WITHOUT REGRETS

Can I ask you this simple, but touching question? Okay! In 25 years time, will you be happy that you lived your life the way you are doing right now?

What we all meet in the future are the products of the decisions we made before.

I believe everyone of us has a silent passion for advancement, but many times, there is this way we believe the future is still 'far'.

Little wonder a wise man said "Tomorrow will become yesterday in two days time". Simply put: what you call the far away future will soon become past before your eyes!

I watched a few days ago how some primary school kids were having a sports session. See their little legs, taking so much time to complete a few meters race. More touching was the fact that I remembered when I was like that. Every shorts looked like baggy trouser on us. We went to school each day with like 2 Naira. Wow!

Now, decades have gone by and you will live with the decisions you took even years back.

Dear! If you will live with no regrets, please go ahead and live your dreams. Don't wait for human encouragement that might never come. Go ahead and publish that book! Don't marry that person when your heart is not there; that is self-torture! Don't live long, yet regretting the life you lived! Launch into your calling. That is where your fulfillment is.

I agree with Great sculptor, Micheloangelo, when he said "The tragedy of life is not in having big dreams and not reaching it, but in having small dreams and reaching it".

I recall an elderly man who called me some day and said "Segun, if I should come back to life, I will do what you are doing". Unfortunately, he can't come back. I left his presence thinking 'so, this is how life can be lived regretfully'. Ahh!! No! I will exhaust my arsenal. Not a grace on my life will be left unused. Socrates was the one who said "Idleness isn't just in doing nothing, but also in not doing enough".

Expand your horizon, dear reader! Don't grow old regretting opportunities you never took; books you never wrote; friends you looked down on; that lady you never married; that guy you never gave a chance (Don't sound 'religious. It happens.); that ministry you never had; that vision that you kept on postponing till now you are a grand dad. Live without regrets! Exhaust your knowledge! Be true to yourself. Don't allow people take decisions for you, because they won't feel the pain when it's discomforting. Like the elderly man who spoke to me, though visionary, yet no fulfillment. Most unfortunately, he can't come back as he would have wished. Live, being truthful to your bone marrows. Don't please people at the detriment of your calling. 

Phil Collins sang, saying, "All of my life, there have been regrets, that I didn't do all I could....I didn't spend the time I should. It's a memory I will live with all of my life". May you not live a life that will be tagged 'Almost Succeeded'. Exhaust your opportunities. Live without regrets. Go all out for your dreams. There alone your fulfillment lies. God bless you!

by SEGUN ABE.

A BREATH FROM GOD

"The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" - Psalm 121:8.

I got this from Christian Stories

Life’s a little thing! Robert Browning once wrote. But a little thing can mean a life. Even two lives. How well I remember. Two years ago in downtown Denver my friend, Scott Reasoner and I saw a tiny and insignificant change the world, but no one else even seemed to notice.


It was one of those beautiful Denver days. Crystal clear and no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. We decided to walk the ten blocks to an outdoor restaurant rather than take the shuttle bus that runs up and down the Sixteenth Street Mall. The restaurant, in the shape of a baseball diamond, was called The Blake Street Baseball Club. Tables were set appropriately on the grass infield. Many colorful pennants and flags hung limply overhead.


As we sat outside, the sun continued to beat down on us, and it became increasingly hot. There wasn’t a hint of a breeze, and the heat radiated up from the tabletop. Nothing moved, except the waiters, of course. And they didn’t move very fast.


After lunch Scott and I started to walk back up the mall. We both noticed a young mother and her daughter walking out of a card shop toward the street. She was holding her daughter by the hand while reading a greeting card. It was immediately apparent to us that she was so engrossed in the card that she did not notice a shuttle bus moving toward her at a good clip. She and her daughter were one step away from disaster when Scott started to yell. He hadn’t even got a word out when a breeze blew the card out of her hand and over her shoulder. She spun around and grabbed the card nearly knocking her daughter over. By the time she picked up the card from the ground and turned back to cross the street, the shuttle bus had whizzed by her. She never knew what almost happened.


