Dear Myles Munroe

I couldn't resist the of not temptation of writing this note as my heart is truly heavy... this is actually the second time this year I have felt this way in some time. Hearing that Myles Munroe has passed has truly saddened my heart.

This is a special tribute to him.

Dear Myles Munroe, you are one man that affected my life greatly… your wisdom, your style, and teachings were out of this world. No one has challenged my thinking the way you did.

I’m thankful for your inspiration. Your messages/teachings on the KINGDOM, LEADERSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, LOVE and LIFE have impacted me, and have molded the way that I see life. I still carry around with me the many kingdom principles he taught because they work.

One of my favorite quotes of yours is “the greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose.” This quote changed my life. It made me begin to do everything with purpose.  Out of the books that I own, your books take up the most space. Words can't express the way that I feel about your demise.

You lived what you taught and preached. You are not like “some others” whose lives are rocked by many scandals… You lived your life with great passion; you pursued truth and spoke out where many others kept quiet.

You may be gone but I will forever cherish the wisdom that you have deposited into my heart. You lived your life to the fullest. You left your mark on this earth...you left your mark on me.

There is really so much I can say but I will conclude by saying have fun hanging with Jesus...you finally get to see him face to face...a gift you truly deserve. Until we meet, I will be my best, do my best and work harder to continue where you left off...changing the world.

Dear Myles Munroe… Rest in the bosom of our LORD.

If you are reading this, you will agree with me that Dr. Myles Munroe’s demise is a shock and a great loss. And at such a time at this time, we are reminded of the urgency of the time in which we live in. Like never before, we need to do God’s business until he returns.

We have to make the best use of our time while we have it... life here on earth is temporary. Life is but a vapor that passes away so quickly. We must make sure we are living a life of purpose and doing all that God has ordained for us to do so that when it is our time to go our legacy will still be left behind.

Lastly, cherish each person who is in your life, especially those who challenge you to be your best [for God and humanity] and encourage you to good works.  You never know when they will either leave or pass away. There's no time to waste. Let people know how much they mean to you today.

Until next time, stay focused.

Just Sharing My Thought

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Grace to you and Peace. ♡

Real Life – Honesty Moment

I decided to blog about something different from the usual encouragement I put out. I decided to write about real life… my real life.

I have for some time now been going through some extremely difficult situations. Things are heightening, there is pressure to perform, I've gotten into many troubles for doing what is right and a whole lot more that could make a sane person go insane. Many of you are not aware of this because I refuse to wear my problems on my face. I sure can complain but I just choose not to.

That said one thing I know for sure is that the darkest seasons always come before the brightest ones so are you going through some kind of storm? I encourage you not to give up or give in whatever what you’re going through. Please keep praying (and keep me in your prayers too).  I know God will come through! He always does.

We all go through tough times… it is a natural phenomenon so don’t go about thinking that the reason you’re going through so much is because God doesn't love you or that God is angry at you. Understand that tough time really is an opportunity to trust God. Tough Times = OPPORTUNITY TO TRUST GOD.

Life is tough… I must be honest and tell you life is tough. It's only by of the grace and mercies of God that I'm able to endure some of the things I’m going through. He is my focus and my HOPE. I walk by faith, not by my physical senses. I trust Him no matter the cost, discomfort or sacrifice. Life’s storm isn't comfortable, but my hope in Christ keeps me at peace.

The central theme for the life of Christ-followers is summed up in one word--endurance. We are called to endure even the toughest things and run the race that has been set before us. Its sure isn't easy but it is necessary. We are living in a crucial time. Everything about us must be focused towards God.

We must not be moved by what we hear or see. We must refuse to quit no matter how hard it gets. Quitting is just not an option. Each of us have purpose, and we must fully live it out as God directs.

We must trust His guidance, and not follow the voice of another. We must become sensitive to Gods voice and focused on completing the assignment He's purposed in our heart to finish. We must work smarter. We must sacrifice more. We must give all of myself, go the extra mile and do what others choose not to do.

Friends, do not surrender to life's difficulties although you will get tired and weary. It is not easy however; Christ makes all things it possible. The Scripture tells us that we can do all things through Christ, and that my friend is so true. We can do all things when we rely solely on His strength and not ours.

I just want to encourage us all to good works. Truth is, we are not called to an easy life. We are call to a holy life therefore we must pursue holiness. Eternity is before us, we must ensure that absolutely nothing hinders us from being with the LORD.

The struggle is real but what is more real is the grace of God that sustains us. We must endure to the end.

