Ps 40: 1-3
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Waiting is a universal human experience. However blessed you maybe, we all are waiting for something. If you are not waiting for a better job, you are waiting for your first home. If you are not waiting for your first home you are waiting for a child. Your own waiting could be centered around growth in your ministry. You may even be waiting for a spouse. Whatever it is we all have one thing to which we look to God for help. Whatever you may be waiting for, I have come to announce to you that you waiting time has come to an end.

Some things are easier to wait for than others. Kickoff is easy to wait for when you’re tailgating but some things are harder to wait for, like the birth of a child. Sometimes, it is far more difficult to wait at an advanced age for a marital Partner particularly as a woman whose biological clock is ticking really fast.
Today, I am writing to encourage anyone who is or who has been waiting on the Lord for the fulfilment of a promise. That waiting is now over. If you have been praying about a situation and it has not yet changed, fret no longer. God is here to turn things around in your favour.

When we struggle, we end up angry, bitter, hurt, pained and sad. So rather than worry about it, God tells us to do this: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 NLT God is big on thanksgiving. He really does want us to thank Him in all situations. Thanking God regardless of where we are is simply telling Him that we trust Him. As inheritors of the promise we wait in thanksgiving.

So how do I know God is stepping into your boat at this time to still the storms of your life and bring your long nights of waiting to a definite end? Why now? Why not three years ago? Why not last year when you really needed His divine intervention? The first thing to know is that God’s time is always perfect. Besides, it is written that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11a NIV.
God is always working behind the scenes in our best interest. When God sorts it out at his appointed time, it can never be anything less than beautiful.
Hear what the Lord is saying to us now: “I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now I will cry out like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.” Isaiah 42:14 KJV . God is simply telling us that He will give all it takes to come and rescue us. He will not wait any longer. He is putting an end to the problems and challenges. He is bringing utter destruction to every symptom that is ravaging our bodies. He is charging forth in his wrath to completely wipe out every enemy of our progress. All those wishing to truncate our destinies will be crushed and heard of no more.
He goes further to tell us this. “I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:15- 16 KJV. God is coming to frustrate all the plans of our enemies and make them useless and unproductive. God is bringing new opportunities to us and He will lead and guide us through. He is bringing clarity in the place of confusion. He is coming to take away every pain and discomfort that we have been dealing with. He is coming to see to us and see to our needs.

This is not the time to complain about anything but to start thanking and praising God for not keeping silent. The case is settled. The battle has been won. God has given us victory. “The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.” Isaiah 42:13 NLT
Are you waiting patiently for God, patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to wait with the right attitude. While waiting, you should still believe. The Egyptians thought they can overpower and overthrow the Israelites at the embankment of the red sea, but God admonished the Israelites, saying “the Egyptians you see today, you will see them no more”.

As you′ve waited on God for the fulfilment of his promise for your life, it is my sincere prayers for you that shortly you will have the reason to sing and rejoice.
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Happy New Month and welcome to the Second Half of Year 2024. Your Celebration cometh in Jesus name.

(Gen 13: 14-15)
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. These are the immortal words of Helen Keller the American legend who was both blind and deaf. There are men who have eyes but who lack sight. That would not be you in Jesus name.

Having sight is more than just having eyes. It is having the capacity to make meaning of what is seen. You see, when a man is intellectually retarded, he would only see men as log of woods. It happened in Mark 8 to that man who had just been healed by Jesus. He had a blurry sight.
Now, many people have vision that is blurred by the gains of today. Many people make judgements based on what they can see today. Many make a choice of job based on what is on offer today. Many abandon a glorious endeavour for a less demanding engagement because of the immediate gains. Placing too much focus on today will mislead a man. What will always matter more is what the implications of today’s choices are on the outcomes of tomorrow. How will the choices of today turn out tomorrow? Unfortunately, we have no capacity to know tomorrow.

So how can we keep a focus on the future that we do not know? Impossible right? That’s true. That is why we need more than ourselves to fulfil the future that God has given to us. The Bible says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
There is no better way to understand the future than by befriending the custodian of the future himself- Jesus. Jesus is able to show you what the future holds. He has the capacity to beautiful your future, give you some insights into your future and if needs be re-make your future. Yes, He is that powerful. You cannot afford to live your life on guess work. You sure need him.

Many people already know Jesus. By privilege they have access to secrets and mysteries of the future and in some cases they even know what exact steps they need to take to fulfill the future but they still do not fulfill it. They still miss the glorious future that God has carefully prepared for them. So, what are the things that distract men from the beautiful things that God has destined for their lives?

First is the failures of the past. You see, if a man suffers too much, he can become so used to suffering that he would judge anything that lacks suffering as a product of the devil. If a man lacks too much, he can become so used to lack that he would reject any opportunities to live in plenty. The children Of Israel were exiting Egypt and they had just gotten on the road to Canaan the promised land. God had told them about the glory that awaited them in Canaan. But a slight inconvenience hindered some of them from entering to Canaan.

