Afflicted by God!

“¹I AM [Jeremiah] the man who has seen affliction... ²¹But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation: ²²It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. ²³They are new every morning; great and abundant is your stability and faithfulness. ²⁴The Lord is my portion or share says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.” (Lamentations 3:1^a; 21-24 Amplified)

Sometimes in life we go through situations and circumstances that we do not understand neither can we really explain what is happening in our lives. At these times in life, all we can do is murmur, complain about the pain that we are going through even when we have done what we ought to have done to make sure that everything is going the way we would love to see things. But we ought to understand that there are some things that we will never understand. All we can do is align ourselves with God and allow him to do what He wills with our lives.

Paul Reminds us and tells us that “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV) At times it beats my knowledge and understanding of how God deals with us and the situations that He allows us to go through; yet, whenever we ask questions of why things are happening the way they are; His answer is always “my Grace is sufficient for you..” (2 Corinthians 12:9) and for someone in pain; this is something hard to take in.

We have examples of people who have been through hard times and they came out strong! from them, I learn a few lessons that I want to share with you! Take a look at Job and Joseph. Both were beloved people but they find themselves in circumstances and situations that they can’t explain. but from them, I take home these important lessons. During times of trials and afflictions:

• Your FAITH is tried, Tested and BUILT: When we are down in the valley, you will agree with me that you have very few friends. Nobody wants to be associated with you at that time. Joseph couldn’t understand why his own brethren would sell him off to slavery. I believe Job couldn’t take it anymore when his dear wife told him to curse God and die… (Job 2:9). But look at both of them.. through these trying moments, they hold onto God and at the end they come out victorious.
• You are being PREPARED for your next level: If I was Joseph; I wouldn’t have imagined that the dreams I had would have come to pass. But we see after getting from Potiphar's house to the prison, his next place was the palace. There are things that God needs to see in you before He can release you to your next level… and the best way to is for you to go through what you are going through now. Be patient and learn the lesson NOW!! else you will repeat till you learn.
• In the end you get a DOUBLE PORTION: When God was through with Joseph, he was elevated to be the second in Command in Egypt and above all he had control of all the store house of Egypt. Job was restored and he was blessed with double of what he had in the beginning. (Job 42:11)
• You Know the FAITHFULNESS of the Lord: There is no one else who can give a TESTIMONY of anything if he/she hasn’t been at the place of TESTING. You can only know God well if you have been to that place where you have nowhere or no one else to turn to. Do not rely on people or things that can fail you… Trust in God and in Him alone.

You may not understand everything that’s going on in your life right now, but I encourage you to keep your head held high. Know that God is working in your life. Keep being faithful. Keep doing the right thing, knowing that in the end God is going to turn things around in your favor. If God is for you, who can be against you? No one. Greater is the One who is in you than anyone who can be against you. No matter what’s going on around you today, you can put your shoulders back and put a smile on your face because God is working things together for your good because He loves you!

Amen!

He sees the Best in you!!

^“4Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying, ⁵Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ⁶Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth. ⁷But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. ⁸Be not afraid of them [their faces], for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. ⁹Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. ¹⁰See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:4-10

Last weekend happened to be one of my best weekends. I love road trips and it was one of those weekends that you go to shagz after a couple of months not seeing your folks and siblings; and this was one of the many that I have done but it was with a difference. Apart from just enjoying the road trip, I got a chance to meet one of my sons at home and we had a long chat and he shared with me how ministry has been challenging to him and he didn’t get any support from friends and even at some point, the church leadership and even friends. To him, he expected the people around him to see and recognize what he was doing but yet, no one seemed to care.

I bet you might have reached to that point whereby you so much need support but yet no one seems to care or even see what you are engrossed in doing  leave alone being committed to. At such times is when you look back and you are tempted to give up on God thinking that He sees not what you are doing and in one way or another, we find ourselves loosing our passion, dedication, motivation and commitment to what was once a motivation for us to serve God. I do not know about you but I have been there and I thought for a moment that I wasn’t the best person for the job and I might have taken over someone’s position and got myself into this mess… but I want you to know that there is nothing that catches God by surprise or will ever do. He has ordained and ordered everything to fall in the rightful place and in the right time. Most times, we start qualifying our doubts and giving God reasons as to why we are not the right people to go on with the ministry that He has called us to. 

