Don’t Hope, … Decide!

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about — the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.

Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi, baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed. “I love you so much!” They stared at each other’s eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands.

For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?

“Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then, how long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. “Two whole days!”

Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks – if not months. I know my expression betrayed me.

I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling.

He looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, “Don’t hope, friend… decide!” Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”

– By Michael D. Hargrove and Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc.
Copyright 1997

PS: God is asking me to tell someone on this page right now, "Don't Hope, DECIDE!"  

Just as there is no faith without hope, there is also no effective HOPE without faith, and FAITH is an action, James 2:14, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?....Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works," - a decision, James 2:23, "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God," - a resolve, Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

PURSUING THE RIGHT GOALS

A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one." Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals. Pursue big IDEAS via ATTAINABLE goals.
Life is hard by the yard,
but by the inch,
it's a cinch.
--Gean Gordon

(Culled from Inspirational Stories)

NB: Find your goals by the right rules which is found in Isaiah 28:10, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:.."
AND
Zechariah 4:10, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
God bless you and show up BIG in your little efforts in JESUS Name!

PASTOR CHRIS OKOTIE'S SAGA: LEARNING TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE (Written January 18th, 2014)

                                    

We need to STOP judging what things appear to us like and become more introspective. There is ONLY one that makes righteous judgement when it comes to that which we cannot explain and that which is sacred - and that is GOD ALMIGHTY.  (Ephesians 4:31-32).

This is NOT in defense of Chris Okotie, this is in defense of the Kingdom of God on earth. People must learn that God uses men, and men have faults, just like we all are men. We must not mix the fault up with the 'CALLING.'

That a man decides to use what God gave him in a manner that does not go down well with what we personally think, does not make it a sin. Or a major fall-out with God.
We must all respect the fact that God sees things we don't, and He alone knows how some of His special servants come about what they have. As such, we should stop hating enough to believe God for our own special breakthroughs.

Everyone has what gives them joy, apart from fulfilling their God given purpose. On that note, I bring you this conversation between me and one of my FB friends who had Pastor Chris Okotie's pic on his wall.

He had a picture of Pastor Okotie, showing his statement as touching his new 120mil Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe 2014 Bespoke Edition, and his 33mil Range Rover Autobiography 2014.

The Guy Wrote: "I wonder oftentimes if stealing from fellow humans in the name of GOD amounts to hardwork which is the actual key to success."

And My Answer Was: Grow up! He did not steal from you or anybody else. He is enjoying the fruits of his labour in the Word! The bible says we labour to enter into His rest! Rejoice with him and develop ur own faith, and u will get there too! He owes no one apart from God an explanation about "how" he chooses to spend the rewards of his labour.

If hardwork is the ACTUAL key to success, then truck-pushers shld have millions, they certainly do a lot of hard work! As a believer WORKING HARD, is what it takes, not HARD WORK, and that working hard must first be demonstrated in ur application of God's Word.

The race is not to the swift..the battle is not to the strong...time and chance is the game! And to synergise time with chance, you need dexterity in the Word. Face your own calling! The answer is in the question! God bless you!

Again, The Fellow Said: "Not at the expense of poor hapless faithful who can never drive a bike by going to okotie's church."

And My Reply Was: You are right, it could never have been at their expense, bcos if they had in the first place, they wld have not been called poor. This just means that their money cld never have been what was used to buy a 120mil car.

He Left The First Issue And Said: "Okotie says Catholics will go to hell I wonder if he will need his cars in hell as he will be there too."

My Reply Was: Unfortunately (for you), you are not the judge. People, especially journalists like you, always distort things they hear so as to create sensational news. Knowing his anticidents, and having read some of his writings, and spoken to him a couple of times, I do not believe what was pubished about that statement cld have been in context. I can bet that was never a verbertim statement.

The Guy Said: "How can a man who believes in the power of God who preaches faith in Christ judge others and condemn them. Yet he is a failed husband having failed to be a man to two very fertile women in his lifetime but rather arm others to prtect him in his palace and church...even on his altar he has guards protecting him against who??? the man is a failed musicain, failed husband and failed politician-he can never be President except in his dreams-he should just keep quiet and stop bragging all over the place. He has nothing to show that he is a success. He should show us children NOT cars."

My Answer: My dear, you are the one bragging here. Children are GIFTS from the Lord. Be grateful that you received from the Lord and do not mock those who do not have. He is not a failure if he has fulfilled his pact with God. Only Jesus can judge who failed and who succeeded, according to what he has called each of us to do. I believe he has fulfilled his divine purpose. Again, he is NOT a failed musician. He was VERY successful as a musician. And he still ministers in music until now. You shld watch ur level of bitterness against someone that God has blessed. The manner of God's manifestation of His blessings upon Chris shld not be determined by ur definition, but by Pastor Christ's own desires as a person. What he asks is what God gives.

