Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Wait on your vision

O, I know that I have been rash to talk out plainly this way to God. I will in my thinking, stand upon my post of observation and station myself on the tower or fortress. And then I will watch to see what He will say within me and what I will answer as His mouth speaks to the perplexities of my complaints. And the Lord answered me and said Write the vision.

Engrave it so plainly upon the tablets that everyone who passes by will be able to read and easily and quickly as he hastens by. For the vision within your heart is yet for an appointed time (an opportune time). This means that the vision is for a time when opportunity will be created for it to be made manifest and it hastens to its fulfilment. It will not deceive you nor disappoint you. Though it tarries, wait earnestly on it (Hab. 2:1-3 Amp paraphrased).The word ‘tablets’ in the verse above refers to our hearts. We are to write the vision in our hearts with our tongues, which is the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1).

This means that it is every individual’s responsibility to fill their hearts with God’s vision for them, using the fruit of their lips (i.e. words shown to them by God). It is must be noted here that the appointed time referred to in Habakkuk 2 is not necessarily the ‘chronos’ or a fixed date on our calendar rather, it refers to the time when the opportunity for the manifestation of your vision will be granted. This shows that a man cannot act productively before the opportunities are created for him to do so. What he can do (in the process of waiting) is to make the vision plain.

He is to plant the vision in his subconscious by constantly declaring it in exact details. This is the major role that your spirit plays, by creating opportunities for the manifestation of those things that have been planted in it. This responsibility that is conferred on each individual makes it crucial for everyone to seek wisdom on how to draw the appointed season into their environment.

This means that individuals needs to learn how to bring circumstances to bear such that the turn of events become favourable for the manifestation of the dream lodged within them. The above statement lends authority to the fact that nothing is impossible (Matt 17:20) things only appear impossible when they are out of season.

When the season of a vision comes, the opportunities for its manifestation are presented to the visionary. Things that appeared impossible when the vision was out of season suddenly become achievable. Therefore, it is possible that an ignorant man will probably never experience the joy that comes from creating opportunities for the realisation of the dreams in his life.

This is because their realisation appear impossible to him. In order to turn this tide, he needs to acquire the “technology” of how the spirit-man operates in his environment to actualise the dreams in his heart.This spiritual principle is so effective that even when it was not yet time in God’s plans, Abraham still got part of the manifestation of God’s promise to him (the many nations would be realised later through his descendants). If Abraham (as well as other heroes of faith) had held in dominant thought the country from which they came, they would have created opportunities to return to it.

This means that their spirit would have worked upon this major thought it would have created enabling conditions for that thought to have been realised in their environment, this is the power of the human spirit. It is therefore necessary for you to be at rest because every dream in your heart will come to pass. It will neither deceive nor disappoint you if you understand the place of timing. Know that timing is everything when it comes to the manifestation of vision.

Do not step out just because you feel like doing so, wait until the enabling opportunities have been created and the situations are in alignment if you are to succeed.

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Friday, February 15, 2008

Watch your step here!

A man who was a famous tree climber was guiding someone in climbing a tall tree. He ordered the man to cut the top of the branches, and during this time when the man seemed to be in the greatest danger, the expert said nothing.

Only when the man was coming down and had reached the height of the eaves did the expert call out for him to be careful. “Watch your step coming down”. I asked him why he did that because at that height he could jump the rest of the way is he chose. “That’s the point” said the expert.

“As long as the man was up at a dizzy height and the branches were threatening to break, he was afraid, so I said nothing. Mistakes are always made when people are at the easy places.” These words are in perfect accord with the precepts of the sages. In football too, they say that after you have kicked out of a difficult place and you think the next will be easier, you are sure to miss the ball.

There is a challenge in failure and confinement and there is also a challenge in victory and success.

Jesus, in teaching on the parable of the kingdom, spoke in relation to the three basic challenges that the heart of every person must confront.

1. The Challenge of Ignorance.
2. The Challenge of Offences
3. The Challenge of Bitterness (when things do not work out as planned)

When your hope is deferred and expectations seem cut off by opposition, bitterness tries to take root in the heart (seeking to poison the whole cycle of the events of our lives) through the negative words we are tempted to speak (in murmuring and complaining) during such times.

Hell seeks to ignite our lives through our tongue, poisoning every relationship we have, cutting short our productivity. The challenge of success and growth is the most deceitful of them all.

Gradually the enemy of our souls lays ambush and if we are not informed, we self - destruct. Great military generals have said that the greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory.

The law of God inserted into the earth at creation says that contained in every fruit is the seed for future fruit. When we obtain some measure of success, contained within it is the seed for greater achievements the greatest challenge though is that the body of the seed always differs from the nature of the seed in it.

