LIFE LESSONS WITH GOD (part 5)

7.PURPOSE AND MONEY: I remember when I used to be so disturbed about the fact that I needed money and I just had to get money. I was practically nagging God, complaining seriously about the number of things I needed to get and the insufficient resources I had. I would then conclude by saying 'how I wish I am fulfilling purpose, na wa ooh, I don't even have the smallest source of income'. One day, in the course of my usual complain, I heard the Holy Spirit gently tell me, 'is it money you want or the fulfillment of purpose?'. And I was like 'what is the difference?' I surprised that there was a dividing line between them talk more of a huge difference. Well, I trust God to help me explain better to you.

When Money is all that you want, then you are heading for trouble. Money is good, it is very necessary and highly important. But have you seen the way people embezzle government funds, falsify figures, kidnap people, and perform all forms of dishonest act? That is so because their goal is to make money and more money. I know a father of five children reading this would probably say to himself, If I don't make money how will I feed my family? That is a good question and I want you to listen carefully to my response.

 I am not saying you should not have a source of income, what I am simply saying is that money should not be your focal point.  When money is your focal point, you lose sight of what is needful...Some producers reduce the content of their products simply because they want to make more profit, people make pirated copies of films because they want to make money at all cost.  Then money because their god.  They will do anything, go through any length just to ensure that they make money at all cost.

But when you are after the fulfillment of purpose, you become service oriented, your driving force becomes 'how do I impact my world?' 'What do I do to make the world a better place?' 'What can I do to make a difference?' 'What gives me satisfaction?'  You begin to notice that your thinking changes. Fulfilling purpose might not get you the initial financial satisfaction you desire, but one thing I know for sure is this, the gift of a man makes room for him and on the long run, you realise that financial success is inevitable because the satisfaction you derive from your purpose enables you to give the best to the society.

Fulfilling purpose is long lasting, you are contented with what you are and at the same time you desire to be a better you. Chasing purpose is positive,  you are fulfilled when you achieve purpose, it consciously or unconsciously becomes a source of income, you are making impact but chasing money would only make you hungry for more money. It is negative. You are no longer contented. You don't care about serving others what matters to you is how to satisfy your lust for power The desire to make more money drives you away from your loved ones. Fulfil purpose and money gains access to your home.

8. AS FAR AS YOUR EYES CAN SEE: People love to have little dreams. It is wrong. Dream big, God told Abraham 'I would give you the land as far as your eyes can see'. Stop looking at how limited you are and start looking at how unlimited God is.  The fact that finance is unavailable does not mean that it would not come so don't let anything deter you from dreaming big. You have greatness within you therefore, let your light shine.
 This is the concluding part of the lessons! I hope you had a great time and you learnt a lot?I would love to see your comments.  Have a wonderful time in God's presence.
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LIFE LESSONS WITH GOD (Part 4)

5. He is a FRIEND/COMFORTER: I never really understood this part of God till when I lost my elder sister. If you haven't lost someone very close to you, you probably wouldn't know how it feels to be bereaved. I remember the pain, the desperate feeling to know why things turned out that way. That was a point I really questioned if God really existed. I wondered how a God would watch so many evil persons perpetuate evil in the world and yet choose to take the limited good ones away. I remember listening to Cece Winans ( 'Comforter' ) every night and I remember how much I cried myself to sleep. In life, I have come to realise that people with the brightest smiles sometimes have the deepest sorrows. People couldn't understand how I felt or why I was so complex. Most people go through pains so deep that only God can reach and that is why you can't afford to judge people when you don't know their story or what they have been through.

In search of solace,I learnt to reach out to God and in my search I realised how much He desired to have a better, deeper more intimate relationship with us. Nobody understands you the way God does. I was marvelled at the way His love washed away the pains as I drew near to Him and allowed His powerful hands comfort me. He is our best friend and comforter. When you don't understand things, take it to Him in prayer and love Him regardless even when you think He has wronged you. There are so many things you can't understand on this side of eternity so don't deprive yourself the benefits of a good life with God simply because bad things happened to you. With this I bring  you to lesson number six...

