Preparation Goes A Long Way...!

There is something about the newness of a thing, time or place that creates an eagerness and expectation to see and embrace change.

Whether we like it or not, New Seasons of life, just like the weather will always 'BE'; even God says so in Genesis 8:22 which reads "while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease".

However, simply being eager and expectant is not enough, although it is a start. Just like we prepare for the cold and hot seasons, we must prepare for our 'Spiritual Seasons' in life.

If we pay attention and listened very carefully we will realise that... 'A New Season requires all to prepare for its coming and unveiling'.

How do you prepare?  Read more at:   www.adayingodswill.com

• Daily In God's Will:  NEW SEASON

• His Fit Temple:  A SEASON OF RUNNING TO FITNESS

• Poetry to encourage your soul:  A NEW SEASON

• Book to Inspire:  WEEK 30: 52 BOOKS CHALLENGE

Doing 'nothing' whilst waiting for the manifestation of a New Season is not the right state or stance for a believer to be in.

So I hope as you read these articles, that you are encouraged, uplifted and inspired to 'actively' wait (do what He has asked you to do) on God in your seasons of life.

Much Love,
Remi
ADIGW
***pictures by Google***

Shake Off The Slothfulness!!

I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was

covered with weeds,and the stone wall was in ruins.

Proverbs 24: 30 - 31

Sluggard is defined as: a person who is habitually inactive; an idle or indolent person.

Inactive is defined as: the condition of dead matter, with no inherent power of motion or action;unmoving, immobile and inoperative.

In Mathew 25 (please read for completeness), Jesus called the lazy servant "wicked" in verse 26, and it reads “But his lord answered and said to him,You wicked and lazy servant..." and also calls the servant "unprofitable" in verse 30, it reads "And cast the unprofitable servant ..." .


This admonition by Jesus tells us that He disapproves of a slothful person. It is understood from the definition above, that to be slothful means to be lazy and inactive, however, when we look closer into God's word, we see more of what it means to be slothful.


Amongst other things, to be slothful is to:

• 
  
  Be wasteful: God gives us numerous gifts that are to help us do certain jobs He has tasked us with. It is our responsibility to use these gifts for His glory and honor and for common good as commanded in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 .

• Be selfish: People who are lazy are not concerned with the need of others, only theirs. Selfish people usually like to take advantage of others to get what they want instead of working for it. This is the exact opposite behaviour we are encouraged to develop according to Philippians 2: 3-4 which reads 3Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. 4Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. To honor God we must be concerned about the needs of others.

• In opposition to God's word: In 2 Thessalonians 3: 10-12, Paul encourages us to work for our keep as thus: "10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. Apart from giving us the means for God to bless us so we eat the fruit of our labour, work allows us to stay away from developing sinful which thrive on laziness, such as gossiping.

So how do we avoid or shake off Slothfulness?


Well, we can start by looking at the life of a hard working man in the bible, his name is Paul. Paul the apostle, gives us a good work ethic example. In Acts 20:34-35 he encourages us as thus "34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive."



Paul showed himself as a good role model through his good attitude to work. Wherever he went to preach the gospel, he found work to do with his hands. He did not sponge of people, he worked for his keep.

 Another way to avoid or shake off slothfulness is to remind ourselves of what the bible says what will become of a slothful person; the end which includes oppression, lack and poverty.


Proverbs 12:24, reads "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.", In Proverbs 20:4, we are told that "Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest." and in Proverbs 13:4, it explain that "Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper."

As children of God, slothfulness should have no room in our lives. We must bind and shake this spirit off. We must remember we have been created to do 'GOOD WORKS' for God as declared in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." To do good works means to be active doing something, that is good.



We must also remember that we show our faith in God's word through the works that we do. This means being active 'working' on or at whatever God has given us to do. James 2:26 reminds us that "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Our willingness to active doing 'Good Works' should come from the love we have for God. We work as he commanded and encourages because we love Him.


Finally, we must remember that the work we do is ultimately for God's glory. We are commanded to do our work well, in excellence so that men will see our good work and the result them seeing it, will be to GLORIFY GOD. Mathew 5:16 tells us "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


So as we start another week by God's grace and power, I encourage us all to shake off the spirit of slothfulness - laziness and inactivity. I encourage us all to put our spirit, minds and hand to doing 'good work', in excellence and in diligence.


I encourage us to make use of the time wisely and work diligently with the gifts and abilities we have been freely given; whilst making the Gift, and ability giver famous along our way.

Much Love, Remi

***picture by photobucket***
Further Reading - Poem - BREAK FREE

STRETCH OUT...

"...and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."

