Life – Promise Tewogbola

Low Information Diet: The Breakfast of Champions

I read a lot of books because I write a lot…

Or maybe I write a lot because I read a lot.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”. Since books are compendiums of experiences, it is safe to assume that reading books can stretch the mind into new frontiers.

Last year was a great year of reading for me…I think I read about 50 – 60 books.

Pretty impressive, right?

However, I am starting to find out that I had been going about reading books the wrong way. I realized that I was focusing on ‘just-in-case’ information, rather than ‘just-in-time’ information. ‘Just-in-case’ information leads to action paralysis which is often due to mental clutter fluttering through the mind. You’re merely accumulating information just for its sake. You really don’t need that!

What you need is ‘Just-in-time’ information which would give you a competitive advantage over anything that life may throw at you.

David and Saul

Image result for david and goliath

When reading the story of David and Goliath, many people fail to realize that the war between the Israelites and the Philistines was that prolonged because of ‘Just-in-case’ information.

Take a look at the following verses from 1 Samuel 17:1-7, 16.

“Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him…

…And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.“

How were the Israelites able to measure Goliath’s height with stunning accuracy? Six cubits…and a span. It doesn’t get more accurate than that!

How were they able to know that his helmet was made of brass, and his coat made of mail…without even touching him?

How were they able to know that Goliath’s spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron, or that his coat weighed five thousand shekels of brass…all the way from the mountain where they were standing?

All these unnecessary information kept the Israelites captive to one man. For 40 days!!!

If they had put down their compasses, set squares, French curves and protractors, and simply got down to attacking the Philistine army, they might have had a shot at winning the battle.

If you can take this, you would be on the right path of simplifying your life greatly: Not every information is important!

I know this post started with mere accumulation of information from books, but it’s much more than that!

There are several of you reading this right now, who have been held captive to information overload from gossip blogs and news sites. For others, it is their Facebook feeds and emails. Still, others more (including yours’ sincerely), it is your favorite football team. You know your team’s latest scores, their transfer targets and the jersey numbers of everyone on the team – including the B team!

Regardless of the type of information, our minds are just being bombarded time and time again with ‘just-in-case’ information that we do not need.

I mean, who gives a rip about whether Kim Kardashian was really tanned or not?

How is knowing ‘the number of times Jon was stabbed when he was murdered at Castle Black’ going to benefit you?

Who cares whether EFCC has the best Twitter handler ever?

Not every information is important!

Goliath was trending and David didn’t even know!

This simple fact of David choosing to be ignorant about Goliath’s attributes and well-informed about the attributes of God positioned him for victory. What Saul and the Israelites saw as too big to defeat, David saw as too big to miss!

The Tetris Effect

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If you’re old enough, I am sure you should be familiar with Tetris. You know, that game where you had to arrange falling blocks into empty pockets of space at the lower part of your game screen. If you were not able to do this fast enough and the blocks got to the high enough to stop more blocks from falling, it was game over.

Well, some scientists decided to have some more fun with this game.

So, they got a bunch of Tetris lovers and made them play the game for extended periods of time – up to hours a day for weeks!

Here’s the interesting thing that happened next.

The gamers started seeing everything around them like, wait for it…falling blocks!!!

It was terrible. I can almost imagine one of the participants just sitting there chilling and busy figuring out the kind of block that would fit into the space between two cars following each other!

However, you shouldn’t be surprised with the findings. The Bible had been right all this while and it’s always nice to see science finally catching up with the Word.

Whatever you focus on continually would manifest in your life!

This is why Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’

A lot of people are not are not diligent with what they allow to go into their hearts. This can happen in two major ways:

A lot of people are focused on all the wrong things. We are all aware that if you focus on the negatives, you would lead a stifled life. I’m not going to dwell too much on this.
A lot of people are focused on too many right things at the same time! I’m more concerned about this second way because it is much more prevalent in our day and time.

Back in the days, I used to think it was cool to be focused on so many things at the same time. In fact, I used to pride myself on my ability to multitask because I had multiple talents. However, if you go through the path of trying your hands on everything you come across, you would find yourself living under the illusion of being an expert when in the real sense, you are not. It would also force you to be spread out too thin – since you are simply trying your hands on everything and not spectacular in anything. Man was not made to be spread out thin. Rather, he was created to have depth!