Second is inconsistency. When Jesus was praying at Gethsemane that the sorrowful “cup of calvary should pass”, He was with Peter, James and John. He specifically requested their prayers while He went a little further so He could be alone to pray. By the time he returned, they were snoring. They hadn’t even prayed thirty minutes. In particular He said to Peter “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14: 36) Jesus prayed all night in that place. The intensity of his prayers made his sweat as thick as blood. It was a very agonizing time in the life of Jesus. He even prayed that the cup would pass but He was quickly reminded that it was all part of His destiny. He prayed that God’s will be done. I believe that the prayers of Gethsemane released virtues unto Jesus to bare the pains of Calvary with grace and earn victory. I believe were it not for the intensity of the prayers of that night He may have failed in the last minute like Peter. What was the product, Jesus left that mountain to fulfil his glorious destiny after which according to Phil 2: 9-11
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the contrary, Peter left that place to fail one of the most important tests of his Christian life because he slept away the grace that could have recovered him.

You see, once there is a beautiful future ahead of you there must be obstacles placed on your path to fulfilling it. The question is “will you be committed enough to stay the course”? because it would not be easy. Very often there would be that defining moment when you are expected to either cave in or strongly hold out. What will be your response in that all-important moment. A glorious future will always bring some pains in the moment.

The last thing is the lack of discipline. Brethren, please note that “It is not every open door that is God’s door” I dare to say that “Some open doors are the devil’s detour from God’s plans”. It takes intentionality and discipline to stay in the very centre of the will of God- not around it but in the very centre. When Joseph had the favour of Portiphar’s wife he could quickly have concluded that it was his best chance to escape slavery and return to his father’s house. But that was not God’s plan for him. In fact, the plan of God still had a jail sentence ahead. I am sure he would have asked himself- how can God reward my fervency with a prison sentence? Couldn’t He just show the authorities that Portiphar’s wife was lying so I can at least be released for staying faithful to God?
But God does not work in a straight line. No! That is why you need discipline to stay doing the right thing and always.

As you go ahead into the second quarter of the year, I wish you a very clear vision and in addition to it accelerated speed so that the plans of God for your life can quickly come to fruition.
Happy new month of April.

_1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him._

The value of a promise is a function of the speaker of the promise. In this world, there are men and there are men. When some men talk you can go to sleep because they will honor the word even if it is at the cost of their lives. But when some other men pronounce a promise they carry no weight at all. They can renege on a promise just because it rained heavily or it was a sunny day. Our God is not like that.
Proverbs 23:19 says “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
There are three things that make the word of our God of particular consequence.

First is the Ability of our God.
No one can give what he does not have. Recall the story of the exorcists who; trying to mirror the spiritual exploits of Paul in casting out demons said in Acts 19 to evil spirits “...We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” Interestingly, the Bible calls them “Vagabond Jews”. By definition, vagabond means “impostor”, not born of the presumed father. In truth, that was who they were. They were claiming the brotherhood of the Kingdom when in fact they had no identity in Heaven. Our God is not like that.
By proofs again and again; by proof documented in medieval times and now, our God has proven His capacity to do what men cannot do.

The Integrity of our God
It was Alan Kooi Simpson a United States Republican Senator representing Wyoming who served from 1979 to 1997 that said “If you have integrity nothing else matters. When you do not have integrity nothing else matters”. The integrity of God is unquestionable. Even the integrity of those who follow in his steps is solid.

The story of Peter as x-rayed in the above scripture is unique. It has been a whole night of fruitless trouble and Peter being now exhausted was washing his boat and nets and looking to take some deserved rest. They spent all night but did not get anything. By training they knew that the best time to get a decent catch was in the night. It was now morning. Jesus is asking at an unusual hour that they make one more try. Jesus is asking after their very best efforts had been expended for them to make one more try. Jesus asked after they had applied skill without outcomes to apply “faith”. See, skill is great and you should get skills. But the best progress in life are not often the direct products of skills.
Often they are products of grace. To be clear, grace is Jesus staking his integrity to qualify us beyond our skills. That was the whole story of Peter.
And lastly, the love of God God speaking through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah in Isa 49:15 says “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”

When I think about the love of God it makes me shiver. God sent His only begotten son to the world to die for mankind in hope that mankind would take advantage of Calvary. And I ask, what if all men reject His offer? What if no one repents? His only begotten son would have died in vain. God took a pre-emptive risk. That’s a depth of love no one can explain.
These three reasons above makes it impossible for God to fail whenever he says a thing.
Paul speaking to the Roman Church says in Rom 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Dear friend, if there was anyone who knew God at close range Paul did.
As this new month unfolds I challenge you therefore to hold on strongly to what you have heard Him say to you. He is not a son of man. He cannot lie. He has said it emphatically- even though it is November God is making it your own January. The implication of that just in case you do not know is restoration of time in all of its dimensions. Men say that time is the only resource in the world that once lost can never be regained- not with God.

Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus three days late, in spite of that defining lateness, when he got there, he was still right on time. He did not just reverse the death of Lazarus he restored time unto him (John 11:1-45)

It is my prayer for you today dear reader that God will fulfil the promise of Exodus 12:1-2 in your life.
November shall be as January to you and you shall pursue and recover all.
Happy new month.

Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Disappointment is a hard thing to live with, and sometimes we feel disappointed with God and the circumstances of our lives. The question we sometimes find ourselves asking God is “How could you let this happen to me?“

The truth however is that the real battle is NOT what happens to us, but HOW we respond to what happens to us! If we trust God in ALL circumstances He will prove that He is able to do above our expectations. Many of the greatest people who have ever lived have had the worst circumstances in their lives, it is how they chose to respond to such events that made them great!
Expectation is not just the function of the position you hold but it’s a function of your potential (Genesis 1:28). Expectation is also a function of your purpose in Life. It’s also a function of people’s perception. In life either you are below expectation, meeting expectation or exceeding expectation. You can’t just be fine as a believer, it’s an insult to the blessings of God. The Bible speaking in Romans says For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. It is God′s nature to exceed expectation Romans 8:19
We all have things that we′re believing God for, dreams to come to pass, problems to turn around. We′d be glad if they worked out our way, but sometimes what we have in mind is not God′s best.

We think ordinary, God thinks extraordinary. We think, “Let me have enough to get by,“ God thinks abundance. We think, “Let me manage this addiction,“ God thinks freedom. We′re asking for the possible when God wants to do the impossible. He specializes in exceeding our expectations, and what he has in store for you is bigger, more rewarding, more fulfilling than you can imagine.

Paul said in Ephesians God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think, and I believe this is going to be a year where God exceeds your expectations. He′s not going to do what you′re asking for, he′s going to exceed it. He′s going to open doors you never dreamed would open. He′s going to take you further than you can imagine. You′re going to look back and think, “I never dreamed I′d be this blessed, never dreamed I′d have this position, never dreamed I′d marry somebody this great“. Get ready. God is about to exceed your expectations. He′s going to make things happen that you didn′t see coming. You didn′t deserve it, you didn′t work for it. It′s just the goodness of God showing favour on your life.

This is what happened to a man in Acts chapter 3. He′d been crippled his whole life, and every day his family would carry him to the temple and set him outside by the gate. As people came in, he would ask them for money. He was 40 years old and had done this over the years, day after day. He knew the routine. People would come in, he would beg for money, and here and there they would throw some coins in his bag. This is how he survived.

One day, Peter and John came to the temple. The man went through his same speech, “Can you spare some change? Will you help me out“? Most people ignored him and kept walking, but Peter stopped and said to the man, “Look at us“. The scripture says the man looked up expecting to receive a gift. I can see him hold his bag out, thinking they were going to throw some coins in, but Peter said, “I don′t have any silver or gold for you, but I have something better. In the name of Jesus, rise and walk“
When the people in the temple saw the crippled man walking, running, thanking God, they couldn′t believe it. The scripture says they were astonished, and what God is about to do in your life is going to cause people to look at you in astonishment. They′re going to think, “How could you be so blessed? I know where you came from“. “How could you be free when so many around you are addicted“? “How could you be so strong, so healthy, so energetic? The medical report said you weren′t going to get well“. God is going to make you an example of his goodness. When he exceeds your expectations, people are going to take notice. They′re going to see the favour on your life.
You may have obstacles in your path and challenges coming against you today in your health, your finances, a relationship. You′re asking God to turn it around. Stay encouraged. God is not only going to bring you out, he′s going to have some spoils there. There is going to be some plunder. He′s going to bring you out better than you were before. He′s going to exceed your expectations.

Now, don′t talk yourself out of it. Sometimes when we′ve struggled in an area so long, we′ve gotten comfortable. Like the crippled man, we′re expecting a few coins, something to sustain us, to help us make it through the year. God is about to do a new thing. You′re asking for the possible, he′s about to do the impossible. He′s going to take you where you′ve never been. No more coins, no more dysfunction, no more being barren, no more stuck in your career. You′re about to come in to some of these exceeded expectations.

As we go to this convention, God has spoken yet again through the mouth of our Father in the Lord. In this convention, God will not just be meeting your expectations, He would be exceeding it. This is a year where God is going to do more than you′ve asked. You′ve been faithful, you′ve honored him, now God is about to show out in your life. Every morning, “Lord, I want to thank you that you′re going to exceed my expectations“. If you do this, I believe and declare God is about to visit you again. You′ve had Samuel, he′s been good to you, but you haven′t seen anything yet. New doors are about to open, increase, promotion that you didn′t see coming will come your way. Problems are turning around, health is being restored, exceeded expectations are coming your way in Jesus′ name.