The Maid Who Became An Aide...

Image from National Mirror online

As I went about  my exercise routine early this morning, I came across  a young girl of not more than 12-14 years of age; in an oversize dress looking a bit unkempt and opening the gate of a gigantic building whilst a driver with some well dressed kids in school uniform drove out. As I walked on, just about 3 houses away, I saw a similar scenario; another young girl opening the gate to go empty the garbage. This reminded me of what  I have seen around in churches, supermarkets, everywhere; young girls working as "housemaids" in family settings.


In church, I have seen very small  girls walking behind their "madam" and her 2 kids; carrying two bags and obviously by their dressing, they are the "housemaid". I have seen women curse and beat the hell out of small girls. I have heard of girls being starved because they refused to finish some assigned chores. I have seen Madam's children harass and beat these "housemaids". I have seen children who are unable to do simple domestic chores because Fatima, Joy, Kafayat ; the "housemaid" does all the chores in the house.

Today, I want to talk briefly about the "housemaid syndrome" which is prevalent in this part of the world where I live. This is not a post on the atrocities of house-helps.

The nature of the jobs we do could be very hectic; the typical excuse many people give in getting "housemaids". I know we sometimes need someone to help with our domestic chores. We can't do them alone, I agree. If we however have to employ people to help out, we must ensure we are fair in our dealings with them. Before now, lack of appropriate laws has been a cause of injustice and unfair treatment to these girls in our society. 

Gratefully, The Federal Government has prohibited the employment of children below the age of 12 as domestic helps in a new Act signed by President Goodluck Jonathan titled the "Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015". The highlight of the new law includes a prison term of two years and a possible fine for violators and it also prohibits the exploitation of domestic helps who are under 18 years. Read more about it Here and Here.

Before now, there has been  a high level of trafficking of young girls from villages and neighboring countries by their relatives/ agents who bring them to Lagos so they can work. These agents find a placement for them and get an agency allowance as well as a cut from the girls salary. It is common nowadays to hear women say they are looking for a HOUSEMAID not older than 12-14 years to help with household chores .

It is no news that many of our friends overseas, some with 2 or 3 children raise their families without having domestic helps. Not because there are no helps that can be hired but because everyone has learned to take care of their families. Apart from being expensive,there are laws and in a typical civilized society, unjust treatment to any human being is not acceptable hence the rules that apply to those holding white collar jobs apply to whoever you employ. You cant afford to treat anyone anyhow!

Image from jw.org

If anyone must employ a househelp, (Note that I used the word "help"; because what they do is to help us around the house) then you should be ready to commit to that girl or boy's life.  Many change maids like every other month and they are quick to complain that the girls are behaving funny. Why won't they behave funny? Everyone wants to be treated well, Everyone deserves to be accorded with dignity. Whilst they are helping with your chores, invest in their lives and future. Who knows what they are destined to be? Be a part of their success story.

Please Do not  employ an underage!

A simple suggestion by a maid in the bible brought an end to a lifetime affliction in the life of the renowned General Naaman. This little maid mentioned in 2nd Kings 5: 2 waited on Naaman's wife and despite being a maid, she had a voice. She had a voice because she was given an atmosphere to express herself. She wasn't maltreated or stifled. She had compassion welling inside of her for her boss. She became an aide( adviser) from being a maid. She must have been hugely rewarded!

Let me point out a few things.

• These girls are children of women just like you
• They are in your house because life has not "yet" given them the opportunity of a good education and upbringing. They probably are not able to go to school because their parents are poor, some dead, and some are not just rising up to the responsibilities of parenthood.
• Just like any one else, they deserve to be treated fair.
• It is wisdom to know that what you "invest" in a person is what you enjoy from the person.
• One good turn deserves another. Your generosity towards that girl/lady in the present will go a long way in opening doors for you in the future; even if you don't realize it.

Whoever it is you have living with you may hold the key to something you have been praying to God for.

Above all, do your due diligence before employing anyone to be a "part" of your family.

The Pen......

Seven (7) Fine Tips For Your Personal Finance

Image Credit: Shutterstock

I dedicate this article to everyone struggling with their personal finance. I will be sharing a few tips with you on how you can enhance your personal financial management.

