DON’T SWAP THE PRICE TAG, THERE’S NO DISCOUNTED PROMISE!

DON’T SWAP THE PRICE TAG, THERE’S NO DISCOUNTED PROMISE!

You cannot swap the price tag on God’s promises because it can never be discounted. Whatever it costs, it costs. Abraham, a friend of God, and an ambassador of His kingdom was assured that his faith and trust in God will be rewarded greatly. Having being blessed with great riches and wealth, Abraham was childless and stricken in years. What would have been more rewarding for a man whom God had promised to make the Father of many nations, than having a heir?

This was a concern to Abraham and his wife, Sarah who had passed the age of child-bearing. At some point, God said to Abraham “”Do not be afraid, Abram. “I am your shield and exceedingly great reward.” -Gen.15:1. Even though God continued to assure them of His plan to make their descendants inherit the promised land, yet Sarah struggled to hold on in the face of tough realities.

The integrity of God’s word can not be disputed. He’s never known to fail! Wherefore, knowing the end from the beginning, He promised Abraham that the child from his own body shall be his heir. The promise which was made to Abraham when he was 85 years of age, was to be fulfilled 15 years after, when Isaac would be born. Of course, this was God’s appointed time, and hidden from Abraham and Sarah. They were expected to through their faith and patience receive the promise.

However, through periods of unbelief and impatience, sarah, attempted to help God fulfill His promises, by swapping the tag. she advised her husband to marry her maid-servant, Hagar. The aftermath of this was Ishamael, who, though was blesssed, but was not to be the child of promise. Apparently, the delays of fulfillment of God’s promise to the family, created the frustration that made Sarah to seek to obtain discount on God’s promises.

I believe many people are trying to do same thing today. They are attempting to get discount on the promises of God. But unfortunately, that doesn’t work in the Kingdom of God. And whatever price you have to pay, be it patience, long-suffering or perseverance, or diligence you must pay in order to receive the promise. Certainly, you cannot discount God’s promises!

Anticipating the pains of the cross, Jesus attempted to negotiate the price for his glorification. However, compelled by his love for humanity, and submission to the absolute will of the Father, he surrendered. And he prayed saying, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will,but Yours be done.” -Luke 22:42. There’s no swapping the price tags on God’s promises. You must pay your own way. Your payment helps you to appreciate the blessings when they come because you know the expense. You will not easily jeopardize the welfare of something not easily attained.

God assured Abram of safety and happiness; that he should for ever be safe. I am thy shield; or, I am a shield to thee, present with thee, actually caring for thee. The consideration that God himself is, and will be a shield to his people, to secure them from all evils, a shield ready to them, and a shield round about them, should silence all perplexing, tormenting fears.

Don’t swap the price tag, there’s no discounted promise. Patiently wait. Trust and obey. You’re winning! Yes, we are winning!

 

GreatMark

 

WINNING ATTITUDE – TRANSFORMING YOUR STRUGGLES TO SUCCESS

WINNING ATTITUDE – TRANSFORMING YOUR STRUGGLES TO SUCCESS

“The obscure side of a struggle is the awesome wrestling match people have with success. First, success is given only at the end of the great struggle.”The case of the biblical Jacob is noteworthy: “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me… And there he blessed him.” — Genesis 32:22-32

Success don’t come easy. Success is success only because it’s related to struggle. Victory only comes after conflict. Jacob spent the night alone on a riverside. There, a mysterious being—considered to be an angel or God himself—wrestled with Jacob, even striking him painfully in the hollow of his thigh. Jacob wrestled with the angel all through the night, and would not let him go until he blessed him.

As a result of his persistence, the Angel puts a lasting mark of honour upon him, by changing his name. Jacob who was trying to run away from his past, was on his way to Cannan in anticipation of a better life. He had fears and doubts about his future, and so in his loneliness, he employed prayers motivated by a determination for success. indeed, success is born of struggle, and the harder the struggle the more glorious the triumph.

His struggle with the angel yielded success because he was given a new name. He prevailed over his fears and he was named Israel, a prince with God, a name greater than those of the great men of the earth.  Jacob was blessed with eternal blessing, but that not without a fight! Likewise, those who would have the blessing of Christ, must resolve to take no denial. Fervent importunity prayer is the sure key to winning life battles.

“However tried or discouraged, we shall prevail; and prevailing with Him in prayer, we shall prevail against all enemies that strive with us. Nothing requires more vigour and unceasing exertion than wrestling. It is an emblem of the true spirit of faith and prayer. Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long, this did not shake his faith, nor silence his prayer.

Perseverance pays. OG Mandino said, “I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult. I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

Sylvester Stallone had been turned down a thousand times by agents and was down to his last $600 before he found a company that would produce Rocky. The rest is history!

Ray Kroc, the late founder of McDonalds, knew this too. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence” he once said. “Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not. Un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination and love are omnipotent.”

