The Scenery Behind the Scenes

Hello Friends!

This is definitely going to be my last post for year 2013. Since I started this blog in February of this year , I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of response and feedback I have received. They have kept me going on and I am particularly grateful to God; my never ending source of inspiration; He indeed has made my heart and mouth like the pen of a ready writer. I say a big thank you for everyone who has read and shared my posts. I appreciate you greatly.

Have you ever watched movies that keep you on the edge of your seat and make you very apprehensive?  I used to freak out whenever I watched thrillers. I won't forget easily my experience watching the action series; 24. I got so engrossed and caught up in it that I would always have palpitations whenever I saw it. Anyway, not until I started to watch the Behind the scene productions of movies did I realize that I needed not to have allowed my adrenaline rise for anything. The goriest , suspense filled part of the movies were all being acted out and when it seems as though there was an actor threading on a dangerous ground all alone,, there were scores of other people behind the cameras that we would not see# phew! Ever since that dawned on me, I never allowed movies to get me agitated. 

For someone who’s gone through so much this year, this is for you. For that person who seems to wonder what the essence of life as a result of debilitating circumstances, this is for you. Whoever is wondering why prophecies are not manifesting should read this. For that other person who’s doing introspection on how the upcoming year should be a better one and the best so far, you might want to read this to know what stance you need to take.

Friend, the trials you are facing in life is not new under the sun. Sometimes, when you are faced with a battalion of unfavourable circumstances, it is easy to think that no one could ever have had things so bad in life as you are but the bible; in 1^st Cor 10: 13 tells us that “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.(Message Version). Be it as it may, there are the behind-the-scenes events  for everyone's life and every individual decides who calls the shots or whose shots He will obey. Without exalting the devil in anyway, we must realize he is doing all he can to gain control of the "production" of every life; whether Christian or not.

That there is war in your life is not new to God, as at some point there was war in heaven; God's own territory. Against even his creator, Satan waged war.

 It would surprise you that the enemy we are contending with does not care or respect anyone. He is always on the offensive and wherever you find opposition, contention, and any evil machination, the devil is there. Chaos is his trademark and that is what has been his primary occupation from way back.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7, 9 NKJV)


When pride was found in the devil, he needed to be ejected but he never wanted to leave.  Heaven is God’s residence, yet the devil; after he rebelled wanted to continue to remain there. If you don't resist the devil, he would want to continue to illegally possess what is yours. If he fought God concerning heaven, why won't he fight you?  Ephesians 4: 27 says “Give no place to the devil”! Don’t give him a foothold in your life. If you hold on to your faith and the victory that Christ has secured on the cross of Calvary, the devil knows you will win and so therefore will fight you to a hilt with every drop of his blood (if he has any).

As the year runs to an end, it’s a good time to take stock and re-strategize for the upcoming year. One thing I’ll like to remind us about is the fact that life is a battlefield; a battlefield with predictable and mostly unpredictable circumstances. You sometimes never know where the next shot is going to come from but you just have to always be on your toes. In a battlefield, actions and inactions are deliberate and every step must be well calculated. You won’t find anyone strolling casually and whoever does, does that at his peril. To succeed in life, we must have a soldier’s mentality and a battle-mind. An article I read which relates to preparing soldiers for war describes a battle mind as “a Soldier’s inner strength to face fear and adversity during combat, with courage.  It is the will to persevere and win.  It is resilience”. According to the same article, a soldier must-

·         Meet challenges head on.

·         Maintain his mental toughness.

·         Take calculated risks. 

·         Be self-confident.

·         Maintain positive thinking during times of adversity and challenge

Now to the good news!

In Christ, you are an overcomer. Revelations 12 in verse 11 says - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Whatever it is you are contending for in life, Believe that God has done it already. You have been bought with a price and you are to glorify God in your spirit and body, which are God’s. Anything challenging your existence is not as potent at that precious blood shed on the cross and so therefore has to bow; if you won’t bow to it. Whatever package you desire from God has been totally paid for. Isaiah 53: 3-6 says He bore our reproach, our sicknesses, and disfigurements. Your warfare against sickness, poverty, failure, lack is already accomplished. John 19:30. (So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.)