 The problem with a lot of people is not in the amount of inflow of finances but how they manage the little that comes in. Whilst I agree that everyone wants to have more money and an increment in income, (as current earnings/salary are hardly enough), a lot of people do not pay attention to their outflows; where the real problem of financial mismanagement lies.

Let’s look at 7 Fs that will help in managing your personal finances.

1.   Frugality.

Wikipedia defines frugality as the quality of “being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the consumption of consumable resources such as food, time or money and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance”

To be frugal means to be able to put resources together in the most optimal way. The pressure on individuals to spend their hard earned money is on the increase on a daily basis. Online shopping as convenient as it is, has made personal financial management a more inundating task. With being able to make purchases with your bank cards online, life couldn’t be easier; yet finances couldn’t be more strained. Discount deals, online and physical promotions all increase the temptation to keep shopping.

He who wants to become financially independent and not be entangled in a web of debt must be able to judiciously manage his resources well.

2.   Fill your pantry.

Every one desires and deserves a good life and nothing could be as fulfilling as being able to live in a nice house in a serene environment, giving your children the best of education, going on vacation to wherever you desire etc . In all however, proper planning is important. It is needful to say that life is in levels and everyone must be able to cut their coats according to their size per time. The people you see excelling financially; those whose names are on the world richest list must have paid the price to get there and usually; hard work is part of that price. Hard work , diligence and determination pay off. And so, whilst you are in the process of rising to the top, identify the most important needs of life; especially the basic things for you and your family. We all know that food for example is basic for survival. Provide food for your family; for the children as it keeps them going. Fill up your pantry as much as needed. Provide your family with balanced diet; especially the children. It’s amazing that adults are the ones who eat more protein than children (you see a piece of beef being cut into pieces to be shared by children whilst mummy takes 3 pieces herself). Who needs protein the more? Children! Because they are in their growing stage!

3.   Family First!

A lot of people are committed to helping others and it’s a good thing; but it shouldn’t be at the detriment of the needs of your nuclear family. It is beneficial and rewarding to help people; don’t get me wrong, (we are going to talk about that as one of the points in this article); but it is necessary to let you know that Family should come First.  The needs of your immediate family members are paramount. Whilst every expense screams at you for attention, some are basic and should never be relegated. Education is the best investment you can give to your children; their school fees must always be promptly paid! Maslow’s theory enumerates the hierarchy of needs by which people are motivated to reach the highest level called self-actualization. The physiological, safety needs of man are basic but paramount and of course love, esteem and self-actualization are required to attain self-fulfillment.

4.    Fight Waste.

We have spoken about Frugality which entails being a good manager of resources, but everyone who would want to become financially independent must go a step further from being frugal to being an ardent hater of waste. You see, you might have been able to manage your resources by buying just what you need, but then how are they utilized? In this day and age, whilst in many nations, some people barely have enough to eat, we see people hurling food into the waste bin. Why serve more than you can eat? Some would even buy food from fast food outlets or restaurants and still not finish such!

The aso-ebi syndrome is one of the wasters of resources in this part of the world.  I know many would disagree with this point though. I used to be guilty of this; and I still find myself sometimes caught in the shenanigan of aso-ebi purchase in an attempt to “show love” and support the celebrant. The norm nowadays is for people planning a party to “raise” money through people by selling the fabric for the events to their friends and families. It is ridiculous that they even inflate the prices so that they can buy gifts for those who purchase the materials. A party is a forum for people to gather and rejoice with you; why exploit them? You find out that most of the time, a lot of us hardly wear such fabrics for a long time after the party and they keep space in our wardrobes. Fabric sellers make their money, party planners are happy the party is colorful as a result of the similarity of fabrics and headgears, tailors are counting their blessings  and in one corner, someone is paying the debt for aso-ebi. If it is to show love, one could actually give meaningful gifts or even cash gifts to the person who is celebrating instead.

He, who would be master in managing his finances well, must eliminate every waste outlet.

5.   Feed the poor.

There is nothing as de-humanizing as not being able to feed oneself or one’s family. It is grueling to see people scouting through dunghills looking for what to eat. We all need to join hands together to eliminate hunger in our space and wherever it is around us.  The law of karma explains to us the principle of sowing and reaping. “As you sow, so shall you reap." Everyone who sows good, receives good in return. Maybe not you, but your children will definitely benefit from your acts of kindness.

