Living in BondRage – A sequel to Paradox of Rotten Eggs

Intro

There is massive rise in domestic violence and now it has reached a disquieting proportion. A child was tied hands and feet to a pole and tortured for several weeks just because he stole his father’s money. No it was not a lot of money, it was about 20 dollars. Another young girl had very spicy pepper smeared on her genitals because she was seen standing along the streets talking to a boy. It was not as if they were seen doing any obscene thing(s), her offense was that she spent time with a boy and her punishment was to grease her privates with spicy red hot pepper! A mother cut over twenty-five holes on her son’s body as a penalty for lying. A woman who had suspected that her husband was cheating on her tried to get a confession from him and when he denied she beat him to pulp and decapitated his penis. A young preacher was rushing out to church one Sunday morning and his wife asked for some money. He said he didn’t have any money but his offering at that moment and would attend to her when he gets back from church. She couldn’t wait. In the “heat of the moment” she poured a hot pot of freshly cooked red soup on him and kicked him out of the house. He did not sustain much burn, but I think he lost his left eye. A woman I know was beaten by her husband until she passed out. He left her motionless body in the house and went to the pub to drink, when he came back late that night…you would not believe what had happened; she had cleaned the whole house, had a bath, prepared dinner and left a portion for him on the dinning table. When he came back she went to meet him at the door, knelt down and asked for his forgiveness. What happened next? Continue to read till the end.

Domestic violence happens every day and it affects children, men and women.

OutRAGEous  

At the root of every violent act is a bad temper. Where ever you find violence, you can trace it to a bad temper. I do not understand how some people allow themselves to be influenced by what someone called “the spirit of rage”. I know that people have a way of getting on your nerves, but some of us have learnt how not to allow anybody or anything unsettle us to the point of breaking out with violence. Not because we are super-humans but because we have learnt how to control our temper. I looked up the synonym for the word control:

·       Manage

·       Be in charge of

·       Have power over

·       Be in command of.

Everybody has a temper but some have learnt to manage it well. When you lose your temper you are completely out of control which means you are not in charge. It means that something else has taken over your spirit, mind and body. Letting your temper rule, means you are under the influence of a strange power. That is why, in many cases, people do not come to themselves until they have done harm. Have you heard about people who “woke up” after they had stabbed someone several times? Did you read about the woman who stabbed her suckling baby 90 times because he bit her while she was breastfeeding him? Read about it here: http://newsone.com/2631948/xiao-bao/ . What would you call that? Some would say a demon spirit came upon her or she was depressed or maybe she has a mental problem. Maybe it is all of the above. She lost it. She lost her mind. She lost control. It is absolutely despicable.

It may not be the same proportion of violence, but I believe that the same rage is what makes a mother hit her child on the face. Same spirit makes a man hit a woman. It is same loss of control that makes a woman attack her man. I do not mean to say that children should not be disciplined when they do wrong or that men should not correct their wives when they ere; I mean to say that whatever you do in anger can hardly ever be decent. Almost everything done in anger result in hurt and regrets. So maybe there is a more excellent way to discipline without abusing.

Discipline VS Abuse

I see many people abuse their children and when you ask they say it is discipline. But discipline does not seek to inflict pain. How can you hit a child with your bare hand and say it is discipline? I am a very firm or sometimes very hard leader, but I never at any point hit anyone with my hands. Do you know why? It is because when someone misbehaves and needs to be disciplined I take my time, go get the cane which acts as the rod of correction; then I start by explaining why I need to whip the fellow and how many strokes is good enough for the offense. Sometimes I explain the right place to “plant” the whip. If I was angry, I would have calmed down between the time I go fetch the cane and when I finish the explanation. Not once did I flog anyone in anger, I usually smile. But many people get angry and hit the person right there and then using their bare hands. That is violence. That is abuse.

NB: In the past I whipped children and young people before I learnt a better way. If you use the right strategy, you do not need to lash anyone.

Discipline is done in love and love is never violent. Discipline seeks to correct and if you use the right approach you may not even need to raise your voice. Discipline is intended to help people improve and if it is not done nicely it is misunderstood. But how do you describe a punch on the chest? What do you call a slap on the face? What do you intend to achieve when you kick a woman in the belly or stomp on a man’s “wuhu”? Do you consider that discipline? No! Those are outward expressions of inward rage.

Dilemma of a housewife

As a young leader from a moderately traditional spiritual background, I didn’t know how to counsel victims of abuse. Not that I didn’t know how to encourage the family to embrace dialogue or seek counsel; I did all that. I prayed for/with them, did what I could to keep the family together but somehow I still couldn’t give a clear cut counsel. I couldn’t see a reason why any couple should separate until a friend of mine almost got killed. Her story is so heart rending that as I write I feel shivers all over me. I wonder why anyone would be that mean to someone he claims to love or loved at some point in his life.

