My 2 Kobo

Some of you may wonder why I have been dwelling on the subject of finding the right person, marriage, etc. Well the answer is simple… or maybe not. Anyway, God has been dealing with me in that area for the last few days. It seems like that is God's Christmas gift to me this year. Let me tell you, it is one of those gifts that is highly beneficial but hard to receive and appreciate. I will be honest; some of the things God has revealed to me concerning His will for me are difficult to swallow.



It has been my habit in the past to dictate to God the way I want my love life to go. I gave no mind to what His will was and is for me in that area. Well, after the last bruising I received at the hands of so-called love, I needed no prodding before I turned to Him for guidance. Sometimes I wish I could still just do things the way I want but I know that no matter how tough things are right now, His ultimate will for me is one that will bring me lasting joy and fulfilment.


Now the latest revelation (which may seem very obvious to some of you but is practically new to me) is that He created me (spirit, soul and body) and therefore everything about me belongs to Him. That includes my heart which is the centre of all my emotions. My heart is not mine to give away; it is up to Him to decide which woman should have it. Therefore, I cannot continue to give it and take it back at will. So my prayer has changed from God, help me to win her heart to God, please take my heart, do what You will with it and hand it over to the woman you have chosen for me. 



As soon as I started praying this way, a totally new feeling came over me. While I may still be "disappointed" about not being able to have the woman I have wanted for some months now, (and who's to say she's not the one God is packaging my heart for), I find myself feeling happy to the point of being giddy. I still made an error recently in being particularly rash about a certain matter but I acknowledge that I have a weakness in that regard and trust God to fix whatever damage I may have caused. I was telling a friend a couple of days ago that I feel like I'm in love already. It's a wonderful feeling and I enjoy having it. I feel like the true love that God means for me to have for that certain woman is finally a part of me.



Some people have been asking me who the woman who has swept me off my feet is and my answer to them is I don't know yet although I have an idea who she might be ;-). The thing is when I do find out for sure who she is, she will have my entire heart to herself, and she will be my world, my life, my heart, my all. In fact, she already is all those things to me. Is it strange that I feel all this love for a woman who isn't in the picture yet? Maybe but that's the way God wants it and that's the way it will be. So if you see me and notice a certain spark in my eyes and a spring in my step, don't wonder or be surprised. It's just God working on me and preparing me to take care of one of His wonderful daughters.



Once again, this has been my 2 kobo. Stay blessed and remember me in your prayers.


P.S. I couldn't come up with a good title for this one so I just put something up there.

It is one thing to have a good name, but a different matter altogether to have a life corresponding to that name. Elimelech's name implies that God is King, an expressive name given him by godly parents when the nation followed the Lord. But Elimelech belied the name he bore, for had he truly believed that God was King, he would have stayed in Bethlehem in spite of the prevailing famine.

The Lord Jesus is in the midst of his church; he walks among the golden candlesticks; his promise is, "Lo, I am with you always." He is as surely with us now as he was with the disciples at the lake, when they saw coals of fire with fish laid on top and bread. Not carnally, but still in real truth, Jesus is with us. And a blessed truth it is, for where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed. Of all the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the presence of Jesus! A glimpse of him can overcome us, that we are ready to say, "Turn away Your eyes from me, for they have overcome me."

Those of you who are religious and go to churches especially in this part of the world will be used to having themes for every New Year. I attend RCCG and I'm looking forward to finding out what the theme for 2011 will be. However, based on inspiration that I received from God through a very special friend, I have decided to have a personal theme for 2011. It is going to be my "Year of Preparation". You may be wondering what exactly I'm preparing for. Well, flowing from my last blog entry, the subject of marriage has been on my mind lately.

Was doing some Christmas cleaning and found this little not tucked away between some books.


"Girls are like apples... the best ones are at the top of the trees. The boys don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they go for the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren't as good, but are easy to reach. So the apples on the top think there is something wrong with them when in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree."

There are a lot of girls out there who have been waiting to be found but seem to keep getting overlooked. Let this be a note of encouragement for you that some really amazing guy who is perfect for you is out there trying his best to climb that tree and get to you. You just have to wait and pray that God will send him the help he may need to persevere and make it all the way to the top where you are.

And for you guys out there who are making the effort but seem to always get rejected (I am a case study for this situation and reading this note has encouraged me too), keep striving. Your apple is at the top waiting for you. Just ask God to give you what it takes to make it all the way to the top. You might pick an apple and it slips put of your hands and falls into another person's hands or simply falls where you can't reach it. Don't worry, a better one is waiting for you on a higher branch and God is telling you that you need to keep climbing. Its a tough climb and I know this personally but I believe and hope and pray that you believe with me that it will be worth the effort.