He stretched it out, and his hand was restored"

Mathew 3:5

This passage is from the story of the miracle of Jesus, the healing of a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath day. Jesus asked the man to arise and stand in full view of everyone and then commanded him to stretch forth his hands in doing so, he was healed.

• For something to be withered it means it has become shrunken, or dry incapable of action. when something becomes shrunken, it means it is filled with wrinkles, and appears to be shriveled as in shrinking.

• To stretch means to draw out or extend to the full length or to be expanded to a larger size.

A woman cannot carry a baby to full term without 'stretching out'. It is hard for us to live out the realities of God's promises and our desires and dreams if we don't 'stretch out' in obedience, working diligently doing the Father's will.

As you start a new week, 'stretch out' unravelling shrunken dreams, aspirations and promises gifted to you by the Father. 'stretch forward', beyond your present limitations, from where you are to where you ought to be. 'Stretch out' removing all the wrinkles that cover your potential to attain.

I encourage you to 'stretch out' in action, faith, diligence, perseverance, excellence and in belief that, whilst you are faithful working on the dreams God has given you, He is always faithful to perfect everything concerning you.

'Stretch out' in faith, peace and love, expanding in victory on all sides; whilst making God famous along your way.

Much Love

Remi

**pictures by photobucket**

What is 'THAT'... in your 'HAND'?

"Then the Lord asked him,
“What is that in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied".

Exodus 4:2

When God made it known to Moses that he had been chosen to deliver the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, the first thing Moses did was protest - like most of us would! I can almost hear the conversation between Moses and God going like thus:

"WHAT? You want me to do WHAT? God, why now, why me? I mean look at me, I think you have the wrong person. All you need to do is look down the road and you will see that Mr A is the perfect candidate for this job. I mean, he has got all it takes. He is a great speaker, a great multi-tasker and an accomplished man in the society. As for me, I don't have the skills, I can't even speak properly and you want me to go and talk to the king of Egypt! Besides, I am not an important person in society, so even if I do go to the king of Egypt, he would never listen to me, or believe that you have sent me".

In response to Moses protests, God asked him the question::

"What is that in your hand"?

When I look at the state of the world's economy, I envisage this is the question God is asking most of us at this point in time. At the back of the dreams, visions, inspirations and much more He has given us, He is asking us the question "what is that in your hand"? The sad thing is, I bet most of us, are responding back in protest with answers such as "I don't have anything in my hand, to I don't have the right tools in my hands."

However, this type of thinking is far from the truth. You see, our hands are the seeds that is called "talents, skills, gifts and abilities. Romans 12: 6 states that "In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well". We all have talents and abilities that God has given us, and we are required as children of God to work on developing them and then use them to further God's kingdom.

"what are we doing with that which is in our hand?"

When most individuals think of gifts that can be used to further God's kingdom, the thoughts more often than not, surround spiritual gifts such as prayers, singing or working in the 'corporate church' in some shape or form. This is good, however, our everyday ordinary skills are also our gifts and abilities.

For example, some people are extremely talented in DIY, some are talented in cooking, some talented in establishing friendships, some have an extremely good eye for detail and much more. We must take these simply everyday abilities and submit them to God, for Him to use. Like Moses, we must lay them down and watch them come alive. When they come alive, they will have the power to help those around us, and eventually we will see God move in our lives like Moses did in his.

If God had a conversation with you today and asked the question:
"What is in your hand and what are you doing with it"?

What will your answer be?

Will it be "A Shepherd's staff" or will you say, a skill, ability and gift at your disposal Lord, for the advancement of your kingdom?

I encourage you all to submit your gifts, talents, skills and abilities to God. Lay them down at the master's feet, watch them come alive, thrive and show someone the way to eternal life!

I beseech you to actively work on and develop them into a powerful tools. Use them to display the true nature of God, thus, helping the advancement of His kingdom; whilst making Him famous along your way.

Much Love
Remi
***pictures by photobucket***

Not Falling, BUT Growing In Love...

And may the Lord make your love for one another

and for all people grow and overflow, just as

our love for you overflows.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)

From the verse above it is evident that we are expected to GROW and overflow in LOVE for one another.

To Grow means to: increase gradually in size, amount, become greater or larger or expand

To fall means to: drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support. It also means to be deceived by, such as being falling for an old trick.

Growing in love with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, appointed someone is a conscious and determined process. God determined He loved us and thus, gave us His only son, Jesus Christ.

Paul also encourage us to stir up our love for one another as written in Hebrews 24:10, which reads "and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.." . To Stir up means to stir up means to rouse to action or incite, which can be viewed as the opposite of the meaning of falling.

Furthermore, our God IS love as confirmed in 1 John 4:8, and He is not a God that takes us to a lower place through loss or lack of support, when we grow in love with God, we arise Higher and deeper in Him.

