A SCHOOL FOR GROWTH

A SCHOOL FOR GROWTH

Adesina Abegunde

Proverbs 19:8 (MSG) 

⁸ Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life.

All praise, glory and honor to Jesus for making you to see the very last day of the first ember month, you will see the rest of this year in Jesus name.

By the last day of this Year, your testimonies will be overflowing and you shall be amazed yourself in Jesus name.

In marriage, either of these two things will happen; it is either a person are growing or groaning.

With my personal experience and involvement with people as God cause us to grow in marriage, I just wonder just how much things one can learn in order to be FULLY equipped for marriage. Many have confessed that it was as though they never learnt anything before, not because they never read or attended seminars, but because the gap between theory and practical is overwhelming and requires God’s grace.

I have shared with several people that the best school of discipleship is marriage, which is the best arena where God can shape us to be like Him. If you are not growing at home, you are not growing at all. Every outside or public motivated growth that is not rooted in the secret family life is only a cosmetics or fake growth.

No better place can you genuinely develop love and every other Christlike characteristics than in your marriage because no one knows you like your partner, that is where you are most likely your true self, you are not likely to be impressing anyone. Therefore your real person show forth and from there you can know what really you need to give attention to.

I want you to consider with me in this post that marriage is indeed a school and not just a screw. Marriage is to make you grow better and not bitter.

If you are not growing at home, you are not growing at all.

According to Proverbs 19:8, do yourself a big favour by growing wise, change how you see your challenges in marriage, those challenges are your unseen teachers.I will share on how to maximize your growth in the next post.

Till then, may the Lord bless, keep you, provide for you and cause Hid face to shine on you.

October will be great for you in Jesus name.

Keep growing and glowing.

DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS 3

DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS 3

Hello everyone. A Glorious good morning to you. Thursdays are for business here! It will be fruitful for you in Jesus name. Amen.

Last week, I shared some insights with you about how Abraham through God’s help survived the famine that threatened him and his possessions.

Today, I will be sharing with you few things that I personally learnt from the live of Isaac when he experienced the Famine that threatened him in Genesis 26

Abraham died leaving his possessions for his son Isaac. Famine struck and he left for Gerar. Note that God didn’t ask him to move. He did exactly what his father Abraham did. (I want to believe that there is something about famine that makes us Humans forget to consult God). He went on his own accord consulting his Common Sense. To deal with this present Economic crisis, HOLY GHOST SENSE is needed and not COMMON SENSE. 

Don’t dabble into anything because everybody is doing it. Wait on the Lord for instruction before you leap out. Another important incident that happened was that in Genesis 26:7-9, he told a lie. This seems to be a trend because it happened with Abraham too. There is the need to emphasize that Famine brings along with it Underhanded behaviors. (Be warned). Never compromise.

The beautiful thing about this is that even though he left without asking, God had mercy upon him intervened and gave him instruction on where not to go to. The closure of this Famine for Isaac was his Relationship with God and God’s covenant (Genesis 26:2-5, 12-14,24). God showered Isaac with prosperity during Famine. He was so prosperous that a whole nation began to envy and fight him.

I pray for you and your family that you will hear clearly the voice of God directing your every step in Jesus name. In this time of Economic crisis, you shall flourish and prosper. You shall lend to nations and not borrow in Jesus name. It is easy for you and yours in Jesus name. Amen. Shalom!

ADESINA ABEGUNDE

DOUBLE “H” WAR: Holiness vs Hormone (Part 10)

DOUBLE “H” WAR: Holiness vs Hormone (Part 10)

Living right, feeling right

Adesina A. Abegunde

Dealing with Sexual Temptation (4)

Beloved, I believe you are now experiencing the joy that comes from living right and feeling right. There is power in holiness, there is great confidence in righteousness. My dear, there is great pride in keeping yourself chaste.

In this post, I want to share few vital tips from the life of Joseph, a guy who was able to deal with an evil opportunity because of his pure thoughts and righteous living. We all need to learn from Joseph to do the following and stay pure:

     1.      Never allow evil opportunity to meet evil thoughts or wishes in your heart. It is disastrous. It like a right key in the right lock, something will happen. Two people feeling “gisgis” alone in a room, behind a closed door will yield to temptation if they don’t act in holiness fast by fleeing.