The hand of the giver is always on top and there is a sense of joy that comes from helping people around. Feed the poor, clothe them, arrange for outreaches to orphanages; not just for taking pictures to show what you are donating; but for the real essence of it. No one deserves to live a lowly life. We are products of the magnanimity of a good God.

6.   Follow Successful people.

When I say Follow successful people, I don’t mean on Twitter or on Facebook necessarily, but following the footsteps and examples of people who have excelled either in your career field or in others career fields. There is a lot to learn about how they invest, their attitude to risk taking, how they spend and so on. Recently, I read an article about the lifestyle of some of the richest people in the world and it blew my mind. Rich doesn’t mean wasteful; thriftiness is one of the qualities they possess. I know of someone who is comfortable enough to fly First class always but sometimes, would fly in premium economy, sometimes in business class and sometimes in economy! It doesn’t change his status in anyway; sometimes it might just be able to save up some money for other important needs.  Yet you see some people “borrowing” money and spending all their hard earned savings on flying business class. It’s good to live a good life; but remember life is in levels; there are phases and seasons to it!

7.   Finish whatever you start

When it comes to having a breakthrough in your personal finances, you will do yourself good by finishing whatever you start! Some go into a particular business today, by next month, it’s a different line of business. They never push through anything they lay their hands to do. Some have started to build a house but they are stuck at some level for financial reasons (which is tenable sometimes) but instead of pulling every little resource they get to conclude on it, they wait for the next big break before continuing with the project. The little you see here and there will make a difference. Be a starter and a finisher of good things!

There’s so much to say on Personal Financial Management but for time and space, I will stop here.

If you would want coaching or mentoring on personal finance management, you can reach me @ info@booksmartsolutions.com for more information.

Stay Financially Independent!

The Pen....

You stop Flowing when you stop Pouring

Hi!

Been away for a while for good reasons. I haven't stopped writing, I haven't just been able to put them all together as I would on my blog page. I'm back however! Thank you  to everyone who has checked out this blog from time to time and for the feedback I get. I do appreciate you all a great deal.

Nature teaches us a lot about the ways and acts of God as it pertains to His dealings with man and one of such is what I will share briefly with us today.

Image Culled from Google

You see, all women have mammary glands; an organ present in the breasts that produces milk to feed babies and of course they are not actively at work every day of a woman's life. In essence, Breast milk is not produced everyday by every woman. It is a supply necessitated by an event and it's for a purpose i.e. Pregnancy and  Childbirth respectively. The glands are there but are not functional until the need for it is triggered and the flow is seasonal and time bound too. Once the need for it is ended, the flow stops!  

Every endowment of God in every  life is for a purpose and there are graces for different seasons. Circumstances sometimes trigger the use of a gift we never knew existed in us. You find out also that sometimes, you are able to operate in a capacity so well at some phase of your life and as time goes on, you realize you are able to do some other things entirely ; whilst you are not able  to operate as much in what you used to do in the past.  I'll give you an example:  I used to be a chorister / choir leader many years back and I could sing so well as much as God endowed me. As the years went by, I have diversified into other areas of ministry and I am not as active in the music ministry  as much as I used to do in time past: not because I am unable to sing again, but because I operate so well in other areas of calling in the present. 

No one is going to be here forever, hence the need to identify our  purpose per time: our unique  endowments, the lessons of our seasons, our God-given destiny-helpers for every season and maximize them in the most optimal manner; as much as we can. 

David ; a very versatile character in the bible, was once a shepherd boy, he could play the instruments so well( which took him to the palace)  but went on to become the anointed king of Israel. Yes he continued to write psalms, play instruments and even "build" instruments, it was impossible that he went back to the field to shepherd the sheep. He had entered into another level of his life where he now shepherded the people of Israel. The lessons of shepherding actual sheep would be different from leading people and the techniques of killing the bear and lion with bare hands would definitely be different from going to wars and battles against the philistines and other enemies of the nation of Israel. 

In life, our levels change, capacities change, abilities are improved on, but the most important thing is that wherever we are; at any stage of our lives, we must not stop flowing into others. Remember the story of the widow in 2nd kings 4 ; whose oil didn't stop flowing until she stopped pouring? So is it in the use of our giftings. Just as the breast milk dries up when it's not being given to a baby or expressed, so it is with our abilities when we stop using them actively.

