Nearly everybody aspires to achieve something grand in their lifetime...

Nearly everybody aspires to achieve something grand in their lifetime. Some want to build mansions and leave an inheritance for their children; some wish to become renowned artists; some dream of becoming rich and famous; others have their eyes set at running big movie making businesses; and so on; and so on; the list is endless.

As endless as our desires may be, unless we fulfill certain requisites we may never see any of these great dreams come true. Today I want us to talk about three of these requisites.

The first requisite we want to look at is that you attract and gather resources for your dream. Unless you have the required money and resources you will find it very difficult to start, continue and complete your dream. As you pursue your dream, you will see that you need to finances and other resources for the dream to happen. So, it is absolutely necessary that you attract and gather resources for your dream.

The second requisite is that you spend enough time on your dream. Time is as scarce a resource as any other. Unless you put aside the time to pursue our dreams nothing will happen. Your dream will die an untimely death through neglect. So, it is also absolutely necessary that you put aside the time to pursue our dreams.

The third requisite is your ability to walk alone. The path to your dream is usually a lonely one. There are usually few people able to tread along the path that you endevour to walk on. So, it will also be absolutely necessary for you to lean and be able to be, in a way, a lone ranger.

To achieve something grand in your lifetime you have to do something a little extra: put aside a little extra money for your dream, spend a little extra time on your dream and spend a little extra time alone, working on your dream.

Be Inspired.

Competence & Success

There are many misinterpretations of the Bible that have flourished in the church. One of them stems from Ecclesiastics 9:11, which reads:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

To many people this scripture means success happens by accident, although nobody will be bold enough to admit that that is what they believe.

One widely accepted interpretations of this scripture is that you do not have to be a fast runner to win a race; you do not have to be strong to win a fight; you do not have to be wise to have provisions; you do not have to be a man of understanding to amass riches; and you do not need to be skillful to receive special treatment; its all up to fate?

Basically, this interpretation means that success in life is determined by fate, irregardless of one's level of competence.

Well, I sincerely do not believe that this is the correct interpretation to the scripture, although it is one of the most popular ones.

Want to know what I think the correct one is? Read on.

Let me give you the benefit of the doubt: let's start our interpretation of this scripture from its last phrase, possibly where most people zero in when interpreting this scripture – and miss it, I'm afraid to say.

But time and chance happens to them all
Right, this is probably everyone's favourite part of the scripture and, rightly so, everyone's anchor to interpretation of the scripture.

So, where is the err?

Right there. Most of us just read but time and chance happens instead of but time and chance happens to them all.

Get it?

Time and chance happens to them all. By just reading but time and chance happens many have prematurely concluded that success meets anyone who ride on the wave of opportunity, irregardless of one's competence level. But that is not what the scripture reads. The scripture reads but time and chance happens to them all.

Who are them all? Are they not the fast runners, the strong man, the wise, the man of understanding, the skillful?

Then if this is so, our interpretation of this scripture slightly changes: it becomes that success meets the competent who ride on the wave of opportunity.

Do you see the difference?

The latter interpretation is built on the perspective that says that the essentials to your success in life are competence and opportunity whereas the former is built on the perspective that opportunity is the only essential – and that's not true.

Success does not belong to the competence; nor does it belong to those who merely see opportunity; it belongs to those who use their competences to take advantage of opportunities.

Be Inspired.

Develop a positive attitude towards wealth today!

 "I want to go on holiday in America but I don't think I

can afford it."

 "I wanna be a rock star but I don't know where I can get

the money to buy myself a guitar."

"My parents can't afford to send me to law school so I

will be a teacher, instead."

These are some of the responses that I get when I speak to

people about pursuing their dreams. These statements are

a deep cry among many of the countless people whom I've

spoken to about pursing their dreams.  They feel largely

incapacitated to pursue their dreams by the absence of

money/resources in their lives and have developed a

negative attitude toward wealth.

A negative attitude towards wealth sees present lack as

damnation to perpetual poverty and does nothing to change

the situation.

A positive attitude towards wealth, on the other hand,

acknowledges present lack but looks to it as a temporary

state of affairs that need not perpetuate itself into the future.

A positive attitude sees and creates opportunity to create

wealth even in situations of dire lack and takes appropriate

action.

A positive attitude sees that God has given us everything

pertaining to life. [2 Peter 1:3] (emphasis added)

Do you know what this means?

Let me share with you my understanding of this portion of

scripture by zeroing in on the three words that I have

bolded – has, everything and life – and in a way

demonstrate a positive attitude towards wealth.

But I would like to tackle them backwards – life, everything

and has – and by looking at the following three questions:

·        What is life?

·        What is the extent of God's provision in our lives?

·        When is God's provision made available to us?

What is life?

"Life is more than food." [Luke 12:23] You were not

created just to survive.  Your life counts for more than

mere survival.  You were born for a purpose [Jeremiah

1:5:]. And achieving this purpose also means pursuing

 your dream.

What is the extent of God's provision in our lives?

"God has given us everything pertaining to life." [2

Peter 1:3] Just as it is wrong to say that we are alive

just to survive from one day to the next, it is wrong to

limit God's provision in our lives to be our daily needs.

Surely, it should extend to our purpose, our hopes and

desires and our dreams.

When is God's provision made available to us?

"God has…" [note: present continuous tense] God's

provision for your life has been made available to you

today. The same is true for tomorrow.  Yes, even for

the day after tomorrow.

Develop a positive attitude towards wealth. Begin to work on

your dream. Go out there with the full assurance that

everything that you require in the pursuit of your dream is

already available to you even if there .

Be Inspired.

