MATTERS ARISING 4

One very important yet largely neglected way in which we can redirect our focus from other people’s weakness to ourselves and what needs to be corrected is taking genuine feedback.

I find that the human nature is such that even when people ask for feedback, something on their inside is more interested in hearing; the positive impact their actions have on others (Not like this is bad).

However, if we must be a people who are truly growing in God, we must be open to sincere feedbacks especially; the ones not singing our praises.
At least more than once in my life, I have found myself in environments where; once feedbacks are asked for, little is expected to be spoken about what ever has an air of ambiquity around it.

You might find it surprising that one of the differences between David and Saul was how they handled feedback. At one time, Saul had messed up. And when Prophet Samuel gave God’s verdict on the matter, Saul did not necessarily take any step to seek redress. I find this posture troubling because I believe that; growing up he must have learnt that the God of their fathers is merciful.

David on the other hand understood this; which was why he was quick to bury his head in shame and ask for mercy when Prophet Nathan showed up at his doorstep to give God’s verdict for the heinous acts he had committed. I believe we know how the story ended because God later went on to say; “David is a man after my heart”.

Suffice to mention that; there are countless ways Nathan’s feedback could have gone bad because David was King. And although God had sent Prophet Nathan to David, David could easily have given an order that Nathan’s head be separated from his body; but we all know he didn’t. 

In the same vein, we must trust God for grace to be humble enough to look within, and remember that none of God’s children ever outgrows growth. Especially with respect to character, how we deal with God and how we deal with the people we interface with on a daily basis.

It is my prayer that we would do whatever it takes to comply to God’s fine-tuning process irrespective of the vessel He uses in Jesus name.

The End.

Scriptural References: I Samuel 13:1-15; II Samuel 12:1-15

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father, help me not to be so full of myself that I neglect the fact that; there is room for improvement in You, in Jesus name.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

MATTERS ARISING 3

The last I checked, hasty conclusions and playing God in interacting with people does not exactly end on a pleasant note.

I believe the case of Prophet Samuel’s assessment of Eliab is still fresh in our memories. Similar to this is that of King Saul and his judgement of David when he offered to confront Goliath.
Interestingly, in both cases and in more like them, every time we approach people or situations relying on our parameters of measurement; which of cause is an off-shoot of our experiences; we miss what we ought to be paying attention to.

My point is; how would you feel if someone judged you unfit based on his standards especially for something you are fit for? My guess is, you wont be pleased. And in that moment, the only thing that keeps you going is your awareness of what God says about you.

Beloved, it is imperative that we are not busying ourselves judging people while unconsciously neglecting the things in our lives that needs attention. I find that focusing too much on others makes us lose sight of the things that needs attention in our lives. Selah!

To Be Continued 

Scriptural References: I Samuel 16:6-7; I Samuel 17:13

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father please help me not to neglect the things I ought to pay attention too in Jesus name.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

MATTERS ARISING 2

Ever heard the expression; first impression lasts longer? Chances are you have. And if I might take this a step further, there is also every possibility that you have used that expression to drive home a point at one time or the other.

However, do you realize that this is not always true? Perhaps a little personal confession would help you see my point.

I once knew an older man in his sixties (I still know him and in fact he is such an amazing man) and at first encounter, his demeanor might make you conclude that he is one very difficult person to interact with and you should expect nothing but troubles dealing with him. However, this elderly gentle man turned out to be nothing but a blessing.

How many times have you had a hunch about somebody because of something which is at best a personal sentiment and an off-shoot of your personal experiences; only to later discover that you were absolutely wrong about this person?

I have come to realize that as much as God has through His Spirit given us grace for discernment, it must never be mistaken as a ticket to run into hasty conclusions and play God in our interactions with people.

To Be Continued…

Scriptural Reference:  I Corinthians 4:5

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father, May I not be hasty to write-off people that You intend to use to accomplish something in my life in Jesus name.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

MATTERS ARISING 1

It’s interesting how sometimes, the things we pay little or no attention to are the things that are actually vital to our lives and destinies; especially as it pertains to our relationship with God and making heaven ultimately.

If I might; when was the last time we engaged the search light of God’s Word to identify things in our lives that ought not to be there especially as children of God? My guess is; for most perhaps not in recent times.
I have come to discover that; it is very convenient to identify the weakness(es) of others and what they are not doing right while shying away from the ones in our lives. 