Discernment and the need for obedience to the still small voice within our souls is more important now than ever before. Quietness of the soul must replace emotional outbursts. The pattern and the rhythm of events that produced this level of success would differ from that which is to come.

When you attain some measure of success, step back and understand that in the rhythm of life the same set of circumstances would never produce a repeat of the same set of actions.

History and the Scriptures are littered with the ruins of victorious empires and the corpses of leaders who did not learn how to handle the challenges of victory.

Success naturally makes us less adaptable to circumstances it goes to our head and makes us emotional. Feeling invulnerable, you make aggressive moves that ultimately undo the victory you have gained.

For example you start talking to people in ways you shouldn’t, developing oppressive tendencies, paying less attention to detail etc. ‘Success is a lousy teacher it makes smart people think they can’t lose (Bill Gates).

Your mind is tricked into believing that it’s your wisdom and character that are responsible for your success. The first thing you must do is to give all the glory to God. It rightfully belongs there.

If this is not done, that blessing (be it a promotion on the job, an expansion in your business, favour in the right quarters, a marriage, etc) might turn into a source of pain.

“If you would not hear and if you do not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, saith the Lord, I would even send a curse upon you and I would curse your blessing. (Mal 2:12)

Rule 1: Give glory to God before He causes darkness and your feet stumble on the dark mountains.

Rule 2: Be courteous. Be very respectful of elders and those in positions of authority.

Rule 3: Help the poor and the less privileged.

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Tongue Asset

What food is to the stomach, thoughts are to the heart of man. As the nature of the food you eat (whether the right or wrong type) will ultimately determine the state of your body so does the nature of thoughts you allow into your heart ultimately determine the state of your life.Success, failure, poverty, wealth etc are the products of your heart.

As there is food that can damage the body so there are thoughts that can damage one’s cycle of life. If we knew what power thought had and understood how to ‘eat’ them, we would have found how to regulate the events of our lives. We would not for one moment play around with thoughts related to failure, defeat, doubt or any other negative thing.

The Word of God by definition is the expression of the thoughts of God towards humanity. They are good and not evil to give you your expectations in life. When you have set goals and have a defined purpose, dreams or aspirations learning to feed on the thoughts of God is the mighty step towards realising your goals.

My son, eat thou honey because it is good and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to thy soul when thou has found it, then there shall be a reward and thy expectation shall not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13 – 14) what honey is to your physical being the thoughts of God are to your soul. It gives a reward i.e. your expectations shall be exceeded.

Jesus taught that it is not what enters a man’s mouth that defiles him, but what comes out. For what goes in (i.e. food) enters into his stomach and then it is passed out into the draught. He said that what goes into his mouth cannot defile him because it cannot reach his heart.

What comes out of his mouth (i.e. words) can defile him because these enter into his heart and once it gets into the heart in abundant measure it enters into the life experiences of the person.

If you want to get anything into your life experiences then learn to use your tongue knowing that your words feed your heart and whatever stays and grows in your heart becomes your life.

Pastor Poju Oyemade

Friday, February 8, 2008

Information is what reduces uncertainty.

For any given task the more information you have the more certain would be the outcome of the events. Nothing must be attempted without information on the subject. Take nothing for granted; all are born ignorant on every subject of life.

The informed are the studious. Increase your probability of success to the point of certainty by surrounding yourself with books, tapes and with people that are informed. Every great achievement is a product of a great plan born in the mind of an informed person.

If it is on marriage, read.Raising up children, read. Compare notes and exchange ideas through communication. Whatever it is, consciously pray to God for information that would produce a programme of action and then read. Erase all doubt through precise knowledge and then enter into action with boldness.

Fortune they say favours the bold. Resist mental laziness i.e. the idea that reading is unnecessary labour. Information that gives you a programme of action is power. Leave nothing to chance. God is a God of solutions through information.

Job said Oh that I was in the days past.... when the candle of the Lord was upon my head and by His light I walked through darkness'. Are you facing challenges today? You can walk out victorious if you give value to information realizing you were born ignorant and you grew presuming you knew.

God is not a God of uncertainty and chance; that is religion. God is a God of information and programme. Are you making confessions today about set goals? Pray to Him for the necessary information that would give you the right programme of action to succeed.
Pastor Poju Oyemade

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

On People and Books

Books are very powerful tools in the development of thoughts. For you to be able to develop a right plan of action towards the attainment of your goals you must seek the assistance of other people in the form of advice, experience and knowledge.

The easiest way to get this is by reading books. Books contain practically every event and knowledge that has shaped humanity. They contain the seeds for the events which are to come.Concepts are developed and nourished through reading.

The power behind the printed page is this when you read you have fellowship with the best part of that person, you are not hindered by the personality of the person, you have access to the most valuable and important thoughts of the person. God is able to communicate with us without the personality of the individual colouring the thoughts.

