Hey Blog Fam,

Trust we are all doing great, and following hard after those things God has placed in our hearts.

I teach Sunday School in church and not too long ago, one of the students of my class asked me the above question, while I answered him in class, I felt a need to come share the things I shared in class too.

So, let's diveeee right into it. 

Many of us in this generation feel that the only people who are to keep running after Jesus are those who have been called into ministry, people like pastors, elders in church, Deacons, music ministers and the likes.

This is the category of people whom we have come to put in that box of been Called by God.

But, first things first, after salvation, we all become children of God, we become translated from the kingdom of darkeness into the kingdom of light.

This is what happens to ALL of us.

Then from this level, we start our relationship with God, along the way, some of us might feel called into a certain dimension of ministry, some become Pastors, Apostles, Evangelist...

This call into ministry is only supposed to come as an overflow of what is already going on on our insides. 

Something private which after a while, the Lord will want it to become public.

People don't become servant of God, and then start building their relationship with God.

Their being called into a certain office is as a result of the ongoing relationship, so it becomes pitiable when someone who doesn't have an ongoing relationship with God, then wants to used of God or worse calls himself and says he is called by God.

It isn't right that only pastors are supposed to pray or have personal bible study. This is something expected of every child of God either you bear the title Pastor or you're just a back-up singer in church, or you're just a member of the prayer unit.

A case to mind here, sometimes last year, I felt the need to have a personal study bible, I am a daughter of a pastor, so it is normal to have study bible in my father's collection of books here and there in the house, but at that time of my life, I knew I needed one that was purchased with my money. 

So, I choose a date to visit Bible Wonderland in Surulere, Lagos which is a place where I buy most of my books, while I was going through the various divisions they had there, one of the attendants who was attending to me wanted to know if I was a pastor, I answered in the negative, he further asked if I was a pastor's wife to which I answered in the negative too. 

His expression really showed that of a man who couldn't place why a lady who was neither a pastor or pastor's wife wanted to spend five figures to buy a study bible. 

This only shows what is in the heart of the average person. Pastors are those who should have study bible and pray without ceasing, the rest of of us can go and play.

But, this isn't supposed to be.

The Lord requires of us not to only leave certain dimensions available in Him to some people, but He desires that WE ALL (no one is excluded) should know him.

While there will be people on the pulpit but those of us on the pew have as much responsibility as those holding the microphones too.

That you do not have a public ministry, or that you are not known as a Pastor or cell leader does not mean you shouldn't seek to know God.

Pulpit ministry is only supposed to come from a place of overflow, you have eaten and fed so fat, and then by divine election get to give out of the fullness you have received from the Lord.

So, we all have a commitment to the Lord, to know him for ourselves, pulpit ministry is only a by-product.

So, when next you consider stepping down a little on your personal prayer/study life because you are not a minister but just an ordinary usher in church, remember that it is for you that Christ died so as to reconcile you back to God.

There are certain terms that are not meant for some selected few but for all.

Terms like:

* The Holy Spirit told me

* The Lord told me

* I am going on a retreat

* God wouldn't be pleased if I do that

* I pray certain minutes/hours everyday

The above terms are not mutually exclusive to some people, they are to be in the vocabulary of every child of God.

Let's part with this scripture;

But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord ’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!”

Numbers 11:29 NLT

So, public ministry or not, the Father expects us to seek him.

There is so much light***

Hey Blog Fam,

I know there was no Blogpost last week, I am so sorry about that, hope I am forgiven? Thanks.

Between the last time I blogged and today, something significant has happened, I became a year older. 

Yes, Monday, April 5th was a day to celebrate another step in the ladder as it relates to my age.

There's a lot to be grateful in the past one year, let me share 8 items from my grateful list.

1. I am grateful for the gift of life. 

Another year has come and gone and I am so grateful that I am still alive only because I am kept by my God, and not only that, but I am also in perfect peace. So grateful for this.

Earlier this year, I was ill to the point of sleeping over in the hospital as well as being given 8 intravenous drip, but here I am today still standing. Glory!

2. I am grateful for the sense of direction I have in my life at the moment. 

I won't claim to have my life all figured out, but the details I am working with in this season of my life is so exciting. Looking ahead to the many adventures this year and my life in general holds for me.