When we grow in love, we grow in the understanding, meaning and nature of what Love is as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which reads "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance".

So, here is me encouraging us all that as we start out a new week under God's grace, living a day a time in His will, to GROW gracefully in love towards one another; displaying the intricate nature and colours of God, who is the definition of love, whilst making Him famous along our way.

PS... Congratulations to Danny Bagucci for winning the book"The Call".

There is still one free book to be won! "The invisible bond - breaking free from your sexual past"

Much Love

Remi

***pictures by lukeprog.com***

The Eyes Of Your Heart...

Peter, is a man who loves God. He loves God with all his heart, mind and soul. Every morning upon rising, Peter diligently reads his bible, makes notes and throughout the day tries to make a conscious effort to meditated that which he has read. He especially liked the book of Psalms and did his best to memorise at least a few verses from it. In all aspects of life, Peter experiences trials and tribulations of life just like you and I.

There came a time when Peter became unwell. He got sick and needed to be admitted into a hospital for several operations. His family and friends gathered around him daily and they fasted and prayed. They interceded for him, asking God to please take away the sickness and the pain. Despite all their prayers, Peter did not get any better, in fact, he got worse and began drifting in and out of consciousness. However, all through his ordeal, in his mind Peter was alive and well. He kept telling himself, "I need to get up and read my bible, I need to find those words and verses to pray for healing and encouragement".

Whenever he was conscious and strong for a short time, he struggled to physically pick up his Bible. When he did, he struggled to read it. As soon as he opened the pages, the words became a blur and because he was weak, his body got tired of trying to focus and he drifted either to sleep or un-consciousness. He tried this a few times and then he realised that no matter how hard he tried, it was just physically impossible.

Then during one of his conscious bouts, he thought, "my mind is still conscious and able" which means I can still speak to God, I can still pray. Ah! He was excited, and so with all the strength he could muster within his mind, he opened the eyes of his heart, the pathway to the richness that lies deep within its walls.

Heart now open, Peter starts to read with the eyes of his heart. He starts to read the words he had so diligently and patiently memorised over the years; words of healing, comfort, peace, deliverance and victory. As he reads, Peter started to speak to God. He whispered and presented God's words and promises to him, bringing them to His remembrance; all on the wings of a prayer.

========================================================

When trouble comes knocking at your door and you find yourself in situations such as Peter's or even worse, what is your first reaction, what do you do?

Do you rush to get your hands on the nearest bible you can find, flick through the pages (or index) and find passages relevant to your situation and start to read and declare the word? Or do you kneel down, or encourage your mind, spirit and soul to bring to remembrance the words of God hidden within the walls of your heart and start to pray them into your reality?

Psalm 119:11 reads "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

From this verse, we see that when we keep God's words within our hearts, it helps us to know when we are about to or are sinning against God; for the truth of the word will be a witness.

It will be mighty difficult to guess if we are sinning or have sinned against God if we don't know what the Bible says about what is right or wrong. Imagine this with me: Remi wants to take a piece of candy that does not belong to her, this will be stealing. Before she does this, she wonders, "is this a sin"? She is not sure, so she picks up her bible, and rumages through the pages to find out what it says about taking candy that does not belong to her. :-).

Well that approach is will not be a practical way to live from day to day. However, if Remi has the words of God (along with the understanding of it) stored within her heart, she WILL know that taking candy that does not belong to her is a sin, so therefore, she will leave it. (I hope - for she has a choice!).

When we are deligent to keep Gods word within our hearts, we are able to live out the reality of Philippians 4:8, which reads "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

We will know what is true, honorable, right, pure and lovely and admirable to think and meditate on, daily and constantly.

The act of storing the bible within our hearts, is not an easy task. It takes practice, diligence and perseverance. However here are a few tips that might help:

Using visual aids: example Index Cards:

• Get a pack of Index cards such as used for presentation. Example below:
  
  

• Find the Bible verse or verses you would like to memorise
  
  
• Decide how many verses you would like to memorise a day, a few days or a week
  
  
• Date the index card and write the Bible verses on it.
  
  
• Every night, mid-day and night (or night and morning) read the bible verses
  
  
• Every other night, write from memory as much as you can remember of that verse
  
  
• Do that until you can write the verse as it should be, then move on to another verse

Using Technology Devices:

Technology is a beautiful thing, it has many usages and advantages. You can do the same as using an index card, with a few alterations such as:

• Find the Bible verse or verses you would like to memorise

• Decide how many verses you would like to memorise - a day, a few days or a week



• Open a task or note reminder on your technology device and write and store the Bible verses to be memorised on it



• Save the task or note reminder for each day or duration required



• Every night, mid-day and night (or night and morning) read the bible verses (tip, you could programme reminders into your technology device)



• Every other night, open a note book on your technology device and write from memory as much as you can remember of that verse.



