Tag Archive | hope

Performance Review II

Hello People,

Happy New Month!

How has the year been so far? Today’s service? Regardless of how good or otherwise the year has been, one thing is certain:

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side….then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snares of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth”- Psalm 124:1,4-8

What’s more? We have escaped! We have seen November, we will surely see December!

Let’s get down to today’s post.

Read. Sing. Meditate. Enjoy.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count.. your blessings name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done

Count.. your blessings, name them one by one;

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy, you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their land and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings wealth can never buy

Your reward in heaven or your home on high

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be disheartened, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

There is something about pessimists that gets to me. I believe everybody on the surface of the earth has a challenge or the other. If I ask ten people randomly how the year has been, the answers will surprise even me, I’m sure. The negative things in this world will always be there. When we dwell on the positive things in our lives and magnify them, the negatives seem so small and eventually fizzles out. Count your blessings and appreciate God!

I wrote a post in February titled, ‘Performance Review‘. Ten Months have gone and January seem just like yesterday. You know how everyone is at the beginning of the year, high hopes and all. Then somewhere in the middle of the year, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, we lose it.

Sometimes we just become complacent and leave everything to fate. Some of us even pray and fast and hold on to our ‘faith’. Well my dear, remember this verse, ‘Faith without works is dead?’ It certainly is. You must do something. Don’t get me wrong, God does not need us to do what he will do, He is God. He will also not do what He has empowered us to do. So next time you sit down and hug your faith close to your chest expecting life to happen just like that, remember your faith is for you not God, it does not move Him. Faith does not move God, it moves mountains. God does not need to move, He is God all by Himself. Faith does not affect God’s giving, it helps us to receive. So when we have faith, it does not mean we should sit down idly and be expectant, it means we should do whatever needs to be done and be free of worry because we know we will receive what we have asked. Don’t just ask for the rain, bring out your buckets, be ready to receive in abundance. Be prepared even for the mud.

I’m laying emphasis on this today because many a soul have blamed God for not doing what he has said he will do. Take for instance, God tells me I will be a medical doctor, then I opt out of school and pick up my bell to announce to the whole world what the Lord has done. Well, I rest my case.

Where are the resolutions for 2014? what and what have you been able to achieve? What proposed heights have you attained? You know where you planned to be by the end of 2014, how far have you come? You know the beautiful thing about reviews? It tells you how effective your strategy is. If you’ve not done much, it’s not time for pity-party darling, it’s time to change strategy! It’s not enough to have faith and wear the cloak of piousness, we must arise and do something!

I know some people have done everything humanly possible but still experience delay. Or what do we say about Daniel and the prince of Persia? Daniel prayed and did everything he could, yet he was delayed for 21 days. The good news however is if you have done ALL, God will not leave you stranded. God cannot be mocked. Everyone knows when they have done ALL.

Delay in life can be caused by God, the devil and we humans. Sometimes, God allows some things to happen to us because he wants us to learn and grow in Him. Maturity does not come easy. In situations like these, we know all things are working together for our good.

Delays caused by the devil are everywhere. The good news however is if we choose to focus on God and do His will, we will come out victorious. We shall reap the fruits, if we do not faint.

Now, here is the part I’m really interested in; delays caused by humans. Isn’t it funny really? Why on earth will I choose to delay myself? I know where I am going, I know what I need to get there, so why slow myself down? Sounds pretty easy but when we allow laziness and indiscipline to become the order of the day, we are causing ourselves delay. You know for some of us, all we need is discipline and the results will change rapidly.

For those who feel they are no longer on the right path, I would say, the fact that you know there is a right and wrong path and you acknowledge that you are on the wrong path means a whole lot. Now, all you have to do is retrace your steps, ask the Holy Spirit for help and He will help you. He is our HELP!

Think about it this way, we still have roughly two months before the end of this year, 8 weeks, 59 days, 1416 hours, 84960 minutes and 5097600 seconds approximately. You might say there is no time left, I say there is always time to do the right thing. No matter how little small an achievement is, it is way better than failure. To do something is always better than to do nothing.

Let go of the fear and doubt, do the seemingly impossible things. Pick up your dreams and plan, make yourself proud, make your God proud, let people see you in the remaining days of this year and glorify God in heaven. I want someone to look back come December and thank God for the things they were able to do between November and December.

It’s your life anyway, why settle for less?

