GOD PREPARES YOU FOR RESTORATION

God placed Moses in Egypt to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh. In  Exodus 2: 11-22, Moses saw two people fighting and he took the law into his own hands and killed the Egyptian, leaving the Israelite. When Pharaoh was looking for him to kill him because of the crime he has committed. He fled from Egypt to Midian. He immediately lost track of where his destiny lies when he was ruled by anger. He did not submit his ways before the Lord and he did things his own way. God being God, He still used him after he had prepared him in Midian by taking care of sheep. He grew out of his anger and depended on God solely. He learnt how to be compassionate, meek and not to rely on his own strength but God’s, so that he could lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God always straightens our way in preparation for the answer.

COME AS YOU ARE

If you don’t open up to your best friend, he/she will not know what the situation really is, to help you. I had a friend, whom we shared everything. It got to a time; I felt this friend was being judgmental so I started hiding some stuff from her. I then projected myself as if everything was alright. Truth be told, I was suffering inside. Anytime, she asked me whether I was okay, I hurriedly replied, yes. I then got tired of hiding information from her. One day, I broke down and told her the whole situation. She quickly said, why didn’t you tell me all this? I just couldn’t tell you, I replied. Okay, she continued I have the exact help you need. My friend helped me in a way that I could have never imagined. I felt so much happier and relieved. Best of all, my problem was solved and the relationship was even better. This is exactly, how God wants us to come to Him in Prayer. When you are truthful to Him, He hears you and comes to your aid and best of all your relationship with Him is strengthened. Let us not present ourselves superficially to Him. Let’s come as we are, so that He will give us the needed help and we get even closer to Him.

 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 (NIV).

BIG HAND HELPING LITTLE HAND

Adding house chores to four children was an arduous task for me. I woke up one morning feeling so tired, but I still had work to do and it was so much! I didn’t know where to start from but I started anyway, in the middle of the chores, I was so overwhelmed and I asked God in prayer to help me with my chores. Honestly, He did! All of a sudden I felt someone was holding my hand to do the chores. I felt His strength everywhere, obviously I was so weak. The chores were done in no time and I just couldn’t believe it. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me". (2 Corinthians 12:19) He loves you so much so turn all your cares and worries into prayers.

Fixing the Collar of his shirt

In marriage, sometimes we may feel we are married to the wrong partner. We feel our partner is the worst thing that happened to us. Did I not see? We will ask ourselves severally especially when our spouse is behaving in inappropriate ways. Ama met Nana in the university and immediately liked each other; they got married soon after leaving the university. Two years into the marriage, Ama realized that she made a mistake in marrying Nana. They could not have one meaningful conversation, their chats were always characterized by quarrels, arguments and squabbles obviously they were not on the same path. It just wasn’t working. Ama needed God in her marriage owing to the fact that she couldn’t do it on her own. It was so overwhelming. All the opportunities Ama wanted from God were not forthcoming. She needed to fix the collar of her husband’s shirt even though it was difficult and it is only through Christ that it could be done. She let everything go so that God could handle it. All her anger and thoughts were poured out in prayer to the Lord, and then she realized she had to change herself instead of trying to change someone. Ama through Christ turned over a new leaf, she became very meek and in spite of her husband’s issues she became very submissive to him. After a while, Ama’s husband was changing too and so positively, she was beginning to live an exemplary life for her husband to emulate. It was beautiful! All of a sudden, the opportunities she wanted way back were all opened. It was a beautiful feeling; she has evolved into Christ’s beautiful bride. Let’s try to love our spouse even if they don’t deserve it, for undeserving as we are God loved us enough to give us His only begotten son to die for our sins. Let’s try to be the change instead of changing others.

“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye”. Matthew 7:5.

Waiting For God's Timing.

Jonas was a very industrious man; He worked very hard to cater for his family. Suddenly, things took a different turn and fending for his family had become so difficult. One day, Jonas called me and said; Adwoba, My landlady has increased the rent, things are so difficult that I cannot even pay the old rent. I told Jonas to take his rent issue to God. He smiled and I immediately knew he wasn’t going to do it. After two weeks, He came back again complaining, this time the landlady has decided to throw him out. He sobbed bitterly, where am I going with my family? I said it again; take your rent issue to God. This time, he wanted to hang on to the hope that God will take him through and I knew he was going to do it. After a month, He came back again and said the landlady hasn’t thrown me out yet but she is giving me pressure to pay the rent. I said again; let go and let God take the pressure. He will help you through it. He took his mind off the rent amidst pressures from the landlady and surprisingly he wasn’t thrown out.  After six months of living in a house without paying rent, God showed up. He had a job and it came with accommodation.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

NOT A CUL-DE-SAC AFTER ALL

A man I knew had cheated on his wife and was going through a divorce. He was so hard on himself because he knew it was his fault that the marriage is breaking down. He took full responsibility for his actions and apologized numerous times to his wife but the wife was very disappointed and could not trust him any longer. To his wife, the marriage was over. The man wanted a second chance at his marriage. I told him, if you are truly sorry, there is someone who can absorb your cross, so take your cross and follow Him. He invited God in the situation and allowed Him to have the final say. The wife went on with the divorce and it was granted. They all went on to live normal separate lives. After three years of living separately, the wife realized she had made a mistake and they reconciled and remarried. The man bore his cross that is the divorce and loneliness he went through for three years. Christ made it bearable so he was able to withstand it. Finally there was glory at the end when Christ absorbed his cross. We may be going through certain misfortunes at some point in our lives; Christ will always help us through it so that His glory will be manifested in the end.

Luke 14:27   says “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple”.

AWWWW!

I had a distress call from my daughter’s school. The head teacher said my daughter’s temperature was running at 40 degrees Celsius. She said: I don’t know what to do. I have given her first aid but it doesn’t seem to be improving. Can you please come quickly, and then she hanged up.  As I was about to hurriedly go to the school. I suddenly felt I shouldn’t rush and that God was in control. I decided to worship with a song, as words will fail me. As I sang the song, I immediately let go and let God to be in charge of the situation. I received inner rest and I had the peace that can’t be understood by human minds. Believing the fact that it is God that saves, frustration wasn’t going to save my situation. After a while, the head teacher called and said: Mummy, your daughter is okay, the high temperature has gone down. I sang a song of praise. He is indeed God; put your trust in Him.

In Philippians 4; 6-7 we are told not to be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving we should present our requests to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.