To this day, two things continue to perplex me about this event. Where did that one spurt of wind come from to blow the card out of that young mother’s hand? There had not been a whisper of wind at lunch, or during our long walk back up to the mall. Secondly, if Scott had been able to get his words out, the young mother might have looked up at us as they continued to walk into the bus. It was the wind that made her turn back to the card– in the direction that saved her life and that of her daughter. The passing bus did not create the wind. On the contrary, the wind came from the opposite direction.


I have no doubt it was a breath from God protecting them both. But the awesomeness of this miracle is that she never knew. As we continued back to work, I wondered at how God often acts in our lives without our being aware. The difference between life and death can very well be a little thing.


Miracles often blow unseen through our lives!

They surely do.

What a loving God!

Thank you, Father.

OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES

"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger" Psalm 8:2


I came across this on Youtube and I just had to share.
What a powerful prayer, made even more so by the 'mouth of babe' it came from.
Be blessed!

And the people say AMEN!!!

I ASKED GOD

"To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" - 

Jude 1:25

I got this from Christian Stories, a wonderful site full of stories and testimonies and revelations of God and His Word from thousands of Believers all over the World.


I asked God to take away my pain. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up. 
I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted, it is earned. 
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.  
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things. 
I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.


It reminds me of a quote on the wall of my church - "Thank you, Father, that your answers are always wiser than my prayers" It is indeed something worthy of thanking our God for.


Image from Contra Culture E-Magazine

THE SEVEN SONS OF SCEVA

Acts 19:11 - 17

I believe totally in the Words of the Bible. The stories in there are not just tales, they are actual life events. They really happened to actual people who lived and existed just like you and me.

As a writer, I have quite a vivid imagination and I have often sat and viewed in my mind's eye how the various accounts retold in the Bible took place and imagined how the participants felt.

Recently, these musings crawled their way to paper and pen (actually, keyboard and computer screen) and I found myself rewriting stories in the Bible from a personal/eyewitness point of view, often putting myself in their shoes and wondering how i would have reacted in certain situations.

The story of the Seven Sons of Sceva as told in the Acts of the Apostles is one of such stories. Here is what I imagined happened, told by the youngest of the Seven Sons (in the Gospel according to Rayo, lol)

Do let me know what you think.

_______________________________________________________________________

“So this is the man Paul”, I whisper quietly to myself. But as quiet as I think I am, my whisper still does not escape my eldest brother's ears.

“Yes, indeed it is” he replies heartily then reaches out a hand and drags me by the back of my neck to his front.

I do not like the treatment but I have to say I am grateful to be in front of the crowd and not have to stand on tiptoe craning my neck to see.

The man, Paul is nothing like I imagined. He is not a giant, neither is he royalty; he is just a man. Then he opens his mouth and starts speaking and a glimmer of understanding sparks in my mind.

His speech is cultured, refined; he is obviously an educated man. But that is not what holds me captive. There is such power in him as he speaks. The kind of authority that even I, who grew up in a house of power, among leaders, have never seen before now.

He is speaking of that man, Jesus that was crucified. The man some call a prophet, some a liar, some a madman. The man that this Paul and so many others claim is the son of God. How can any man be the son of God, I wonder. The day I had asked Father that, he had reached out his arm and drawn me close to him before ruffling my head.

“No man can be the son of God, my boy. We are only his servants. The greatest man was just a lowly friend to him and that was our father, Abraham”

I had wanted to ask him why that man Jesus then claimed to be the son of God and how come this man, once known as Saul, who was once a devout Jew could believe in him so much that he turned his back on all his wealth and repute and even changed his name to Paul. But remembering the rage Father always fell into whenever Saul-Paul's name was mentioned I had kept quiet.

