A fight to the finish!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6: 12-13

The Christian life is a fight to finish. For we who call ourselves by the name of Jesus Christ it is a fight until the end of the race. The fight is a close mark fight, a wrestle, which means that the enemy is closer than we think. He is not hidden from us but in plain sight and the focus of his fight is not to cause us physical death, this in most cases come from our choices.

The whole idea is to make it impossible to move forward, to run our race of life. What the devil does is to pin us down one way or the other so much so that we give up hope. We begin to tell ourselves that we can never succeed in life. This leaves us a bit damaged one way or the other, we are always looking over our shoulders. Some people the devil will attack one’s finances, some it is their marriage, some it is their health, some it is their business and so many areas of our life. He would attack your business and bring about failure. What is his end game? He wants you to look at your life and believe you can never be successful in business. He wants you to deny God. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. Job 1:11

We must no longer be casual, simple, ordinary, predictable, pedantic about the way we live our life and fight to win our race, we must be able and ready to fight. Why? We are in a wrestling fight against 4 types of enemies – principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high place. One level is more deadly than the next.

We must empower ourselves in the 4 areas of fight. We must know exactly how to face the people that the enemy is using to fight us. We must face the spirit operating through persons working against our growth and not focus on the person. Once the spirit operating in them is defeated those people become a tool for us. The fight has 4 hierarchical levels. It becomes tougher with each level so we should be stronger with each fight.

We are to get back into spiritual activities that will lift us up, make us stronger, build us up and empower us to win and succeed in life.

What is the meaning of life? pt 4

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2: 7, 15 KJV

A lot of people are so brilliant but are poor, a lot are so capable and yet cannot excel. A lot of us are not succeeding because of someone who does not want you to succeed. There is the story of an old man who at 70 years had a capacity to remember word for word sermons and discussions in church without leaving anything out. For this skill he was made secretary in many departments. Then one day the Pastor asks him; Baba how come you are this brilliant but you are poor? Baba said he didn’t have an answer. Baba was brilliant, found it easy to solve people’s problems and everywhere he went he was a solution. Then the pastor prayed for him and he asked Baba to find out from his ancestral home what happened when he was born.

When he went home and asked the question he found someone alive who still had the answer. He told him that his parents went to inquire about his future. They told his parents he would travel and excel, that he would be great in diaspora. His parents said no that as an only child they do not want him far away from them. Due to their shortsightedness they decided to prevent him from leaving them. This became the stumbling block to his success and fulfilling his destiny.

This is what a lot of us face this day. Someone somewhere decides that what we have is not good enough. They are used as the stumbling block to our success, not because they do not love you but because they feel that they know the best for you. We must find out who we are, what our purpose is and what we are to achieve with the fulfillment of purpose.

Finally, you need to ask yourself; where am I going after I leave this earth. How can be sure of this answer? What is the solution to this struggle and achieving? Give your life to Jesus! This world is our exam and we must pass that exam in a great and mighty way. Talk to Jesus today. So that we would end up in the right place at the end of life here on earth.

What is the meaning of life? pt 3

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2: 7, 15 KJV

What am I doing here? What is my duty and what is my responsibility here on earth? There is a reason God created you; you are not a mistake. The bible tells us in Genesis 2:15, that God put man in the garden to dress and to keep it. The duty of man is to obey God and do that which He has told us to do. Everyone has a duty and responsibility here on earth. Most of us has been created to do something and to protect that thing.

We are not just here to look good and to accumulate, we are here to fulfill a purpose.  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5. This means before our conception God already knew you; He had imagined you in His thought and had an idea of what you would become. It is after He had finished the design and purpose that the baby is conceived.

God had known you before He formed you. He and pictured you and known what purpose you will fulfill. We have a specific duty to carry out as creations of God. A lot of us work below par and find it so hard to fulfill our potential of our life.

