What Are You Waiting For?

"It happened that when the Philistine [Goliath] arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine ." (1Samuel 17:48)

"What men want is not talent, it is purpose; in other words, not the power to achieve it, but will to labour. I believe that labour judiciously and continuously applied becomes genius" - Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Lacking in purpose, even a talented person will leave that talent lying waste, but a person with the will to labour will make something out of nothing and be a great blessing to many.

True, "every person" as John Maxwell observed, "has a longing to be significant; to make a contribution; to be part of something noble and purposeful". But it is also true that desire alone gets nothing done. The "will to labour", that is, to fearlessly expend necessary effort, is the game changer.

King Saul and the armies of Israel longed to make a difference, yet each time Goliath, the champion of their enemy showed up and challenge them to a fight, they run for cover, "afraid and dismayed". (1 Samuel 17). Saul and his soldiers had talent and military skill but they lost their sense of purpose and the will to labour.

Into this scenario enters David, a purposeful young shepherd who rightly perceived Goliath's challenge as an insult to "the God of the armies of Israel". With God's help David was determined to silence Goliath.

Furthermore, David had the "will to labour" - an attitude which he had "judiciously and continuously" developed over time as he defended his flock from predatory beasts.

David was just a teenage lad who had no military skills or training in the use of the conventional military equipment of the day, but he was the purposeful tiny teenager who stopped the giant Goliath. "What men want is not talent, it is purpose...not the power to achieve it, but will to labor". David exemplified this will to labour once again as he "hurried and ran toward" Goliath", a stark contrast to what had been happening hitherto.

Purposeful people don't stand by and watch things happen, they make things happen. They are willing to match desire and purposefulness with a "will to labour" consistently and constantly in order to enable a desirable outcome. Natural talent, where present, is just an added benefit to the genius of such committed men and women.

Use what you have! Have a "will to labour"! Strive to make a difference!

Grace to you!

#bePurposeful!

Pastor Victor Ubani

INTO THE FUTURE

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14, ESV)

Delightful or painful, successful or not, the past is that part of your life that has already happened and revealed its glory.

And, dwelling in it is wont, if you are not careful, to keep you from being adequately invested in the part of your life before you and yet to happen.

Resolve to let go and move purposefully forward; be unwavering as you cast-off the lines attaching you to the harbour of self-indulgent past.

Unfurl your sails of hope by faith, and with courage catch the heavenly wind of destiny whistling through as its nature has always been.

Let the gentle wind of change fill-up your sails today and move you in the power of God’s might toward the shores of a divine future awaiting your appointed arrival.

Grace and peace to you!

Pastor Victor Ubani

READ SIGN TO KILL TIME?

“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17, AMP)

Hanging behind the check-out register in a Cincinnati candle shop is a large sign which reads:

“There is a very good reason for this sign being here and you standing in front of it reading it. It is here to keep you busy. We realize how annoying it can be just standing around doing nothing, trying to find someone to help you. So, we have this sign here for you to read, and hope that by the time you finish reading it one of our salespeople will have found you. “P.S. If not, please read this sign again.” - (Quote culled from Encyclopaedia of 7700 Illustrations)

Be careful how you kill time, your future and indeed your life are inextricably bound with what you do with time today. Rather, God's wise counsel is that you redeem the time and make the best use of every opportunity given you!

Time, once spent can never again be reclaimed. If you are twenty years old today, for example, the implication is that you can never be nineteen again. You may feel like a nineteen year old and be equally as active, but you are no longer nineteen and you can never have that time at your disposal again. Time passes by. It moves on even if, in your mind, you may have decided to stand still. 

The great implication of this is that we must wisely try to use up each opportunity available to us as time progresses. And recognizing that God has determined a time and a season for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1), see to it then at each stage of your life and in every moment, that you redeem the time by understanding how God wants you to utilize your time. 

The apostle Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside” (1 Corinthians 13:11, AMP). This is about the proper understanding and use of time by which all ones faculties and being are harnessed for a fully productive life.

Have you been "reading the sign to kill time" or "redeeming the time" in the shop of life? Time is such a precious gift and must be used wisely to the glory of God. As a sensible, intelligent person, make the very most of your time. Be careful to observe how you walk, endeavouring to live purposefully and worthily in Christ!

