Friday 24 August 2007

IGOC

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Hi people,

Trust you have been well and keeping the faith! I just want to use the opportunity to invite y'all in London to the International Gathering of Champions 2007 taking place at KICC. It promises to be a time of spiritual enlifting with speakers like Bishop Eddie Long, Mike Murdock, Bill Winston, Cindy Trimm, Pastor Jamal Bryant, Bishop Tudor Bismark and others. Ministering in Music will be Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Judy Bailey, Byron Cage and others.



More info at http://www.thelastone.uk.com/

Remain blessed and highly favoured

Me

Friday 17 August 2007

Short but hopefully sweet

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It isn't over
Until God says so
It isn't over
Until you win

The plans the Lord has for you
Satan can't stop
He can't stand
But guess what...
there aint nothin He can do about it

These are confessions I learnt from my Pastor. Hope it blesses you too.

Have a wonderful weekend and remain blessed and highly favoured

Me

Wednesday 15 August 2007

Life A-Z; H is for Happiness

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Yes I know G comes before H, I'm still pondering on G so bear with me.

Happiness
The lie is
I will be happy tomorrow
..when the bills are paid
..when I get that great job
..when I am married
..when I move into my dream home
..when the kids grow up
..when I have a car
..when my miracle shows up

But the truth is
I can be happy today
even though some bills are due
even though the job is not always great
even though I'm still single (and now satisfied)
even though the dream home is still in my dreams
even though the kids aren't here
even though I'm still walking!
even though I'm still waiting on the Lord

I am learning
to enjoy where I am
on the way to where I need to be
I am learning
Not to delay happiness
And tag it to certain events
I am learning
to wake up each day
and find at least one thing
to be happy about

So today, I am happy and very grateful for my blog family. For your friendship, for your comments and for your encouragement. I thank God for you and I ask that He continue to keep you, guide you and grant you the desires of your heart as you continue to trust in Him.

Keep smiling

Remain blessed and highly favoured

Me

Wednesday 8 August 2007

Life A-Z: F is for Finances

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Started this a while back, picking up from where I left off. Let's see how it goes..

So let's discuss the F word. Well, not really discuss because I will be the first to let you know that this is not my area of expertise so sorry I can't tell you what stocks or bonds to buy or what real estate is hot at the moment. What I can do is share from the Word of God, scripture that has been impressed upon my heart regarding finances.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today Deuteronomy 8:18

As children of God, everything we do is linked with the relationship we have with the Father. I know money tends to be a volatile subject, most especially in the church BUT I believe that it is His desire that we produce wealth, not just so that we can wear Prada or Gucci or Manolo's (there's nothing wrong with that) but there is so much work to be done in the world, schools, hospitals, orphanages need to be built. Sometimes, we need to look beyond our needs to reach out to a hurting world. This verse confirms to me that God can give me wisdom concerning what investment vehicles I can board on the road to wealth creation.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs 1st Timothy 6:10

One of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture, I think. Don't love money, love God. We know which one we love when we are asked to give money away. I don't really want to talk about giving in the church because I know people have different views on the matter, what I know is that God is the source of all wealth and I will obey and trust Him with my finances. My view on giving is that God's work needs money and who else will give but His children.

He who loves pleasure will become poor, whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich Proverbs 21:17

Wine comes from grapes, oil comes from olives. Who is wealthy, the producer or the consumer? We can't all be farmers but this passage reminds me that to improve my finances, I need to own assets, defined by Robert Kiyosaki as something that puts money in my pocket at the end of the day. I don't think this verse is saying that we shouldn't enjoy the good things of life but we should strive to be producers because the vineyard owner in this case will be the one smiling to the bank!

....making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater Isaiah 55:10b

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has Proverbs 21:20

So which am I, a sower or an eater because what I am determines what I get. When money comes to me, do I think of the present or my future. A wise man said, the present is expensive but the future is cheap. How many of us know of cases where people were selling land for what seemed like outrageous prices at the time but fast forward 5-10 years and for what those places are selling for now you wish you had bought acres! Those who see their money as seed, see it as a tool for even more wealth creation but if we live for the present then we are eaters but remember the word says that it is the foolish that devours all that he has.

A sluggard does not plow in season, so at harvest time he looks and finds nothing Proverbs 20:4

Go to the ant you sluggard....yet it stores its provisions in the summer and gathers its food at harvest Proverbs 6:6-8

Life is all about seasons, our earning years are for a season, our youth is for a season. We will never at the age where we are now forever and I know by the grace of God we will get better with time but one day retirement will come, the question is will we be ready? Depending on what part of the world you live in, there will be different pension plans but I know I can't rely on any government or company in my retirement so I must now in my plowing season, like the ant store my provisions for the summer by making my money work for me because when harvest comes and I can no longer run around like I can now, I don't want to look around and find nothing.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty Proverbs 21:5

Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war obtain guidance Proverbs 20:18

These verses remind me to desist from get rich quick schemes, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Finances are too much an important part of our lives to be left to chance. There must be a plan for wealth creation and we must seek advice from professionals but most importantly, people who have done what we want to do. Do you want to buy property? talk to people who own property, their mistakes will help you learn. In the war against poverty, we need all the help we can get.

There were some other verses but I feel the post is long enough already. Please feel free to share Scripture or comments about this topic with me. Like I said, there are many books out there on finances, wealth creation e.t.c. I am learning but even if you don't need the money, I know a lot of kids who need sponsoring so you can write them a cheque!

Remain blessed

Me

Saturday 4 August 2007

Kingdom Perspective

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Hmm, what do I write? He said "Sit at the computer and I will tell you what you will say", so here goes....

I've been away..dying, don't get scared it's not a physical thing but I sense God is trying to teach me deeper truths about Him and my relationship with Him. When I go through stuff, I don't talk or write about it because it doesn't seem to correlate with my idea of what it means to live the "victorious Christian life" but He has shown me, that is so wrong.

Some days I doubt
Some days I cry
Some days I am impatient
Some days I am unkind
Some days I am self-centered
Some days all I see is the cloud
But everyday I know that He is with me
Loving and forgiving me
In spite of me

I'll just say it as He did. It's not that as a believer you won't experience tests and trials, remember what the preacher said..sometimes you go "up the down staircase", you do and you will as you continue to live in an imperfect world where your faith and love life must be perfected. But you must look at the whole picture, that is why I asked you to "set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1b). The way you see the problem is the problem.

Also remember,

Thomas doubted
Jeremiah cried
Abraham didn't wait
Moses killed..literally
Jacob was self-centred
Elijah ran away
But everyday I was with them
Loving and forgiving them
In spite of them

When you look at an issue from a Kingdom perspective, you can walk in a peace that passes all understanding. Take the 4 Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, people saw them in flames but they saw themselves in the presence of their true Love. The Kingdom is different from the world because;

In dying, we live
In giving, we receive
In tests, we triumph
In loss, we gain
In tribulations, we persevere
In tears, we smile
In betrayal, we love
In weakness, true strength is found

So my dear, the 'victorious Christian' is not one who has no weakness or trouble but the one who OVERCOMES and you don't overcome through your own strength but with Me working through you.

We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be revealed in our body......therefore we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we FIX OUR EYES not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is TEMPORARY, but what is unseen is ETERNAL. 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10; 16-18.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. That is why for CHRIST'S SAKE, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am WEAK, then I am STRONG. 2nd Corinthians 12:8-10 Capitals mine

Remain blessed and highly favoured, you are always in my prayers. Please keep me in yours. I've learnt that life is really about relationships, both vertical and horizontal. We were never meant to do it alone.

Keep smiling, even though there may be tears.

Me