Expand, Extend, Enlarge

On Wednesday, August 1st, I did something I had always dreamed of doing: I drove in Lagos traffic! For many of you reading this, you probably don't think its a big deal. But when you consider that I am close to thirty years old, own a car and haven't been able to put it on the road for more than two months now, simply because I don't know how to drive, then you may begin to appreciate my breakthrough.

The question I asked myself, as I hit the Agege Motor Road was this, "Why has it taken me so long to do this?" It was a question that I knew the answers to even before I asked. I wasn't daring enough and I must say that it was not that I had not tried to learn to drive but I had received a lot of setbacks that have made that area of my life a no-go area. As I told one of my friends of this landmark achievement in my life, she expressed some alarm, knowing the madness of Lagos traffic and wondering how I coped. At this point what came to my mind was how driving in Lagos is very much like going through this life.

One of the things that scare many budding drivers from hitting the road in Lagos is the fear of failing in the sight of everyone and that phobia had simply stopped me from putting my car on the road. For many of us in this life, we are so scared of falling face flat in the sight of people. Not knowing what their reactions would be, we don't want to do what we really love to do.

I read a letter recently that highlighted the major difference between the generation of Israel that entered the Promised land and the one that dies in the wilderness. One always waited till God parted the Red Sea before they moved while the other stepped into the Jordan WHILE it was flooded. This marked the difference in their experiences and ultimate destinations and this same attitude has put a dividing line between those that make any impact in life and those that don't.

Now is the time for you to expand, extend and enlarge your horizon. Many times what limits us is nothing but our minds, our perception of events, our projections of possibilities or impossibilities. We focus so much on what mistakes we would make if we step out into new grounds, how people will react to our actions, the limitations and challenges we will experience on our journey into the new position we want to move into and so on. The truth is most of these challenges and responses from people will be there whether we move or don't move so why do we keep stalling? I heard from one person a few years ago and it has stuck with me. He said, talking about the church he pastors, "We are on a sliding platform trying to hit a moving target so we require a high level of accuracy and must live on the cutting edge."

I have discovered that man can do impossible things when under pressure to perform. It is obvious that we all need pressure but the issue is where will the pressure come from? You can wait for it to come from circumstances (and I guarantee that wont be pleasurable) or create the pressure around yourself. I'll go for the other option any day. So how do you put pressure on yourself to get out of that comfort zone into a better place?

One thing you can do is learn something new. How to play a musical instrument, how to ride a bike, a new computer program, speaking before a crowd or just think of something new. Another thing that you can do is meet new people, go to places you've never been to, watch a movie you haven't watched before. Then you can research into topics you've never read about or even improve your knowledge on the ones you think you already have grasped. Use the internet, use libraries, read books, talk to experts. Whatever you do, expand your context and update your content.

Here's another thing you can do, dream. Take some time out of your very busy schedule and ist in an open field and just enjoy the scenery. Or you could go to a mall and just lounge. Stretch your imagination to limits beyond you.

Now is the time to expand your capacity, extend your reach and enlarge your vision. if you don't its likely you'll be here reading this same post in 2012. I hope not.

'nuff said!

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HOW HARD IS RESTING?

Its been quite a while since I have put anything here (against the decision to put between two and four posts up each week). I have gotten so bogged down, as much as I hate to admit it, with this pursuit for what to eat, drink, wear, etc That's what led me to this today's post.

Have you ever tried falling asleep? I don't really know how to put it in a way that it would make sense to you but if you have ever experienced it before, you'll know what I mean. I remember sometime during my NYSC, after a very stressful day, completely tired out and needing to sleep, I entered my room in the family house, lay on the bed and struggled to fall asleep. I had a splitting headache and I literally struggled with sleep. After almost 10 minutes of this wrestling, I got up from the crumpled bedsheets and in exasperation let out a sigh. I figured trying somethings could help me fall asleep. Maybe taking some milk or listening to some mellow music could do the trick. So I tried all those things but all to no avail. I just grew more wide awake.I wanted to sleep. I NEEDED to sleep but I just couldn't fall asleep. Why?

Well I remember a friend of mine saw my desperation and told me the one thing I was not doing right-I was struggling to fall asleep. You don't struggle to fall asleep! You just fall asleep! And that leads me to what I would like to pass across.

Resting is not something you do with effort. Its something you don't do to do. (That's confusing right? Even I almost got entangled in the words). To rest requires that you just do that-REST. And that's so difficult for us. When God tells us not to pursue shelter, clothing and all those stuff , what He is saying is to rest in His ability to make provision available to us. My heart goes to young believers who live in Lagos. Many of us are so caught in this rat race that we don't know how to stop not to now talk of rest(even in the physical). And I tell you, you can't enjoy this life if you don't know how to stop, how to rest.

Its really important for us to know how to rest. When I say rest, I mean using less of our energy and depending on God's ability. Behind most of our struggles and ups and downs is the belief that our efforts will bring us to our end and destiny. The truth is that there's an external influence beyond us that makes our dreams a reality. Like a man of God I know once put it, life is not 2+2=4 but 2+x=the answer, where x is a variable, the functional knowledge of God you possess. So when I say rest, what I mean is that you lean on the ability of God to come through for you.