3. I am grateful for the gifts of friends.

 You know those kind of friends that stays closer than a brother (or sister), I am blessed with such, and I am so grateful for them.

4. I am grateful for all the plans that worked. 

Yes, I had goals for the just concluded year of my life that came to pass and for that I am so grateful to God.

5. I am grateful for the goals that didn't come true. 

I wish I could say all my plans in this just concluded year came true, but that wouldn't be true. 

I know it's not-so-common to be grateful for the plans that didn't see the light of the day, but I am so grateful for that. I thank God for the lessons learnt through this.

6. I am grateful for the gift of fathers and  teachers. 

God has been good to me, and while there are lessons the Lord Himself has taught me, but there are so many lessons I have learnt from my teachers in this season.

I am grateful for men and women in form of fathers and teachers who have been instrumental in the woman I am becoming. So grateful for the gift of them.

7. I am grateful for the fact that I have a job.

I have a 9-5, and this is another aspect that I am also gratful for in this season of my life, while my job has its high and low days like every other job, but I am grateful.

8. I am grateful for my nuclear family. 

Thank God for parents who are in good health, and a twin sister who is kept in perfect peace too.

I am so excited about this new year and everything it holds. Trust that it's going to be the best year yet!

There is so much light ***

Related 

It's Another Birthday; 7 Lessons I Have Learnt So Far

Hey Blog Fam,

Trust we're all doing great.

Sister girl wasn't here last Thursday, I was a little bit down physically, but we are feeling better now, to God be the glory!

Let's move right into today's post.

I know I am not the only one who feels like it was just yesterday when the year started and we were all pumped up with goals and the things we would want to achieve.

We set our smart goals, created structures that would make our goals achievable, but like play like play, three months is almost rolling out of the new year that came to us.

At this time, most organizations are already planning on having a quarterly review, for some it will be just a day, while others will take longer period of time to be able to measure the growth or decline that they have recorded in the first three months of the year.

I sincerely believe quarterly review is an integral part of every life, not just something some multi-millionaire company do, but something essential for anyone who is building anything worthwhile with his/her life.

A quarter is almost ending out of the four quarters we have have in a year, what are you supposed to do?

Take a full day off everything you're doing, even if you don't have the luxury of having a full day off to yourself, how about having three-six hours for yourself.

Go back to the goals that you wrote down when the year was starting, look at them and measure your growth by yourself.

You said you would pray more this year, have you been able to do that?

You said this is the year you are reading the bible through, are you still on track, or have you missed more than 35 days in your plan already?

You said this is the year you'll be hitting your first seven-figures or eight-figures through savings and investments, look at how far gone in the right direction that you are.

You said this is the year you'll be reading two books per month, are you on your sixth book at the moment?

Are you hitting all your targets?

Is there something you are not doing right?

Most people do not like to review their goals because it makes them feel like failures, this is because sometimes life doesn't go as planned, believe me when I say I fully understand how you feel.

At the beginning of the year, you wrote down your goals and it was looking so real that you could almost touch it, then three months down the line, life makes it  look like you were just joking when you  wrote those things down.

I know how much it hurts to even look at those goals when you're in a season where you are just living a day at a time, but irrespective of that, you still need to review those goals.

While disruptions happen, things that we didn't plan for happens  sometimes, but in the midst of it all, you must keep moving forward. The destination in itself is not what we are striving for, it is the process, so enjoy all of it. 

Are you smashing your goals in every aspect, well done! Keep up the good work.

Do you need improvement in some areas, by all means, please be truthful to yourself.

For those who live in Nigeria, Easter break is coming next week Friday, and it comes with two days off work, both the Good Friday and Easter Monday, don't just use those days to go visiting and binge watch several films on Netflix or YouTube, all of that is good, but your life is more important.

Take out some hours of that free time to review your life, take stock!

The year is running out fast, and either we do anything with the time or not, it won't wait for us, so the best we can do is to make sure we are using the time well, and we are to make sure that we are moving in the right direction we believe God will have us move in this season of life.

Before we know it, December is here, but before the year ends, let it be said of us that we did the best we were strengthened to do. 

A year well spent doesn't just come, it is as a result of consistent moves in the right direction.

All will end well...