Wasting your time is not my idea of fun!

A 26-year-old professional doctor gifted in the art of
giving accurate medical diagnoses; a mentee of Lord
Horder, London’s Royal physician, the King’s doctor;
and the potential successor of his mentor. This is the
life Martyn Lloyde-Jones had to forgo when he obeyed
the call of God that was upon his life.

Martyn’s childhood was one littered by a number of
challenges. Despite this, Martyn managed to make it
to medical school. Sometime during his studies,
Martyn examined and gave one of the patients a
diagnosis, identifying the patient’s spleen as the
crucial factor in his diagnosis.

Now Lord Horder, the King’s doctor, was to see the
same patient some time later. When he saw Martyn’s
diagnosis, Lord Horder was not quite sure whether
Martyn had given the patient the right diagnosis so
he re-examined the patient but failed to locate the
spleen on two occasions. However, after a while it
became apparent that Martyn had given the right
diagnosis. This is how Lord Horder took interest in
Martyn.

So, at the completion of his studies, Martyn was
invited to work at the Hospital of Lord Horder as Chief
Clinical Assistant. During the five years that he
worked under Lord Horder’s mentorship, Martyn
displayed a high level of proficiency in giving accurate
diagnosis but was dissatisfied with his work.

What bothered Martyn mostly was that a number of
the diseases that they were treating were caused by
sinful living in the upper classes of society.

When, with the passage of time, he became a
Christian, Martyn’s life changed dramatically.
However, this was not the only dramatic change that
was going to take place in his life: his life was going
to change in two ways in which he could never have
imagined.

In 1927, Martyn had to leave the bright lights of
London and a successful career to follow God’s call
upon his life. The calling led him to the slumps of
Wales where he was not going to practice as a doctor
… but to preach to a people who lived in dire poverty
and spiritual darkness.

What a sheer waste of talent?

Well, this is how Martyn explained the link between
his medical training and his ministry:

… my medical training hasn’t been a
waste of time… You see, being a
doctor has taught me how to think,
how to work things out, look at what
is behind the problem, not just the
symptoms.

And he was right. Martyn’s medical training wasn’t a
waste of time. He used it in his preaching (his
sermons were logical and fired up); he used it while
solving people’s problems (he would dig out the root
cause of a person’s problem before recommending a
solution) and he used it in his own life, constantly
trying to figure out what God was saying to him.

Even when he moved to Westminster, where he was
pastor in a 2000-member congregation, and when he
visited other churches in Europe and America, Martyn
used the knowledge that he had acquired during his
medical training. His sermons were logical and fired
up; he worked things out and he proficiently came up
with diagnoses to the problems that were brought to
him by members of his congregation and family.

As you may have realized while you were going
through Martyn’s story, God is not in the business of
wasting your time. Everything you go through up to
the time you get to know and follow the call of God
upon your life is part of the training that you need in
order to be able to fulfill this call.

Do you not know of Paul? While he was still a sinner
he was educated and taught in all the doctrines of the
Jews. When he became a Christian, he then used this
same knowledge to build a case for Christ while he
was among the Jews and while he was among the
Gentiles.

What of David? Was it not while he looked after his
father’s flock that he gained a shepherd’s heart? And,
what of Moses? Of Joseph? Of the apostles? Were
the times they spent in their pre-ministry activities
and experiences a waste of time?

So, it is for you…Wherever you are today, I want you
to know that God is not in the business of wasting
anybody’s time.

You know Jesus and the call of God that is upon your
life but the time for you to enter into it hasn’t come
yet? Do not worry, when you are now walking in your
calling you will receive the understanding of why is it
that that you are doing whatever it is that you are
doing right now.

You know Jesus but not your call? No need to get
worked up about it. If you ask Him, He will tell you.

Just keep asking. In the fullness of time you will get
to know it and walk in it. And, above all, you will
come to know why you are doing whatever it is that
you are doing right now.

Is Jesus not known by you? I urge you to seek Him;
He is waiting for you to come to Him and to direct you
to your call. When this takes place I assure you that
everything will take on a new meaning in your life.

Finally, my prayer is that one day we may all be found
to say: So then, it was not you (anyone) who sent me
here (where you are right now) but God.

Feel free to add your comments to this article on my
blog ( http://likeed.blogspot.com/).

Be Inspired.

GET GOLIATH BEFORE HE GETS YOU!

I've believed ever since that living on the edge, living in and through your fear, is the summit of life, and that people who refuse to take that dare condemn themselves to a life of living death.
John H. Johnson

- º - º - º - º - º - º -

Wake up and smell the coffee

Yes, rising to your place of self-realization and personal fulfillment will be no mere a stroll down the park. Somewhere along the journey you're going to encounter some obstacles and pitfalls that will make you a very anxious, you know that feeling in the pit of your stomach; that take your breath away the first time you think about them and that will cause your head to ache the more you think about them — you're going to come face to face with GOLIATH!

Goliath, I mean that overbearing obstacle or pitfall that stands between you and your goal is not going to let you off the hook that easy… He's going to do anything it takes for him to make you give in to him – he will threaten to suck the life out you; to pock your eyeballs out; to crush you into pieces; to beat the hell out of you; to utterly destroy you!

But I know that you are not shaken by this; you are above the situation…

… you are above  the intimidation that is meant to make you think that you are small and insignificant;

… you are above the unbelieving world that tries to hold you back from exercising faith and taking a stand for what you belief is right;

… you are above the fear that paralyzes you from forging ahead in life;

… you are above the lonesomeness that makes you think there's no one to support your cause;

… you are above all the barriers that stand between you and your dream;

… you are above all the Goliaths in your life!