May we not fizzle out......

The Pen

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

Hold it…..Before you say Nay like Naaman!

 

 

It’s been a while!

 

Year 2015 appears to be flying with wings. It’s hard to believe January is over already. I hope our goals are playing out as planned and opportunities are surfacing. Most assuredly, we will all get to our destination.

 Many at times, opportunities don’t come showcasing as opportunities. They are sometimes embedded in difficulties, sometimes shrouded in mysteries and on few occasions, they show up as impossibilities. It takes one to be discerning in order to grab them when they come.

 Answers to prayers, solutions to problems, healings, and provisions sometimes come to us in least expected ways and manners; hence before shutting a door and saying no to something, make sure there’s not more to it than you see.

 

9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’(2nd Kings 5:9-11)

 

Naaman was a big man yet he had a major challenge in his life. He was leprous! The solution was coming in a “debasing” manner so to say. How can the solution to a long lasting problem be so simple and “demeaning” to say the least? How can a commander of the army be told to go wash in a supposedly dirty stream Seven(7) when there were better and neater rivers back where he was coming from? it was a blatant No to the instruction he was given!

 Just like Naaman, sometimes we ask ourselves some of these questions over and again and we are quick to turn down whatever is not convenient. Whilst I am not saying we should say yes to everything that comes our way, sometimes we need to assess and reassess a situation before we nullify an offer. How can I be told to be subordinate to someone who was many years my junior in school? Why should I ask for direction from a colleague who got into the system many years after I did. How can you tell me sowing a little seed can turn around my finances? Why should I specially honor a pastor’s wife whom I was in school with for many years? Why would I date a guy who I earn much more than? How can a simple act of prayer be enough to deal with the issues one is facing in life?

   Many times we look for “great” signs and instructions in order to enjoy the “great” blessings of life. God’s ways are different from ours. His thoughts and ways are different; they may appear simple but they are efficacious; never failing

 

13And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean (2 Kin. 5:13)

 

Just a simple instruction and an act of obedience gave Naaman the break he needed in life. What a relief for a problem he had been afflicted with for years. What a reproach rolled away, what a fresh breath of newness. Just because He washed…….

 

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

The Pen.

PS : Watch out for my post on Naaman's maid

 

Gloves of Love.....

Hello!

It's the 12th month already, thanks to our ever Gracious God who blesses us with everything that pertains to life and godliness.The excitement is building up, its almost Christmas , it's the season of Love and Giving.

I like to share briefly about the unnamed woman in the bible who poured an expensive, full jar of alabaster oil on Jesus' head. 

Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease. While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. (Mark 14:3 GNT)

Jesus went visiting Simon, one of His followers who had benefited form His ministry and a woman found her way there; probably uninvited. She wasn't going to come touch the helm of His garment, neither was she coming to make a request;  she just wanted to come pour out her love on the Master. This woman poured oil on Jesus and it must have been dripping down his face from his head. That must have taken a lot of guts but she didn't care ! She was driven by something much more deeper than the superficial. 

Many at times, we all want to get from God, from people; forgetting that it is more blessed to give than to receive just as the bible admonishes. Our world is hurting today because of  lack of genuine love and compassion for one another.  Why would someone rape another person? Why would a man assassinate another man? Why would there be war and contention  amongst members of the same household and why would there be hatred , envy and killings amongst mankind? Love is lacking!

We are approaching Christmas and everyone is getting excited but we must not miss out the essence of it. God loved and He gave; this shows the multi-faceted feature of love. You can give without loving but you can't love without giving. God first loved and gave. Where is the love of God , the love for God and the love for people in our hearts? It's so disheartening what we read in the news day in day out.

Some of the people there became angry and said to one another, “What was the use of wasting the perfume? It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor!” And they criticized her harshly. (Mark 14:4, 5 GNT)

The guests at this table where Jesus sat, felt the woman might just have given the poor the monetary value of the expensive alabaster oil she poured on Him but Jesus made them realize that her pouring the oil on him was an action birthed out of love and not just giving!

Looking at it from another angle, sometimes people may criticize and castigate you for going "overboard" in the service of God; like they got angry with this woman. The bible said that they criticized her harshly! She had something which they lacked and the Saviour was not embarrassed by the fact that his body was all messed up with oil. It was coming from a heart of love! She broke an expensive oil and poured it on Jesus head- she gave her all.


