obedience – My Grace Untold

Your Yes Carries Weight!

“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”

Proverbs 18:16

We all have great gifts. God has created all of creation with distinct gifts that is to bless the world, a gift that is to reflect the glory of God.

Did you know that your gift too is an expression of the One who created you in His image?

We live in a society where one’s gift is often used to gain fame or money or is used to negotiate personal pleasures and enjoyment. But could it be that your gift is supposed to do so much more?

Could it be that your gift is supposed to bring life in this world?

Could it be that your gift is supposed to ignite a shift in this world?

Could it be that your gift is supposed to kindle a fire within souls?

Could it be, that your gift, is so much more than its function?

Perhaps that is why we cannot give our yes so freely and without intuition. Be reminded today that your yes carries weight!

Because you have the power of the living God on the inside of you, because your lungs carry the breath of an Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, your yes carries weight!

What have you said Yes to lately? And Why?

Friend, I dare you to ponder on your most recent agreements. I dare you to question the Yes that you have given everything that has so easily enticed you for pleasure sake.

If your Yes to God, stirred up Satan and his demons to wage war at you from all sides, if your Yes to God broke generational chains and disrupted hell’s plans, if your Yes alerted heaven that another warrior has heed the call for the kingdom, how can your Yes to anything else not carry so much weight?!

Friend, allow me to remind you today that your agreement means everything to God! Especially when it comes to your gifts.

There is a mission assigned to the gifts you carry. There is a place and time, a perfect place and time that is to reveal your gift for the glory of God and God only and I must tell you, that nothing else will do.

No matter how good it feels, if you have said yes with your gift to something or someone that is not glorifying the Gift-giver who has pre-ordained the gift to be brought inf front of great men, the Spirit of God is speaking to you.

It says look again before saying Yes.

I pray for you as I pray for me too on today. May the God of our gifts, realign our senses along with our hearts to bring our gifts before God so that He may bring us before great men for His glory in Jesus name. Amen.

The Discipline In Discipleship – (II)

“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me…”

Matthew 4:9

How can we ever gain the wisdom of an all-knowing Father who has called us to come higher to be closer to Him in worship and obedience, if we do not follow that which HE commands?

How can we profess loving God when we fail to love ourselves much less others?

How do we believe in the purity and holiness of God but pollute and defile our bodies, which HE claims as HIS temple?

Indeed many people can quote the scriptures. Some believers can recite full chapters of the Word. Some can even teach it in a sermon to others. But if none is seen following that which they preach, what good is the Word to the ones who are yet to believe?

It takes discipline to follow the Word of God, not just believe in it.

It takes discipline to stay faithful and in prayer even when, especially when, nothing looks the way it ought to according to the promises of God.

It takes discipline to speak life and love when strife and anger threaten to cause our tongues to sin.

It takes discipline to make time to spend with the Lord in intimacy and worship DAILY.

It takes discipline to pray for those who curse and mock us.

It takes discipline to stay in hope and press on toward the blessing when life’s troubles overwhelm our spirit.

It takes discipline to pick up the full armor of God along with our cross of purpose.

It takes discipline to ALWAYS live in truth by the word of God.

It takes discipline to keep our eyes on the Lord even when our minds stray in distraction to the issues around us.

Friend, there is discipline in discipleship.

I imagine that God is intentional in His demand for our discipline all through the book of Proverbs. Discipline retains wisdom. Discipline helps you stay quiet when rash words threaten to spill from you in impulsion.

Discipline teaches us to be patient and not allow our emotions the permission to take over every situation.

Discipline keeps you grounded in the walk of faith. Trust me, I am living it. And no, it was not always easy. But I thank God for a willing heart that surrenders obediently to the will of the One who called us to follow HIM.

I urge you today to take inventory and to consider your ways as a believer, as a child of God, and as one who has been called for the glory of God’s kingdom.

May God grant us the courage and the brave heart to not only believe Him for His word, but may we be enabled by the grace of heaven to follow God’s own word according to His will in Jesus name. Amen.