Father's temper is a fearsome thing which was why I wasn't so eager to come here when my brothers suggested it, but at least, I console myself, I can hide behind their much burlier bodies when Father inevitably finds out and we inevitably bear the force of his ire.

My inner musings are suddenly interrupted by an inhuman growl and I jerk back to the present.

Across from us, on the other side, eight men are struggling to hold down a man. But despite the chains tied round the man, they are not having an easy time of it. More men join them and finally they succeed in dragging the man out front and now I can see him clearly. It is Demenia, the mad man. Everyone in Ephesus knows him. He lost his senses many years back and became so wild and violent that he had to be chained up in the caves outside the city and even then men were posted day and night to guard him. Once, he broke away from the chains and ripped the arm off one of the guards before the others could get to him.

Why would anyone bring Demenia to the city?! And in the midst of such crowd. Already, the crowds are moving back and my brothers and I are no exception.

Paul, who had stopped speaking when the commotion started, steps up to Demenia and immediately the madman lets out a howl. The howl is so ferocious, I take a hasty step backward and bump into my third brother who also steps back.

“Silence”, Paul orders. And the howl is cup off abruptly mid-sound.

Paul bends down and places a hand on his head, even as Demenia tries to squirm away.

“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to get out of him now. Young man, you are free”

There is the sound of rushing wind, powerful like the sound of a storm at sea. Then silence! I am staring in shock at a sight I am still trying to absorb.

Demenia is sitting crouched on the floor just like a minute earlier, but it is a different Demenia. The hard lines on his face are smoothed out and he is looking up at Paul gratefully with tears running down his eyes. Paul reaches out a hand and pulls him to his feet. Someone hands him a cloak and he gently wraps it round Demenia. The silence is so total, you can hear a pin drop.

Then a woman breaks out of the crowd, it is Demenia's old mother. She is shouting and laughing and crying as she throws her arms round Demenia. He hugs her right back, crying also.

The sight breaks the silence and as one, the crowd surge round the two of them, I quickly duck out of the way before I get trampled on. Squeezing through the press of bodies, I am just in time to see Paul walking quietly away.

************************************************************************************************************

“WHAT??!!”

I cannot believe I heard that right!

For the past three days, my brothers have talked about nothing else but Demenia and Paul. Not that I blame them, if they gave me speaking space, I know I would also talk of nothing else. But they don't so I just keep quiet and listen to them go on and on and on and keep my thoughts to myself.

But this – this madness my sixth brother just suggested - was too much to keep quiet about.

He turns fiercely on me and repeats my question back to me. Not the shocked “WHAT!!!” I shouted, but his own very antagonistic “WHAT?!”

I refuse to back down, “We cannot do that!”

He looks ready to bash my face in so I take a cautious step backwards. But before he can do anything, my fourth brother speaks up.

“Why cannot we do it? Our Father is a chief priest, by birthright, chosen by Jehovah. We are the lineage of priests, we carry the bloodline. So why cannot we?”

“But have you ever seen any priest do what Paul did?” I blurt out.

“How difficult can it be? We simply say the same thing he said, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to get out of him now. Young man, you are free', plus as our brother has said, we are the bloodline of priests, so I'm sure it will be even easier for us” this from my fifth brother.

With a sinking feeling, I watch my eldest brother nod thoughtfully. With a surge, he rises to his feet, “Brothers, I think I have the perfect man in mind – Pyrrichus”. A great roar breaks out from my other brothers at his words and there follows a lot of back-slapping which almost sends me face down more than once.

I wish I can stay at home and not follow them on this insane mission, but from the hands dragging me out the door, I don't really have a choice.

I follow reluctantly with a feeling of doom hanging over my head. Something tells me this is not going to end well.