 People castigated her but Jesus appreciated her gesture. Generations will remember you for your genuine, heartfelt service to God and mankind. Never relent! Put on the Gloves of Love and never put them off!

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

The Pen.....

Picture Credit:http://josusblog.wordpress.com/

Cuddly Feet for those Ugly Feet!

Hello Friends,

It’s the end of another beautiful month! For me, October has been a month of good news; good news pertaining to me, pleasant news from friends and from colleagues. Yet, in the news both nationally and internationally; it’s been a period of much chaos and alarming reports all around the world. The media constantly inundates us with depressing stories!We find out that bad news actually trend the more. Have you ever wondered why?  Yes there would be bad news from time to time but in our place as God’s ambassadors, we should bring a message of comfort to a hurting world.

Talking about news, how we relate news and events to people, and the carrier of news; in my usual way of biblical character study, the story of an interesting man came to mind as I prepared for work this morning. (By now you should know I love to write on bible characters!)

Remember Saul in the bible? The very first king of Israel that God chose for His people when they demanded for a king. Well, he had his ups and down and fell out of favor with God and so at some point, God raised a king from the back side of the desert- David; a man after His own heart. David went through much in the hands of Saul but still maintained his loyalty and respect despite the fact that Saul sought to kill him at many times. David had the opportunity of retaliating, but he never lifted his finger against him.

So there was this fierce battle against Israel which led to Saul’s death. During the battle, he was fatally wounded and he asked his armor bearer to kill him but he refused so he fell on the sword himself and died. (The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 1^st Samuel 31:3-4)

What a gruesome ending for a man who started well; chosen by God for such a great assignment of leading the Israelites. It was indeed a sad day for the nation of Israel; their No 1 man had just died; with three of his sons, his armor bearer and all his men! The whole nation was mourning, but someone, somewhere thought he could get credit and gain the respect of David whose arch enemy had just died.

Let’s look at the scripture. Quite a long one but we can pick a few things from it.

2nd Samuel 1: 1Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3And David said to him, “Where have you come from?” So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

5. So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

6Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ 10So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

  Of course the young man heaped up lies upon lies. He probably saw Saul dead at the battlefield, saw his crown and all and quickly thought of how he could become a national hero and get recognition from David who was the King elect! He was a bearer of bad news; and a master fabricator for that matter. What could he have gotten from it anyway; to have put up such a fake and wicked story?  Of course David ordered that he be killed and that was the end of his life.

·         Bad news bearer, oftentimes add to stories to make it interesting.

·         They distort the real thing to make it sound “sweeter” to the ears

·         Most times, they look out for what to gain from it

·         Their feet are always ugly.

The bible tells us in Isaiah 52: 7:

How beautiful upon the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who proclaims peace,

Who brings glad tidings of good things,

Who proclaims salvation,

Who says to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”

Before you begin to spread that news, make sure it brings solace and comfort as well. Make sure in the midst of the chaos and devastation, there is still hope to those you are relaying your message to!

 Even Jesus declared His main mandate on earth as that of preaching of GOOD news.

Friend, what message are you preaching to your world?

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

The Pen....

The Lepers' Famous Leap..

Hi Friends,

It’s exactly three (3) months to the end of the year 2014...Wow! Where have 3 quarters, 9 months , 39 weeks , 274 days, 6576 hours, 394,560 minutes and 23,673,600 seconds of year 2014 all gone?  In spite of all the terror, pestilence, bombings; we should be grateful to God for the gift of Life; we are still here!

Quickly, I want to share with us the story of 4 interesting young men in the bible. Their names weren't mentioned, but they were addressed by the pertinent situation of their lives- they were lepers.

It was a trying time for the city of Samaria; a difficult season of famine. It was so bad that the women were starting to boil their children for food as there was no food and the very few things available for sale were super expensive. God through His servant Elisha;  spoke a word  that by the next day, there was going to be a turn around and that was how the story  and plight of the lepers came into light. 

2^nd Kings 7: 3

Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. 4“We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.”

