Focus! Focus!

To focus is to concentrate. Sounds really simple but in truth, it is tough particularly when you have to do it for a while; which really means until you get results. This is something every born again believer must cultivate if we must see the God results that we hope for, though I must admit there is much “noise” going on out there that make it tough. Of course it is even more difficult because it requires a lot of patience which is not a common virtue in our day.

I remember a story I heard Pastor E. A. Adeboye tell many years ago about the man that had to walk on a rope with a spoon of water. He was to successfully carry the spoonful of water to the end of the rope and not to let even a drop of water of the spoon. He did it successfully with a lot of people cheering him on one side and on his other side, a lot of people booing at him. When he got to the end of the rope successfully, he was asked the secret of his success. His response was – he did not listen to the people booing him, neither did he listen to the people urging him on; but he was focused on the goal.

If we must succeed in our walk with God, we must be focused on God whilst we apply ourselves to what we are doing; doing it with all of our might. The principal thing is to keep one’s eyes on the right place or person. If it’s a personality, then he becomes like a mentor, a guide that sees you through to the end ensuring that you are running according to the rules of whatever game it is. God is a good personality to focus on because if at some point, you are getting tired, He helps you through and encourages you.

Hebrews 12: 1b-2a “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

We must learn to keep our eyes on God in every situation. When you are praying about a situation or something and it appears to be getting worse, the thing to do is really to keep looking at God and in His ability to do what He has said He will do. In the process of focusing on Him, our flesh tries to wear us out and the devil really does all he can to ensure that we lose focus but it is all to discourage us and abort that good thing or course that we are working for.

Numbers 23: 19 -“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”

Distraction is a principal tool of the enemy to abort a process and he has succeeded once we take our eyes off Jesus. Sometimes looking at the situation is all you need to get discouraged to the point where you give up. Even if you don’t give up, you may start saying the wrong things so that even your words speak against all the prayers that you had prayed which is what the enemy always wanted anyway.

Please I urge every believer to be focused, talk less and do what is expected of them as advised by the Holy Spirit. We always have a part to play in the manifestation of our miracles. Do not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Satan wants us to faint but we shall not and for Nigerians, we shall eat the good of this land. We have been through terrible times and come through. The same God will see us to the fulfillment of our destiny.

Be still and know...

Have you ever been in one of those seasons when it appears like nothing makes sense? When all that is happening do not seem to align with anything God told you? If anything, things appear to be walking further away from all you think God ever told you. And here I am trying so hard to put everything that has been going on around me together to create a pattern so I can get some kind of interpretation but it isn’t creating a pattern. Right now, God does not appear to be making sense. I don’t see where He is going and how we are going to get to where I heard Him say I will get to, from where I am now.

I know God is God and knows everything; nothing takes Him by surprise but right now, I feel like asking – God, are you sure you have it all together? Do you truly know where everything is going and do you know how to cause it to align with your original plan? Then I remember that all things will work for my good because I love God and I am called according to His purpose. That gives me comfort for a while but then I lose grip of the scripture again and I find myself sinking into confusion again.

I don’t know if there is anyone reading this blog who is currently going through this same thing or something similar, then you would be interested in the story that I was reminded of which helped me put everything in perspective. That is the story of Joseph’s life. It is amazing how indeed the word of God tried him. Everything seemed wrong until just when it seemed like his God given dream would never come to pass.

Joseph, young man has these dreams that everyone bows to him including his parents. Then suddenly he gets sold, which makes him a slave. Then fortunately, he gets sold again to Potiphar who is high up in government and life is good. God is definitely with him and he is in charge here; Potiphar entrusts him with all he has and just maybe, maybe he starts thinking - things are beginning to walk toward his dream again. As we all know, this comes to an end and all because of no fault of his. He was wrongly accused and Potiphar believed his wife so he gets thrown into a dungeon. That sounds like the end of the world. It is not just a normal prison but a dungeon, a place reserved for the worst of criminals. 