There is so much light***

Other Related Posts

5 WAYS TO BECOMING MORE PRODUCTIVE EVERYDAY

MY THOUGHTS TO YOU AS WE START A NEW YEAR

PRACTICAL TIPS TO HELP YOU STOP SLEEPING TOO MUCH

Hey Blog Fam,

Trust we're doing great and following hard after those things the Lord has place in our hearts and hands.

Finishing Strong is one of the books I read in February, 2021, I got so blessed by it, and I decided to share some of the lessons I learnt from the book here.

The book was written for men, but since everyone (both male and female) have the desire to finish their race on earth strong, then this book is not exclusive to men alone.

So, let's dive right into the lessons I learnt from the book.

1. Everyone Wants To Finish Strong But Not Everyone Will

I was surprised seeing the author write this, I mean if I want to finish my faith-walk strong, isn't that desire alone capable of ensuring that I finish strong, but no.

So many people want to finish strong, but not everyone will. 

This is not God's fault, because we as human also have a big part to play even as God helps us in our decisions

2. There Are Ambushes On The Way

This is what brings the first into clearer perspective, while everyone wants to finish strong, not everyone will as a result of falling into one of these three ambushes;

- Ambush of another woman (man)

- Ambush of money

- Ambush of a neglected family

These Ambushes are real, and how you'll finish depends on how you are able to overcome falling into these traps.

3. Some People Will Finish Not Strong But So-So

We all know what it means to finish a race strong, it means that at the end of the race you're still standing, but finishing so-so, is that although one finishes the race, but such individual didn't finish strong.

Steve gave some examples of those who finished so-so in the scriptures, people like David, Hezekiah.

Then their lifestyles were studied so that we as believers today, since we don't want to finish so-so, can learn from them. It is only important that we learn from the lives of those who fell in-between their race and take cues from them on what to avoid on our journey.

4. Teachability Is Key

If there is one person who will finish this race well, then that person will be one who is teachable.

There was a part of the book when the author mentioned how he visited a place and a lady was asking him what kind of man will be worth marrying, and out of all the qualities Steve could have mentioned, he mentioned Teachability, and I could not have agreed more with him.

Our world is always changing, bringing with it new ideas and all.

Anyone who thinks he knows it all is only one step away from discovering that he actually knows nothing.

If we want to indeed finish strong, we must remain teachable both to God and to the people who have authority in our lives.

Teachability is indeed an important bedrock if indeed we will finish this race well.

5. There Are Failures That Helps Us Finish Strong

I love this chapter.

There are times when life doesn't go as we have figured it out, and this is the time the Lord is taking us through some courses in order to get a degree.

It is not a B.Sc degree or even an MBA, this particular degree is called M.C.A (Masters in Character Acquisition)

If we look into every aspect of our lives, we will know that we need to take this course in the school of the Spirit too.

The failures we experience most times are building character in us.

There are some lessons we might never learn in life until we reach rock bottom, those places when it is just you and God (Trust me when I say I know what this really means).

To get this masters, there are four courses

* Unemployment 101

This is a time in your life when you can't seem to land a job. 

It is not every time that believers can't seem to get a job that is from the devil, there are times when the Lord is training you and taking you through this process to better refine you.

Remember that it when we are at our lowest points that we really look upward.

* Advanced obscurity

This is a course that a seemingly popular person takes, considering the life of Moses, he was quite popular and all of a sudden in Egypt being the son of Pharoah's daughter, then somethings happened and he had to run away from everyone who knows him to a land where he was not known.

Yours might not be to run away, yours might  be something that takes you from the limelight into a dark place. 

In that seemingly unlited place, God is there teaching you lessons that you might not have learnt if you were still up and about.

* Remedial waiting

I hate waiting for things.

I know most of us do too.

But this is such an compulsory course in this masters program.

The world is such a busy place, with everything moving at a speed of light, but then comes a time when we have to wait.

Some are waiting to have a job.

Others are waiting to get a promotion at work.

For another, it is waiting to conceive a child.

Another is waiting to be married.

And the list continues...

We all have what we are waiting for, but while we wait, character is being moulded in us.

And at the end of that session, the Lord will make all things beautiful.

* Intermediate loneliness

Yes, there are times that in the midst of our very active lives, there will be season of loneliness.

In the author's words

Loneliness is never a pleasant experience.