This is why I say multitasking is the highway to mediocrity because the only thing you become good at doing is doing multiple things poorly!

There Is A Better Way

Image result for bible talks about me

I have said it before – God is The God of Principles.

Sadly, we live in a generation that gets the order of God wrong every single time:

We first try to accumulate the information we think we need and then we try to ask God to approve our agenda. When we find out that the agenda does not work out, we dump it somewhere in the recesses of our brain – alongside the information we gathered with it.

Wasting precious time and mental resources.

And then, we look for the next shiny information source to consume.

The cycle always repeats itself again!

Listen up: God is deliberate.

I do not think He created us to be Jacks of all trades, and masters of none.

Just the same way each cell in our bodies has a specific purpose which contributes to the general well-being of the body, I believe every individual has something specific to contribute to God’s wonderful ongoing story of creation.

The only way to find that specific purpose that God wants you to do with your life is to ask Him to reveal this to you. Only then would it make sense to start accumulating as much information as possible on your highly specific assignment.

We were not created to be spread out thin like shrubs. Rather, God designed us to be trees with depth in Him.

Find your purpose in Him first!

Then you can start building depth in God through the Word and cultivating expertise through accumulating “just-in-time” information within that narrow niche.

God bless.

Who Died And Made You God?

Within the space of two weeks, two different people within my circle of influence were visibly shaken by other people’s opinions about them. One moment, we were talking and jesting, the very next moment, they were wrapped with so much doubt and uncertainty in themselves. What I found most appalling is the fact that nobody had been physically present to make them feel bad.

I can empathize since I was once a victim too.

I had always attached a large importance to what people thought about me. In fact, in a bid to maintain my “Nice Guy” persona, I went to great lengths to conform to other people’s expectations of me. Not only did this leave me in the quagmire of mediocrity, I was also constantly overwhelmed and frustrated, because I was spread out too thin, trying to “meet up with the standard”.

Right now, God has cultivated me to the point where I really could not give a rip about your opinions of me.

Remember this?

By the way, you can still get your copy by clicking on the picture above!

Anyways, I may still have tendencies to be shy in a new environment, but I am secure in the love of the Father to know that He’s got me – any day, any time. Of course, by now, you should know that one of my favorite Scriptures I like to quote about this matter is John 12:3-5:

“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”

Are you like the way I used to be? Frustrated and overwhelmed with meeting up with the opinions of others? Pay attention to the following practical tips that may be helpful in helping you to a life of freedom and abundance – just as God wants it!

The Father, The Son And The…Donkey!

I’m sure I’ve heard Ebenezer Obey sing a song about the story I am about to share. Ah! The good ol’ days…

But I digress.

So, there was this old man who had a son and a donkey. They were apparently going on a long journey and the father put the boy on the donkey, while he walked by the side. As they moved along, they passed some old women sitting in the shade. One of the women called out (I’m pretty sure she was a Yoruba woman), ”Ahhhhhh…..Shame on you, a fully fit boy, riding while your old father is walking. What is this world turning to? Ahhhh….the children of nowadays!”

The man and boy decided that maybe the critics were right, so they swapped positions.

Later as they passed by a group of mothers watching their young children play by the river. One (Yoruba woman, of course!) cried out in protest, ” Ahhhhh….eh!!! Oooooooo!!! Ahnahn! Ahnhan! Ahnhan! Wat hapin na? How can you make your little boy walk under this terribly hot sun while you ride! Ahnhan…don’t you have any conscience?”

So, what did the duo do? They simply decided that maybe it would be in their best interest to walk.

Next, they met some young Warri men hanging out.

“Oboi! See craze o! You guys have a healthy donkey to ride on, and yet you’re both walking!” one of them shouted.

So, both the old man and his son climbed the donkey.

Then they met a group of Animal lovers….

Of course, one of them shouted, “You people are so mean! Imagine you were the donkey, how would you feel carrying two people on your back?”