As Christians, we fight from victory and not for victory. Any truth of the word you accept will face test and trials. It will stand the test of time. Just hold on to it. Stand your ground.There's nothing God has given or will give you that the enemy won't contend with you for. Hold your faith and a good conscience. ... You overcome by the word of your testimonies and the blood of the lamb.

See you in 2014 and remember, you decide who calls the shots!

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour yet? If you don’t, then say the prayers Here.

The Pen.....

Let's Delve into "Twelve" in the Scriptures

The twelfth month is usually a time of thanksgiving, celebration, giving of gifts and it connotes the end of a year.  It’s a good time to look back and appreciate what God has done in the outgoing year and look forward to endless possibilities in the New Year. All over the world, Christmas Celebration is in the air already and we must not forget the essence of Christmas- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son". That’s why Christmas is synonymous to giving. This period, let’s extend our love to not only those we know but the many people out there who for one reason or the other are not able or can’t afford to celebrate Christmas.

We see from the scriptures that God our Father has always been a Giver. When He created Adam, he breathed into Him His very own Life. He was willing to share part of what made Him God with man and He said “let us create man in our image”. In spite of the decadence we see in the human society, we must never lose sight of the fact that we have been created in His image. That mindset will help us overcome whatever it is life hurls at us. God saw darkness in Genesis chapter 1 and it did not deter him- He spoke and there was light. If he had hesitated, you and I won’t be here today. He can’t be deterred anyway, He is the Almighty! 

So I wonder what it is about 12 in the bible.  All through the Old Testament; right from the book of Genesis and into the New Testament unto the book of Revelation, we see that figure appearing again and again.

• We see the 12 tribes of Israel.
• We see that following the exodus, Moses built 12 pillars on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:4).
• We see 12 stones being set as a memorial after the Jordan River was crossed (Joshua 4:3). 
• We see that 12 stones were attached to the breastplate of the priestly garments bearing the names of the twelve tribes (Exodus 39:8-14).
• We see the 12 spies sent to spy the land of Canaan (Deut 1:23)
• We see Jesus appearing and speaking his first words at the temple at age 12(Luke 2:42)
• We see Jesus choose 12 people as His disciples.
• We see the Woman with the issue of blood of 12 years healed(Luke 8:43).
• We see the 12 year old daughter of Jarius raised from the dead.
• We see 12 basketful of remnants packed after Jesus fed the multitude( Mark 6:37).
• We see the 12 gates twelve gates to the city on New Jerusalem, 12 angels as gatekeepers and the names of the 12 tribes written on the gates. The gates are 12 pearls and the wall will be on 12 foundations which bear the names of the twelve apostles (Revelation 21: 12).
• We see the tree of life will bear 12 kinds of fruit for the twelve months for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:2).

Martha's Hands, Mary's Mind.

 A picture of un-identical Twins from Medipharm.com

Seven billion people on earth, diverse races, different faces, yet God has made everybody unique with our different tendencies, personality and character and you know what? He loves every single one of us just as we are!

 
I love to do a study of characters in the bible and I believe that for every one mentioned, even if it’s in one single verse of the scriptures, they are mentioned for a reason and there always will be something to learn from them.Two ladies that come to mind this morning are the sisters of Lazarus; the friend of Jesus that was raised from the dead. That family was especially close to Jesus and He loved them dearly.Only a few people had the rare privilege of having Jesus come visit them in their homes. We recollect He was at Peter's house and He raised His mother in law from fever, He was at Zacchaeus's house and also at the house of the siblings known as Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” (Luke 10:38, 40 NKJV).

We see that Jesus was quite close to them as he was going to have lunch in their home, but as usual; never losing focus on what He was sent to do, He started to teach whilst waiting for food. Someone needed to get lunch ready and we see Martha playing the perfect hostess. That was her core area; doing what she loved doing; organizing things, setting up for events, catering, etc. She just had a knack for doing all of those things and ensuring everything was hunky dory . So whilst Jesus was teaching, with Mary at His feet, aptly learning,  Martha was all over the house, putting everything in place to make the Master comfortable. She couldn't hide her disgust when her sister refused to lend a helping hand and she blurted out in anger asking why Jesus would allow her sister sit at His feet whilst she was cooking and getting the table set. 