Grace and Peace be multiplied onto you immeasurably. ♥

Just Sharing My Thought

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Birthday Chronicles

As some of you may know, I turned a year older yesterday.

What a journey life‘s been. I am thankful for every second God gives me breathe… I know without a doubt that the same God who has kept me through these many years will keep me through many more years!

Birthdays for me are not mare but special days because it is the anniversary of a person’s arrival to planet earth and that’s huge. I am humbled and overwhelmed for all the love, prayers, text, face book message and tweets I received. You all are amazing and I pray God smiles on you every single day of your life.

Out of all the texts I received; the line that stood out for me was “happy birthday, long life and prosperity”. Year in year out, the message is happy birthday, long life and prosperity but if we’ll be honest most of us don’t have happy lives. Happy birthday does not translate into a happy life.

Are you the same person you were a year ago? If yes, that can’t be a happy life. A lot of people are getting older but not get any wiser. Every year, we ought to be growing in grace, in knowledge, in wisdom, in mercy, in love, in holiness, etcetera.

We need to realize that we are not just adding numbers to our age but practically growing old therefore we must live life in a hurry… not in making decisions but in living out our life’s purpose. Our time here is but for a moment…

One big misconception about birthdays is that it is supposed to be all about the celebrant but NO. True the person was born on that day so therefore, it’s ok to honor them and celebrate their birth. However, the celebration of the person should never grow to a point where it exceeds the glory and honor that is due only to God.

Now let me flip over and talk about something I heard that cracks me up.

I heard some very religious people say; we’re not supposed to celebrate birthdays because according to them, the Bible never said we should celebrate birthdays. Well the Scripture is silence on birthdays but does that mean we shouldn't celebrate birthdays? ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Bible never said we should or should not celebrate birthdays.

Birthday celebration is purely a thing of preference. If you don’t want to celebrate your birthday you don’t have to. If you want to celebrate, do so… you won’t go to hell for it. Birthday celebration shouldn't cause division amongst believers.

That being said, instead of concentrating on the outward celebration, we should consider our hearts and our worship.

The objective in birthday celebrations is to make sure praise and worship goes to God so to you reading this, do not wait for a phone call, text message, gift, or surprise to feel special. That isn't the reason God put you on this earth. You were born for the glory of God so live in light of that.

Celebrate everyday God gives you breathe. You are special. God loved you enough to keep you alive this long. Don’t expect anything from anyone, but appreciate everything that you get.

Be more concerned about living for our Lord and King Jesus. Stay focused on sharing the Gospel and glorifying God in all that you do. Take time to lead others to Christ, be content with all God has given you, bear spiritual fruit and abstain from immorality.

And people, if we have to wait until a person’s birthday before we tell/show them they are loved and special, then it means they really aren't so special. Let’s not wait until birthdays to make people feel special. Let’s purposely set out each day in whatever way to make others feel special, loved and encouraged.

That said, no matter what length we go to celebrate a person, we mustn't forget that our primary praise must only go to God.

Finally, I want to again thank YOU for the birthday wishes. There were too many messages so I couldn't respond to everyone individually. Please know that I love you, and I thank you for sharing my special day with me.

God bless and keep you. ♥

Grace and Peace!!!!

GOD loves the UGLY

Too often, we look at ourselves with all our weaknesses and imperfections and say of what good are we to God? Someone I know once said God might like sinners but certainly not one like me. He said he had done too many terrible things and there wasn’t any God will forgive him much less love him!

Of a truth, we all don’t deserve the mercy of God. Scriptures declare that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God – Romans 6:23 but God being an ever loving father forgives and never holds grudges.

Let’s get this straight. Nothing about us surprises God. Before we were formed in the womb, He knew us (Jeremiah 1:5) and He doesn’t change his mind about us even when we falter. He knows everything we will say and do before we do it.  He knows the day, the hour, the second that we will do something silly but instead of Him preparing His wrath for us He is ever ready to forgive us the very instance we err and extend mercy toward us.

If you feel or have ever felt like you have had a messed up life, no worries! Don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t walk around like you are of no good because you have done so many wrongs. God loves the ugly. GOD’S LOVE IS NOT RESTRICTED TO WHEN WE THINK WE HAVE DONE WELL. HE LOVES US EVEN WHEN WE MAKE SILLY MISTAKES AND FAIL.

Remember Moses? The one in the bible..! Moses was a murderer and a fugitive from justice in Egypt yet God used this same (murderer) Moses to bring out the Israelites from Egypt. This (murderer) Moses wrote the Ten Commandments and wrote the first five books of the bible.

