Have Trouble Praying?

Oh Boy! For the past weeks I haven’t really prayed a lot. I have prayed but not for more than 10-20 minutes. I have made excuses upon excuses upon excuses. There were times when I really wanted to, I will set the alarm for 3 or 4am, the alarm will ring and I will be so tired to put my feet down.

 

If you really do pray and then for some time you don’t pray like you used to, you start feeling weak and empty, as if you have betrayed God. Why? Because He’s doing everything for you but you just aren’t doing your part. Ohhh of course you might go to church, pay your tithe, read your bible and all but deep down you feel there’s something lacking in your spirit. You try as much as possible to get rid of that feeling but you can’t. Then you start feeling like you haven’t prayed for so long that you are afraid to stand before God and say you’re sorry. Why? Because it isn’t the first time you have done something like that.

 

I have had that feeling. Of course things were going good physically because God cares for you even when you turn your back on Him, but deep within your soul there’s that void that can only be filled by God. Definitely, physically, you’re fine, smiling at everybody, everything seems good but you’re not happy. And that sadness could lead to depression which could eventually kill you because on the inside you just don’t feel good. Nobody told me I had to pray, I knew I needed to pray, we all do. And it is not that quickly rattled pray when you remember you haven’t prayed. No! I’m talking about that communion with your Father who made you. Most of us like to spend hours on end with our friends and family but want to quickly be done when they go to church, they want to quickly rush their prayer, they get tired when they pray for long. You spend so much time with your friends and not with God who looks after you when you don’t even regard Him. Sometimes we treat God like He’s some being who has everything He needs, and does whatever He wants and He can do without us. Why do you think someone of that nature will make you anyway since He has everything He needs? He needs us, you and I to have communion with Him, to talk to Him, to LISTEN to Him too. God is all in all, YES! But He needs man. Remember the Bible says that He’s a jealous God. As in when we put other gods before Him, He’s jealous. You think if God didn’t mind you or what you did, or needed He’d be jealous? He’s jealous of the little things we put before Him: television, video games, shopping, money, cars, houses, travelling, jobs, and education. I’m not saying those things are not good, I’m saying that when you put them before God, He gets jealous.

If you were like me and had troubling praying for one reason or the other, God needs you and I to commune with Him. (Remember what He did during Noah’s time when every human forgot about Him except Noah, he wiped them off) We can’t do well without God. Stop making excuses and go to God in prayer. Tell Him you’re sorry (it doesn’t matter if it is the 100^th time you’re saying it), and pray then listen. All that lack of the divine experience and lack of something will be filled by God. It doesn’t matter what kind of sin you committed and for how long you have been doing it. Just talk to God. Don’t rush it. Spend time talking with Him. Believe me you won’t regret it. The enemy wants to get you cold, and so ashamed that you feel God isn’t there anymore or that he won’t listen to you because of what you’ve done. He’s lying! He always has! God is still there. Bible says He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Go to God today in prayer and pray like you mean to.

 

GOD RESCUES YOU FIRST; THEN HE TEACHES YOU HOW TO FIGHT –THE PEOPLE STORY

 

He rescues you first like a weak lamb, then makes you a stronger

I found myself in the book of Psalms some few weeks ago. I’m re-reading the whole book again and I have noticed this amazing event that David recounts in the 18^th Chapter. If you just read with your own understanding you probably may not realize it: for half of the verses in the 18^th Chapter, David talks about God delivering him from the hands of his enemies.

 

“the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies”

Psalm 18:2-3

“He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance, and he vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils”

Psalm 18:14-15

If you read the verses carefully you’ll see how David describes the mighty acts of God in saving and delivering Him. David finds himself in a tight fix but He remembered one name God. He called on Him and of course God doesn’t fail. The other half of the chapter talks about how God strengthens David and teaches David how to deal with his enemies.

“It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.  I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.  Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.”