They met in the university and were both involved in their school fellowship. I guess their interactions in the things of God got them closer and he proposed marriage to her. During their courtship she saw a few signs that gave her clues of his character issues and violent temper, but she probably didn’t think it was that serious. A few years later, she got married to the love of her life and that was how her life took a “Wrong Turn at Tahoe”  

The man she married turned out to be what I’ll describe as an aggressive and heartless bully who cheats on her with anything in skirt. Maybe it would have been nicer to say he cheats with anyone that comes his way, but I realize that his cheating instincts and choices are so poor that when you see who, indeed what he cheats with, in comparison with his wife, you can’t but wonder how contemptible he must be. To add to his cheating antics he violates the woman with abandon. Several times he beats her up and while she is busy nursing her wounds he goes further to rape her. I never believed that a married woman could be raped by her husband, but can someone tell me, how can you explain this? If a woman is beaten, battered and bruised and yet the same person goes on to have sex with her, what would you call that?

This is not just a story from a movie or some tale told by a wounded woman, they are true and certifiable encounters. Relatives, church members and their family doctor can substantiate that the woman was terribly abused. In one case he beat her till she had a miscarriage. And he didn’t bother to take her to the hospital. On another occasion he kept hitting the woman until a relative in the house intervened and knocked him out to save the day. Observers were wondering why a man who could not provide for his family (for whatever reason) is this iniquitous. The troubling part of this saga is that this cheating bully of a husband was also a pastor. His immoral behavior got him expelled from the church and as the manner of many proud men is, he egoistically started his own business (he calls it a church). Even at that, his wicked and atrocious behavior towards his wife did not change. It went from bad to worse. He kept abusing and cheating on her. The abuse was all inclusive, spanning across verbal, emotional and physical boundaries and even included frequent threats to kill her.

Is it worth it?

This woman remained in that marriage for many years and each time she asked for help people told her “trust God”.  She prayed, fasted and spoke to his friends to help him with his temper, but nothing changed. The police couldn’t do anything, they were probably his friends. The church could not help, they could only pray. Pastors disassociated themselves from the matter and only encouraged her to keep holding on. And she lived with that for many years until she couldn’t take it anymore. I’m not too sure we need to know how it ended.

So what makes people stay in a relationship that threatens to take their life?

1)   Love: Some say their love is so strong that no affliction can separate them

2)   Fear of  a) being alone b) being hurt by the abuser c) fear of  people’s opinion d) fear of rejection

3)   Religious belief

4)   Cultural belief

I am not very sure why people choose to stay in abusive relationships. The above list is not exhaustive and not necessarily connected to cases mentioned here. They are some of the reasons why some people remain in a bad relationship/marriage.  I do not want to delve into matters of faith and personal conviction; let everyone hold on to what they believe. But if you are involved in an abusive relationship you should ask yourself these questions:  I) is the relationship worth fighting for? II) Is your life in danger? 

After many years of standing between the lines and not taking any clear cut stand, I have seen people maimed and even some killed.  Now I have taken a stand and here is my suggestion:

1)   If you are experiencing abuse, seek counsel immediately

2)   If you have gone for series of counseling and the abuse continues, move to a safe place as dialogue and negotiations continue

3)    If all attempts to keep you safe from violence fail, stay away from your tormentor, you may not live to tell your story.

4)   If you need help before or after you leave an abusive relationship, there are several organizations out there to assist you through the process. If you are not sure of what organization to contact, send an email to ysaintlag@yahoo.com or Jaspergogo@gmail.com with your name and location and we will arrange help for you.

Do you remember the story of the abused woman in the first paragraph of this article? You are not going to believe what happened the next morning.

Paradox of rotten eggs

Recent events have prompted me to talk about abuse. Our sons and daughters are hurting, many are emotionally dead and several have died as a result of abuse. I am going to be straight forward and direct here and I hope I make my point simple and clear so that those who are responsible for such wickedness will desist and repent while those who are victims will find healing and restoration.

Trusted traitors

Children look up to their parents and grown people to love, care, provide and protect them. But sadly many have allowed themselves to be used to hurt children. Is it insanity or what makes a grown man “play” with/on little girls? What makes a little girl desirable to an adult man? How can a sane woman practice her erotic delusion with a little boy? Isn’t that a psychiatric case? Why would a man want to have sex with his wife or girl friend’s daughter? Have we become so out of control that our dignity and pride is of no importance anymore!?

Everyday I read stories of rape, abuse and child molestation my heart hurts. It is just not right. If she is not old enough to live on her own, then she is not old enough for sex. Let’s assume she is old enough for sex, if she is not ready for it then she should not be made to experience it. Even if she is ready to, if she is not yours should you be looking in her direction at all!? When you touch, erotically, someone who looks up to you, it is more than moral failure. It is wickedness, for lack of better word.

Child on trial

It pains me to know that several children are abused daily but hurts me more to see that those who ought to help those kids are the ones who bully them. An irresponsible man tampers with a little girl’s genital, she grows up and has strange sexual feelings and “jumps” on boys in school and everywhere; does that not mean the girl needs help? Instead of helping her people ostracize her and call her “spoilt child”. What did she do wrong? Was it her fault that she was abused? Is it not the responsibility of responsible women and leaders around to scoop her up and lovingly help her? What are mothers turning into these days? Mothers used to know how to help children in pain and in need but these days people only care about their own children. Isn’t that self-centeredness? If Jesus was to meet that child would He consider her spoilt and not offer to help her? If that little abused child was your baby, what would you do? Do not ask what you should do, do what is right. Do what you would do if she was your child.