We can conclude easily that Martha was the outgoing one. She probably met Jesus at a crusade and being an extrovert she was, she was able to convince him to come to her house where her sister was as well. On the other hand, we see a more introverted Mary whose priority was feeding on the word and building herself up spiritually. She wasn't a hands-on person but more of an intellectual and into herself kind of person. Jesus must have gone to their house several times but on two out of the three recorded occasions when Jesus came into their house (the third was when Jesus came to raise Lazarus from death), she was always with Him, learning, asking and answering questions and reasoning with him . She was always found at the feet of Jesus.

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. (John 12:2, 3 NKJV).

Mary did something so significant and unforgettable that landed her recognition in the bible and for which eternity will remember her for. She broke a box of oil that could have been sold and anointed Jesus with it. She did not only anoint Jesus but the fragrance of her act affected the entire house including everyone sitting in there as the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. The oil was an expensive one and it might have costed a fortune but she knew what mattered was giving her best to her Master, Her lover. She might not have been able to cook but she knew what to do to touch the Saviour’s  heart and that she did. We however see Martha doing again what she knew how to do best; serving.

4But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

7But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”(John 12/;4-8)

Inspiring things I see in Isaac.....

Hello everyone!

As the year wraps up, it’s a good time to reflect on what God has done for us in the course of the year. A faithful God He is! You might not be where you want to be, be rest assured that with God in the equation, you are doing just fine... Be grateful!

 In this post, we will be doing a character study on the life of Isaac. Something in the scriptures caught my attention lately and it is the fact that, of the three patriarchs in the Bible, only Isaac didn't have his name changed. We remember Abram had his name changed to Abraham whilst Jacob to Israel; both men by God, however, Isaac didn't have any need to change names because God gave Abraham his father a name for him when he had not even been born. “Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. Genesis 17:19

Isaac was the first(after Adam) amongst the few persons recorded in the Bible that God named. When you are named by God, there's never any need to have your name changed. He names you by What He has purposed for you. For you and I, God may not have appeared to our parents to give a specific name for us but  Hallelujah, we have a God, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth have been named( Eph 3:115)

So back to Isaac's story, I got motivated to study his life beyond the surface. Such a great man he was. As earlier pointed out, of the three patriarchs, he din't have his name changed, He didn't move out of Canaan all through his life and he lived longer in age than the other two patriarchs. I realized also, that there were fewer incidents in his life compared to his father’s and his son’s –Jacob yet he lived a successful life. The man was kind of a subtle but powerful character.

 I have picked out 8 distinct things (8 Ps') in his life that made him such an iconic person.

1. Pampered (but not spoilt)

To a large extent, from childhood, He was someone who had everything already prepared for him. He simply entered into the harvest of his father’s labor. Right from his early days, he enjoyed a lot of attention and love.  We remember his father throwing a feast for him when he was weaned and because his half-brother- Ishmael mocked him, He was literally banished alongside his mother Hagar. His father had paid a price for him and all he had to do was to enjoy God’s blessings. He was a pampered boy but he wasn't a spoilt brat.

When the time came for Marriage, he sat at home whilst his father's servant went searching for a wife for him. God was merciful to him; he got a blessed, God-fearing   and favoured woman without taking a step out of his home.

And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east. (Genesis 25:5, 6 NKJV).

Lesson 1 : Never take for granted whatever God has blessed you with. Make good use of it.

2. Prosperous

He inherited all His father gave him, yet God blessed him immensely. Not just because of the promises of God, he worked hard also. He didn't go to sleep with all he inherited. He was hard-working; sowed in the land and reaped a hundred fold. He had servants and he made good use of their services.  It was apparent he had the genes of prosperity in him; nonetheless by being hard-working, he enjoyed God’s blessings maximally.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26:12-14 NKJV).

And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. (Genesis 25:11 NKJV)

Lesson 2: When God is with with you, whatever it is you lay your hands on will prosper. Don't be deterred by your current circumstances. Keep moving!

3. Promised Child

Abraham his Father was someone who walked with God. We know him as the father of faith and a friend of God. God gave Him an assurance, a promise 25 years before Isaac came that He was going to give him a seed in the person of Isaac. Like I earlier mentioned, God gave his name even before he was born. He was prepared for such a time as that and being promised many years ahead of time, He came just at God’s appointed time.

Lesson 3: You are a promise to your generation and generations unborn. Do not fail them!