The Goliaths that are in your life may try to win over you, but, like David, you have the grace of God on your side, and God will empower you to confront and conquer those enormous giants. Like David, you can use the least of your weaponry to defeat them. You do not need heavy artillery for the job; all you need is the power of prayer, the Word of God, and God's grace to defeat whatever obstacle and pitfall you encounter.

Feel free to add your comments to this article on my blog (http://likeed.blogspot.com).

Be Inspired.

GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT WITHOUT RESERVATIONS – PART 2

Member Updates: My sincerest apologies for the not writing for so long. I was out of town for most of this time. The places I was in had no reliable internet facilities so I could not post this newsletter. I have also been busy with my studies: I just attended the classes for my third module two weeks ago – you have to attend ten to complete the programme – and am now working on my assignments. I am also working on getting my drivers license and have just upped my efforts at writing the script to my new book, both goals I want to have attained by December 31st.

GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT WITHOUT RESERVATIONS – PART 2

A few months ago I wrote an article titled Go for what you want without reservations. Though today’s article is in no way a continuation of my previous article, I would like to use the same title for today’s article.

In today’s article I am going to share with you 3 principles that you can use to go for what you want without reservations – and get it. You can find the story I refer to in my illustrations in 2 Kings 2:1-11.

Principle 1: Know what you want

This is very important. Even if you do not tell it to anyone, be sure that you know what it is that you want. Elisha wanted to be Elisha’s successor and was able to articulate it very clearly.

Principle 2: Be prepared to do whatever it takes for you to get what you want

Run after what you want; gather the resources, find the people, learn the skill, create the time, do whatever it takes for you to get what you want. Elisha was ready to follow Elijah wherever he was going because he knew that that was the only way that he could get the mantle of leadership that was on Elijah.

Principle 3: Ignore the voices…

… no matter how loud they become. There are voices of discouragement everywhere. You must choose to ignore these voices and go for what you want anyway. Elijah repeatedly instructed Elisha to stay but he followed him. The other prophets could have disrupted his attention but he answered them, “Do not speak of it.

Going for what you want is going to require you to know what you want, but above all, you have to Be prepared to do whatever it takes for you to get what you want and learn to ignore the voices.

Be Inspired.

7 WAYS YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR DREAM FROM BEING STOLEN FROM YOU

Have you ever heard of dreamstealers?

These are people who try to talk you out of pursuing your dream.

And they can be found everywhere…

Some of them are your most well-meaning friends and family. Sometimes they are only trying to protect you from their own fears and self-limiting perspective. So, you need to be on your guard.

Here are some hints on how you can protect your dream from being stolen from you:

1.        Don't tell your dream to anyone

Sometimes it pays to acts as if you have nothing going.  It saves you a lot of time and energy. Also, you excuse yourself less and thrush yourself forward more.

2.        Choose the right people to tell your dream

Not everyone needs to hear your dream.  Only those that will give you direction, guidance you and sound advice need to hear your dream, especially when it's still just an idea.

3.        Be able to distinguish between genuine advice and mere discouragement

Sometimes your dreams are mere fantasies. You may need someone to tell you but it has to be handled properly.

4.        Always be on your guard
You may have been a bad judge of character and shared your dream to the wrong person.  Create for yourself a mechanism by which you are able to distinguish between genuine advice and mere discouragement

5.        Know yourself

Do you really see yourself accomplishing your dream? Or it is a mere fantasy that you have?

6.        Know God

Are you sure your dream is from God?

7.        Look up to God

Regardless of what everyone else might say, know that your dream is going to pass because God is involved in your dream.

Be Inspired

And the Lord was with Joseph: What God ’s hand can still do for you in times of affliction

Joseph is one of my favourite characters in the Bible.  Each time I read his story I discover a new truth about life with God.  Today I am going to share with you some of the truths that I came to discover as I read about Joseph's stay in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  These truths show us how God can bring help to us in out times of affliction.

Joseph's stay in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon was a time of affliction that he was forced to endure during his lifetime.  For Joseph to ensure the pain of enslavement and imprisonment for so long, he must have had a supernatural source of strength. I believe that this supernatural source of strength was the Lord's hand that rested upon his life.  But the Lord's hand did not just rest upon Joseph's life; the Lord's rested upon Joseph life and also brought to him some of the benefits that are associated with the Lord's hand.

So what are some of these benefits that are associated with the Lord's hand?  What are these benefits that can still accrue to us even in times of affliction?
 
FAVOR AND BLESSING

God does not stop blessing Joseph during his times of affliction.  If anything, I would reckon He added more blessings to his life. The blessing that was be upon Joseph's life attracted for him the favour of men and the favour of God.  Like in Joseph's case, God's hand can bring comfort to you in times of affliction by bringing favour and blessing upon your life.

PROMOTION
It is interesting to note that Joseph was promoted to a place of leadership both in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  This teaches us that God can still bring promotion to you even in times of affliction.
 
FLOW
The last thing I would like you to take note of today is that because God's hand was upon Joseph's life things ran smoothly for him both in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  Apart from the fact that he smoothly ran the affairs Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon, he was at liberty while he was doing it – we can safely say that his life ran smoothly when we compare it with that of an ordinary person who may have found himself faced with the same predicament.  You too can expect to have a things running smoothly for you in times of affliction.

God's hand is at work in our lives all the time. Not only when things are good, but also when they get bad. So, do not despair. God is for you all the days of your life, even in your times of affliction.

Going through what Mama went through …

… is what it is going to take to make your life count.


Really, I mean it…


Going through what Mama went through is what it is going to take to make your life count: her life models the path to greatness that many of us dream of.


