Friday, November 27, 2009

The Power of Two Minutes


Depth, not length, is important.

Not how long you take to talk but how much you say. Not how flowery and eloquent you sound but how sincerely and succinctly you speak...that's what is important...that's what is remembered. Two memorable minutes can be more effective than two marathon hours.

The story was told of the Pennsylvania historic event in 1863. During the first days of the month of July, 51,000 people were killed, wounded, or missing in what would prove the decisive Union victory of the American Civil War. Anguished cries of the maimed and dying made a wailing chorus as the patients were hurried to improvised operating tables. One nurse recorded these words in her journal: "For seven days the tables literally ran with blood". Wagons and Carts were filled to overflowing with amputated arms and legs, wheeled off to a deep trench, dumped and buried. Preachers quoted the twenty-third Psalm over and over as fast as their lips could say it while brave soldiers breathed their last.

A national cemetery was proposed. A consecration service was planned. The date was set: November 19. The commission invited none other than the silver-tongued Edward Everett to deliver the dedication speech. Known for his cultured words, patriotic fervor, and public appeal, the orator, a former Congressman and Governor of Massachusetts, was a natural for the historic occasion. Predictably, he accepted.

In October President Lincoln announced his intentions to attend the ceremonies. This startled the commissioners, who had not expected Mr. Lincoln to leave the Capitol in wartime. Now, how could he not be asked to speak? They were nervous, realising how much better an orator Everett was than Lincoln. Out of courtesy, they wrote the President on November 2, asking him to deliver "a few appropriate remarks".

Finally on the D-day, shortly after the chaplain of the Senate gave the invocation, Everett was introduced. He knew his craft. Voice fluctuation…Tone…Dramatic gestures…Eloquent pauses. Lincoln stared in fascination. One hour fifty-seven minutes later, the orator took his seat as the crowd roared its enthusiastic approval.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Lincoln was introduced. As he stood to his feet, he held his two-paged speech in his right hand and grabbed his lapel with his left. He never moved his feet nor made any gesture with his hands. His voice, high-pitched, almost squeaky, carried over the crowd like a brass bugle. He was serious and sad at the beginning...but a few sentences into the speech, his face and voice came alive. As he spoke, "The world will little note nor long remember..." he almost broke, but then he caught himself and was strong and clear. People listened on tiptoe. Suddenly, he was finished. No more than two minutes after he had begun, he stopped.

Over 146 years have passed since that historic event. Can anyone recall one line from Everett's two-hour Gettysburg address? Lincoln's two minutes have become among the most memorable two minutes in the history of America.
Some of you in the church may have felt a desire to set aside time to think about what's really important in life...to evaluate your use of the hours in your week...to pray about specific concerns in your life. Even as you're that "you just don't have time". After all, what could be possibly accomplished in the ten-, five-, or two-minute blocks of time you have to spare? It might surprise you-with God, the possibilities are limitless.

History won't let us forget the day when one man accomplished more in two minutes than another did in two hours. How much more should we not underestimate the power of two minutes with God?

So what if you find yourself with only minutes to spare? Invest them in valuable ends, in enduring goals, in honest conversation with God. Give it your best! Time is like character; it's depth that counts in the long run.

Soaring Higher


“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.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Unfortunately, many see the word “wait” as fasting. Waiting is much more than fasting; it is TRUST (the state of being convinced and absolutely dependent upon someone or something). It is our TRUST IN GOD that produces the impetus for us to soar in life. Trust (in God, not in self) is the most important prerequisite for soaring in this life. Scriptures clearly states in First Samuel Chapter 2 Verse 9 that “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

Zechariah 4:6 says “…not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”. We do not soar in life by natural ability but spiritual impartation. Those who have tried to succeed by human abilities have ended up becoming casualties in life.

There is something that guarantees success in life – it is the wind beneath our wings – and it causes us to mount to great heights that the world cannot explain (John 1:5). This wind is the power of the Divine Presence in a life that imparts the very life of God (Zoe) into an individual and makes supernatural living a physical reality. Jesus said “…I have come that you may have life (Zoe) and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

This study hopes to answer our hunger for the better life by closely looking at what has been provided for every blood-bought child of God; it also hope to bring into our sub-consciousness the Kingdom Life – which is the essence our preparation here on earth to meet with the Lord ultimately. We hope to really have a nice time sharing the revelation of God in its most sincere, simple and systematic way tonight.

The Old has given way to the New. There is something about our generation that makes us so special and unique (Heb.11:39-40 – “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”)

In the Old Testament the Glory, the Power and the Presence of God comes down from heaven to the earth and had to be borne or carried around in an Acacia wood on the shoulders of priests. The Presence was tabernacle in a building called Temples or Synagogues and could only be accessed by a priest (Deut.10:8 – “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.” ), whose preparation for the task must be for a whole year and who have to do it to the letter (Num.4:15 – “And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.”) – Remember Uzzah? (2Sam.6:1-12)

(Romans 8–10:18; Colossians 1:23-29).