But God, in his wisdom, at times will seperate us from our normal network of family and friends.

Isolation is a time to get to know Him better.

I really gained a lot from the pages of this book, and I'd encourage you to add this book to your reading list to further learn how to finish strong.

We won't be on earth forever, there will be a day when we will take our last breathe, so it is only important that we learn how we will be finish strong when our journey on earth is over.

At the end of the day, we will finish strong.

To get a e- copy of this book, click Here

Hey Blog Fam,

Today, like the topic already indicated, we’re talking about how to get more intimate with our Father by talking with him.

I know a lot of us see or hear people who say they pray for two hours straight and you are wondering if you can ever be like that too, especially if you have never prayed for twenty minutes on your own.

A major thing that makes most of us believers not to seek God is because we think that certain people are expected to pray that much, or only some kind of people e.g pastors are those who have been called into ministry and so they need to create out time to talk to God.

Contrary to that opinion, we all have to seek God, not only because we are full-time minsters of the gospel,  and come to think of that word full-time, we are all full-time ministers of the gospel, just that pastors are pulpit ministers while the rest of us who go out to work have a ministry in the market place that doesn't involve the pulpit, if there is one thing is common to us all, it is the fact that we are all full-time ministers and children of God.

The enemy of our soul launches his attacks on us all, and he doesn't care if you're a pastor or just some random guy in the ushering department, or just some lady who sings in the choir.

If there is one weapon in our arsenal that we believers can't afford to joke with, then it is prayer. 

With that been said, let’s jump right into how you can have a consistent prayer life.

1.        1.   It Is Not A Day Job

The human mind loves going from zero to hundred in a few moments, but for anything that must be sustained, it can’t be so. 

For you who have never prayed for thirty minutes on your own before, then after you hear a powerful sermon, you get all geared up and you write in your to-do list for the next day how you want to pray for two hours stretch.

More often than not, such steam usually don't last

No one who communes with God for a long period of time  will claim that they have being like that from the beginning of their faith walk. 

It is a gradual process, and just like anything that is valuable, it will take time.

So instead of moving from no prayer life to spending three hours which you might not be able to sustain tomorrow, why not start from twenty minutes, increase to thirty minutes, then increase to forty-five minutes, before you know it, you’re already praying for one hour, and it can only get better from there.

This knowledge is important for every other thing you'll be reading in this post.

2.     2.   Go For Prayer Walks

Oh, Prayer walk!

I don’t know how I’ll have been consistent in the place of prayer if I don’t go for prayer walk.

Prayer walk simply means praying as you walk, while this is not only restricted to when you only find yourself walking on the road, but this means that you leave home specifically with the mindset of going to pray as you walk around. This can be within your estate, on your street, or around your neighborhood.

This is how I currently pray in this season of my life. 

Most of my days, when I come back from work, I get home, eat, chit-chat with my mom and sis, and change from my office clothes to a more casual wear, and off I go. I do this almost everyday.

My prayer life has increased extensively because of this.

If you’d like to adopt this method of praying, I wrote a more detailed post on prayer walk here.

3.      3.   Pray With Friends

This is another way you can get to pray consistently.

Have days of the week where you pray with some of your friends.

If you struggle to pray on your own, a friend in your core can serve as someone to lift your hands.

Even if you do not struggle with praying, praying with friends is still a very important key in maintaining a prayer life.

Nothing beats hearing your friends pray on top of their voice over the phone or even physically with you.

Talk to one or two of your friends and see if you can pull this off.

4.     4.   Have A Prayer Focus For Each Day Of The Week

My God!

This really helps.

I first knew this was possible when I heard the General Overseer of my church say that he always prays for the singles on a particular day of the week every week.

I have heard him say this a couple of times but I never paid attention to it, but when I wanted to get serious about spending more time with God in the place of prayer, the Holy Spirit reminded me of that.

So, what I did was, I took out my journal that day, wrote down each day of the week, then wrote down different categories of my life that I would be focusing on in the place of prayer on that day every week.

So on Mondays, I know what my prayer focus is and same goes for every other day of the week.

This has really helped me in praying for every aspect of my life, and it has made sure that every aspect of my life is prayer-covered.