The old man and the boy saw that there was clearly no way out of their ‘predicament’, so they struggled to carry the donkey.

As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the really confused animal and it fell to its death in the river!

This is pretty much the first lesson to be learnt: Irrespective of what you do, people would always talk about you!

If you do something, they would talk. If you refuse to do anything, they would still talk. It makes absolutely no difference if you do anything or not, because people would always find a way to still talk about whatever you do.

Funny enough, in my experience, I was able to find freedom to live above people’s opinions of me the moment I realized that opinions would still be formed – regardless of what I do. If that’s that’s the case, I might as well go ahead with what I feel God is leading me to do per time!

Nothing Has Meaning, Except The Meaning You Give To It

Some days ago, I wrote the following on my Facebook wall:

“All human phenomena are absurd outside context. E.g, money: ‘Give me this Ferrari and I’ll give you a piece of paper with digits. Deal?'”

I was with a person who posted Christian content on his personal Facebook wall.

Now, that would not have really mattered, except when you consider the fact that this person is a highly-placed individual in a very secular community. So, naturally, some people started criticizing him for posting such content.

That really got to him.

I mean, it’s not like he shared some nudity or pornographic images on his Facebook timeline. He only shared a few encouraging lines from the Bible and he was being criticized for it?

If you look at the issue the way I have started seeing things, you’d realize that some things do not even make sense at all, except you decide to read meanings. Everyone accesses social media via their phones and laptops and if you are working yourself up because someone criticizes you on social media, in the ‘realest‘ sense, you are actually getting worked up with your phone! Whoever is criticizing you online is not in the same room with you, and there is no need for you to waste mental energy rehearsing your rebuttal in your mind. There is simply no time for that!

I remember a story I heard while growing up. Now, don’t quote me anywhere because I’m not sure whether it’s fact or fiction.

So, this witch went to a party and she was served jollof rice and fried rice – topped with chicken wings. She took offense and some days later, she started afflicting the family who organized the party. One way or the other, the witch was soon found out and she was asked why she decided to afflict the family.

Her response? Her rice was topped with chicken wings, instead of chicken thighs!

While some of you might laugh at the story I just shared, a lot of you reading this post are just the same way. In fact, so many would be offended if they went to a party and were served water, instead of juice or wine. They would forget that water is probably the healthiest liquid you can drink. Rather, they would think that they have just received the worst insult that any human could possibly endure!

Don’t even get me started with those who feel offended because someone handed something over to them with their left hand – instead of the right hand….

Receive Understanding To Tie It All Together

You would not believe it (just kidding!), but God has an opinion.

He has an opinion about everything – and He has His opinion about you!

If there was ever an opinion you need to highly consider in your life – that opinion is God’s.

This is where Understanding comes in play.

You see, Understanding is a supernatural discernment and perception of reality from God’s point of view. In essence, it is perceiving and accepting God’s opinion about things, people and places per time.

The truth is that with Understanding, it is impossible for you to be confounded, depressed, confused or at a loss. Why? You have the benefit of a supernaturally elevated perception – one that is backed by the very breath of God. By understanding, you are tuned into the dynamics of the spirit and your comprehension of actions, events and intentions becomes razor-sharp.

To me, the most outstanding feature of understanding is that it is applicable to EVERY aspect of your life. That includes your physical well-being, career, social life, relationships, spiritual walk with God, emotional intelligence, financial health and so on.

Proverbs 8:9 says, ‘They are ALL plain to him that understandeth’

Understanding makes all things plain to an individual.

Understanding is all-encompassing.

When it’s in full manifestation in your life, you understand the ways and timings of God, you undestand people, you understand things, and most importantly, you’d understand how God sees you.

He sees you as righteous.

He sees you as anointed.

He sees you as wise.

He sees you as forgiven.

God sees you as beloved!

The more you focus on God’s perspective of you, the more you can walk in the full awareness of God’s love – without anybody’s opinions holding you to ransom!

And if they try, you can look them squarely in the eyes and ask them, “Who Died And Made You God?!”

The Word At Quantum Level

During the course of the Christmas break last year, my fascination with quantum mechanics took a quantum leap.