Psalm 18:32-40

In the second half of the chapter David stops talking like a wavering person. God has strengthened him to fight his own enemies. Not that he now relies solely on himself; remember the strength is from God. David knows he can’t be a victor without His God.

So why I’m I bringing this up? On a countless number of occasions we have fallen into ‘deep shit’ and ‘deep sea’: financial, marital, educational, social, emotional troubles, relationship and many others and it has happened once too often. And again one many countless occasions God has rescued you from those difficulties but somehow we find ourselves back in them and then we still look up to God for help. See, God helps you the first time but then He shows you how to help yourself out the next time. When God rescues you from a discomforting situation He gives you enough strength and wisdom not to go back. Ever heard the saying that no situation is permanent? You think that being in that condition is the end of it. If a man falls a thousand times, a thousand times he MUST rise. God has given you all the help you need here on earth. My Psychology lecturer said last week that with some of the problems that we face here on earth, we should stop going to God and crying about it, God gave us people to help us. He further said that by sharing your burdens your problems are divided into two. He cited an example of a girl who receives a breakup letter from her boyfriend. He advised that the girl should send the letter to a friend and both of them should read it. From then on the problems don’t become only one person’s problem but both of them. He said we shouldn’t worry whether people will laugh or not; for people will always laugh at people. The trick is the more people you share the problem with, the more lighter the burden is on you. Imagine a load of 100% shared among 50 people everyone get 2%. Now imagine one person carrying that entire load, that’s when depression comes in and then people want to commit suicide. When Joy and I broke up, of course I was carrying the entire load but then I quickly distributed it among so many people so much so that I felt I wasn’t carrying any of it. You’d think that probably isn’t the wisest thing to do but trust me from experience even if people laugh they help encourage you. That was why in no time at all I found myself with Nana. Ever heard the expression that when problems come, they don’t come in singles but in triples. Careful not to drown in the pool, that’s what people are there for. Okay! That’s enough, so that’s all people.

Look, God has already rescued you. Sometimes God wonders why you still are where you are and keep complaining. Remember all you need is around you, you just have to look. GOD FIRST RESCUES YOU BUT HE SHOWS YOU HOW TO FIGHT BACK.

 

GOD WHISPERS

I’m sure you have definitely said these things before, ‘does God really talk to us?’ ‘something told me…’ ‘can we really hear God when he speaks?’ ‘how does God speak to us?’ ‘is it audible?’ ‘is it a small still voice?’ ‘is it very clear?’.

 

Over the generations many people have wondered whether God speaks to us audibly and how often does He speak and whether He hears us at all when we speak to me. Thing is our God speaks to us but many at times pastors and preacher men have confused us and they make us feel that it if us who don’t hear God when He speak. Some say listen to that small still voice.

 

So does God speak at all? Oh yes He does! What God does usually is to influence our thoughts, He drops ideas, thoughts into our minds. That’s why many people say something told me that this and this, that and that. God himself does speak but not so often as He influences. I prefer to call those influences whispers. Of course God speaks audibly too to people when it is major, He needs to be heard audibly.

 

Preacher men will tell you many times that God told me that this and that are going to be like this. Many times it was so much of an audible voice, it was a whispers, God pushing thoughts into their. They tell us it is God because they know where the thought is coming from so I think it is high time we stopped saying something told me… So don’t go thinking if God speaks to the preacher man why not me, well guess what He does whisper into your mind every single day

 

Oh surely the devil also pushes thoughts into your mind but just like God’s influences we make a choice, a free will to say we will go along with what came into our minds. That’s how God design it, it is your final decision to make, go with God’s whisper or the devil’s.

 

A man of God, Myles Munroe in his book “Understanding the Purpose and  Power of Prayer” wrote as that that time he had heard God audibly only three times in his entire Christian walk but most at times God influences his thoughts, God whispers into his mind.

So God whispers every day, are you listening?

 

A NEW BEGINNING…God Never Makes a Mistake.