Please note here that, this doesn’t mean that God can’t impress on your mind certain things you should pray about, on those days, the impressions you get in your Spirit must be duly followed, but on other days, the focus of the day helps gear you up to pray and you aren’t just wondering what you should pray about when you start praying.

Like every important aspect of life, our prayer life deserves all the intentionality that we can give.

Aspects of life you can pray about includes but not restricted to;

Your walk with God

Your Family (Present and future)

Your Financial life

Your friends

Your Mentors/ Mentees  

The body of Christ (Christians all over the world)

Your Career/ Academics

You should also have a day of the week where you are not asking for anything, but just thanking God.  

5.       5.   Be Consistent

H   How you can be consistent is by being consistent.

The fact that you prayed one hour yesterday doesn’t mean you have prayed for the next two days.

Consistency is key.

Get better everyday.

There will be days where the last thing on your mind is keeping up with your  appointment with the Father, but you still have to do it. 

Believe me when I say I don't feel like praying every day, since mine does not involve kneeling down to pray, I have to be actively involved, but I still go ahead and do it all the same.

If you only do things in your life to only when you feel like, you'll never do the things you want to do, so we have to pray even when we don't feel like it.

6.      6.  Pray At Every Opportunity

Since there is a focus for everyday, you can’t afford to waste any day, so as you go through your daily activities, pray. Pray on that focus, while the climax will be at your scheduled place or time.

Are you waiting for your friend at the restaurant? Pray

Do you have few minutes in between meetings? Pray

Keep talking to God, He never gets tired of hearing you talk to Him.

7. Turn Up The Music

Songs are a powerful tool, they can change someone who was crying to a happy person within minutes, and they can turn someone smiling to someone who is lookin sober in the next minute.

Engage the use of song in your communion time with God.

There are one-thousand-and-one gospel music ministers scattered all over the world who bring different dimension of God to us. 

If you're having a hard time praying or getting into the flow, a spirit-birthed song might be all you need to get your spirit man stirred up.

I trust this post blesses you.

There is so much light***

Related Post

 HOW TO GET BACK TO PRAYING AFTER A LONG BREAK

HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR GOD EVEN WITH A BUSY SCHEDULE

This is such a profound rule for life and living, and the fact that it is from the pages of scriptures takes it to a greater level.

I sincerely think this rule will profit humankind if only we can think about this first before taking actions, or allow every action of ours to come from internalizing this thought. 

There are so many things we will start doing or stop doing only if we can live by this principle.

To the gist of the day...

So, at work, among other things I do, I help sign the form of some people, I help make sure the money the company wants to give them gets into their hands after their service. Let's just say I am in the middle of these men and the company I work with.

So, they came to do their job as usual and it was time to help them sign so they can get their money, I got to the accounts department of the company only to be told there was no cash at the moment and if I could hasten up, another lady who was going to the bank will be able to help deposit the money into my account and I'll be able to pay those men.

That was how I went into overdrive, I quickly wrote the voucher, ran back to make a duplicate for record keeping, it was when I was rushing to get the documents stapled together, then it dawned on me that I was rushing to get this thing done.

I remember telling my colleague who also doubles as a friend that I wonder why I am running o, on top money that is not even my own, she then mentioned that it was because I am human (In yoruba, she said Eyan ni e).

That statement of hers got me thinking.

I could very well have been slow about the whole process, at worse if the lady goes to the bank without my cheque, then we can always pay them later.

I realized that I was only behaving to them in a way I would want others to behave to me if I were in their position.

If someone was in charge of my own paycheck, I'd want that person to go all out too.

Amdist every thing we are to do in life, and combining them with all the balls we have to juggle, some of us have lost that touch of being human.

Do you want to recieve more gifts, give more gifts out too.

Do you want others to dash you money, dash others money too.

Do you want unknown people to pray for you, pray for people who don't know you too.

Do you want people to be kind to you, be kind to others too.

Do you want a faithful spouse, be a faithful spouse too.

Will you want someone to support you when you have a business, do same to someone around you who just started a business.

Will you appreciate if someone stood close to you during your challenging times, stand close to people going through challenging situations too.

Whatever it is you want, just do it to someone else.

Treat others as you would want to be treated.

I sincerely think the world will be a better place if we all treat how we want to be treated.

Bear in mind that the person you did good to will not necessarily be the one to repay it back, God has his ways of ensuring you get paid back. Trust him on this one. He's got you covered.