• Do that until you can write the verse as it should be, then move on to another verse

"1MY SON, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you."

Proverbs 3: 1-2

Here is me encouraging us all to be diligent in the reading and storing up the word of God within the walls of our hearts. Storing up its meaning, wisdom, understanding and power. There will surely come a time when we will need these words, but will not be able to physically pick up our Bibles to read them from. The next thing for us to do is open the eyes of our heart, and read from what we have stored therein, within its very walls.

However, the beauty and power of God's word is that, if it already resides within us, we can call upon and declare it any time, into any situation, giving us the victory and making God famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***pictures by photobucket***

FIRST QUARTER REVIEW...

It takes wisdom to build a house,

and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;

It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms

with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.

Proverbs 24: 3-4

In a few hours, we will step into the month of April, the first quarter of the year. I can still clearly remember the merging of 31 December 08 into 01 January 09.

I also remember putting together a detailed year plan during the first week of January. A plan that contained all my dreams, goals and aspirations; all lined up according to my understanding of God's will for me this year. I spent the first month, meditating, obtaining and putting together tools and processes that, I prayed would hopefully encourage me stick to this same plan.

And how have I done so for I can almost hear you ask?. Well, upon a close and painful review of my actual progress against my baseline plan, the answer is "not as bad as I initially feared"! Praise God!!. I recognise that putting together a plan at the beginning of the year, backed up with all sorts of visual and technology reminders - which I wrote about in AS YOU MEAN TO GO ALONG , has helped my progression immensely, compared to previous years.

I also recognise the importance of fellow dreamers and planners; who realise the ramifications of planning to progress the dreams God has deposited within us. They were there to encourage or clip me around the ear, along the way. They were and are my accountability buddies and bring to life the meaning of Proverbs 15:22 which reads "Where there is no counsel, purposes are frustrated, but with many counselors they are accomplished."

However, despite my progress, I still came up short. There were huge chunks of results missing, tasks left undone, or half-done. There were quite a few things I hoped to have accomplished by now, but for some reason or another (which most likely included, laziness, procrastination and not consulting the plan or utilizing all the tools I set up, and I expect, so much more), have not been able to do so.

At this point, is the year progressing according to plan for you, or is it free falling, as it did in previous years?

To make sure we are on the right course and pathway to finish this year well, it is prudent to carry out a REVIEW of the plans we are working with. This is to review: our starting point, progress, destination, resources, success and indeed failures, that we have encountered so far.

The dictionary defines a review as thus:
To look back upon; view retrospectively.
To write or give a critical report on (a new work or performance)
To look over, study, or examine again.

I believe that reviewing (physically and spiritually) our plans and pathway through this journey called life is an important aspect of keeping within God's will. The process should be a continuous one at certain points along our way.

A review will help us to:

• Understand our plan is definitely in line with God's will for us
  
• Understand if our initial plan was over-ambitious (un-achievable)
  
• Find out what mistakes we have made so far
  
• Re-asses ways and means to avoid these mistakes (and many more) going forward.
  
• Further understand the resources and support we might require to help us achieve our goals and dreams
  
• Seek God's wisdom to further understand our purpose this year.
  
• Revise the plans to reflect all the lessons we have learnt so far, improve it with renewed wisdom and understanding from God, in readiness for absolute success, as we make our way through the year.

As we move into the first quarter of the year, I would like to encourage us all to review our journey so far. Is our life going according to plan or have we made a detour and gone along with the plans of "free falling" and "going with the flow" of life.

The benefits of a review are numerous. It provide insights such as:

• Visualising how far forward God has brought us from the month of January. To the natural eye, it might seem we have not progressed much. However, when we take a closer look, we might realise that we have covered a bit more ground than initially thought.
  
• How we are maturing, continuously in the spirit; how we are being reformed to be like master Jesus.
  
• Having the opportunity to congratulate ourselves (we rarely do this, rather we beat ourselves up for not doing as much as we should have - pointing finger to self) on how much we have accomplished to date.
  
• The opportunity to challenge ourselves, and make a decision to work harder, better and much smarter, all for God's glory.

Proverbs 24: 3-4 reads "3Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], 4And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

So, have you worked and walked in tune to the plan you mapped out at the beginning of the year, in line with God's will? If so, I commend you. Well done. I encourage you to kindly share any tips that might help others.

Have you, like me, found out that you have progressed, but still, way off the mark? I commend you and say well done also. However, a review will help bring to light, the reasons for coming short; what went wrong and where the loopholes and stumbling blocks are; and with God's help, through his wisdom, implement steps to re-aligning and re-implement an improved plan to move forward with.