For the uninitiated, quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the nature of matter at subatomic levels. ‘Subatomic’ implying sizes that are billions of times smaller than that of invisible atoms and electrons.

The funny thing is that I never really cared about Physics at any point in my life prior to December last year. I had always considered the subject kind of vague and abstract and it never seemed to interest me.

However, that changed last year when I was reminded of a concept of quantum mechanics referred to as the ‘Wave-Particle Duality of Matter’. In simple terms, it means that at quantum levels, matter can either exist as a wave or a particle, but not as both at the same time.

You see, whenever the subatomic components of matter is manifested as a wave, it is actually a probability pattern of where the subatomic component is most likely to be found. To get this idea, let’s assume that I am holding a ball which I intend to put into one of 10 square boxes in front of me. Now, while the ball is still in my hand, all the boxes have an equal chance of being picked, despite the fact that none of them physically has the ball in them. In the same way, at subatomic levels, matter exists simply as a wave of probability or potential of where it would most likely be found.

The whole story suddenly changes when an observer decides to observe this wave of probability/potential, because the subatomic matter would crystallize to form a particle at the exact point that was observed!!!

Now, I’m fully aware that some of you would roll your eyes and call this hogwash.

It’s not! All I’ve shared with you is practical science, with results that have been repeated in the labs, time and time again!

How then does all these relate to the Word?

Good question!

Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…’

The Word of God is a Living Force, full of unimaginable amounts of Life, Power, Wisdom, Direction, Understanding and Insights. However, just as in the Wave Property of Matter in Quantum Mechanics, that Direction, Power, Wisdom, Life or Insight that you need per time only exists in the form of potential that cannot be of any benefit to you….

…unless you observe it!

In the same way a wave would crystallize to form a particle wherever the observer looks, the Word you need to turn your life around for the better would crystallize anywhere you observe in the Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL Scripture is inspired by God. This implies that every single part of the Bible – including the ‘boring parts’ and the genealogies – is backed up by God’s Inspiration and Power. Every single page of the Bible has the power to change your life…if only you’d pick it up and read!

It’s so simple. It’s so profound.

Are you looking for a Word from God? Perhaps you’re waiting for another person to speak into your life, while you have your Bible under your armpit. Awake and stir yourself up. Take responsibility for your life and get your Bible. Observe the pages of the Word, and watch spiritual possibilities crystallizing into the physical realities you desire to see in your life!

Truths YOU HAVE TO START Keying Into

Wow!

It feels so good to be back here. Yeah, I know you must have missed me very much. Don’t worry folks, over the next couple of days (or maybe weeks) I’d more than make up for my enforced ‘sabbatical’ from blogging.

While I was ruminating on what to use for marking my return to blogging, I realized that there were numerous Children of the Light who had no idea of certain laws, perks or if you like, truths that should govern their everyday life. For this reason, I felt that I should share some of them with you:

1. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for you (Rom 8. 26)

2. Christ makes intercession for you (Rom 8. 34)

3. You are putting on Christ (Gal 3. 2, 5)

4. You have the Spirit of God’s Son resident in you (Gal 4. 6)

5. You have been blessED with all spiritual blessings in Christ by God (Eph 1. 3)

6. You WERE CHOSEN in Christ before the earth’s foundation to be holy and blameless (Eph 1. 4)

7. You’ve been acceptED as one of God’s beloved (Eph 1. 6)

8. You’ve BEEN MADE to sit together with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2. 6)

9. Through Christ, you have access by the Holy Spirit to the Father’s presence (Eph 2. 18)

10. The power of God in you, is able to do for you more than what you ask or think (Eph 3. 20)

11. God is at work within you to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil 2. 13)

12. God has qualifiED you to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col 1. 12)

13. God has deliverED you from the power of darkness and translatED into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1. 13)

14. All treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ. Interestingly, your life is also hid in Christ! (Col 2. 3; 3. 3)

15. You have been elected in God (1 Thess 1. 4)

16. The Word of God works effectively in you (1 Thess 2. 13)

17. You have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness (1 Pet 1. 3)

18. You have been called to be a partaker of the Divine Nature (1 Pet 1. 4)

19. In everything, you are enriched in Christ (1 Cor 1. 5)

20. You are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit resides in you (1 Cor 3. 16)

21. You have the Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2. 16)

22. All things are yours….and you belong to Christ (1 Cor 3. 21, 23)

23. You are joined to the Lord and you are one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6. 17)

24. You are the image and the glory of God (1 Cor 11. 7)

25. There’s a treasure in you (2 Cor 4. 7)

26. You are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5. 21)

It doesn’t stop here.