To justify my point, let's have a look at what Mama went through.


She was wooed by a man
A man saw her and became interested in her.  He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her so he set about wooing her to himself.  Likewise, God is interested in spending eternity with you so He is constantly wooing you to Himself.


She had an intimate relationship with her man
When the man had wooed her to himself and she had fallen for him they began to get to know each other in a much deeper and intimate way.  Likewise, God woos you to himself so that you enter into an intimate relationship with Him.  Through this, He creates an opportunity for you to get to know Him; He knows you already.


She became pregnant for her man and gave birth to a baby
As she pursued an intimate relationship with her man, she became pregnant for him and gave birth to a baby. Likewise, as you pursue an intimate relationship with God, He is going to impregnate you with and cause you to give birth to His vision.


She natured her baby until it grew up
When the baby was born, she rearranged her entire life so that she could nature baby until it grew up to maturity. Likewise, you are to nature the vision that God gives you and see to it that it does not die but live to impact this generation and the generations to come.


This coming Sunday is Mothers' Day.  As we celebrate our mothers, let us take the time to reflect upon these thoughts.


Be Inspired.        

Go for what you WANT without reservation

I first tried goal setting in 2003.  Up till 2006, I kept everything simple, dwelling more on pressing needs and 'obligations' (expectations imposed on me by other people).  This model of goal setting somehow worked quite well for me: I knew exactly what I was supposed to do, how to get it done and how to measure my success at my goals. But, it had one setback; it did not give me what I really wanted in my life.

Sometime towards the end of 2006, I sat down to draw up my goal achievement plan for 2007.  Unlike in the preceding four years, I chose to ignore the pressing needs and obligations but instead wrote down all the things that I had always wanted to do but had been sidelining in favour of pressing needs and obligations. To doing this, I asked myself the question: If I had all the time and money in the world what would I like to do this year?

The list of goals that I came up with saw me creating opportunity to visit four different countries for the first time, including Israel and Jordan; started work on my next book; get myself a car; spend over US$10 000.00 cash in one year; and started work on my website.

Some of the things that I have stated above may seem minor to you but if the truth be told there are some among us that have not created the opportunity to do some of these things.  Our lives circle around pressing needs and obligations.  We never get to do what we really want. We live a life of quiet desperation, so to say.

Goal setting can be a drudge.  It can also be a fun-filled exhilarating experience.  The difference comes from whether you do it to super impose pressing needs and 'obligations' or whether you make it your opportunity to chart your way closer to your hopes and dreams.  I'd suggest you make it the latter.   Go for what you WANT without reservation. Sometimes it just begins by asking yourself the question: If I had all the time and money in the world what would I like to do this year?

Be Inspired.        

101 Powerful Testimonies That You Can Share and Lead Someone to Jesus!

I know you have one of them!  Your salvation, your healing, your deliverance and how much God has blessed you are all testimonies that, if told, can lead people to Jesus.

I never thought of that, now you say?

I also had to make the same confession at certain point in time but I also went a little further to ask myself why I had not told others of my testimony.

Many Christians, me and you included, in many a case, do not share their testimonies not because they do not find the appropriate occasion to nor do they usually have no reason to but usually the case is that they are always ready with reasons not to.

That is too embarrassing an event for me to share with everyone; I am undressing myself by doing this;  It will only expose my weaknesses; I really do not want anyone to know about my past are just a couple of the arguments we have to fight against before we give or refrain from giving your testimony?

Did you really meet Jesus?

Then, I want you to know that your testimony of any of your encounters with Him can lead someone to Jesus.

Let's take Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, for instance [John 4:1-30]. She was a prostitute – 'one big secret' Jesus blew to her face.  28,29 'Then the woman left her waterpot beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did!  Can this be the Messiah?" [John 4:28-29]  Do you not suppose that some of the people asked for the details before they believed the 'story' before they started they 'streamed from the village to see him [Jesus]?'

I cannot but imagine the shame of a woman telling all her neighbours that she is a prostitute. How were they supposed to react?  I guess this did not matter much to this woman. She had met Jesus.  Everyone had to know this. Everyone had to believe this.  That was more important to her than trying to hide her shameful past.  

Did her testimony yield any results? Of course it did.  The bible says 'the people came streaming from the village to see him [Jesus].'[John 4:30]

The people only started looking for Jesus after hearing this woman's testimony; a testimony that led to the exposure of this woman's immorality.

Fear of shame is only one of the reasons why Christians do not testify.  If we can deal with this hindrance to our ability to testify of our encounters with Jesus, imagine how many people we can direct to Jesus.

Do not let anyone lie to you.  You have a powerful testimony.  It can direct someone to Jesus.  Do not be afraid to testify - 'the Holy Spirit, God's gift, does not want you to be afraid of people…' [2 Tim 1:7].   God has taken away your shame and clothed you with righteousness.

Share your testimony!

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Time Out

April 1st marked April Fools' Day, but more importantly it marked the end and beginning of the first and second quarters of 2008.  As a goal setter, I thought this was a great time for me to review the progress that I had made towards the achievement of my goals.  As I did that, I came up with a simple goal review system that I want to introduce to you today.

This goal review system consists of eight simple steps and helps you review all your goals, one goal at a time.  Do not worry if you do not have a lot of time in your hands, the whole process is simply answering the question asked under each step.

Step #1: State your original goal

What is it that you set out to do in the first place?

Be as precisely as you can.  Writing it down:  You need to always look back and say, 'When I set this goal, this is what I am/was aiming for.'

Step #2: Measure the progress that you have made on your goal

What are the things that you have done and you believe have moved you a step closer to the achievement of that which you set out to do?