I am of the opinion that we do this because left to us, we are not as bad as these other people or we are more mature than they are and the likes.
The last time I checked, after all said and done, everyone of us would stand before God to give account of how we spent our lives. And there is no way identifying the issues in other people’s life especially in a way not born out of love would justify anyone.

In fact the truth is; it is the same measure with which we jugde others that we would be judged.
It is my prayer that as we go through this series, God would open our eyes to the things in our lives that we need to pay attention to, and help us desist from pointing fingers at others while ignoring the matters in our lives in Jesus name.

May your life and mine be filled with testimonies that would cause us to laugh this new month in Jesus name.

To Be Continued…

Scriptural Reference: Luke 6:41-42

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Dear Lord, please help me identify and address the things that needs adjustment in my life in Jesus name. (Amen)

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

NOT BY GUESSWORK 4

In addition to humility, patience and discernment with respect to our journey is the understanding that; Not operating by guesswork in this Kingdom is not always synonymous to having all the details for the journey.

As a matter of fact, if every instruction from God provides all the details then there won’t be any need for Faith. However, we know that this is not the case because Faith is at the very core of all that this Kingdom represents.

The intelligent question would then be; how do we posture such that we don’t gamble through life nor expect God to provide all the details for our every journey before we can walk in obedience?

Like I would always say; I won’t suggest that this answer covers every possible angle but I believe that it would provide something to work with.

It is instructive how Isaiah 30 is indicative of the possibility of getting instructions from heaven and Apostle Paul also submits that; we know in part.

What this should do is; bring us to a place where we are attentive to the Spirit of God on our inside, and be willing to move in obedience with the information He makes available howbeit little.

Only when we take a posture this balanced would we not make wrong turns, be under pressure when we don’t have all the details and in the process hinder ourselves from walking by Faith. A posture that ultimately hinders us from operating in the supernatural.

It is my prayer that; the Spirit of God would simplify these things to us and bring us to a place of intimacy that births His counsel for our lives in Jesus name. (Amen)

The End.

Scriptural References: Isaiah 30:21; I Corinthians 13:9

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father, please bring me to a place of oneness with You and help my every move align with your Big Picture for me in Jesus name. (Amen)

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

NOT BY GUESSWORK 3

Sometimes, it baffles me how people can take a posture that suggests that they understand how the Kingdom works when it comes to decision making. They do this on the premise that they had made similar decisions in time past and have mastered the process.

It would interest you that David could easily have lost it if for a moment he took this posture in his dealings with God.

Prior to II Samuel 5, there had been well over two different scenerios where God expressly instructed David to pursue after the Philistines and for every such case, God delivered them into his hands.

In fact in this particular instance in II Samuel 5, God had told him to attack the Philistines head-on the first time however, by the time they re-grouped, the instruction or strategy if you prefer had changed.

Imagine if David had confronted the enemy forces obeying the last order, he and his men would certainly have fallen flat on their faces.

Many today have gotten into trouble because left to them, they have mastered God’s mode of operations. They take this posture because of how long they have spent in the faith and in some instances, they vehemently discredit other people on this grounds.

However if the truth must be told then it is imperative to understand that; it is wisdom to remain humble in interfacing with God and the things of God. We must also add patience and discernment to the formular so we dont move faster or slower than God only to end up messing things up.

To Be Continued…

Scriptural Reference: II Samuel 5:17-25

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father help my every move to be in sync with you at all times no matter the circumstance in Jesus name.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

NOT BY GUESSWORK 2

And so it was that David upon returning home found that his home had been raided and he and his men had lost everything.

You could imagine their devastation. And for a moment there, his men contemplated stoning him because as far as they were concerned, he was the cause of their predicament.

David wept  bitterly, who wouldn’t? However, in all of this, He knew that he could not afford to gamble with his next move. He understood that although he was hurt, gambling with his next line of action would achieve nothing but more devastation.

Then he inquired of God what his response should be and God instructed him to pursue. With this was the assurance that he would recover all. And true to God’s Word, he recovered all. 

This clearly highlights, that when God is the one who leads you, the results you would produce would be nothing short of phenomenal.

I have also come to discover that one thing that distinquishes a man who takes his instruction from God and the man who gambles His way through it, is “Staying Power” especially when the going gets tough.