You see, we are all here at some point in time of our lives; in the valley of decision. Things look so funny that it seems going backwards is dangerous and moving forward could be catastrophic! But I tell you from my experience and walk with God; there always, always will be a way out!These four guys had serious issues in their lives. First and foremost they had a debilitating medical condition which made them outcasts and unwanted in the society; they were some form of menace, an embarrassment to their families and community at large.

Secondly they were dying; of hunger. Hunger by any definition is not a friend of any human being or community. Hunger kills, it wipes out communities and in their case, it made their lives worse off physically and psychologically.

Thirdly, there was no motivation for the present and no hope for the future. It was either they died of hunger or they moved ahead and are killed by the enemies. What a dire situation they found themselves in.

Anyway, they did something; they moved they took a risk, they ventured into a future unknown and a terrain unfamiliar……

5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.

8When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. (2^nd Kings 7)

Alas it worked for them! Setting out worked for them, making a change worked! Taking a leap of faith worked out and their lives have just taken a turn for the best. The outcasts have suddenly become the main-cast in the story of victory and restoration for Israel. They had suddenly become heroes and yes, through them, the word of God as spoken by the Prophet Elisha came to pass! The siege was over and the Israelites entered into their possessions. From a position of abject lack, there was suddenly an abundance of all just overnight!  The heavens were opened unto them.

9Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.”

10So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn’t a single person around!”11Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace.

Friend, that step you are refusing or hesitating to take might be all you need to enter into the next phase of your life. It might be all you need to bring the heavens rains upon you; it might just be all that is needed to make the words of prophecy come to pass. Don't place God in a box by expecting Him to do things in familiar ways.  That little nudge in your heart….Hmmn, what do you stand to gain if you don’t take that step anyway?

I leave you to ponder on this story again but remember......

Wishing us a most glorious 4^th quarter of year 2014.Peace!

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

The Pen…..

Pictures credit: Culled from Google.

A Jeer at Fear!

Hi Friends!

It's been an interesting month of August in my church; Daystar Christian Center; Lagos Nigeria where August was declared our month of Extravagant Praise and all services have been particularly electrifying with wonderful praise sessions. Co-incidentally a couple of renowned  churches also declared August as the month of Praise. When I get back from doing two services in church, I would usually log on to the Winners Chapel Online service and truly, I can say, Praise is a common language n the Kingdom of God. 

Praise sessions in church, coupled with my personal and family praise sessions have been the most interesting times of my life and it must be an attitude I should never let go of. Ironically at the beginning of the month, the fright of the Ebola disease had not spread so much and few days into the month, I concluded it wasn't a mistake or coincidence that we were admonished to praise God throughout August. 

Needless to say in West Africa and in Nigeria where I currently reside, the fear of the deadly disease has taken a grip on the nation. You hardly come across people discussing anything without the mention of Ebola. Newspapers headlines are always scary, the news time on the Television has garnered a wider audience, because everybody wants to have an update. Resumption time for schools has been postponed, sanitizers have become a must have in everybody' bag; hence the producers of sanitizers must be making a lot of money especially here in Nigeria (An Opportunity in a difficulty you would say) . Lives have been lost, some have recovered and some are still ill etc. Earlier in the month, I decided I was going to go off the news for a week because I realized if I was not careful, I would be subjected to the palpable fear in the environment as  fear was being sold a penny everywhere!

For me, in all of these, it is a call, an  admonishment to really come to know Him in whom we have believed. Fear is crippling, fear torments, fear attracts the negative, fear hinders the move of the Holy Spirit, the power of God. In times like this, we who are called Christians are the ones to offer courage and comfort to a terrified world and not be crippled by fear itself. We are admonished in different parts of the bible not to fear; fear is not of God!The Bible says do not fear  more than 365 times- that is enough for one day of the year.

Before now, it was the terror of Boko Haram that gripped our nation; I am optimistic that someday soon, it will become a thing of the past entirely. For all you care, the scourge of Ebola will come to an end and some other things will crop up from time to time around the world. Would we continue to live our lives in fear? Fear of the known, of the unknown, of what we see of what we don't see, fear of the present, of the future and even of the past?

God's admonishment for us is clear and direct in Isaiah 41: 10

"Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness"

It's as simple as that, if only we would take it not just at the face value, but accept the words just as our Father has said it!

Enjoy God's grace as we enter the "..Ember Months.

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

The Pen