This is once again my 2 kobo. Stay bless and have a wonderful Christmas. May your 2011 be better that you could ever imagine.

Had a dream the other day and I could only take it as a warning about how I could end up speeding through life and losing out on several opportunities. I will try my best to narrate the events of this dream to you.

About ten years in the future, I am a very successful executive travelling down a Lekki neighborhood street. I'm going a bit too fast in my sleek, black, 12-cylinder Lexus LX970 SUV, which at the time is only two months old. I'm watching for pedestrians darting out from between parked cars and I slow down whenever I think I see something. No child darts out, but all of a sudden a brick sails out and, WHUMP, it smashes into the Lexus's shiny black side door! SCREECH...!!!! I slam on my brakes! Put the car into reverse, and with my tires spinning madly return the car back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. I jump out of the car, grab the kid responsible and push him up against a parked car. I shout at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, I go on and on. "That's my new car, that brick you threw is going to cost your parents a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" pleads the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!"

Tears are dripping down the boy's chin as he points around the parked car. "It's my brother, Mister," he says. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asks me, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, try desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in my throat.

Straining, I lift the young man back into the wheelchair and take out my handkerchief and wipe the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything is going to be OK. I then watch the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home. It's a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12-cylinder Lexus LX970 -- a long and very slow walk.

I decide never to fix the side door of my car. I keep the dent to remind me not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at me to get my attention.

That brick was small compared to what will be required to stop some of you my dear readers.

Watch out for the bricks of life coming at you.


 

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.

A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.

The people stared? "How can he say his heart is more beautiful?" they thought.

The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared."

"Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. 

He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.

They embraced and walked away side by side.

An old writing that relates to a present situation....

People say love hurts. No kidding! 
 
My dear readers, you have no idea how much pain lies behind these words as I type them. I've noticed a trend in my life. I always fall for the ones who shoot craters in my heart and I can only pray that by the time I'm done, there will still be a bit of it left that I can offer to someone. Each time I come out of a relationship, I swear to never enter another one because the pain always threatens to swallow me up. I walk around with this mind set but them some beautiful lady always comes by and wipes away my conviction. There lies the problem. What do I need to do to make sure I stick with my conviction? I've cried to God on several occasions. Why? The answer is always the same. God is love and therefore He cannot and will never consider taking away my ability to love.

Dear readers, how do you put someone you love out of your mind? Do I decide to fight God? Do I feel it's His fault for putting me in my current emotional state? Why did He create me this way? I don't mean to burden you guys with my issues but I need to "vent" my frustrations. I have so many questions but no answers. Maybe I don't know how to pray. Maybe I "thought" I heard whereas nothing was said. Maybe I'm just a fool for falling. All I know right now is my heart is in pieces and I'm not sure if I can find all those pieces talk much less of putting them back together.

The irony is, after all this, I just know I'll meet another nice, beautiful, God fearing girl and be right back where I started but this time maybe I simply won't allow myself to feel anything. Life is probably easier that way.

1. They "Get off" on the Rush - Women crave the "high" from the initial attraction they feel toward a new guy.
2. They want attention - Women sometimes cheat because they feel taken for granted and a new lover gives them the TLC that their man may not be giving.
3. They feel pressured - When women stress, (especially over a guy), they may seek out another stud to lean on as a distraction.

Hebrews 12: 16-17: "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears".

Esau's story shows that mistakes and sins sometimes have lasting consequences. His story can be read in Genesis 25: 29-34; 27:36. Even repentance and forgiveness do not always eliminate sin's consequences. How do you make decisions based on what you want now rather than what you need in the long run? Evaluate the long-range effects of your decisions and actions.

The Bible says that Esau had 400 bodyguards. Anyone who has 400 bodyguards must be doing well. This may have been the case but consider the fact that a whole nation now bears the name of his younger brother. It could have been his name and not Jacob's. Imagine Isreal that we know today being tagged as "The Nation of Esau".

No matter how well Esau lived, it does not change the fact that he missed out on a much bigger blessing when he sold his birthright. He let his hunger get in the way of his blessing the same way we let our wants get in the way of our blessings.

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. - Psalm 46:10

If we really want to hear from God, we can't approach Him with selective hearing, hoping to narrow the topics down to only what we want to hear. People take time to listen for God's voice when they have issues they want solved. If they have a problem or concerns about their job or need wisdom on how to have more prosperity or how to deal with a child, then they are all ears to hear what God has to say.

