Destiny's Call

Today I stand on the path to destiny just like anyone else. What makes mine different, exciting and filled with hope and trust in the Lord is the peace it gives me. I consciously know that I needed to make a bold move toward destiny’s call and take the challenges life will throw at me. I am aware of the dangers ahead but much more aware that I am not my own. This gives me joy and my heart is filled with peace concerning the path I have taken.

This is the assurance I have received for the journey in ministry, business, school, family, and other areas of endeavor in general. I find it refreshing that God is by my side, inside my heart he is leading and saying these words to me:

"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

... "Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people, this land that God promised their ancestors that he'd give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it. God is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you. Don't be intimidated. Don't worry." (DEUT 31:6-8 THE MESSAGE)

God has made me. I am strong and courageous. I am not intimidated because God is striding ahead of me. He is right here with me, he won’t let me down, and he won’t leave me. He says I will enter the Promised Land (that vision he puts in me). He will make me a proud possessor of it because he is striding ahead of me so I am not worried.

Here I come to destiny, with my savior leading me. I will go through storms but will come out victoriously.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE

            Everyone needs to be loved and being in love is one of the most amazing wonders and acts of divine providence wrought upon humanity by its creator. This is why I write this article today. It is my letter to you and my hope is that you may discover a truth that can direct your life and understand how people are.

            This article is an excerpts from Bishop T.D Jakes’ book “Destiny: Step into YourPurpose” with emphasis on Chapter 4. Therefore, the definitions you will see here are not the dictionary type per se but purely from the book. There are three people groups that you will find in life. Each group has a role to play in your life. As a matter of fact, you belong to one of the groups. Out of the three groups, the most important people you need in your life will emerge and it will serve you well to know the role of the other groups and how far they can go with you in the long haul. These are the groups:

1.      CONFIDANTS

Confidants are people who love you unconditionally. They are into you. They have your back whether you’re up or down. They are with you in the long haul. If you get in trouble they won’t abandon you. They are with you to make sure you reach your Destiny. They are not afraid to tell you when you’re wrong and affirm you when you are right. Without them you’ll never be who God called you to be.

 

2.      CONSTITUENTS

Constituents are not into you; rather, they are into what you are for. They are not for you, nor does your destiny matter to them. But as long as you are for what they are for, they will walk with you and work with you. But it ends there. Constituents are always looking for a better deal. They will abandon you to hook up with another person who better serves their purpose or their need. They were never in your life for you; they were in your life because they perceived that you and they were for the same thing. They were with you as long as you were for what they were for. Constituents will fool you because after you’ve fallen in love with them, they will break your heart as they abandon you to connect with someone else who is for what they are for.

3.      COMRADES

Comrades are not for you, nor are they for what you are for. They are against what you are against. They will team up with you, not so you can reach your destiny, but to fight a common enemy. They give you support for a time, but that time will only last as long as the common enemy lasts. 

 

We all fall under these three groups of people depending on the circumstances we are faced with or how we get involved in the lives of people. Today however, you can navigate differently and make your life better and help others reach their Destiny.

COME DANCE WITH ME

     So many reasons make people dance either professionally or on personal level as the situations fits them. Dancing is an art, an expression of a feeling, emotion, or reality of what is on ground. Whatever is the reason why you dance, it appeals to your audience and gives them the message. Today however, I am inviting you to come dance with me.
     I live in an orphanage home, with children from different backgrounds and distinct histories. Some are orphans, some are from vulnerable environments, some are widows children, while others are missionary children. One distinctive thing that is common among these kids is that they all need to be loved, cared for, nourished, and to be treated as any other kid in any meaningful home. If you find yourself in a home like mine I wonder what you will do. For me, we have shared intimate moments together and sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, sometimes we have enough and other times we barely have to feed. Irrespective of what befalls us, we still remain one in spirit and purpose.
     I am not writing to make you feel bad for kids living in orphanage homes, rather I am inviting you to come dance with me. To celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness in providing for us, protecting us, and giving us sound health. I am calling on you to dance because these kids are no different from kids living with their parent.
I am inviting you to go to an orphanage, children home, or a community center nearest to you and  reach out to a wonderful set of people that are richly endowed with potentials. Go and dance and celebrate them. This is one sure way of finding fulfillment in life. Our lives matter most when we bend low to bless others without expecting anything back from them.
Come dance with me!!!

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME

I was weeping as I knelt down in front of the kids I have been mentoring for the past three years. The reason is simple: One of them said so many heavy things and raised so many accusations against me. Why she is the way she is, why my prayers are not answered and will never be answered, why she will never learn anything again from me, why I am so partial but sugar coat love in talk and not in action, and so many other things that will make me emotional when I recall all that she said to me that morning.

As she talked, all the walls of my defenses crumbled and I picture the role I might have played in her life to make her so hurt, bitter, and depressed. I waited for her patiently to finish her allegations so I could talk but she pointed out that she don't even want to hear me talk to her. I realized that so many things have been going on wrong and my girl is judging me as guilty and responsible.

When she was done talking, I told her I am so sorry for hurting her this way. As I talked, I began to sop and my heart became heavy. I asked her to forgive me and then told her to leave my room. I tried to process all that had happened but couldn't control myself. I moved to the siting room and invited all the kids and told them I am sorry that I have hurt so many of them. My intention had never been to frustrate anyone but to see that they get things right and not repeat some of the mistakes I made when I was their age.

It is not about me, it's all about Jesus. I am not good in myself but weak and full of many short comings in different areas of my life. But in Christ Jesus, I see myself as an overcomer of all these weaknesses and strengthened to live above reproach by the Holy Spirit.