If you will rest then you must know two things, first God is omnipotent (I just remembered I used to pronounce it ominipotent. I can't stop laughing at the ignorance of childishness. Ha ha ha ha). It means that God has ALL POWER and ALL MIGHT. In short, there is nothing He cannot do. If it seems difficult for you to handle, it isn't for Him. He can do both what is difficult for you to do AND what is IMPOSSIBLE for you to do. Two good examples are Abraham ( a difficult situation) and Mary (an impossible situation).

Secondly, God is omniscient (and again I smile as I remember what I used to call it-ominiscience). This means that there is nothing that ever catches God by surprise. Particularly for us that run helter-skelter, it tells us simply that God knows the end of the route we are taking now. He knows which decisions will lead us into the end He has in mind for us and which ones don't! He has information about the future -AND WE DON'T(ohhh that hurts uhn?). Because He has information we don't, His decisions and views are wiser than ours and it'll do us a world of good just to follow them.

Oh I guess I didn't tell you how I eventually fell asleep. Well I just forgot about everything on my mind. I simply stopped thinking about everything I needed to do or hadn't done and sleep closed my eyes.
Resting requires no effort but that we simply trust His ability(omnipotence) and His wisdom(omniscience). Is that too much to do?

'nuff said!

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Let Us Pray

Lately I have gotten to more seriously praying for Nigeria. You know how much we talk about things and really don't do anything? Well I had gotten into this rut for a long while but I finally got the resolve to eat the frog(isn't that the proper expression?). After the experiences I have had in the area I live in (called the HQ of Area boys-to which I disagree, of course talkong from another perspective), I have concluded that intellect alone is weak in tackling the problems we have in this nation.

When it comes to the issues that relate to this nation and our role as the agency of change, we need to access a dimension of power and wisdom that is way beyond this realm. It seems we don't want to agree that our ideologies, concepts and knowledge ALONE can't deal with the issues that we face in this nation. It is obvious that there has been such a refinement in our programs and events that were not there some five or six years ago. The captions of our programs are now more catchy and interesting. We have become really sophisticated and hi-tech. The question that comes to me is simple, how has that affected the nation?

Of course, because we don't want to be associated with the image of the "spooky" person who "spiritualizes" everything, we end up in a ditch on the other side of the divide, where everything must make sense before we accept it. A place where we believe in the power of persuasion and intelligent discourses. Just incase we have forgotten, the enemies we are warring against are not human. They aren't easily persuaded (and particularly not by our clumsy human wisdom). The enemies we are contending with have been around here longer than any human system, concept or ideology so you can be sure their wisdom supersedes ours by a long shot!

The issues that we tackle in Nigeria relate to greed on the personal level primarily and this came so clear to me after this recent fuel hike and the resulting NLC strike.Another thing that was clear to me was that ideologies, concepts and proper English are not enough to tackle the forces we are fighting against.

The ten naira increase in fuel grew in geometric progression by the time it reached the polity. Why? Was it the government again? NO! It was just our greed revealing itself. I had to buy fuel, and because it was being hoarded by some greedy people, and I eventually bought 10 litres for two thousand naira! Do the math yourself. Transport fares doubled, even tripled in some areas. Even if our leaders are oblivious of the struggle and pain we find ourselves in, shouldn't the "common" man be more sympathetic to his fellow man? It is obvius that the forces we deal with are working on the minds and hearts of men and that place is one which our beautiful cliches and arguements cannot penetrate. Only God can reach these hidden places of the heart. The heart of men are in the hands of God...He turns them where He wills.

This is the season when we need wisdom, power and understanding beyond what the principalities of this age have. That kind of arsenal can only be accessed and harnessed in the place of prayer. I challenge you to go on your knees (or just take the most suitable position) and begin to pray.

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STILL ON THE SPEAKING CHURCH

A look at the country and you can become so frustrated and most definitely voice your disgust at the system and also tear it down. I got into that position recently when I looked at the country particularly after some incidents took place in my area. Some boys just put the entire area in darkness just because they wanted to make a few bucks. I was really put off. What angered me most was that this problem is not of social infrastructure but one of wrong attitudes and mentalities.So how do we reconcile what we see in the nation with what our position should be when it comes to speaking?

I read Ezekiel 37 recently ,and though we've usually seen it from a very selfish view, God showed me another perspective. Ezekiel said

"God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun." Eze 37:1,2(the Message)

I don't know about you but if I were Ezekiel, after seeing such a sight and asked to speak (prophesy) to these bones, I would have argued with God on the possibility of the bones living again. It is impossible, I would have said. But something is instructive of what the responses of the prophet. He never for once hesitated. He recognized his limitations so when God asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?"he just said, "Master God, only you know that." This must be our response too.

Ezekiel simply spoke what he had heard God say. That means we need to spend time with God so He can tell us the things He wants us to say to Nigeria. We owe our nation a responsibility to listen to the heartbeat of God, find out what His thoughts are and then proclaim them loud and clear. This is the time for us to pray prophetic prayers, speaking BECAUSE He has given us a word for the nation.