Genesis 40: 15 “For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

God however, is not finished yet. He apparently has His eyes in the dungeon so they send Pharaoh’s staff there too and I guess at this point all Joseph wants is out of the dungeon. His earlier dreams are probably deem in his memory now. Even Pharaoh’s butler, whom he hoped would remember to help him get out, forgot him after he got out. The suddenly Pharaoh has a dream which changed Joseph’s life for good forever; It brought Him into the fulfillment of that which God had shown Him.

One thing is certain – God’s promise is unfailing. It is amazing that to confirm the immutability of His word, God actually did swear. He did not swear because He had to convince Himself, He swore to reaffirm to us the fact that everything He says is settled. As the word goes out of His mouth, the elements go to work to put together, all that is required to birth in your life and mine, the reality of the promise. Guess what! You just “Be still and know that He is God”

IT IS YOUR TURN TO SHINE

Happy New Year!!! This is the way we greet one another in my Country at the beginning of every year. It suggests that you wish the person a glorious year. That and more is what I wish you. If you live in Nigeria, you woke up to “bad news” on that very first day of this wonderful year – cost of fuel has gone up by over a hundred percent. Your mind immediately starts to run through your entire life and you are wondering –how will I cope? You are not alone; it is the question on a lot of hearts the world over. In truth, how does anyone cope when the economy is falling apart almost all over the world?

Psalm 91:1 “those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

I thank God because those that put their trust in Him shall never be ashamed. The psalmist says through his life, he never saw the righteous forsaken nor did he ever see their children begging bread. The expedient thing to do would be to take one’s focus off the system, government or economy and to set it on God. God has said this repeatedly through the scriptures and in present times, even more directly through the mouths of His children. 

Psalm 37:25 “once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.”

Please recall that when things get tougher, then it is our time to shine. Reality is that life will be tougher. The greater reality for those that call on the name of the Lord is that our economy is kingdom based; an economy that never fails or disappoints those that invest in it. Returns are certain but the problem lies in the fact that it is not a physical economy but a spiritual one. You can’t watch your seed multiply neither do you have the advantage of monitoring your investment. It is kingdom based and we are compelled to trust in God’s invest capacity. You have to trust Him to do all that needs to be done and give you the returns that are your due. He is not a cheat.

Isaiah 60:2 “Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.”

This can only happen as we trust God and His word but how can you trust a God you don’t know or trust the word you don’t know. That is why now more than ever before, we have to study the word of God. As my pastor would say, “it is enlightened self-preservation” to do so in this current economic situation. You are not doing God a favor; indeed, He is doing us a favor by allowing us share in what is His. I am not by any means suggesting that we do not work hard or that we fold our arms and wait for God to throw down returns. We work hard, pray hard, worship hard and then watch Him bless the work of our hands.

I shall leave you with the scripture below which I hope you will keep before you always. Remember this will be the best year for you and I because like never before the glory of God shall be revealed and we have the privilege of being the ones through whom it shall be revealed so you must wake up every day and declare to yourself – I am blessed.

Isaiah 50:7 “because the sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.”

Enough of manna

One of the things we must do next year is work hard. God is bringing us to a higher level. It will demand a lot more than we have ever known. Though our faith is not in our hard work but in the God who strengthens us and breaths upon all we do to give us the increase because many people work hard and get nothing in return, we still have to work hard. I know there is the group of people who feel they do not need God as long as they work hard, they will prosper. I pray that such people do not have to learn the truth the hard way. We are accountable to God for every opportunity and potential amongst other things, which He makes available to us so we can’t just ignore them. 

1 Corinthians 4: 2amp “moreover, it is (essentially) required of stewards that a man should be found faithful (proving himself worthy of trust)”

Our God is not a lazy God. He is introduced straight up as a hardworking God in the bible. We see God working very hard as soon as He is introduced to us in the bible. He is so diligent that He takes out time at very point to check that His work is well done. So that by the time we see Him resting, it was a well-deserved rest for a hardworking God. Every person that works hard is entitled to sometime of rest but what is a lazy man doing resting; his end will surely be very bad.