I am not going to play God in the life of anyone, but will point them to God. With this, my heart is no longer weary but rejoices in the spirit. It is not about my abilities to do things well or right but about Jesus living his life fully in me. He is the reference point in me and not I. I will never produce a type or kind of me but encourage everyone to see Jesus, desire him, model their lives around him and live like him in all ramifications of life.

I am not ashamed to say this again and again, "Not about me, It's all about Jesus" and the life I live now is his life flowing out of me.

Lessons from Galatians 2:20 

 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1. I have been crucified with Christ: I am dead so I no longer live in myself
2. Christ lives in me: It is about Christ  who lives in me
3. I live now by faith in Jesus who loved me and gave himself for me

  

FIGHT ON

I realize recently that I am getting fatigued and my fighting instinct is weak and I needed to act as quick as possible to enable me function optimally.   

Winning laurels come as a result of battles fought and won in specific areas of life. In sports like football, your fight for a win starts from the beginning of the match to the very end of the match. You cannot relent at any time because your opponent will capitalize on your weakness and become victories. In serious matches that end up in stalemate, penalty kicks are models used to determine the winner. In this year’s European Champions league final between Real Madrid and Athletico Madrid, the game ended up in a stalemate and penalty kicks was the only option to determine the champions. Even though Athletico Madrid played passionately before the penalties, one mistake from their side gave their opponents the leverage of winning the champions league. The moment Cristiano Ronaldo stepped forward to take the last penalty kick, the only thing that was strong on his mind was winning because he had a vision of scoring the winning goal for his club and sure he did.

I have fought so many battles in life that I cannot count. In some cases I win, lose, or end up in a stalemate. But one thing that characterizes people who fight is not about the last fight but the next one. I must never get carried away by past victories and forget the big fight ahead of me. Even if the last fight was not a win, I must plan for a win in the next fight. I must not forget to also fight The Battle of the Mind 
 Keep your passion going, fight on and become the person you dreamed of. Do not give up on your goals in life. Keep the fight till you overcome.

The Power of Focus

The chameleon is one of the best examples that comes to mind when talking about focusing on something. This is so because one of the main characteristics of a chameleon is it's ability to change colours. So what colour is your chameleon? The truth is, it has no specified colour because of it's unique feature.
Several factors are responsible for chameleon's change of colour. It could be as a result of emotions such as fear or victory, or environmental factors like light or temperature. In all of these factors, one thing is common, that is, the change in colour. When it focus on an object, the chameleon changes to the colour of the object.
The Power of Focus is very important in our daily living today. If we focus on one thing and give it our undivided attention, I believe we can achieve a lot more than doing many things without our due attention. Apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:12-14 has this to say about focus:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. New King James Version

The reality that confronts Apostle Paul was so glaring and he enumerated some practical lessons that we can learn from to focus. The following will certainly give you the power to focus:

1. You are not there yet, therefore you must press on. No matter how well you wish to achieve something great, if you don't keep pressing on you will sooner or later be out of touch with it. You don't have time to waste, work daily and hold fast to your dream and God will take you there.
2. You must forget the past if you want a new future. The past reminds us of victories or failures. No matter the degree of your past victories or failures, you must let go of it and work hard toward your new future. If you don't walk away from your past, you will begin to feel comfortable about your state and procrastination will come in.
3. Your goal must be your focus. To hit the bulls eye in life, you must focus on the path of your goal and generate enough energy that will drive you to excellence. Make your goal your focus and that way you have nothing to distract you.

For Apostle Paul, the goal is the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is your own goal? Whether it is a spiritual, mental, emotional or whatever goal it is, you will hit the bulls eye with the power of focus. You can still achieve the same result with these principles. I therefore call you to move forward toward your goal. I just did one of my goals by writing today.

PICTURE YOUR FUTURE: TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE

 I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius

Are you tired of making plans without fulfilling them? or New Year resolutions and breaking your resolved to take your future seriously only for you to fail before the end of the year? Welcome on board my friend. Before we go further, let me confess that I have had  my share of the trouble of not meeting up to my resolutions or plans for two obvious reasons: Fear and Procrastination. These two defrauded me until God helped me and I found some profound truths in drawing my future with pictures.

So how do we draw our future in pictures to take control of our lives? Jesus said to Nicodemus in their conversation in John chapter three from verse one to five that if you cannot see the kingdom of God you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

   ...unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [emphasis added]

What you see is what you will go after. If you see yourself as one going to achieve a great result and planned towards it with a good mental picture sketched down, I believe you will get there.

I first learn about Mind Mapping from my writing mentor at Author Audience Academy, even though I have used the principles in the past, what I learn is so enriching. Her name is Shelley Hitz, and her advice stick such that I now have one of the many apps on Mind Mapping on my phone. The app helped me organize decisions to a logical conclusion and set datelines to achieve my goals. The experience was so exciting and the results were good. You can check for the apps on Google Store and download.

But what I want to share with you about using pictures to set plans for the future that you want to arrive at in life. These pictures will fire you up and help you to take good action steps that will yield results. Recently, I watched a talk on YouTube's one of the best TED TALKS of 2015 titled, "Draw Your Future- Take Control of Your Life", Patti Dobrowolski gave a powerful talk that consolidated the idea of picture mapping in my mind. You can watch it here.
Her advice is simple but very profound. You need a picture to set your mind on. When you see the picture and believe that you can achieve what you propose to achieve, and act on your plan it will come to pass in your life. To put it simple:

1. SEE IT: You must draw a new picture of where you are going to in details.
2. BELIEVE IT: You must believe that the picture is what you really want.
3. ACT ON IT: You must act on it to Achieve the success you so desire.

I trust that your life will not remain the same again and that you will put yourself together and face the reality that the future holds for you. You can turn things for good in your life and achieve 100% success. I hope you use the information here and trust God to guide you on a daily basis.