You can take up the Word of God and search for more verses that tell you who you are in Christ. Feel free to add more to the comments section below….

All Things Are Yours…

Let’s take a moment and ponder on what would happen if Someone walked up to you in the heat of the day. He’s immaculately dressed in a black tux, white shirt, black tie and matching shoes.

The Guy presents to you His Identification card. You blink your eyes in wonder. Why, you say, He’s from my bank! His face has a tender mix of compassion and concern. You look into His eyes and instantly know you can trust Him.

All is going according to the script, until He tells you that there’s £100 million lying fallow in your bank account.

The cautious part of you looks incredulously at the Man standing in front of you.

A hundred million pounds?!!

The Man from your bank then presents your statement of account to you. You stare at the sheet of paper, your mind trying to convince your heart that it’s all a hoax.

But, moments later, with your tear-stained eyes facing the Bank Manager seated opposite you, you find out that there was no scam in the first place.

It was all true!

In fact, the money had been lying dormant in your account right from the day you were born!

You hold back the well of tears threatening to flood your eyes, as you remember the days you forced yourself to fast, since there was no money to buy food.
You remember how you used to walk long distances to your destinations because you had no money for transport.
You remember how you wore one cloth for all your social functions.
You remember how you couldn’t pay your bills….

Just then, the Manager peers down a particular document on the table and tells you that there’s a clause attached to the money in your account.

When you ask what it is, The Manager tells you that after every withdrawal you make, not minding how frequent or how large it is, the account is replenished back to its original amount!

You’d probably have fainted at this point!

Nice story, you might say…

But to me, it’s more than just a ‘nice story’. It’s an analogy that clearly depicts how many pass through life, enduring it while we’ve been given ALL THINGS to enjoy.

You see, in real life, we are all given a BLANK CHEQUE to write out whatever we want. For some, they write exorbitantly; others write less impressive figures. Still, some others do not even know that such a cheque exists in the first place!

The key here is KNOWLEDGE. Because, unless one KNOWS that he/she has priviledges and perks, he/she would probably just get by with life.

But regardless of the presence/absence of the knowledge, the TRUTH remains that everything has been given to us to enjoy!!!

That’s what abundant life’s all about.

You don’t have to struggle with lack of money or the absence of good health. You don’t have to battle with anxiety or certainty over the future.

You don’t have to struggle anymore because you’ve been given ALL THINGS that pertain to life here on earth.

All you have to do is to go to your banker, withdraw from the ‘pool of unlimited resources’ that has been freely given to you and live your life to the FULLEST.

It’s the good life. No scam!

State Of The Mind: A Poem

Graves, white-washed graves; sickly beauty;
Full without…
Of loud mouthfuls of knowledge to passersby who care,
Full within…
Of decaying putrid flesh; skeletons no one wants to talk about

Hypochondria, an almost welcome relief, is let out of the backdoor,
While melancholia ‘reins’ with bits.

At the expense of real inspiration,
Self, condemned to daily denial,
Is motivated to maintain the perfect IMAGE…

IDOLATRY! Idolatry it is,
Poor substitute for Godly piety, unabashedly denying
The very Power that could have been its Backer.

The accolades and laurels pushing for significance,
Are rewards for the good performance given…
And all are taken,
Except the unfancied plaque labelled ‘HEED!’