If you are writing a book, out of the number of chapters that you expect to write, how many chapters have you written so far?  In whatever it is that you are doing or are supposed to have done, how far have you gone?

Step #3: State your current position

What's your position in relation to what you should have accomplished by now?

You can either be on target, off target or above target.  Knowing your current position will help you decide what you need to do next.

Step#4: Outline the obstacles that have been keeping you from your goal

What are the things that have held you back from the pursuit and achievement of that which you set out to do?

List all the things that you believe would make the pursuit of your goal easier if you had these things. These may be the lack of certain material possessions, the lack of emotional support of your peers or anything that comes to mind.

Step #5: Outline the things that have been driving you closer to your goals

What are the things that have propelled you forward towards the pursuit and achievement of that which you set out to do?

Likewise, list all the things that you believe have made the pursuit of your goal easier or less impossible.

Step #6: State the strategy that you are going to take towards your goals

In the light of the obstacles that you have faced and the things that have propelled you forward what is your action plan?

Come up with an action plan. Carefully consider the things that are to your advantage and decide what you are going to do to see to it that you achieve your goal. While you are at it, keep in mind the obstacles that you have to overcome as this will help you keep it real. However, if there's nothing to your advantage in relation to any particular goal of yours do not hesitate to drop that goal.  

Step #7: Restate your goal or set a new goal

From this point forth, what are you setting out to do?

What is your goal?  Is it still the one you set at the beginning of the year or you have made some changes to cater for the things that have either been holding you back or propelling you forward?

Step #8: State and date the outcomes that you want to see

What do you expect to see and [by] when?

Mark down all the milestones and achievements that you want to see as you pursue your goal.  These can also be used as signposts to your progress at every step of your journey to doing whatever it is that you set out to do.

Be inspired.

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Hold On

(A poem from my book, Poems for life)

Someone without
Someone with doubt
The stomach rambles
The begging humbles
Will life go on?
Faith calls hold on
Someone without
Someone with doubt

Someone worn out
Someone in doubt
A toil so long
Stand firm and keep strong
Will life go on?
Faith calls hold on
Someone worn out
Someone in doubt

Someone in pain
Someone in strain
Gone is health
Gone is wealth
Will life go on?
Faith calls hold on
Someone in pain
Someone in strain

Someone in moaning
Some sees no morning
Thoughts clouded with sorrow
Better is the morrow?
Will life go on?
Faith calls hold on
Someone in moaning
Someone sees no morning

Be Inspired

Always Remember these 4 Principles

Always Remember these 4 Principles

In 2006, I came to the realization that the success of world class athletes is not a mere coincidence. There are four principles that they use to create, or increase their chances of achieving, success in their lives and that these principles are universal – they can be applied in any area of our lives and still produce the same result: SUCCESS!

Want to know what these principles are? Then read on.

§        World-Class Athletes run a given and fixed course.

The World-Class Athlete cannot choose to start the race
from any position, to run in any direction, to run any length
or to finish the race anywhere on the track.  NO!  On the
contrary, the World-Class Athlete is shown a specific
starting point, a fixed route which he or she must follow
as well as a specific finish line. If the World-Class Athlete
fails to adhere to these guidelines he or she is disqualified from
the race.
________________________________________________

When God created you, He did so with a
specific purpose in mind [Jeremiah 1:5].  
Find out what it is. Ask Him what it is [James
1:5]. See what it is; write it down and run with
it [Habakkuk 2:1-2].
________________________________________________

§        World-Class Athletes increase their chances of
winning by training themselves regularly

Nobody likes discipline but everyone loves the benefits that
come with it.  Likewise, a World-Class Athlete takes on
the discipline of training him or herself regularly.  He
or she does this in order remain in shape and to
improve his or her performance, thus, increase his or
her chances of winning.  
________________________________________________
Discipline yourself to begin to do things that
enhance your chances of achieving your
ultimate goal – fulfilling your purpose. Taking
a single step at a time, begin to spend more
and more time doing these things.  In the end
they will become a part of your life and each
day you will find yourself in a better position to
fulfill your purpose.
 ________________________________________________

§        World-Class Athletes all have one objective: To WIN!

In their own right, all World-Class Athletes are winners.  For
anyone to reach the world-class level they will have
outperformed those they competed against at preliminary
levels.  Also when they reach the world stage their primary
objective remains to outperform their competitors. That
being the case, we can conclude that World-Class
Athletes are winners [who are] looking for another
win at a higher level of competition in the same game.
________________________________________________

Your ultimate goal in life should be to
fulfill your purpose. However, this is not an
event, it is a process: you achieve your purpose
in stages.   So, set out to win in every stage.  
Each successive win will get you to the BIG race
- where will fulfill your purpose.
________________________________________________

§        World-Class Athletes are crowned the best
Everyone who competes at world-class level wants to either
possess or retain the title that is given to "the best" in a
particular discipline or a series of disciplines.  
________________________________________________
To fulfill your purpose is to be the best in
what God created you to become. Find out
what it is; discipline yourself to follow it; win at
every stage! There is a crown waiting for you in
heaven.
________________________________________________

Be Inspired.

The World-Class Athlete Who did not Run the Race

"On your marks… get set… ready…"

Blast!

All the runners take off except one.  Though his supporters cheer him on, he remains on his mark, head up, watching the others go.  He stays in the same position until the race is finished.  

After the race, his coach runs up to him and wearingly asks him what went wrong.  The lad turns to look at his coach and excitedly exclaims, "Coach, I've achieved my dream, coach!" raising his hands as if he were the winner of the race.  The coach is dump folded and gives the lad a questioning stare. "Yea, I've made it. I've made it to the big race," the young athlete beams out.