 Unethical realities

When people go to church they expect to get love, leadership and a closer relationship with God. The church is a place where people go to worship God, fellowship with believers and acquire spiritual knowledge. It is a place where broken people go for healing and restoration; a place of refuge in a world where anarchy is the order of the day. It is understandable if people go there also to socialize, it is expected, since we are people of the light and we are to mingle only with people of like faith. But what I do not understand is how some pastors have abused their office and some church folks have taken the house and the name of the Lord for granted.

First: Some church leaders have no business being in leadership because they either are not trained for that purpose or they do not know anything about the ethos of the honorable profession. If you are trained and learned, you know that it is unethical to abuse your followers or anyone for that matter. I have heard how some church leaders “rape” members of their congregation; this is ungodly, unacceptable and out of order. It is the highest form of abuse of office. And to think that some see it as nothing serious is ridiculous.

The Untouchables

What happened to the old scrupulous process of inducting a pastor to the holy order? What happened to the commitment to abstain from things that affect a leader’s focus and sense of judgment? What happened to the restrictions? In my opinion, since church leaders started permitting wantonness and drunkenness things have never been the same. The “God understands” message has, rather than help the cause, dragged us to the mud. In those days there were boundaries we would never cross and everyone who had the audacity to accept the huge responsibility of leading God’s people was put through rigorous trainings and certain obligations which included recitations of things we must not do. For instance, “We will not touch the girls!” “We will not touch the Gold!” “We will not touch the Glory!” We were not to crave wine, women and wealth; these were considered too sacred a vow to break. What ever happened to the “creed”!? Today, things seem to have changed and anything goes. Rather than raise the standard, we have stooped lower than the expectation. What a shame!

Some say it is not that serious an issue but it seems to me that the permission to take wine “…for your stomach sake” has warped some ministers’ minds and given them a lascivious desire for wealth and women. Many ministers have thrown caution to air and feel no guilt when they express sexual feelings towards women under their leadership. Sex with members, which was a “no, no” has become prevalent. Such libidinous orgies were never condoned in the days when there were strict regulations and tougher requirements to become a church leader. We need sanity restored to the system. Can we return to the altar, ask for forgiveness and begin a process of healing for those we have misled and abused?  

Playing the blame game

There is no doubt that this whole thing suggests leadership failure, however I do not accept the excuse that some ladies give. How can someone say she gave her body to a pastor because she saw him as a man of God and did not want to offend “God”? How can you say you were not able to walk away from an illicit relationship for fear of hurting the pastor or fear that he would tell the world how you seduced him? Are you kidding me!? Is this ignorance, foolishness or an attempt to place blame on someone else? Or is it that an adult woman does not know her body is “private” and she has a right to say no? I understand that trust can make you go into a room alone with your leader, but common sense should tell you that if he asks for sex you have a right to walk away. You cannot allow him free access to your body, it is your body and you should say no to any man who wants to manipulate you into doing what you do not want to do. I don’t care who he is, what position he occupies or his influence in the church or society; if he did not find you worthy to make you his wife, then he is not qualified to lay with you. I didn’t think any grown woman would need to be told she owns her body!

Some say they believed the pastor to the point that they fell for his antics. But what does the bible say about what the pastor is saying? Or maybe you do not even know that the bible is the final authority and authenticator of any word, message, prophecy, “sayings” or teaching. No it is not the pastor! But the problem is that many church folks do not know what the bible says so they accept anything they hear from the pastor. People have several apps on their phones, tabs and Ipads and almost all apps are used daily but the bible app. People go to facebook, twitter, and other social networks but rarely read their bibles. How will they know the truth when they do not study the bible? I agree that some church leaders have gone crazy and out of control with their lustful living, but if a lady knows who she is, what she wants and what the word says, she will not allow herself be used or abused.

While I agree that the leader who gets sexually involved with his members is abusive, I do not know if I can say that women who foolishly and willingly give themselves to him were abused. If on your own volition you give yourself to any man, you probably abused yourself. I don’t understand how a woman who freely had sex with a man over and over again would turn around after a long time and cry “foul”. Why didn’t you cry out after the first time, first week or first month? Were you enjoying the experience or were you under a spell? Yes you may have been raped, but do rape victims wait for several sessions of the so called “rape” before they seek help?  How about “date the boss” ideology!? Is it not possible that some who claim to be abused actually seduced the boss for some reason? Could it be that when things fell apart someone tried to play another game to claim innocence and attract sympathy? Too many questions!

On the flip side, I know how some men can be very manipulative. That is one problem I have with many good looking and charismatic men; they use their charm and eloquence to beguile weak minded women. They passionately tell sorry tales about how needy they are, all in a bid to attract pity and get some asinine woman to offer her body. Unfortunately such men do not understand divine purpose for their endowment and as Myles Munroe puts it in his book Understanding the power of woman “When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”. A minister who does not understand why he is gifted and why he occupies the position he is in, will abuse himself and those whom he leads. It is a shame how some church leaders have besmirched the name of the Lord and the noble office they occupy.

If you are a pastor and you find yourself sleeping with women in your congregation you have a problem; a very serious problem for that matter. A mistake happens once and with one person, but it is not a mistake if you fall over and over again and with more than one person. Don’t claim you were seduced; accept responsibility for your conduct. When you signed up for the job you should have known that you will attract all sorts. If you were trained you should know and expect people to crush on you; but you should also have been taught how to manage it and turn their unreasonable desire into positive use. You are a disgrace to God, yourself and the body. You have failed woefully.