When you read the account of Jeremiah above, you will get to realize that he was telling God one thing: - I am not the right person; Look for someone else. This is the attitude that most Christians have towards what God has called us to do and until we realize why God looks at us and sees that we are the right candidates for the job that He wants done, we will always live like Jonah - Always on the un but eventually God will catch up on us. You need to know that God cut you out and created you for a purpose. You are not here by accident or chance.. you are here on a divine mission. It is the high time that we ceased giving God reasons as to why we are not the best candidates for the calling and work that He has created and cut out for us and instead start asking Him to help us to accomplish what He has called us for.

Look at Moses in Exodus 3:10-15; God meets with Moses at the burning bush and He sends him back to Egypt to deliver the children of Israel from their captivity. But from the conversation, you can clearly see that Moses thought that he wasn’t the right man for the Job. This is what He asks God in “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (vs. 10-11). This is how many of us are. Always doubting ourselves and wondering if we are really up to and whether we qualify for the assignment that we have been called to. Let me tell you one thing. You will realize that in the bible, God never used qualified people but He Qualified them that He chose and called for s specific purpose.

You do not have to run away from God’s call simply because you feel that  you are not efficient or qualified… He who called you knew that you are not qualified but yet He chose you. All you need to do is allow Him to make you what He wants you to be and qualify you for the work He has called you for. Paul encourages us and tells us “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” (Philippians 1:6 - Amplified Bible) I love the same verse and how the Message bible puts it. It says “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” You need to know that it is not you who called yourself, but God called you - He began the good work. And because He is God and He is the master planner, He will keep it and bring it to an end.

Just see the four highlights that I have made on the scripture above. The four highlights give us the start to the end process of How God uses us.

• God Starts - This is when God creates us, He creates us with a purpose and a calling cut out for us. In due season, He calls us and we hear his voice and when we hearken to his call, He places us in the rightful place where we will be able to fulfill our mission.
• Keeps it - God told Moses in Exodus 3:12 “And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.…” God will always make sure that what He has started will come to accomplishment. He will sustain whatever He starts in you and bring it to fulfillment. You do not have to worry about what to do next.. all you need is to trust in him. He will fight the battles for you and mould you into the kind of a vessel he wants of you only allow Him to. We are just
• Brings it to Completion - You need to know that it is the joy of the Lord when He sees us accomplish what He has called us to do. The Message bible reminds us that when God finished creating, He looked back and said… “It is good”. This is the desire at the heart of God to see that everything that He starts is finished Flourishingly and achieves its purpose. The lord will guide you in all that you need to do in the call and purpose that He has called you to.

God sees the best in you even when the people around you or yourself do not see it. You are created with a potential that only God and you can realize and together, you can activate the same and make a big impact in this world. Moses looked at himself and saw a stammer and someone slow in speech but God saw a great leader and prophet in him. Jeremiah looked at himself and saw a little boy who was young and knew not how to speak, but God saw a prophet unto the nations with a great mandate. When Gideon looked at himself, all he could see was that he was the last born in his family which was the least in their clan and the tribe of Manasseh, but the Lord saw a mighty man of valor, A mighty warrior in him. 

What do you see when you look at yourself?? have you ever taken time to ask God what He sees in you? Take time and speak to God. Allow him to change your perspective and how you view yourself and start seeing yourself the way He (God) sees you.

Amen!

“Empty Yourself”

|¹⁸"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. ¹⁹Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.”| Isaiah 43:18-19

God is in the business of doing something new each and everyday. The problem is that we are so engrossed in our troubles and problems until our eyes are blinded and we cannot what God is doing. The hustles and bustles of this world have turned us into some sorts of robots and all we think of is what’s next? We are not careful to look back and appreciate what God has already done for us and also helped us to accomplish but we are so forward focused. Even God took time to look back and appreciate what He had created. Problems will always be there as long as we are alive, but the good thing is that we have God on our side who will help us solve them.

