What’s Your Dream? (2)

Pursue the dream God has given you no matter how far-fetched it may seem, for dreams are like your children; they’re your offspring. They’re the joy of your present and the hope of your future. Protect them. Feed them. Encourage them to grow, for as long as you have a dream you’ll never be old. In spite of betrayal by his family, attempted seduction by Potiphar’s wife and false imprisonment, Joseph’s dream carried him all the way to his destiny as ruler of Egypt. Now, we’re talking about God-given dreams that lead to God-honouring results, not selfish ambition. Paul writes, “Long before we first heard of Christ… He had… designs on us for glorious living” (Ephesians 1:11-12). God has a dream for you and if you seek Him He’ll reveal it to you.

But when He does, remember three things:
(1) Dreams are specific, not general; personal, not public. God won’t give somebody else your dream, He’ll give it to you. He may confirm it through others, but He’ll reveal it to you. When He does, don’t share it with the wrong people or you’ll get hurt. Like Joseph’s brothers, they won’t be able to handle it, especially if it doesn’t include them.

(2) Dreams are usually outside the realm of the expected. Often your dream will cause rational people to say, “You’ve got to be kidding!” Remember, that’s their opinion, not God’s; with Him “all things are possible.”

(3) Dreams separate winners from losers. Dreamers are always a minority. Those who walk by sight will always outnumber those who walk by faith. So today, follow your God-given dream.

What’s Your Dream? (1)

When you dream you move closer to the way God sees things; you see beyond your limitations; you move from where you are to where He wants you to be; you begin to see your goals in their completed state.

The question isn’t can you dream, but do you have the courage to act on it? If your dream doesn’t stretch you to the point of discomfort it’s probably not of God. Furthermore, God won’t miraculously lift you out of your dream and set you down in the middle of its fulfillment. The children of Israel dreamed of living in the Promised Land. But the only way to get there was through the wilderness. That’s where we learn to:
(a) trust God daily for the manna we need;
(b) discover His power in the Red Sea situations of our lives;
(c) be led by Him when there are no clear sign posts;
(d) get up every morning with our eyes on our destiny and move steadily toward it;
(e) refuse to become like those who complain and never make it out of the wilderness.

Now for a warning: someone will always try to steal your dream. Always! Often it’ll be someone who never had a dream of their own, or if they did they abandoned it. It could even be a family member who reminds you of what God couldn’t or wouldn’t do through someone like you.

What do you dream about? What has God enabled you to see that doesn’t yet exist? You’ll never out-dream God! For: “God can do… far more than you can ever imagine”
(Ephesians 3:20)

Sowing And Reaping

It’s one thing to give because it puts God on your side financially, but there’s an even greater reason: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” At first glance you may think, “What’s that got to do with anything?” A lot! God’s committed to healing the hurts of our world; that’s why He speaks of “gifts to the poor.”

When we get involved with God through our giving, we’re taking our place in a plan that’s bigger than our own interests - or our tiny bag of seed. We’re participating in His plan to reach the world. God’s concerned about the poor, and about sharing with every person on earth the good news of the Gospel. Those are His objectives and He’s committed to them. And they’re going to cost money. A lot of it! Now the truth is, God will get the money from somewhere, but He’d like to partner with you to accomplish it.

You say, “But I’m afraid if I give more I won’t have enough to meet my own needs!” Think about what you just said. Why would God drain you of your resources, then not replenish them to accomplish through you what He’s committed to doing? That doesn’t make sense. If you’re a partner with God why would He hinder your ability to give toward the things that matter most to Him: the needy, and winning a lost world?

The truth is, God’s going to do it with or without you. He’s just giving you an opportunity to get involved with Him. Don’t miss out on it!

Children and Poverty

Childhood should be a happy time spent playing with friends, enjoying a favorite toy — even planning for the first day of school. But children in the developing world spend most of their childhood struggling to survive, without much hope for a secure, productive life.

And they face incredible odds. Of the 57 million people worldwide who died last year, 10.5 million of them were children less than five years old. The majority of these children — some 98 percent — were in developing nations.

Treatable illnesses, such as pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition, become life-threatening when combined with poverty, war, poor sanitation, inadequate health care and insufficient preventive measures.

For those who survive childhood, the path to a secure and happy future is still filled with obstacles. Children in developing nations have limited access to education, which limits opportunity and reduces potential.

Economic, social and cultural factors keep some 121 million children, especially girls, from attending school. Faced with difficult choices, parents often take girls out of school to care for younger siblings, help with household chores or work outside the home to contribute to family income. In the world’s least developed countries, only 14 percent of secondary school enrollment is female.

A well rounded approach that can be taken can be taken to improve children’s health are

Water, sanitation and hygiene education projects that enable healthier households.

Farming innovations that result in better nutrition

Family planning projects that promote healthier mothers and infants.

Emergency response programs that meet basic needs for food and health.

Imagine Paying 25,000 Naira All In The Name Of……

Its funny that people no longer think before they spend.
Sometimes I think its because they have too much of it and sometimes I think they just want to flaunt it to the whole world and show they have it and they can do what they wish when ever they want to not waiting to think if there was something much better they could do with that same money they have decieded to waste.

Ok, let me get everyone out of the dark now.
Foreign artists like Jay Z, Missy Elliot, Ciara, Beyonce, Snoop Dog, Busta Rhymes, Mary J Blige and En Vogue including some Nigerian artists are coming to perform and the gate fee is a whooping sum of 25,000 Naira for a day show and 30,000 Naira for 2 days show and 100,000 for VIP seats.

This left me thinking, if all these people that purchased tickets for this show were asked to use half of that amount used to purchase tickets to feed a hungry child on the streets or put that money in the Church as an offering or tithe they will blindly say no yet they can spend that much to watch some humans sing to their pleasure even if they dont get satisfied.

You can read comments posted by Nigerians and non - Nigerians on this issue HERE

What is the world turning into?

Rather than feed a hungry child, donate to charity or less priviledged or putting offering in the church or paying tithe, someone would prefer paying such an amount for mere hours of pleasure that will profit him nothing.

Though I know people have a right to do what they wish to do with their hard earned money but I think sometimes they need to have a re-think on how its being spent.

Thats my 2-cents.

The Recent Ban Of Motorcyclists In Abuja

Its no longer news in Nigeria that Motorcyclists in Abuja popularly known as Okada men has been banned and the FCT Minister Malaam Nasir El-rufai has provided some buses to replace these okada men.

Recently there has been some protests and people are not certain if these okada men are going to be brought back into the city.

Though they have been a niusance, they have also helped the poor or should I say the less privileged. They have even helped the rich.
There are some areas that ordinary cars and buses cannot penetrate in Abuja, and its these okada men that take people in no matter how far it is, the ban has made me wonder how some people will cope in such situation, it has made me wonder how those who have no money to buy buses or taxi to use as a source of living are going to cope.

If only an alternative will be provided for these men, then we will have no reason to complain……