Give God Your Worries, He cares

MEDITATION

Give God Your Worries, He Cares

1 Peter 5:7 "Because he takes care of you, let him take care of all the things that you are worried/​concerned about." T4T

Point to ponder on: If you truly see the LORD as your care giver you will never worry about anything in life.

My soul is so excited about this comforting statement. It brings reassurance of a life without worry. It simply means your issues are the LORD's issues and He will handle them if you recognise His place in your life and allow Him to take His rightful place as your LORD and saviour.
"Think about the birds: They do not plant seeds, and they do not harvest crops. They do not have rooms or buildings in which to store crops. But God provides food for them. And you are certainly much more valuable than birds. So God will certainly provide what you need!"(Lk.12:24-T4T)
"And it shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank of the brook." (1Ki.17:4,6-kjv2k) God is certain to meet your needs. If He did it for Elijah and fed him by using birds, beloved, your case is settled. The LORD will make you smile again. Whatever may be the case, you can count on Him.

God is absolutely dependable to take care of you and all your worries. I need you to do a list of those things that bother you on a paper and roll it all to God. Trust Him for sustenance and give Him all your worries. Tell Him, "LORD I give you my concerns". Your circle of concern contains things you cannot control, so let God handle them all as you rest in His arms.

If you desire a life that is worry free you must learn to pass all your worries to Jesus by mentioning them to Him and tell Him to take over. Beloved, you are not alone, hear what David said, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me: you shall stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: your mercy, O LORD, endures forever: forsake not the works of your own hands."(Ps.138:7-8{kjv2k}) The Lord will not forsake you. He is your sure care giver and He is right here to help you live the life that is free of worries and full of peace.

Good morning. Enjoy His peace.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

It Will Turn Out Better

MEDITATION

It Will Turn Out Better

2 Kings 6:6 "As one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly his iron ax head fell in the water. "What shall I do, sir?" he exclaimed to Elisha. "It was a borrowed ax!" "Where did it fall?" Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float."(GNB)

Point to ponder on: Don't conclude yet on that issue, God can still turn things around.

Everything set to waste your effort on your endeavour is nullified in Jesus name. Your labour on life goals will never be in vain. Every power set to embarrass you before your helper will be disgraced in Jesus name. Whatever positive deal you invest in will yield positive result in Jesus name.

If you have been progressive and suddenly hit a halt of confusion and stagnation, don't panic because the Almighty is the present help in trouble. Where ever and whenever things went wrong, the Almighty will turn things around. Have you lost an opportunity when it was all you look out for? The Almighty will turn things around for the better. Mark when and where the chips were down, there the Lord will show up for you in Jesus name.

The reason God gives us mouth and mind is for conversation, therefore, talk to the Father about what is not working, stagnant and missing and He will bring a change, progress and restoration. Things will turn out better if you can turn to God for help.

Life is good only if you know how to live it.

Good morning. Enjoy His grace.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

Encourage Yourself

MEDITATION

Encourage Yourself

1 Samuel 30:6 "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God." Kjv2k

Point to ponder on: You must stay in control of your mind at all times no matter the situation and encourage your self never to accept defeat.

Sometimes in life we experience the unexpected that is not pleasant. In such situation, what do you do? Cry? Get moody? Complain? Feel defeated or worry that you have lost someone or something you cherish, which you can still get back? It is natural to feel that way but the big question is, would such acts solve the problem? Definitely No! Therefore, you must stand up to face your challenges. Remember, life is an occasion, you must rise to it.

Did you support someone and gave all your best to serve them and they let you down or you lost what you left behind to follow such people or leader? Don't be put down there is hope for recovery.

Are you a leader who has been doing well and made decisions that have lifted your people and recently you made a decision and everything went wrong and people started grumbling and putting the blame on you? It is mature to take responsibility. However, don't feel defeated. You are human who is limited but with unlimited God without error and He will safe your face and make you proud of yourself again.

What ever category you find yourself, you must stay in control of your mind. Don't lose hope. God is waiting to see what you will do when you are waiting for Him. Encourage yourself knowing that you have a God that is unbeatable and unlimited. Encouragement gives you courage to stand and face your Amalekites. Engage the unlimited God for the way forward, and move on as He  directs. You are too strong in the LORD to be defeated. The LORD will restore you, turn your shame in to gain and feel your mouth with laughter in Jesus name.

Life is good only if you know how to live it.

Good morning. Enjoy His favour.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

The Faithful Servant Gets God's Attention Faster

MEDITATION

The Faithful Servant Gets God's Attention Faster

2 Kings 19:20 "Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelis belong, says: I have heard what you prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria."T4T

Point to ponder on: The prayers of anyone loyal or faithful to God gets speedy attention and answer.