Don't just go to God and talk to Him when you want or need something; spend time with Him just listening. He will open up many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen.

For many peple, listening is an ability that must be developed by practice. I have always been a talker and have never had to try to talk. But I have had to learn to listen on purpose. The Lord says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Our flesh is full of energy and usually wants to be active doing something, so it can e difficult for us to be still.

When you ask God somehting, take time and listen. Even if He does not respond right at that moment, He will in due time. You may be doing some ordinary task when God decides to speak to you, but if you have honored Him by listening as part of your fellowhship with him, He will speak at the right time.

Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Most of the people who hold views are not out to intentionally erode the foundations of the Christian faith. The problem is that their worldview is shaped by principles and beliefs that cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. It's critical that you understand that, just as it's critical for you to develop a rock-solid biblical worldview. What does that mean? It means that everything you believe about God and ultimate truth and humankind and your purpose here on earth can be supported by principles found in th Bible.

Take for example, the value you place on human life. If you genuinely believe in the biblical principle that life is sacred and every person is precious in the eyes of God, your worldview will differ drastically from that of someone who believes all life is a result of chance. As a consequence, you can expect that such things as your attitude toward elderly and the unborn and your political stance will differ as well. Contradictory views and arguments may sound reasonable, but you will not be swayed because your belief is grounded in the truth of the Bible.

If you are not sure what you believe, the time has come to make sure. Examine the claims of Christ and the Bible. Get clear on the larger biblical concepts: God's plan of redemption through the work of Jesus Christ, His activity and intervention in human history. You are an intelligent being, and God ecpects you to use your mind as well as your spirit in developing your faith. You can examine Christianity on an intellectual level without fear of losing your faith, because Christianity and the Bible are both intellectually defensible.

The Bible can withstand your scrutiny, and one of the most important side effects of that scrutiny is that you'll come away with a rock-solid biblical worldview. You'll become acutely aware of the deception and falsehood apparent in other worldviews - all but guaranteeing your immunity to those deceptive viewpoints.


This "My Limited Understanding" or as a good friend of mine put it "My 2 Kobo" on this issue. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Hey guys, don't have time to write much today. I usually like to do my postings early in the morning before work starts but our internet has been down and the IT people just now managed to rectify the problem. Anyway, "My Limited Understanding" today is about the greatest commandment.


Matthew 22:37-39: 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'". 

This is how Jesus responded when he was asked which was the greatest commandment and law.In Matthew 7:12, Jesus said, "Whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this (sums up) the Law and the Prophets." So, to experience God and His plan for our lives, we are to look for the needs of others and do what we can to serve them. 

Our religion is not pure if it is polluted with ""self." Our self-centeredness keeps us from noticing what other people are going through. We don't have to totally forget about our desires. But we must chase selfishness away by not always thinking about them. Psalm 37:4 tells us that when we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires and secret petitions of our hearts.


This is 'My Limited Understanding" of this matter. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I was hanging out with a friend last night before finally heading home. We were just chilling at his crib surfing DSTV channels. We finally settled on something that looked interesting and we got talking in general. Lo and behold, as is usually the case with most movies out there today, clothes started getting pulled of and things started getting steamy on screen. My friend was in for a bit of a surprise because I immediately picked up the remote control and changed to ESPN, a channel where I'm sure no everyone likes to stay dressed. Naturally, he wondered why I did such a thing and I simply replied, "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" 2 Tim 2:22. Now that, was a real shocker for him because the JouDeLZ he knew before would never have said such a thing. What changed? That should be pretty obvious. GOD found me a while back and He's been teaching me a lot of lessons since then.

A lot of people, including me, stumble over entertainment choices. Hollywood/Nollywood seems determined to "disciple" our generation with its own moral stances, attitudes, and opinions. However, most of these things contradict what God would have for us. We must learn to make wise choices about entertainment or we will be vulnerable. I am sure some people will read this blog and become defensive. Some will be waiting for me to give them a list of things they cannot watch or listen to so they can disagree and decide to ignore the rest of the write up. Well. I'm sorry to disappoint but that is not my mission here. I will not be writing any lists. I simply believe that there are principles that should be applied to our entertainment choices.


My opinion is not what's important here. The only opinion that counts is God's opinion. If we say that we want to be holy and sanctified (set apart for God's use) then we must be careful what we ingest into our lives. The Bible does not at any point speak out against movies or entertainment in general but there are several spiritual principles that apply.