6. A Christian is not moved by FEELINGS but by the WORD/SPIRIT OF GOD: What dictates your actions? Your feelings or your convictions? If you don't stand for something, you would fall for anything. A christian must not allow him/herself to be moved by feelings nor the present disposition of the country. The Word of God is your Sword, your Standard. I have learnt that you don't need to feel good to do what is good. Your feeling is just what it is- a feeling. Be wiser than your feelings. Let your actions be predetermined by what the Word of God prescribes.Sometimes, we are fasting and we 'feel' like eating. Does that mean we should eat? No! It is just a feeling... You can choose to cave in  or stand strong. You have the capacity to control your feelings. Measure your actions with the best equipment in town... The WORD of God. With it, Kings are made and the 'Gentiles' acknowledge our shinning light. Thanks for reading guys, you just made my day *thumbs up*

LIFE LESSONS WITH GOD (Part 3)

Hello people, I hope you had a great day? My desire is to serve you better and enrich you in ways you never imagined. Let's get straight to the point.Life lessons with God part three...

3. A teachable spirit: God loves a teachable spirit...He loves it when your heart is broken before him when you don't try to justify yourself when you are convicted of your mistakes. He wants a heart that is willing to learn, many people go through good/bad experiences but very few persons actually learn from it. A teachable spirit is what makes you a high flyer in life! When you have a teachable spirit, you grow faster, you make less mistakes and even when you make mistakes, you learn from it thereby becoming wiser.Someone who doesn't have a teachable spirit is wise in his own eyes and he keeps making mistakes because he has refused to learn from them...You want to soar high, be ready to learn!

4. Take it one step at a time:I remember when I just started growing spiritually(I am still growing) and I began to see how flawed I am. I was so desperate to change that I ended up doing nothing. The more I read/heard the Word of God, the more I saw my weaknesses and rather than feel convicted, I felt condemned, I felt I wasn't good enough for God and God couldn't accept me. Then I saw that it was just a lie, God loves us the way we are but He would not leave us the way we have been, the Holy Spirit does not condemn us, He only convicts a man. God knows that we have so many flaws and He has promised to help us but we must learn to take things one at a time. Transformation doesn't take place in one day, it is a process that takes time, we are transformed by the daily renewal of our minds through the word of God. So don't fret when you don't seem to get it right, just make a determined effort, have faith in God, confess the Word and soon the reality of your aspirations would hit you like never before..

P. S: The one step at a time approach applies to everything! When you are worried about how much you need to do to fulfill purpose for instance, just take it step by step, God is already in the future, soon you would get to the height of your career and you would have learnt a lot through the process! I would love to receive your comments! Stay blessed.

LIFE LESSONS WITH GOD (Part Two)

2. Be Sincere: I remember a point in my life when I just told God what I felt He needed to hear, I gave Him one sided stories, I told Him what I wanted Him to do for me without telling Him the motives behind my actions. I  would then wait for a very long while expecting answers to my prayers but at the end, I got nothing.
Then I realised my error, it is foolishness to hide things from God! Listen, God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent.  Before you open your mouth to pray to God, He already knows what you want to say. He sees your heart and He was there when the event occurred.  The reason why we sometimes experience delay in our prayers is because we literally lie to God. Since I know that it is foolishness to hide things from God, I have changed my praying pattern. For instance,  I need a life partner,  I don't ask God to connect me to my life partner when I know I am already tripping and silently crushing on a guy. So this is simply what I tell God:
      " Father, I like this guy, He has so many godly qualities and he is very handsome, he is also very focused.  I desire to marry him but more importantly,  I want your will to be done in my life. Not my will Lord, but Yours. Help me to handle this situation and help me not to miss it marital. Thank you for answered prayers".

When I pray like this, I realise that God gives me clear cut direction, He gives me clarity and He opens my eyes to see things from His perspective.

Another instance: When someone offends me, I don't try to hide away from God instead I pray this way....
      " Father, Ayo (use the person's name) really offended me today. I hate it when people lie against me, Lord in my heart I am very, very angry and I don't desire to forgive her. Father I want to repay her in her own coin. But Your word says anger lies in the bossom of fools, I don't want to be foolish Lord, help me act in wisdom.Fill my heart with your love and understanding.  Thank you Lord for answered prayers".

