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

Mrs Zebedee! A Peep into a Mother's Plea..

Hello everyone!

I saw a disturbing picture a couple of days ago of a young girl of about seven (7) years of age wearing a bum short and her mother proudly used the picture as her display picture on Blackberry. Seriously, to me, it looked inappropriate.  From time to time too, I see pictures indicative of unnecessary exposure of these children to things that are not exactly expedient. We have a role to help these young ones identify the right path for their lives.  A lot of the things we see around today are attributable to homes, to families, upbringing and all ; it is easy to know those who came out of good homes and those who didn't. I am not going to go into all of that today but will like to just give a plea to mothers from a story in the bible. May God help us all!

So today, I thought of sharing about a woman in the bible whose action sort of, was and is castigated by many and seen as an unhealthy ambition, but from whom I think we could take a cue with regards to nurturing our children in the path they should follow. She is relatively unknown in the scriptures, her name wasn't expressly mentioned( even though some associate her as the Salome mentioned in the bible) but her story was worth mentioning in the Bible.  I am talking about no one than the Mother of the Zebedee brothers; James and John, also known as the Zebedee brothers; two out of the twelve disciples of Jesus. This is actually an excerpt of a project I am working on and in due time, the entire material will be released.

Here is another example of a godly woman who had a heart for God. Asides the fact that her children were part of the twelve (12) revered Disciples of Christ; she was an ardent follower of the Lord too. She supported her children in the work of the ministry and probably went everywhere they went with the Saviour.

Mark 3:17

14Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;

Jesus had only twelve disciples/apostles and there were two brothers amongst them. What a singular honour to a mother to have two of her sons as a part of the closest twelve Jesus worked with? That is an eternal honour! Revelation chapter twenty one and verse fourteen (21:14) says “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. “ Two brothers from the same mum were not only known men of their generation but eternally, their names would be known. What great work their mother must have done! They ranked highly amongst the apostles and Jesus was with them (and Peter) at specific times and events more than He was with the other apostles.

James became the first Apostle to die a martyr's death;  the two,were part of the  three that  witnessed the  transfiguration( Matthew 17:1) and these same three also witnessed the Agony of Jesus in Gethesemane (Matthew 26:37). They apparently were closer to Jesus more than the other apostles were. To cap it all, John was the closest disciple to Jesus and he was seen as leaning on the breast of Jesus and referred to as the disciple whom The Lord loved. We can see this in John chapter thirteen (13)

23Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.25Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

This disciple that Jesus loved dearly was at the cross and Jesus handed over his mother to him (John 19:26-27). After Jesus died, together with Peter he took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. We can go on and on about these great sons of Zebedee!

 Let's  take a look at a defining moment in their walk with God.

Matthew 20:20

20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized withthe baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”23So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

So the mother comes around, asking that her sons be seated at the highest place of honour in heaven....Hmmmn, what an ambition! In all fairness, she  wanted the best for them, she wanted them never to leave the side of the Saviour whether in this life or in the one to come. However, this was a desire probably not borne out of good intentions; it may have been borne out of selfishness,  but we see it was wrong and Jesus corrected her on the spot. . Let us however not forget that she gave them support in the work of the ministry. She had a good heart and continued to serve God. She didn't discourage them from following Christ. At least she spoke to Jesus about her children! How many people talk to God about their children, about their destinies nowadays? Yes we all want our children to look good, to be the best, to go to the best schools but spiritually, we must also be on the lookout for them as well!

 What we can learn from this is to always pray that the Holy Spirit would help us align our thoughts and plans for our children with his and that we may be flexible enough to identify what God wants for them and nothing out of our selfish desires. The Mark 10 version states that the brothers came to meet Jesus to make that request by themselves. Whichever way, godly mothers should seek to train their children in aligning their desires with the will of God.

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

The Pen!

Things to Pen down from Peninnah

The story of Hannah in the bible is one we are all familiar with. Hannah was married to a very devoted husband,a polygamist and who in spite of having children from one wife and no child at all from the other, did not mistreat the barren wife for that reason.

1^st Samuel 1:1

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of themountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph,an Ephraimite. 2And he had two wives: the name of one wasHannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Nowadays, a lot of men are not so supportive of their wives especially when she is delayed in having the fruit of the woman. It’s sad to see men joining forces with their family members to mount pressure on such a woman and in some cases; another woman is brought to the house as a wife. I used to think it happened only in home videos, but there are a lot of true life stories that portray this anomaly.