May your ways be beautiful this November.

Happy New Month People!

Blessings.

In Christ Alone.

Jun29

Hello Dawleens,

It’s been what? 2 weeks? 3?

I’m not gonna bore you with details or give excuses.

One thing is certain though, I’m glad to be here!

How have you been too?

It’s the beginning of another great week, the end of a beautiful month, the end of the second quarter of the year, the end of the first half of the year. If you are not grateful, you should have a re-think. It’s been God all the way, I tell you!

The hymn for today is one we all know.

Read. Sing. Meditate. Enjoy.

In Christ Alone

“For there is hope for a tree-if it’s cut down, it sprouts again, and grows tender, new branches. Though it’s roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays, it may sprout and bud again at the touch of water, like a new seedling.”-Job 14:7

In Christ alone, my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

Till on that cross, as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground, His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again.

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me.

From life’s first cry, to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!!!

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”-1 Cor 15:19

A lot, when I say a lot, I mean a whole lot has happened. Have we forgotten our girls so soon? have we? Oh, how we used to see the hash tag, bringbackourgirls everywhere on twitter, how we used to see dp’s on the same issues, how we used to read/ write on this, how we used to pray!! What happened people? It’s been how many days?? 76 days of agony for some families. I sit in the comfort of my bedroom to type, and I wonder what it must feel like to have a sister or daughter somewhere in one deep forest with strangers. I mean, the thought alone is killing. Some of us resorted to prayers, afterall, God is omnipresent, He alone knows where these girls are but even the zeal for this particular prayer point is diminishing. Our strength is waning. Where is our hope? What has happened to our faith? And who do we blame really? Even the Bible puts it this way,

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.”

Ah, how I wish this was just about the chibok girls, but really, it isn’t. This is about Nigeria, this is about the world, this is about everything going wrong; leaders extorting the people, A Government that seem not to have the ability to empathize with those in pain, democracy becoming, ‘Government of the political parties, by the parties and for the parties”, citizens who have no idea what rights they have, mediocre and fearful Christians, bomb blasts everywhere, hike in prices of commodities, deteriorating economy etc.

“We are praying too, that you will be filled with His mighty, glorious strength so that you can keep going, no matter what happens. -always full of the joy of the Lord.”-Col 1:11

Oh for strength to forge ahead in times like this.

I think in times like this, there is a need for us to arise as a body. Remember Deborah? Esther? Nehemiah? People who stood for what they believed in. These people rose up and did what needed to be done. This is not the time to be lackadaisical. Does it not concern you? Even if all you can do is pray, please make sure you do it diligently. Someone said these things are signs of the end-time, they are bound to happen. I agree, totally. But I still say what do we do then, while we await the return of Christ? fold our arms and feign ignorance or helplessness? I don’t think so. This is not a time for rest or timidity, it is a time to put on the whole armour of God!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”- 2 Tim 1:7

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.”-Rom 8:5

Beyond our prayers, I think this is a time to have a commitment with God. A commitment to have an all-time run with our maker. A commitment that 10 years from now, 20 years, 50 years and even 100 years from now, if the Lord tarries, we’ll still stand. A promise that no matter what happens, whenever He comes, He’ll still find us in faith. A promise that no matter what the 2nd half of 2014 brings or how dark the night may be, we’ll trust in His promise of a beautiful morning. We cannot boast of our love for Him, because He loved us first, but like lovers, we can boldly declare, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”

“We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; His perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what He might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what He might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that He loves us. So you see, our love for Him comes as a result of His loving us first.”-1 John 5:18-19

Truth is the things going on right now are enough to shake anyone’s faith, so many questions, very little answers. But we are not without hope,

“For I know that my Redeemer lives and He shall stand at last on the earth.”-Job 19:25

We have been empowered to reign as Kings on earth and reign with Him in heaven. Really, there are no excuses. Strive to be the best wherever you are, be an agent of positive change. Don’t just sit down and complain all day, the change we seek begins with us.

“There remains a rest for the people of God. For He who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall…”-Hebrews 4:9-11

Here is my prayer for you this 2nd quarter of the year,

“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvellous love and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how wide His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last, you will be filled up with God himself.”- Ephesians 3:17-19

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!!!

Have a beautiful week/month/2nd quarter people.

Cheers!

It Is So Sweet!