Have you ever had a day or week where you saw every go against you? Everything go so wrong? Have you tried to make a perfect start only to see it crumble before your own eyes? A week when you thought God wasn’t with you and life seemed to go nowhere? Have you ever lost something and you thought that was it, you can’t go on without what is gone be it human or material? I have had times like that.

 

Allow me to tell you what happened. This week I lost a very valuable possession my wallet.it wasn’t valuable to me because of how it looked or anything but what was on the inside and more especially the thought that went into buying it for me. I had my student id (without it you can’t do anything on campus, like write an exams), I had my driver’s license, my abstinence card, all the money I had in school and that of some people, and a pledge I had t make to a friend’s organization. I lost my wallet and up till now I still don’t know how, so many places come to mind but none so strong to be the reason why.

Anyway like I said I lost it in a public transport, I was so devastated. All I could think of was such carelessness I had never done before. I was with my girlfriend that day so she said we should chase the bus to the station, we did but to no avail, the bus had left again with passengers. It was a lost cause and I knew that if anyone else should find it apart from the driver and his mate and perhaps the sum of money in it, they will take it but the things in it were more important.

I had to come back to campus and thinking about all the stress, time and energy it will take me to acquire those two important items again, the ID cards, painfully I managed to sleep. I woke up the next morning much clearer and able to think. I realized I knew Mr. Afenu, a friend who works here in the University, who could help me out in acquiring the University card much faster than if I went myself; I had the bureaucracy to face. The sound of his voice asking me,” is that all you need?” made my heart calm down. I thought of the man called Elder who helped me acquire my driver’s license the first time-he could also help me much faster. I have decided to do this without involving my parents, if I need money I’ll go to my own account.

Now to the very important lesson I learned in all this can be put in a sentence my girlfriend told me during this period, “God doesn’t make a mistake.” My girlfriend stood with me and all, she knew I hated losing things in my life, especially things I mostly used, she knew I’d think so much and let the thoughts bother me but she kept saying, it will be fine, we’ll get through this. I heard myself in her; often I tell her that life is bigger than any problem we face and more so my God is bigger than them all. She echoed those same words to me, although heavy but nonetheless I went  on to agree with it. I decided to sit back and put everything into God’s hands.

You see there are times when life feels too comfortable, too good, very okay, there’s nothing bothering you then something strange happens to shake you a little and say this isn’t the end, you are getting too familiar with where you are in life, there’s much more to look forward to. I know, but then again” it is just my wallet”, you say. The thing here is losing something so dear. In my problem, I began to think about people then losing their most dear ones, because losing my wallet that had everything in it didn’t come with a good feeling, I can tell you that.

To all those who have lost something in their lives and felt that it was all coming apart, I’m writing to tell you that that phase is not the end of your life and neither is it the end of all challenges, many more will come. A pastor said, ‘when it gets worse, know that a better one is around the corner.” Sometimes God sits back a second and allows the devil to do his worst to tear us apart then when he’s all tired and worn out, God comes in and over blesses us. Friend, be encouraged, I know it is never easy, but let the words of my girlfriend ring in your ears, “GOD NEVER MAKES A MISTAKE.” It all happened for a reason. Everywhere you find yourself has a reason behind it and a God who will never forsake you, what-so-ever. Ever since that event so many things have changed for me and I know there’s something BIG coming. I’ll be sure to let you know when it arrives, because life is much bigger than a wallet!

 

TAKE A WALK!

quit running!!! Take a walk!

I came back from a walk just some few minutes ago before having dinner and it was refreshing. It is a long time I had one of those. Hmmmmmmm I don’t think since I came back from school last semester I have taken a stroll. I usually do that in the evenings for about at least an hour and a half. It helps to clear to my head and see things better. I talk to myself a lot and God during my strolls, of course when I go alone. I capture new ideas and review my life.