Restoration

When all is said and done, I do believe that there are many girls and women out there who have been abused by leaders and people they trusted. To such, on behalf of all leaders, I apologize for how we have mishandled you. You do not deserve to be treated the way you were treated. It was nothing you did wrong; it was wickedness of the heart and selfish desire that led to the abuse. Find it in your heart to please forgive, for in forgiveness of your offenders can you find total restoration.

All we like sheep have gone astray; no one can say he has not fallen into one error or the other. No not one. Not even me. If you have abused God’s people, then you committed a grievous offence. Do not attempt to defend yourself; accept that you have done wrong and seek to make amends. Denial of your weakness is a sign of impenitence. Humble yourself before you are humiliated. You have done damage to the name of Christ, but you can turn around and go back to God for cleansing. You might have to step down from your office and go seek His face. Peradventure, He will forgive and restore you.

A Pig driving a convertible!?

On my way to Paris in 2004 I sat beside a young man whom I considered too lively and too noisy for my liking. He sang and wiggled to the tune of his song right there on his seat and acted like he didn’t observe that I was there. Forty-five minutes into the flight he was still singing and “chair dancing” and I couldn’t take it anymore so I  glanced at him a couple of times expecting him to read my mood and calm himself down. At the second look his eyes caught mine and he looked straight into my eyes with a huge, wide, and exuberant smile and asked “are you OK Sir?” I thought to myself “I was thinking something was wrong with him and here he is asking if something was wrong with me”. I didn’t understand him at all. After a few minutes I decided to ask him the same question “are you OK Sir?” He shook his head and said “I don’t think I’m OK but I will be soon”. It was like he had been waiting for me to talk to him so when I did he told me his tale.

This young man told me the tale of his poor beginning. The microcosm of it all is that he never went to school due to poverty. His father had thirteen (13) children and feeding all of them was a huge challenge. Only the first three children could get as far as high school because their dad could not afford the cost of training all of them.

Here is the twist: At the age of 15 he was learning a trade under his uncle and because he had a creative mind, he always wanted to try different methods of doing things. One day he tried a new “move’ as he called it, but failed and in anger his uncle told him he would never succeed in life. He further told him that all other boys in the team were better than him and would fly abroad to pursue their trade, but that he would live all his life in their small village and die a poor man. Too much punishment for a minor misdemeanor isn’t it?

Rather than give up, he patiently persisted and pursued his dream and never gave up.  Few years later he performed one of his “moves’ and emailed it to some people in Europe and after all the protocols they concluded that the young man was a genius and must fly down to attend a meeting of top engineers to explain his hypothesis. When he got to this point his eyes glowed as he said “I was poor, rejected and nobody believed in me but today my story has changed”. You can imagine what happened afterwards. To cap it all, the other boys who were placed above him, were at this time, still struggling to survive; but he was on an all expense paid journey that could change his story. When I heard the story, I started “chair dancing” with him. Amazing end to a humble beginning!

The rich also cried

When you look around the world you will see that there are several famous people/ #celebrities who also come from very humble beginnings but today things are different. #Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, Tom Cruise, Oluchi, Lucy Liu, Jim Carey, Celine Dion, J.K Rowlings, #JenniferLopez,  Jewel, Demi Moore and many more. They overcame poverty, rape, abuse, childhood illnesses and lots of challenges to be who they are. Some dropped out of school, were treated harshly, lived in unbelievable places, struggled with drugs and a whole lot; but somehow they made it through to the top.

You too can rise

I do not know what point you are at in your life right now but I chose to take this moment to encourage you; do not give up, you still can make it to the top. Are you struggling with poverty? No money to feed, no roof over your head, and it seems like you can never achieve your dream? Hold tight, keep trying your “moves”, someday something will click and you will shine. Did someone you trusted so much dump you and told you how you will never make it? Don’t believe their lie, there is something inside you that the world is waiting for and soon, very soon, you will be discovered. Did you just loose your job and it looks like all hope is gone? Did you drop out from school due to lack of finances? Did you abandon your project due to inadequate resources? Be strong, this is just a phase. There is something bigger and better brewing for you. Pick yourself up and go again, in no time you will find yourself shining.

Where there is faith…

There is nothing impossible to those who believe. Believe that God is with you and heavenly forces are backing you up as you take every step. Believe in yourself, there is something inside you that the world needs. Believe in your vision, nobody may believe in you and your dreams so you owe it to yourself. Your faith in your vision will push you to keep taking positive action and persevere through pain until your breakthrough comes. Where there is faith (with action) there is result.

Rich Piggy

The first time I saw the piggy pulled over by an officer for broken tail light, a couple of things came to my mind. 1) Some people look down on you so bad that they do not believe you can ever make it to the top. But everything is possible; that you are unable to afford it today doesn’t mean you cannot tomorrow. 2) The rich piggy probably has a very poor self esteem. When the officer asked “do you know why I pulled you over today?” 

He replied “Beeeeecause I’m a pig driving a convertible”. But the officer didn’t even think so. He was pulled over because of a broken tail light. Sometimes many people look down on themselves and blame it on others. You need to see yourself better than you do now. If you are from a lowly manger but now own a “convertible”, upgrade your mindset to reflect your new status. Your change will come, when it comes, change the way you think. (This piggy thing is one of my favorite commercials).  