The simple yet pertinent question is; do you take your instructions from God, or do you just gamble your way through your every decision?

To Be Continued…

Scriptural Reference: I Samuel 30:8

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father please help me to be humble enough to seek direction from you everyday of my life.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

NOT BY GUESSWORK 1

It is common knowledge that one thing many people seek regardless of age, status, race and the likes is the ability to know what to do, when to take such step and how to go about it.

It would interest you or perhaps you might have observed that many upon surrendering their lives to Christ and getting baptized in the Holy Spirit sometimes still find it a little difficult to differentiate between what they want and what God would have them do.

The funny thing about divine direction is that it is not cast in stone, because God deals with each individual based on the peculiarity of their journey as well as their specific assignment.

As I welcome you to this new decade, I need to mention that one of the things that would make this journey worthwhile despite the many seemingly overwhelming narratives making the rounds, is the ability to live a life void of assumptions.

And by this I mean; assumptions that God is leading you to make a move when you have not checked to be sure that; it is really God in the first place.

May I also add, that while I trust God to use this series to bless us and take away every form of ambiquity with respect to discerning whose voice we are acting on; it takes Submission and Sensitivity to the dealings of the Spirit of God to actually enjoy His partnership.

To Be Continued…

Scriptural Reference: Ezekiel 2:1-3

Please Say These Words of Prayer by Faith: Father I receive grace to run with precision in Jesus name.

©️Victor Ogungbe 2021

CONTENTMENT-ANTIDOTE FOR COMPROMISE (IV)

Perhaps a great way to land this is to briefly consider the life of the gentleman called Gehazi. My guess is most are familiar with his story and would conclude that Gehazi was greedy.

While that submission is true, the root cause of what later played out as greed is a lack of contentment.

Greed doesn’t suddenly manifest, it always begins with a feeling of dissatisfaction with what God has done so far. And when a person begins to get the idea that things are not happening as fast as they ought or that breakthroughs are entirely dependent on one smart move yet to be made and the likes, getting into trouble becomes inevitable.

Although the Bible was silent about how long Gehazi had nursed thoughts about; how what he was getting from his alignment with Elisha wasn’t enough. However, his response on the day what he considered the “Naaman opportunity“  presented itself, tells the complete story.

I don’t want to be the one to remind you of how that story ended but let’s just say; it did not have such a fantastic ending.

Therefore the big question is; to what extent are we sensitive to God’s dealings with us especially when they are not instantly rewarding?

It is imperative to note that; regardless of how fast we want things to happen, God always has a plan and provision that is in tandem with His agenda for us.

It is my prayer that; we won’t hurry to please self and men that we knock ourselves out of God’s original agenda, which is without fail, for an appointed time!

Scriptural Reference: II Kings 5:20-26

Please Say These Words of Prayer: Father, please help me to be trusting enough of your timing regardless. 

To Be Continued…

©️Victor Ogungbe 2020

CONTENTMENT-ANTIDOTE FOR COMPROMISE (III)

“There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

Those were the words of Joseph in response to Potiphar’s wife’s advances.

If I might appear to digress for a moment then I should point that; Joseph must have heard from His Father-Jacob how his Great Grand Father (Abraham) had been promised trans-generational blessing.

It therefore was convenient for Joseph to interpret Potiphar’s wife’s offer as a semblance of a fulfilment of that promise plus his ticket out of slavery.

However, he was wise not to make such a grave mistake.

I can bet that leading to this point, Joseph wasn’t exactly excited about his predicament. Especially considering the fact that God had also shown him a glimpse of how men would serve him and that was yet to happen.

Now this is the part that saddens me; most people cross lines they ought not to cross because it does not seem like God would show up or they outrightly adopt the ideology; “heaven helps those who help themselves” and in the process, mess things up.

If there is any lesson to pick from Joseph within the context of our discuss, it would be making a decision to take a posture that says; although I dont quite look like what God promised, I would stay; grateful, positive, passionate & uncompromising until such a time that God brings me into the full image of what He promised.

Scriptural Reference: Genesis 39:9

Please Say These Words of Prayer: Father, May I not because of pressure cut corners, that would cost me my glorious destiny in Jesus name. (Amen)

To Be Continued…

©️Victor Ogungbe 2020