4. Purposeful

He had a specific purpose; as revealed before He came into the world. He was the seed of Abraham in whom all the earth would be blessed.  God had successive interest in him and He was an object of God's special interest. He understood this and obeyed God to the letter. When God told him not to move away from Gerar in the time of famine, he didn't struggle with the instruction, he promptly obeyed. We understand the purpose of Isaac's life when God demanded that Abraham sacrificed Isaac, his beloved child; typifying what God Himself was going to do with Christ- He was going to send His only begotten Son; Jesus to die for the sins of the world. Isn't it amazing that God called Isaac Abraham’s “only son” ? Look at the scripture below.

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”(Gen22:2)

Lesson 4: Have you identified why you are here? The secret to achievement lies therein!

Dinah the Diner...

Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be. Marsha Petrie Sue

Anyone ever read the story of Dinah in the bible? She was the seventh (7th) child and the only daughter Leah bore to Jacob. A lot have been said about her twelve brothers;being the ones who became the twelve tribes of Israel. For obvious cultural reasons in those days, we may not have thought that Dinah would have been included as the “thirteenth” tribe of Israel being a woman, but being a daughter of such a great patriarch; one would expect that her name would have resonated at different parts of the bible and her legacy mentioned from generation to generation just like her brothers.

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. (Genesis 34:1 NKJV).

We are in the world but not of the world. We may be in the land but we are not of the land. Dining with people of the land sometimes puts us in jeopardy. In her innocence and in a bid to familiarize herself with the environment, Dinah went to visit the daughters of the land. Needless to say that God had always warned the Israelites not to associate with people who served other gods, perhaps she didn't think her visit was going to bring any harm but as we would see in the rest of the story, as a result of her visit, not only was Dinah affected, her visit also fuelled a lot of catastrophic occurrences. - Rape, bloodshed and a relocation of the entire family. Let’s cut her some slack, being the only daughter, she definitely needed companionship but fate played a fast one on her.

And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. 3His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. Gen 34: 2

A casual visit to the girls became a life-changing one for Dinah and her family. No one ever prays to be raped but we see the wickedness of men abounding in the numerous cases of rape reported on a daily basis. We hear of fathers violating their children, uncles; their nieces, cousins their cousins and all sorts. It’s a menace that people indulge in and it’s evil, devilish and wicked. Life could have very funny twists as we all know but only the courageous would take whatever life hurls at them and make something good out of it.We remember the five daughters of Zelophehad  in the book of Numbers (chapter 27), who rose to claim their rights in the absence of a male heir in their family. Because they demanded for it, they got it !

If God is involved in your life, only good will emanate from it at the end of the day. Dinah was blossoming in her youth; she was a proud daughter of her dad, probably his favourite after Joseph. She grew up as the only daughter amongst men and so she must have been pampered. We see her brothers rising to her defence after the incident and they took justice into their hands and following that was a lot of  bloodshed and chaos.

 She was a beautiful young lady with great aspirations for the future. She was bold enough to have gone out to see the daughters of the land but because of what happened, she never bounced back. Subsequently, all the sons of the patriarch-Jacob are mentioned in the bible but we hear nothing again of Dinah. The budding and blossoming lady faded into obscurity. Life at times isn't fair but we must not allow external conditions to condition our minds, lives and future. Yes we are being admonished to be careful of what we do but in cases where we are victims of circumstances or factors beyond our control, we must know that in Christ, there is salvation, deliverance and healing:  healing for everyone who has been raped or abused either physically or emotionally.

Dinah wasn't the only who had a disadvantage in the bible. Do you remember Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Rahab who was a harlot? Tamar was Judah’s daughter in law who lost her husband and at some point, she disguised herself as a harlot and got herself impregnated by her father in law, bearing him a set of twin boys; Perez and Zerah, and yet, Tamar’s name is mentioned Christ’s genealogy in Matthew chapter 1. Bathsheba had an unholy relationship with David yet, her offspring became the preferred for the throne.  Who would believe that Rahab the harlot would become David's great grandmother? Whilst I do not encourage sinning wilfully, I just deem it necessary to mention that your past mistakes or whatever debilitating situation you might have gone through in life should not hinder you from attaining greatness in life. God qualifies those whom the world calls unclean.  These four women had questionable pasts but somehow, life worked out something good for them and they made it into Jesus’ genealogy.  