Remember David? He committed adultery and conspired to murder the innocent husband of Bathsheba his best friend. David was a cold blooded murderer, a liar, a cheat, a chronic womanizer yet this same David was a poet and wrote most of the books of Psalm and Proverbs and in case you didn’t know, David is the great grandfather of Jesus Christ.

God called David a man after His heart yet David broke every of God’s command in the bible.

If God could use Moses, considering all he was, if God could love, use and call David a man after His heart given all that he was, then God loves everybody and can use anybody regardless of what that person may appear to be.

We live in a culture where people (even Christians) are so quick to point at others faults forgetting that it is by grace that they are saved. Sometimes we just like to take the transgressions, faults, weakness and imperfections of others and crucify them with them.

Fault finding as I know is not a fruit of the spirit. If all we do is beat the drum of people’s weaknesses, they will lose confidence in themselves and when people lose confidence in themselves, they will not want to get close to God.

We must not judge people with their faults and weakness because once upon a time, we were like them and even all that we were, God loved us.

God knows every hair on our heads and knows every inch of our soul.  We may feel like we have ugly lives but He loves us regardless; God loves the ugly and He is sitting with His arms open waiting to receive us.

Remember Jacob was a cheat, Peter had a bad temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Saul (before he became Paul) was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Thomas was a doubter, Zaccheus was short, yet God loved them all.

In conclusion, I want to say if you don’t know Jesus, this note was written with you in mind. You may have had a broken heart or an ugly life but Jesus is saying to you today come! Come! Come! God loves the ugly!

Just Sharing My Thought

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Waiting is NOT Wasting

GOD! WHEN is MY TIME?

HOW come everyone keeps getting jobs but I cannot land one?

WHY don't I have my promotion-- I really have worked HARD!

HOW come everyone else is getting married except me?

WHY aren't things working out for me?

WHY am I not done with school?

WHY am I not happy?

Have you ever had any of these thoughts? My guess is, at a point in our lives, we all have…

Let's be honest, many times we question, “Why do we have to wait”. We wonder what good can come out of waiting. What is the point of waiting when so much can be achieved within a little time? We live in a fast moving society and if there is one thing people in our generation hate, it is to wait.

While our natural inclination hates waiting, we must realize that God always sees things from a different perspective and HE doesn’t rush. While we worry about how fast we want to move and grow, God is more concerned about how strong we grow.

Waiting is not something anyone enjoys doing; but the waiting period is used by God in developing our character, building our confidence and strengthening our dependence on Him.

God molds and shapes us little by little until we are fully prepared and ready for all He has for us. However, our frustration often is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours, but we must realize that no matter how we rush ourselves, we cannot rush God.

The Bible is full of examples of how God used a long process of waiting to develop character.

Abraham waited twenty-five years before his wife Sarah gave birth to their child of promise.

Joseph slogged through thirteen years of betrayal, false imprisonment, and abandonment before assuming the leadership of Egypt.

Moses spent forty years taking care of sheep before God called him as a deliverer of His people.

And David waited for fourteen years before the throne of Israel would be his.

So what is God having you wait for today and how long have you waited? Don't look at it as a denial to your requests. God is in control, even when it seems like nothing is happening, He hasn’t forgotten you! He is working behind the scenes.

I love Ecclesiastes 3:8- It says that there is a TIME for everything under the sun. There is a time for YOU and everyone on the planet, so wait on God. Your "TIME" will come but you cannot make that "TIME" come any faster by complaining, murmuring, or being mad at God.

Although, we find it difficult and frustrating to wait for anything, ‘the waiting season’ is one of the many seasons of our lives and we all do have our waiting periods. One thing about seasons is that, they are guaranteed to change.

In conclusion, I want to say when God puts you on hold, don't hang up! God's delays are never His denials. God has so much for you and before long, you will be out of the waiting room smiling again. WAITING IS NOT WASTING…

Just Sharing My Thought

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Don’t lose your JOY

We live in an unhappy world. Everyday there are things and host of situations that turn to rob us of our joy. It may be the loss of a loved one, it may be the loss of a job, it could be the break-up of a relationship, it could be pressures at work, it could be a problem in the family, it could be current economic realities, it could be people who don’t do what they say they will do, and it could be concern about the future.

All you need to do to fall into deep depression is to put on the TV. Happenings around the world are enough to make you sick.

Our joyless state has produced a joyless society. We have joyless homes, joyless marriages, joyless jobs, joyless relationships and more. If there is something we desperately need to get back as a people it is the joy of the Lord in our hearts.