Peninnah was already blessed with children, but instead of empathizing with Hannah, she chose to make her life miserable.  She had a proud look and proud words came out of her mouth as well.The bible in 1^st Samuel 1: 6 says that Hannah’s rival (Peninnah) “provoked her severely, to make her miserable”. There are loads of instances of people provoking others to make them miserable.  It’s an act of wickedness out there nowadays which is not limited to only family settings. We see colleagues envying and back stabbing colleagues in order to get the person’s position or in order to rise through the ladder. We see a friend painting another friend bad so as to be in the good books of another friend. We see even siblings warring against each other for no just cause. The devil is at the root of all of these no doubt! 

Peninnah can be likened to a modern day man or woman who’s got so much of possessions and cruelly treats those who don’t have as much as he or she does. A Peninnah will look down on you at the slightest opportunity, just because you have a need or you don’t seem to measure as much as they do in the society. They just delight in provoking people sorely, for no good reason. Even if there’s a good reason to get back at your neighbor for a wrongdoing, it's best left in God’s hands to handle.

A Peninnah is a proud person who has no authority or regard for those who are ahead of her and could talk to anyone rudely .The bible listed Hannah as first and  Peninnah as the second wife and most likely Hannah was the older wife; in terms of age and even in marriage. It was apparent Elkanah loved Hannah and if Peninnah regarded him, should she not have shown some amount of respect for Hannah as well? Maybe Elkannah bowed to pressure at some point to marry another wife since his first wife was not bearing children; might have been a difficult one for him but he was devoted and committed to her; never maltreating Hannah for a single day.

1^st Samuel 1:19-Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.20So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

God is never far away from the weak, the vulnerable and helpless. It won’t be long before he justifies the needy, the poor and sets them on high to ride with princes. He is the One who shuts the mouths of the Peninnahs and puts a song in the mouths of the Hannahs of life.  Peninnah’s name was mentioned expressly three times and referred to twice, all in five (5) verses in 1st Samuel and thereafter, we never heard about her again. It looked like she was having the upper hand, the final say with her many sons and daughters but not even a single name was mentioned amongst her children as becoming anything great, neither was anything heard about them again.

Hannah waited for years before she bore the  promise child; Samuel , the great prophet of all times who brought about a revolution to Israel and her wait would be eternally celebrated. It seemed God was coming late, but He came big. The truth is God never makes mistakes. There was a need for him to send a prophet into the world, and there was a woman who was willing to give up a child God gave her unto Him for His use; talk of an equilibrium point between Demand and Supply!

God heard her heartfelt prayer, granted her desires and gave her 5 more children after Samuel. I stand to be corrected, but I think one of the reasons why we never heard about Peninnah was because she must have  packed away from her husband’s house in shame.

1^st Samuel 2:18

But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child,wearing a linen ephod. 19Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when shecame up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord.” Then they would go to their own home.

In chapter one, Elkanah was always going to Shiloh with his "family"  but as time went on, year after year, we see only Hannah coming up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Where was Peninah! As long as she was on the face of the earth and lived in Israel in those days, she must have gotten to know how influential Samuel was, how powerfully God was using him and how proud Hannah must have been. She must have been ashamed of those years in which she humiliated Hannah and she probably might have  wallowed in shame and died in obscurity.

You may be in a position of influence right now, all may be going well, and you may have a lot of people under you. Keep it real, remain sane, remain under the shadow of the Almighty, and give all the glory to Him. God changes times and seasons, He resists the proud but always, He will grace to the humble!

With God in the picture of our lives,our stories will end well; only in favour of those who seek and hold on to Him!

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

The Pen.....

Picture Credit:maralynnash.com.au

Esther: A Star not without a Scar

E.S.T.H.E.R!

The story of Esther is a bestseller and one of the most interesting stories in the bible that would generate so much at the box office within the first few days of release if made into a movie. Behind every glory is a story birthed in lowly and sometimes gory circumstances. She had been through so much trouble in life already; from being an orphan to growing up under the tutelage of her cousin Mordecai (she was Mordecai’s uncle’s daughter) who had also been carried into slavery. She was beautiful physically but nothing was beautiful about her circumstances. Sometimes, being raised up by parents who are struggling financially could be difficult, not to talk of being raised by an uncle who himself was in captivity.

By and large, with her years shrouded in obscurity, pain, conflict and in spite of the difficult upbringing, God granted her favour and through a rigorous but divinely orchestrated process, she became the Queen. Wow! A nobody had suddenly become the toast of the nation and the most powerful woman of the kingdom. Considering what she had gone through, there should never have come any challenges her way again. But just as she was settling in into the unquantifiable bliss of becoming a queen after the world's most glamorous wedding party, the honeymoon in the most exotic parts of the world, servants and eunuchs being appointed for her; from being a servant to having many servants, trouble started again………..

Let’s dive into the scriptures quickly.

Esther 3: 13 “And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions”.

Esther 4: 3 “And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes”.4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them”.