As you want people to do unto you, do to them!

There's so much light***

I know how valuable time is, and if there is anything common to everyone, then it is the desire to make sure we are living our best lives every day.

There is also something I consider funny about time, time is structured in a way that either you are doing anything with it or not, it keeps moving and expects you to fill it up with things, you won't have anything to show for it once it has passed. 

Either you decide to fill it up or not, it keeps moving, and it will only be in our best interest that we really fill up our time with productive things.

Let me share Five ways I am using in making sure I live my best life every day;  

 1. Write Down Your Daily Plans

There is something called daily to-do list, they serve as guides in ensuring that you do the things you said that you will do.

Time really runs fast, and just before you know it, a day has passed, and before you can say another jack, a week has passed, and before you say another jack, a month has passed by, and that is how a year rolls by without doing anything substantial.

So as not to be caught living life just as it comes, have something(s) you are pursuing daily. 

Get better everyday. This is a good place to play Moses Bliss ‘Getting Bigger Everyday’. Just make sure you are getting better every day by itemizing the things you should do and then take it a step further and actually do them.

2. Do Something In The Direction Of Your Big Goal Daily

This point is a continuation of the first one. 

As we go through life and living, we get to do a lot of things everyday, but even if you keep recording success in those other things, there are only  few things that will truly bring you fulfillment when you do them.

It is in doing those specific things that we feel called to do, or cut out for, that is what really makes us feel fulfilled at the end of the day.

As much as possible, do something that makes it possible for you to achieve your Big goal every day.

Do the basic things you have to do, but don't loose sight of that big thing.

Don't just set the goal and go fold your hands, get to work. Daily work on your goal, doing this brings a level of satisfaction that makes you fulfilled every night that you are going in the direction of living your best life. 

It's not just achieving the big goal that counts, but the progress that leads to the achievement. 

Remember that it's a little here today and a little there tomorrow that becomes what people term as success in future.

3. Use Technology To Your Advantage

Yes, technology can be a blessing or a curse, I wrote an article sometimes back on how you can go on a social media break when it starts to get in the way of your productivity, you can read it here.

In making sure that your day is fully maximized, employ the gift of technology.

Automate the things that can be automated, doing this frees up your mind space for the things your computer can't do for you.

Set alarms to serve as reminders for the things you want to do.

Set a data-limit that you can't go past per day and be committed to it.

Uninstall Apps that you are always wasting time on. 

There is so much work to get done, and the only way it can get done is by making sure everything is working in your favor, and anything that isn't aligning should be re-aligned.

4. Master The Act Of Self-Discipline

What would you do if no one is monitoring your activities daily?

Will you just binge watch all your favorite films on Netflix, or would you work in the direction of your goals?

While watching of films can be a reward for doing what you said you would do, but it shouldn't take all of your time.

You won't always have people monitoring you all the time to make sure you follow through on the things you said you would do, but do you respect yourself that much to honor your words.

Acts of discipline or otherwise most times shows how much value we place on ourselves, this is due to the fact that if you place value on yourself, then you are likely to take yourself more seriously and this will translate in you following through on your plans even if no one will know if you didn't.

In being productive, act of being disciplined is a card that makes you play to win.

5. Have An Accountability Partner

An acquaintance of mine once shared how she sends her daily goals to her accountability partner in the morning, and then comes back to review the goals at the close of work every day.

For people who aren’t very disciplined on their own, you can go this route, get someone you can trust to hold you to your word and get the game rolling.

While having someone to report yourself to does not automatically lift the work off your shoulder, but it makes you want to push harder because you wouldn't want to feel the shame that comes from having to report back to someone that you failed.

The human body loves lazing around, and just chopping life, but there are things that must get done, and they wouldn’t do themselves, so it is you who must shun every bit of laziness and do what must be done.

Will you feel like doing the things you should do everyday? 

Of course not, remember I told you that the human body likes lazing around. But even when you don’t want to do those things, still go ahead and do them. You can’t always wait to get in the mood, no one would accomplish much that way. 

When you feel like, get to work, when you don’t feel like, still get to work.

There will be a lot of time to rest when we get to heaven, but while we are here, work must be done! 

Rest too, but just create a balance.