And finally, have you walked in the opposite direction of your plan, of the dreams God has laid within your heart? If so, DO NOT DESPAIR. The very fact that you created a plan, at the onset, is something to encourage and commend yourself for. Take that same plan and see if it fits into God's plan for you this year. If it does, ask God to show you where and how to start following the plan and sticking to it.

If you however, find that the plan you have is not in line with God's will for you, again, ask Him to help you put one together. A plan that reflects his will for you, and ask him to give you the strength wisdom and focus to see it through. He is a faithful God and He is waiting and willing to help. He will not rebuke you for asking help as we are encouraged in James 1:5, which reads "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking."

On that note, here is me wishing us all happy review sesssions (no matter how painful), continous progression throughout the year, in God's strength, wisdom, victory, grace and favour.

I encourage us all to keep doing that which God has set out for us to do this year, one step and day at a time; making Him famous along our way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***

Lessons From Wall Climbing...

Well, I have acquired a new fitness obsession – Indoor wall climbing!!! Yes, I have discovered I'm an adrenalin junkie... I know I scare myself too!

It’s a pretty cool activity, requires concentration and lots of body strength and discipline to say the least! I went through training and thereafter really got into the act of climbing. I teamed up with a friend of mine and he challenged me to get to the top of the wall. You see to get to the top means you get to leave your mark there, almost like saying "I came, I saw, I conquered"; but getting to the top was no small feat!

I was there for over two hours every other day just trying to get to the top of the wall! I experienced lots of falling over, getting half way, having to get up and start all over again and exhaustion! However, whilst trying repeatedly to get to the top, I learnt that:

I had to make sure I was firmly harnessed in. No harness, no climbing; well unless I wanted to break a few bones.

This reminds me that whatever we do, whatever move we make in this life, we must make sure we are firmly harnessed and anchored in God, anchored in his will. That we are To move without being secured in God, means we are without his coverage and direction, which means the fuits of our labour will mean nothing. This we are though in John 15:5-6 "5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned" Are you anchored in him?

I found out the nature and distribution of my body strength. I realised that I had more lower body than upper body strength. This meant that my strength was in my lower body and my weakness was my upper body. I learnt that if I concentrated on my strength and used it to my advantage, I could scale up the wall quickly and almost effortlessly! Awesome.

This tells me that each and everyone of us is unique in our make up, we all have specific strengths and weaknesses, which means we all have specific gifts and abilities which we must use to our advantage and to the advancement of the kingdom of God. This we are taugh in Romans 12:6-8, which reads "6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." Do you know your strengths and weaknesses and are you managing them wisely?

I learnt that in as much as I wanted to get to the top of the wall on the first try, sometimes this is not possible; not because I did not believe I could do it, but more because I had to learn the best way for ME to get there; the best route for ME to take, the best combination of strength and skills for ME to embrace.

This tells me that our walk in life is personal, that God has a path marked out for each and every one of us, and the combination of cross roads, of trials and tribulations, of success and failures we must go through or face is different for each person. When we learn what our individual path in life is, learn it, we will eventually get to where God wants us to get to and what God has already ordained us to be. Are you walking in tune to God's will for YOU?

I also found out that I had to have a certain frame of mind before and whilst on the wall. I had to approach eaach ascend and indeed desend determination and a "can do - I can reach the top this time" attitude; a mindset that tells me even though I failed the last seven or so times, this time I can and will get to the top.

This reminds me that in life having the right attitude and frame of mind is very important. "Our attitude determines our altitude". To have a good and positive attitude means that we embrace the nature of Christ as we are taught in Philippians 2:5 which reads "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." What is the shape and nature of your attitude?

I found out that sometimes, I simply had to go back to the begining. Sometimes, when I get stuck on the wall and don't know how to navigate my way further up, I simply have to let go, and drop back to the ground, review my position and start all over again.

This reminds me that along the way, sometimes we will find ourselves in a rut due to variuos reasons. When this happens we must learn to pause and put ourselves through a "spiritual health check" as Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 6 As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. We must review our stance, go back to our source and re-align ourselves if need be, then start back on the journey ahead of us. Sometimes we simply have no option but to go back to the begining and start all over again, no matter how painful this might seem.

Finally, I learnt that climbing is quite good fun, but extremely hard work. This is because it uses all the muscle groups in the body, even the brain... imagine that!. And that the next day, the ache is nothing compared to all my gym or fitness activities to date, but it eases out with time.

This tells me that when we are living within the realms of God's will, we will experience extreme joy and fulfilment, but also, there will be times when we face trials and tribulations and we will need to use all the tools God has given us (prayer, fasting, meditating on the word, and much more) to get us through. There will be times when trials and tribulations will surely give us physical and spiritual ache, but we must be assured that this will ease in time as long as we hold on to faith and hope just like Moses did as we are taught in Romans 12:12 which reads "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer"

Besides, God works everything together for good, so pain or not, it will surely all come together in the end.

