When I was starting out as a freelance writer, I suffered greatly from discouragement arising from being underappreciated. I envied those freelance writers who were making bucks from doing what I could also do.
These discouraging thoughts flooded my mind and hampered my creativity. For a long while, I found it difficult to write or do anything creative. I was desperate to be at the top, yet, I was too myopic to see that the way to the top started from the bottom.
My discouragement ended when I came across a very powerful Bible verse that has been my anchor ever since I read it;
Zechariah 4:10: “Do not despise these small beginnings”
In the context of the scripture, the people of Israel who had just returned from captivity were rebuilding their destroyed temple. Zerubbabel was the one who led this rebuilding. However, it was quite difficult as the resources and manpower required to build a temple as magnificent as Solomon’s own were not available.
This reality hampered the faith of the Jews, particularly Zerubbabel. The beginning of the project was rocked with several difficulties.
However, God encouraged to Zerubbabel through his prophet. The encouragement God gave to Zerubbabel is the same He is giving you right now through this post.
When people begin to envy the success of great men and make comparisons between those men and themselves, they begin to despise their little beginnings.
Moreover, every great man was once irrelevant. Every famous man was once unknown. Every wealthy man was once poor. Every revered man was once disregarded. Every expert was once a beginner.
Those at the top once lived at the bottom of human existence. It was their beginning, but it didn’t deter them from achieving their goals and becoming great men and women in society.
So don’t feel sad that you post sermons and no one views them. Don’t feel sad that you organize classes and only a few register. Don’t be sad that you write a good story and only a few share it.
You’re in the days of your beginning. This is only a phase that will propel you into the greatness God has predestined for you.
Therefore, do not despise this beginning. Give it your best. Blossom and grow. Remain faithful even in your little – your little fan base, your little sales, your little church, your little brand etc, no matter what your little is, be faithful in it. God’s gonna lift you up to sit with Kings!
Meanwhile, the little building Zerubbabel started eventually became a magnificent temple of worship. It started as a little building, but it became a great temple.
Your business, family or occupation might be little now, do not be discouraged, God will make something magnificent out of it!
Isaiah 41:19: “I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, [and] the pine, and the box tree together:” (KJV)
The desert is a place of aridity, scarcity, and pain. The desert has little to no moisture. It is a place devoid of all attractiveness and comeliness. Nobody goes on vacation to the desert. It is regarded as a truly dreadful location.
The most important fact about the desert, however, is that trees do not grow there. It is devoid of plants, flowers, and so on. It is only made up of a large expanse of sand, making it a notorious location.
In the preceding text, God promised to do the unthinkable: plant a cedar and oil tree in the desert. Even in today’s society, these trees are uncommon. They are more valuable, rare, and useful than other trees.
The cedar is well-known for its large shades, which can provide shelter to both humans and animals seeking to avoid the scorching sun. The Oil tree, on the other hand, is well known for its enormous size. It frequently grows to be quite tall.
Given the peculiar nature of these trees, one has to wonder how God intends to plant them in a desert. That appears to be impossibility, but it goes on to demonstrate that there is nothing God cannot do.
YOU ARE THE CEDAR IN THE DESERT
Source: Unsplash
God has no intention of going to the desert and becoming a husbandman or gardener there. He was referring to His Church in the preceding text; He was referring to you as a member of the Church.
When I was a kid, I used to wonder why God didn’t make me in a developed country like the United States of America or the United Kingdom, but now I understand better.
In deserts, God plants cedars. Perhaps your country can be compared to a desert; nothing appealing about it, a deterrent to foreign investors and tourists; God has planted you here as a special cedar in this desert..
Perhaps your family can be compared to this desert. No great man has ever risen from it for ages; it is full of financial constraints here and there, and every day, like Job, you curse the day you were born into that family, be strengthened by the fact that God plants cedars in deserts.
Even if your country or family is a desert, God has placed you there to bring beauty and comeliness. God will transform the desert into a lovely garden through you.
This means that even if your family is poor and devoid of wealthy members, God purposefully placed you there to cause you to break the cycle of poverty and emerge as the wealthy man in that family.
It also means that, even though your country is notorious for suppressing the dreams of youth your age, and is declining financially on a daily basis, God purposefully made you a part of the country so that you will be the change that it requires.
As a result, rather than asking, “Why was I born here?” begin by asking, “How can I change here?” God has given you everything you need to transform your desert-like family or nation into one that is revered and celebrated by others.