     2.       Flee every evil opportunity. Remember the injunction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in 2Timothy 2:22

“Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts” (tlb).

“Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (amp).

The Holy Spirit knows that you can speak in tongues, trust in the Lord and practice self-control but He told you to FLEE. Fleeing is wisdom not weakness, he who fights and flees, flee to fight another day. Flee without apology. You cannot afford to say every joke, watch every film, smile at everything, stare at every picture or listen to all music.

Fleeing is wisdom not weakness

One of my beloved sisters in church, ItunuOluwa Precious Adiji, was sharing one day and said “I just discovered that it pays to be old-school.” You are termed “old-school” once you don’t embrace what everyone is doing. Just remember that to embrace every worldly way is to embrace death and a journey to the termination of a glorious destiny.

     3.      Think pure thoughts, deal with evil wishes lurking in your heart, and renew your mind in the Word of God. Guard your heart, beware of evil imaginations.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7 kjv)

You will always find an opportunity for whatever you are thinking in your heart. Someone who is thinking business will simply find business opportunities around. So also, if you think sex and imagine all manners, everywhere you look you will find ingredients of sin. Don’t forget the popular saying, “When there is a will, there will be a way.”

“Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you” (Romans 12:2 tlb)

“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:2 msg).

“And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (Philippians 4:8 tlb).

Don't lustfully fantasize on her beauty,nor be taken in by her bedroom eyes” Proverb 6:25

Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life” (Proverbs 4:23)

Bishop David Oyedepo said “nothing works until you work it.” Friends, I tell you the truth, these ideas work, they have worked for me and many others and they are still working. If you will work them, they will work for you.

It is well with you in Jesus name.

You will never fail again in Jesus name.

Keep living right and feeling right.

God bless you.

EXCELLENCE IS COSTLY

EXCELLENCE IS COSTLY

Adesina A. Abegunde

A beautiful Tuesday to you in Jesus name.

I hope you are evaluating how you spent the month of September already? Excellent people take their time to reflect, review, re-strategize, refresh and rethink their performances and plans. So, dear, I want you to take time between now and Friday to take a long look at how you have spent this month, what you did or fail to do, celebrate what you achieved and the progress you made, plan on how to make up for anything you failed to do or to do very well. Only thoughtful men are excellent men.

Today I am talking about the fact that excellence is costly, everything excellent cost something. Nothing is excellent that cost nothing, excellence comes at a price and only those who pay the price can be truly excellent.

Have you ever wondered why excellence is not common? It is because it is not cheap, it is costly. That something is cheap does not mean that it is cost-effective, sometimes costly things are more cost-effective than cheap things. And that is exactly what excellence does, excellence is costly but it is cost-effective, excellence prevent loses and unnecessary recurrent expenditures or wasteful repairs.

A common saying is that “if you think education is costly, try ignorance,” and in the same vein I want to say that if you think that excellence is costly or rather too costly, try mediocrity and see what it is going to cost you.

For example a student who think an extra one hour of reading is costly and performed poorly in an examination may eventually wait till another year, with another fee to rewrite the same examination. So, which one is more costly? Or perhaps a lazy staff who could not pay the price of extra attention to details and then lose his or her job.

Excellence is costly, no doubt, but mediocrity will be more costly on the long run. Mediocre loses opportunities for greatness that becomes cheap benefit for excellent people. Everyone will have to pay for something, you will either pay for excellence or pay for not being excellent. Excellence pays when one is willing to pay for it because only those who have paid for excellence are paid for being excellent.

Excellence will cost you prayers, time, thinking, resources, discipline, hard work, sometimes good friends and your appetite.

What is excellence costing you?

You will succeed in Jesus name.

God will do you good and goodness will always pursue you in Jesus name.

Before the end of this month, unusual helpers will locate you in Jesus name.

As you embrace God’s will, God’s grace will disgrace every disgrace waiting to disgrace you in Jesus name.

Today is the last Tuesday in September, everything making life tough for you will disappear today in Jesus name.

God bless you. 

BECOMING A REAL LEADER

BECOMING A REAL LEADER

Adesina Abegunde

James 1:25 (MSG)
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Beloved, happy new week. It is a great joy to know that God has spared you to see the last week in the month of September.

I hope you have made lots of progress in this month? I hope you are no longer where you were at the beginning of this month? It is well with you in Jesus name.