Today I seriously needed the walk. Of late I have given of myself so much that I had to sit back, reflect, refresh my mind and gather new strength to give again because whatever you do you are going to have to give of yourself in this world, that’s the only way to be truly happy in this world. Anyways I’m not talking about giving today, another time, certainly . The thing is, lately I have had a lot of things going, some bad, some good, some tiring, some stressful, some things I have had to tolerate and endure…I have done a lot of things, not for myself but for others. (2^nd Thess. 3:13^b ‘…never tired if doing good.’)

 You know sometimes you think you are fed up with everything. No far from it! You just may not have fuel anymore to go on doing what you do…you need to pause life for a brief second and take a long reflective walk down your area. Just walk through pathways and streets that you haven’t taken before.  Trust me it is worth it! It will be refreshing.

Maybe you are having trouble at home, trouble with the kids, trouble with employment, trouble with everything. You need a long walk! Go alone but go with God. You’ll need Him. This time you are not looking for a miracle, just talk to Him and tell Him how you really feel at the moment about anything, be honest. Oh I’m talking about God, you can’t lie to Him. I meant be honest to yourself about your feelings. Tell Him to give you new strength to go through the life you gave to you. Believe it or not, before you get home, you’ll feel much better to face the challenges in your life. You would have gotten new energy. That’s what I needed tonight.

And least I forget, during that time, don’t answer any call, don’t make any either. Just don’t do anything but walk and talk (to God and yourself). Yep! You heard me, yourself! It always a good thing to talk to yourself. Don’t worry it is a crazy thing, you won’t be going nuts. It is refreshing to talk to yourself all the time in any situation you find yourself in. Sometimes we lie to ourselves during our stressful day with our actions and we struggle so much through it but this time talk to yourself truthfully and quietly (so people around you don’t think you’re going crazy ) and tell yourself how you also feel and positively encourage yourself. You may have heard a lot of bad news that day, a lot of negative things, probably got fired, probably got dumped or the bank may be closing in on you, or you had a near death experience. Encourage yourself! Trust me if you won’t encourage yourself nobody would, not even your closest buddy, wife, girlfriend, family would!

Before you take any long term decision, action, react to anything take a long stroll. It helps! You feel down as in you can’t carry on any longer, take a walk!  ;)

 

WHICH PEOPLE MAKE YOUR DAY?