It is now time for you to accept that fact. Your birth was not a fluke; it was not a case of bad luck. There’s nothing like bad luck in the life of a believer. “And who knoweth whether thou art come… for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14
In His planning, God makes no mistakes. He placed you in your family, state, or nation with one goal in mind: to make it a better place than you found it. He brought you there to become the desert cedar.
Amazingly, the structure of the cedar allows anyone to come beneath it to be protected from the sun’s scorching rays. As a result, God has positioned you in your family and nation to be like a cedar to which everyone in need of assistance and protection comes.
This cedar was exemplified by Joseph. In a time of famine, he became Prime Minister of Egypt and led them through it. People from other families and nations would seek financial assistance from Joseph (Genesis 47).
God wants to do the same for you – and He will if you align yourself with His purpose. God wants to make you so great that not only your family will benefit from you, but people in your community, country, and the world as a whole will be influenced by your greatness. Therefore, no matter what is going on in your family now, remember that you are the cedar in the desert.
A GOOD THING CAN ARISE FROM NAZARETH!
John 1:46: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Nazareth was a place of notoriety and very ordinary living in the Bible. It was so bad that both its occupants and its neighbours came to the conclusion that nothing good could ever come from it. But Jesus disproved them!
God chose Nazareth out of all the glorious cities in Israel to be the birthplace of Christ. It seemed too good to be true that the world’s saviour would come from a place as humble as Nazareth. Nonetheless, it occurred. God caused something good to come from Nazareth.
Dear youth, you are the good thing that God has made to come from this country. Even if people ask, “Can anything good come from this country?” or “Can anything good come from that family?” God has placed you there to disprove their negative conclusions.
As a result, accept the responsibility that has been assigned to you. Do not bemoan the forces of life compelling you to be mature beyond your years; this is the force of destiny. Will you answer the call of destiny?
Change your mindset from a complainer to a problem solver starting today. Instead of complaining about problems, consider how you will solve them. Imagine yourself breaking your family’s poverty line by becoming extremely wealthy.
Imagine yourself transforming your family from an uneducated one to one filled with the brightest minds. Consider sponsoring the education of children in your community. Be inspired by this vision!
Work hard, study hard, and challenge your mind to always come up with creative and paranormal solutions! Greatness awaits you!
About the author
Nwodo Divine is the founder of Koinonia Art as well as host of popular Facebook series, ‘Interview with the Tagged’. A student, blogger by night, he is a B.A student of English Language and Literature in the University of Benin. Nwodo Divine is equally a content editor, freelance writer and teacher.
We have numerous definitions for prayer. Whatever the case may be, God requires us to be more devoted than at any other time in recent memory. We pray to know the Will of God. We pray to know how to carry out the will of God.
We also pray to surrender ourselves to the desires of the kingdom for us. There are several definitions of prayer. Some see it as petitioning, while others see it as communing with God, and so on.. Prayer is what the Church really needs at this point.
When God’s move begins, it begins with His children’s prayers. This intercession ensures that God’s work is carried out precisely and without interference from the forces of darkness. Why do we have to pray? This is because we can only gain insight and understanding into what God is going to do through prayer.
According to Colossians 2:3, “all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ,” and it is through prayer that these treasures are revealed to us.
THE HEART MATTERS
This is a photograph of possessive
James 4:3 (New International Version)
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Any prayer prayed for the wrong reasons will be rendered ineffective. Prayer is a sacred duty that must be carried out with the purest of intentions. In the Church, selfishness is the slayer of prayer. It causes God to stifle the much-needed answer.
Prayer for the sake of one’s own selfish interests is a waste of time. According to Proverbs 21, God weighs a man’s heart. He weighs His saints’ hearts; He measures the quality of prayer by the quality of the heart rather than the quantity of words.
If a saint’s motives are not pure, he may say thousands of words before God and leave empty-handed; however, another saint may speak only a few words and leave with the Grace he seeks as a result of pure motives.
Proverbs 15:11: “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, How much more the hearts of men!”
We deceive ourselves when we believe God is unaware of the true reason for some of our petitions. God sees our hearts; He hears our thoughts as well as our words. Therefore, before we pray, we must examine our hearts and ensure that our motives are pure. In our prayer, there must be no trace of self or carnality.