To receive something without struggle lessons it’s personal value. Success is the reward God gives to the diligent who, who through perseverance obtain the promise. There’s no way to receive what God has for your life without fighting the obstacles and challenges that block your way to conquest.1

The conflict you’re in might be an indication of an impending success. So don’t give in, use the faith lifeline. You’re winning! Yes, we are winning!

 

GReatMark

 

 

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_wrestling_with_the_angel

T.D Jakes, Hope for Every moment

ON WHICH MORNING DOES THE WORKER LOSE PASSION IN HIS JOB?

ON WHICH MORNING DOES THE WORKER LOSE PASSION IN HIS JOB?

Those who achieves success in life are those who dedicate everything to their passion. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou.   In talking about enthusiasm, Dale Carnegie said, “Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. Therefore, passion and enthusiasm are critical virtues to achieving life’s feat.
“It is the burning effect of a vision that causes us to escape destruction. I believe with all my heart that a man never dies with a twinkle in his eyes. A gleam of expectations found in the faces of visionaries creates a tenacity that is not easily vanquished. If satan could steal nothing from you but your passion, he would have stolen much of your potency and power in one fell swoop.

The thing you must be aware of my friend is that the enemy is trying to steal something from you that is not visible. Anytime the invisible is stolen, its absence is not readily detected. On what day does passion leaves a marriage? On which morning does the worker lose interest in his job? At what point does the customer decides, “I am not going to buy the product”?

Depletion comes when enthusiasm leaks out of a person like air seeping silently from a tyre. Steathily, the thief siphons life from you like a minute cut up the strength the tyre. Suddenly, what was meant to roll and bear much weight can now only wobble. There has been such a leser pressure that what was once inflated has now become deflated

The only solution lies in the absolute, committed guarding of the heart. Your greatest treasure is not your certificate of deposit. It isn’t your retirement, or your stocks and bonds. Your greatest treasure is in the strength of passion that is locked on the recesses of your heart. Out of the heart flows the issues of life.

You must keep a firm  sobriety about you, warming your heart with it like it was a warm coat on a wintry night. keep a sobriety that refuses to become drunken with fear, discontentment, or insecurity. Wrap your godly attitude closely around your heart, for it is the wellspring or the resource from which comes strength to keep on living  and giving.”*

let me conclude with the words of  Dale Carnegie, “Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”

GreatMark

 

 

Reference: *T.D Jakes, Hope For Every Moment

 

“MY PAST IS NOT WHO I AM…”  -A SONG FROM THE BELLY OF THE FISH

“MY PAST IS NOT WHO I AM…” -A SONG FROM THE BELLY OF THE FISH

The song, “My past is not who I am.” was a melodious tune from a man who though was condemned yet he never gave into his misfortunes. It reminds me of the words of James Fortune in his song, ” The curse is broken.” He wrote, “The enemy is trying to make me believe that my past is who I am. That the mistakes I made from yesterday is all that I would ever be. They told me I would be nothing. Nobody in my family ever was. They said you’re just like your momma, just like your daddy, never amounted to anything…”*

Am I speaking about your situation too? Have you condemned yourself and have resigned to fate, by reason of the failures of the past? Oh, are you finding it hard to let go of the guilt of your past mistakes? Or perhaps, your family, friends or neighbors who knows the history of your parents have told you you will never amount to anything? I will tell you what, you can prove them wrong! However difficult it could be, you can let go of your hurts, disappointment and low self esteem, and renew your hope.

I know a man whose situation was hopeless. Even though he plunged himself into gloom and affliction by his willful disobedience. Yet, he renewed his hope in a seemingly humanly impossible condition, and sang a song of triumph from the belly of the fish. His story should interest you. He testified saying, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 1:12.

Jonah, a prophet and messenger of God, lost his intimacy with God when he reluctantly refused to carry out the assignment God gave him. Consequent to his disobedience, he suffered great distress and affliction initiated by his master, who insisted that he should fulfill his assignment.

Even though he made several efforts to escape His presence, he was sought out by the sailors as the evil doer who was responsible for the wild storm that threatened to sink their ship. Accused, embarrassed, and abandoned into the wild sea, he was swallowed by a big fish, and accommodated in its belly, a dungeon of anguish and distress for three days and three nights. Yet, he never lost connection with his creator.  The love of his master preserved him, and His presence sustained him even in the belly of the fish.

Like Jonah, you may have turbulent emotions, and the guilt of your wrong-doing may have troubled your soul, and void your life of true peace. Yes, your disobedience to God, or your parents may have taken you far from their affection. Yet, if you can seek God’s mercy, and seek pardon from those you have hurt, as well as forgive those who has maltreated you, you will sure find peace, and your life will find true meaning.

From the belly of the fish comes a passionate, heartfelt chorus of hope from a repentant and helpless man, who though having erred, never gave into dejection and frustration. Rather, he was sincere to himself; he stood firm on God’s promises, and so was preserved to live again to fulfill his destiny. In the same way, you too can still hope even in the pit. Yes, you can still renew your hope even in the valley of the shadow of death. Yes, you can pray even in the belly of the fish!