The Discipline In Discipleship – (I)

“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me…”

Matthew 4:9

In my early youth, growing up under the wings of Nigerian believers was no easy habitation. Within this religious fold, I was forced to reconcile that there are indeed spirits of wickedness in high places who sought after the believer.

For a younger me, a believer had to live the life of battles. I didn’t know that the struggles we each face in our individual journey for the kingdom, has to do with the purpose of God to mold and polish us in preparation for the life of discipline we are called to live.

It is now that I understand that believing in God is only the first part. Thus many of us believe, but not enough of us believers actually follow.

When church scandals erupt from time to time, I am compelled to ask myself, how could a believer find themselves in such and such situation? How does it happen?

When I heed the call of God to come closer, HE first had to show me the errors of my own ways as a believer – I believed, but I did not follow. There was an evil inside me that gave me reason not to follow the word of God but still claim to be a believer that loves God and believes in His omnipotence.

I asked a close counterpart recently about the matter.

“Are you a believer?” He replied that he was.

I then asked if he was a follower. “I believe I am he said.”

I proceeded with asking him whether or not he thought both creeds fell under the same realm. I immediately observed the conflict arise through his disgruntled look.

For many believers, following the Word of God is equated to believing in God. But the clarity from a knowing Spirit says otherwise.

Friend, how true is our belief if we don’t follow the Word of the One we believe in?

It is here in a realm with the Lord like I’ve never been , that I am learning just what it means to know God and be a follower of Christ.

Friend, there is discipline in discipleship.

Think of an internship or a mentor-ship of any kind. In order to receive the full knowledge and understanding as an intern or mentee, one must follow closely in the steps of the one leading in the experience. It would not be enough to just hear the instruction or the knowledge offered. It is necessary to work in a hands-on environment to apply what is being learned.

It’s no different in this walk of faith with God. CONTINUE READING HERE.

Instincts Vs. Instruction

“Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.”

Proverbs 4:13

I am grateful to serve a faithful God. HE gave me a word, made me a promise, and I so it is now.

I landed in California two days ago according to God’s instruction a few months back. The Lord told me not to worry about a place because He had already prepared a place for me.

I believed.

So as I press forward to heed the word of God and to seek His instructions yet again in this new place, I am compelled to share the importance of understanding the difference between instinct and instruction.

In December 2014, my instincts led me to consider moving up in Nordstrom, a company I had been with for a little over a year. Those instincts were justified by my eligibility for management training as prescribed by all three of my former managers in the company.

Instincts encouraged me to go for it, to begin preparation for it, to consider the many benefits of it…

God’s instruction said otherwise as Instruction directed me to leave the company entirely.

That was about eight months ago.

When I left Atlanta back in June for New York, God’s instruction said to call my former manager about working temporarily in my former position. I obeyed.

Consequently, in the span of my seven-week-stay in NY, I was positioned to walk with people placed in my path and to be a witness for all that God was doing in the lives of His children all around me.

As my departure to CA neared, instinct once again began to encourage me to consider moving up within the company as many other voices around me suggested and supported. Instruction again interrupted and reminded me of Purpose.

Friend, at times we are caught in a crossroad. At this place, it seems like instinct and Instruction are on opposing sides and we yearn for clarity. Sometimes, our instincts are puffed up and move out of alignment with Purpose. It is in this place, that you and I must remember the Word of God.

What was God’s word to you? What instruction came with that Word when you received it?

God is not man that HE should lie, nor is HE a God of confusion. So when confusion begins to take root, this is when you seek your heavenly Father the most. This is when you tap in to the Highest wisdom there is.

As compelled as we often feel to use what we know to make the ‘best decision,’ we must recall that the Proverbs chpt 3 vs 5 instruct us not to lean not on our own understanding but to trust the Lord.

When instinct fails to bring clarity, remember God’s instruction and seek HIS wisdom before taking another step.

I pray for us both today, that the Most High God grants us the heavenly clarity to move at the sound of His Voice and may HIS Word continue to give light to our steps in Jesus name. Amen.

HE Already Made The Pro-vision For The Vision II

“Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision.

Psalm 144:13

My first week back in New York revealed more provisions that the Lord had already placed before me even before I heard HIM say to come back here.