FOR HIS GLORY
When we pray, whether in public or privately, the only thing that matters is that God receives the glory. In the place of prayer, His glory and will must be at the center of our desires. In the Kingdom, we are only rewarded for actions that bring glory to God.
HIS BATTLE-AXE
The pure saint must see himself as a battle-axe in the master’s hands, or as a pencil in the creator’s hands. When he prays or fasts, he must remember that it is God who is doing the work through him.
Conclusively, ministers, intercessors, and all members of the Body must keep this in mind. We must not allow the spirit of competition to infiltrate our organization. We must be wary of praying for the sake of showing off.
One of the greatest factors that determine one’s progress in life is Association. This factor goes a long way in making or marring the destiny of an individual.
The root of every destroyed or fulfilled destiny can in one way or another be traced or linked with the kind of people one associated with. The company we keep is not limited to our friends alone, it goes a long way beyond that.
It could be anyone, any organization or club. Let’s take a look at the life of King Solomon from the Bible.
1st Kings 11:1-8;
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2. Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
We can see from the verses above that even the very wives of Solomon ended up destroying his long built relationship with God.
He had all the wisdom but the wrong association became a stumbling block for him and because of this, Israel was torn apart and taken from the house of David.
It doesn’t matter how great or anointed one can be, once you get involved with the wrong association, destruction is imminent and inevitable.
1 Corinthians 15:33: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
The wrong company destroys but the right company preserves and builds one up. Observe that in the aforementioned verse, we are warned by the Apostle to avoid being misled. The question is misled by what?
We are to avoid being misled by the thought that the only way to convert unbelievers is by being close friends with them. This is false and not biblical!
Jesus never taught communion with unbelievers; even though he ate with sinners, they were never among His close clique. Do not be deceived that you’re too strong or wise to be badly influenced by unbelievers.
Solomon was not just strong, he was wise; he was the wisest man of his time. Yet, his fall was the most disastrous of kings.
Jonathan loved, protected and cherished David like a brother.
Jonathan was selfless – he gave David several gifts including his sword and his garment. These two youths stayed loyal and faithful to one another inspite of the enmity between Saul and David.
True friendship saves and protects. Jonathan saved David from Saul’s wrath.
– Have friends who are passionate about the things of God.
– Have vision-driven friends.
– Have friends who are compatible with your future. There are folks that if we allow into our personal space will become obstruction to our future goals.
Finally, do not be hesitant to separate from a friend who seems to be a stumbling block to your success. Abraham separated from Lot and Paul wasn’t reluctant in separating from Barnabas.
Love was one of the most powerful weapons God used in redeeming Mankind back to himself; and that weapon is still very much active today.
The Bible says in John 3 vs 16;
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Jesus was the only Son God ever had, yet, God was willing to sacrifice Him for the salvation of the world.
God gave Jesus out into the cold hands of death just because of you and I and in doing this, put both Heaven and Earth in Great danger.
Great danger?
Yes! Because the fate of both Heaven and earth depended on whether Jesus would fulfil or fail in His mission.
Jesus faced several temptations, yet, He overcame them all. He refused to be distracted in His mission to save mankind. Scriptures tell us that He prayed with so much fervency – not for Himself, but for you and I. (Hebrews 5 vs 7)
He had the power to disappear before even when the soldiers came to arrest Him at Gethsemane.
But He said, “Not my will Lord, but thy will be done”.
His great love for us made Him willing to sacrifice His freedom and dignity.
He even bore our curse;
Galatians 3:13 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
Folks, God’s display of love on calvary remains the highest display of love for eternity.
St. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Even when we fall, He picks us up and wipe the stains of sin and guilt away with His Blood.
This is the incomprehensible love of Christ – the love that passes understanding.
If you ever feel like anyone hates you, remember that two thousand years ago, a Divine Being named ‘Jesus’ made the greatest love sacrifice on the cross.
Are you feeling hopeless or in despair? Look unto the cross and be strengthened.
If you ever feel like an outcast, Remember you have been adopted by God through Christ and you are now a part of God’s Household {Ephesians 2:12-13}
1 Peter 2:17 – “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor theemperor“
Believers must come to understand that no matter how much they would love to have Christians as leaders of nations, Unbelievers will still have access to national power.
God is not an unjust judge. He gives equal opportunities to the Christian and to the sinner. There is no possiblity as having a continuous line of Christian presidents ruling a particular nation.