And that was the lessons I learnt from my new spot indoor, Wall Climbing. Oh and by the way I did get to the top - eventually.

Have a great day climbing your way to victory, on the way to becoming who God has already ordained you to be; keeping your faith and hope alive, whilst making him famous along way with every ascend and descend you embrace.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***pictures by google***

The Garden Cultivator

His name is George, but everyone who knows him called him "The Garden Cultivator".

George was a business spokesman for his company, but his real passion in life is gardening. He loved the idea of turning a barren land into a beautiful banquet of colours; filling it with trees, flowers and fruits, herbs and everything good that can be planted. Attached to his home is a very good size of land, which spawns from the back towards to front of the house. It was this land that helped him make the decision to settle there with his wife Mary.

George spends every spare moment he has on this piece of land. Planting, sowing, watering; cultivating his garden. Over the years, he has transformed it into a beautiful and magnificent garden, which presents and explosion of colours and life. People travel from far and wide, just to see the beauty it represents. He even won the local gardener award this year, and has done so for the past three years. The local animals even testify to its beauty, even they seem to spend all their spare time in George's garden.

It has not been an easy task or journey to get this garden into such good condition. It has taken a lot of effort, determination, persistence and diligence to get there.

Along the way, he has also learnt valuable lessons of making sure the right seed is planted, at the right time, in the right season and even in the right corner of the garden!. This he learnt especially, five winters ago, when he bought some mango seeds from the local garden shop. They looked like proper seeds and the seller promised that once planted they would grow into a beautiful mango tree. That was not the case. A month after planting the seeds, a good part of his garden was covered with weeds, they were ferocious. Their roots went deep and it was extremely hard to get rid of them. Every time he cut them off, within a week they were back and with a vengeance. He however, eventually learnt how to cut them off from the roots and then treat that part of the garden with special weed repellent for to cure it permanently.

He promised himself to be more careful about his selection of seeds after that experience, and now he is know to travel far and wide to obtain good quality seeds, as only the best will do.

"To visualise Gorge's garden is to experience a soul thriving with life, represented in an explosion of colours, wrapped in the ambiance of love."

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Man is the cultivator of his mind. Our minds can be likened to a garden and we, are the gardeners. The thoughts we plant therein are the seeds. Just like George cultivates his land, every one of us cultivates the garden that is our mind. We either plant & cultivate bad or good 'thought seeds'.

The word 'Cultivate' means to:

• improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till. or
• to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention. or
• to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine: to cultivate a singing voice.

The word 'Gardening' is the:

• practice of growing plants for their attractive flowers or foliage, and vegetables or fruits for consumption.

We are responsible for the seeds we plant into our minds. The 'thoughts seeds' we cultivate is what will, eventually be (good or bad) manifested as our reality. Why? This is because our thoughts and characters are one.

"What we focus our minds on constantly, will eventually be part of our character. Thus we must be careful of what we meditate on because it forms our character and our character determines our actions."

Proverbs 23:7 reads "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee."

So my question for us today is: "What thought seeds are we planting into the garden that is our mind? Are cultivating seeds that will bring forth an explosion of colours and life or are we planting seeds that breed negativity and an explosion of darkness?"

In today's world, it is more important than ever, that we are mindful of the 'thought seeds' that we let settle in our mind garden; TV (a million channels, a million wrong and right seeds), magazine ( so many to choose from), radio, even from some pulpits!

So, how can we make sure we cultivate our minds with the right 'thought seeds'?

We can learn a few lessons from the great Psalmist David, as he writes in Psalms 119:9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Hiding God's words within the realms our hearts is an awesome weapon against weeds that might try to take hold. The word will act as weed repellent or weed killer; destroying any invasion of weeds and killing eliminate any weeds already taking hold.

Psalm 1: 1- 2 reads 1Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Meditating on the word of God is one of the best way to make sure that the garden of our mind is cultivated and ready for the right seeds to be planted.

Also, we should be conscious of our surroundings, not everything we see, hear or read is good for our mind's consumption. We must learn to ask the holy spirit for discernment, insight, knowledge and wisdom, to know what to accept and what to leave behind.

So here is me encouraging us all to be the best garden cultivator of our minds that we can be, for in doing so the manifestation will be to the glorification of God's name, thereby drawing people unto him.

Have a wonderful time cultivating your mind, spirit and soul; not forgetting to make God famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures curtesy of photobucket***

This post has been inspired by the book "As a man thinketh"

On The Way To Becoming...

Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

That was the question Nicky kept asking her parents, every so often. Each time she asked her dad and mum would reply gently "no darling, not yet, sit back and enjoy the ride".

But Nicky couldn't sit back or sit still, she was infected with a severe bout of anticipation and excitement at what she would meet at her aunty's place. They were on a trip to visit her aunt Florence who lives in Edinburgh. They made this trip every year around the same time. Her aunt was a famous interior decorator. Every time Nicky went to her home, the whole place was always magically transformed into something different. The last time she was there, the whole decor had an Egyptian theme, and she imagined she was a princess living in a big castle. Nicky was very eager to find out what the theme would be this time around.

They usually took the plane, but her parents decided to make this visit a road trip so that the family could spend some quality time together and enjoy the British countryside and roads.

Nicky didn't think that was an idea as it took ever so long. Besides she couldn't imagine what she would be doing sitting in one place for almost seven hours! She would be so bored she taught. Worst still, her younger brother Ike, who was in the back seat with her, was getting on her nerves.

And so she went on again...
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

"No darling", came her mum's reply. Oh! Look at that beautiful castle she said, pointing out the window, turning around to speak to Ike and Nicky. "Isn't that so beautiful and peaceful"?
Everyone awed at it, but not Nicky, she kept her eyes, glued firmly on the road ahead, hoping to the see the sign that says 'Welcome to Edinburgh'. A sign her daddy told her would mean they were 5 minutes away from aunt Florence house.

Every so often, on the trip, her parents or brother tried to lure her into the scenery, games and some sing along, but Nicky was not having any of it. She sat rigid in her seat, with only thoughts of what she would do and see when she got to Edinburgh. She wasn't interested in what was going on outside or inside of the car.

After quite a few hours, she finally saw the sign she had been waiting for, and it read 'Welcome to Edinburgh, have a wonderful time here'. She was happy and elated, and she couldn't wait to jump out of the car. The ride had been too long and boring for her liking. She imagined, her aunt was waiting for them on the front porch, with arms wide open, a big smile on her face, saying "welcome, welcome my beautiful family, I missed you all so much". Everyone took turns to hug each other.

Nicky looked up eagerly into her aunty's face, tugging her right hand and said with great enthusiasm, "can we go inside now, I would like to see the new decor of the house. what colour is the front room now, do you still have that fish shaped bathroom?" She asked dragging her aunty's right arm.

"No, not the tour just yet", her aunt replied. "Firstly, I would like you to tell me all about your road trip down here. What you saw, what you did along the way, whom you met, I want to hear every single detail, everything" The fact was that Florence didn't get travel or get around much, she was a real homebody, and she liked to learnt a lot about life beyond and outside Edinburgh through other people's experience. Nicky, paused for a while, she was lost for words. There and then it dawned on her, she realised that in her eagerness to get to Edinburgh, she forgot to have an experience along the way.

*** Story is purely Fiction***

How many of us chant similar questions to God; constantly and daily.

God, is my breakthrough here yet?
God is my testimony here yet?
God is my new beginning here yet?

How many of us are lost in the eagerness of arriving at the next phase of our lives, but forgetting to live and experience the intricacies of each day, on our way there?

Imagine a few life scenarios...

• Women, doing nothing, but waiting for that husband to arrive at your door and sweep you off your feet.
• Men, doing and building nothing, but simply waiting for God to send that wife forth.
• Students dreaming about their career after university or graduate school, yet fail to spend time developing their knowledge, skills and abilities.

Whilst we wait to arrive at our next appointed destination, whether we are in lush fields or the middle of a wildness, we must learn to have an Experience (good or bad).

The dictionary describes experience as thus:

• Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill
• Experience may be acquired in two ways; either, first by noticing facts without any attempt to influence the frequency of their occurrence or to vary the circumstances under which they occur; this is observation; or, secondly, by putting in action causes or agents over which we have control, and purposely varying their combinations, and noticing what effects take place; this is experiment.

All experiences, either good or bad, is meant to develop us physically, mentally and spiritually. It is meant to prepare us, give us wisdom for the things to come and what we are yet to become.


On that note, here is me encouraging us all that in "our waiting and on our way to becoming" we should engage in the activities that God has set out for us to do, and have relish in the experience of doing and living it. We should each time and season we find ourselves in and relish each day as we live out it's intricacies. Let's not be too eager for tomorrow that we simply forget to live for today. Mathew 6:34 teaches us this and it reads "So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Have a wonderful time having and experience whilst on your way to be all that you are meant to be; whilst making the Almighty God famous along the way.


Much Love
Remi Banjo
***pictures by photobucket***

Are You An Ant?