It took some time for the coach to understand what the athlete was saying but it finally emerged that a lot of people had told the athlete that they would be proud of him even if he only qualified for the race. So, he made it his life dream and ambition to make it into the race until he did.  And when had done so, it never occurred to him that he had to run the race – so he didn't.

This story may shock many of us but this is a typical example of how some of us have shortchanged ourselves in life.  This may not true for every area of our lives but in some of them. The two that came to mind right now are your purpose and your walk of faith.  

·        Your Purpose
Many of us are excited at the prospect of finding out what our purpose in life is.    We have been told of all the benefits of finding our purposes so much that it passes us that finding our purposes is only the fist step of the journey; it is like making it to the starting point of your big race in life.  After finding out what is your purpose in life you have the new task of pursuing it. If you just find your purpose and don't pursue it you're no different to the world-class athlete who made it to the tracks he so desired and prepared for but did not run the race when the time to do so came.


·        Your Walk of Faith
Another place where people act like the world-class athlete who did not run the race is in their walk of faith. Many people have 'surrendered' their lives to Christ but care not to live for him. Responding to Christ's call to salvation and repenting from one's sinfulness is but making it to the big race. Running the race to win it starts with you changing your ways, flows into your involvement into Christian service, transcends into your work of faith.  Your walk of faith will lead you to a place where you do exploits for God when it is full blown. Up till this happens, you are like the world-class athlete who has not run the race.

Are you pursuing your purpose?  Are you growing in your walk of faith? The world-class athlete lived the rest of his life regretting that he had missed his opportunity to run his big race. Are you running yours?

Be Inspired.

15 Years from Now...

Imagine its February 29, 2023. You're coming from your morning jog and just as you take the bend into your driveway you bump into the paper boy.  He greets you, hands you a copy of the daily press and scuttles away so quickly that you wonder where he's gone.  

You decide to flip through the paper as you walk down your driveway.  You unfold the newspaper, and, to your surprise, the subject of the leading story is your life. Photographs of you at various places are also all over the front page. What do you think the article will say about you and about your life?  

These are the questions that I want us to answer throughout the month of March, starting in this week's issue of Inspiration Online.  In fact, we are going to try to write the article that you are going to read in the newspaper 15 years from now. No, you need not get worked out at the thought of it. I'll walk you through the process.

First things first, let's look at the title of the article. What should it read? Who should it depict you to be?  What aspect of your life should it portray as newsworthy? Is it going to be a success story or a story of desperation? What do you suggest?

In my view, it has got to be a success story – – I doubt a life of quiet desperation would make for a good leading story in any newspaper anyway. So, what's going to be the most newsworthy aspect of your life?  Let's look at the options:

·        Your Job
What work do you want to be doing?  What do you want to be the outcome of your work? Who do you want to benefit from your work?  Do you think that in whatever you'll be doing you want to be known as a person on the job [the money driven person] or as the person for the job [the purpose driven person]?

·        Your Money
Do you want to be rich [and famous]?  Do you want to be known for living an expensive lifestyle? What do you want your money to be doing for you? What do you want your money to be invested in? Multinationals? People's lives? Missionary work? What?

·        Your Character
Do you suppose that there's some aspects of your character that can be newsworthy 15 years from now?  Will it be your determination?  Your focus? Your persistence? Your do or die attitude? What could it be?

·        Your Faith
Faith without works is dead.  Work without results is a waste of time.  What results do you expect from your work of faith? Will there be there any success in your life that will be directly attributed to your faith in God? Will there be something in your life that people will be able to look at and say It can only be God?

The list is endless but I've jotted down these few just to give you an idea of the things that can make you the talk of the day 15 years from now – – if not sooner.

As you come to the end of this email I am sure you're already thinking about the one thing that you'd like to be known for 15 years from now?  If you come up with anything interesting please feel free to write letting me know about it.  You can either write me an email or post it as a comment on my blog at the end of this article.

Be Inspired.

---

Enough is Enough

On Saturday evening I took part in the Jazz and
Poetry night that was hosted by the young
adults’ ministry of the church that I go to. I
recited one of my poems and the audience loved
it. The poem that I recited was titled ‘Enough is
enough’ and it went like this:

Enough is enough
I say
How long shall this be?
Slaves riding on horseback
Princes trading on foot

Enough is enough
I say
How much longer am I supposed to live this life?
Always a dollar short
Always a day behind

Enough is enough
I say
Now’s the time to put my act together
Walk tall
Lift my head high

Enough is enough
I say
Now’s the time to pull up my socks
Pursue my dreams
Live the life I want

Enough is enough!
Enough is enough!

Be Inspired.

3 Obstacles That You Have To Overcome For You to Successfully Pursue Your God-Given Dream

Yes, pursuing your God-given dream is going to be no mere a stroll down the park. Somewhere along the journey you’re going to encounter some obstacles that will make you a little anxious, you know that feeling in the pit of your stomach; that take your breath away the first time you think about them; and that will cause your head to ache the more you think about them — you’re going to come face to face with a troubled conscience, strong opposition from those closest to you and hostile circumstances (that came upon you without your consent).

A troubled Conscience
This is the first obstacle that you will encounter as you pursue your God-given dream. Because your God-given dream is something that is new to it, it is going to try everything that it can to make you abandon your dream. It will also try to give you another dream – one that is small, normal and “your size.”

When this happens, all you can do is to ignore your conscience and pursue your dream. After sometime your conscience will settle and let you pursue your dream in peace.