God responds swiftly to the prayer of those who are loyal or faithful to him. "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."(Isa.65:24) He is so attentive to His children that are faithful or loyal to Him. Being swift to attend to their call is also with caution to ensure that everything is to bring glory to His name. Here is a perfect illustration from the case of Apostle Paul, a faithful Apostle, "Three times I prayed to the Lord about it, begging him to take this away from me. But he said to me, “ No, I will not take this away from you. Instead, I will kindly help you, and that will be all that you need, because it is when you are weak that I can best work powerfully to help you.” So, because of what the Lord said to me, I will very gladly boast about the things that make me seem weak, so that people may realize that it is Christ who gives me power to serve him."T4T
God cares a lot about His children that are faithful and loyal to Him and responds to their needs in the way that brings glory to His name.

However, we have another category of believers who only make boast of their loyalty but God knows their heart that they are not faithful and loyal to Him. "These people draw near unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Matt.15:8(kjv2k) "Many claim “I’m a loyal person!” but who can find someone who truly is?"(Pro.20:6-ISV) God doesn't hate them but their attitude gives them the reward they deserve. God's providence still work for them but they don't operate under same level of grace with the faithful.

I want to encourage you today to take your relationship with God seriously. Don't play religion, don't try to impress someone or your spiritual leader but let the zeal of God consume you and follow Him closely. Spirituality is key because your God is a Spirit and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and truth. It is also important to understand true religion as painted by James: "Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world." (James 1:26-27{GNB})

Let us get our brand right in God has His faithfuls.The reward is immense as you get His attention on your case faster than anyone else. God is not partial or wicked  but He honours those who honour Him just as His faithfuls do.

Life is good if you know how to live it.

Good morning. Enjoy His benefits.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

The Secret To All Round Success

MEDITATION

The Secret To All Round Success

2 Kings 18:6-8 "He was faithful to the LORD and never disobeyed him, but carefully kept all the commands that the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the emperor of Assyria and refused to submit to him. He defeated the Philistines and raided their settlements, from the smallest village to the largest city, including Gaza and its surrounding territory." (GNB)

Point to ponder on: The secret code to all round success is faithfulness to the LORD.

I am so excited finding out this great sacred truth that made King Hezekiah stood out among other Kings of Judah and Israel in his generation apart from His ancestor King David. (Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; Judah never had another king like him, either before or after his time {2 Kings 18:5})  This secret code is faithfulness to the LORD. Please permit me to break down the word faithfulness as used in other  versions for clarity. It means that Hezekiah "depended on the LORD, not abandoning pursuit of him"(ISV). "He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him" (T4T). "He really loved the LORD and he always obeyed him"(EE). "His heart was fixed on the Lord, not turning from his ways" (BBE). The Hebrew word dâbaq which is translated as faithfulness in the Goodnews Bible means to cleave or follow closely. This means that Hezekiah cleaved or followed God closely. And figuratively, it expresses someone who catches up with God by pursuing Him. This is so amazing. Are you ready to follow God closely  and be  cleaved to him by pursuing Him in faithful obedience to His word and not what is convenient or popular or in vogue or acceptable by your group of friends or your socialites? Then you are ready to dâbaq to God.

We endlessly run around looking for success and most times trying to use God like Father Christmas to do our biddings in things we never got approval from Him and sometimes against His will for our lives. We choose our ways and create purposes for our selfish desires and expect God to endorse it and bless it even when we have not sought Him. No wonder toiling is too great these days and we only reap little practically incomparable to our efforts.

The first Psalm gives a vivid example of the attitude of a man faithful to the LORD and the benefits accrued to such a person. Attitude:  "Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God."
Benefits: "They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do." (Psalms 1:1-3{GNB})

Beloved, if you must stop working like Elephants and eating like ants thinking it's just only about being hardworking that will bring the success that is kingdom worth, then you need a rethink. Let us imitate Hezekiah and play smart. Let us follow God closely and make the Holy Bible our life manual and pledge our allegiance to obey every detail whether convenient or not through the help of the Holy Spirit. God is ever faithful, He won't deny Himself.

When we do what Hezekiah did, we can replicate his result. The Lord's presence with us will ensure success is activated in all we do. We can boldly ignore any enemy or strongman boasting around us knowing that God is with us and He will defend and empower us to overcome every obstacle around us and defeat any territorial power threatening us.

Now is the time, we must turn and be faithful to the LORD in our services, worship, giving, care giving, prayers, study of His word, evangelism, follow-up, occupying where He places us to fulfill purpose and His calling over our lives and things committed into our hands(both secular and spiritual). Success is possible when we completely obey God. However, that does not mean difficult times will not come our way but victory is certain as the LORD did for Hezekiah.  Many believers today are living a life of gross disobedience to God and struggling so hard when God of grace is watching them and waiting for them to return and be faithful.

All things are yours. But the LORD in the helm of affairs needs you to be faithful to access your success hot button. This is the time to turn to God in faithfulness with all your heart not for the success you desire but for your show of love to God, then your success will follow.

Life is good only if you know how to live it.

Good morning. Enjoy His grace.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

Love Makes A Big Difference

MEDITATION

Love Makes A Big Difference

Proverbs 10:12 "Hate is a cause of violent acts, but all errors are covered up by love."BBE

Point to ponder on: Love overlooks error and finds a way to make right that which was wrong, the reason  Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.