I can mention a thousand but the thing is some make my day today, tomorrow they don’t but these two make each day for me a lovely experience- God, my creator and Vida, my girlfriend. I don’t know if there are people in your life who just make your day even when they are rebuking you or loving you. Surely it has always been God first who makes each day beautiful for me. They are the persons if I go through my day without talking to my day is not complete. God is always first, Vida knows that and no-one can take His place. Let’s say there’s a day I haven’t talked to Vida (hmmmmm has that happened before? ) it is a not that easy but I can manage to go through the day but God, I can’t, it is a struggle. A great struggle! It’s like I’m not living, just existing. I feel so empty. I can’t go through my day not talking with God, not even having a thought about God. He is there always for me. He’s always talking to me, directing my every move, every step and every action. A day with my God is a wasted day. As much as possible if I wake up at dawn I talk to him for about 45minutes to an hour thanking Him and asking Him for my day’s agenda. Sometimes He tells me to go further for additional minutes to stay and talk with Him. There have been many times when it’s difficult to get out of bed at dawn so Vida and I pray over the phone to Him. I have tried days without talking to Him, I felt totally useless. I’m saying I couldn’t make it through. Oh trust me the day will surely end and you would have done something but not your best. You might feel ok but deep down you know it is not good enough. Pal, maybe there are some things you can do without including God but trust me it is the best option to include in everything you do. EVERYTHING! He just makes it simpler. Look, you have tried days without God, but I want you to try just one day with God and see the difference. Don’t only put God in the beginning like at dawn or when you get out of bed. Talk with Him through the whole day. “I know God is there and all but I don’t believe I can hear Him speak,” you say. Right now stop reading ok and say a short prayer. Come on! It isn’t difficult. Tell Him if He really speaks, you want to hear me speak to you. Tell Him you can’t go through a day any more without Him but He should open your ears to hear His voice to direct you, not just once but always. Sometimes you don’t need to hear a clear voice (although He speaks in that way too) you have an inner feeling, an intuition, or an open mind concerning something. That will be God directing you. I’ve said it several times, don’t limit God to church and a certain hour, take Him everywhere and talk with Him, on the bus, at school, in the office, the kitchen, the bathroom. You don’t have to close your eyes, just talk to Him. He’s always listening and talking back. It’s now you turn to listen after all the talking. I have come to listen and talk to Him all the time. I’ve made it a habit to talk to Him. When you feel like you can’t go on, you feel it is too difficult, the job is tedious, the problems are weighing you down, what is before you is unknown and rare, you just don’t know what to do, say a prayer to God- talk to Him- anywhere you find yourself. Remember He’s always there. He is there to make life easy for you. Why go so far by yourself and then you lose your energy before you come to Him? Start with Him and take Him along, He can show you a simple and less tedious way to do it. Without God my day is never complete. Someone said, “There’s a God-shaped vacuum in us that nothing else can fill except God.” You probably have everything going for you but still fill unfulfilled, empty…look no further, God is what’s lacking. You either never started with Him or you left Him half way. Either way my friend, it is never late with Him, just talk to Him and say you’re sorry for not taking Him all the way. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your Lord and Personal Saviour then you have to, ask someone to direct you. That’s all you need, and that’s what’s lacking. Believe me you’ll fill most fulfilled. Now the second person, you makes each day a lovely experience. Vida’s someone I can’t also go through the day without talking to. She’s my inspiration to continue doing what I do. It doesn’t what goal or aim I present to her, she believes in me and knows I can do it. Onetime she said, “sweetness you can do anything you want to do in this world…” I have written many blog posts and other things because of her. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be any inspirational thing she’d say (as a matter of fact it never is any inspirational thing she says) it is her nature. Every part of her sends a signal of inspiration to me. Sometimes I just need to hear her voice or receive a message then I’m at ease. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all rosy! We go through difficult times of misunderstandings but we come out as quickly as we go in. You don’t always have to wait for the one at fault to say I’m sorry, you do it. Vida is so quick to say sorry for anything she does. Sometimes I even complain about the number of times she says it in a day. Look pal if you ever wronged someone in any small way, be quick to say sorry and let go. It isn’t worth fighting for a long time, over what? No one really enjoys fighting and quarreling, just that everybody wants to be strong headed and strong hearted waiting for the other to admit fault, so go ahead and admit fault even if it isn’t you. The one who knows he is at fault knows himself, he just can’t admit it so when you accept you’re wrong, over sometime the other person gains respect for you, even if they don’t tell you, they do. I didn’t say stoop so low and be trampled upon, be gracious in admitting you’re wrong. You don’t want to send the wrong signal and say you’re easy to step on and go away. Next time they won’t wait for your apology, they’ll offer it. Then you can talk to them about their behavior and correct it. I can’t go through the day not finding out what’s going around her. It doesn’t matter if it is the minutest detail. I love to wake up in the morning and pick up her call, or give her a call right before I snug out of bed and say good morning and tell her how much I love her and just listen to her. My day sky rockets after hang up. Let’s say my day is gloomy somehow when I wake up, one hello from her turns it all around. Oh boy and then there are times when she just ‘frees her mind’ about me, people and other things to me. There are times when she talks against certain of my actions and behaviours. Hey sometimes it isn’t pleasant coming from my sweet girlfriend but it is better because she won’t lie to me. I’d rather prefer her telling me what I did was wrong or what I’m about to do isn’t the best than someone else because she knows me better. It is straight up front and then she would take her time to advice me meanwhile watching my man ego carefully no wanting to inflate or deflate it such that when I tell you she is 6 months older you won’t believe it when you saw us together. I mean come on! Isn’t far better to have someone who loves you so much and knows you well enough and isn’t afraid of your reactions to tell you in your face when you’re fault? She knows even though it is hard I’ll think about it and accept it. A day without Vida isn’t a lovely and motivating one. Do you have the two people like I do who when they talk to you and tell you know how much they cherish and love you, advice and rebuke you, it doesn’t matter the disaster or obstacle comes to your way, it becomes a walk over? I’m sure you do. Well for me they are God and Vida. They always make each day for me a lovely experience.