“It’s under control!
it’s under control!!”, they say,
Till when the last grip on the truth
Quickly slips out of the brakeless vehicle
Speeding down the steep gradient

As Blindness sadly smites Realization across the face,
Whatever high shoulders left are shrunk
And locked up under custody of roaring rodents,
That only moments ago had no semblance of a chance

Modern-Day Christianity

A couple of weeks ago, a trending topic on twitter was #LiberalismInFourWords. I responded by saying,

“Unguided Freedom Is Bondage”

This post explains why I said that:

Revolving altars; Synchronized fountains of water falling on tinted glass backdrops; Lightning effects with variant shades, themes and colours; Entertaining music by talented vocals; Charismatic preachers with tablets, immaculate dress sense and tongues…well-oiled eloquoent ones; Church audience in attendance with various versions of the Bible on their phones; Projectors working overtime to display the Bible verses being preached, as well as keypoints in the preacher’s message….

That about sums up the state of Christianity in this current dispensation.

Christianity, as a religion, has never had it this good!

Right from the days of the early church in the Old Roman Empire to the mid-1900s, Christians had endured diverse forms of persecutions:

Some were ostracized; others were maimed, or even crucified.

Many were fed to hungry beasts; some skinned alive.

Many more were burnt to stakes while numerous others were impaled!!!

Indeed, it took something more than raw guts to be a Christian in those days. It took a very deep conviction, as that decision was similar to a death sentence.

As it were, one of the mysteries of Christianity to the Gentile world was that it seemed to even wax stronger and spread wider with increasing adversity in the form of persecution.

Naturally, one would always expect a system that could thrive in the face of affliction to do the same, or even better under favourable conditions.

However, History has shown us that this isn’t always the case.

For example, in the early 1900s, majority of Eastern Europe was under a strict communist rule which saw all religions as the ‘opiate of the people’ and subsequently banned them. Defaulters were jailed, tortured and eventually liquidated. Yet, despite the high risks involved in being a Christian during this time, the Brethren in this region still met regularly in underground Churches and the Gospel was propagated massively. Against all odds!

However, when you fastforward a couple of decades after Communism’s demise, the percentage of Christians in these Eastern European countries have drastically dropped. Even the larger portion of the few Christians left are the nominal ones.

So, I ask: ‘What is going wrong?’

When I look at the state of the Body of Christ today, I cannot help but wonder,

“Is this the Body that Christ ransomed with His precious Blood?

“Is this the Bride that the Lamb is coming back to marry?”

Listen up: Though the devil isn’t wise, the guy remains an cunning schemer!

You’ve gotta give him that.

You see, when satan found that adversity was only aiding the propagation of the gospel, he decided to change his warfare tactics to a more subtle one.

LUXURY!!!

Yup. Luxury.

The devil and his cohorts are still on the offensive. However, the Church has assumed that the apparent absence of adversity implies that the devil is tired and no longer interested in attacking.

Be sober. Be vigilant. Be watchful.

That’s the only way we’d be able to thwart the devil’s incessant attacks.

Life’s never been this good!

Technological advancements and worldwide peace seems to have made modern-day Christianity to be a shadow of what it used to be.

Please note that these luxuries aren’t evil, but when they shift the focus from Christ, they become potent poisons that can weaken our stand in Christ.

Resist the devil and he would flee from you.

Put on the whole armour of God.

The funny thing about the armour is that there’s no cover for the back!

What does this imply?

There’s no room for running away from our battleground in life.

When you turn away from the battle all in the name of luxurious vanity, you leave your back exposed to the fiery darts of the enemy.

It’s either wholehearted commitment to God or total union with the evil world system. You can’t afford to be double-minded about Christ. There’s no middle ground!

Christ is coming back soon.

This isn’t the time to be slack or lax!
This isn’t the time to let the fire on the altars of our hearts to go out!

Whoever puts his hand to the plough but looks back isn’t fit for the king’s prize.

Duty calls!

It’s time to stand up strong as true soldiers of God’s own army!
It’s time to lay aside all fithiness and superfluity of naughtiness!
It’s time to come to terms with yourself and ask,

“After all these things; After enjoying all the aesthetic values and exquisiteness of my church building; After enjoying my preacher’s motivational psychology and philosophical teachings…WOULD I STILL MAKE IT TO HEAVEN?”