 This kind of prayer cuts across every aspect of your life. God is interested in every aspect of your life, from the smallest detail to the biggest. Tell everything to God, deepen your communication withmHim and show the world that there is no better friend than Jesus.  No not one!
In conclusion, whenever you want to pray, BE SINCERE, tell it to God just the way it is, the way you feel, share your limitations, aspirations and fears to God. Tell Him your motives share your thoughts with Him and let Him work out everything in your favour.
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LIFE LESSONS WITH GOD (Part One)

Good evening beautiful people! How did your day go? Well, mine was great! Today was an eye opener for me. As I woke up this morning, I was led in my spirit to publish on my blog,'lessons I have learnt in my walk with God'. I kept having this nudge in my spirit till this very moment and I strongly believe that God has great plans for my readers and He is set to bless billions of people through this blog. Sit back and relax as I take you on a journey into life lessons with God.
               LESSONS LEARNT FROM MY WALK WITH GOD
1. LOVE is the word not RELIGION:  For a long while before I truly became a born again Christian,  I was ensnared into the world of religion.  See, Religion and An intimate RELATIONSHIP with God are two different things,  they are parallel lines that can never meet. Religious people tell you to focus on them, they see theirselves as the highest pinnacle of holiness. If they see you doing anything less than their standard, they condemn you such that you would hate them forever. They see themselves as the custodian of the laws of God and failure to obey them(religious people) means you are driving straight to hell! Religious people forget that they are products of grace  and that the heights they have attained was made possible by God. Religion uses force. It paints God as a tyrant, a cruel dictator ready to smash the head of any man not willing to obey Him.

A true relationship with God on the other hand is the best thing that can happen to a man. A true relationship with God focuses on God as an emblem of love, it shows you that God is a loving Father, He is love personified. Everything He does for you is on the basis of love. And in return, everything you do is on the basis of love. You just realise that you want to please Him always, you want to know Him more...That is love, that is what inspires true Christian activity. True Christians point you to the cross and tell you to make Jesus your role model. They don't useyour weaknesses against you. True Christians encourages you to have a consistent progressive relationship with God and they make you understand that service to God is not a form of ritual, but an expression of love to God. They have an aura of love and they make others feel loved even unbelievers are not left out. True Christians recognise the role of grace upon their lives and they work with such humility that even unbelievers are drawn to their light.

Most people don't want  to be Christians because they are tired of 'religious folks' condemning them. I understand that feeling but today, I bring you to the light of God's Word that says 'GOD IS LOVE'  1 John 4:8. Don't let people with misconceptions about God send you away from God. Come into this relationship with God and trust me, E BETTER PASS FERRARI!
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MY BIRTHRIGHT!!!!

I drew the title of the post from the familiar story of Esau and Jacob in the Bible. Esau sold his birthright(rights of a firstborn) to Jacob simply because he was hungry. The depth of his hunger made him say 'see here, I am at the point of death, what good is it anyway'. I am sure you must be wondering what my intentions are about this topic.Well, I am not preaching, I am just trying to use this biblical allusion as a backdrop for my real discourse which is INTERGRITY.

Let me ask you a couple of questions; What do you stand for? What are your principles? When you are in the face of challenges, how firmly can you stand? If somebody is trying to engage you in an evil act, how well would you say no considering the fact that he is willing to pay you a huge sum which is capable of meeting your insatiable needs? Hmmmm, think deeply about these questions before you respond.

According to Stormie Omartian in her book ' The Power of A Praying Wife' she defined integrity thus 'integrity is not what you appear to be when all eyes are on you. It's who you are when no one is looking. It is a level of morality below which you never fall, no matter what is happening around you'(pg121). This prompts me to ask just one more question; what is your definition and depth of morality?

Most times we fall short of God's standards not because His grace is not sufficient for us but because we don't even have moral standards...For us, anything goes as long as we are not caught. Guys listen to me, you can't live your life this way! You have to stand for something or else  you would fall for anything!  You have to learn to say no when you know that God's standards are been compromised and you must learn to stand by it!
I have come to realise that the easiest way to have integrity is to fear God, strange huh? But it is true..The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom the holy scripture says.When you fear God you would realise that you would always live a life pleasing to God. A life of integrity, transparency and true holiness. Don't let that promotion make you lose you lose your integrity! Stand for the truth always.

