An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
Why did God speak directly to Moses i.e. face to face and not through dreams; plainly and not in dark sayings? Numbers 12:6-9 tells us that this is because Moses was "faithful in all His house." Sounds deep right? But what does this mean?
Waiting on God. What does this really mean? Twiddling my thumbs till my prayers are answered? While waiting on Him, what should I be doing? How do I know that He'll answer me? How will I cope with the disappointment if He doesn't answer when or how I expect? What should I do when I've exhausted all my options? What will people think of me when my life hits a rough patch? I've been through a number of trying times in my personal life such as struggling with exams, applying for admission and getting rejected, spending over a year searching for a job and dealing with over 200 rejections etc. What I do below is highlight some of the most important lessons and principles that I've learnt from my life's waiting journeys, share some personal stories, and hope that these help you navigate your own waiting seasons. I share some thoughts on the following areas: 1. Why is God making me wait? 2. Should I pray and just wait on God? 3. Dealing with disappointments. 4. What will people think about me? 5. When you feel lost, confused, anxious or fearful. 6. Search your heart and confess your sins. 7. Don’t forget to change and live your life!
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness in the land of Midian before God called him to his life's mission. What on earth was he doing during all those years? How did he cope with going from being a prince in the most powerful country on earth to living life as a shepherd in the wilderness? What prepared him for this experience and what was God doing in Moses' life to prepare him for the mission ahead? Over the past few months, I've been studying a Bible guide on being in the crucible with Christ. Last week, I was studying about meekness in the life of Moses and got inspired to study his life a little closer, particularly his life before he received the calling that defined his life on earth and in death. As you might know, I only write when inspired to, and I thought my findings this time around were too interesting not to share. Happy reading!
'Detty decemba' they called it. "You want to bamba?" 🕺🏾 was the tune of the moment - a catchy song which came out of nowhere to dominate the Afrobeat genre in late 2021 and compete with Ed Sheeran/Fireboy DML's "Peru" as song of the month world over. You're probably wondering where I'm going with this? Basically, I visited Nigeria in December which is probably the best time of the year to be in Lagos as the city is always so vibrant and full of life. But a week into my trip, the Rona came visiting - it started with a sore throat that fateful morning, subsequent to which I took a lateral flow test which returned positive. I was shocked to say the least. Me, covid? How? 😨 I'd been taking all necessary precautions (or so I thought) - meds, masked up, sanitizing, washing hands etc. But all that didn't matter - I had caught COVID-19. 😭 In my shock I did two more tests that day and over the next two days, all of which returned positive. And that was where my travails began, bringing my holiday to an abrupt end.
This post covers developments immediately after Jesus' sermon on the mount and focuses on three dimensions of faith: 1) your faith, 2) the faith of your friends, and 3) when you're unable to exercise faith.
Sometime this week, I was reading about Ken Costa, an accomplished and successful South African banker and philantropist who had just become chairman of a private equity fund. He had written a book about Joseph of Arimathea and this piqued my interest to study further about this Joseph. Below are my findings about this rich and godly man who you find mentioned in the four gospels but only in so few a verse that it's easy to miss all the detail packed into them. I also include notes on Nicodemus, who shared a number of similarities with Joseph, including being his contemporary at work, and his partner on that glorious night.
Tonight I just want to share two stories that encouraged me this week. 2020 has taken turns absolutely noone expected and it's easy for one to question everything and wonder if anything in this life is worth holding on to. For me, I continue to find that God is the one factor that remains unchanged. But why? How?
Noah and Lot were both saved by God before destruction was visited on the whole earth and on Sodom. But what are the similarities and differences we can find from the Bible about these two stories to help us get a clearer picture of the state of humanity and even righteous people in the end times? This study is critical because the Bible points back to Noah and Lot so many times that we Christians must study these stories in-depth and have them at the forefront of our minds as we navigate these end times.
God didn’t intend for the Israelites to spend 40 years wandering in the Wilderness. In fact, God thought them ready to possess the promised land within 2 years of leaving Egypt. But right at the border of receiving the promise, the people succumbed to fear, rebelling against God, disobeying Him and lacking faith to step forward. Oh what a shame - right at the border! In God’s eyes, this was an exceedingly great sin and not only were the people who doubted destroyed, but the people were made to wander in the desert for another 38 years. 😞
Jeremiah 29:11 says God wants to “give us a future and a hope (i.e. an expected end - KJV)”. 🤔💭 Trying to make sense of this I noticed that NKJV/NLT equate KJV’s “expected end” with “a future and a hope”. But why, what could these mean? There is surely an end i.e. a future that God has planned for us, but God gives it to us through hope. The future and hope come hand in hand, like the fist to a glove. It is an end that we actively expect, a future that we hope towards. God gives this hope to us. He puts visions of the future He desires for us into our heart and wants us to hope, long and work towards it. This is corroborated in Phillipians 2:13, which tells us that when we walk with God, the desires of our heart and our resulting actions are of Him. Faith’s definition in itself is substantiated in hope (Heb 11:1).
The Langford Files 