WAITING OR WASTING

When I stepped into God’s call to minister to mature singles in 2009, I wonder how I would transition from working with young people to working with mature singles. These special groups were different in many aspects. After prayerfully considering both groups, I realised that God was not calling me to choose but to expand my scope in working with those on the life bridge or crossroad called waiting.

During an interview in 2012, I was asked, “Why have you chosen to combine the mentoring of young people with the counseling of mature singles?” I answered thus:

I was led to start both by God and honestly I am only just seeing the link. Teenagers and young adults are at a crossroad in their lives where they need guidance and mentoring. Mature singles are also at a crossroad where they feel the need for family life. Being able to connect the teens to mature singles that have time to devote to them creates a very purposeful symbiotic relationship. The added advantage is that the relationship serves to impact the young person and positively affects the esteem of the mature single whose need for family life is met by the commitment towards the young person.

Waiting in God's waiting room, as I have assured many over and over again, is not a punishment but a phase to prepare you and test your capability and capacity for the blessing ahead. Are you waiting or wasting? Adeleke Aladekoba, a mentee of mine, waited for many years to get into higher institution. When my God who is never late arrived with his admission package, it was to Covenant University with a scholarship. I waited 10 years after my bachelor’s degree to receive a master’s degree but one of the ingredients (Willows Magazine) that delivered my admission and degree to me happened 7 years into my wait. I know a widow with three children who is today married to a single man. I also know an unmarried mother of two who insisted she wanted a single man and God sent one her way in His time. Maami attended the wedding of her principal's daughter in 2012. The bride was 52 years; never being married. On October 13, 2010 we heard of the wedding of Esther Folashade Aduke Blaize to William Folorunso Kumuyi. What many may not know is that at 65, this was her first marriage. She was one of the founding members of the Deeper Life Bible Church.

No matter the bus stop you believe you are stranded at, stay out of the elements - sun, rain or wind, then walk tall to impact lives. Carol Akpala, a former junior colleague of mine shared an inspiring story of how after waiting for a while at the bus stop she discovered a little blind boy who has been waiting longer just to be helped to cross the street. Her wait was a solution to the boy’s wait. While you are waiting be sensitive to your environment and do whatever positive things your hands find to do. When your celebration bus arrives, what matters would be how you spent - wisely or foolishly, your waiting period. Remember the story of the maidens and the lamps? God always arrives but will you be there, will you be ready?

‎"If only I am educated", now you are a graduate; "If only I am employed", now you have a job; "If only I have a car", now you have a ride; "If only I have a place to call home", now you own an apartment, "If only there is light…" Instead of waiting for NEPA, get off the whining wagon and grab a torch to see how blessed you are that you can read, earn, own and see. The word contentment means consciously accepting, appreciating, enjoying and making the best use of the allocation in your location and finding peace in the knowledge that God knows your frame and would increase your supply in due season ~ 1 Timothy 6:6.

There are two different ways to wait: ACTIVE and PASSIVE.

When you wait actively, you are wise. When you wait passively you are foolish. Passive wait should actually be called wasting! All you are doing is wasting your period of preparation.

A man of God once shared about a lady who told anyone that cared to listen that she can only be successful abroad. She claimed to have received enough revelation that made her believe this fact; she implored everyone to avail her of information and opportunities to travel abroad. One day, her pastor landed a perfect opportunity and immediately sent for her. When she arrived, he excitedly narrated the opportunity and how she can leave in one week to live her dream of living abroad. He ended the narration with a question: “Can you get your passport to me asap so we can process the visa and get the ticket?” Her response will weaken your limbs, “I don’t have a passport.”

I can here you say, “How on earth could anyone be waiting for travel and not have a passport!” But isn’t that what you are doing, if you are waiting for marriage and do not have a job, waiting to study abroad and do not know how to use a computer, waiting to become a leader and do not understand the principle of followership, waiting to step into a career or call and do not want to develop yourself in the field?