 

PASSION FOR LIVING

Passion! I want you to say passion. Come on shout it. PASSION! I know I feel like a pastor in here but there’s some serious issue we have to address. Some define it as an intense emotion and blah blah blah… I want you to look at it in your own words. It is high time we operationalised certain key words for life. Let me ask you these questions?

•   Do you have a passion for life?
•   If yes, what is your passion for life?
• If no, why not? What keeps you going?

Without passion for living, without passion for life, your life will be fruitless, unsuccessful, a failure, etc. I don’t care what dreams you have, what plans you have, which people you know. You may have all that but if you don’t see the essence of living, the meaning of life, the value of life…then all those dreams, plans, aims, networks…will not work out. As a matter of fact, if there’s no passion there cannot be any dream…any future.

I can almost hear someone saying of course that’s something I know. It’s nothing new. Yeah it is but how many people still have that passion for life in its entirety? Wait a second; what do you think about people who try to commit suicide or those who actually do it. Most of them want to take their lives because they don’t see the reason for living anymore. They are tired of living. Right? You know why? Because there’s no passion anymore.

You can have passion for a second. Everyone does have some sort of passion but guess what? PASSION can run out and when passion runs out you know the outcome…people try to take their lives, get bored with life, get depressed, get stuck.  For your passion to grow or run out depends on your source. And so my next question. What is the source of your passion for living?

If the source of your passion is fame, wealth, people, your job, your family, your society, your position, that bank account…what happens if those elements pass out, run out or is no more. Tell me what could happen to a person like that? Unless there’s another source or essence to continue living they get bored with life and you know the rest that follows with time. Don’t put your passion for living into things that are temporary… I know you know what things are temporary in this world. If you don’t know, ask yourself these questions if you want to know if your source is temporary. Can this thing ever run out? Is it permanent? Is it a life-long source?

You have to know that no-one can make you happy in this life but you yourself. Everything else that you depend on could go wrong, and then where else would you turn to. NOTHING! I have this theory that happiness is a state of mind. Just like passion, you make yourself happy. Definitely so long as we are all human, things are bound to occur but it depends on what or who your source is.

That’s why we have God that we all need to look to; we know that everything in this world is under His control. If everybody fails you, God won’t. Opps! Point of correction…WHEN everybody fails you, God won’t, when your plans fail, He says the plans that He has for us, no eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things has in store for they who love HIM, when your money runs out, He would still help you make more because he owns the universe, (Imagine a source having everything in the world belonging to Him), when family is no more, He brings people your way. Your source -passion for living should be GOD and YOURSELF. Make those two beings your passion for living. Those two CAN NEVER RUN OUT! If it feels like nobody wants you, He still wants you and needs you…who knows? you could be the leaning pillar and foundation for someone’s life. When you’re bored and stressed up with the elements of this world, ask Him for strength and know one thing; He’s with you every step of the way.

I said two sources, right? Now yourself! I know now that’s difficult because if you find yourself in stressful environments it is difficult to pull inspiration out of your being. Find reason to continue going on.  Remember I said it is difficult but not impossible. It can be done.

1. Never give up on yourself.
2. Never say you can’t do it.
3. My personal favourite NEVER SAY NEVER!
4. You are the best source of passion for living. Don’t be intimidated by anybody and don’t let anyone or anything get to you. You are better. In fact you are the BEST there is. There can be no other first or same you apart from you…the only thing someone could be close to you is second. There’s no-one like you. That should ginger you every morning to live as long as He permits you.