As often as HE has made a way, I remain in awe.

The vision I saw included packing my belongings again and re-locating again.

When I needed my car shipped to New York and did not know how I was going to pay the cost, the money came. My parents, my sister, and my god-sister all put what they could together to assist the shipment. That provision was already made for the vision.

At work, the right clients make their way to me and the flow of success keep me in awe. This is yet another provision that God had already made when HE gave me the vision.

My earnings at work from the first 3 days back paid for my car payment for the month of June. This time, I had enough left to pay my credit card bills for the month. God is so amazing!

What I’m trying to say friend, is that no matter what it looks like, everything and everyone needed to bring the vision to fruition has already been provisioned by God.

If you recall, the root word, ‘pro,’ means before. It means to come in front of. Because God is endless and forever IS, HE has already gone BEFORE you, AHEAD of the vision HE put inside of you, and has created the PRO-vision for you to prosper in the vision.

Friend, you have everything you need in God!

The doors with your name on it, the opportunities with your name on it, the victories with your name on it are already placed by the MOST HIGH GOD for the due time.

Please don’t be alarmed that you have some battles with your name on it because the victories comes after the battle. That too is a provision by the Way-maker.

This is why you can never get comfortable in a ‘lacking’ situation. Unless, the Lord stills you, you keep moving. You keep working. You keep praying. You keep hoping. It’s coming.

Just remember that whatever you need has already been provided for by the Maker of ALL things.

I pray today that you are empowered with hope and new strength to trust in the vision. I pray that you are enabled by grace to see past what you can touch, and see into the realm of glory that the provision for the vision is ALREADY there waiting for you in Jesus name. Amen.

Stop Polluting The Gift

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.”

1 Corinthians 12:4

Gifts. We all have them.

I heard recently in a sermon, that the difference between talent and skill is this – unlike talent, which is the divine gift from the Creator, skill is the discipline one learns in life to fully manifest the full capacity of that talent.

In an age where many refuse to receive the free gift of salvation and the abounding blessings that come with it, the lines of talents and skills indeed become blurred.

Friend, you too are gifted. You too have been called to live a life that gives God all the glory and praise. You too have been anointed with a God-given gift that is for a divine purpose.

Do you know the capacity of your gift?

And have you asked God to reveal to you what HE endowed you with for His purpose?

If you are anything like me, chances are, you already know your gift(s) and you are very much aware of what it is that you alone have an unexplained candid ability to do well, even without trying.

Yet, the divine purpose of the gift sits untouched.

Friend, I am asking you today, are you using your gift outside the will of the Gift-giver? Are you so caught up in the praise and recognition of man that you have created an altar of self-actualization? Have you forgotten that the One who gave it, is the One who can determine what it is to be rightly used for?

I mean, let’s be honest, if that thing, place, endeavor, or project, was the divine fit for your gift, would it really make you feel as tired as you often do? would you be as joyless as you sometimes become? would you not have the peace of the Lord where HE places you to use your gift?

Friend, hear me when I say, the gift is not yours to mold, polish, present, or gain from.

Rather, your gift is God’s own mark THROUGH you in this world. HE is the Potter so let HIM mold your gift according to HIS will.

It is time to stop using what you know to advance your own selfish desires.

Yes, selfish.

I admit it myself, this was not a truth I embraced readily. But the truth of the matter is, if the gift is not glorifying the Gift-giver, then it is as though it is without value.

God knows what HE created you for. HE alone knows the power of His gift inside you. How then can anything or anyone outside God bless the use of the gift?!

Remember that wherever you go, your gift goes. So, where have you been? Where are you now? And have you been using your gift accordingly in those places?

Another year is nearing its end and the seasons are in place for your gift to be manifested. It is time to stop, listen, and obey. The world is waiting on your gift! Your gift and mine!

Friend, the time will come when the Almighty will ask, “son what did you do with what I gave you?” And on the Glorious Day, I pray for you, and I, that we too will hear, “well done, my faithful servant,” in Jesus name. Amen.