*********************************************************************************

Pyrrichus was a trader in our city till he lost his wife and his mind. Many say it was the loss of his wife that drove him mad. Maybe. What I do know for certain is that for the last seven years he has lived alone in the house he once lived with his wife. When she was alive, it was a beautiful home, but now it bore more than marks of neglect, it was now a crumbled down heap inhabitable only to a madman.

Pyrrichus wasn't a violent madman like Demenia. He kept mostly to himself, mumbling and scratching at himself. His few bouts of insane violence was limited to chasing chickens through the city for perceived grievances. This ought to have put my mind at rest a bit, but standing in his ramshackle house, looking at him scratching and mumbling to himself, the feeling of foreboding instead magnified.

None of my brothers however seem to share my fears. They walk confidently up to him and my eldest brother even puts his hand on his head like Paul had done to Demenia.

As one they intone, “In the name of Jesus Christ, we command you to get out of him now. Young man, you are free”

Pyrrichus, who has never made eye contact from the time he lost his mind, straightens slowly and faces us, looking my eldest brother in the eye. He suddenly doesn't look so harmless again. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so because my brothers too shuffle nervously. They look at each other, but no one wants to be the coward who first retreats, so they face Pyrrichus again and repeat, “In the name of Jesus Christ, we command you to get out of him now. Young man, you are free”

This time, there is a low warning rumble from Pyrrichus.

My brother who was the initiator of this stupid idea in the first place offers another stupid idea, “maybe we should say Paul”

My eldest brother who was in front immediately latches on to the idea, “In the name of Paul, we command you to get out of him now. Young man, you are free”

The rumbling only gets deeper and scarier. We are all getting more than a little scared now and my immediate brother pipes up again, “No, no, no. In the name of Paul . . . I mean in the name of Jesus Christ whom Paul preaches”

We all eagerly jump on to that suggestion, desperate for anything to calm down the threatening man in front of us.

“ In the name of Jesus Christ, whom Paul preaches, we command you to get out of him now. Young . . .”

A voice very unlike Pyrrichus' low mumble rumbles out, a very very scary voice, “Paul, I know; Jesus, I know; who are you?”

Moving faster than I have ever seen any human being move, Pyrrichus charges us and the next thing I know, I am hitting the wall on the opposite side.

Pandemonium breaks out as we each scramble to get out of the house. We don't quite make it to the door. It is as if a whole pack of wild dogs are after us. I cannot even be sure what is happening. But I can feel pain as I am beaten and battered on every side. And  I can hear the thuds of bodies hitting the ground violently, shouts for help from my brothers and myself, sounds of tearing clothes and then blessedly, the sound of a door torn off its hinges.

I don't wait to know what tore the door off its hinges, instead I make a desperate plunge for freedom and nearly collide with my eldest brother. Neither one of us stops though. We take off flying down the narrow road, the sound of pursuing steps spurring us on till we reach front of the temple gates. Then and only then, with crowd of people around do we feel safe enough to finally stop and draw breath.

Turning back, I see that the sound of what I though was pursuing steps was none other than my other brothers in dogged flight right behind us. But what is this?

Why are they NAKED?????

I see the same look of shock on their faces as they stare at me and in desperate horror I look down at myself.

Here we are, the seven of us, before the whole of Ephesus – TOTALLY NAKED!!!

*********************************************************************************

I have feared Father all my life, but listening to him in the worst rage I have ever witnessed him in, I feel no fear. Nothing he can do to me now can be worse than what I lived through today.

In one afternoon, the story of Paul's miraculous healing of Demenia has been forgotten. We, my brothers and I are now the new talk of the town. When I told myself that my brother's idea of healing a madman like Paul did would not end well, I didn't know the half of it. 'end well' was a gross understatement.

I think I can safely say we, nor the Sceva family  will ever live down the ridicule of being beaten and stripped by a madman, and running to the front of the temple, there to be ogled by  the whole city in all our nakedness. Already a psalm has been composed in our dishonor. It was whispered by the servants, just this eve, that it will be sung at this year's festival of Diana.