Understanding of this, will enable us to accept the outcome of elections even when they are contrary to what we expected or voted for.
In such a situation as this, where the agenda of those who are at the helm of political affairs in America, we are tempted to fall into despair and apathy.
Yet, the Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders even in times like this.
It does not specify the type who of leaders we are to pray for. Hence, whether they are good or bad, we are to remember them in our prayers. Praying for the salvation of their souls, the obstruction of their evil policies and guidance to do the right things.
Our primary duty is to pray for our leaders and our country at large.
Jeremiah 29:7 – “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper”
We must not become apathetic towards the issues that concerns our country’s politics and economy. The failure of believers to pray for their countries will lead to its downfall.
When we fold our hands and shut our lips towards the affairs of our nation, God will likewise shut Himself out of the affairs of this nation.
God Himself has said it, in the aforementioned text, that if we pray then our nation will prosper, and if our nation prospers, then we will prosper.
Beloved Saints, let us pray for the peace and prosperity of our respective countries.
Let us pray for the wisdom of God upon our leaders. Let us pray for the counsel of the ungodly to be destroyed.
Let us pray that God’s will be done in our nations.
Let me talk a little on Angels today: ”Do you know you’ve encountered Angels and maybe severally?”
UNUSUAL APPEARANCE
You’ve ever observed a person you rarely see but always see when you’re in some grave danger and when it’s resolved, they’re no more? And on and on like that It goes…
They may not appear in the form you expect as with wings and in white garment and the likes but they do severally appear besides those appearances in human form to men. They did with Abraham(Gen.18). They did with Lot(Gen.19). They did with much more…
When they do, some men of the Spirit could realize it and some others do not but irregardless, they must accomplish their task at the time.
I’ve had Angelic visitation too of the white garment and the likes we do know of but of this I speak now, very often. This happens many times in the lives of God’s children.
You must not be ignorant of the divine and of Angelic operations. You must be sensitive as a child of God. Sometimes we get distracted and it’s okay. But, come right back. Get in the race. Run with speed. Run with determination.
Speaking of these Angels, they’re ministering spirits to the saints and to the church. Seeing such important role they play, why ignore their operation?
OTHER SCENARIOS
There were times too you’ve been delivered from some accidents maybe on road and from some harm and others. Those are Fruits of Angelic operations!
HOW TO RELEASE THEM
–Prayer: Prayer has always and always will be key.
Angels do not move till God speaks. God does not move till we speak (Pray). This should tell you how important prayer is. It should be for us as breathing itself for of such was it to the Apostles and early Church and thus could they last.
Our prayer releases God into action which brings Angelic interventions.
A WAR
There’s a war going on in the earth whether you realize it or not. But as a Soldier of Christ, you should know that. We’re not the ones fighting but we play a major role in the battle.
By our prayers, we empower the divine and Angels and when we don’t pray, we don’t. I know it may seem hard to get but, the prayers of the church releases and empowers Angels. What happens then when they don’t?
Today, they pay less attention to the battle they’re in and tangle in worldly affairs, seeking after wealth and much more and rarely after deliverance of the oppressed and darkness destruction. As the scripture says, we shouldn’t be ignorant of the enemy’s wiles (2 Cor. 2:11).
JESUS AS EXAMPLE
Want much of Angelic visitations in your life? Got to be prayerful!
Jesus prayed in the wilderness after which Angels came and strengthened Him.
He prayed at Gethsemane and Angels came and strengthened Him.
He prayed much more times and received Angelic visitations and intervention (not all were accounted in the scriptures).
Proverbs 6 vs 6 “Go to the ant, you sluggard; Consider her ways and be wise”
The ant is a very special and interesting creature. Though very small in size, it has a lot of interesting and amazing characteristics.
According to science, ants can lift up to 50 times their own weight. So small yet strong and mighty. Another interesting fact about them is that they have no ears. Yes! They lack ears. All they depend on for hearing are vibrations.
These little creatures are ubiquitous. I mean they can be found anywhere and everywhere you go.
Some species of ants can actually live up to 2 hours after their heads have been ripped off their bodies.
These creatures are so amazing and unique, establishing the fact that size doesn’t matter when it comes to surviving in thus world.
Aside these amazing facts, there is also a lot to learn from them such as the lesson of hardwork and determination.
But that is not the only thing we can learn from the ants.