“Don’t Look Back!” – II

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Genesis 19:26

I remember I would run after him frantically trying to protect him.

How ironic is it that even as young adults until old age and even death, we too have a heavenly Guide running behind, beside, and in front of us, as a shield, in the aim of protecting is from harm as we run recklessly forward but refusing to keep our eyes forward!

The story of Lot’s wife in the scriptures is evident of how sudden the terror of looking back can be. As everyone ran forward to safety and away from the destructing that was their past, she dared to look back while running forward!

And she instantly became a pillar of salt!

I recently heard a word about how rarely we note that pillar of salt or not, Lot’s wife was made a pillar nonetheless.

She was a pillar. She was solid, strong, un-moving, impenetrable. She was a pillar.

This was God’s Hand. This was God’s Word.

Friend, did you know that you are a pillar? Are you aware that the power of God in you proclaims that you have the genes of a Mighty God coursing through you? Making you unshakeable by evil? Making you stand strong and undefeated in the name of Jesus?

But what good is a pillar that cannot move through the world and show the magnificence of a Wonderful God?!

I am here to tell you, to remind you, that you too, cannot look back!

Your heart may be racing as mighty walls of man’s hands are coming down in destruction behind you. Your mind might be reeling from the trauma of watching great works of man falling to pieces and causing chaos all around you, but you still cannot look back!

Keep looking forward. Keep moving forward. Keep praying forward. Keep ‘faithing it’ forward. Keep growing forward in purpose and in God’s truth.

The enemy knows that as long as you are able to keep one foot in front of another, with your eyes looking to the Hills of the Lord where your help comes from, you are winning.

Take a moment to imagine the danger of looking back to what was and missing the path, the victory, the amazement on the way to what is to be.

I’m afraid you can no longer look back to that place you used to be, the you that used to be. You can no longer look back to stretch a hand to that ‘friend’ that keeps making you backslide on your walk with God. You can no longer look back to the evils of your childhood or youths. You can no longer look back to the ruins that was necessary to become an amazing beauty in the eyes of your Father in heaven!

Overflow is in front of you. An immeasurable anointing and favor of God is ahead of you. A glory that has not been seen nor heard before is in front of you!

“Don’t look back!”

Friend, let your past go! Let your sorrows of yesterday go! Let your disappointments of before go! Let what is behind you, remain behind you!

I urge you to get out of your own way and watch God work!

Let God move you as a pillar from glory to glory. Refuse to be the pillar that is unable to move because you keep looking back!

I pray today that your past no longer claim residence in your present. May the Lord shift your spirit today to bring your eyes to Him who alone knows your tomorrow in Jesus name. Amen!

“Don’t Look Back!” – I

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Genesis 19:26

What or who is back there that you keep looking back to and stumbling on your way forward to Glory?!

Oh how we have a tendency to look back, to try to fix, mend, and redesign what the Lord in His infinite wisdom, broke to get us through and show Himself worthy of our praise.

Friend, The past is only as daunting as You allow the devil make it to be! But that devil is a liar in Jesus name!

See the beauty of a mercy and Love so in-explainable is that even if we don’t often understand it, God’s Love for His children, knows all that was done and will be done, and still chooses to forgive and bring us into the fulfillment of His divine plan. To God be the Glory!

When my now 3-year-old nephew first started walking two years ago, he would always walk as fast as his little legs would carry him. When he learned to run and discovered the liberation of running free, he would put as much energy into his body, running forward with a free spirit.

It was joyous to watch, but frightening at the same time!

See my little nephew ran forward with abandon but all the while he would be looking back at me! If it was not me holding his attention, he would be looking back at anything else to make sure something or someone was witnessing his ability to run!

He could have run into something or he could have stumbled and fallen violently at any given time but of course he had me running faster to keep up and make sure that I protected him against possible harm.

My little loved one did not know then that there was a great danger to looking back while running forward. FINISH READING HERE

Raise Your Head, Don’t Look Down!

“Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

Isaiah 57:2

There is a danger to looking down while on the move.

As one who is literally on the move in this walk of faith with God, I confess that there is indeed an ill to looking down while moving.

