Tag Archive | peter

NOISES FROM THE ENEMY

Feb23

I remember when I was about to write my UTME examination that year and my head couldn’t rest from loud noises saying, “You won’t pass!” “You won’t make it”, “God does not love you to give you the future you dream of” etc. Many depressing thoughts gushed into my mind and took me to the deep and the thought of ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was inconceivable in my heart. This was because the enemy had put me in a small dark room where I couldn’t locate the way out.

God has amazing plans for you bro! You have to believe that! I know you weren’t expecting me to come out like that but I can’t shout it loud enough that there is that amazing purpose that he has and  wants you to fulfil in a grand style.

When the enemy can’t destroy, he tries to prevent you from seeing or drowns the truth with his lies. The enemy will go to any length to do that. He does not know exactly what God wants to do with your life but he goes around like a roaring lion, sprawling, speculating and looking for ways to stop you to do that which God has called you to do.

Jesus told his disciples plainly what God wants him to do, the grand plan to save the world and how he will fulfil His purpose. But Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him for saying such things, saying, “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

We might feel that was the right thing for Peter to do because he loved Jesus but it was the enemy there at work with hetero-suggestions and noises to drown the purpose of Jesus with lies.

We can also find this kind of expression of Peter in our lives. It could be the voices screeching in your head that you won’t be all that God has called you to be. It could also be addictions that make the now and the future not correlate in any way. It could be depression that darkens and blurs what beautiful things the Lord is saying about you and the future. It could be people; friends that drift you away from the path or it could be haters that persecute you to make life unbearably hard for you. It could be just anything that tries to discourage you and stop you from fulfilling God’s divine purpose.

You must like Jesus, stand your ground to say, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:23 NLT)

Yes, there is a God point of view! I remember that year the enemy pummelled me with depressing noises, the weapon I used was a song titled I Am What You See. I had to see myself the way God sees me: an amazing son who will make it!

Help me to see me

The way you see me

Sometimes I see pain Lord

When you see victory

I see where I am Lord

You see where I shall be.

– Lyrics of I Am What You See by Bishop Paul S. Morton

Yes, you are God’s amazing son who will do incredible things to bring good pleasure to Him. It might not look like it now bro, but you have to see your life the way God sees it because you will win this race and you will fulfil God’s divine purpose for your life.

A BETA VERSION

Feb9

I used to be a perfectionist. Someone who wanted things to be done perfectly well. I get really angry and pissed if I’m not getting things right or if things are not being done the way I want them or I’m not living the kind of life I want to live. It’s the love of trying to have things under control that have caused most of my deep depressions in the past. But I discovered that we just don’t arrive, we morph daily, we are becoming.

While the idea of perfection is good, we must understand it’s a fallacy in the real sense and it shouldn’t put much pressure on us but should make us want to grow to be better. 

We are beta versions of ourselves. A beta version is something that is in the phase of development after the alpha testing and before launch; while not complete, it has been released for potential use or testing.

You might not be happy about how your life is now. Things may not be working out well the way you want it to. You might still be struggling with certain habits or addictions despite knowing you have victory in Christ. What God has promised you and your present state may not correlate at all and you are already tiring out.

Right, you are still in the development stage of your life, but your perception about this cave of Adullam is what matters. Will you see it as God removing bugs from your life? Will you see God working and sandpapering you?

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

We know God is the Alpha and Omega. Between the Alpha and Omega is the beta stage. For you to get to the omega from the alpha, you are expected to become and this stage is not always fanciable. 

The beta stages of our lives are when God removes all the bugs from our lives and keeps on making us fit for His use always. David was anointed king of Israel and he had to go through a process to be the kind of king God wants him to be. He stayed even when he could manipulate his way to the throne. He trusted God through the process when he could give up.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. (Philippians 3:12)

We have natural tendencies we still deal with that make us falter and God will work on them if we trust in Him.

It is not that we will all be ready at a time but we are unfolding stories and we must be patient for him to do His work in us.  Also, that does not rule out the fact that God can use us in our beta stages, He will definitely do amazing things through us while he works in us.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. (Philippians 3:13)

Peter did not know how exactly he’d be the rock upon which the church will be built on, yes his beta stage was rough. He failed and fell at some points but God still did what he intended to do in and through him.

Don’t get angry or give up on yourself because of the things you deal with at the moment or because you are not quite yet there. Remember that God is removing those bugs from you and making you the better version of yourself.

WALKING ON WATER IN 2021 (I)

Dec22

What is that thing you have always wanted to do, but just the thought of doing it severs your heart from your chest? Maybe a big step, a big project you want to take on or a dream you have always wanted to fulfil? I remember the flush of feelings that washed over me when I tried publishing my first chapbook in 2017; it was like treading on an uncharted crooked road; putting myself out to the world! 

I know a lot has happened in 2020 and our adrenalin might have been pumping with the thought of 2021, with the thought of many restitutions, goals and ‘motivational stuff’ we’ve heard; words spoken or even prophesies for the New Year cheering us to go all out to fulfil our dreams or purposes. But with the adrenaline gone perhaps before the end of January, you realise taking most of the actions is like walking on water. 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

John 14:12

So the question to ask is what does it mean to walk on water? To walk on water is to do something afraid. To make the impossible possible even when the thought of doing it and taking the right action is beyond you. It is dreaming big and achieving those dreams.

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 

Matthew 14:25

Jesus was the first to walk on water. Beforehand, we’ve heard of Moses parting the Red Sea or Joshua leading the children of Israel through the River Jordan but not anyone walking on water. Of course, you’d say Jesus has the power over nature, laws, customs and protocols and He could do anything. But Mathew’s account of Jesus walking on water stood out so well when Jesus invited Peter to walk on water with Him. That is why I love that story so much.

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Matthew 14:28

Jesus just finished feeding the 5,000 which was a great miracle. And He sent His disciples ahead so that He could pray in the mountains. While they were on the way, the boat was buffeted: pounded or hit repeatedly by storms which could be the adversities or troubles we face as humans. As they struggled with the wind, Jesus walked on that same sea to meet them. At first, they thought He was a ghost and this aggravated their fears but they soon discovered it was Jesus of Nazarite. Peter asked if he could also walk on the sea Jesus said: “Come.” And Peter came out of the boat; he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

That was brave of Peter if I must say! He was a fisherman, and I am sure no one should know Archimedes’ principle or physical law of buoyancy more than fishermen. He should know his weight is not equal to that of the sea, he would sink. But with this knowledge, at the word of Jesus, he came and he walked on the water.

As children of God, we’ve been called to do brave things, to go through uncharted roads, to bring down strongholds that stop us from doing the impossible. God wants us to take our first step into the unknown.

So what has been keeping you from walking on water, friend? 

I know if you ponder on that question you would have a lot of answers cascading down your mind. As humans I know we always desire to be and do more. We are never satisfied. We want to dream big and do great and mighty things. Your dreams are valid; own that from today. But you may have been sleeping, dreaming and romanticising these dreams and big ideas for some time now. When will you walk on water?

Next week, we will be exploring things that can stop us from walking on water in 2021. 

Seasons Greetings fam!