There is a thin line between resting and being lazy. Sometimes, I can be like this too, I'll be proclaiming I am resting whereas I am only trying to avoid doing the things I should do.

But, one thing I am continually doing is making sure my lazy days are declining, while my productive days are on the increase. This should be you too.

Having a great life doesn't come by chance, we have to be intentional about the kind of life we are building.

You know what you have been called to do, you know what makes your heart tickle, say bye to unproductive life, and fully come on board on this productive living lane.

There is so much light***

The word Friend is one word that has been abused a lot of the time, and this is because some have had experiences from friends that even an enemy wouldn't have done.

It's quite unfortunate that as a result of theses experiences with these so-called friends, some have vowed never to allow anyone into their space again.

The challenge with building walls to keep others out of your life is that, you as a person gets trapped within those walls too. No is allowed to come in, but you are not going out too.

In a bid to justify the fact that you have built those walls, you might start claiming that your relationship with God is all you need, while this is true, but there are things God will do for us through the relationships that we are in. 

There is a popular saying that If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together

There is so much good that can come from having the right people in your corner, so much good.

There is only as much that you can hear about or think of as an individual, but having the right people in your circle can take things to yet another greater level for you. 

You might have been doing so well on your own, smashing all your goals, creating systems that makes all your goals achievable, but having the right relationships can take your whole life a step higher, give you perspectives on things you might never see if you were just working on your own.

There is something called looking at something with a fresh eyes, this is one of the benefit great friendships give you, they help you look at things and help you point out to the things you might have missed on your own.

This is one scripture I love so much...

 9.Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 

10. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 

11. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 

12. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

Yes, this scripture is majorly used when talking about the marriage relationship, while marriage relationship takes the oneness game to another level, but what about before you get married? We need friends!

There should be people in your life that you can be vulnerable with and that can be vulnerable with you too.

God never designed man to be alone, while they are times when situations might warrant that you seek the Lord's face on your own or that you do things just by yourself, but these times are only exceptions to the rules. It doesn't happen all of the time.

You need your tribe, we all do.

You are not meant to live in isolation.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT 

All over scriptures, we saw people having friends.

David had a friend.

Daniel did.

Jesus had his own friends too.

One master card of the enemy to get believer down is make sure they are alone, taking offence with those meant to cover them.

Friends will offend you, but it is in your best interest not to shut everyone out of your life based on that premises.

There are things God does for us by himself, and there are others he makes possible for us through the instrumentation of friends.

You really do need people. You do.

Trust that the Lord will bring great relationships your way.

There is so much Light***

The union between a man and a woman is meant to typify the union between Christ and the church, but as the years roll by, we have come to see some couples pulling out of this union thereby leaving the children without the stability that comes from a family that is closely knitted. 

Mothers are as important as Fathers, and the fact that one of them can't bring a child into the world without the other shows that the child needs both parents, and while there might be reasons why either of the parent is not around, the child is the one who bears most of the brunt.

From times past, girls have always loved their daddies, it is just what it is. It's not unlikely for you to hear a 60 years old woman calling herself a daddy's girl. There is this security that comes from the daddy-daughter relationship, and it's quite saddening that some ladies don't get to enjoy this because of one reason or the other.

Some months back, I read a book where the author was a lady with an absentee father, a man who after he got separated from the wife was never there for her.

While the man was never there for her, he wasn't only absent, but he never supported her mom and herself or provide any care for them

While all of these might look unimportant to someone looking at it from outside, but it is very important to a girl-child because the father is her first idea of what a man should be. If she has an honorable father, she'll see all men as honorable, and if she has an abusive dad, she'll see all men as abusive.

Are you a lady with a father who was never there, these are my thoughts to you;

1. God is Your Father

I do not have an absentee father, but even as responsible as my dad is, I have come to discover that there is only so much that he can do.

No mortal man can be all-in-all or do all things for you.

Your biological dad was not there, fine, he has behaved how best he knows how to, it is now left to you to decide if you'll allow that decision or lack of his presence to alter the course of your life.

Find a father in God.

Earthly fathers, no matter how responsible have their limits, they can only do so much, turn to the limitless God.

And to think that these fathers run to him too on their weak days, why not turn to Him?

