Ask God to Open Your Eyes

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Elisha, Gehazi and the Syrian army who besieged Elisha’s house to capture him is an interesting story of God’s protection over His own in the midst of insecurity and attacks by the enemy. Unknown to the Syrian army, God had His ready army awaiting the Syrian army to deal with them. The army of God was also there as a protective force for Elisha and Gehazi. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 6 verses 8 to 23.

Beloved, do not fear for God is always with you, a very present help in trouble. Please read Psalm 46.

You may not immediately see or perceive His help but if you hold on to Him, He will open your eyes of understanding to His good thoughts and plans for you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Hagar for instance thought that the end had come for her son after their water ran out; significantly so in a desert. She watched helplessly as her son came close to death on account of thirst. Hopeless, she walked some distance away from the child so that she would not see him die. She had given up hope completely – where would she find water in the desert? That was when God opened her eyes to see the well of water around her.

Do not Keep Your Life on Hold 6

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The widow of the indebted prophet sought divine intervention to break the strangle hold of debt in their lives. She did not accept it as the norm that her two sons would go into debt servitude on account of her husband’s indebtedness to the impatient creditor. God intervened immediately and their family history of indebtedness changed to that of financial abundance as God speaking through the prophet Elisha instructed her and her sons on how to make money. So rather than beg and borrow; which was their earlier way of life; they learnt to generate and make money; paid off their debts and had plenty to live on simply because she refused to accept the negative circumstances of indebtedness and debt servitude as  a way of life.

Beloved, you can change a negative family history if you will simply ask God for divine intervention as Jabez and this great woman did. You can also be free of debilitating ailments if you would simply ask the Great Physician to intervene in your situation. There is no ailment that He cannot cure – His blood paid the full price for your healing and deliverance and by His stripes you are healed. Therefore, do not allow sickness and disease to keep your life on hold. The woman with the issue of blood had suffered untold pain, humiliation, shame as well as .loss of resources and livelihood for twelve years. Despite having spent her financial resources on medics without getting any respite; she did not give up. She did not allow the ailment to keep her life on hold. That explains why she took the bold step of faith to go see Jesus and touch the hem of his garment. As she did so, twelve years of pain, humiliation and unnecessary suffering disappeared. Any wonder she quickly owned up to publicly as the one who touched Jesus.

The Syro-Phoenician woman refused to allow sickness to keep the life of her daughter on hold and she pleaded with Jesus to show mercy despite the fact that her race was disqualified from receiving the blessings of Abraham at that point in time. Jesus honored her faith and her daughter was healed. 

Do not Keep Your Life on Hold 5

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Solutions

Refuse and reject complacency irrespective of the supposedly beautiful package it comes wrapped in. rather, keep moving forward, setting new goals, targets, raising the bars. Just like the Apostle Paul said, do not consider yourself to have attained.

Replace ignorance with knowledge, lack of understanding with understanding, foolishness with wisdom, impatience with patience. Be decisive – expand your knowledge base; access the required information you require to make the quality decisions which will move you beyond abundance to overflowing abundance. Seek the information from relevant sources which are current and timely. Do not work with outdated information which was relevant in the sixties, seventies or nineties but is no longer relevant now because it is outdated.

Embrace and deploy new technologies. They are not rocket science and they are not in the stratosphere. They are within easy reach on planet earth and in your local stores. Acquire one NOW. Also, be tech savvy. Get a smart phone and connect to people you need to connect with to do business, etc. do not be like the man at the pool who was still waiting for a benevolent someone to put him the pool at the stirring of the water. Unknown to him, Jesus had come and he could receive his healing and deliverance without necessarily being put in the pool of water. Jesus, the Creator and Owner of the pool Who hitherto sent and angel to stir the water was already with him and asking to help him. But because the lame man was still living in the past; he did not know Jesus and did not recognize him; he complained that he had no one when he had the Author and Finisher of our faith, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Great and Strong Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Balm of Gilead; the beautiful and sweet Rose of Sharon, the Alpha and the Omega; the beautiful beginning and glorious end with him. What an irony. It took great and extravagant grace to save the lame man. So shall it be unto you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Do not Keep Your Life on Hold 4

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Indecisiveness – the inability to take decisions to act because you do not have sufficient information that will help you take informed decisions. Indecisiveness could also be as a result of fear – fear of failure, of the unknown, not meeting up to expectation, fear of existing competition. Whatever the fear is, deal with it.

Accepting negative circumstances as the norm for your life and refusing to do anything about the negative circumstances – for instance the man at the Beautiful Gate in the temple had accepted it as his fate to remain crippled; being carried daily to the temple to beg for daily sustenance as a way of life. That explains why he asked Peter and John for alms. Fortunately, Peter and John did not have nickels to give to him. They had what was greater than nickels to give to him; what would restore and transform his life from being a liability to his people; from being daily dependent on the generosity of other people to being an asset; to be independent financially as he would be physically strengthened to engage in economic activities which would generate income for him.

Peter prophesied divine healing into his life and the man who was lame from birth not only walked but leaped and danced. Peter by the Spirit of God broke through the limitations placed on the man to keep his life on hold as a cripple and a beggar. He could now walk on his own and no longer required the assistance of anyone to mobility to the temple gate to beg – what a great transformation. To God alone be all the glory.

The Gadarene demoniac had also accepted his self-destructive behavior as a way of life. But Jesus had pity on him and broke the chains of darkness which kept the young man’s life on hold as a self-destructive person inflicting pains on his body and soul. Please read Mark Chapter 5.

Taking on the cares of other people without giving a hoot to your survival. For instance, you choose to see other people through school without giving yourself any form of education or vocational training which will help you participate meaningfully in economic activities. You may end up becoming a liability to the same people and if they do not have the mind of Christ, they will resent supporting you. While it is good to help other people; always remember to empower yourself too.

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.