"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Prov 4:23


"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8


Entertainment today is filled with things that can destroy a Christian's resolve and convictions. It is only wise for us to know our personal weaknesses and avoid overdoses of certain things. Movies with sexual content, negative and cynical views of God, violence and anger, occult movies should make us cringe with disgust. We should ask ourselves these questions:

• Have the entertainment choices I've made in the past helped to shape my philosophies on life?
• Have I been influenced in a positive or negative way?
• Do changes need to take place in this area of my life if I am going to walk closely with God?

Okay, so I'm done for the day but I've decided to stay back at the office for a bit because of the traffic that has built up on Idowu Taylor. Unfortunately for me, my car just can't handle being stuck in traffic for too long anymore and I can't blame the poor thing. After several years of Naija road conditions, it is only by the grace of God that it hasn't totally packed up yet.
Going back to this issue of traffic, it has always baffled me that on most occasions, I can't determine the cause of said traffic by the time I get out of it. I realize that sometimes the condition of our roads makes it impossible for traffic to flow properly but quite frankly, Nigeria is not the only country with bad roads. I agree that our roads may be a lot worse than what may obtain in other nations but it shouldn't have to lead to such horrible traffic situations. I have had the privilege of living in the United States and I can truthfully say that every now and then, I encountered a road with a couple of potholes but I never had to spend 2 hours navigating one stretch or road just because of them. Rush hour in Houston can be just as bad as rush hour on Lagos Island but I still never spent 5 hours on the road just because I wanted to get from Lekki to Ajah.
All this leads me to one question, what are we doing wrong? You see, in civilized countries, when there is a horrible traffic jam, a 2 lane road remains a 2 lane road and everybody moves along at the same pace until traffic clears up. Not so in my beloved country. In Naija, all that needs to happen is a couple of cars slow down ahead of you and a 2 lane road becomes a 6 lane road. This same road that has become 6 lanes in a matter of second will eventually have to converge back into 2 lanes and that is when the trouble starts. Horns start blaring, insults start flying, okadas start weaving in and out increasing people's blood pressure. To crown it all, the so called law enforcement agencies will always be the 1st to break all the rules instead of doing their jobs and maintaining law and order.
Patience, they say, is a virtue. Unfortunately, it seems that virtue was left out when God created Nigerians. I believe that if we could only exercise patience on our roads, it would solve a lot of problems. Cutting corners and trying to be smarter than everyone else will only turn a 10 minute commute into a nightmarish ordeal. If the state divided a road into 2 lanes, please, please and please, let it remain 2 lanes. It may take you a little longer to get home but you will be much saner in the end.

This is "My Limited Understanding" of this situation. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am.

2 Samuel 23: 14-17 narrates the story of three mighty men who risked their lives to get their king some water from a particular well. Why that particular well you ask? Well I don't think the passage provides an answer for that question but Pastor Adeboye wrote about this topic a while back. He talked about the different tastes water can have and related it to the Word of God. Basically, the Word of can taste sweet, bitter or salty to an individual but for the one that hungers and thirsts after His Word, even the bitter aspects will begin to taste like honey. 

Permit me to go off in another direction for a bit. I would like to talk about the sacrifice made by thise three soldiers. They were in a hideout and surrounded by the enemy. To get to the well of bethlehem, the soldiers had to pass through the enemy camp. It must have been a daunting task for three men to undertake for I'm sure the philistines numbered in the thousands or ten thousands. 

However, when they brought the water back (note that to bring it back, they had to pass through the enemy camp again), David would not drink it. Instead, he poured it out to God. He was so moved by the sacrifice, his men made for him and what it represented. The water represented the lives of the soldiers and according to Hebrew tradition, he offered it to God instead of consuming it. When Hebrews offered sacrifices, they never consumed the blood, it represented life and they poured it out before God. 

Let us look at our lives today. Do we have it in us to make the kind of sacrifice David's men made? Has anyone ever sacrificed something precious to provide something you needed? One good example is our parents. They sacrifice so much to make sure we are taken care of and we get the best in life. I can imagine the number of houses and cars my father could have bought with the money he used to send me to the best schools. Do we appreciate these sacrifices the way David appreciated that of his men? 

My brothers and sisters, this is food for thought. Say a big thank you to everybody who has done something special for you in your life and learn to give glory to God when such things happen because He is the one who lays it on their hearts to bless you. 

Enjoy your day and stay blessed.