There are different scriptures in the bible that show us that God expects us to work. He says He will bless the work of our hands; whatever our hands find to do, we should do with all of our might and several other scriptures. So, where do we get this idea that it is okay to do nothing sit back and wait for the wealth of other people to fall into our hands. Then we back it up with the scripture that says the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous. I’m sorry to disappoint you but it is not laid up for the lazy righteous because they would ruin it. It is laid up for the servant that knows how and works hard enough to multiply it. In the parable of the talents, the lazy servant would be disdained and all he had would be taken from him. 

Luke 19: 15b-17 “He returned and called in the servants to whom he had given money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. The first servant reported, master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount! Well done! The king exclaimed, you are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.”

Sometimes we give the interesting excuse that we are spending time with the Lord when really it is not so. When we ought to be working that is when we then choose to have our “quiet time.” I want you to know that God meets us where we ought to be. When you ought to be working, He meets you at your place of work as you work. He announced the birth of His son to shepherds as they watched their flocks by night. He met Zachariah as he carried on his priestly duties and Zachariah completed His work before he left to go home. God wants us to work while it is yet day.

Romans 12: 11 “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically”

It is time for every believer to get up and do something. Whatever your hands find to do, I encourage you to apply yourself to doing it. No matter how small it may seem because we have a God whose breathe is able to make small things great. We are responsible to God for all that He has put in us. Make a decision to work hard as God empowers you.

GOING FROM GLORY TO GLORY

Oh! how I wish I could avoid change sometimes. It is nice when I am in control and prepared for it or even consider it necessary but when it is beyond my control and I have no idea how it will turn out, then I am concerned and weary. But God’s change is always for good even when the process is painful. There is always a purpose, on His mind, to His change. It’s never change just for change.

Ezekiel 22: 27 “I will overturn, overturn and overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it to him.””

As we enter into this New Year, please prepare for change. We are coming into something different and new. Of course, there is nothing new under the sun so what you come into may be something that has happened before but for you right now, it is change and it is new; causing you to alter several things in your life but that is God. He is making a difference to establish you in His ‘promise.’ People may begin to treat you differently, even in a way you may not appreciate but take no offence; for it is time for change.

Hebrews 10: 9b “He taketh away the first that He may establish the second” 

I know it is painful when a friend is taken out of your life at an “inappropriate time;” inappropriate to you but very appropriate to God. It is sad when you lose a friend to death but I think the pain may be greater when they had no choice but to betray you because God needed them to step out of your life and you won’t let them go. Not all friends are meant to remain in your life forever; you have to understand and love them enough to let them go. God may need them out of your life to answer your prayers. 

What if God takes a precious thing from your life? Something that, unknown to you, has become an idol to you. It may seem like a major loss but it is time to look up and see the hand of God turning the wheel slowly ensuring that His work in your life as the potter is made complete. What if it is your job that needs to go? However, be certain that through the difficulties associated with the ‘seeming pain’ God will carry you if you let Him.  Fear of pain or the unknown must not cause us to hold unto the old. 

The Israelites went through a lot of changes to get to the Promised Land. It was a major change for Joseph when He had to leave the prison for the glory. I can imagine that as they took him from prison to see the king, he may have had some fears. He didn’t know what the future held for him. After all in prison, he found favour with the security men and was some sort of leader amongst the prisoners. The prison had become his comfort zone; but he ended up with a great job.

The long awaited answers to our prayers are here but will you receive them? Will you let go of them because they aren’t what you expected or they are taking you out of your comfort zone? Just taking a few steps higher on a staircase changes your perspective completely. Your view is wider, the risk of getting wounded if you fall is higher and then the tendency for you to be more visible is higher. Things definitely change. Going from glory to glory is a lot of change but it is the goodness of God. You can’t insist on remaining in the same place and hope to enjoy the goodness of God.

Isaiah 43: 19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?”

LOOKING FORWARD - PRESS PT 2

This week, I am still ‘pressing’ that I might apprehend that for which Christ apprehended me. I am in a fight to take all that God has given me though I am mindful of the fact that the weapons with which I fight as well as my fight are spiritual. There is some kind of urgency and resoluteness in my spirit to take all that God has made available to me and then move on. I feel like I have been taking just enough or less but I now want all that should have been mine but I missed and all that is been able available to me.

