DESTINY STOCK-TAKING

TEXT: MATTHEW 25:14-19

And February is about to end! How well have you fared in the pursuit and fulfilment of God’s purpose? What has changed about you and what have you been able to change around you? It is a time to take stock of 84, 960 minutes made available to you so far in 2014.

It is not unlikely that for someone nothing would seem to have changed. But if something is not changing then there is a problem somewhere. If you are in God, two things will be clearly evident in your life: firstly, your life will experience change. Secondly, change will flow from within you and enforce change around you. This is why the first and best place to change is you.

You cannot continue to do the same things and expect to get different results. If you do it the way they do it, you will never be different from them. You must make up your mind to do it well and do it right.

I encourage you to go for change in three (3) fundamental areas of your life;

(I) YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

You cannot continue to make God an alternative or an option and expect to get the best of faith and grace. No business, contract, relationship or job is good and/or big enough to make you compromise the place of God in your life. You cannot continue to pray, study the word and live the way you live expecting to get a different result. Something has to change in your approach to devotion to God.

(II) YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SOCIETY

You are not where you are by accident; God put you there for a purpose. Look for ways to make a change in somebody’s life. When was the last time someone who is not your family member benefitted from your money? When was the last time somebody smiled because of your contribution? When was the last time somebody thanked God because you are where you are? You must begin to give to the society, and this is one way to build your treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).

(III) YOUR PURSUIT OF DIVINE PURPOSE

When last did you think about why God create you and put you where you are? When was the last time you wrote down plans towards fulfilling your divine purpose? When last did you take practical step concerning your life’s dream? Friend, it is time to take your dreams beyond the thought realm and start doing something practical, positive and passionate about them. You don’t have eternity on your hand to fulfil God’s purpose for your life. Time is short and we shall give account how we spent it.

I believe somebody reading this will begin to take necessary actions towards change from now. You must first be the change you want to see in the world. If the word of God changes you, then you can change the world for God. As you do, I announce to you that March will be even better and greater in Jesus’ name. Maranatha.

BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS (4)

>>> PROFITTING FROM FRIENDSHIPS/RELATIONSHIPS (C)

TEXT: PROVERBS 18:24

It has been inspiring and rewarding learning of the Lord some virtues to help us maximize God-given relationships. And today we round off on this series as we seek to unveil practical ways to maintaining relationship and keeping its fire burning while maximizing the potentials stocked up in these blessed relationships.

(i) Avoid getting into unnecessary debates and arguments which ultimately lead to strife

(ii) Be quick to forgive. To accommodate hurts without forgiving is to accumulate stress. And where stress abounds, rest is not near.

(iii) Pray for each other

(iv) Do not be parasitic, always waiting for other people to make sacrifices and commitments. One of the best ways to live is to give. Learn to give your time, talent, money etc for others.

(v) Don’t engage in slander or hypocrisy; be real and straight forward. What you sow into friendship is what you reap.

(vi) Shelve ego aside; be humble to accept your errors and wrongs and be quick to apologise.

(vii) Overcome any form of inferiority complex or superiority mentality. Remember you need each other to fulfil destiny.

(viii) Put God ahead of anyone or anything in your relationship with people. Be committed to pleasing God first and above all.

The value you attach to relationship determines the volume you extract from relationship. You must develop a different but spiritual approach to your dealings with people. Remember, you do not need everybody to become who God wants you to become, but you certainly need those whom He has raised for you. Your association determines your motivation, and your motivation fuels your acceleration in life. Destinations are missed where associations are wrong. It is time to get it right. Greatness starts in God; to live for any other thing is to live for small and end in hell.

BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS (3)

>>> PROFITTING FROM FRIENDSHIPS/RELATIONSHIPS (B)

TEXT: ACTS 27:31

There are people you must do all you can positively to keep in your life.

“Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31)

This implies that there are people whose friendship/relationship you cannot afford to toy with or handle with levity. Not even distance or some misunderstandings should make you break away from this type of friendship.

God makes certain provisions for us on our life’s journey and one of these is the provision of blessed friendship. David and Jonathan; Daniel and his three (3) friends; these are Biblical examples of profiting friendships. Having a blessed friendship is finding one of God’s provisional packages to make your divine destiny happen and make Heaven possible. It is called ‘The Gift of Men’.

THE AURA OF BLESSED FRIENDSHIP

How can you recognize specific gifts of friendship to your life?

(i) Anyone whose presence around you lights up the fire of God and the passion for the things that please God. These are the people whose presence gives you a reason for living. They are there to fuel your purpose and give you a hand to rise up from whatever may have brought you down.

Paul was stoned to the point of death, but when the brethren rose up around him, he arose and lived on (Acts 14:19-20). A blessed friend lights up hope and fuels courage in your spirit.

(ii) Anyone with whom your success and progress is as good as his; he is a blessed friend. And he is there with you even if the world walks out on you.

When king Saul rose up against David, Jonathan was a succour to David. He regarded David’s success as his and not as a threat.

(iii) A blessed friend celebrates your strengths and is committed to helping with strengthening your weaknesses. Among his ways of helping with your weaknesses involves rebuking, scolding, correcting where indicated.

(iv) He is not parasitic – staying with you because of what he derives from you. His friendship is mutual and symbiotic; he is equally a blessing to you as you are to him. He makes commitments and sacrifices to make the friendship work. He values you!