The Guy said: "I will like to ask Okotie one question what does he do for a living???"

I Replied: He is a Preacher, an Author and a Publisher. Does that not make sense? I thought it was obvious?

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: PART 1 - WAKE ME UP! (Written: 18th March, 2012)

Proverbs 5:1 (Read Whole Chapter) "My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding!"

I woke up in this generation to a society that is fast losing value for culture, value for life, value for relationships, and value for virtue!!! How do we tell the tale of ways that kept our society together long ago, long forgotten, and long dispersed into nothingness!Is it possible for us to go back again, to a time when parenthood was universal, children were collectively owned, and values and virtues were deeply guarded!?

Can something bring us back again to the place where we were all each other’s brothers and sisters, and there was a huge line drawn between good and evil!? Would it be hard if I asked what happened to communal efforts to train our children, reprove wrongs in the society, and punish the offenders with one voice even without LAW COURTS!? Where did we lose the Social collective responsibility to our fellow man? Our neighbors; our brother’s children; our sister’s children; our relative’s children?

How did we lose the commitment to PROGRESS which made our ancestors (most of whom were not even saved)hold meetings and make contributions towards training any child who the community considers to be brilliant no matter who gave birth to him? Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Where did we go to collect this level of wickedness which spores a parent to try to destroy another parents child just because he is progressing and promising!? Proverbs 11:12, "He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace."

Where did the witchcraft of evil competition, brazen manipulation and diabolism and evil greed for money in our communities come from? What greed has made our ELDERS voiceless, while their youths are desecrating the very foundations that kept sanity in our communities? Why would anyone see evil and call it good just so he can benefit from evil? And is there any REAL benefit in EVIL? Proverbs 10:23, "It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom."

ARISE! BROTHERS! ARISE! SISTERS! LET’S REBUILD THE OLD WALLS! Let’s go back to what made us a people of repute! A people of valor! A people of Purpose! Let’s rise and build, not just for ourselves, but for our neighbor, our brother, our sister, our people! Let’s use our tongues to count our teeth! What legacy are we leaving for our kids? For the next generation?

Even after you are gone, what you did will stand for or against you! We will not be saved from evil just because we act like the Ostrich (bury our heads in the sand while our whole body is exposed) hoping the evil will just go away without a deliberate action to stop it! Since old age does not necessarily teach wisdom! Let’s get wisdom and understanding.

The wisdom we need to build a lasting legacy is from the WORD of GOD!!! Proverbs 9:10 (Read Whole Chapter) "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." SELAH!

TRUE WORRIES - Written: Thursday, 15th, March, 2012.

Friends are gifts, but TRUE friends are gifts from GOD!

I had a rare privilege to spend time with one today. He graciously invited me to dinner. And people! Was it lavish? I ate enough to feed an army. To add what some may see as “a little testimony” to it (It was huge to me); I have always had a preference for anything strawberry flavored - But yesterday, I had spent quite a good part of the day craving real strawberries! I even whispered a small prayer about it (Yeah I did. Whatever! ) God answered my prayer with that dinner; the fruits for dessert included real strawberry FRUITS!

As we ate, we went through as many topics of conversation as the little time allowed. What struck me most was that, even the years gone by, did not affect our basis for friendship which is, “TRUE COMPASSION”.

You couldn’t do anything helpful to humanity without that. You would not even be able to sustain any TRUE friendship, purpose, or call, without it. It brought up something I always seem to push down inside me every time it raised its head, and that is the sad fact that most relationships are based on ‘WHAT CAN I GET OUT OF IT’! Even the seeming love affairs!

It beats me how people can scheme their way into people in the name of love while all the while; they are planning to use them to achieve all kinds of EVIL goals!

The TRUE WORRY is finding such WICKED schemers in CHURCH! Yes, Church! Yes, Revs, Pastors, even Prophets, (so called) now only give help to young girls who give them “SOMETHING”!

It bleeds my heart to know that MANY professed leaders in Church have failed to represent the FAITH they profess! I have no quarrel with you if you want to live YOUR life anyhow, but must you ruin young innocent girls in Church because you want to satisfy your evil desires!? Then tomorrow, you dare tell them to put their lives in order!!? My TRUE WORRIES then are CHURCH LEADERSHIP and any Leadership at all!!!

Every leadership CALLS for Sacrifice!!! It could be SEXUAL, SPIRITUAL, MATERIAL, PARENTAL, etc. DISCIPLINE is not only when you have to punish a child; often that is our focus! DISCIPLINE in Leadership, is when you deny yourself to create a lasting value in the life of another!!!!

