes as a result of cumulative righteousness. And we Christians have received that righteousness as a result of faith in Christ’s redemptive work (Check 1 Cor 5 vs 21).

The Mathematics of God in Obadiah 1 vs 17 is:

God’s Deliverance + Holiness = Possessing Our Possessions!

God is ready to deliver His People. But we want to possess their possessions without going through the pangs of Holiness first. Hence, we allow God to be ‘LONELY’ in His Equation, while at the same time, we want the blessings that follow. C’est dommage!

The Word that is out is: God is not a respecter of persons!!!
He would neither lower His standards nor relax His principles for the sake of anybody.

So, do yourself a favour. Don’t greive the Spirit of God by leaving Him ‘lonely’. Instead, step up and consecrate yourself to be Holy. Only then, would you be surrounded by peace, while simultaenously possessing your possessions!

Life 101: Finding Your Purpose

There’s nobody alive today that is without a reason for existence. Yet, the percentage of people that identify that purpose for their existence is astonishingly infinitessimal. And those that go on to fulfil that purpose are even smaller!

As believers, our general purpose is to please God with our lives. But again, there’s a specific purpose for each individual. And without finding that purpose, one would just be a bundle of untapped potential.

Well, I’ve got some good news for you. You CAN find your purpose for living. NOW!

Yes, there are long questionnaires that could help you with that. But you don’t have to go through all that ‘STRESS’.

Below are 3 tips that can help you locate your purpose, so you can be set on the right path for fulfilment:

1. Look Upwards:

Looking for your purpose? Why not ask your maker, after all, He is the one that created you. As I’ve mentioned before, God is not the author of random and haphazard confusion. He created you for a purpose. Ask Him for that purpose!

2. Look Inwards:

You are unique and specially wired and shaped with specific qualities that make you what you are. Others might be similar to you, but none is the same with you.
You have certain talents and spiritual qualities that make you stand out.
You have a heart for something that no one else gives a thought about.
You have certain abilities and capabilities that others do not possess.
You have a personality that is unique to you.
You have had some experiences that have moulded you into who you are today.
A combination of these qualities I have mentioned to you could be a pointer to where your purpose lies.

3. Look Outwards:

Around you, there are certain issues and challenges that your peculiarities would address satisfactorily. Settle down and carefully be on the look out for what these challenges and issues are. Who knows, you might be on the road to identifying purpose!

What I’ve highlighted might look like fast tips to finding your purpose. But in the real sense, they are anything but that! These steps would take considerable time and must be taken carefully and prayerfully. I wish you God’s best as you step out to please Him by finding and fulfilling your purpose.

Who Needs Idols? We Are Gods!

You know what I consider the most powerful statements in the Bible?

‘So God created man in His own image…’

Do you know the gravity or import of that statement?
It means that you are a product of God’s imagination.
You were created in God’s image.
As a result, you have the ability to exhibit God’s own characteristics too. Another portion of the Bible is more succinct: ‘You are gods…’

All these doesn’t mean that one day, Man would become Omniscient, Omnipresent or Omnipotent. No! Instead, it means we also have the power of creation in us.
We have that ability to call those things that are not, as though they were.
The proof is all around us. The TVs, mobile phones and computers and other inventions you now see, once existed before.
Yeah, as an image in someone’s mind!

Knowledge of this truth is what true power is all about. I’d never forget these quotes:

‘The only way you can predict the future is to create it’
‘The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible’

Nothing is closer to the truth!

How many of us have consigned our destinies to the cold hands of fate? It doesn’t have to be that way. After all, you are a god! You don’t need to have an ‘idol’ as a role model or compete in the ‘American Idol’ before you make things happen.

By faith, God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence.
What is wrong with you that you can’t do the same?
By faith, you too can create your world of possibilities by the words of your mouth.

You are a god.
Act like one!!!

Feet Crushed And Eyes Plucked Out!

We notice them all around us. It’s simply impossible to miss them. Yet we are oblivous to certain lessons that Nature is trying to get into our skulls.

The Lame can see their destination, but they are unable to get there because of the weekness in their legs and feet. On the other hand, the Blind can’t seee their destination, despite the strength in their feet and legs. The bottomline is that both parties are unable to get to their destinations!

Let’s redefine THE LAME and THE BLIND, shall we?

To me, the ‘lame’ are people who have a purposeful vision about the direction their lives are headed. They

¤ have no zeal to carry them to where they want to be.
¤ are characterized by character flaws.
¤ have the ‘head knowledge’ of the right things to do but are weak in the spirits of their minds, so they still end up doing the wrong things.
¤ know The Word but still have serious issues in their closet lives.
¤ have the ‘will’ but cannot ‘do’.