Exodus 3:1-10 tells us the story of a man called Moses. The bible said Moses at the age of 80 found himself in the back of life. He found himself not where he is supposed to be but where he was not supposed to be. He was a lonely shepherd man living off his father-in-law. Instead of him being the Shepherd of men, he was leading the sheep. Moses at the backside of the desert suddenly had an encounter with God. God told him that he is not a failure but his purpose was to lead the people of Israel.

It is important for us to know what we are meant to achieve in life. There is a difference between duty or responsibility and achievement. Some people know what they should do, they do it but even in their doing there is no achievement. It is one thing to labour, yet it is another thing to show fruit of the labour. You are working hard and struggling; trying one thing it doesn’t work and trying another one but there is no fruit to show for it.

As a creation of a universal and eternal God, we are created not to labour in vain. We are created to labour and to be fruitful. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28 KJV
Being fruitful is a portion of God's own inheritance saved by Christ.

Succeeding in the midst of adversity

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. Genesis 26: 12-14 KJV

Isaac sowed in that land. Today we will be looking at success. What is success to you? How do you define success? Success is obtaining or achieving the desired effort; accomplishment of a purpose; fulfilling your God given purpose.

I believe that success is the fulfillment of your potential in life, hopefully achieving all that one can achieve and getting to the ultimate peak of one’s purpose in life. Success should come with all benefits; good health, financial benefit, spiritual benefit, social benefit, economic benefit, marital benefit. In essence when we say we are successful as a child of God, it is all-round success that encompasses all areas of life.

Why is it that a lot of people are not successful?

1. Lack of information or knowledge
2. Laziness
3. Lack of discipline
4. Not following the principles of success
5. Not utilizing opportunities
6. Having the wrong focus

How do I succeed in this life?
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you thought about success and how to achieve good success?
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8 KJV
We need to have the determination to succeed. From the verse above we are given some guides to good success.

In 2018, let us be determined to be successful!

What is the meaning of life? Pt 2

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen. 1: 26-27

The first question to ask yourself is this; Who am I? The truth of the matter is that every single human being is useless without God. The bible says we are formed from the ground and we will return to the ground. Gen 3:19. Therefore, without the breath of God (spirit of God) in our life we cannot become a living being.

In practical terms we must define who we really are. We must know who we are, your background, what is your line, your lineage, your personality, your principle, the people who have gone before you. We need to know our character, passion, capabilities, level of faith, and capacity to do things. We must define who we are so that we can do those things God has given us to do. The simple answer to the question is – we are nothing without God. So, the most important thing for us is our relationship with God and the ability to give our life to Christ.  Jesus puts it simply- He is the vine and we are the branches; without him we can do nothing. John 15: 5.

A lot of us misunderstand who we are and we find ourselves in the wrong perspective of life, Therefore, we put God in the wrong place in our life, not knowing that we cannot survive without God.

Why was I created? This is the next question we should ask ourselves. In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1, we are told that there is a reason for everything under the sun and a reason why each and every human being was created. We were created for the pleasure of God; Revelation 4:11. The most important thing is for us to please God. Enoch pleased God and was translated that he did not die. Noah excelled because God was with him. David was great because he was a man after God’s heart. Abraham was great because he please God. Anybody that had succeeded in the bible did so because they pleased God. So, whatever we are doing in life, we must ask ourselves if we are pleasing God with what we do in life.

What am I doing here? What is my purpose in life? And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2: 15 KJV. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jer 1: 5 KJV

The most important thing in life starting this year is to find the purpose of your life. Isaiah 6: 8 whom shall I send, who shall go for us? There is a purpose in life for everyone, without knowing what this purpose of creation, we would find it difficult to achieve all-round success.
If we can ask ourselves these 3 questions, then we are on our way to success.

What is the meaning of life? Pt 1

 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen. 1: 26-27

Very few people go to the grave saying; I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 KJV. 

Can you beat your chest and say without a doubt in your heart that you are successful? As a matter of fact, most times when people want to die it is usually a death of regret. Some people leave this world smiling while a lot leave with tears in their eyes or with a heavy heart of sadness. Those who have the believe that they have lived a full and successful life, are very happy a lot of the times to leave this life. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. 2: 7 KJV. 