These days, very few know what it means! EVEN IN THE CHURCH! How dare you stand on the pulpit and tell others to do what you don’t believe in? For if you believe it, you would do it! There is NO proof of FAITH without action!!!! Is the WORD of God true for some situations, and then not true for others? How could a young girl struggle to live right in the WORLD, and then come to be asked to live wrong by a LEADER in the Church!? Is this right? Is that not an Aberration!? CONSIDER YOUR WAYS!

 It deeply hurts me to know that the devil is using figures meant to uphold, encourage, direct, and comfort the youths to wound them even more than the World has done to them! Imagine a deacon asking a little girl to sleep with him just because she has a need that it would take him NOTHING to meet!!!!

Don’t get me wrong, we all have weaknesses, I know that, but when we sincerely submit our weaknesses to God, He transforms them to ways to identify the workings of the devil! The problem is that many want to protect their weaknesses, like they are some personal license to do evil! There is no way to equate your personal gratification to ruining someone’s FAITH, career or future.

Some teenage youths have been known to drop out of school, Church, or even totally out of life because of an adult man’s “mistake” , and not just any adult man, a deacon, Pastor, and leaders generally. It’s like some folks think being put in a leadership position means that EVERYTHING, including people serve their selfish and evil purpose!

How is it related to my introductory story, you may ask? Well, here was I, eating and talking; educative and edifying talk, with someone who had just been led to Christ by me, for a period not more than a year, and his composure and carriage would shame many self appointed Deacons and Pastors of our time!!!!

As much as I know he liked me, he never once made any unbecoming suggestions to me. He just enjoyed the pleasure of togetherness in HOLINESS!!! It’s not so hard now, my fellow Christians and my esteemed LEADERS in Christ! If you are CHRIST’S, then let HIM be LORD indeed, even when you see WOMEN and MONEY!!! THE DAYS OF IGNORANCE, GOD OVERLOOKS, are you REALLY ignorant of what the WORD says!? Or you just choose to let your desires destroy the very reason why he came!? To restore people and give them dignity and life! Do you know how many young people’s FAITH you have ruined with your evil ways!???

Are you really saved? REPENT AND BE DELIVERED!!! God bless HIS WORD!

THE POWER OF SEEKING

Thinking Out Loud by the Spirit of God this Morning - The only reason why we can close our eyes and go to sleep is because God has put LAWS in place to guard us. Just like we have the laws of electricity, flying, cruising, snorkeling, skiing etc. Some may think, "Those are man made laws." But not really, they were put there by God from the foundations of the world, all man had to do, was discover them. Just as treasures of mineral resources were put underground for man to dig up.

That man FOUND them, does not mean he put them there. The scripture says in Proverbs 25:2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."   Again in Deuteronomy 29:29, " The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Today, I want to challenge you to dare find out by searching the scriptures, Mathew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:.." Seeking is very crucial for those who want to find out God's secret concerning any matter. The acronym for seek is simply: Soundly Engaging Eternal Knowledge.

For those who seek divine counsel in areas of doubt and confusion. For those who are tired of the flimsy crumbs on the surface of life. For those who seek lasting and enduring solutions to issues. Don't just stop at mumbling prayers, seek! Don't just stop at hearing what others have to say, seek! Don't just stop at reading the word, seek to hear the voice behind the words, seek! Meditate on the WORD concerning your issues, chew on it, mutter it, say it out,keep repeating it to yourself, hurl it continuously at the opposition, the mountain or the devil's pranks until your victory is secured PRACTICALLY. Remember, we already have the VICTORY as secured by Christ, but we need to ENFORCE that victory by STANDING on what the WORD says concerning us and our situation. If we must live THE life we saw in the realm of the spirit on earth, we must go beyond asking, we must SEEK!  Mathew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

How do I SEEK? You may ask. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:1, "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom." A scholar on a RESEARCH project dedicates himself to WHATEVER it would take to make his discoveries. Yet, his discoveries are only transient. How much more we that are engaged with the discovery of eternal truths that will keep speaking in eternity. Through the FORCE of desire therefore, apply yourself by the principle of SEPARATION, so that you can contact what will change your story for good. One Rhema, Word, Revelation, Impartation, one Encounter with the SPIRIT of the WORD is enough to change your story.

You know why? "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. There is a WAY out! Find it by SEEKING for it. Take responsibility to SEEK. Its in the WORD!

Will you then commit yourself to the principle of SEPARATION, from noise, from friendships(in quote), from distractions of fear, anxiety, negative desperation, dependency on MAN, systems of this world and money, and HEAR the word that will not only TRANSFORM you, but the world around you?

Its up to you! God is waiting and the HOLY GHOST is waiting! Take that step today. You will have a TESTIMONY. Have a great day!