As a result, they can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God.

The ‘blind’ do not have any clearcut vision or sense of direction for their lives. They

¤ have zeal and fiery passion which is always unguided.
¤ are characterized by 99% perspiration and less than 1% inspiration.
¤ have the mental ‘toughness’ to do the right things, but the don’t know the right things, so they up doing the wrong things.
¤ misinterpret God’s Words and cling to the traditions and customs of men, more than life itself.
¤ do not have the ‘will’ but can ‘do’.

As a result, they too can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God.

Sad, eh? I know. And I’m not even done yet!

The Bible is full of types and shadows. Like, David could be said to be a type of The Christ. So, when he embarked on the conquest of the Jebusites in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5), he was told that his mission wouldn’t be possible. Until the land had been cleared of THE LAME and THE BLIND. Interestingly, it was said David’s soul loathed the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ (vs 8) !!!

Now, if David was a type of The Christ, and he didn’t like the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’, how much more Jesus Christ Himself? Why wouldn’t Christ loath those who can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God?

But I’m still not done. Because I’ve got some good news for you.

Yes. There’s a ray of hope.

It’s God’s will for man to DO all that pleases Him.

You see, when Christ restored order to the Temple in JERUSALEM the second time (Matthew 21 vs 12, Oh my gosh! Jerusalem, again? This is more than coincidence!), guess those who came to meet Him for healing?

THE LAME AND THE BLIND!!!

Yeah! Not the mute, or the deaf, or the maimed. No! Just the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ came to meet Christ for healing. And He healed them. Why?

So as to qualify them for service in the House of God He had just cleansed! Now they could maximize their potential!
Now they could fulfil purpose!
Now they could please God by ‘willing’ and ‘doing’ His good pleasure!

What category do you find yourself today? The visionless and purposeless ones. Or the passionless and apathetic ones. Good news is that He’s still in the business of restoring vision and zeal to ALL who desire to please Him. God wants you, yes you, to walk and work with Him.

Hop in!

Don’t Lose That Peace

In the fulness of time, I’d share my testimony. In the meantime, I can emphatically tell you that JEHOVAH is The Awesome God. You know what? It’s easy to give advice to one that is going through hard times. Talk is quite cheap! But when (not ‘if’) you are to face your own ordeals alone, you are left with whatever you believe in.

Good News (Pay attention now!)

Isaiah 59 vs 19b says,
‘WHEN the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him’

Encouraging, right? But watch how I’d use a single comma to ‘re-interprete’ that verse:

‘WHEN the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him’

Isn’t that wonderful? The Spirit of the Lord coming like a Flood against our enemy! Look, the enemy would come. There’s nothing you can do about that. Didn’t he come to Jesus too? But whosoever you fix your attention is the one that would have the pole position in your mind. Your problems might be big. But put that in perspective behind the Almighty Father, and you’d see how infinitessimally small your problems actually are. He can, and would solve them!

Don’t lose your peace, friend. The battle isn’t yours. No! The battle is The Lord’s!

God WEEDS!

Shocking title, eh? I bet some of you are thinking of a smoke-filled room with a Big Fellow getting High on pot and the like. If that was your line of thought, it goes a long way to tell how much our generation has watered down the meaning of the words in the English Language.

Well, to help you have a better perspective on my ‘shocking’ title, let’s examine the Words of Jesus in Matthew 15 verse 13:

”But He answered and said, ‘Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up’ ”

The mind of an individual is like a farmland. The farmland could either be overgrown with weeds of evil immoral thoughts and negative self-talk. On the other hand, the farmland could have the seeds of God’s Word flourishing and blossoming, producing Fruits in their thirties, sixties and hundreds.

Yes, the devil would come. Wanting to sell to us his wares of tares. Sometimes, we resist him and at other times, we buy his tares of worry, fear, negativity and evil thoughts. We sow them on the farmlands of our minds. And water them, till they grow out of our controls. Then, we see them for what they truly are. Weeds. Horrible, stubborn weeds.

But I have Good News for you. God WEEDS. He knows what the seed of His Words should produce in our minds. And when He sees anything contrary to the Fruits like peace, love, joy, faith and so on, He steps into action. He WEEDS out all that He hasn’t planted in our lives. He uproots them and burns them to ashes. He clears our farmland and then plants into us The Seed of His Words which is able to save our souls. He then waters us with His Spirit till we bear Fruits. He even prunes us and we bear more and more of His delightful fruits!

So, where are you today? Overgrowing with weeds of sin, worry, doubt, evil thoughts and fear? God is still in the business of WEEDING. Why don’t you cry out on to Him and let Him step into your situation right now?