But now, all the fullness of the Godhead is tabernacle inside of us (Col.2:9; 2Cor.5:17; 2Pet.1:3-4) and we have become the carriers of the Divine Presence. The Glory, the Power and the Presence of God need not come down again because it is in us – it only needs to be lived out! (Rom.8:8-11,19).

What does it mean to manifest? To manifest means to show clearly; to demonstrate. Therefore, we have been called to demonstrate the Divine Presence clearly for our world to see. There is absolutely nothing to show our world if we are still at the same plane or level with them – i.e. living like they do. We’ve got to be ahead; we’ve got to be above them (John 3:31). We are the products of heavenly extraction, and it must show in every little thing we do – the Divine Presence must be carried in everything we do. There must be a divine wind under our wings to propel us to soar higher above the standards of the world. If you are a born again child of God reading this right now, you are qualified for this life. Take it, it is meant for you! You have come into the kingdom at the best time! This is the best time of your life!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Understanding Your Purpose In Life


“And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.” (1Kings 6:7)

Rick Warren’s best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, is very apt for us to consider in dealing with the question of “why on earth am I here?”. Just like someone said, “when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable”, a lot of us need to come to terms with the reason why we are here. Some important things must be resolved in our hearts about our existence here on earth. We are not just here for the fun of it; we are here to fulfill a divine mandate and we must understand that fact.

There is a lot of ‘noise’ today in the house of God because we have a clash of purpose. People are unaware of the fact that we can all be ‘high-flyers’ without been collusive but cohesive. The air is big enough for birds to fly without colliding with each other, so says a popular saying in Nigeria. We can all be what we desire to be when we all understand our purpose here on earth. We can live our dreams when we realize that we are part of a bigger script written by the Creator to affect the world positively for Himself and for His pleasure.

Ambition Versus Vision
There are certain things that rule in the affairs of our core existence in life. An understanding of these basic things will guarantee us the rights into the privileges of life and what life generally stands for and holds for us.

Questions have been asked in previous times about how we can understand the reason for existence. I wish to state categorically here that existence only functions properly when it coincides with what the will of God is. Many of us pursue after success in life in direct opposition to God’s will. The majority of human problem is as a result of the confusion we have been shaped with by society or even the formal education we have. A lot of us have confused the concept of ambition with vision. We pursue vigorously at ambitions as the vision of our lives, and they unfortunately drive us in the wrong direction, away from God.

Ambition is your personal pursuit for personal fulfillment and or happiness, while vision is the reason why you were created; your purpose for being in this life. Your vision is what the marketers call your ‘raison d’etre’ – your reason for living. While ambition is personal and selfish, vision is much more tended towards others and selfless in nature. While ambition seeks gratification from personal fulfillment, vision is gratified when the needs of others are meant.

The ready example I give to people when I make this distinction is equally as simple as it is – when someone says, “I want to become a doctor”. That is an ambition and the person does not find fulfillment and joy till that becomes a reality. On the other hand, someone can say, “I want to be a doctor so that I can be of service to mankind and help those who may not have the opportunity for quality healthcare”. What difference did you find in these two statements? That is exactly what I mean when I say the difference is easy to spot.

Therefore, if our lives must make a meaning, it must grow beyond us and touch others. You cannot live by yourself and make a meaning in life. Personal fulfillment becomes much more interesting when we pursue the fulfillment of other people’s dreams. Go check this out, the people who make the most and profoundest impact in history were people who lived beyond self and reached out for the good of all. Mike Murdock will always quip, “what you make happen for others God will make happen for you”. It is as simple as that – you draw life and the essence for living when you live outside of yourself and make the dreams of others come to pass. Remember, the Law of Harvest is as real and true as the Law of Gravity (Gen.8:22; Gal.6:7-10).

A popular servant of God in Nigeria was quoted sometime ago as saying that his reason for being is to ensure that the vision of his senior pastor becomes a reality. What a servant of God! No wonder his success has been inevitable; because as his pastor is moving forward he is also moving forward. How I wish a lot of us have this sense of security about our calling. The truth is we cannot all be leaders all at the same time. There will be a time when we poured water into the hands of our ‘Elijahs’, and serve them (2Kings 3:11). What gives us security about our future and our calling in life is the assurance that we are right at the center of God’s will for our purpose.

How Do You Discover Your Purpose?
Another pertinent question to ask in this regard is: “What is the will of God and how does one begin to understand and appropriate His will in the fulfillment of what one has been created to achieve?”

The answer is the Word of God (John 5:39). The Word of God is the cheapest way to discover one’s God-ordained purpose. When you correlate the Word of God with the way you have chosen to live your life then you begin to discover the purpose for your existence. In the case where you have derailed from God’s documented ideals then you know without any iota of doubt that you are not in alignment with His purpose for you.

Therefore, if you do not understand what the Word of God says concerning your life you cannot equally understand what His will for your life is. God’s word is His will; and you need to understand it in relation to your purpose.