One of the hardest things in life is to rejoice in the time of trouble, however being joyful in the time of trouble is one skill we all must learn if we want to live in total victory. WE NEED TO BE A PEOPLE WHO WILL LOOK AT REALITY IN THE FACE AND STILL STAY JOYFUL.

It is easy to be joyful when the circumstance is convenient but what happens when the circumstance is not convenient? According to the scriptures, no circumstance or person should make us unhappy. The joy of the Lord is not dependent on outward circumstances—it comes straight from the inside.

We are to be joyful in the good times and in the bad times. We are to be joyful on the mountain top and in the valley below. We are to be joyful when we have money in our pockets and when we are empty and broke.

We live in a real world full of ups and downs. One moment you are up, the next moment you are down, confused and discouraged. We sure can’t control all of our circumstances but we can and should rise above negative circumstances and decide that no matter what comes against us we are not going to lose our joy.

One of the things I’ve learned is that I don’t always have to have my way in order to be happy. I got to a point in my life when I had to say I’m done with letting people and circumstances always make me unhappy. Things may not go the way I want but I am not going to lose my JOY.

Let’s not allow people steal our joy. People will always be people; they may do things and make decisions that may irritate us but we can decide to keep a smile on our face and be happy regardless of what other people do to us.

Let’s not allow circumstances kill JOY. Things may not always go according to how we plan but then we must live in the awareness that God is working things out for our good. Scripture says in Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When we have joy in the midst of trials and test, we put the devil on the run, because the joy of the Lord is our strength! Nehemiah 8:10b. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

So where do we find real joy? The answer in simple! THE LORD GIVES IT. Joy is not a commodity we buy from the market. JOY is a fruit of the spirit and it is found only in the LORD.

If you wake up each morning and don’t find your name in the obituary column, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. You are alive and amongst the living. God has so much in store for you and regardless of what the devil throws at you, do not lose you JOY.

It is God’s will for us to be and stay joyful so let’s be joyful. Don’t lose your JOY!!!

AJust Sharing My Thought
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The past is dead; get over it

Regret believe me is worst of all human emotions. For a long time, whenever I remembered certain events from my past, I felt miserable so I began learning the deeper meaning of forgiveness and realized that true freedom comes from letting go of the past.

The past is a tricky thing and many of us today are paralyzed by it (our past). Interestingly, most of the things we beat ourselves over are things we cannot change so why do we often spend time and energy crying over spilt milk?

It is almost unbelievable the amount of energy some of us waste crying over things we cannot change. It’s high time some of us grew up. There are certain things in our lives we cannot possibly change and we have to be clear about them.

We cannot change the death of a loved one.
We cannot change a business failure. If it’s over, it’s over.
We cannot change the fact that some of us have had bitter break ups.
We cannot change the decisions people make. Some people learn how to make good decisions after they must have made bad ones.
We cannot change the betrayal of a loved one. Believe it or not, in life, you will sooner or later have someone betray you and when that happens, get over it.

Oftentimes, we allow past events to hunt and hurt us to a point where we end up hurting people, breaking up our family relationships and hurting innocent people.

When we hold on to the pains of the past, they define who we are in the present so my question to you is, what wounds from you past are you letting define you at the moment?..

We all have horrible moments in our lives but we cannot continually dwell on it. No matter how difficult or painful our past is we just have to cut ourselves off from it because it has a tendency of messing up our present and our future.

Sometimes it’s hard to forgive ourselves for the silly crazy things we do (or have done) but in truth, the highest form of forgiveness is PERSONAL FORGIVENESS…When we don’t forgive ourselves we become bitter and hurting.

One of the things we can (and should) do to guarantee future success is to forget about past failures. The greatest days of our lives are before us and not behind us so let’s focus on where we are heading – the future.

In conclusion, I want reiterate all I have said… so even if you get nothing out of this note, get this… THE PAST IS DEAD I say that again THE PAST IS DEAD so get over it.

Have you been hurt? GET OVER IT.
Have you been jilted? GET OVER IT.
Have you been abused? GET OVER IT.
Have you been betrayed? GET OVER IT.
Have you been criticized? GET OVER IT.
Have you been denied a visa? GET OVER IT.
Have you failed? GET OVER IT. The fact that you fail then don’t mean that you will fail now.

It’s time to focus on the present and commit to the brighter FUTURE God has in store for us. It’s time to stop dwelling in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunities. It’s time to release ourselves from the burden of the past and do something decent with our lives.

God never consults our past to determine our future - John Hagee.

Whatever is done is done and over. Our past has been forgiven and our future redeemed by God. Scripture says in 2Corinthians 5:7 (CEV) “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new”

My past is dead and I’m over it…

Just Sharing My Thought
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