Mar2

Hello People,

Thank you for stopping by again today. How was your week?

Happy new Month! Thank God for grace!

Ten more months to go right? Yep, I’m counting.

How was today’s service?

It was great for me too!

For today’s hymn, I have a short story on the writer. I hope this will help you to relate with the song.

Read in-between the lines, Sing, Meditate, Enjoy!!

“Since He did not spare even His own son for us but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also surely give us everything else?”-Romans 8:32

The story of Louisa Stead, the writer of today’s hymn, is a classic example of the helpless who “cried and the Lord heard her, and delivered her out of all her troubles.” Louisa knew the Lord at a young age and first felt the call to missionary work in her teens. She was however deterred from going into the mission field due to her frail health. At the young age of twenty one, she left England for America. She then met Mr Stead and got married to him in 1875. They had a daughter who they named Lily. While enjoying a family picnic on Long Island Sound, Louisa and Lily both watched helplessly as their husband and father drowned while trying to save a drowning boy (He had heard the boy’s screams and had run to his rescue; alas both he and the boy drowned).

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”-Job 13:15a

Without the support of her husband, Louisa’s fortunes changed and she experienced great poverty. However, The Lord of Hosts, our maker and redeemer, Husband to widows in Christ showed himself strong on her behalf by becoming her husband. Louisa learnt to look unto and trust the Author and Finisher of her faith, and He neither left nor forsook her. In the midst of her trials and tribulations, having experienced our Saviour’s reassuring and unfailing love, she wrote this beautiful hymn (in 1882) in which over and over, she affirmed the joy and peace that come from simply trusting in Him. Louisa and her daughter overcame their challenges, and later, they both became missionaries in South Africa, Louisa thus eventually fulfilling her God-ordained destiny.

‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus

“And those who know your name will put their trust in You; for You Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”-Psalm 9:10

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word;

Just to rest upon His promise,

And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Refrain:

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,

How I’ve proved it o’er and o’er

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,

O for grace to trust Him more!

“..who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.”-2 Corinthians 1:10

O how sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to trust His cleansing blood;

And in simple faith to plunge me

‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Jesus, Jesus , how I trust Him….

“..we trust in the living God, who is the saviour of all men, especially of those who believe”- 1 Timothy 4:10

Yes, tis sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just from sin and self to cease;

Just from Jesus simply taking

Life and rest, and joy and peace.

Jesus, Jesus , how I trust Him….

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord”-Psalm 4:5

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,

Precious Jesus, Saviour, Friend;

And I know that thou art with me,

Wilt be with me to the end.

Jesus, Jesus , how I trust Him….

“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in you; let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them; let all those who love your name be joyful in You.”-Psalm 5:11

Something happened to me on Monday, 3rd February 2014. I payed my tithe on Sunday 2nd February and my phone (that’s barely a month old) was stolen on my way to work on Monday. To say I was stupefied is to say the least. I mean, what happened to the promises in Micah 3? God was supposed to rebuke the devourer for my sake shey? I was angry for some days, I checked my heart, my mind, everything, I could not place my hand on ‘something’ I had done to deserve this. After a while, I let it go. I just took it like that and that was it. I refused to dwell on it, that would have been too painful. It’s just one of those things, I said to myself.

“…nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”-1 Timothy 6:17

Fast forward to yesterday, March 1st 2014, I had a meeting at work earlier in the day. On my way back in the evening, I branched somewhere to get some things. I had placed my order and was at the point of payment when I discovered my debit card was not with me. I checked my pocket, ransacked my bag, but the card refused to show up. Something went off in my head. The cashier was waiting for payment, I emptied my bag on the slab, all to no avail. I had used the card at work so I knew it was not at home. I had no cash at all on me. I remembered tomorrow (today that is) will be the first Sunday, and I’m supposed to pay my tithe. I apologised to the cashier who gave me a *you just wasted my time, next time be sure you have your card or cash before placing orders* kinda look. I apologised again and left. As I stepped out of the building, it took everything within me to hold back the tears that threatened to come pouring. For me, it wasn’t about the card or phone or whatever, it was about someone taking what belongs to me. I felt hurt and at that point, I doubted if God really had my back. I know God loves me, don’t get me wrong, but I allowed the doubt into my mind and paying of tithe just felt like one of those things if after paying it, someone could still take what belongs to me.

