MALT

This is an inspiring piece from a friend and brother. He was the pioneer guest on ‘Straight Talk with Lanre’ on this site.

Enjoy!!!

Exodus 4: 1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”

Many times in our lives, we doubt our divine assignment, instructions and direction because we feel as though we are unfit and unqualified. This was exactly how Moses Felt. Is God really calling me? Am I qualified? As a matter of fact, Moses questioned God in Exodus 3: 11 and 13, Why Me??? Why me of all people. Like Gideon, who felt totally out of place, Moses felt unworthy of the calling. We sometimes find ourselves in this situation where we give reasons such as our height, colour, or even gender and background as excuse for being unworthy.

Furthermore, even after God gave so many signs to Moses, in Verse 13 of Exodus 4, He said to God – Can you pls use someone else – Can’t you see the other guy there. Why did Moses say this; probably He thought – didn’t God know He was a murderer. Didn’t God know He had made mistakes? Didn’t God Know He was a failure? Didn’t God know He was bad tempered? Wasn’t God aware of His character problems?

God Knew. He knows our name and our reign. He knows our foundation. He said to Jeremiah – Before I formed thee, I knew thee. And whom He has called – HE JUSTIFIETH

Many times I feel so unworthy, I consider the mistakes I have made in the past! I thought what would this people think when I come to them that the Lord has sent me, would they believe me or think I was just following my impulse.

Hence God said to me, “Son, I chose you because you made mistakes and couldn’t depend on yourself so I can be strength to you – I chose you because you recognized me in your imperfection so that I might make you perfect”.
Many times when the storm of the journey rages a lot, in my secret place I weep and cry out Loud to the Lord. I make comments like “Lord please take this cup away” or when it hurts the most I say “Lord why Me, Can I quit this assignment and just be a normal Christian without a Mandate”; then comes the silent voice of the Holy Spirit – MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU - DAYO
I encourage myself in the Lord with Gospel songs and Hymns – my favorites being “Near the Cross” composed by Fanny J Crosby. It goes ……

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross,
be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

And when that sinks deep, I move to the famous hymn also by Fanny Crosby – Pass me not – which goes
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

So when the storms of life rage around you and feel the lonely winds blows on you….just remember – Jehovah See, Jehovah Knows. He knows your name, He knows your every thoughts, He sees each tears that falls and hears you when you call.

Be true to whom you are, walk away from your past mistakes and focus on the new assignment – because whoever He calls – HE Justifies/////
We might not be the perfect choice in human thinking, however when He justifies us, that says it all. Haters can go to abyss….As long as we are perfect enough for Him

See you in His Kingdom

Dayo Israel
www.dayoisrael.com
www.frontlineyouth.org

Popularity: 4% [?]

I came across an article today which really inspired me and I would like to share it with us here. This is the story of a young Nigerian; Jonah Ayodele Omajeun who was among the finalist of the 2008 World Bank International Essay Competition which was just concluded in Cape Town South Africa. Jonah Ayodele Obajeun, is a 400-Level student of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) . He spoke with NGOZI NWOZOR of The Nation Newspaper.

A full text of the Essay is available here for your reading pleasure and possible action i you believe in change.

One thing that caught my attention was the underlining theme in his Essay that booked a place for him in the group of eight contestants that made the final - our roles as individuals, arms of government, corporate bodies as well as non-governmental organizations in making a paradise from the slums we live in (this is with reference to some countries in Africa and other parts of the world).

This is the excerpt of the interview he granted Ngozi Nwozor of THE NATION after the Essay competition: [Read more →]

Popularity: 14% [?]

I write today with great excitement and passion to impact my world with all that God has deposited in me as an individual. I was invited to a youth seminar last weekend where I presented a paper on the importance Effective Leadership as a Tool for Youth Development.

I had the privilege of speaking to a congregation of youth leaders from different youth executives of the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, Egba Diocese for about an hour and a half - with rapt attention from my audience and the opportunity to share my experience and the need to invest in youths through effective leadership qualities and attributes, I identified and learned a number of things which I will enumerate here as being required in our society as a panacea for youth development. [Read more →]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Sequel to my last post detailing the 12 virtues or attributes to be imbibed on your path to becoming successful, I have received different comments; some online and others offline which have been very encouraging and I decided to do this follow-up post as a tonic to help as many that were blessed by the contents of the post. I remember a wise statement I heard when I was in my first school (Primary School) many years ago - the statement goes thus;

It is not how far you have gone that really matters in life, but how well you traversed the space called life

I stated in my last post that success is not something that springsforth like a bomb or dynamite, it does not happen by accident, it is a result of a conscious process that is powered by Determination, Dedication, Devotion, Desire, Dreaming Big, being Diligent, having the right Drive, being Decisive, great Distinction, unravelled Discipline, an unusual level of Diplomacy and spotless dependability. What do you do while you wait for the day your hardwork, commitment, dedication, perseverance or devotion to service would be celebrated? While you wait to be lifted, while you anticipate the breakthrough of your life, while you long for that big break that catapaults you to stardom, what do you do? Preparation is inevitable in the pursuit of success. I like how the Bible puts this in two different passages;

‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven - Matthew 5:16′

And

‘See you a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men - Proverbs 22:29′

There is a time to fine tune your skills, there is a time your need to wait for the opportunity to show up, there is the place of diligence in the pursuit of success because, faithfulness in that which seems small will eventually lead to the big stage if the actor does not faint. If we take a look at the analogy of an elevator. When you get to the waiting lounge of a skysrapper and you are heading for the 50th floor of the building, what do you do while you wait for the elevator door to open. A look at the indicator shows you that it is coming from the topmost floor (e.g 60th floor), that means you have a couple of minutes to wait before the door (opportunity) opens for you to enter. At the lounge are magazines, newspapers, journals to spice your intellectual capacity, inform you and challenge your thinking. You also have people waiting, do you network with them? exchange complimentary cards? or just stay on your own? The truth is, this is a similar scenario faced by many while they wait for that breakthrough! Our eventual success will only come if we maximise the resources available to us to prepare ahead as we await the opportunity (Elevator door). In practical terms, the meeting of steadfast preparation and opportunity leads to resounding success. Mathematically, this can be expressed as

Preparation + Opportunity = Success

Don’t just mourn, dispair, get discouraged, sit down at ease - Get up!!!, Be prepared (As my scout league will say). If you get lost in the beauty of the lounge and the environment and forget that you are actually heading for the 50th floor, you will not be alert to see the door of opportunity open to you - when the elevator finally opens. Have you applied for that job several times without success? Get the training required to excel there - be the candidate of choice and wait for the opportunity to come. Have you submitted a proposal for a project and you’ve not gotten any positive news yet, wait and prepare - because you door of opportunity to excel is about to open. Be an expert in your craft or trade, be the numero uno, be the choice, when your profession, skill, trade, vocation, interest is mentioned or wanted, be the choice! Learn, train and prepare for the big stage….you will be glad you did. Have a great week.

Popularity: 13% [?]