2. Seek Healing 

Either you'll want to admit it or not, the fact that your father didn't grow up with you will create a need in you, and this need can drive you into doing all sorts of things in a bid to satisfy it. 

It can lead you to looking for love in all the wrong places, but so you can be a person who is whole, seek healing.

It's an eyesore that ladies whose father wasn't there for them look for fathers in every male around, and because that search is from a place of hurt, there is every likelihood that a good choice wouldn't be made.

Talk to God.

Talk to a therapist.

Attend seminars

Read books

Move closely to a family and see the way family should be

Just make sure that before you seek love, seek healing first.

3. Ask God For A Father

Yes, God is ultimately your father, how about you ask him to lead you to someone who will be able to be an extension of his hands to you.

It is not just enough to feel you can do it all, there is still a void of a father that needs to be filled, so ask for who will fill it.

This person might be your local assembly pastor, some older man at work, or someone you know. 

Incorporate this need into your prayers and you'll be shocked how God will bring a father to you.

*** So Much Light***

We are Christians and we are human too, and as human who still reside on earth, we love to have life all figured and all mapped out, but when life isn’t going as we want it to go, we are quick to judge that God has forgotten us as that can be the only reason why we are experiencing this or that.

What happened in the book of Judges chapter 6 so relates with the modern believer who thinks he has been forgotten by God. 

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and was calling him a man of valor and stating that the Lord is with him, Gideon was quick to disagree that the Lord was with him or even with his people (the children of Israel), because according to his human mind (and ours), there are things that shouldn’t happen to you if the Lord is still with you and if you are in his remembrance book.

But, it is not  so, God is EVER mindful of his children irrespective of their current reality.

So if you think God has forgotten, these are three thoughts I’d like you to remember;

1.       1. You Are His Child

This is one thing that happens when we decide to believe in the only begotten son of God which is Christ. 

God accepts us into his kingdom and then make us his children.

As children of this great God, just like parent in the natural love their children, how much more this God who created you, wouldn’t he even lavish you with so many blessings than even the earthly parents.

Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

God didn't spare his own son, he gave Christ up that you might have access to him, he'll give you all things too.

You are his child. He wants the best for you. Never forget this.

2.       2. He Can Never Forget You

g    God can't forget you.

       He can't.

       He won't.

      This is one scripture that always always thrills me.

Yet Jerusalem says, “The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us. “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!      Isiah 49:14-15 NLT

Let this bring comfort to your heart.

It's almost impossible for a mother to forget her child. A mother's love is strong. And even if a mother's love fails, God is saying his own love won't fail, and he would not forget you.

I know how bad it feels to see people move past you and you just seem to be on a spot, and then you feel you have been forgotten by God. It's not possible, God can Never Forget You.

Your answer is on the way.

3.       3. God Is Always Working Behind The Scenes

We have a God who has our best interest at heart all the time, and while we want things to come quickly, then when what we want are not quick in coming, we are quick to dismiss that God isn’t working then since we can’t see it.

But then, If only you can the things God is doing on your behalf at the backend, you will be filled with so much joy.

God is Always Always working behind the scene.

The book of Esther is one story that brings this point home.

How can a woman disrespects her husband, then another young girl becomes the bride of the king, then a man hates the guts of a whole tribe and starts planning death of the tribe, and he gets invited to a banquet with the king and his queen, he gets into the garden, has his fill, on his way home, he sees one of the men from the tribe and then decides he wants that man killed before the date for the death of the tribe comes.

He proposed to go to request for the permission to hang the man the next day, he sleeps knowing that his enemy was certainly going to die the next day, but THAT SAME NIGHT, the king looses his sleep, the records were brought out, he saw the name of the man who had saved the king from been assassinated and then decides to honor him, only that the same man he wants to honor is the same man another man wants to kill…

You know the the turn out of the events of this story, and if you don’t, pick on to your bible and read the book of Esther.

Sometimes back, I watched a faith-based fil on YouTube that further strengthened my faith about how God is always walking at the back end even when it is not obvious.

Here is the link to the video: Man At The Back End

God is always working at the back end.

Even when we don’t see it.

He hasn’t forgotten you, He can’t forget you.

Your moment will come.

Your answer is on the way.

There is so much light!

Read; 5 Tips To Remember When Life Doesn't Go As Planned

Why You Shouldn't Quit