Many of us are at the 'wasting close' where there is no way out except back to the 'waiting boulevard' where you can pray and prepare. A man talked about his brother who was very fervent in the Lord. He was waiting for employment. While this seemingly God-less sibling prepare and leave home for work daily, this God-filled brother will lock himself indoor and pray. One day, the sibling returned to pick something during lunch and found the brother still praying, then he asked, “Have you ever applied for a job or cold-called or even browse the internet or newspaper for jobs?” His shocking response was, “No, my God will do it!” That is worse than passive waiting because you have jumpstarted the principle of waiting by trusting in God but your applicability is lame. The Bible says, “Faith without work is dead”.

Except you are willing to settle for the cleaner, carpenter or plumber who comes to fix things around the house, if you are waiting for a man or woman, you must activate your wait by acting. Abraham activated his wait by blessing strangers. Though Abraham seem to have been waiting aimlessly after flying the wrong kite with Hagar but it wasn’t a blind passive wait because he positioned himself to see and bless the angels. Rebecca activated her wait by going to the well and by blessing a stranger.

Quickly let’s look at the master keys in active waiting:

1.  Rewire your mind to the junction where you believe that waiting is not a punishment. God does not punish His Own; in fact he says in His Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). All the way, through your wait or challenge, know and believe that God is there. Accept that as a God-loving person, all things will work together for your good (Romans 8:28).

2.   Worship and pray to The One who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Communicate your desire to God.

3.     Listen attentively (Proverbs 4:20). If all you know to do during your wait is to sit and look, at least position your ears away from noise but closer to what God is saying. If he says, go and visit so and so, don’t question or query Him, just go. The word I received in 2004 was a barely audible whisper “Go”. That 2-letter word delivered a trip through which I landed a study abroad with scholarship!

4.     Act on the prompts. God may speak through the still small voice, He may send someone to you etc. If you are so stubborn and just buried in non-profitable ventures, He may even break your rib to bring you to your wits end and get your attention! When you meet a man your Spirit clearly tells you, “That’s your helper”, don’t let him go without at least striking a conversation, “Hello”, “May I have your number”; acting promptly may be the difference between waiting for one more month or one more year.

5.     Learn the rudiments of your expectation. If what you are waiting for is a wife, wait expectantly by learning how to treat women nicely, communicate well with women, create conducive atmosphere for a relationship etc.

6.     Prepare for your miracle. If a job is what you are waiting for buy office shirts and shoes. If a child is what you are waiting for, minister to children or ensure your home is child-ready. A couple trusting God for a child furnished their home with all-white leather chairs. It took a minister of The Word to let them see that their home was not child-ready.

7.     Trust The One who says, “All things will work together for those that love God and are called according to his purpose”. Trusting God means leaning to His understanding.

8.  Be open. If Abraham was close minded, He would not have been nice to strangers. At times those bearing our gifts are clad in rags yet we must trust that if God brought them to you then they have a message to deliver. A mad man saw Pastor Adeboye and was steered to greet him, clear traffic for him to lead his vehicle out of a jammed traffic.

9.   Read the amazing stories of patriarchs and matriarchs who waited and were not disappointed by God. The Bible is filled with beautiful testimonies. You can also speak to those whose testimonies are closer home than those in the days of the Bible. Spend time to read the Bible and the stories of those who know the God of the Bible. 

10. This key should be titled play but you may end up playing away your blessing if you take playing too seriously. So I'll tag this key; relax and refresh. When we are too uptight about finding the right man, we end up interpreting and misinterpreting every sign. Similarly when we are too uptight about getting the right job or even having a child, we end up using ungodly means. Relax and find refreshing in knowing that God is in control of the reins of your life. Find time to laugh, socialise, mix with the right crowd, go to the beach, visit a resort centre. Don't put your life on hold because you are waiting for a puzzle piece. Don't merely exist, inhale and exhale; live!

David in Psalm 62:1 say, "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation". Salvation here of course also means being saved from the trauma, grief or stress of waiting.

To wait is to sit in active silence and listen to God’s voice and words, watch for His revelations, hear His command and obey His directives. The Bible in Isaiah 40:31 say, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint:.

Simply put those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their energy by empowering themselves to fly. After they have been empowered to fly, they will fly and will ensure no challenge keeps them from going higher. When a plane wants to fly, it will taxi before take off. When an eagle wants to soar, it positions itself to gather momentum before take off. Mother eagles prepare baby eagles by flying with them then they graduate to throwing and catching them until their wings are strong enough to fly on their own.