A Good Name is An Ever Blazing Flame

George Washington (1732-1799)

Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947)

Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Martin Luther King (1929-1968)

Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003)

A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank. (A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

Loving favor rather than silver and gold) Proverbs 22:1- MSG /NKJV

I have selected just a few names of some of the most famous people who have lived on the face of the earth and my list above contains the names of men and a woman; people of calibre who were America’s Past Presidents, Industrialists, Philanthropists, Inventors Composer, Preachers and Businessmen. You will find something common amongst the names mentioned however; all are dead, and they were people who influenced and impacted their world immensely. The inventions, songs, books cars, bulbs, they have left behind are still a source of pride to humanity and generations yet unborn. Unarguably, their names are and will be ever relevant for decades and millenniums.

How will you drive a Ford car without remembering Henry Ford? or Thomas Edison- a man who invented devices that greatly influenced existence all around the world. He used to be ranked as the most prolific inventor in the world and has only dropped to number four on the list because of some other up-coming ones who are still alive. Time will not permit me to enumerate the exploits of all of them but also worth mentioning is the life of Mozart, a prolific and influential composer of the classical era. I will not fail to mention the exploits of Kenneth Hagin, often referred to as the Father of faith. Indisputably, his influence in the circles of the charismatic movement will continue to wax stronger from generation to the ones unborn as He authored many life- changing books and preached many sermons ; many of which we are benefiting from till date. A lot of people never met him physically but his messages will continue to reverberate till eternity!

What's in this to glean from ? A lot of people live for the moments; hustle for a living and amass wealth for their lifetime by all means whether morally acceptable or not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing to live well, fulfill purpose and become wealthy. After all, God gives us power to make wealth and He teaches us to profit (Isaiah 48: 17), but we must always remember that no one can cross to the other side of eternity with the smallest coin or the tiniest one dollar bill. No currency of the word is spendable in yonder!  That we are meant to live impact-full lives and live a legacy for posterity is an understatement. Don’t you find it amazing all the time that when someone is being buried, he takes nothing with him; absolutely nothing?  In some part of the world, you see robbers stripping buried corpses of the expensive items they are buried with.  It only shows that the things we hustle for in life are ephemeral, and there is nothing important as leaving the legacy of a good name for posterity.

Let’s not forget that when all is said and done for you and I, the only thing we’ll be remembered for would be what we have done whilst here. Our names would be written in full, followed by those two important dates, separated by a hyphen as seen in the list above. The hyphen may be a small punctuation mark, but it represents a sum total of what everyone represented in life. Your purpose, actions, reactions, relationships, associations, decisions are all what make up that hyphen. Many times, nobody wants to talk about death, but unfortunately, it’s a reality EVERYONE must face. We all pray to live long and enjoy good health but many have been taken away when they least expected.

A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren; Ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people (22.Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly). Proverbs 13: 22. MSG/NKJV

Everyone loves to associate with successful people because of their reputation. When I say successful, I mean success in the real sense of it.Success that doesn't suppress or repress the rights of others.  A person is not successful  just because they string together musical notes and they are widely acclaimed singers. I am referring to people whose lives are worthy of emulation amongst humanity. People who do not only have their interest at heart but who believe that with their gifts and talents, they are here to affects lives positively. If a letter is written to Nelson Mandela, without an address and erroneously it gets lost in Australia or some remote part of Russia, I can bet that somehow, the letter will find its way to South Africa! That’s what a good reputation does. Generations unborn will reap the dividend of the good seeds a great grandfather has sown. Not everyone would be popular and known all around the world, but in your own little corner, you can be committed to helping lives.

Whilst at this, it’s a good time to celebrate my Pastors; Sam and Nike Adeyemi- Senior Pastors of  Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos Nigeria as the church marks its 18th anniversary today: November 18th, 2013. They are worthy of appreciation for living selfless lives and for being an immense source of blessings as they continue to raise role models for this generation. A special shout also, to every single person living selflessly and making efforts at positively affecting people around them. You may not be known, but be assured that God; your creator and the judge of all knows you and what you are doing.

Pastors Sam and Nike Adeyemi

Now unto God who is able to give unto us enduring legacies on earth, just as He gave Jesus Christ our Lord a name above all names, because He humbled Himself and submitted himself to be offered for the sins of the world; by His grace, may we also be known as people who affected their generation; long after we are gone.  

The Pen….