(v) He has eyes for the same destination as you – destiny and Heavenly eternity.

(vi) He is humble; he accepts corrections and is not egoistic. He is quick to make up for any misunderstanding and is not in short supply of apology where he is wrong.

This is a blessed friendship and it is a necessity for a blessed destiny and beautiful eternity.

Prayer:

“Lord, I pray that my life shall attract blessed relationships in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS (2)

>>> PROFITTING FROM FRIENDSHIPS/RELATIONSHIPS

TEXT: ACTS 27:3

Yesterday we looked at how to maintain a solid relationship with God and summed it up by saying that God must be at the centre of our lives if things must not fall apart and if our lives must count in destiny and be counted in Heaven. Today we unveil how to maximize friendship with people around our lives.

It is possible that what you need isn’t additional close friendships but to maximize the ones you currently have. The value you place on friendship determines the outcome you get from it. There are certain people you must strive to keep in your life if you must rise in life. Also there are certain relationships you do not need in your life if you must serve God well, fulfil your divine destiny and end well in Heaven.

There are people whose presence in your life constitute ‘excess luggage’ and you must move on from them if you must move forward in life. Some friendship can sink destiny and sink to hell in eternity. Some friendships are distractions to the future ahead. There are people whose presence in your life provokes access to greatness; but there are others whose presence means no access for you and whose impacts are not just zero but minus. You must determine how you want your life to sail by choosing on which friend‘SHIP’ to board.

5 SIGNALS OF UNHEALTHY ASSOCIATIONS

(i) Anyone who sees your success as a threat or who frowns or keeps quiet for no reason because you make progress; beware that you are not in the wrong association

(ii) Any relationship that pushes you farther from God; you don’t need a prophet to tell you it will not end well. Anybody whose presence in your life means you are always committing and confessing sins, you have to flee for the sake of your destiny and eternity. Sin kills! Anyone comfortable with you in sin, he is a destiny assassin in disguise.

(iii) Any relationship that takes from you and gives nothing to you; it is a parasitic relationship and may drain up your destiny if you don’t do something about it.

(iv) Any friend that cannot tell you the truth but flatters you; you have not met a good friend. Where your life is anchored on flattery, your paths will be slippery, and the future could slip away.

(v) An unhealthy association would not see any good thing in you but always exaggerating your errors and weaknesses. Some will only be with you when you are ‘up’ but are nowhere when you are ‘down’; by their fruits you will know them.

Friend, your destiny is too precious to be left at the mercy of manipulation by wrong association. Greatness thrives on the wings of great men. You must look for people who not only tell you want you want to know but what God wants you to know. The better your association, the clearer your destination.

PRACTICAL GUIDE:

Sit down, review relationships that have given you headache, heartaches, and pushed you away from God. Pray for God’s wisdom on active steps to take to enter into rest.

BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS (1)

>>> MAINTAINING A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

TEXT:

Relationships are very important to man. It is not possible for a man to be an island, not needing anyone. You may not need everyone, but you need someone. To disregard relationship is to despise destiny. There is a solid inseparable relationship among the Trinity and the extension of that relationship to humanity is the birthplace of spiritual fellowship.

In the Bible, anyone God did anything tangible with his/her life and eventually ended well, that person thrived on a solid relationship with God. Abraham had a relationship with God and lived a life with resultant trans-generational impact. Moses, David, Daniel, and many others thrived on the wings of relationship with God.

More so, secrets are released on the platform of relationship. God’s secrets are not for strangers but those who have relationship with Him as characterised by referential fear (Deuteronomy 29:29). A true relationship is a fertile ground and spiritual culture medium for spiritual virtues. There were several sons of the prophets, but only Elisha was qualified to get Elijah’s mantle. It happened by relationship. The mantle dropped at the point Elisha exclaimed “My father my father” (2 Kings 2:12-13). There was a request, but there was relationship. There is a limit to what a stranger can ask you. If you are a stranger to Heaven, there is a limit to the virtues you can enjoy.

On SPIRIT SWORD DEVOTIONAL, we commence a series titled BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS and today we look at MAINTAINING A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

There are people who value their relationship with their friends and business partners than their relationship with God. As long as their friends/partners are pleased and impressed, they are happy even when that means God is displeased. This is why many lie to please men but hurt God.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAINTAIN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

1) IT MEANS TO PUT GOD FIRST ABOVE ANYONE AND/OR ANYTHING

It is to value what God says/thinks more than what man thinks/says. It is striving to please God above all others. It is that point where living for God counts more than living for self or for men.

2) IT MEANS TO HAVE A CONSISTENT AND PROGRESSIVE ALTAR OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

This is in the place of prayer, studying the word, fasting, etc.

3) IT IMPLIES ALLOWING GOD’S WILL TO BE THE STANDARD AND DRIVING FORCE BEHIND YOUR DREAMS AND PURSUITS

It means not to commit your pursuit to something that though looks good but is not God’s. It is to have God at the centre of your living, pursuit and purpose.

If you value your relationship with God, it will determine places you go, the things you wear, the way your money is spent, and it will define your other associations. If you can spend 3 hours watching movies and cannot spend the same praying, then you value movies and TV than God. This is a manifestation of idolatry.

Prayer:

Lord, I am sorry for anyway I have relegated you behind in my life. Today, please take your place; reign and rule in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.