God is God in spite of all things. Only His counsel shall always stand. Man may boast and threaten to do this or that to you, but that is only to the extent that God allows. Proverbs 19:21 KJV

” IT IS GOD THAT SHOWETH MERCY ”

Dearly beloved, for a while now , I have been praying to God for a turn around on some major issues, for which He encouraged me that ” the race is not for the swift, neither the battle for the strong”. This is an indication that all things are really possible with him no matter how bad the situation may appear. I therefore want to in turn encourage  those of you who are at cross roads, in despair as a result of seemingly hopeless situations, in one form of bondage or the other, etc that Christ is alive. Indeed, because He lives, you can face tomorrow. We are victorious, and will overcome every difficulty and bondage, we see ourselves in.

There is nothing like relying on the Almighty for help and sustenance. For the psalmist says Psalm 121:1-2 KJV
[1] I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. [2] My help cometh from the Lord , which made heaven and earth.

One of the reasons why we need to depend absolutely on God, is because every man’s lot is determined by Him.
Proverbs 29:26 KJV
[26] Many seek the ruler’s favour; but every man’s judgment cometh from the Lord .

God is God in spite of all things. Only His counsel shall always stand. Man may boast and threaten to do this or that to you, but that is only to the extent that God allows.
Proverbs 19:21 KJV
[21] There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord , that shall stand.

Speaking about Esau and Jacob, the scriptures say, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. This is to say that He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and compassion on whom He will have compassion.
Romans 9:12-16 KJV
[12] It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. [13] As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. [14] What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. [15] For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. [16] So then it is n

ot of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

The need for God’s grace and favour cannot be overemphasised. It is commonly said that one day of favour is greater than a hundred years of labour. God can make you gain divine speed over lost grounds and overtake those who have since been ahead of you.

Paul was the least of the Apostles, yet he was the most effective of them all. What could have been the reason for this, other than the grace of God. He covered tremendous grounds to catch up and overtake those Apostles who were before him.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV
[11] 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.

Beloved of God, no matter what the situation might be with you, God is God and still in charge. The God that took David from being a shepherd boy to King of Israel is still the same God.
2 Samuel 7:8 KJV
[8] Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

He is the same yesterday, today and forever. ( Hebrews 13:8 ). The same God took Joseph from prisoner to prime minister in a foreign land of Egypt. This was impossible naturally speaking. He sought out Moses from the back side of the desert while tending his father in law’s flock and made him a leader of the Israelites.

No matter how much grounds you have lost, or by how much you have been left behind by your mates, God will restore all that the enemy has taken from you. You will gain divine speed and cover seemingly lost grounds and at the end you you will be victorious and testify. Only rely on His grace and mercy which is all you need.

Give God first place in your life as your Lord and personally  saviour and you will see a
difference.

CHOOSING YOUR VERSION NOW.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT VERSION OF YOURSELF

This week I want to talk to you about choosing the right version of yourself and tapping into your unique talents and seeds of greatness.

It is always refreshing writing for you each week, many thanks for the prayers and kind words. I read every single one of them and I pray that you are blessed too.

In the technology age, versions are talked about a lot. Every application has many versions and we aim to upgrade to the latest versions of phones, applications and cars. However, we as individuals have different versions too and I have identified the 3 versions that stand out to me.

So let’s look at the different versions of you that you may not be aware exists:

1. Version 1: Who We Have Become

This is the current version of you right now as you read this message.

If life is going very well congratulations but please check out the other versions too. If you are struggling, I want you to know that there is hope for a better life and that it is possible that you can transform your life.

Version one for you is probably, the struggling person, doing all you know to get by every week. It might be very laid back, lazy and half asleep person who is just surviving but not really living your true life but drifting and waiting for help that will never come.

It might also be a version where you believe that you know it all and need to further knowledge, with the belief that once school or university studies is over, there is nothing much to study since you have all the certificates. You believe that you have all it takes to get the best opportunities and business based on your current knowledge.

Your version one, may be that you are seating in the corner waiting for others to fix your life; government, parents, friends, relatives etc. I call this living a life of entitlement; the most dangerous and destructive lifestyle. Here you believe that whether it goes well or not, there is somebody to blame for it and if it goes well then you take the glory.

For some others, we see only one option in life to achieve whatever we want to without opening our eyes to other opportunities out there but stay with me let us consider the other versions.

2.     Version 2: Who You Dream to Become

This is to many of us a better version. The dream version of life that we are all aiming for. It appears like the best that we can become to feel that we are living the life or running the business of our dreams.

This version is normally limited to our exposure and what we believe is possible. It is often determined also by the people we have around us, TV programmes we watch, the locations we visit often, the books we read and the people we listen to daily.

Based on this, we find heroes whose personal achievements and lifestyles we want to copy, but is this the best version of you?

I don’t think so because I believe that you can become better and as we are all unique, there is nobody in the world who can be the best version of YOU! It is only YOU!

This version keeps you in the confines of your current knowledge and possibilities but we are all warriors in different things and by copying others we run the risk of missing our marks. We also run the risk of becoming much less than we are capable of becoming.

Although, there is nothing very bad with this version, I have a new proposition for you this week and that is version 3. Let’s look at it…

3.     Version 3: What We Can Become

This is the version of you that I am inviting you to, the totally and completely unchained warrior!

Let me tell you something you probably have not been told by anyone about you:

You are a unique gift to the world for this time that we live in. Nothing exactly like you has come this way from the start of the world till date.
You are endowed with seeds of greatness that if you would take the responsibility and water it for as long as it will take to mature, the world will hear your name!
You have the power to achieve at least 100 times whatever you think you can achieve as version 2. So dream bigger than you have right now. Think about it, even if you don’t achieve 100 times and end up with just 20 times, it is still better than your current dreams.
You owe it to the world to bring the best you have to the table and serve the world with it or we will all miss out.