Winners’ mentality

Every one of us has some things we want to achieve in life. From phenomenal to mundane, it is in us to want to accomplish tasks and feel important among our friends and family. Although for some reason, many have been paralyzed and do not have the faith, will and energy needed to complete their tasks, I do believe that anything can change and you can start again and realize your full potential in life.    

Sports and real life: a comparison

If I say I am a sports fan it probably is not news because these days there is hardly any man who has no interest in one sport or the other. Almost every man has one sport he is interested in and which he either participates in, supports or does both. If you know a man who is not passionate about at least one sport, you need to watch him closely, something might be wrong. As a matter of fact, ladies these days have also taken to sports even to the point that some ladies participate in Soccer, boxing, wrestling and I hear they also participate in body building and weight lifting. Isn’t that something!?

One sport that interests me very much, apart from Football (Soccer), is athletics (track and field). During my high school days I was one of the fastest sprinters in the school and I could have gone far doing that but for the fact that Football got the better of me. But during my days in track and fields, I learnt a lot from my Games Master (as we called our coach in those days) and I believe those instructions helped in forming my perspective and approach to life.

Here are some lessons I learned from my coach and my involvement in track and fields that I believe can help every one of us in our life race:

Stay fit

You cannot win in any race if you are not fit and you cannot be fit if you do not train towards it. Fitness does not happen overnight, it is a process and it takes consistence and discipline. Imagine what it will look like if there are 6 sprinters and the winner of the race is someone who is over weight and when we ask “how come?”  He responds “I had consulted my witch doctor and he gave me a special juju portion that made me fast”. Won’t that be something!? Do you think an unfit person can win a race with fit people? I know all things are possible but this has not happened yet and I do not believe it will happen soon. The challenge therefore is for everyone in this race to keep fit.

Some uninformed fellows may say “but the race is not given to the swift”. Nice quote! But that doesn’t in anyway suggest that the race is given to the unfit. Does it? It simple means that if God does not help you, your speed will not. The quote is not in the contest of fitness and only a lazy person will use that as an excuse. How about “the horse is prepared (trained, equipped, kept fit) against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord”? It is better to be fit, prepared and then ask the Lord to help you where you cannot help yourself.

Fitness requires you to be disciplined and consistent. If you want to win in life, discipline is not negotiable. Such discipline is not for one or a few days, you have to be consistently disciplined. I am not talking of an emotional activity you want to go into when something strange happens; I am talking about a disciplined lifestyle. You have to set rules/standards for yourself and live by them. What are the things you cannot do as you keep fit for your race?  What food weighs you down and what food enhances your performance? What relationship does not help your cause and who are the friends that help you become better? What habit do you need to form and which habit must you break? 

No one achieves and maintains success without consistent discipline. You wouldn’t wake up one day to discover that you suddenly won a race; wake up, you must be dreaming.

Start well

As the adage goes “the morning tells the day”. That is so true. It is very important that you start well. Start on a strong note. Give your beginning the best push you can muster. In a race you do not keep the best for the last; start off with your best and let the next level sort itself out.

Stay Focused

As a sprinter, as well as in life, you have to stay focused on your destination while not loosing sight of your track. There are other people also running to win and everyone has his own track. You run on your track and not on another person’s lane. What it means is that you cannot afford to meddle into other people’s businesses. These days many people are busybodies in “other men’s affairs” instead of focusing on their own goal. I know a young man who does not give a report about his progress or failure without prying into someone else’s matter. When you ask him about his result in school he replies “Jackson failed and I failed too”. You ask him “what is your plan for this year?” He replies “Shane is causing me problems”. Sometimes I wonder why some people are that way. How about you focus on your business and give it your best such that your result motivates other people around you to do likewise!? How about you give yourself to pursuit of your dreams and let your result challenge “Shane” to get up be an achiever too!?

Focus on yourself and on your race. Avoid things along your track that would not help you get your expected result. There are many good people, good clothes/shoes, good food, good places and many good drinks that are not suitable for you. They may be good for someone else, but they may not be good enough for you. All things may be lawful but not all of them are expedient. Many things may be legitimate but not all of them are practicable for you. You, therefore, have to focus only on things that are profitable and can help you reach your goal. Identify what suits you and stick with it. 

Finish strong

Is it just me or does anyone else enjoy watching the new sprinting sensation of our time? As a matter of fact he is the best sprinter of all time. This Jamaican born twenty Seven (27) years old Usain Bolt who weighs 210 pounds (94 kg) is considered the fastest person ever. He has won six (6) Olympic medals in sprinting, holds both 100 meters and 200 meters world records and an eight time world champion. Indeed he deserves to be the highest paid athlete in track and field

You probably know that he did not get to where he is by mistake; we agree that for him to set these world records and win these medals he must consistently train hard. But I mentioned him here because recently he admitted the obvious- that he is not a good starter. Those of us who watch him may have observed that sometimes his “take-off’ is poor, yet there is no doubt that he is a strong finisher. This teaches us that if for some reason we do not start well we can end strong and still win. He admits his weakness, works on it and still comes out victorious.

Lesson: If for any reason you have started poorly, admit it, work on yourself and you can still win. Though your beginning was poor, you can end up great.