The Corinthian church confirmed this, that the best part of Paul was his writings, when they said his letters were weighty and powerful but his bodily presence (personality) was weak and his speech contemptible.

His writings made a better impression than his person. Frank Gaebelein, a former editor of Christianity Today wrote: ‘Among the eternal resources available to the church the printed page comes first.’Isolation has only been right for the people who have withdrawn temporarily from others for the development of thought through prayer and reading.

You have got to understand the balance between books and people in evolving a right plan of action. All successful people are studious but also sociable. Too many people are studious but don’t socialise so they don’t find the proper balance in their actions by the knowledge they have acquired.Thought development towards a right plan of action must be interactive. Jesus interacted heavily with people yet strictly maintained the process of development by being studious.

He visited with friends, attended feasts and weddings. This is one of the problems the Pharisees had with Jesus He was more of a socialite than a hermit.

Never let the devil push you out of this developmental process, that which helps your thoughts grow (books) and that which is relational. Whatever God intends for your life He would bring it primarily through the hands and the minds of men. He told John the apostle on the island of Patmos, ‘what thou seest write and send…’ God commanded John to document his thoughts in the form of a book.

Today we open the book of Revelation and have access to the knowledge John gained in his personal encounter with God.Without books, the knowledge and experiences of others which could have been beneficial to us would be wasted. The scriptures record that Daniel understood by books the purpose of God for the nation of Israel in his time. He developed his thoughts by reading and then asked God to express, through events the thoughts he had acquired through reading.

No one else saw what he saw, for they did not understand that the plans of God for the future were contained in books available to them then.Bill Gates testifies to the fact that had a man An Wang (a Chinese immigrant) who built Wang laboratories not recognised the importance of compatible software applications there might not have been a Microsoft today. He said he might have been an attorney or mathematician somewhere.

Microsoft, his plan of action for the future was born while reading the January 1975 edition of Popular Electronics magazine. He saw on the cover a photograph of a very small computer not much larger than a toaster oven and from that point on a stream of practical ideas flooded his mind.
Pastor Poju Oyemade

On People and Books

Books are very powerful tools in the development of thoughts. For you to be able to develop a right plan of action towards the attainment of your goals you must seek the assistance of other people in the form of advice, experience and knowledge.

The easiest way to get this is by reading books. Books contain practically every event and knowledge that has shaped humanity. They contain the seeds for the events which are to come.Concepts are developed and nourished through reading.

The power behind the printed page is this when you read you have fellowship with the best part of that person, you are not hindered by the personality of the person, you have access to the most valuable and important thoughts of the person. God is able to communicate with us without the personality of the individual colouring the thoughts.

The Corinthian church confirmed this, that the best part of Paul was his writings, when they said his letters were weighty and powerful but his bodily presence (personality) was weak and his speech contemptible.

His writings made a better impression than his person. Frank Gaebelein, a former editor of Christianity Today wrote: ‘Among the eternal resources available to the church the printed page comes first.’Isolation has only been right for the people who have withdrawn temporarily from others for the development of thought through prayer and reading.

You have got to understand the balance between books and people in evolving a right plan of action. All successful people are studious but also sociable. Too many people are studious but don’t socialise so they don’t find the proper balance in their actions by the knowledge they have acquired.Thought development towards a right plan of action must be interactive. Jesus interacted heavily with people yet strictly maintained the process of development by being studious.

He visited with friends, attended feasts and weddings. This is one of the problems the Pharisees had with Jesus He was more of a socialite than a hermit.

Never let the devil push you out of this developmental process, that which helps your thoughts grow (books) and that which is relational. Whatever God intends for your life He would bring it primarily through the hands and the minds of men. He told John the apostle on the island of Patmos, ‘what thou seest write and send…’ God commanded John to document his thoughts in the form of a book.

Today we open the book of Revelation and have access to the knowledge John gained in his personal encounter with God.Without books, the knowledge and experiences of others which could have been beneficial to us would be wasted. The scriptures record that Daniel understood by books the purpose of God for the nation of Israel in his time. He developed his thoughts by reading and then asked God to express, through events the thoughts he had acquired through reading.

No one else saw what he saw, for they did not understand that the plans of God for the future were contained in books available to them then.Bill Gates testifies to the fact that had a man An Wang (a Chinese immigrant) who built Wang laboratories not recognised the importance of compatible software applications there might not have been a Microsoft today. He said he might have been an attorney or mathematician somewhere.

Microsoft, his plan of action for the future was born while reading the January 1975 edition of Popular Electronics magazine. He saw on the cover a photograph of a very small computer not much larger than a toaster oven and from that point on a stream of practical ideas flooded his mind.
Pastor Poju Oyemade