This is it for this week on my blog, Warriors, the choice is yours. Remain where you are today, dream to become like other people around you or embrace a much larger dream and vision of yourself, work on it and change the world to your amazement and the amazement of the people around you.

Come out of that comfort zone of version one and step up your game. The whole world is your stage; not just your village, community, state or country! No, you are a gift to the world!

The world is changing every day and to survive, succeed and thrive, you must continuously upgrade the versions of yourself until every talent in you is fully utilised and you live out your warrior.

The call is for today, not tomorrow, next week or next year. Start today!

Lots of love and abundant blessings.

BUILD YOURSELF AND AWAIT ANY COMING CHALLENGES AHEAD.

Do not stop living. Now and again life deals each of us a low blow. It knocks the wind right out of us and we lay there stunned. Do not stop living because a relationship that you wanted badly ended, a job that you gave your all to laid you off, or someone you love has passed on.
Everyone hits that wall. Down the line someone will look at you and think to themselves, either, “Wow, what grace and strength. That person has been through something,” or they will think, “Wow. What happened to that person? Life has jacked them up.” Grief and worry will mark you as surely as will love and forgiveness. Each is clearly visible on your face.
In times of adversity allow the natural buoyancy of your spirit to carry you upward. Think of your successes, large and small, and how they swelled your breast with pride. What simple gesture once brought you joy? Be still and remember these things as if they were but a moment ago.
The world needs your unabashed

joy. Smell the flowers. Dance in the sunshine. Smile. Be joyful. Your life is not over. Years from now you will see that your destiny came from this dark moment. Something you would never have, do, or be, had you not gone through that thing. Allow Providence it’s due. Embrace and be grateful for every moment, every emotion and every experience in your life. You have GREATNESS within you!

POINTS TO PONDER ON ESPECIALLY TO OUR BACHELORS…..

Some guys (BACHELORS) are currently in there early thirties and has been working for about 10 years. He is considering getting married very soon and feels this may just be the right time for him. However, he faces one huge problem. He has no money in the bank to fund the wedding ceremonies, let alone sustain a family. He is even more appalled when he realises that he has earned over N30m combined in his last 10 years as a salaried worker, yet he had nothing in terms of savings in the bank or investments to show for it. What could be the problem?

A lot of young bachelors I know face serious issues with finances despite relatively having little responsibilities compared to their married counterparts. This can be a real problem for an economy that is fast transforming as more and more graduates are churned out to replace our ageing workforce. Why is being broke a problem for bachelors? Here are some of the reasons I can point out.

Cars and houses

A familiar characteristic of a young thriving bachelor is the desire to own a nice car and living in a rented apartment. These require huge outlay of cash as landlords collect a minimum of one year rent upfront and the cost of good cars also high. They end up borrowing from their offices or banks at very high rates to pay back over time. The loan repayment, including interest, leaves them with little or no money to save. But if they had saved first, they would have had enough money to at least fund either a car or a house.

Poor disposition towards saving

Most bachelors I know hardly cultivate the habit of saving. This can be because they do not feel any level of responsibility to a spouse or even children. Therefore, every income they receive is channeled towards maintaining their lifestyle, leaving them with little or no disposable income, let alone savings. Another reason can be a deceptive belief that they don’t have goals.

As a bachelor, you must inculcate the habit of saving at all times. Rather than think you have no goals that warrant savings, you should save towards marriage, your unborn kid’s education, welfare, house, and even insurance.

Reckless lifestyle

Some bachelors live a reckless lifestyle of partying, drinking, travelling and being a spendthrift. Whilst it is not so bad partying or drinking, there is a likelihood that this will be done excessively as a bachelor. These habits are inimical to a good savings culture as they are hardly compatible. When you save, you have little disposable income and limit your ability to fund some of these lifestyles.

Family pressure

Young bachelors also feel this intense need to give back soon after they are employed. They have parents, younger ones and even relatives who rely on them for some source of income. This puts immense pressure on their finances making them seldom save or even invest for themselves. In fact, some cultures in Nigeria require that newly employed persons give their complete first month salary to their parents. While it is good to give back, wouldn’t saving your entire first month salary be a good head start in life?

Peer group influence

Peer group influence is another strong factor affecting savings culture of bachelors. Young bachelors often have friends who are also not married and in most cases are simply excited with the newly found freedom of life to even bother to save. There is this unannounced competition to outdo each other in terms of spending.

They often misplace their priorities choosing to chase more material aspects of life than meaningful ones. While belonging to a peer group is human nature in itself, joining one with a better focus in life can be a very useful tool for saving.

This is why groups such as an investment club or a cooperative are very wonderful forms of peer group influence that can aid the culture of saving.

Women and fashion

This needs no introduction as most bachelors I know indulge in womanising and trying to look good. Both habits are very expensive to maintain and these days the price is even much higher than it used to be. Women are wiser and more demanding of their men both financially and physically. They want you to dress really nice and lavish some of your money on them. While these are not bad demands, they can be quite expensive for a young bachelor. It is very possible for this behaviour to not only stop you from saving but to make you borrow chronically and keep you indebted.

Education – Acquiring further education is very encouraging, however it comes at a huge cost. A Master’s degree locally costs between N500, 000 and N2m, while the same abroad can be between N5m and N10m. Young bachelors have identified the advantage that postgraduate degrees can bring for their careers in future thus making them want to spend every money they have acquiring it. The risk here is that, they take up these degrees full-time thus resigning from their jobs. Upon graduating they are mostly broke with most not even having enough money to pay off the balance of school fees. Student’s debts are common even in developed countries.