On my way home, I couldn’t cry, couldn’t pray, just kept saying, ‘God please..’, Yeah, I know I can request for a new card and it doesn’t take forever bla bla but I want to pay my tithe tomorrow and be able to tell people about the goodness of God. I won’t lie to you here by saying I believed totally in what I was saying, I am a very practical person and I hate to be delusional. I had checked my bag and everywhere the card could be but didn’t see it there so? A part of me would however not let me be, so I kept on confessing Malachi 3:10-11. I kept telling myself that if God has said something in His word, then He will do it, I assured myself that all things work together for my good even when I can’t see the good. For some reason, I just refused to dwell on the negative side. I entered the house and greeted everyone then went straight to my room.

I was about to pull off my cloth when I felt something in my inner pocket. I brought it out and alas, it was my card! I was silent for a few seconds, didn’t even know what to do. Next thing, I fell on my knees to thank God, for proving himself strong on my behalf, for being faithful even when my faith wavered and my trust was not total. In spite of everything, God remains God!

“The God of my strength in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation,

My stronghold and my refuge;

My saviour, You save me from violence”-2 Samuel 22:3

It is soo soo sweet to trust in Jesus, I am sure of that!

Trust however does not just come, it does not just happen, it takes time. Think about it, for those that are married or in a relationship, you did not trust your spouse the first day you met. It takes getting to know each other, the other person’s virtues, beliefs, thoughts etc to trust. In the same vein, to really trust God, we need to know what he is saying at every point. We need to get so engrossed in His word, so as to say the right thing when things happen, because they will surely happen.

Faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God.

It will be impossible to trust if you don’t know what the other party can do. If you are certain of the person’s capabilities however, you can say, without mincing words that this person can do this. If you don’t know God as your healer for instance, trusting Him to heal someone else will be almost impossible. If you are yet to experience His ability to provide, how do you really know He is truly Jehovah Jireh? If you haven’t experienced His saving grace, how then do you know He is indeed the Saviour of the world? Talk to Him! Tell Him you want to know Him as God in all ways. It is not enough to know Him as your Saviour, it is not enough to hear what others have to say about His mercies and goodness, you must experience them yourself.

Then and only then will you be able to sing from the bottom of your heart:

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,

How I’ve proved it o’er and o’er

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,

O for grace to trust Him more!

It’s a new week and a new month, choose to stand by God’s word, choose to trust in Him no matter what happens!!

“As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”-2 Samuel 22:31

Have a week/month full of blessings on all sides!

Still Standing…

Feb23

Hello Darlings,

How did the week go? One more week down right? Never to late to start something o, better late than never.

How was church today? Trust it was great too.

The hymn for today is a reminder of His promises.

Read, Sing, Meditate, Enjoy!!

Standing On The Promises

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”-Psalm 124:8

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring;

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God

“…stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”-Job 37:14

Stand..ing, stand..ing, standing on the promises of God my Saviour,

Stand..ing, stand..ing

I am standing on the promises of God.

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king…..for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”-2 Chronicles 32:7-8a

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living word of God, I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”-John 8:36

Standing on the promises I now can see,

Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,

Standing on the promises of God.

“We love Him because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,

Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

Standing on the promises of God.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless, before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…”-Jude 1:24

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,

Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,

Resting in my Saviour as my all in all,

Standing on the promises of God.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion fail not. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I have hope.”-Lamentations3:22-24

No doubt about it, battles rage in this life. Things don’t always go as planned, there are always things to do. It might be the bills that are yet to be paid, or a strained relationship, a job that’s sapping life out of you, a boss that’s out to make your life miserable, a child that’s not doing so well, prayers that are yet to be answered, dreams and aspirations to catch up on, or daily battle to put food on the table and to keep spirit, soul and body together.

“…you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”-John 16:33b

In all these, we have a God! Truth is if you are not in the midst of a battle presently, it means you are just leaving one or about to enter one. As long as we are in this world, there will always be battles to fight, things will happen to shake our faith, but the hope we have is that we never fight our battles alone. In fact, we don’t fight them at all. Hope breathes in this promise. We don’t have to be afraid or discouraged, when things/situations seem at their worst, we can be strong and courageous. Here’s the best part: During the battle, the Lord isn’t watching and cheering us on, He is fighting on our behalf. That’s enough hope/assurance to face whatever tomorrow brings.

“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.