Human Relations 101

A couple of years ago, I stumbled across this uniquely simplified article on Human Relations. I believe it is an interesting read that could change a lot about how you relate with others:

¤¤ The LEAST important word: I

¤¤ The MOST important words: We

¤¤ The TWO MOST important words: Thank You

¤¤ The THREE MOST important words: All Is Forgiven

¤¤ The FOUR MOST important words: What Is Your Opinion?

¤¤ The FIVE MOST important words: You Did A Good Job

¤¤ The SIX MOST important words: I Want To Understand You Better

Now, I’m not going to expantiate on the aforementioned nuggets. Instead, I want you to ruminate on them and let the points get fully formed in you. Don’t be fooled by their simplicity. Therein lies their potency!

I’m serious.

You know what I feel?

Many of the world’s problems today arise from our propensity to complicate simple matters!!!

Just imagine what would happen if just 1 in every 10 individuals made it a point of duty to relate with everyone in his/her sphere of influence with this kind of simplicity.

Just picture the peaceful society that we all could have had the chance to exist in!

Yet, it’s so funny to see how something so simple could be so hard.

I guess it all bores down to our freewill.

Yea, our freedom of choice…

A Quickie: The Truth About Lies

Whatever the reason that prompted it, a lie would always be a lie. There are no black lies. Neither are there white lies. Anything you say with the intent of misleading or deceiving is a lie….

And here’s where Human nature completely baffles me:

We all lie!

Right from the point little children reach the age of knowledge, they have the ‘potential’ to lie.
No one teaches them about it!
And they themselves know that it’s bad!

So, I want to ask:

“Suppose 4 minutes were to be deducted from your life for every lie you tell, how many minutes (or days or months…..or EVEN YEARS :-O ) would you have subtracted from your God-given lifespan?”

Oh…and by the way, while you are still busy calculating, the truth is that LYING ACTUALLY SHORTENS ONE’S LIFESPAN!!!

How To Command God: Quick Steps

Motivational preacher’d be like:
“And I shouted, “God!” and INSTANTLY He replied me, “Yes, my son!”. Then I told Him, “Move this mountain, Lord!” and He said, “Yes, my son! Would that be all?””

And I’m like: Is that the picture of the Ancient of Days you have in your puny mind…sir ?!!
A talkative God?
A God you can wrap around your little finger?
A God that is waiting on you just to serve all your whims?
An inferior God?

(Before I go on, I must say that the title of this post is a LITTLE bit….er….misleading. You won’t be seeing any tips on how to command God. Sorry to disappoint you, but kindly spare me some minutes. I promise you won’t regret it)

Now, on commanding God, it seems to me that a lot of preachers have taken Isaiah 45 vs 11, a bit out of context. The verse says,

“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and His Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hand, command ye me”

So, they see the phrase, “Command ye me” and then proceed to exercise their “authority” over the LORD Almighty.

Funny, isn’t it?

But to have a better understanding of the contextual meaning of a Biblical text, it pays to read the preceeding and suceeding verses.

Verse 10 says,
” Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? Or to his mother, What hast thou brought forth? ”

Now, this is getting interesting!

From Isaiah 45 vs 10, it is apparent that verse 11 is a QUESTION!!!
In essence, God is saying: Inasmuch as you can’t question your parents about why they gave birth to you or why you have certain features in your physique, you also can’t question His purpose regarding you!
He’s not asking you to command Him.
Instead, God is saying, “You shouldn’t dare to command Me!”

Well, that should settle this issue.

But if you still have doubts, let’s check verses 12 and 13:

“I have made the earth and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city and shall ket go my captives, not for price or reward, saith the LORD of hosts”

Regardless of what we declare, decree or command, it is His Will and Purpose for our lives that would stand in the end.

Look, don’t waste your time commanding Jehovah to do your own selfish, lustful desires. We are not meant to command God. We are meant to do His own will and bidding.

Do yourself a favour: Whenever you pray, instead of commanding God, find His perfect will by His Spirit; and pray in that line.

Remember, swimming against the tide causes you to expend a lot of energy while you cover very little ground.
On the other hand, flowing with the tide is both easier and rewarding.

Be wise!!!