I have been sharing about the characteristics of real leaders and real leadership for five weeks now, I hope you have taken time to meditate and apply those lessons? This post is actually to help you do that more.

Readers are not automatically leaders, only DOING READERS ARE LEADERS. Application is the mother of manifestation. God blesses the doer, not the reader, so today’s post is an attempt to help you apply the last five posts. I have tried to raise the following questions just to stir your mind to thinking and your hands to action from the things that we have learnt from Hebrews 11: 24-28. Remember that real leaders ask questions and seek answers.

       1.      (vs24) Add Values and Not Titles.

·         What can I do for people or my employer that money can’t buy?

       2.      (vs25) Choose Purpose above Pleasures.

·         How can I spend my money in a way that will reflect purpose and not mere pleasure?

       3.      (vs26) Ask Questions and Seek Answers.

·         What am I looking ahead to? What am I anticipating?

·         What cause am I leaving for?

·         What problem am I actively looking for solution to?

       4.      (vs27) Live with a Focus.

·         Can I say in one statement what I am living for?

·         Can people around me say without missing words what I am living for?

       5.      (vs28) Champion a Risk.

·         What can I die for?

·         What cause am I ardently committed to?

Try to get answers to the above questions, if possible revise the previous posts and then turn your answers into action point.

Theodore Roosevelt, a former president of the United States said, “There has not yet been a person in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”

Will you do like Moses and shun the throne for the truth, choose purpose above pleasure, question what is and seek what can be, live a life of purposeful focus and take risk to “live simply so others can simply live”?

May the Lord bless you and keep you in Jesus name.

You shall not live a wasted life in Jesus name.

Happy Independent Day in advance. Have a fruitful week.

TODAY’S TEENAGERS: WHO IS TO BE BLAMED? (Part 3)

TODAY’S TEENAGERS: WHO IS TO BE BLAMED? (Part 3)

Adesina Abegunde

²¹ I did not send these prophets yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. ²² But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil deeds… ²⁹ “Is not my word like fire”, declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces?” Jeremiah 23: 21, 22, 29 _(NIV)

Instead speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4: 15 _(NIV)

In the previous two posts, I talked about the responsibility and the availability of the older generation in rescuing the younger generations. I want to round up the series with the strategy to use in relating with teens.

Now the Strategy

After availing yourself both to God and to the teens, the next thing is to employ the right strategies. I stand to say that the greatest strategy is THE LOVE STRATEGY.

Love wins all battle. The Law and the Wrath of God reigned from Genesis to Malachi, yet God was not satisfied with the result. He became fully pleased with the result only when He changed from “LAW” to “LAW-IN-LOVE”. Grace came because Jesus came, Jesus came because God LOVED US SO MUCH (John 3:16).

Eph. 4:15 admonished us to speak the truth in love. Thank God we have the truth, thank God we are willing to speak it, but without love the truth will be lost. No heart is so hard that God’s love can’t break. Every teenager understands the language of love more than law.

SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, not in frustration. The common slogan of one speaking the truth in frustration is seen in one Yoruba statement that says “eyinomoyi, moti mo wipe e nigbo”, that is, these children I already know that you will not listen and obey. Excuse me, when you know that they will not listen, why are you telling them?

Bruce Wilkinson in his Seven Laws of the Learner talks about the law of expectation, what you expect you get. Expectation is the mother of manifestations. Someone may be here thinking what of Jeremiah, whom God sent and God told him that the people won’t listen? Yes that was God, but for many of us it is not God, it is mere emotional experience. And remember that we learnt in Follow the Master four sources of authority: Intellect; Tradition; Emotional Experience; and Scripture.

We are to speak the truth in genuine love. Not speaking the truth in routine; mere duty; just fulfilling all righteousness; with unconcerned heart or as though you have never been there. In fact many pastors speak the truth in threat. John C. Maxwell wrote “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” and the same goes for teenagers. Let them know you genuinely care for them and they will genuinely care to know what you have to teach.

As I come to a close, check out this quote from Socrates, a philosopher, mentor and teacher from the 5th century B. C. E., “Our youths now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.” This was 500 years before Jesus Christ came.

Is this in any way different from our today’s comments on our teenagers and youths?