Luckily, I will not be around to hear my shame become the city's new folksong. I have decided to stowaway on the first ship that leaves Ephesus at dawn. My destination? Egypt, or somewhere else even farther.

(Image from http://christianhealingtoday.com)

EAGLES

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint - Isaiah 40:31

I saw this on Emmanuel Oluwatosin's Website and I want to share it exactly as he posted it.

I got this in the mail from one of my mentors and decided to share it with you. I am sure you will be able to pick one or two things from it.  You may have seen this before but I bet you that it will do you more good if you can diligently read it again.

PRINCIPLE  1: Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with Eagles.

PRINCIPLE 2: Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

PRINCIPLE 3: Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not. Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

PRINCIPLE 4: Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

PRINCIPLE 5: The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle.
The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her. Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

PRINCIPLE 6: The Eagle Prepares for Changes: When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again.
Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly.
The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; The preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; The being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns. The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

PRINCIPLE 7: The Eagle Knows when to Retire: When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out. We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us without adding to our lives.

How beautiful!
No wonder the Bible constantly compares believers to Eagles!
Thank you for this, Emmanuel Oluwatosin. God bless you!

THAT'S MY KING

I remember the first time I watched this, I got goose pimples all over. I still do every time I watch it, and i don't think I will ever outgrow that, no matter how many times I see this video.

I'm sharing this in the hope that the message of this video, inspired by the Holy Spirit so many years ago, and still so powerful, will raise a few goose pimples on your skin as it does on mine.

It is indeed a wonderful reminder of the character, power and glory of the Lord we love and worship.

THE ERROR SHE MAKES

My post today is 'stolen' from my brother's Facebook Group post. It is something I believe very important for both men and women to learn, understand and act on.

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour" Eccl 4:9

Our modern day media has not helped matters when it comes to defining inter-gender relationships. Many have come to misconstrue sex as love, giving up your divine calling as a sacrifice, inability to say 'No' as care etc.

Let me say a little on the feminine side. At least, being a guy gives me an advantage to explain some. Lol! Now, you see, some ladies do not understand that standing strong even against his wrong decisions can be so admirable by a guy. Of course, it is no news that the most flexible babe (permit my language) ends up the heart-broken one. Now, why? Giving people the wrong thing they want can be so deceptive at times. They thank you for it, but their inner man devalues you for that. At the end, the inner man always wins. That is, soon you find that lady regretting giving all, but still losing all.

Now get me right! Helping your guy, hubby-to-be is not wrong, but every time a lady begins to act as though she has no knowledge of her own, the outer man of the man says- That is cool! However, the inner man says- She is dull. This is why it seems, 'The bad girls get the good guys'. Why? Many 'good girls' have a modest and godly style, which is something I will always preach, but they take it too far, thinking that not being expressive is also part of Godliness. Their hubby soon finds them boring. On the other side is the lady that loves this guy, talks to him, advises him, tells him her convictions, though it differs from his, etc. Soon, the guy finds every reason to like her presence. It seems more like a 'living Presence' to him. That is why you see some people who the more they disagree or argue, the more they fall in love. In fact, when they disagree, that is when they think more about each other. You then see strange phone calls of "I just wanna find out if NLC has called off the strike." Hahaha! (wink!). That is 'missing him' in action.

An always 'Yes sir' chic....sorry-Lady, is not always the innermost desire of any man. Your conviction might not be his conviction, but sincerely, the ability of any lady to talk with her guy, respectfully tell him his wrong step and above all, you living a personal life of vision can make him fall for you always. False representations on TV and others have made many ladies think softness is dropping your mind for his. How will God call you a helper if you are exactly like him? Only someone with resources, wisdom and energy different from yours can help you! You cannot truly help him except you pull out your expressions and politely show and tell him. At the end of it all, what the masculine nature hates is disrespect, but naturally, every man wants a lady beside him who can contribute ideas, and not pretending that the guy knows all. Such error can initially make her look submissive, but the whole thing soon gets boring. Be gentle, but not dull. Politely express yourself. He wants it. God bless You!