What if after becoming queen, Esther had become like the women of the kingdom? What if she had forgotten God? What if she didn't know how to pray and fast again? What if she had cut off the ties with Mordecai her mentor and "father"? The challenge she was facing now, appeared to be more intense than what she had gone through growing up. This was a matter of life and death. If something was not done, she was going to be killed herself. Nothing is as terrifying as having a death threat over one’s life. Common, for someone who had gone through so much in life, hers should have been a story of “and she lived happily ever after”

Have you ever asked yourself just as I have done and still do, why sometimes some circumstances you face as a Christian look way bigger and way more tumultuous than what you have gone through even as an unbeliever? I have discovered in life that everyone determines to a large extent what they become. Life may offer you LIME in the occurrence of a sour situation, but that situation can bring you into LIMELIGHT and make you drive in a LIMOUSINE to the admiration of everyone and to the shame of the limitations men have placed on you! Life doesn't want to know how much you have been through in the past and because of that exonerate you from some of the tantrums it throws. The devil doesn't care if he has thrown darts your way before; after all the bible says he goes around, looking for whom to devour; so he is always on the prowl. But glory to Jesus! In spite of the many troubles of the world, He says to us- “Cheer up, I have overcome the world”.

This victory is not enforced by sitting and whining over things that are not working. It comes by praying, declaring, confessing tenaciously all God has ordained for us until we see them manifest! Yes these things work! And sometimes too, whilst you are celebrating and jubilating over an achievement or success, it is not the time to go into a state of comatose in your quiet time, in your walk with God and in your service to him. “Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” is what the bible admonishes. This is not to say as Christian women we should live in fear. No it’s a call to be on top of our game in enforcing the kingdom of God over our homes, our children, our careers and in everything we do at all times.

Eve was so relaxed when the devil came with the onslaught against humanity and she fell for it. Micah had a nonchalant attitude towards life, towards the Lord’s anointed and she didn't see anything bad in castigating her husband- David (a man God loved unrepentantly) because He was dancing for His Maker. Should she not have been at the forefront of the dancing troupe, singing and dancing to the God who gives her husband victory all the time?

It is time to do away with the “God why me” disposition, the talks of “Life is so unfair to me”, the sympathies of people (who would even make jest of you behind your back). These are the days in which by His Grace, we would rise up, facing those challenges that come our way by the might of the Most High God like Deborah who took the bulls by the horn even when the highways were deserted and AROSE as a mother in Israel!

Esther won her battles; you and I will win ours too!

The joy of the Lord is our strength and He makes us more than overcomers in all of these things……….Selah

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

The Pen...

Image credit: Google

Who's Speaking at the Palace for You?

I recently had the opportunity of speaking on behalf of an employee of a company I consult for , who was at the verge of being sacked. Unknown to him, his termination was being discussed. He apparently had his many strengths,but unfortunately he also had a weakness which was becoming increasingly unacceptable. It was almost concluded; he was to be sacked! However I was able to put forward a case for him and gratefully, it was accepted.

As  I drove home that night, I meditated on that incident and wondered what would have happened if there was no one speaking and appealing on behalf of the employee in question. And instantly, my mind flashed back to Vashti in the Bible. Remember Vashti? She was a Queen; the first wife of Ahaserus , the king  of  the Persian Kingdom  who later took Esther as Queen after Vashti was deposed.(Read Esther chapter 1).

What was Vashti’s offence, why was she deposed?  The king had been feasting and when his heart was merry with wine, he felt it was time to show off his beautiful Queen but for some reason known to her, she decided not to come out. Yes it must have been a huge offence but below is what broke the camel’s back in her case.

16And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

19If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she( Esther 1:16, 19)

Imagine if there was someone who pleaded to the King on behalf of Vashti. She probably would not have been deposed. If there was someone who would remind the king about her good works in time past, she probably would not have been sent away. However, the only one who could have spoken for her, was speaking against her.

In life, at strategic locations and places; we need people who would speak in our favour and recommend us. Let’s not forget that David was recommended before Saul at the palace. As time went on, Jonathan his friend must have spoken well of him at the palace too. Joseph had someone speaking for him at the palace and that was why Pharaoh quickly sent for him. Daniel and his friends, one way or the other were mentioned before the king. Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson was mentioned before King David and forever, his life never remained the same.

God is the Master Connector; He places people in our lives who would speak something positive about us to the boss, at the interview panel, in church and wherever. May we not miss these destiny helpers. May our helpers not be helpless or absent where and when they should be speaking for us. Vashti vanished into obscurity, because no one was speaking up for her. But didn't she have children? how  come we never heard anything whatsoever about her or her posterity? Whenever you have the opportunity, please speak up for someone who needs it. You may be preserving an entire generation! Speak for the oppressed, the afflicted, the orphans, the destitute, the needy. Sometimes speaking for them entails giving to them!