I wonder whether the nature of teenagers will ever change, WE ARE THE ONES TO CHANGE.

The rate at which we are losing our teens is alarming, and God is counting on us. No generation is too hard for God to handle, our generation shall certainly praise His Name. Amen!

Will you please rise and join me in the rescue mission for the remnants of today’s teens by singing;

Almighty God /2x

Our generation shall praise Your name /4x

Please take time to pray and may God bless you real good.

CHURCH OR CHRIST

CHURCH OR CHRIST

Have you ever noticed that a lot of people look like the church they attend? Its easy to take a look or glance at someone and know what denomination that person attends. We have all been programmed by default to look like the Church and not Christ. We’re so careful  to dress, talk, walk etc in a way that is acceptable to the Church. In a bid to be acceptable by the Church, we have forgotten the Ultimate goal of Salvation which is “BEING” like Christ. The Bible tells us clearly to be like Christ.

 Eph 5:1

Follow God's example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. 2

Being like Christ is a continual, lifelong learning process that won’t end until we see Jesus. And if you must continue being like Christ, you must continue Learning from him.

The moment you stop Being like Christ you start being like the Church and that is not what Jesus came to do. Christ didn’t leave Heaven nor did he go through that gruesome situation on the cross for you to be like the church. His desire is that you should be like Him alone So every single day of your life, every moment that you live, ask yourself this, are  people seeing the church I attend, or they are seeing Christ in me. When everybody is becoming like Christ everyday, what a wonderful Church we will have.

The Grace to be like Christ more and more is released on you right now in Jesus name. You and all that belongs to you are preserved in Jesus name. God will send Help Unusual to you now and forever in Jesus name. Amen.

Have a lovely weekend

ADIJI ITUNU

YOUR MARRIAGE IS A MESSAGE (Part 3)

YOUR MARRIAGE IS A MESSAGE (Part 3)

Crafting your message

Adesina Abegunde

Beloved, great day to you in Jesus name. Major help will locate you this weekend in Jesus name.

I believe that by now, if you read the last two posts, you would have made up your mind the message that you want your marriage to represent. I guess you want it to be a message of encouragement and not a message of warning.

Who is responsible for the message that your marriage represent? YOU! THE TWO OF YOU!

You are responsible to craft your own message. Let us use the word CRAFT as an acrostic to learn few things about crafting the message you desire.

Choice

Good marriage is a choice that couples must make and pursue to reality. Nothing subjected to circumstances end well, just like a ship on a sea that is left to any direction the wind blows. If you leave your marriage to circumstances, you will be reactive and not proactive, there may be emotional outburst that you may regret for the rest of your life. The people in 1 Corinthians 10:1-10 were reacting to their circumstances and that is why they did not end well.

Reliance on God

Struggling to build what God is not building will amount to frustration. The arm of flesh will fail, the best of wisdom will fail but only trust in God will prevail (Psalm 33: 16-22). You need to rely on God to break every yoke of evil or family flow that may have programmed you to fail martially. You must rely on God to calm every storm that rise against your marriage. Rely on God!

Adjustment

No one has ever had a good marriage without a remarkable needed adjustment. A very good marriage is nothing but a process of continuous adjustment based on prevailing conditions. Don’t find it difficult to adjust (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2).

Faithfulness

Faithfulness is key to having a good marriage. When things are rough, there may be tendencies for hatred and unfaithfulness. You must remain faithful to God and to your spouse regardless of the challenges. Malachi 2:14-16.

Time

Building a good marriage is a long-term process, it takes time. One scary thing is that any marriage can develop problem at any stage, regardless of the years spent in the marriage.Don’t condemn your marriage in its early years, give yourself time and give your best efforts. Don’t be careless at any point, keep improving your marriage all the way.

Think about more ways to craft the message that you desire, apply it and the LORD will help you succeed in Jesus name.

God will bless your efforts in Jesus name.

There shall be revival pf love, peace, joy and hope in your marriage in Jesus name.

God bless you.

DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS 2

DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS 2

ADESINA ABEGUNDE

Good morning everyone. Happy Business Thursday to you. 

Last week, this series was introduced to you and I told you that we will be studying Famine in relation to the present Economic crisis. Today, we will be studying the life of Abraham. 