We must ask certain questions

1. Who am I? This is a question I have asked myself on a regular basis even as a young child. It is a question we must always ask ourselves
2. Why was I made or created?
3. What am I doing here?
4. What am I meant to achieve?
5. Where am I going from here?
6. Am I in the right place? 
7. Am I where I am supposed to be? (in terms of trajectory or in terms of location)

All these questions are important if anyone is going to put a meaning to his or her life. And get life in the right perspective and get meaning out of life.  We have become too concerned about personal earthly desires and simple aspirations. We need to look deeper than the surface of our life.  A lot of us are going after the things that are of this world. We are too focused on earthly things forgetting that one day all of us will die. It is never a long search to find a coffin for the burial/death of each person. This is why Jesus advised us to not worry about the things of the world.  Matthew 6: 31-33 KJV.

These questions are important and very critical to giving our life meaning, but a lot of us are going after things that should be coming after us. We have become too consumed with earthly desires not realizing that one day all of us will die.

Have you reviewed your life in 2018?

So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above. Philippians 3: 14

This is a new year, each year comes with its own blessings, open doors, opportunities; however, it is important for us to put our best foot forward. We need to do a review of our life and all that we want out of the life we live. To do that effectively, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.

1. Who am I as a person?
2. What is this life all about, why am I going through this processes in life? 
3. What really do I want in this life, more importantly what does God want me to take out of this life? 
4. What am I going to become in this life?

These questions will give you an insight into what you need to do on a daily basis to achieve. Answering those questions would help you answer another question. How am I going to live my life daily in 2018? It is important for us to do a daily review of our life as much as the occasional reviews.

In Philippians 3: 12-14, Apostle Paul gives a review of his life and the journey therein. He says briefly that in spite of everything there are certain things he has decided to do, things he wants out of life, things he wants to do. He forgets the challenges, difficulties, issues of the past and moves to the future with a singular focus and faithfulness.
How are we going to work out this year and ensure that the year works out for us? What are those things that we do daily that we need to correct?
We need to live our lives in the best way to we can to ensure that we do not have regrets and begin to look back. Whatever that has been committed to our hand it is important that we do it with all our might.

Pressing towards the mark?

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 KJV

The city of Phillipi was named after the father of Alexander the great, Philip. It was in this same place that Paul and Silas were imprisoned. Here Paul talks about the all sufficiency of Christ. Paul talks to the people of Phillipi about fulfillment of purpose through Christ.

When it is time to shut my eyes in death, what would I have become? What impact would I have made and what would people remember me for after I am gone? What are those things I need to do in my life to achieve purpose so that I leave a mark behind after I am gone?
There is a reason that we are all created the way we are. We all have a purpose for being, and it is important that we strive to attain and fulfill that reason. We must press toward the mark for the price that gives life meaning.

Our life must have meaning, it must have importance, it must that thing that when we leave this world it would be said of us that we came and had an impact.
Life is about living a life of significance, living a life that has added value. As we go through life we must consider and look back, reflect and look back, review and adjust. In 2018 we must consider how we are going to get some level of significance in this life.

What are the things to do in 2018 to live a life of significance;

1. Righteous discomfort with where we are
2. Have the power to see the future and live it
3. Have the right spirit; the spirit that attracts the value of life and right living to you
4. Know the strategy to achieving 
5. Have shameless persistence; pressing towards the mark to get what we want. We must keep at it until we get the response we want.
6. You must be bold to take life on
7. Willingness to forgive the past and to focus on the future. We spend so much time focusing on the hurts and pains of the past and fail to focus on the beauties and opportunities of today and the future.  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12: 18 KJV. 

We are going into a new place this year but we need to start it right and Press towards the mark. It is important that we do not stop or give up on our vision, goals and purpose; but to keep pushing with a singular focus until we achieve it. We are to do this with Christ as our guide through the word of God, the Bible.