As a PR expert, I must tell you this, your image and reputation is very important in the sight of God. God is concerned about what people say and think about you. Represent God well because you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called out of darkness into God's marvelous light. People would always want to buy off your integrity, like Jacob bought off Esau's birthright. Your birthright is too precious for you to lose! #Dont stop shining the light,# make a difference today, #do what is right,#practice integrity today,# make God proud and experience true peace and joy..Don't worry God is going to lift you up!
 Thanks for spending time with me, I appreciate your comments...Do have an 'integrity exercised' Tuesday! And always remember, IF YOU DO STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU WOULD FALL FOR ANYTHING!

PURE ECSTACY

In a pool of pure ecstasy, overshadowed by passion and desire, torn between pleasing God and pleasing himself, lies a man at loss with himself! The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is over increasingly weak! All that is at the forefront of his mind is to thrust and overcome his carnal pleasure and desire.

From the heavens above, the angels watch with fear in their eyes, disappointed that man, created far above them is engaging in that which God hates. The twenty four elders are not left out in the alarming scene as they couldn’t help but pause their undiluted worship to watch as man in reckless abandon, ignores his place and position in the kingdom of God.

The Most High whose eyes are too holy to behold iniquity turns His eyes away but His omnipresent character enables Him to fully comprehend all that man indulges in. As Jesus tries to intercede on behalf of man, the accuser comes forward and makes a boast of how he makes man falls into temptation at his command.

 In the bid to save the situation, the Holy Spirit in man, knocks on the door of his conscience, shouting with a loud voice “noooo, don’t plug it! Marriage is honourable, the bed undefiled! Flee from fornication!” But alas, the inner hears of man has been blocked by the voice of his flesh which keeps screaming in excitement “ yes! Do it! Go faster! Show that you are the man! After all, Biblical David with all his intimacy with God couldn’t ignore the beauty of Bathsheba!”

Soon, the competition ends and the Spirit of God quietly walks away, feeling so grieved and angry as the Devil gives man a high five for a job ‘well done’. The angels go back to their business, the twenty four elders get back to work, but from the inner chambers, a shrill cry is heard, Jesus is being nailed again, because a born again has resulted into sin! The blood flows down, dripping on the ground, the Father looks upon the blood and as if a dagger struck at His heart, His heart pierces into two, he is heartbroken! But even in the reserviour of His broken heart lies a fountain of love so deep and a desire to fellowship with man!

 The scene ends, and man finally finishes his act. Suddenly, like a man waking up from sleep, he realizes his mistakes, the scales have finally fallen off his eyes only that they fell off too late! The deed has been done; the temple of God has been bruised, deflowered and destroyed! He tries to access the throne of God but there seems to be a wall above him, his prayers keep bouncing back to the ground, he tries to recollect his actions then he remembers that someone was once knocking at the door of his heart. Ha! He shut out the Holy Spirit! He opens the door, but he couldn’t find anyone, all he could see was blood, red as crimson, flowing with life and he knew from the recess of his being where the blood came from...In pain, he wailed, feeling so bad for nailing the Son yet again, after the price has already been paid at the cross of Calvary. He cries out to God in repentance and like a fax message, his repentance reaches the heavenly throne of mercy! The blood of Jesus begins to flow in abundance and soon, his stained garment becomes as white as snow, his heart is renewed, the angels rejoice, the Father forgives him, their relationship is restored and the Spirit of God speaks in a still small voice and with a smile on His face saying “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”.

Dear friends, co-labourers in the vineyard of God, this article is written to as many Christians who have allowed sexual immorality debar them from the throne of God, God is so heartbroken, but he still loves you and he wants you back to himself, just repent right now and let the blood shed on the cross forever renew you. Isaiah 1: 18 says, “…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool”. You can stand in God, you can stay sexually pure, God is ready to help you, just listen to His spirit and don’t let the devil take advantage of you!
 I remain Bamiloshin Esther, Remember, you are a WINNING GENERATION, don’t ever let the devil tell you otherwise!