One evening, I was sitting under an almond tree enjoying the coolness of the shades and the evening breeze.
Then I felt something walking on my neck. I quickly threw it off my neck, and I inquisitively went to check what it was.
I discovered it was a little ant which I crushed while trying to take it off my neck.
It lay there wounded. I decided to leave it on the ground, hoping it would heal and gain enough strength to walk again.
I kept going to observe whether it would move, at intervals.
Several minutes later, I spotted another ant coming.
After a few seconds, it got to where the injured ant was and touched it with its antenna. It did this for about 30 seconds.
Then suddenly, it picked up the injured ant and started moving it away from where it was towards their little ant hole buried in the ground. Soon they got to the hole and entered.
This little act of this ant amazed me. It saw its fellow ant helplessly wounded and did not abandon it.. Instead, it helped it to safety.
Everyday, we hear stories of devout Christians falling into grievous sins such as fornication, fraud etc.
We see some at the verge of backsliding because they feel that they have fallen so deep they ca not be saved or used by God again.
Hearing this, instead of becoming a helping hand, we Christians take it as an opportunity to criticize and condemn them.
Instead of showing them love, we become mean towards them as if we are the world’s perfectionists. Instead of encouraging them, we talk them down., instead of correcting, we criticize.
Lots of Christians have commuted suicide due to this. The place from which they expected to get love, faith, strength and Correction, they got hatred, shame and criticism instead.
I want us to know that our maturity as believers is not only measured based on how fervently or how long we pray. Nor is it only measured based on on how well we get deep revelations from the Bible. It is also measured based on how we handle situations around us.
We are on a journey and this journey is a journey filled with stumbling blocks. No one is perfect but we are moving towards perfection.
Many are going to fall but it is the job of those who are already strong in those areas to bring them up, love, encourage and correct them.
Let us help each other on this journey. Let us carry each other along. Let us intercede for one another. Let us fellowship with one another.
Don’t make anyone feel bad for falling. Remember it could happen to anyone and even you.
The Apostle said, “Let brotherly love continue”.
The Road to Eternity is full of thorns and trials, but if we stick to one another, we can definitely overcome.
Abraham’s staff had a quarrel with Lot’s staff over grazing land for their cattle. This led to Abraham and Lot agreeing to separate.
Lot was given to option to choose between the breathtaking city of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the less attractive land which they dwelt in at that moment. Lot chose the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, and he left Abraham with the less attractive site.
Probably Abraham stood after Lot had left, gazing at the beautiful sight of Sodom and Gomorrah, and wishing he had the opportunity to rear his cattle in such a plain.
God came to change Abraham’s sight, from beholding the dainties of Sodom and Gomorrah to beholding the far greater wealth he had in store for Abraham. He said to Abraham, “I am giving you all this land, as far as you can see….”
The kind of seeing that God was talking about here, isn’t the seeing done with the physical eyes. It is that which is done with the inner sight. It is the seeing done with the Imagination.
God told Abraham to look Northwards and Southwards and Eastwards and Westwards. There was certainly no way Abraham would have been able to the entirety of these four cardinal points with his physical sight. But God expects the child of God to see by faith and not by what his physical eyes show him.
The question a believer must ask himself is, “What am I seeing?”
One of the facts which psychology has proven to be true, is that every human who walks and works in this Earth, has a mental picture of himself and his future which guides his decisions and actions.
Even those who claim to see nothing are actually seeing despair, emptiness and a future void of greatness.
In the midst of this pandemic, what is that which you are seeing with your inner eyes? There might have been a lockdown on your business, but there can never be a lockdown on your imagination!
Do you have a mental picture of a great future in mind? Or have you conceded to the picture of gloominess and darkness in your future.
The reason God gave us a lot of promises and ensured they were all penned down is so that in the time of challenges, we may look at those promises, and see them manifesting in our lives. Using your mind to picture the promises of God towards you and your family is not a way of escaping or trying to deny reality. Rather, it is the way to elevating your whole being to living in a higher reality.
1) Your children becoming great: You might have children who right now, are stubborn and might even be ungodly, yet, do not let your vision be limited to who they seem to be at present. Rather, see them as the kind of children that the Bible has promised for those who fear the Lord.
Psalm 112:2: “(the man who fears the Lord) His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” (KJV)
See your children becoming great businessmen, politicians, leaders, ministers in the society. Let this be your vision for their lives, and let it drive you to give them the best guidance needed to attain this dream.