 

Prayer is omnipotent: There is no situation that is beyond the power of prayers. Delays in answers to prayer does not mean prayers are useless. Even a dead bone can receive life when our sincere prayers aligns with the will of God. Therefore, in the midst of calamities, and difficult trials, we should still trust in God to preserve and sustain us. We must know that deliverance from the power of guilt and fear only comes from God. Shifting our focus from the adversities of life and turning to God will help us to renew our commitment to Him.

The world we live in is perverse and we constantly suffer from the consequent of our sins and disobedience. The challenges of economic recession, hardship, insecurities, poverty, and man’s inhumanity to man can easily plunge us into depression and hopelessness. However, if we like Jonah would call unto God in our distresses, He will save us from all our troubles, and give us new songs to sing.

You too can sing with absolute confidence in God, even in the face of life-threatening situations. Let’s join James Fortune and Fiya to sing,  “The curse is broken. My past can’t hold me. I’m more than a conqueror. That’s what he told me. The curse is broken. My body’s healed. The devil’s a liar. It’s in his will. My past, is not who I am. The abortion, is not who I am
The misfortune, is not who I am. The disease, is not who I am. I’m healed, that’s who I am. I’m free, that’s who I am
I’m a conqueror, that’s who I am. The curse is broken in my life. I’m blessed, I’m delivered, I’m redeemed…” Yes, I’m winning! Yes, we are winning!

 

GreatMark

 

 

 

TRUTH YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL INSIGNIFICANT

TRUTH YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL INSIGNIFICANT

“Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo? What’s happened to the piccolo?”, exclaimed Michael, when the piccolo player felt insignificant amidst the orchestral. Sir Michael Costa was a great orchestral Conductor of the 19th Century. It is said that one day he was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great choir. Midway through the session the piccolo player stopped playing. It seemed innocent enough – after all who would miss the tiny piccolo amidst the great mass of instruments blazing away? All of a sudden Sir Michael stopped the entire orchestra and choir.

Like the piccolo player , we may sometimes feel like we don’t have much to offer, that if we lay low or give up on our efforts towards success no one would notice anyway. Yet the Great Conductor notices, and needs us to complete his orchestral masterpiece! Our creator made us in His own image, and expects us to make profits with the talents he endowed us with. We are the best of his creation, and there’s no insignificant person of his creation.

Do you feel insignificant? Perhaps, the peculiar challenges you face has made you look worthless in your own sight. It is not impossible that your unfortunate family history is preventing you from moving on. Your past mistakes or failures has made you into a coward, and it is now difficult for you to take a risk towards filling your God-given destiny.

To be significant is to be sufficiently great or important, worthy of attention or noteworthy. In mathematics, significant digits are sort of interesting or important digits. They are the digits which give us useful information about the accuracy of a measurement. For instance, 1000 has one significant digit: only the 1 is interesting (only it tells us anything specific); we don’t know anything for sure about the hundreds, tens, or units places; the zeroes may just be placeholders; they may have rounded something off to get this value. Therefore, “1” is the only significant figure because it gives us useful information, while the zeros are placeholders.

The society may have re-defined who you are and thus you have imbibed the lies that you cannot amount to anything by virtue of your background, your physical appearance, or even your location. It is a lie! Your mistakes is not you; it is not who you are! You don’t need to feel insignificant when the creator of the universe is very much interested in you! He made all things for his pleasure (Rev. 4:11). Despite the vastness of this world, God cares specifically about each of us. His mind is full of us, and he considers our low estate (Psalm 136:23).

Christ spoke about the ‘’Hair of the head’to expound on the value he placed on man, who is the chief of his creationIn Luke chapter twelve verse seven, Jesus implied that providence takes cognizance of the meanest interest of our lives. The hair is a tiny substance but a vital and functional component of the body.

As humans, though we often care and nurture our hair because it beautifies our head, yet we hardly keep details of the number. But God does! God knows and keeps record of our hair. He knows how they grow and how and when they fall. To you it isn’t important, but to God it is very significant, how much more you!

Oh! What inner poise and confidence we would have if we are conscious of this vital truth. We would save ourselves lots of distress and heart failures if we heed Paul’s admonition to us. He said, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything, tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guide your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4.6-7)

As much as God is interested in the number of our hairs, in spite of its insignificance to us, he is far more interested in our lives. He gives his full and untiring attention to every detail of our lives (Psalm 37:23). God Loves us and he knows our feeble frame. In spite of how your situation, or environment makes you feel. Be rest assured that you are not a placeholder; you are significant and outstanding! Therefore, you should declare like the psalmist and say, “…I am fearfully and wonderfully made! -Psalm 139:14-16.

Your worth is far more than rubies; there is no one person like you. God cares so much about you, and he values you greatly. The world is void without you. You are a masterpiece, and God needs you to stand in your place. Therefore, stand upright, raise your head, and walk confidently to the place of your destiny. You are winning! Yes, we are winning!

GreatMark

 

Ref:

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/rounding2.htm