Take for example in the natural physical realm, we are all too aware of the great danger in texting or operating on your cell phone while driving. When you look down, there is a great likelihood that you miss what is in front of you.

You could run into something or someone and in the careless collision, kill that thing or even yourself.

Friend, it’s no different while on the move with God.

I can’t imagine what we would miss if we dare look down for too long. I cannot imagine the consequences of that moment of forgetfulness and recklessness when we forget to look forward and keep our eyes on God.

What would we miss? what would we run into carelessly?

Undoubtedly, we have crawled, cried, and sometimes cursed (and immediately repented) on our journey thus far. But still we keep on walking even with our limp. Even with the uncertainties of life ahead, even with the pain in our body of fasting and praying endlessly seeking God in all things, even with the heaviness in our hearts when the call feels too overwhelming, we must keep on moving.

Stop looking down at how worn or dirty your ‘shoes’ are in this walk of faith.

Although I do not mean that in the literal sense. But for some of us, it may very well apply. You may have been pushing that lemon of a car for a long time, waiting on God to grant you the favor for better. You may still be waiting on that great big miracle that is yet to come. But as long as God lives, it will come in its due time because you serve a faithful God.

I can personally attest to how ‘worn’ some areas of my life have felt from time to time. There are things I would love to do for my family and communities, but until God says its time, I keep on walking in faith.

And I urge you today to do the same.

As tempted as we often are, we cannot afford to drop our head in despair even momentarily, for the joy of the Lord is indeed our strength.

Rather, we will raise our heads up towards the heavens in gratitude for God’s abounding love and mercy having brought us out of sin and bondage to walk with Him in glory.

Know that our Father in heaven will not leave nor forsake us. You have all that you need right now to do what God has set out for you to do.

Stop looking down. Keep your eyes on the Way-maker. The Lord will ALWAYS MAKE A WAY.

May the Lord our God who knows all things and can do all things, continue to mold us into a better posture to keep walking from faith to faith and glory to glory in Jesus name. Amen.

SAY YES

“And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all…”

2 Corinthians 7:15

It all began when God said, “YES.”

It’s your turn.

You have been ignoring a message inside of you, a message that is evident all around you. The farther you try to take steps away from the inevitable, the closer you walk right into it. God has given you a word, a dream, a goal, an assignment. I don’t know how long ago it was given, but it is time to say “yes.”

You said ‘yes’ to that job because you are convinced that the paychecks is what pays your bills. You said ‘yes’ to that companionship because you think the closeness to just anyone fills the void. You said ‘yes’ to that car because you think you cannot get to where you ought to be, or where you are going without it. You said ‘yes’ to that house because you feel you would be without a bed to lay your head without it.

But you are hesitant to say “yes,” to the call of the Creator of all these things?!

Now whether or not all your ‘yesses’ have been motivated by the Spirit, or whether your agreement with all these things have yielded the results you wanted, is not the point. You said ‘yes,’ to the life you thought you were to live and to the things that the world has convinced you that you needed.

But if I may, has all these worldly treasures and disillusioned security brought you eternal peace? Have they given you new life? Have they given you new joy, new strength, new hope, and faith? Have they blessed you and given you comfort? Have they guarded and guided you with truth and mercy?

Have they given you wisdom and confidence? Have they been kind to you? Have they been comforting? Have they healed you? Are they forgiving? Go ahead, I dare you, examine your benefits from all that you have said ‘yes,’ to that has not been in alignment with the will of God for your life!

God is ALWAYS merciful, truthful, and full of wisdom.

Can you really compare dwelling in HIS house to dwelling in the place the world has convinced you is your home?

Friend, it is time to say “YES,” to the Alpha and Omega. I’m urging you today to agree and come in alignment with the Great healer and the merciful giver.

The fact that you are here reading this is a testament to how close you are to the beginning of a new “YES,” to the right agreement, and the perfect surrender.

My prayer for you is that every object or subject in your life that has enticed you away from agreement with God, will come to its knees today and bow at the power of the Most High God. May you begin to gain clarity and newness as you arrive at the place of surrender to HIS Will in Jesus name. Amen.