God who is love demonstrated with the big picture by giving up Jesus when the entire mankind were still sinners as a sacrifice for the sin He did not commit. He did this so that all our errors would be blotted out by the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus. That same Jesus is love personified (the way, the truth and the life) who took our place and covered all our errors on the cross. He expects the show of love from you and I as carriers of His Spirit to allow His love in us to overlook errors of others.

Mahatma Ghandi once wrote, “Where there is love there is life." This life is the life of God and where this life exists love exists. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains spiritually dead. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him."(1Jn.3:14-15-ISV)

How do we get the love activated? "Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."(Rom.5:5-ISV) If we have the Holy Spirit we are good to go but we must keep with the Holy Spirit for the love to flow out. If the Holy Spirit is not there all is just a human fickle kind of love.

Research shows that experiencing love releases feelings of euphoria, including brain chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin. Not only does the hormone make us feel good, but it lowers blood pressure, stress hormones and improves your overall mood and wellbeing. Can you see the life of God at work through love.

Listed below are some health benefits of love shown by research: (1) Fewer Doctor's visits.(2) Less Depression & Substance Abuse. (3)Lower Blood Pressure.(4)Less Anxiety.(5) Natural Pain Control. (6)Better Stress Management. (7) Fewer Colds. (8)Faster Healing, etc

If the body reacts in such a way, how about our spirit if we allow (God)love to reign within us. It will affect our entire being and influence our communities, place of work, schools, homes, relationships, marriages and churches. There will be no hatred, selfishness and faultfinding.

Let us allow God to live through us. He is love and He wants expression through us. When we give Him chance allowing the Holy Spirit to rule through our spirit, He will make a big difference in our world. Let God and let love reign.

Life is good only if you know how to live it.

Good morning. Enjoy His love.

I celebrate you.

David, Johnson

How To Make People Feel Important During Conversations

RELATIONSHIPS JUST GOT BETTER

How To Make People Feel Important During Conversations

The next person to you is a reflection of mankind. Whatever the complexion may be, the body is covered with skin like yours and within are spirit and soul with the body as the house and the outer cover and he or she is your fellow human being. Whether you are dealing with virtual or real people (customers/clients), It is vital to make the other person feel important in such a way that he or she can notice or sense it and appreciate such gestures.

1. Empathic Listening is the Turn On

When we are communicating with another person we often listen in one of the four levels, such as ignoring, pretending, selective listening and attentive listening. However, we  should  be  using  the  fifth,  highest form  of  listening- empathic  listening. Empathic  listening  is  listening  with  intent  to  understand  the  other  person's  frame  of reference  and  feelings.  You  must  listen  with  your  ears,  your  eyes  and  your  heart. 

Listening builds self-esteem. Your concern and confidence are expressed when you are able to listen to another person talking to you without interrupting the flow of conversation in order to understand his or her point of view. It has been said that, “Rapt attention is the highest form of flattery.” You help the other person's self esteem to go up when you listen empathically to him or her and it is clear that you sincerely care about what that other person is saying. The person's feeling of personal value increases. The person feels more worthwhile and important as a human being. Listening in a warm, genuine, caring way to everything someone has to say actually makes that person feel terrific about himself or herself.

2. Show Interest In the Other Person

The first time a man and a woman go out, they spend an excessive amount of time talking and listening to each other. They stare into each others eyes and dwell on every word. These two love birds are each captivated by the personality of the other. The more each listens to the other, the more positive and elated each of them feels and the stronger becomes the bonds of affection between them. This show of interest in the other person makes the other person feel important and valued. When you pay close attention to the other person and things that matter to him or her, it is a show of genuine interest. The person feels special and loved.

3. Concentrate 100% On the Other Person

How do you quickly show you value or devalue someone? Apparently, you always listen to that which you most value  and always ignore that which you devalue. The opposite of listening is ignoring. The fastest way to turn a person off, to hurt their feelings and make them feel slighted and angry is to simply ignore what they are saying or interrupt them in the middle of a thought. Ignoring or interrupting is the equivalent of an emotional slap in the face.

Some people have the habit of interrupting while conversing on phone to call out on someone else or greet another person around ignoring the other person on phone. Such attitude is not a good one. It doesn't make the other person feel important. Regardless of the person you have to deal with on the other side, it is mature to tell the other person, "please hold on for a second," or whatever polite way of taking permission suites you and quickly say what you have to say and get back to the person on phone if you ever have to interrupt your conversation.

Men especially have to be careful about their natural
desire to make a remark or an observation in the middle of a conversation. This can often cause a disconnect in communication and bring a business conversation to a grinding halt. Ladies also need to work on their multitask mind swinging from work to kitchen to grocery store to laundry, and take control of their mind to prevent interruption during conversation.

On the whole, make it a norm to take every opportunity to make the other person feel important by listening empathically to what he or she says.

Next to it, avoid interrupting the other person by slowing down and pausing for a few moments after he or she has stopped speaking.

See people as God's precious gifts in your life until they prove beyond reasonable doubt they are not. Try your best to make them feel important. If you think you deserve it then activate that feeling in someone else, it will come back to you.

Life is good only if you know how to live it.

David, Johnson