People who are Close to You
They know you best – or should I say that they think they do. Whichever the case, these people will rarely leave you to pursue your dream without first showing you some resistance. The major cause of their resistance is that they have a clear vision of who you are right now, but not of the person who are becoming (and when God gives you your dream He has looked at who you are becoming, not who you are right now.) That’s where the misunderstanding comes from.

When this happens, strive to maintain your relations with them and, at the same time, be stubborn enough to forge ahead in pursuing your dream.

Circumstances that came upon you without your consent
What better thing is there to stop you from pursuing your dream than a circumstance that you have no control over – or should I say that makes you believe so. The bottom line is that there are circumstances that may come upon you without your consent and distract you as you pursue your dream.

When this happens, try your best to stay on top of the situation. Do your best to control the events that are happening in your life. Most importantly, keep pursuing your dream in whatever little way you can.

Be Inspired.

7 Facts about a God-given Dream

Thought to send you a quick checklist that you can use to determine whether your dream is God-given or not.

1. A God-given dream must be born, not borrowed
It cannot come from another person; it must come from God, otherwise it cannot be said to be God-given. A God-given dream is something that comes to you supernaturally. You might have asked God for it or expected it but you will have no idea what it is until God gives it to you.

2. A God-given dream must overwhelm you
Wow! That should be your reaction each time you think about it. Your dream must be bigger than you. You should ask yourself where on earth did you get such a dream. At the end of the day, you should come to the conclusion that the dream that you have and want to pursue can only be from God.

3. A God-given dream must outlast you
God is a trans-generational God. He wants to bless you and the generations that will come after you. One way He can do that is by giving you a dream that will live on long after you die. Its fruit will be a blessing to you and the generations that will come after you.

4. A God-given dream will be misunderstood by those close to you
If your dream will overwhelm you, what do you think will be the reaction ofs those close to you when you share it with them? Of course it depends on the kind of person that they know you to be, but no doubt they will most likely interpret your dream wrongly. They will think that your dream means something that it is not. For example, being called into full-time ministry has always been misinterpreted to mean being condemned to poverty fo the rest of one’s life.

5. A God-given dream will attract the things that you need
When God gives you a dream He also ensures that you have access to everything that you need to pursue that dream until it is accomplished. Everything means all the resources, skills and people that you need in order to pursue your dream. Whats more appaling is that all these things will come to you at the very time that you need them.

6. A God-given dream will require total focus
Total focus means commiting oneself fully to the dream. Your dream becomes you number on priority and everything that you do ensures that your dream stays alive.

7. A God-given dream will enable you to make a difference
The world is looking for someone who will make a difference in their lives. Our every effort to do this out of our own cleverness may bring about something but the effectiveness of having a God-given dream is unparalled.

Be inspired.

Redeem Us, O God

I want to begin by apologizing for not sending this on Friday. I have just started my Masters studies and I had to make a PowerPoint presentation and write exams on Friday.

Today, I thought I’d deviate from the norm just a little bit. I am sending you a poem; but not just a poem, a poem that echoes the silent cries of those that have lost their sons and daughters to the socio economic challenges of society. Agreeably, more could have been said but this is just a start.

A stench of death covers the land
The villagers all come together to bemoan the widow’s only son
Weakened by hunger
Gorged by thirst
The cute infant died at his mother’s breast
The stench of death covers the land

Redeem us, O God
Break our curse,
Gather us in your mercy
Redeem us, O God
Heal our wound,
Gather us in your love

A stench of death covers the land
The congregation all come together to bemoan the minister’s only son
Given to vein passions
Consumed by lust
The brass lad died at his lover’s breast
The stench of death covers the land

Redeem us, O God
Break our curse,
Gather us in your mercy
Redeem us, O God
Heal our wound,
Gather us in your love

Redeem Us, O God

If this poem has moved you in any way, please let me know. Otherwise, that’s all for today.

Be Inspired.

From Dreams to Reality: 7 Ways How You Can Increase Your Chances of Achieving Your Goals in 2008

Year after year people make New Year Resolutions: I want to get out of debt this year; I want to buy a new car in 2008; this year I’m going to Hawaii for my annual holiday – the list is endless.

But how many of these resolutions have you seen come to pass? One? Two? Three?

Yes, for some of us is only a few and the rest of us is none. Only one in a million people do have everything ticked off their list of New Year Resolutions when they come to the end of the year.

What is the cause? The absence of a detailed plan. A detailed plan? What do you mean?

1. Set definite goals

If you want to have ticked off everything or nearly everything on your list of New Year Resolutions when you come to the end of the year, the first thing that you have to do is to turn your New Year’s Resolutions into goals. Goals are the things that you set out to do to achieve your ultimate purpose in life.

You need to set SMART goals; goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Your goals must be specific – what you want to do should be clear from the onset, e.g. to write a book.

Your goals must be measurable – it should be possible to measure both progress towards and the attainment of your goals, e.g. if your goal is to write a book, you’d look at how many chapters you’d have written to measure progress and the attainment of your goal would be the actual book ready for publication.

Your goals must be achievable – simply put, your goals should be attainable. It is possible for me to write a book, I have the talent, the skill and the capacity to do so.

Your goals must be realistic – sorry, I don’t believe in magic. Your goals must be realistic, they should not be an imaginary fantasy that nobody would attain even if the tried.

Your goals must be timed – you should set a specific date on which you want to see the completion of each of your dreams.

And that’s not all. Add ER to your SMART goals and you have SMARTER goals. Goals that are not only specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely but also excellent and rewarding.

Your goals must be excellent – who said you should not have standards when you set your goals. Well, I think that you should and your standard should be excellence. A simple definition of excellence would be giving be best that you can out of what you can give.