This is “that” time

To achieve your dream, start now. Leave your past behind and go after your bright future. You may have failed or achieved negligible success in your past, get over it because what you have ahead of you is so great. Did your parents fail you? Did your lover hurt you? Have your friends disappointed you? Is there something in your past holding you down? Let it go. Let them go. Put the past behind and press towards the mark for the prize.

Don’t push to tomorrow what you can start today. Procrastination can kill you. Start eating healthy now. Start loosing that weight right now. Start writing that book now. Start filling that form immediately. Apply for that job now. Go back to school right away. Begin that business today. Invest that money now. Sow that seed now. Pray right now. Compose that song today. Whatsoever it is, get started right away.

Make that move right now baby!

Do you want to be a Millionaire?

Those of you who are bible students know that God is in the business of raising men/women from “nothing” and making something beautiful out of them. It is not a hard thing for God to bless you. More than anything, He wants you to prosper (cf. 3John 1:2). He Raises the poor and sets them up to dine with Princes (cf.2Samuel 2:6). God created you to be a great and successful person but somehow many of us are living below God’s standard for us. Nobody was created to fail; no not one. Built into every one of us is a tremendously powerful capacity to achieve success in anything we choose to do. You were configured to be an achiever.

However we must note that nothing “just happens”. You cannot sit back and wait for something to happen “suddenly”. Go make it happen. If you want to change from a nonentity and become a person of significance, you have to get up and get into action. What God wants to do is to release grace to prosper the “works of your hands”. Observe carefully that He wants to bless the works of your hands. It could be your handcraft, business or even ministry; what ever your hand finds to do is what God wants to bless. God wants to make all things “work together” to favor you, but you have to be out there endeavoring.

Understanding the “anointing”

Many of us do not understand how the anointing works. Some people think the anointing brings us automatic success. Some say things like “I am anointed and I do not need anything else”. No! You need the anointing plus more. Anointing is the release of power; it gives you the enablement to do much more than you can ordinarily do. The anointing is spiritual empowerment that facilitates creativity. A man/woman who is anointed has divine inspiration and acts with unusual faith that produces exceptional results. The anointing makes you face life, business, work, ministry and everything you do with courage. The anointed person is bold like a Lion; bold to do what he is anointed to do.

Now that you know what the anointing does, here are more tips to help you in the pursuit of your dreams.

4 “Ps” to Successful Pursuit

Pray

The importance of prayer cannot be over emphasized; prayer should be a lifestyle. However there are two aspects to prayer: 1) Talking 2) Listening. As important as it is to talk to God, it is equally important to listen to God. Prayer will not make sense if you do not listen for instructions. If you have been praying about an issue for a long time, you might need to change your approach and start listening for answers. I know you have a lot to tell God, but He also has a lot to tell you. Listen!

Do not take any step until you know what God sent you here for and the best place to find out is in the place of prayer. When you pray, ask God to unveil to you your mission on Earth and when He does, go a step further.  

Plan

After you know what your mission here is, you cannot just live aimlessly; you’ve got to have a plan. You cannot achieve anything without a clear plan. How do you want to achieve your vision? How do you want to live your daily life? Who do you need to achieve this vision? What do you need to arrive at your destination? When do you expect to arrive there? You must ask yourself these questions and write down the answers. You must have a plan for every day, week, year and even decade. As I say, without a written plan, you are heading to failure.

Prepare

Preparation is critical for success. People do not just get Successful, you have to prepare for it otherwise when it comes you might miss it or mess it up. Opportunities are scarce these days so while you wait get yourself ready for the “big day”. It is our responsibility to prepare, but provision comes from the Lord.

Position

Strategic positioning is another key factor for success. After you pray, plan and prepare, you also have to position yourself at the right place. If for instance you are about to go into business, you should identify people and places who do same or similar business. Attend business meetings, seminars, conferences and trainings related to your area of interest. You cannot stay indoors and expect to be discovered; position yourself at a place where you can be discovered. Like my uncle told one of my cousins “if you have goods for sale, you would help yourself to go where your goods are needed”.

As you apply these four Ps, I believe that God will do His part by releasing His grace upon you to make you successful. God has given you a mandate, you can be sure that every step you take is ordered and He will watch over His word to bring it to pass.

See you at the top!

Royalty and you

As we all welcome Britain’s royal baby, the Prince of Cambridge, I cannot but think about how not too long ago (thirty-one years precisely) we rejoiced at the birth of his father, Prince Williams. I have observed this family from the time Prince Charles married the sweet Princess Diana (thirty-two years ago) till date and I tell you, it is never a dull moment.

I lost a bit of interest after a while but my interest for the royal lifestyle came alive again when the Prince of Wales announced his engagement to a commoner. Oh! How my eyes glowed with light and my heart leaped for joy to know that the son of the People’s Princess lived up to expectation. Not just because of the lady he chose, but I am also excited about the fact that the new link between the Prince of Wales and commoner Kate Middleton will breed a new generation of royalty like we have not experienced since 1660. Those who love history will ask what happened in 1660 but I would rather leave you to find out while I focus more on how this whole thing concerns you and me.