2) See yourself having a prosperous home: What makes a home prosperous is not money alone. Love, care, peace and the thriving of your family members can make your home prosperous.
Envision the kind of family you want to have. Envision the kind of spouse you want to be, and start making decisive steps to becoming that spouse now!
3) See yourself living in good health and long life until you leave this world:
Psalm 91:10: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (KJV)
No matter how contagious the pandemic might be, God has promised that it will not come best your dwelling.
Peradventure it came, see yourself getting healed of it.
See yourself alive, even in old age, spending the holidays with thriving children and grandchildren and even your great-grandf
Whitney Houston was undoubtedly one of the most skilful musicians in entertainment history. From her unparalleled song lyrics to her high-pitched voice, She was certainly one who made great impact in the entertainment industry.
Her concerts were sold-out. Her songs were unique and quite appealing to the emotion. Without sentiment or bias, I still say till date, that we have never had a musician as innovative and skilful as Whitney Houston.
This musician, who started music as a young adult, achieved a lot of success in music.
But she had a problem.
Her problem was not a singing problem, as she had one of the best voices in history. Neither was her problem finance, as she was equally among the richest musicians of his days. Her problem was not fame and popularity.
It was a struggle that was invisible to the eyes of her fans, followers and even close friends. In February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in her room at Beverly Hotels. Valid reports showed that she died from severe drug addiction.
The five-star singer, who was one of the most admired singers in history, passed away at 48, because of drug addiction.
Although, her death was shocking to the world, it was not the first of its kind. Neither were her personal and emotional problems, the first of its kind. History has always let us know, that despite their huge successes on stage, there are several American singers with very terrible personal lives.
From divorces, to promiscuity and even drug addictions, they are able to maintain balance on stage, and act goody-goody, yet, when the fans are gone, and the concert is over, and they are back to their hotel room, a negative reality of who they really are, beclouds their reasoning again.
This leads them to take several doses drugs, painkillers as well as sleep inducement drugs, thereupon damaging their body systems due to the frequent intake.
What caused these things in their lives? – The lack of a life guide.
Most of them who died tragically and prematurely, had medical advisers, musical advisers, professional instrumentalists, loyal and dedicated staff, but there was no record of them ever having a Life Guide or a Life Coach. No matter how talented or skilful you are, if you do not have a Life Coach, you will have fame, popularity and wealth, but you will lack inner tranquillity and stability of mind.
The purpose of a life coach is not to make you a better professional; it is to make you a better person. It is not to give you vocal training, but give you the training required to sustain your inner tranquillity. A life coach’s job is not to make you better on stage; it is to make you better off-stage.
A Life Coach is one who will love you for who you are, and not for what you have. One of the truths that we have to accept about life, is that most people who claim to love us do not really love us; rather, they love what we carry.
They do not really love you; rather, they love your voice. If you had no voice, you would have no fan. They love the gift, and not the gifted. No matter how cool the love of the fans may be, they can never suffice for the love which you will get from your family, and the encouragement which you will get from your Life Coach.
Do you have a Life Coach?
Your Life Coach is that person who can teach you how to balance between your tight schedule as a performer, and your personal life.
Your Life Coach is the one who is able to look beyond the costume and makeup, and see the real you. Oprah Winfrey once said a life coach or mentor is, ‘One who is able to make you see the hope inside of yourself’.
Medical personnel can only prescribe drugs to reduce your body pain, but there is no drug that can heal your emotional pain. They can prescribe drugs to help one sleep past the inner anguish, but no amount of sleep can help one to permanently escape such anguish.
The only personnel who can help you heal your emotional hurts, overcome your fears, and build a strong spirit; is your Life Coach.
Your Life Coach can be your pastor, youth pastor, pastor’s wife, father, mother, friend, teacher etc. But he/she must be one who you can confide your pain and struggles with, and who can help you overcome these things.
Ecclesiastes 12:11: The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.” (MSG)
The Temperament refers to the makeup, inner attributes and composition of a person. It is one’s sum total of one’s character, behaviors, attitude and preferences.
Your Temperament is your personality.
The Temperament of a person can rarely be changed. This is because, it is mostly a determined by birth factors, rather than influenced by environmental factors.
Yet, you can modify your Temperament in such a way, that you become the person that God wants you to be.
