Category Archives: Acknowledge God
Your Focus
“You should keep a clear mind in every situation.” 2 Tim. 4:5 [emphasis added]
The second type of stress is the Stress of Conflict. We are all different and because of this, conflict is an inevitable part of life. Conflict is never fun; it can be stressful. I do not enjoy conflict. The difference is that I have just accepted that it is a part of life and that is why it appears that I respond appropriately with conflict. So how does one eradicate conflict?
#1. In conflicting situations, the first thing you do is Change Your Focus. Change your focus from your needs to the Read the rest of this entry
Unshakable
“I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.” Isa 49:4 [emphasis added].
You need to develop a thick skin and a soft heart. Unfortunately, many of us develop a soft skin and a thick heart. And as a result, you are irritated at any small thing because our skins are so sensitive and our hearts are hardened [unforgiveness]. God wants you to reverse it. He wants you to have a thick skin and a soft heart, quick to forgive. So what if someone says something about you? My grandmother would usually say, the person said it with his or her Read the rest of this entry
Sure Reward
“Don’t envy evil men but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you.” Pr. 23:17-18 [LB, emphasis added]
Yesterday, I shared an experience with you about a business that went south because I chose to honor God and to do the right thing. In retrospect, I can tell you that God is completely faithful. Did I feel the pain, confusion, stress, and pressure? Yes! The reason I share my personal journey through life and walking with God is to let you know that you are not alone. And it is possible to do the right thing and trust God and He that came through for me will come through Read the rest of this entry
Trust God!
“People with integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall” Pr. 10:9.
If you have walked the path of integrity, you will have nothing to hide. You need to determine what is more important in your life, is it truth or is it things? If things are more important to you, you will compromise easily. Greed is the fastest route to compromise. If truth is more important, regardless of what it is, God will keep you and hold you.
#2. In compromising situations, the second thing you do is Trust God For Your Future. Sometimes you see unethical people and it appears that they are prospering. Do not worry; it is just for a short time, believe me. But again it is not even your business; just trust God for your future. You trust God for your future. “Don’t envy evil men but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you.” Pr. 23:17-18 [LB, emphasis added]. How certain? Surely! I can tell you this because I stand at the pulpit and I sit at the pew. Meaning, I face the same challenges you face.
I run a business and there was this solution I had an idea of. So I pushed the proposal to a friend that was the Chief Technology Officer of a bank at the time. It was going to save them millions of naira and overtime, hundreds of millions of dollars. My friend saw the proposal, jumped at it and he removed the commercial page. So he got a blank cheque approval for it. I was excited about the approval until I discovered he had removed the commercial page. He said my quote was too small. I need to multiply it by fifteen because of all the people we have to “settle”. That was my first business in the year. I thought, what kind of temptation is this? I needed that money, I have a family to feed.
But in compromising situations you do the right thing. I refused to connive with him to defraud the organization by inflating the price. And that was the end of the deal. The second thing to do in compromising situations is to trust God for your future. He ran into a mutual friend and recounted everything to him. But our mutual friend laughed and said, Femi would never do a thing like that. When I heard it I felt very happy that at least people know. I pray the same would be said of you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to reverence You at all times and trust You completely for the future You have planned for me, in Jesus Name.
Firm Footing
“People with integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.” Pr. 10:9
The first thing you do in dealing with the stress of compromise is, Do the right thing. Doing the easy thing may seem simpler in the short run but on the long run doing the right thing is less stressful. People with integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall” [emphasis added]. You have to choose between a firm footing or slipping and falling, what will it be?
Deal With It!
“People with integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.” Pr. 10:9 [emphasis added]
Stress is a combination of different emotions; worry, guilt, fear, bitterness, anger, tension, or anxiety, strictly based on the way we think. Yet God’s Word says we should keep a clear mind how often? When the country is epidemic free? When your workload is reduced? When the economy has stabilized to one naira to one dollar? Keep a clear mind in every situation. What situation is stressing you right now? God wants you to keep a clear mind and be stressless. Over Read the rest of this entry
To Be Or Not To Be?
“You should keep a clear mind in every situation.” 2 Tim. 4:5 [emphasis added]
When we get under stress [stressed up], we easily blame our circumstances. We blame people around us, our work, everything. We blame the circumstances but the truth is our circumstances are not the cause. Stress is a response. Stress is internal but our circumstances are external. Yes, the car broke down but you chose to be stressed. Yes, the power company has cut off power to your house but you can choose to be stressed or not to be stressed. So you can put two people in the exact same situations, one person would be stressed and the other person would not. It shows that stress has nothing to do with the situation. Your neighbor’s power was cut too but they seem to be singing praise and worship while you are complaining about the country. Two people, two families, same situation, one stressed out and the other is not.
Very recently, God delivered our nation from an epidemic, right? During the epidemic outbreak, some people were so stressed out. Even parents were scared to hug their children when they returned from school. They first send them to the bathroom for a thorough wash – unnecessary stress. I know some people do not believe the stress about the epidemic was unnecessary. Yet, do you know that some people were not stressed and we are in the same country? Some people are so stressed about the economy while others are not stressed because their focus is on God who is able to supply all their needs.
Nevertheless, am I saying we should not be aware of what is going on around us? What I am saying is do not be stressed by what is happening around you. The truth about stress is we are not stressed by what is going on around us or what is before us. We are stressed by how we perceive what is going on around us. In other words, what is before us does not stress us; it is our perception of it that stresses us. You can give two people the same amount of work. One will be stressed while the other person will not be simply because one is focused on the load of work, and the other is focused on the grace f God.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help me keep a clear mind in every situation and keep my focus on Your strength at work in me, in Jesus Name.
Cause & Effect
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” Pr.3:9-10 [NIV]
John D Rockefeller, in his biography stated that, one of the secrets of his wealth is his “ten-ten-eighty” rule. And he explained the rule to be, he tithes the first ten percent of all his income. He pays himself with the second ten percent, then budgets the last eighty percent. Someone asked me to explain why the tithe is ten percent. And I said, I do not know why it is ten percent but I know that nine percent or five percent is not tithe.
Seed Principle
“Money that comes easily disappears quickly, but money that is gathered little by little will grow.” Pr. 13:11 [NCV, emphasis added].
If you do not have savings, you cannot invest and you will not be able to take opportunities when they come. If you do not have a savings even God cannot use you financially because you do not have leverage. God cannot demand a seed from you because you have eaten everything. God asked the children of Israel to give part of the gold they had collected from Egypt to build the temple. The people that had given theirs to the building of the golden calf had nothing to give. Read the rest of this entry
Not Alone
“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you” Isa.43:2 [TLB]
“Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in Him are blessed beyond expression… When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting in… Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that God will take care of him.” Psalm 112:1-8 [LB]. You need to settle it in your heart that Read the rest of this entry
