“Faith doesn’t always take you out of the problem, Faith takes you through the problem. Faith doesn’t always take away the pain, Faith gives you the ability to handle the pain. Faith doesn’t always take you out of the storm, Faith calms you in the midst of the storm.” – Author Unknown
“All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travelers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken.”- Thomas Wolfe; “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.”-Jim Rohn; “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”-John Quincy Adams
Text: Deuteronomy 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 4:6-11
The month of October is my birth month and I enjoin you all to celebrate, pray for me, family and ministries. I ask God to help actualize my vision, dreams and send me divine helpers and financial support. October is also the celebration of Nigerian Independence. October is the tenth month of the year in the modern day Gregorian calendar. It was also the tenth month in the earlier Julian calendar. October always had 31 days, and it became the tenth month of the year when the months of January and February were added, pushing October towards the end of the solar year, which is around 365.24 days long. The Julian was substituted for the Gregorian calendar because it did not reflect the length of a year on Earth accurately enough. Today’s Gregorian calendar does a much better job at keeping up with our planet’s revolutions around the Sun, but even this calendar is not perfect. The month of October starts on the same day of the week as January in common years, but during leap years. October’s birth flower is the calendula and the birthstone is the opal.I was once invited to celebrate Nigerian Independence – October 1, 1960 at Houston Praise Community Church, Houston. Nigeria was then 55 years old as independence country. Like many African countries, it is a country saturated with problems – the greatest is leadership failures. A leader is defined as “one’s ability to get others to willingly follow.” Another definition put it this way, “Leadership is inspiring others to pursue your vision within the parameters you set, to the extent that it become a share success” (Zeitchch 2002). That person influences others through social influence not power, to get something accomplished. Bosses use power to get things done. Put it differently, managers do things right but leaders do the right thing. A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better (Unknown author).
Looking at those definition and embedded qualities, do our leaders possess them? Do they have big dreams, right visions, dedication, creativeness and innovations, people person, motivation and planning; create opportunities for people to grow, discipline and love for your country and people as well as more importantly have fear of God. Nigeria has challenges bothered on: tribalism, corruption, greed, idolatry (worship of people and money/cult); lack of fear of God (shout God in our month but not in our hearts) and concern for the people. They indulged in pen robbery, Boko Haram, and insecurities at the highest level etc.
Nigeria is rich in resources: Palm produce –oil and kernel in the East, Cocoa and kola-nut in the west; groundnut pyramid in the north and minerals in middle belt. Then came oil boom that has turned to oil doom. Daily we hear overwhelming bad news of killings, burning of Churches, the society getting poorer, people in high places enriching themselves, pen robbery and money squandamenia. Yet the masses live in abject poverty while few in ruling class rob the treasury at the expense of all. Nobody can simply qualify the level of corruption, indiscipline, fraud and nepotism in Nigeria and most African countries.
Our Text: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”(NKJV). Another version put it this way, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us and when we are knocked down, we get up again” (CEV). Yet as we pass through these hard and difficult times, God is faithful and never allow those who trust Him to fail.
The God of hard times: His faithfulness!!!
*Due 7:9 – Only true God; love and obey Him; keep His agreement with you and descendants…
*Lamentations 3:31-32 – faithful to the defeated.
*Palms 100:5 – His faithfulness last for ever
*Isaiah 49:7-8 –The Lord will rescue His people
*Luke 22:31-32 – Faithful to the fallen
*1 Corinthians 10:13 –faithful to the tempted
*Philippians 1:6 – faithful to finish His work He started in you.
*1 Thessalonians 5:24 – faithful is He that calls you who also will do it.
*Hebrew 10:23 – Let us hold unwaveringly to the hope we profess.
