Do not Keep Your Life on Hold 3

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Through carelessness and thoughtlessness and negligence; just like the ostrich which lays her on the bare ground and leaves them uncovered; without any protection. She does not give a hoot whether they get trampled upon or not. The same thing can happen to humans who neglect to activate and deploy the gifts of God in them. Their lives can be kept on hold for long. Please read Job Chapter 39 verses 13 to 18, 2^nd Timothy Chapter 1 verses 5 to 14, Luke Chapter 19 verses 11 to 27, 2^nd Kings Chapter 5 verses 19 to 27. Gehazi could have progressed to triple portion unction of Elijah’s unction transferred to Elisha as double portion unction yet Gehazi chose to keep his life on hold by running after gifts which his master Elisha had already rejected. Gehazi ended up with leprosy rather than triple fold unction.

Complacency can also make you keep your life on hold – the self-satisfaction that you have arrived at final destination coupled with the refusal to move forward or do anything to move beyond the point of self-satisfaction can keep you stuck in a place where you begin to stagnate to retrogression. Complacency is a terrible tool of the enemy to ensure you do not move into the fullness of God’s plans and purposes for your life.

Do not Keep Your Life on Hold 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

This brings to mind what I have observed over time. And I am sure you have also done same. It is that certain people in certain environments choose to stay stuck within the rot and limitations of the environment because nothing, no one challenges them to break free of the rot and limitations of the environment. About everyone in such environments are dirt poor; live off bins and the generosity of other people; drug use is rife and high; prostitution and teenage pregnancy is the order of the day; refusal to excel is an accepted norm and way of life and any attempt by anyone or group of persons to excel is always fiercely resisted because the environment and nurture has conditioned them to hate and reject excellence in any form. It usually takes only extravagant grace to bring such people out of such environments where the blame game is the order of the day. They blame about everything on the government, members of their families, Churches, neighbours and what have you when in reality they should be blaming themselves for their inability to take positive life transforming decisions and actions to move their lives forward.

The very lazy man who refused to work in Proverbs Chapter 22 verse 13 kept giving excuses that there were lions in the street. The question that begs to be answered is how come the so called lions prowling the streets did not eat up the other diligent people going about their daily tasks and who also walked on the streets where the lions prowled?

Beloved, do not wait for other people to do for you what you can do and should do for yourself. Do not live a life of making excuses or blaming people and circumstances for your failures and misfortunes.

Do not Keep Your Life on Hold

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves] upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. 4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 5 As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both [shall be] alike good. Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 verses 1 to 6.

To keep your life on hold is to fritter time away waiting for Godot who never shows up anyway before taking decisions; before acting, implementing, carrying out divine tasks which should move you forward in life. It is akin to waiting at the pool in Bethsaida for someone to give you a helping hand. Of course, that benevolent someone did not show up for thirty eight years; sufficient time to raise children who would in turn be raising their own children thereby making you a grandparent; more than sufficient time to build businesses which generate millions to billions; more than sufficient time to build ministries that are transforming lives across the nations; more than sufficient time be a blessing to humanity.

Beloved, the character who spent days and months waiting for Godot was appalled that Godot never showed up. Somehow, he was like the sick man at the pool in Bethsaida who stayed sick for thirty eight years because he was waiting for someone who would put him in the water when the angel stirred the water.

Ways in which the enemy can make you keep your life on hold

Always waiting for someone to do for you what you can do for yourself as in the case of the lame man at the pool in Bethsaida. For thirty eight years, he was waiting for a benevolent someone who would offer to put him in the water.

Ignore Distractions to Succeed

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

A distraction is anything which takes your attention or focus away from what, where God wants you to pay attention to or focus on. Distractions are also tasks which are not divinely assigned to you. These tasks may appear to be very urgent but as long as they are nor divinely assigned to you, they are not priority irrespective of how urgent they appear to be. Ignore them and focus on your divinely assigned tasks.

Ironically, distractions are not always or necessarily annoying circumstances or persons. They are sometimes very mouthwatering offers which are difficult to refuse.  The devil made such offers to Jesus Christ during the temptation but because Jesus was focused on divine purpose, He ignored the devil’s offers. No offer from anyone was greater than His divine purpose and mission on planet earth. Please read Luke Chapter 4 verses 1 to 12 and Matthew Chapter 4 verses 1 to 11.

Sennecherib also made mouthwatering offers of food security to the people of Judah if they would surrender to him and serve his gods. But the people of Judah under the godly leadership of King Hezekiah refused to be distracted from serving Jehovah, the El-Shaddai. They ignored Sennecherib and his threats of destroying Jerusalem. God honored their decision to focus on Him and destroyed both Sennecherib and his seemingly invincible army which was destroyed in one night by a single angel. Please read Isaiah Chapters 36 to 37 for details.

While some distractions come with threats and carrots and supposedly irresistible mouthwatering offers, some are veiled or disguised attempts to infiltrate divine purpose and activities in order to distract the work and bring it to a complete stop. A case in point was when the Jews were rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. Some people offered to help not because they truly wanted to help but because they wanted to infiltrate the people and the work in order to stop it and destroy it. But because the leadership of the people were sensitive to the Spirit of God, they refused such satanic assistance. Though their refusal culminated in threats and all kinds of ploys to stop the work by the seemingly helpful oppositions; God ensured that the work continued and the Temple was completed. Sanballat and his cohorts also attempted to stop the rebuilding of the broken down walls of Jerusalem; deploying several tricks such as ridicule, lies, infiltrating some of the Jews, intimidation and threats. Fortunately. Nehemiah and his men refused to be distracted from divine purpose. The walls were completely rebuilt to the glory of God.