At times we are so full of some of negative feelings and thoughts and we are so confused on what we need to do next. For some of us; our past is so bad, filthy, hurting till we do not wish to remember whatever happened; yet, in the bottom of our hearts and the back of our minds, we have held on to the repercussions or outcomes of the incidences that happened to us and we are unable to move on in one way or another. The bible reminds us that we need to forget the past and move on. Some of us, we have great potential to break forth into a whole new dimension and excel in our lives, but we are held back by the failures we encountered when we tried and failed… Break forth from that cocoon and advance. You need to know that God is ready to move with you and do a new thing in your life, but He wont move till you move yourself.

When God does a new thing, you can never fail to see it; unless you are not alert to see it. God speaks through prophet Isaiah and says “Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?” You need to tune yourself to be attentive to God and know what is in his mind and when he does something new, you will be able to recognize it. But you need to know that God can not do something new in your life if you are still holding on to the past. You need to empty yourself of the past and start afresh and be ready for him to fill you afresh. One thing that is important for you to note is that God cannot use filled up vessels. You have to empty yourself so as to be used of him. He cannot fill up a vessel that is already full. It doesn't matter how effective you are in whatever the area that God intends to use you; if you are filled up, he wont use you.

In Jeremiah 48:11-12, this is what the Lord says of Moab… “Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed. “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I shall send him wine-workers who will tip him over and empty his vessels and break the bottles.” Note of what the Lord was saying about Moab. He got contented where he was like wine and thus he didn’t bother to empty up himself and thus, God was to send people who would empty him of the and get the taste or flavour in him. When you get contented with where you are and you do not do something to empty yourself; God will instead send situations, circumstances and people to press you till you are empty thus He will be able to use you.

When you empty yourself, you do not remain the same. God renews you. In the verse above, you can see that God was saying that Moab has remained with his taste inside of him and his scent too has not changed. When God changes/refreshes/Renews you, you cease to be the old person that people knew and they see you in a new dimension. Your face Value increases as well. Your aroma and influence increases… why” Because you have emptied yourself and you are renewed. You get refilled and you give out something fresh. The bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:3 “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth;…” This is the reason why we have rain. when it rains, the vapour rises up and forms new clouds and when they are full, we have rain again… and the cycle continues.

When you learn to empty yourself, you set yourself ready for something new. A new lease of life, grace, a new impartation, exaltation to a new level name it. But for you to receive or partake of this, you have to go through/accept the whole process. Take an example of a Sugar. Sugar is an extract of sugarcanes, and there is a process to get sugar from the sugarcane - This is the same as emptying yourself. The sugarcane is pressed and from it, sugar comes out. We use the same sugar in tea and making bread/Madazi. After eating, you got to go and relieve yourself and from the human waste/animal wastes and the wastes of the pressed sugarcane, we get fertilizer which the farmer will use to grow more sugarcane.. and the process continues.

When we fail to empty ourselves, we block blessings for other people. In the sugar process, if one of the processes fails, it means the whole chain fails. Thus, you need to know what role you have in the chain and make sure you do your part so as not to block the blessing of the other person. When you go through the whole process, you accept to be pressed and release the juice, taste, aroma and in the long run, you become a blessing to many.  You need to realize that before there is an overflow of anything, there must be pressing down. Pressing down is not easy because it is not easy… it’s painful; but once you allow and endure the pressing down, whatever is in you overflows. (Luke 6:38)

Inside of you, you have many ideas which when you release them, they will not only benefit you alone but others as well. The more you remain with the ideas and not releasing them, sharing them or even implementing them, the more you block their blessings and yours too. You need to know that you have a seed of greatness inside of you and until the seed falls/is released, dies on the ground and empties itself, it will remain to be of no benefit. When something dies or it’s broken, it means that nothing is left or withheld. We do not receive new things or new blessings simply because we are full of the past. You have to forget the past and embrace the new things that God is doing in your life. (Isaiah 43:18-19). If you dwell in the past, you block yourself from advancing and partaking of new blessings that God has in store for you. God will be looking at you and He will see that you are not ready for new blessings since you got content with what He gave you the other time.

If you do not empty yourself, there will be no progress. Again, if you are not careful, you can empty yourself and remain the same or go backwards. The secret is that every time you empty yourself, ask the Lord to Fill you… else, you will be filled with something else.

Empty Yourself!!