Segun Abe is the Founder of Fragrance of Life Ministries and President of School of Impact, Abuja Nigeria. You can join his Facebook Group - I AM THE BEST and contact him via Email - segun_abe@yahoo.com or Phone - 08026377133

THINK BIG, THINK NEW, THINK IMPOSSIBLE

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” 1Co 2:9

This is 2012!

Thank God for bringing us safely and triumphantly into it.

Now that you are in it, what are your plans for this year?

I am not talking of New Year resolutions here. I’m talking about goals, plans, aspirations, desires, dreams, call it what you want, those things you wish you can achieve, realize, experience and live this year.

You know those yearnings in your heart that you daydream about, then jerk out of with a wistful sigh ending with your resigned ‘if only!’

Those are the exact yearnings I want you to feed on this year!

No matter how ludicrous, no matter how impossible, no matter how unachievable those yearnings might seem, don’t stop thinking about them.

Do you know why? Because you become your thoughts – “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is” Prov 23:7. You can never grow bigger than your thoughts!

Maybe you have heard the story of a man of God, who, a few days to the end of a particular year had a Minister’s Conference with his Pastors and during the program, asked if any one believes he or she will have a brand new car before the end of the year. This was just like three days to a new year. A few raised their hands but many didn’t. It was too big, too new, and too impossible for them to believe. But for the few who dared to believe, they all got brand new cars that minute from the man of God.

What a beautiful illustration of daring to imagine the impossible!

Yet, our God is more sure, more certain, more reliable than that man of God.

How can you not trust Him for that big, new, impossible dream this year?

And the fact of the matter is, no matter how big or new or impossible your dreams are, they are nowhere near what God has planned for you - “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” 1Co 2:9

And you know what else? -  “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” Isa 43:19

Isn’t that amazing? Not only is God willing, and eager to do that big, new, impossible thing in your life, He will also be the one to make a way for it to be realized and flourish. And remember, He is the one who says a thing and does it.

In fact, do you know that desire to achieve is from God and He is just waiting for you to ask so He can fulfill it? – “At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands” Job 14:15

Feed on that desire, think on it, dwell on it, dream it, imagine it, and believe it until it becomes your reality. It definitely will be realized because the Bible says – “. . . He bringeth them unto their desired haven” Ps 107:30

How can your Father cause you to conceive a desire and not see that desire birthed and nurtured and raised? – “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God”  Isa 66:9 That is not the nature of your Lord.

Dare to trust Him for the miraculous this year. Then you can afford to Think Big, Think New and Think Impossible!

THE STAR

" . . . and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy"

 Mt 2:9&10 

I posted this story last year on NaijaStories, but I want to share it again here, because the message of Christmas never changes.

He stared at the screen, trying to make sense of the figures on it, same thing he had been trying to do for the past three hours. For some reason his mind was not cooperating, something strange was going on in his heart. It felt hollow, empty and ached ferociously.

He stood up for the umpteenth time and walked round the spacious office, his feet disappearing into the thick rug underneath.


Standing by the window, he stared out into the deepening sky and looked down at the city with its lights just coming out to battle the approaching darkness.


He loved this city. The life, the energy, the promises, the challenges! He had always loved it and just looking at it was usually enough to fill him with a burst of enthusiasm, but not today. Today, nothing seemed to work.
Deep in his heart, he knew this depression was not new, it had been lurking deep inside for some time now, but for some reason, it was worse this evening and he didn’t know why.


He turned and stared round his office: the penthouse of the fifteen story building that housed his company. The company he had built from scratch. The symbol of his hard work and much earned success. He had given his all to this company and now that it was firmly established, he should be happy, he deserved to be happy. But he wasn’t.