Royalty and you

Many of us have come to lay claim to royalty, thanks to some biblical texts that refers to believers in Christ as Kings. In my opinion, the most popular scripture that refers to believers in the Christian faith as royalty is 1Peter 2:9 which says “But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NASB).  I have no problem with that because I believe that as children of the King we are indeed of a royal lineage. But if truly we are children of the King are we not supposed to live and reign like Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses (cf. Revelations 5:10)? Are we not supposed to go by principles laid down by our Lord and King? Do Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses live as they like or do they follow a certain pattern of life that behooves royalty?

Yes! Oh yes! Royal people live by rules which were laid down by their ancestors and rarely does anybody suddenly change the rules. Let us consider three (3) things we notice about royalty.

a) Order

Contrary to the lifestyle of many believers today, royal people do things decently and in order (cf. 1Corinthians 14:40). Hardly, if ever, will you find a disorganized Prince or Princess. They seem to walk orderly, talk orderly and generally act decently in the public. Take for instance; they marry before they have children and not the other way round. Can you imagine what it would have been like if Kate Middleton became pregnant before marriage? Unimaginable! Unlike most people who care less about what anyone thinks about their actions, people of royal descent are trained to do things orderly and give a good impression at every public appearance.  

Several Christians are very disorderly but claim to be royalty. They live anyhow, do whatever they like, have no particular pattern of living and some even openly dishonor the name of the Lord. They go to church late, and when they do get there they behave so unruly. Order in the church!   

b) Control

Sometimes I wonder why many people from royal families hardly express their emotions in public. Take for instance, on September 6 1997 when Princes Diana was to be buried, I observed all members of the royal family and I did not see any of them shed tears. Let us assume the older members of the royal family have been trained enough to imbibe the culture of self control, how about the two boys whom the Princess left behind? If anyone would miss her most, it would be Prince Williams and Prince Harry; but I did not see a tear drop from their eyes. All they did was wave at the crowd that was lined along the way to their mother’s grave. It is not for me to judge the moral quality of their action, however I believe that they felt some emotion but due to their training they had to control themselves in public.

Lesson: When we are pressed to overreact in public we should apply control especially when our show of emotions cannot make any difference. Royals may have a lot to say but they have learnt to say what is required and keep silent when necessary. They do not throw tantrums in public and hope people understand. They, like every human, have times when they are pushed to the wall and are tempted to misbehave; but they know how to control their emotions and reactions.

c) Respect   

People from royal lineage do not break ranks, they respect authorities. Just like the centurion told Jesus in Matthew 8:8, they understand the flow of authority and recognize that whoever is put in charge of them deserve the utmost regard. They respect themselves and act responsibly. One of the ways to identify a great personality in the crowd is by how they show respect to people in authority. For example, some years ago I had an event and I invited several top personalities. I instructed the ushers to make sure they identify all the VIPs and take them to a special seat reserved for them. After about forty-five (45) minutes into the event the crowd was distracted by some noise coming from behind the auditorium “do you know who I am? How can you give me a back seat? For what?” the male voice yelled. In the first place, this man came late and in the second place, he was very rude to delegated authority which tells us that he does not understand authority and would probably abuse power if giving the chance to lead. Well, the ushers handled him right as he was put out of the meeting and not too long we heard news of him being stripped of his position. A true man of authority will respect and submit to authority.    

Have you heard some people speak disrespectfully about their leaders in public? Or have you seen the way some criticize a system they are supposed to represent? That is so disrespectful and you would never see anyone from the royal family speak about the King or Queen or even any member of the royal lineage, with such impertinence. When you see someone who speaks about people in authority rudely, you can be sure that they are not in any way of the royal order.

Dishonorable act

Recently we read in the news about some leaders in Nigeria’s River State house of assembly who were involved in a physical fight. I am not as concerned about what led to the fight as I am about the dishonorable act. Should a leader lose his temper in public to the point of hitting someone? Some may argue that he was pushed too hard till he lost it; but isn’t that where control is needed?  Maybe somebody in there was not supposed to be there. Maybe none of them should be there. Then again, if they rose to such positions by crooked means, it would amount to foolishness on our part to expect anything reasonable from such irresponsible, uncultured and dishonorable fellows. My recommendation is that before people take public positions (no matter how they got there), they should be taken through some kind of training and in light of recent happenings, maybe anger management should be one of the compulsory courses.

Royal nannies

I hear that Prince Williams and his wife may not be hiring a nanny to help with the upbringing of HRH Prince George of Cambridge; but we know about the traditional process of hiring a Royal nanny or nannies to help. With that tradition in mind, permit me to compare the job of those royal nannies to that of church pastors.

If God is the King of Kings and believers are Kings and princes/princesses and the church is called out from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light, then the pastors’ job would be that of nanny to new believers. It is the responsibility of the pastor to inculcate into believers the royal mentality. All believers need to learn Kingdom philosophy -as opposed to worldly ideologies-, spiritual etiquette and every thing they need to represent the King; and these they must learn from the pastor who is trained and very verse in matters of royalty.

Then somebody may say “how about when they are grown and do not need their nannies?” Well, when the time comes and the children become sons, they step up to another class where they are trained to be skilled sons and custodians of the royal heritage.

Now the question to you is; are you true royalty? Are you bringing disrepute and shame to the lineage you claim? If you are, I encourage you to put off this old garment and walk worthy of your call.

Coach to the rescue

Intro

I didn’t think it was possible for someone to go about life without a clear definite vision, but sadly, it seems that many people do not have any set goals for their life, family, business, and community. It is not a good thing to live without direction. I repeat, it is not good to live your life, run your family, business or ministry without clearly set out goals.