The first mention of Famine in the Bible is seen in Genesis 12:10-20. We all know that Abraham was a very blessed and wealthy man (That’s one of the reasons why we sing Abraham’s blessings are mine). Abraham left for Egypt initially because there was Famine in the land where he was. He left for Egypt without asking for DIVINE DIRECTION (Genesis 12:10). Genesis 12:10 tells us that his possessions were threatened by Famine in the land of Egypt. As children of God that will not leave their lives to chance, it is very important to get Divine Direction. Divine Direction makes life a lot easier with no struggles. In Genesis 12:11-13, Abraham lied, in Genesis 12:16, he traded his wife’s beauty for bounty and Genesis 12:17-20, he left embarrassed. 

Notice his behavior in those verses. A lot of people have underhanded behaviors in times of Famine that Christians must avoid. People take on different personalities when there’s famine. It is not surprising to hear of Parents using their children as collateral for goods, People buying and selling their fellow human. Kidnapping is now on the high side now, all in the name of Economic crisis. Genesis13:1-6 tells us that Abraham left Egypt and RETURNED to the place where he had his first encounter with God. He went to the ALTAR and called on the name of the Lord. God answered and responded because there was an explosion of abundance in Genesis 13:6. There is the need to RETURN to God when we have left for a place, started something or anything without Divine Direction. Divine Direction makes the difference in our lives. When theres divine direction, the usual happenings evade us.

 Let’s summarize this lesson into 3Cs

     1.     Cause of Famine: Lack of or No Divine Direction

     2.     Characteristics of Famine: Underhanded behaviors or change in Personality

     3.     Closure of Famine: Covenant

I pray for you that your life will not be a reflection of the Economic crisis in Jesus name. God’s covenant will speak for you and yours in Jesus name. No calamity will come near you in Jesus name. Amen. 
Have a lovely day!

DOUBLE “H” WAR: Holiness vs Hormone (Part 9)

DOUBLE “H” WAR: Holiness vs Hormone (Part 9)

Living right, feeling right

Adesina A. Abegunde

Dealing with Sexual Temptation (3)

Beloved, good day to you. I am glad quite a number of people are making progress and finding it easy to overcome sexual temptation. The Holy Spirit is always there to help us win anytime anyday. You can trust Him and you will succeed in Jesus name.

In the last post, I showed you that sin is a product of evil thoughts and evil opportunity matching together. Evil opportunities abound everywhere, immoral dressing, pictures, adverts and so on are displayed everywhere. Our Media today is filled with pornographic materials or scenes and all manners of suggestive displays.

While a Christian may not be able to do anything about that in the immediate, a Christian can determine how his or her heart process those things. A person can see a picture, process it as sex and begin to feel sexy, while another can see the same picture, process it as sin and flee from it.

You cannot do anything about what goes around on the EARTH, but you can do something about what goes on in your HEART. You can think pure thoughts.

Psalms 119:9-11 (NIV)
⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Someone said what goes on inside you is greater and more powerful than what goes on around you. The force on your inside is greater. Once you fill your heart with the word of God and you live obediently to it, you will always escape sexual arrows shot against your soul. Greater is He that is in you than anything or anyone that is in the world (1John 4:4). Think pure thoughts and live obediently to the Holy Spirit, when He says flee don’t begin to speak in tongues, just flee!

Let us learn from the case of Joseph in Genesis 39: 7-15;

Sin is only a product of a process, a destination of a journey willingly embarked. Joseph had evil opportunity but he didn’t have evil thoughts or intentions towards the woman, so the process of sin was aborted. Therefore, IF YOU DON’T ABORT EVIL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, YOU WILL ABORT PREGNANCY. IF YOU DON’T KILL THAT NEGATIVE FEELING, YOU WILL KILL A BABY.

Sexual feeling may be by circumstance but sexual falling is by choice. But you must know that if you play around circumstances that will tempt you for a long time, it will weaken your power of choice to resist temptation and that is why you must flee every appearances of evil. Don’t have a foolish confidence in yourself. Be wise!

In the next post by God’s grace, I will share more vital practical steps you can take to deal with sexual temptations and sins.

Till then, God will keep and preserve your glorious destiny in Jesus name.

You will not fail God in Jesus name.

You will experience great grace and power to live a life of holiness and excellence in Jesus name.

Keep living right and feeling right.

God bless you.