With a sigh, he turned back to the window and realized with a start that the sky was dark and the stars were out. Time had flown by as he pondered his inner dissatisfaction. He reached behind him to ring for his secretary, then remembered she had left for the day, so had everyone else and he remembered why – today was Christmas eve and they had all closed early. He was the only one left in the building, even his driver was gone.


He stared up at the sky, seeking – what? He didn’t know.


Then he saw one of the stars, shinning more vividly than the others. It stood apart, majestic, glowing big and bright.


Looking at it, he suddenly remembered a legend from his childhood, that if one followed the biggest star, it would lead one to what the heart needed above all else. As a man of facts and figures, he didn’t believe in such myths, or any myth for that matter, and he had no doubt that this particular one had its roots in the story of the birth of Jesus and the wise men, but today his lonely heart would not be reasonable.


Still staring at the star, he was suddenly overcome with an irrational urge to follow the star. At least, let him test the legend and prove it wrong, he tried to rationalize his illogical urge.

Irrational or not, he had always been a man of action, so he picked up his jacket and strode out of the office into the lift.


Emerging out of the building, he looked up, suddenly afraid the star would no more be there, but it was still there, looking even bigger, calling him with its unearthly glow.


He got into his car and feeling foolish, but strangely compelled, drove out of the compound, not even hearing the guard’s “Merry Christmas, sir”, and started following the star.


He drove down the road, exiting to the highway and it seemed as if the star moved ahead of him, leading him. He drove automatically, not really conscious of the road, just keeping the star in his sights, determined not to lose it.


For about thirty minutes, he followed the star as it led him into a residential area, winding round palatial mansions till it came to a stop over a huge house, more palatial than the others.


He stopped the car in front of the massive house, frowning in confusion. He hesitated for a moment then put the car in reverse and drove away from the house. He looked up for the star as he drove away, but the star was no more ahead of him. It stayed behind, hanging resolutely over the house.


He stopped again and turned around in his seat to look back at the star. It shone fiercer than before, calling him.


Against himself, he got out of the car, and like one mesmerized started walking back on foot, not even aware that he left the engine running and the door opened.


He walked back up to the house; it was bathed in the light of the moon and the two seemed fused together, becoming one in an eerie, yet, welcoming way; both calling silently to him.


He stood in front of the door, hesitated again then took a deep breathe and opened the door. He followed the sound of voices into the house and came to a large living room.


In front of a Christmas tree and carved animals artlessly arranged, stood Joseph smiling down at a little Mary with baby Jesus asleep in a baby stroller before them, his head lolling to one side.


Joseph and Mary turned at his entrance and he saw shock on their faces. He also saw Joseph glance up at the grandfather clock beside the door to check the time and turn back to look at him, a concerned frown creeping up on the face.


Staring at the scene before him, something in his heart trembled and gave way. On shaky legs, he walked over to them, reached out a trembling hand to Joseph’s face and touched it reverently.


“Honey . . . ”, his voice broke and he cleared it roughly, “Honey, can I be Joseph this year? And you be Mary?”


Before his shocked wife could answer, a tiny voice piped up indignantly, “Then what will I be?”


He looked down at his little daughter and reached out a hand to draw her close to him, “An angel, my darling. You will be my angel, the angel you have always been”


That was all he could manage before his voice broke and he started sobbing loudly. In huge heaves, the loneliness seeped out of him, the depression curled up and withered, the heaviness grew light and drifted away. And yet, he continued sobbing.


His sleeping son woke up and started crying; he knew he was scaring his daughter and wife, but he could not stop.


“Sweetheart, what is it? What is it?” his wife asked worriedly.


All he could say was “I followed the star, honey. I followed the star”


Outside the house, the star glowed brightly one more time over the house then moved away, up, up to hang back in the sky. Waiting to lead another lonely heart back home.


May that same Star, that hundreds of years ago, led those wise men to the little baby Jesus, also lead all of us back to HIM, our true HOME.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!