Photo credit: Google images
Daystar Christian Centre is at www.daystarng.org

Your Dream will Stream Live

Have you ever had a dream that came to pass just as you had it? Has something ever happened to you and you realize how things played out just as you had seen it in a dream? Countless number of times, I've had such experiences and I am usually baffled at the connection between the “dream world” and reality. The essence of this post is not to dive into minutiae of dreams and where they originate from, but let me quickly mention that dreams sometimes foretell what will happen in the physical, they being an insight into what is happening or has happened in the spirit realm.

Then he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.13.And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. (Genesis 28:12)

Looking at the bible, there are many instances of dreams serving as pointers to what was going to happen. My very last post at http://tinyurl.com/ooezblk talks about the dreams the butler and the baker had with the interpretation happening in reality just as they had saw in their dreams. Remember Joseph who was tagged by his brothers as “the dreamer”? It didn't matter what they labelled him anyway because his dream came to pass thirteen years after in the manner he had seen things. Ordinary men, pagans and prophets in the bible all dreamt; and even kings were not exempted from having such encounters. We remember Abimelech, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar all had dreams.We can’t but also remember Solomon whom God appeared to in a dream , giving  him an open cheque( check) to ask for whatever he desired. (At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (1 Kings 3:5)).

Having said all of that, let’s dive into the essence of this post. Whilst we have established the fact that God speaks to us in dreams (not all dreams are from God however), I would like to talk about the dreams we can have whilst we are wide awake.

I recently remembered an encounter I had with a dear cousin of mine, one beautiful Saturday morning, about twenty one (21) years ago whilst I was in my second year in High School .We were outside of the house, doing our chores and all of a sudden, we started to fantasize about travelling overseas and what we were going to buy for every member of our families. We were actually drawing lists! I remember saying I was going to buy dresses for my mum, a belt for an older cousin and all sorts; I can’t forget that scene easily. Needless to say as at that time, we didn't even have international passports and it was not in our parents agenda to take us overseas by any means and so our thoughts appeared to be vague imagination and what you would call an illusion. We were young, inspired and just full of hopes for the future. As young teenagers standing in the front of one of the teachers’ quarters at Igbobi College at Fadeyi, some remote area in Lagos, Nigeria, we saw ourselves combing through the streets of London and New York shopping with loads of money. I can’t remember whatever it was that inspired us to have that conversation!  

Fast forward till date, it occurred to me only two days ago, as my cousin mentioned she was jetting out of the country again for a couple of weeks, that that scene we were rehearsing back then has played out in reality time and again. For real! Both of us have travelled countless number of times to many countries of the world; not alone, but with our family members as well and we have bought much more than we imagined back then. That is a first-hand testimony of what you visualize in your mind, streaming live in reality!

The Butler, The Baker and their Bounty; (One's Boom, the Other's Doom)

Two men, two dreams, two interpretations and two destinies….

I have been studying the life of Joseph for a while and the story of two men he had an encounter with in his sojourn in prison has been on my study radar. Both of them were key employees of King Pharaoh of Egypt and for whatever reasons, they both committed an offence that landed them in prison. The King was upset with them and in spite of the position they occupied; being the very ones who fed him with drinks and food, they were remanded in jail.

It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while. (Genesis 40:1-3)

Evil communication as we know, corrupts good manners. I wonder how severe the offence was, that got the king so infuriated. Something tells me that someone must have influenced the other out of the two. Sometimes we get into the position of authority and we allow unnecessary influence of friends to affect our work and relationships. In life, we may have a lot of similarities with someone, but we must never forget we are different. More often than not, because we find ourselves in the same circumstances with some people, we assume that what works for them, will work with us and vice versa. What works for a member of a family may not work for other siblings- God designed it so- our peculiarity. It's time to drop your crowd consciousness and find a path to your destiny for yourself!

5Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. 6And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”8And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” (Genesis 40:5-8)

So they both occupied enviable positions in Pharaoh’s house, they both offended Pharaoh the same day ,it happened that the two of them were cast into the same prison and they both had a mind boggling dream the same day! I think sometimes we are drawn to some people because we have seen similar characteristics that we possess in them. Opposite they say attracts but sometimes, similarities make us gravitate to some people too. We must however make it a point of duty to influence positively and not be influenced negatively.

9Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.11Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. 

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. (Genesis 40:9-16)