Above all, it is comforting to know that Jesus is forever speaking for us at the palace of the Almighty King! The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us! Romans 8:35( Message version)

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

Picture Credit: Google Images

Don't Jettison the Lessons of your Seasons!

Dearly Esteemed Readers!

How have you all being? I apologize I haven’t been here in a while, it just occurred that I didn't even write any article for the month of March. So much to do, work wise but I kept noting the inspirations I got and I would be publishing them in the next few days/weeks.

Permit me to quickly share with you an inspiration I got whilst praying a couple of days ago. I was having a conversation in my mind about how I have fared in my walk with God. You see, I have been born again for about nineteen years (19) and I have had a lot of ups and downs in my Christian race. One of those worth mentioning is when my dad asked me to leave the house if being born again was the route I was going to take (what you would call persecution). I remember also when I had the opportunity of leading a fellowship of both students and indigenes back in University. Hmmmn….. I have had moments of great zeal such as going for night vigils about  3 times in a week; beautiful moments of service to God in different departments, rural outreaches and all sorts. I am glad I am still very born again; I have grown over the years in my walk with God and I have enjoyed deeper levels with God.

So as I was reminiscing in prayers about where I started from in my Christian sojourn; remembering the challenges, the good times and the not too pleasant ones, it occurred to me, there are 4 stages of a man's experience in his work with the Lord and in his sojourn as a Christian.

ON EAGLES WINGS

The first (1st) season is when the Lord bares us on Eagle's wings.This season of Life is when we have just come to know the Lord. It’s a beautiful discovery that Christ loved us so much that He gave His life for us. As we work with the Lord, we experience a satisfaction that comes from knowing Him and His zeal consumes us so much. Things might be tough around us but we don’t even notice, all we want is just that inexplicable fellowship with the lover of our souls. For some people, before they make a prayer request, the answer drops right in front of us. The Lord does the SOARING; we just cruise on His altitude. We fly so high, achieve so much and many times, it’s as if we are doing these things by our own power. Little do we realize God is the one flying, doing all the work. This we often experience many times at the beginning of our Christian sojourn. The Israelites experienced this season just as they came out of Egypt. They had been delivered from years of bondage and had just experienced a real life drowning of their enemies in the Red sea as it paved way for them to cross over. I doubt if any movie producer can depict that act in any way close to the way it happened.

“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. (Exodus 19:3b-4)

CARRIED IN HIS ARMS

The second (2nd) season is when He starts to WALK and He carries us. This time around, movement may be a little slower but He's still the one doing the walking. We are safely tucked in His loving arms. At this stage, we do not necessarily realize the drop in the speed of movement and little do we realize there are trials and temptations; because we just breeze through them in His arms. He does the navigation and the making straight of the paths.

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)

Even to your old age, I am He and even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.(Isaiah 46:4)

WALKING THROUGH IT ALL

The third (3) season is when He put us down, for us to WALK by ourselves, BUT He walks with us. This is the season of …”when I walk -through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4), “when I walk through the fire and the waters”.....These are times when it looks like God isn't with us and life's circumstances become too heavy to bear. He guides us but we do the navigation by ourselves. Sometimes we miss it and have to come back but He never leaves us. These are the most difficult times. At this stage of our walk with God is when godly character is built in us. Many a times, we linger too much because we do not learn the lessons we are meant to learn. Imagine the Israelites staying in the wilderness for 40 years and almost all of them perishing there.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.( Isaiah 43:2)

MOUNT WITH WINGS

The last season which is the fourth (4th) is the stage of "those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength and MOUNT UP with wings as Eagles" .....After walking and learning to "wait" on Him, He qualifies us to be able to soar by ourselves. Remember we started out with Him by soaring: but He was the one doing the soaring with us on His wings. This time around we soar, and soar, our arms strengthened; we can look into challenges in the eye and remain unshaken”. At this stage, just like any other stage, He is still with us, because "underneath are His everlasting arms"

The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’( Deuteronomy 33:27).

When it looks like we are going to fall, His arms are right under to pick us. We have mastered the art of walking, we have known what it means to abound and abase and there's nothing that can shake us any longer. And at this stage, we can pour out ourselves to be a blessing to many around us.

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.( Isaiah 40:31).

Friend, have you been able to identify what season of life you are? No matter how tough things are, I can assure you God loves you much and He will never let go of you. Do not jettison the lessons of each season!Don't give up your walk with God because of your present challenges or whatever you may be going through. It's a process, a tunnel and soon you will burst into light and limelight. Ever imagined what Joseph went through those 13 years interval between his dream and when he became Egypt's Prime Minister?

The lessons of life become your trophies, don't throw them away!

You will have a safe landing!

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

The Pen...

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