You might not be able to wholly change everything about you. Yet, you have the ability to prune away some attributes of you that are uncultured, and engraft those qualities, that though alien, are needed in the society.
This is important, because your Temperament is the foremost reason why a buyer would want to do business with you repeatedly.
It can be a fragrance which attracts people to you, and can also be a stench, which separates people from you.
Even as Born Again Christians, we find elements of our temperament surfacing in our daily lives, hindering us from living the God-life.
Some Christians are short-tempered. Some Christians are very timid. Some Christians are very impatient.
One might think that the regeneration of a Christian, would birth in Him, a new temperament. A new character. A new disposition.
From experience and observation, this does not happen often.
Moreover, there is no way the Bible explicitly promises an automatic transformation of the Christian’s character at rebirth.
If a person as an Unbeliever was Melancholic, salvation will not automatically transform that person into a very happy Christian.
In fact, his favorite character in the Bible might end up being Jeremiah, and his favorite book, Lamentations.
This is the reason a lady can pray to God fervently for hours, in the church, yet, still engage in idle talk the moment she is outside the church.
This is equally the reason you must be sensitive in your dealings with men. There are very anointed preachers with terrible personalities.
Some have propensities of pride and superiority outlook. Hence, once you step on their toes carelessly, you’ll face their wrath.
Their character problems should not make you doubt the Anointing of God upon their lives.
He truly is anointed. But your actions stirred up the untamed temperament in him.
Even in the church, you find things like these.
That is why you hear the phrase, ‘Satan dwells mostly in a church gatherings’.
It’s not that the devil is heavily manifest in the church, it’s just that several Christians haven’t modified their personalities and temperaments to match with the faith which they profess.
There are many factors that can influence one’s character and even temperament. Some of them include;
Environment, Gene, The things one is exposed to at early age, Experience etc
Yet, your personality can be modified and well cultured.
Do not say, ‘This is who I am. Love me for who I am’, when who you are is not worth loving.
When you purchase a phone, it comes with its default settings. Some of the default settings were chosen based on the preferences of the phone’s maker.
One of these default settings include the Phone’s ringing tune. Every phone usually comes with its own default ringing tune, which is often unattractive to the user.
Would you buy a phone with an unattractive default ringing tune and not change it?
Or would you resolve to let the default tune remain, since it was what the phone was programmed with at production stage?
I believe the first option would be your choice.
Similarly, you can also modify your personality to fit to the Christian conduct the Bible prescribes for believers.
There are many ways to do these. I’ll sum it up in one word; SELF ACCOUNTABILITY.
Change comes from within not from without.
Internet writers can provide for you, a hundred methods for modifying your Temperament, yet, it all comes down to being accountable to yourself.
I will explain this in three processes.
1. You must be Honest with Yourself
Stop excusing your excesses and weaknesses. You must come to a point where you admit that you need to modify your character.
You must come to the point where you agree with yourself, that your Temperament needs some refining, repainting and pruning.
It was Richard Bach who said;
How can we resent the life we’ve created for ourselves? Who’s to blame, who’s to credit, but us? Who can change it, any time we wish, but us?
Your change is not responsibility. Take it as your responsibility.
One of my favorite sayings of Les Brown is,
Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.
You ought to accept responsibility for your Temperament and its refining. Do not shift the blame to anyone anymore.
2. Highlight the Pros and Cons of your Temperament.
Do this with thoughtfulness and absolute sincerity. Make sure it is written on a piece of paper.
Afterwards, in few sentences, write a note on the kind of person you want to be.
Let the picture of you being that person be formed in your conscious and subconcious mind.
3. From that day, decide that the person you wrote down, is you.
Every morning you wake up, take a look and that note, and remind yourself that, that is YOU.
This will take time and effort. There is nothing as tasking as Character development. Yet, there is nothing as attractive as a well developed character.
The main secret of the Influential men of the society, is their ability to keep modifying their temperaments even as they advance in pursuing their dreams.
Great men evolve.
Sometimes, when provoked, you can find your old attributes manifesting again.
Yet, do not be dismayed.
Rsolve that it won’t happen again. Go back to that note, and keep living the way you wrote there.
I do not guarantee perfection.
But this method will certainly transform a lot of things about you.
It will make you accountable to yourself. Other than your God, you become in full control of your Temperament, and not your Temperament in full control you.
KOINONIA ART 