Do you remember Noah? Noah could have waited passively or aimlessly by just telling people about his revelation but instead he acted and by so doing preserved creation for posterity.

Why, when, where, what you are waiting for should be the driving factor for how you should wait.

Are you waiting or wasting?

PROPHECIES BY PASTOR E. O. ADEBOYE FOR 2014

Below are the 2014 prophecies from a renowned man of God known to many as Daddy G.O or Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. Himself and his lovely wife - Mummy G.O -  Pastor Foluke Adenike Adeboye continue to lead the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the path of righteousness.

INDIVIDUAL

1. Divine promise of more than a decade ago will begin to find fulfillment.

2. Expect a prominent divine visitation that will radically alter the course of your life

3. You will have the first taste of real dominion. 

4. There will be quite a few narrow escapes of tragedies

NIGERIA

1. The future of Nigeria will be determined this year and not in 2015

2. The equation at the beginning of the year will be different from equation at the year end. Therefore, don’t jump into conclusion.

INTERNATIONAL

1. There will be major breakthroughs in medicine and science

2. Pray against noisy highly destructive storms

3. Pray against monumental fire outbreaks

RCCG

This has been communicated to pastors of RCCG.

Victory In Worship (II)

Hope you have read Victory In Worship (I)? You need the background to put this in the right perspective.

What is the symbol of man's disobedience? What is the symbol of man's rejection? What is the symbol of man's rebellion? Where did God keep these articles? What did God cover them with?

But, the same God that saved all these articles signifying that humans did not fulfill their part of the covenant (agreement) in a sealed box with a cover on which sat two cherubim, signifying the angels that stood guard at the Garden of Eden after humans were driven out; a place where a consecrated and cleansed priest can only enter once a year, tore the veil and made the place open. But, the condition remains; we can only approach His throne of grace boldly as required in Hebrews 4:16 if we come with a pure heart devoid of unforgiveness.

Why are our prayers not so effective? Why are we still waiting for that miracle instead of being a miracle worker?  Are we disobeying God’s law? Are we rejecting God’s provision? Are we rebelling against His authority or choice of a leader? The Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1^st Samuel 15:22-23). So do you think God will listen to those who reject Him, bring Him offerings in place of obeying Him and compound the issue by practicing witchcraft? The authority God intended was God's authority and direct care so He gave His law, just 10 and later reduced it to 2, He provided sustenance through daily manna and when man decided they wanted a physical leader, He chose a leader but man wanted to DIY (Do It Yourself).

No, I am not rejecting your provision but God I want a BMW not the Honda you have blessed me with. I need my own car, not my fiancee chauffeuring me to work. Are we rebelling against his leadership? God why this man, why not the other one that is so intelligent and handsome? God, why this ugly woman, why not that one that is so pretty? But God, that guy's mother is so unlovable, I bet you understand why I can’t obey that law about love your neighbor as yourself. God if only you give me a wife/husband, I would love! But Gd, how long do I after wait for a child! 

Have you worshipped Him for keeping you alive? Have you worshipped Him for seeing you through education, service year, travel abroad...? Have you worshipped Him for protecting you from natural and man-made disasters? You asked for a car but he decided to bless you with a friend who can drive you to work, yet instead of worship you murmur like the Israelites forgetting that he never promised to dance to your whims and caprices only to make daily provision; which is what he taught us in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6). Your friends are still praying the prayer of divine marital connection yet instead of worshipping God for yours you bother Him daily about why this must have been a wrong choice. If you made the choice, shouldn't you worship Him reverently and ask for mercy? If He made the choice, don't you believe He will work His purpose out? (Romans 8:24)

Are we disobeying, rejecting and rebelling and yet want Him to help us? We can only enter into His fellowship and key into His divine purpose, if we worship Him in spirit and in truth. And the only way to truly worship is by obeying His law, accepting His provision and complying with His authority.