The children of Israel stayed as slaves in Egypt for 430 years: persecuted, staved, beaten, hard labor yet God saved them. Job loses everything: children, wealth, reputation, friends, and experienced despair and isolation from God (Job 1:20-22). Daniel and the three Hebrew boys (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) were persecuted and tortured yet they trusted God of heaven and He came to their rescue (Dan 3:16-18). Apostle Peter was rescued from prison (Acts 12:5-10); Paul and Silas were in prison and God rescued them (Acts 16:16-25-31). David cried in Psalm 13: 1 –How much longer Lord, will you forget about me? Will it be forever? How long will you hide?
Lesson learnt:
i) Sometimes God won’t intervene until something is humanly impossible. God loves impossible odds.
ii) God is bigger and more powerful than any problem we face in this world
iii) The toughest circumstances are the impossible odds that set the stage for amazing, uncommon miracles – that’s how God reveals His glory and blesses us in a way we never imagined
iv) God is near even when He seems far. He’s never delayed; His timing is perfect (John 11: 17ff)
v) Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives or we want immediate relief. God answers prayers in His own time, and way; may want us to go through weeks, months and years of trying times. 1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety –He cares for you.
vi) We are chosen not in the palace but in the furnace. In the furnace, beauty is marred, fashion is destroyed, strength is melted and glory is consumed. Adversity brings completion in our lives and ultimately God glory reveals.
vii) Affliction brings about transformation. God is not likely to use manicure set to transform our lives. Most often He uses the hammers and chisels. The stony hearts must submit to the chisels of the Holy Spirit.
viii) God shows up in the furnace of affliction.
Our Response to God’s faithfulness:
*We come to Him in worship and thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2-3, 6-7)
*I will bless the Lord at all times (Psalms 34:1); not sometimes or at odd times only. And we know all things (not some things, but all things) work together for good to those that love God… (Rom 8:28).
*People are losing their jobs but you have yours; people are losing their mind but you have sound mind. God is still providing for us. Is your God worth celebrating?
*When you won’t praise men, they throw you into a lion’s den but God will bring you out. When men get upset with you and throw you into a fiery furnace and your God comes to take you out and you do not smell smoke. Your God can part the Red sea and make demons flee and the same sea consumes your enemies.
*God can make you get a job you did not apply for. He can make you smile at your enemies while He shames the enemies of your progress. This great God fetches water with a basket while people with pots could not.
Challenges:
+God is challenging us to trust Him. In the world of uncertainty, new revelations of chaos, moral confusion; companies downsizing, bosses restrained, friends move away, marriage dissolve, children walk away from home, our health deteriorating, loved ones passing away, living with leadership failures yet God does not change. He’s ever presence; loving and compassionate.
i) Every word He says is true and will come to pass. Not when the sun is shining and all bills paid. How about when the bill collectors are at the door; when sickness befalls you and friends run away or keep distance. When your marriage is in trouble and friends turns unfriendly and shame, gossip and slander ruin your effects and your day. God is faithful and dependable.
In the world of broken promises, leaders pledge peace and turn around to plan wars. Marriages end over trivial disputes. Friendships and relationships break over hearsay or minor gossips. Number 23:19 confirms God is not man that he should lie. He’s what He says He’s.
ii) Every promise of God will be kept: Joshua 21:43-45, God gave Israel the land He promised their fathers. Not quickly (it took seven (7) years); not without a struggle (there were many battles, but God always win the war); not without some setbacks/failures/loss of lives
iii) Every trial God allows has a purpose. God knows what you are going through (Job 23:10); God uses my trials to make me grow (Rom 5:3-4); He calls me to rejoice in my pain (James 1:2-4); He invites me to submit to the faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19).
In conclusion, I read this story somewhere in the internet and it touched me.
A small boy flying a kite high in the sky and it drifted into the cloud and disappeared from view. A man passing by asked the little boy: what are you doing? He replied, “I’m flying my kite.” The man looking up and said, I don’t see any kite. How do you know it’s still there? The boy replied: I don’t see it either but I know it’s up there because once in a while there a tug on my string. Many Christians think God has disappeared when they do not see or feel Him. I assure you He’s not. He is omnipresence. Hold unto Him He will show up surprisingly. There is a tug on the string. (Rom 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:24).