It was 4:00am in the morning, when most will be turning over in their beds, ready to catch a few more hours of sleep. But not Raoul, he was on a mission, besides the 'family' depended on him. It was his turn to go out into the nearby fields to find and gather the resources required for the day. On his list was some food, woods to cover up some gaping holes in the wall of the home and some rags to keep the floor warm for the winter months to come.

He didn't mind the journey, he loved to work and bring back good news of his findings. He loved the fact that through his and other workers' diligence, the family got to survive on a daily basis and more importantly harsh winter conditions (and well too, if he is to be honest), which keeps the queen happy and stress free!

He got to the field's gate, excitement rising up through his veins. He was happy because as always, he knew he would be lucky. The owners of this particular field were very wasteful indeed. They throw out perfectly useful resources. Savaging around this field is like walking through a gold mine. Along with all the possible finds, comes the danger too. It is a very high risk job being a worker for the family, for there was danger of being killed by any means whatever! Getting squashed (which was the most horrible of them all), poisoned or burned. Yet, he was extremely happy to be a worker and the 2 hour journey, to and fro from the field is always worth more than it's weight in gold!

He walks around and spots a few things that will most definitely be needed at home, he makes a list and then makes the dash back home - ninja style (leaving a trail of bread crumbs he found under a shoe in the field) to inform and organise the rest of the workers. Work for the day is truly about to begin.

No, this is not an epic Enid Blyton story or Ninja movie. This is what I envisage a day to be like in the Ants Colony.

"The Ants, they are a colony of resourceful and diligent wokers"

The dictionary explains a worker as thus "a person who acts and gets things done; "he's a principal actor in this affair"; "when you want something done get a doer"; "

Diligent is explained as thus: "quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness; "a diligent (or patient) worker"; "with persevering (or patient) industry she revived the failing business"

In the Ants Colony, I envisage the workers having a meeting every evening, where they go through a roll call, which results in a forager (hunter, gatherer, shopper) being chosen daily. This forager is then given the tasks of gathering the requirements the colony needs for the next day.

I also envisage that, not only does the selected ant get excited and jumps with glee at the prospect of being the forager for the day, it probably starts planning how it will do it's job to it's best ability. Why will the ant get excited about being selected as the forager for the day you wonder, more so as no easy task.

The job of the forager is to go outside the safety of colony and look for food and other resources. Studies have been shown that the forager will go as far as 1 - 8 miles from the colony to find food, but wait, they will (along with other ants), make about 200 trips to get all the food they have spotted back to the colony.

Now for a split second, imagine making 200 trips a day to work and back! Or creating that report 200 times in a day, or updating that annoying spreadsheet 200 times a day. Or writing at least 200 words or pages a day in pursuit of your writing career!

The reason the ant might be excited is because it is wise enough to know that it works, not only for itself but for the sustenance of the whole colony. Imagine that.

Now here is my question: "Do we work for ourselves or for the sustenance of our family, our community, our church or our country?"

The ant has a selfless work ethic, for it knows; that no work equates to no food, not just for itself, but for the whole colony. No work means that there will be no peace in the colony, the queen will be worried about a whole host of things; producing new babies and simply being happy, and in modern terms; taxes, building expenses, security and survival of the colony and all that.

Another question raises in my mind: "Do we understand the ramifications of the work we have been blessed to do? Be it a writer, an accountant, a motivational speaker, a doctor or a teacher. Do we understand that it is for the sustenance and support of our home, the church, the community or the country? Furthermore, are we willing to go that one step further to make it all worthwhile, for our immediate generation and for those to come?"

Proverbs 6: 6 - 8 (Amplified version reads)"6Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! 7Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, 8Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.

And the message bible brings it home, it reads" 6-11 You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions.So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed?A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!"

In the passage above, Solomon was explaining to us the lifestyle of the worker ants in order to teach us very practical, useful and viable lessons in diligence. To be successful spiritually and socially and to experience New Beginnings of this year, laziness cannot be in the equation. God will do his part, he will honour his covenant with us, but the question remains... "are we working and being diligent on our own part of the covenant?"

Sometimes that miracle or manifestation that we want God to display is actually waiting on us to DO something, and not just engage in the act of doing, but be diligent whilst doing it.

And how do we learn how to be diligent I hear you ask? Well, for starters, we can take a leaf from the simple, yet magnificent creatures - The Ant.

So, lets get to work. Lets be diligent whilst we are 'doing' the work. Let it not be said of us that our work is sloppy and equated to vandalism as described in Proverbs 18:9, which reads "Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism." That surely makes me cringe!

Also, as explained in proverbs 10:4, diligent workers never grow hungry and diligent people succeed both socially and spiritually. It reads "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth."

Have a great day being diligent in that which you find yourself doing, whilst making God famous along the way

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by Photobucket***