Your goals must be rewarding – ask yourself what’s in it for me? Or someone who you genuinely would like to benefit from your efforts. In other words, are your goals worthwhile goals?

2. Take each of your goals and break it down into sub-goals

The second thing that you need to do is to take each of your goals and break it down into sub-goals. Identify all the things, big and small, that you need to do in order to achieve your goal.
Your objective in doing this is two tired. First, to get a clear picture of everything that you need to do in order to achieve your goal. Second, to break down an unthinkably huge chunk into small chunks that you can manage.

For instance, if your goal is to publish a book within the next six months, you break down the process into writing the first draft, the second draft, the third draft… and the nth draft; editing; proof-reading; fore wording (if applicable); contacting the publisher; publishing; right through to organizing the launch.

3. Sequence your sub-goals

After you get your sub-goals down, arrange them in the order that you are going to pursue. What are you going to do first? Then what after that?
Make sure you do this before you start doing anything. This may take a considerable amount of your time as you will be actually doing it, but doing it will save you a lot of time and energy in the future.

Which do you prefer? Coming out of the shower to realize that you have no clean change of clothes left or coming out of the shower to see the clothes that you washed over the weekend are waiting for you to put them on. (Should I also add, I prefer that you pick out the clothes that you want to wear before you take the shower)

4. Identify the resource requirements

What resources do you need in order to achieve your sub-goals? Time? Money? Stationary? A laptop? Whatever it is that you need in order to achieve your sub-goals, set it aside or find a way to get it way before you begin working on your sub-goal.

Over and above identifying your resource requirements, quantify them. How much time do you need? How much money do you need? What type of laptop do you need? Try to be as specific as possible.

This will save you the hustle of trying to figure out where to find things when you desperately need them. When was the last time you missed something that was in your hand? Get the idea? I guess you do.

5. Identify the knowledge and skill requirements

It is also important that you identify the knowledge and skills that you need in order to successfully pursue your goals and sub-goals. After identifying them, ask yourself do I posses this or that skill or knowledge.

For every skill or knowledge that you do not have ask yourself whether you are going to acquire them or hire them. When I say hire them I mean asking or paying someone who posses that knowledge or those skills that you do not have to complement your efforts at what you will be doing.

6. Time the accomplishment of each of your sub-goals as well as your ultimate goal

If you are to accomplish your goals at the time that you set for them to be accomplished, you need to also time the accomplishment of each of your sub-goals.

If a sub-goal is accomplished later than planned, it may also delay the accomplishment of the sub-goals that come after it and also the accomplishment of your ultimate goal. The reverse can happen also.

But things do not always happen that way. Sub-goal one can be accomplished in time, sub-goal two may be delayed and sub-goal six may be finished earlier than expected causing you to accomplish your sub-goal in the time that you set out to achieve it.

Time the accomplishment of each of your sub-goals anyway. Having a rough idea of what you need to do and the time that you have to do it will help you manage your time more wisely. It will also increase your productivity.

7. Outline the benefits of each of your sub-goals as well as your ultimate goal

The seventh way you can increase your chances of achieving your goals is by outline the benefits that you will derive from pursuing your sub-goals and ultimately each of your goal.

Like all human beings, you are in constant need of motivation, and the easiest way to motivate yourself is to remind yourself of the benefits that you are going to reap from your activity. You should write down all the rewards that you are going to get from pursuing each of your sub-goals as well as your ultimate goal. Find out the benefits of each of your sub-goal in relation to your ultimate goal and in relation to subsequent sub-goals.

You’ll have sometime to motivate you each time you feel depressed. You just have to look at the benefits that derive from what you will be doing and automatically the knowledge that you are doing something that is rewarding should motivate you.

That’s all I have for today. Until next week, be inspired.

Good morning 2008: Five Ways to Create a Great Life

It’s the start of a new year! Doesn’t it feel great? You have yet chance to create yourself a great life – a life that is full of both success and satisfaction.

Just as a reminder to all those that have been subscribed to us for over a year and a bonus to all those that joined us a little later, here’s how you create a great life.


1. DREAM MORE…
And BIG! Let your imagination to run wild. Think of everything that you want in the great life that you want to create. Do not allow anything to place limitation to your imagination. Dream, dream and dream.

2. PREPARE MORE…
From dreams to goals: Counting on sheer luck has and will never take a man to his dream. After conceiving your dream you must make an action plan – a detailed plan of how you are going to achieve everything that you set out to achieve in the coming year. Just as a hint, make your action plan as detailed as possible for best results. [I will write explaining this next week.]

3. ACHIEVE MORE…
Achieve more? Yes. Take your action plan and start doing the things that it says you need to do in order to make your dreams come true. Each day do something that will take you closer to your dream. You might hate the discipline but I am 100% sure you will enjoy the reward!

4. GROW MORE…
As you dream more, prepare more and achieve more in 2008 it will be impossible for you not to grow more. No doubt, BIG dreams, A LOT of preparation and PLENTY of action will stretch you – it is meant to! But beyond that you need to constantly and progressively equip and train yourself for greater and continual achievement in life.

5. CELEBRATE MORE…
This is the biggest secret that I know of how to create a great life: Celebrate every success that you make along the journey to your greatness. I do not mean you throw a party every time there is an achievement. But do something that reminds you that you are an achiever: take a couple of friends out for pizza, make a fuss over a new discovery, just do something.

2007 may have not been as great as you’d wanted it to be but you have the chance to change that this year. From today onwards, you can dream more (and BIGGER), prepare more, achieve more, grow more and celebrate more.

Be inspired.