God bless you as you heed his counsel to use time wisely. It is a challenge to faithful stewardship of time.

BEWARE OF IDLE WORDS

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.” (Matthew 12:36, NKJV)

The clear thought of the passage can be summed up thus: God assesses the value of every word YOU utter; YOU are responsible for every word YOU speak and therefore will give account of each one of them - whether they are idle or otherwise; and it’s the will of God that every word YOU speak is fruitful in the sense of being worthwhile and making a positive difference.

The word “idle” in this passage is a translation of the Greek word “argos”, which also denotes “inactive, unfruitful, and barren”. Argos is a compound word made up of “a” meaning ‘negative’ and “ergon” meaning ‘work’. So the word can be used in the sense of something having the potential to produce a negative outcome or a worthless result.

The message is clear: Be careful of the quality of your words. It matters that we are not careless with our words; that the words we speak are such as would activate the move of the Holy Spirit and not license the devil or give him room.

Words produce results; the question is what kind of results are your words producing? When you speak “idle” words you equip your adversary the devil with effectual weapons of attack – your own words. Ephesians 6 describes these enemy weapons as “the fiery darts of the wicked one”.

Idle words by their nature are contrary to the will of God and negates our faith in any given situation or circumstance. You are as likely to speak idle words into your own life as in the lives of others too - perhaps into your spouse’s life, your children’s lives, indeed the lives of everyone you come in contact with, even total strangers. What you say, how you say it, and why you say it matters. You will give account.

A mouth trained in talking foolishness, filthiness, or negatives cannot be proficient in speaking life and faith. The Bible enjoins the believer:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

As a believer, every word you permit to come out your lips should be words that the Holy Spirit can use to work God’s purpose. God has put the power of life and death in the tongue, and He wants His children to speak words that are alive and active, not dead and worthless words.

However, our words cannot be alive and active unless their content and the motive of our hearts line up with God’s purpose and plan. Then will our words we take on the character of God’s word and receive the backing of the Father, for only the word of God has the attribute of being alive and active. Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

How have you been using the creative power that God has invested in your tongue? Train your mouth to speak life not death, to speak fruitful words not words that produce a negative work. Eschew idle words and learn to speak as your heavenly Father speaks.

Beware; you will be accountable for the outcome of your words. Speak life; speak the change that is ordained by God. Impact your world with God-breathed words and not with idle words!

ALL TOGETHER FOR GOOD

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Those who "love God" pursue with steadfast devotion the purpose of God to which they have been called regardless of who comes into their lives or depart from it, or what situations and circumstance they encounter, and to these will their be a manifestation of the fullness of the promise: “all things work together for good”!

Always and in all things, the believer is to be guided by God's purpose for he is “called according to God’s purpose”. The justifiable reason for what we do as people who are called by the name of God, and why we follow a particular road and not the other, must be because it is an expression of that which is according to His purpose. Apostle Paul exhorted us: “…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” (Ephesians 4:1, NLT)

Believers face situations daily that will either encourage them and inspire confidence in them or discourage, frustrate and test their resolve to lead a worthy life. And how you deal with the unique combination of people, things and circumstances that define your particular daily situations depends on how you answer the question: “Why have I woken up this morning? Why am I alive today?

The incontrovertible truth is that we live because God ordained it. He woke you up this morning, and He called, in Christ, according to His own purpose that you should lead a life worthy of your calling. To start your day with the right attitude therefore must involve acknowledging that God who made the day and made you part of it by His grace and mercy. He is at work in it and in you.

Furthermore Christian, understand that walking in obedience to God’s purpose does not mean that we will not come up against difficult situations. There will always be battles to fight as long as we are in this life. But whatever the challenge of your day, by remaining steadfast in your pursuit of God's purpose, you will experience His great grace that strengthens and enables His people to continue to do His will even in very difficult circumstances and with difficult people.

Those life situations that appear to be unconnected events and random encounters, which for some people are sources of deep consternation, ought not hold such dread for the man or woman who loves God, whose steps are the divinely ordered steps of the righteous, because God uses everything that happens to the faithful believer!

As Christians it is very reassuring to know that as we lead a life worthy of God’s calling, He will use everything that we encounter each day, He will work them all into His grand plan for our lives and cause them to work for our good. Though evil may have been intended against you, God will turn it around for your good. Only love God and stay with His purpose!