"I am God, the only God you've had or ever will have—
incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul,
I'll do exactly what I set out to do,' Isa 26:10 (The Message)

Nigeria, listen to the word of the Lord:

Behold, God will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring people to the land of Nigeria. And you shall know that I am the Lord [your Sovereign Ruler], when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people.

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WEALTH TRANSFER

"I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches." Isaiah 45:3

I've heard so much about the wealth transfer coming to the body of Christ and many times it seems like we should just sit down there, living our righteous lives, praying our nice little prayers while unbelievers just come to us to hand over all the cash they've used so many years to amass. That, to me, sounds like a load of rubbish. I don't think the devil would even allow it, knowing his nature and desire to rule mankind. So how is this wealth transfer going to happen?

Lately, I got thinking after reading certain articles and it just came to me that the only way that this wealth transfer will happen is if we begin to get involved in the market place.

His word tells us that He gives us POWER to get wealth. He gives us ideas, opportunities, strength, ability to become rich, to gather wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). That speaks volumes to me. We can't just sit there and expect money to come to us, just like that. Its the wisdom of God that finds expression through us that makes us bind the kings and milk them of their honey.

The kingdom needs money to make progress. If we had more money, we'd definitely be better empowered to make progress in advancing the kingdom of God. many of us have great dreams radio stations, orphanages, social reformation strategies, etc that needs financing but here we are languishing in lack.

If we are going to make the wealth that is necessary to advance the kingdom of God, then we need His wisdom to develop solutions that will compete favourably in the world's market, wisdom to know which stock to invest in. Now is the time for us to begin to receive wisdom from Him to take over from the world's system.

Am I preaching prosperity? YES! But prosperity with a purpose. The whole essence of the money flowing to us is to advance the kingdom and we must NEVER forget that!

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A SPEAKING CHURCH

In the past few days Nigerians have been really hurting and we all know why. I got involved in a discussion with my collegues recently and I could see the depth of pain and hurt Nigerians are going through. Its amazing that this feeling cuts across the entire strata of society.

In the midst of all this we are tempted to show our anger and frustration at the government and any other person that gets in our way. A kind of transfer of agression right? And of course we can justify our actions, cant we? I feel differently though. As believers our perspective to all this should be different. And if you see differently, you should speak differently shouldn't you? So what's my point?

This is the time for the church to arise and begin to speak! There's this song Israel Houghton wrote sometime in '99 (I think) titled "We Speak To Nations". The song starts by talking about the decadence and terrible condition society is in but much later in the song, emphasis is laid on us,the Church, speaking FREEDOM to nations. The chorus goes:

We speak to nations, "Be Open"
We speak to nations, "Fall On Your Knees"
We speak to nations,
"The Kingdom is coming near to you"
Oh, we speak to strongholds, "Be Broken,"
"Powers of darkness, you have to flee"
We speak to nations,
"The Kingdom is coming near to you"
We speak to you, "Be free, yeah be free"

This, I believe is the position the church should take in this season. Let us be a speaking Church, a speaking people. Declaring the Kingdom of God. It is said of Abraham that he "then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do." Paul further testifies to us that "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart"(Romans 10:8).

This is the Church's finest hour, let us arise and fulfill our destiny!

'Nuff said.

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RESTED!

Something happened to me recently that made me do a lot of thinking and less worrying. Friday last week ended with not a dime in my pocket and for a nursing father(abi?), that wasn't too good. I had racked my brain to think of possible sources of money but I came up blank. At that point I turned to the only person whom I knew was more concerned about my welfare than even me, my heavenly Father(its funnny we always remember Him last uhn?)

Well I prayed and just left it there, knowing that somehow we'd get thru the weekend and I'd have money to get to the office on Monday, when my salary would be paid. I knew He was going to provide. It was how He would do it that I didn't know.

Sunday morning came and I had to lend some money from someone to get to church. Interestingly, after service someone stepped to me to tell me she had a gift for us. I was glad that God eventually came through for us. At least we'll have enough till my salary would be paid at the end of the month. Apparently I was in for a rude shock.

It was when I got home that my wife checked the envelope. Our mouths dropped open because the amount in it was enough to take us 2 weeks without touching my salary. This got me thinking. Why are we so caught up in looking for what we'll eat, drink, wear, etc? Wasn't it Jesus who said that this pursuit of money and material wealth what those who didn't know God make their priority in life?

Birds don't put so much planning in place (if they even put any at all), rats don't store up food, do they? Even ants that do store up, just go there and pick the food, sebi? So why am I so caught up in worrying myself to death about what I'll eat and wear and all that stuff?

I think one of the traps that children of God fall into is getting so engrossed in this food-shelter-clothing business that we forget our purpose for living, the calling God gave us life for.

I have repented of my worry and emphasis on the things that don't matter to the things that really do matter. I'm entering the rest of God, casting ALL of my cares on Him, seeking the kingdom of God PRIMARILY and SINGULARLY. He promised to provide every other thing.

'Nuff said!

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