It’s not about me

One day not too long ago, I felt the Lord say to me that many Christians are fulfilling an agenda that causes Satan to smile.

Hmm…I am sure you are wondering what this could be.

Here we go! I think we can agree on one thing: that God created us to bring Him pleasure, to discover and fulfil the purpose for which we were apprehended.

In short, it’s not about me. That’s the summary of Rick Warren’s PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.

But what do we have today? Many Christians are majorly interested in self improvement schemes and perceived warfare from outside forces embodied in their mothers in law, colleagues at work or business competition. Sadly, many churches perpetuate this.

People remain in this mode for years. Actually this makes the enemy of our soul more comfortable than if we discovered and fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

We will always have challenges. That’s not news. Jesus himself stated that in a press conference about 2000 years ago. We need to embrace the thoughts of God which are higher than ours but not impossible to comprehend. Once we do that, it’s not that the challenges won’t be there again, it’s just that the force they exude can’t stand the force that would be at work in you. For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

There are so many opportunities out there to be a blessing. Let’s stop wasting time focussing on things that will give us no medals in eternity.

Getting used to below average

We must have a new transformer or something. For the last 24 hours the light has been full. I checked out the ratings on one of my stabilizers – 220v sharp!

It’s amazing how one had gotten used to half or 3/4 voltage. Now that it is full, I actually was a bit scared that it was excess current and was about to switch off appliances.

That’s life! Sometimes we get used to below average because that’s what’s been supplied. That’s what’s made available. So when the real thing comes, we think its excessive Sometimes we think we don’t qualify. In our communities and in our nation, we have for almost an eternity be dealt the short end of the stick – the below average life. That’s why I find sickening every thing promised and offered by the politicians of every political party to the electorate: good roads, electricity, security education. I remember these were  the same things Awolowo, Zik, Shagari etc promised in 1978.  Our politics remains a politics of poverty.

Our people have been conditioned to live below acceptable standards. And instead of us really rising as one, we are all entrenched in a rat race. God get’s dragged into the equation and we use him to butter our bread and sugar our tea. But the day a revolution starts in this country, many prayers for protection will not be heard. That sort of prayer then will be a cure that can be prevented now.

I am not a legislator but I’ve got a constituency. And that constituency is the people in the kingdom of God. If over the next 4 years, the church can rise up and think less of itself and pursue kindness, justice and righteousness on behalf of the underprivileged in this land, even the governments, from local to federal might not be able to rival what freedom and empowerment we can bring to God’s impoverished creation in our land.

This stuff is more than doctrine. Getting people to have hope is stronger than whether I should tie a scarf or not. Because when a revolution starts, Sister Ruth, you will leave your scarf behind.

Today, start to think how your church can provide time and chance for the people around you. May God use us to get people to stop being used to a life below average!

Suggested reading: A hole in our gospel by Richard Stearns

I haven’t got a double portion for you!

Ever so often, I get some young lad who’s into music walk up to me asking me to pray for them in order to recieve some anointing which they perceive I have. I honestly don’t pray such prayers. I think it’s a waste of time.

Think about this, I’ve got a couple of men I admire. Let’s take Pastor E.A. Adeboye for instance who’s the head of the denomination I worship in. Imagine walking up to him and telling him to lay hands on me so that I can receive a double portion! It’s not going to work! he paid the price to get to where he was. Prayer will not discount on the process that is necessary for me to get to such a state.

People are quick to point to Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua. But then, these are guys that hung round their masters for so long. And my belief is that it’s not the prayer that necessarily made them to be doubly anointed, it’s the things they had observed in the way their masters worked with their God.

Be yourself. Walk with God. Be purpose driven. That’s all the double portion you might need.