Game plan

For everything you do, you must have a plan. It is like a soccer game, you have to know who/what you are up against and work out a strategy to win. Without a game plan you sure are going to lose. Even if you win a game of soccer without a game plan, you cannot win in life without a plan. You need to have a clear vision and a plan of how you want to achieve that vision. Where are you heading and how do you want to get there? You cannot wake up everyday, go to work (if you have one), get back home, eat, play with your phone/Ipad/Tab/, sleep, wake up the next day and continue the cycle. When you’re asked “where are you heading?” You answer “to work”. No! You should know what you came to do on earth and how you want to achieve it. Your job should be a means of achieving your vision and not the vision itself (unless you run your own company).

Vacancy: Leaders wanted

There are those who have a vision but do not know how to navigate their “ship” to the “expected end”. Many folks occupying positions and having titles lack leadership skills. How do I know? By their fruits we know them. We see how you have run down your life, business, church or company. I mean you and I know how some people have tricked the public and got into government and because they are not good leaders they have messed up their country by the bad decisions they make. Have you not seen how many people occupy the office of a pastor but struggle in relating with their members and cannot move the church forward? Do I need to tell you about yourself and how you have messed up your beautiful “temple” that even you do not like your naked body when you look in the mirror? You may show the world what you want them to see, but you know the real “you”. You might pretend about many things in life but you cannot pretend to be a good leader. If you are a good leader, it shows in your life and everything you are involved in. It is either you are a leader or you are not. You and I are leaders of our own lives and many others occupy leadership positions; so what it means is that we have to learn how to be better leaders. Read on to learn how.

Go to your mentor

Mentor- a trusted counselor or guide; -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Everybody needs a mentor. Every leader needs a mentor. There comes a time when you run out of ideas, get frustrated and your life/work/project/vision comes to a “plateau”; that is when you need your mentor. If your project is not growing, it is obvious that you need someone to help you move forward. Do not tell me God is your leader and you need no other; yes He is your leader, however He uses people to mentor, guide, instruct and help you reach your Goal. When people say they have been instructed not to submit to anyone, then trust me, pride has enveloped them. In many cases if you look at such people’s project/vision, it is stagnant, stunted or dead. If you find yourself experiencing any of the above in your business/project/ministry then humble yourself and go to your mentor. You need someone who is not afraid to tell you the truth, experienced enough to help you avoid too many scars, bold enough to give you the needed “push” and strong enough to carry you when you are feeble. He must be someone who loves God, shows he has faith in you, has been where you are, successful in his chosen field, and not self-centered,    

NB: Your mentor must be versed in the area you need mentoring

Question: Can I have more than one mentor?

Answer: Yes you can have more than one mentor as it were. Let us assume that you are a guitarist in your local church/band, you work in an IT firm, you are the area coordinator for a charity organization where you volunteer, you are the captain of your neighborhood soccer team and to keep a balanced lifestyle you work out daily at a nearby gym; you might have different people who influence you on the different aspects of your busy life. Your guitar tutor may not be your gym instructor so you may have a couple of people who mentor you on specific areas. However you might need one major figure in your life, a strong personality who has greater grace than you and your mentor has and who can influence you to do what is required to move you up. You need a coach.

Coach to the rescue

A life coach performs almost the same role as a mentor, but while you can have various mentors who help you in different aspects of your life, you need only one life coach who helps you in every aspect of life. He/she is like your manager. Life coaches are trained either in contemporary schools or school of “life”; they are more knowledgeable, more experienced and their power and influence over people is stronger. When you relate with one, it doesn’t take you ages to experience improvement in every area of your life. Someone has described his life coach as “God sent”. They may be a little more persuasive in dealing with you but as the first law of motion states “every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion, in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it” it seems that most of us will not do certain things unless it is impressed upon us. That is what life coaches do, they press us to grow, improve and achieve God’s purpose for our lives.

To avoid consulting several people who are experienced in different areas, most people choose to have one person to play such a role in their life. If you are like most 21^st century upward mobile professionals; versatile, busy and growing in various vocations they are involved in- then you need a life coach. Or maybe you are yet to find your footing in life, still struggling to understand how to build your vision and pursue your goals; you need someone to help you with step-by-step guide to rise to greatness’ you need a life coach.

NB: For the avoidance of doubt, the use of the words “Life coach” and “mentor” is a matter of semantics. I think mentor and life coach can be used interchangeably. To make it easier, we can say that a life coach is a mentor of mentors; a leader of leaders; a teacher of teachers.

Too critical to grow

After reading this article, some will ask constructive questions to help them learn more, run with what they have learnt, apply them and grow beyond their present condition; but some others will sit back, criticize and make nonsense of everything said here. It is up to you. You either make a move that will take you higher or stay where you have always been and listen to people who have “parked their cars”  yet do not want others to overtake them. Choose what you will do with this information.  

#Quote

“What I've found about it is that there are some folks you can talk to until you're blue in the face--they're never going to get it and they're never going to change. But every once in a while, you'll run into someone who is eager to listen, eager to learn, and willing to try new things. Those are the people we need to reach. We have a responsibility as parents, older people, teachers, people in the neighborhood to recognize that”-Tyler Perry