Philippians 3: 14 “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”

I was talking with members of my church prayer team a few days ago and found that there are a number of other people who also feel some kind of urgency in their spirit; they also feel the need to ‘press’: to enter into the next level in their bid to apprehend the purpose for which they were apprehended.

Apart from distractions we discussed last week, we need to look inward, in a ‘godistic’ way, to enable us drop off excess luggage as we press. (‘Godistic’ is that which is more real than what is considered reality – the mind of God as revealed in His word). Introspection is tough because it humbles the flesh by revealing the ugly side of you but necessary for shedding excess weight but the Holy Spirit is ever ready to help us. We owe it to ourselves to get ‘godistic’ and tell ourselves some truths; truths that no one else may ever tell us but only God will.

Psalm 4: 4b “commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.” 

We need to stretch ourselves beyond our normal limits. We need to push limits and boundaries we had in our lives and within which we walked, that we may come up to the next level. Even if you just moved up to where you are at so that you just made a lot of changes and are thinking you have done well, it is time to move again. Who knows maybe you where way behind on God’s calendar and need a lot of catching up-talk about been stretched.

Philippians 3: 12 “I don’t mean to say I have achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”

In pushing the limits, we are looking at our entire life. We need to note however, that our boundaries must only be stretched or pushed within the limits of God’s word. So, let us push the limits of our love and then self-control which may increase our level of submission to the Holy Ghost. Self-control will empower us to be more productive since it makes us disciplined. It is an exercise of authority over our flesh. It would help us to be quiet enough to hear God’s voice about what we want to say so that we will speak more wisdom. We have allowed our flesh run our lives for too long. As we commune with our hearts before God, He will show us what other limits we need to push.

Philippians 3: 3 “For we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

A TIME TO "PRESS"

Do you ever get to the point where you are kind of melancholic? Not in bad way; in a good way but very pensive and thoughtful. Also, not because any bad or good thing happened, so many of each have happened over the years as they are normal things that must happen to all living beings, but because God is at work in me bringing me into a deeper walk with Him that I may “come up higher in every area of life.” Deep down in my heart, I am filled with joy and a quiet calmness: an assurance that God is able to do all He promises and shall do them in perfect time.

In this time, I hear a word resounding over and over again and that is what I am sharing with you today. It’s a word that gives me a feeling of starting afresh with God. It is also a word that should bring one into a closer walk with Him thereby taking us deeper into Him whilst yet lifting us higher in real terms so that God may display His greatness through us. I trust that this is what God is beginning to do in the lives of a number of us hence my decision to share this word. Knowledge makes things easier.

Philippians 3: 13 “No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”

It is time to “press” on that you may go forward. Race here refers to the race of life which includes our walk with God because we are believers. We need to “press” that we might go forward. To press suggesting that energy has to be applied and we definitely have to forget the past. The weight of the past, which includes our victories, failures, problems, pain etc., will reduce our capacity to press. The problems and failures are easy to forget but the real problems lie with the success and joy of the past but we have to leave them behind.

In pressing, we need focus and concentration. Distractions are very unwelcome guests at this time s we must guard our hearts. To guard our hearts is to be careful what we hear which has a lot to do with who we talk to and spend time with. Careless talk is terrible because though you may be aware that it is wrong, you have taken in information that at the very least, you may have to think about again thereby wasting time. There is no end to the harm it can do. You may even find yourself adjusting your theology to accommodate even a little part of this strange thought that started off with careless talk.

Ephesians 5: 4 “Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse talks-these are not for you.”

Do you know that believers have become the worst culprits of careless talk? How can we then have enough spiritual energy to press? Sometimes, we as believers unwittingly loan our mouths to the devil. That would be the easiest way for the devil to reach another believer since we are not guarded when we speak to ourselves. Knowing this, we need to form the habit of thinking about what we say before we say them so that we are not instruments through which satan will destroy another believer. You and I have a responsibility to ourselves to take heed what we hear so we must take heed who we talk to.