In Exodus 3:21-22 God blessed the Israelites; as He continues to bless us today. And in Exodus 25:1-2 God gave a specific command to Moses. God clearly indicated that offerings for the Tabernacle should only be brought willingly. It is still the same today. Are you giving your worship willingly or grudgingly? If it is not willingly, God does not recognise it. We murmur about how His blessing is inadequate and take a pitiable size to him irreverently. If you gave someone blood to save his/her life and to say thank you the person sends you a useless gift through his/her house help, how will you feel? 

He is not a helpless God; he can help himself! That is why Uzzah died; he was an uncleansed, unconsecrated vessel that was not authorised to touch the ark. The Levites were not given an inheritance because God wanted them to focus on worship (Joshua 13:14); only the Levites were consecrated and authorised to bring worship into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of Covenant resided.

Who knew Obed’Edom. He was not a man of means but he was a Levite of the family of the Korhites. He was consecrated for worship. When David, a king became afraid after Uzzah was struck dead, he decided to put the Ark in Obed’Edom’s house. He must have thought, since this man is unknown, no one will miss him if God decide to strike him dead too. But guess what, because Obed’Edom was consecrated and humbly worshipped God, he reaped the manifold blessings of God dwelling in his house. Remember that the Ark signified God’s presence. God dwelt with Him, He gave God due worship and he was greatly blessed (2 Samuel 6:11).

Worshipping God is serious business, which we cannot afford to treat with levity. Seeing what the Israelites had to do, can we say that we are worshipping God the way we should? Do we prefer the previous mode of worship? Would we like to be the priest who has to go in annual bearign the sins of everyone, yet not knowing whether his worship will be accepted or not; if not accepted, he dies, if accepted, he returns.

It is not only sin that can separate us from God; levity in the way we worship Him can also separate us and ruin our relationship with God. Jesus preached about unforgiveness and referred to it as a bondage, which separates us from God. It affects our prayers. It is self-inflicted suffering. It breaks our fellowship with God and hinders our worship. Knowing this, God instructed us to forgive, Matthew 6:15. We must continue to ask God to help us forgive and even pray for those who hurt us like Jesus did on the cross. When we forgive, we are displaying the fruits of the spirit spelled out in Galatians 5:22-23.

How can we be victorious in worship?

By presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice in honor of the price Jesus paid (Ephesians 5:2, Romans 12:1-2). Only someone who truly loves God and His creation can worship sincerely. Worship must be devoid of rejection, disobedience and rebellion. Worship cannot include anything that leads to unforgiveness.

Benefits of worship or obedience are laid down in Deuteronomy 28 and so are curses. Your prayer for a spouse must be preceded by worship; make worship your lifestyle and trust that God is able to do more that you can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). But if you are saying, I do not even know this God and will like to be saved or I will like to rededicate my life to the true worship of God, then take a step of faith and say this prayer:

 Dear God, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to repent from my sin. You said in Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. Right now I confess Jesus Christ as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Saviour. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace has led me to repentance. Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honour to you. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Please spend a moment in worship of the I AM; The Ancient of Days, The One who is, who was and who will forever be. I particularly love the song, "I bow my knee before your throne..".

If you have been saying I have truly worshipped God in the past and served in any Bible believing church or ministry but I haven’t reaped the benefits or others (or you) are asking, “Where is your (my) God”, please fall on your knees reverently and begin to worship God. Pray against every act of unforgiveness (directly or indirectly) that may have impeded your worship. Remember, because God did not forgive, worship was not direct, God related with man ruthlessly (Uzzah died) and blessing was impeded until God forgave and accepted worship through Jesus Christ who gave an acceptable sacrifice. Please pray.

You may pray or consider asking your pastor to pray with you; let him/her know that you have laboured and desire to continue to worship and serve but the veil blocking your worship and blessings must be thorn for you to directly access God’s mercies. If you decide to pray on your own, the prayer of consecration below can guide you:

Lord even as I have in obedience responded to Your Word, consecrate me Lord for your worship, help me to truly forgive so I can worship you in spirit and in truth. Lord, let your tenderness melt my bitterness and your lovingness uproot my unworthiness. As I worship in your presence, let there be healing, let there be deliverance, let the Holy Spirit’s gentle touch flow through me, inhabit my praises and bless my worship as individuals and as a member of your church. Help me to obey your commandments, accept your provision and comply with your authority. In Jesus Christ name I pray.