I Refuse To Be Delayed!

Delay according to word net is defined as inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time.  Many, at the assurance of success still find themselves waiting for the manifestation; some wait overtime while some wait till they leave this world and the reason for this “wait” cannot be fathomed. Most times, the reasons you haven’t received that breakthrough may not be because God is withholding it and it may not be the fault of whoever is delivering it, but because some spiritual forces are at work. Daniel 10:12-14, 12Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. 14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel’s answered prayers were withheld for 21 days by the SPIRIT prince (another version of the Bible says, “By the King”) of Persia. The angel that was sent in response to Daniel’s prayers said Daniel’s prayers were answered, that was success there, but it was delayed, the desired result, that is, the angel of God that was sent to reveal what will happen in future to the people of Jerusalem was delayed.  Daniel was in a state of holiness, purity and clear route to Heaven, hence, the Spirit Prince of Persia couldn’t delay him for long because heaven had taken up his case.

Failure or success, fulfillment or setback, are not decided by wealth, skills, power or whatever you have achieved, they are dependent on your connection with God, your relationship with God. Daniel may have had his prayers answered on the first day, but if he had disconnected from heaven, from God and had chosen to entangle himself with the affairs of this world, he would have been delayed for as long as he stayed disconnected and he would have kept on waiting to hear from God or receive answers from God. This is what a lot of people are undergoing today, because we see God as an ATM machine, when we need Him, we seek Him and the moment we are assured of our victory we are nowhere near God. Success isn’t complete until it’s manifested and when it’s manifested, it isn’t complete until it reaches its maximum state. Just because God has spoken to you one way or the other about a situation doesn’t mean you should go back and entangle yourself with the affairs of this world, let me reiterate, pursue those promises with all diligence and guard them like you would your very eyes. One thing I have realized is that every success comes in stages, and for each stage, you meet different oppositions. For example, you want to get into college, they need you to get your transcript evaluated, when they get it evaluated, the school will access your grades and choose whether or not to take you, when they do, you have to ensure good grades to get the benefits at school, when you do, you have to maintain it to graduate, when you are done with that, you have to look for a job, when you get a job, you have to work hard to be promoted and so on…… Each stage of success has its requirements and every man on earth has an angel assigned to him and how well those angels will work on your behalf (active) depends strictly on you, how well you stay focused and connected to God. Daniel 10:20, He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. 21Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. The angel revealed that Michael is Daniel’s angel who assists in fighting for Daniel against the spirituals forces. He also mentioned in verse 20 that, after fighting against the spirit of Persia, he would fight the spirit of Greece. Because this truth has been hidden from most people, a lot find themselves in a disappointing situation; they win here and lose there because they relax in their spiritual warfare after what seems like an assuring response from God. If the devil, our adversary prowls around looking for someone to devour, you don’t want to be a prey. (1 Peter 5:8), stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

The spirit of the King of Persia (Daniel 10:13) comes in different forms, it is regarded as our enemy and could be operating in different forms, either through your next door neighbor, your best friend, that church member who doesn’t like you and doesn’t want you anywhere in church because the devil knows your place of blessings, your boss, members of your family, your colleagues at school, work, etc. It is very easy to identify the enemy and its works. Anyone or anything that presents itself to you and causes you to engage in these acts is your enemy; Galatians 5:19-21, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  All these are destiny destroyers; they bring about delays and most times if not corrected, brings about denial of your success. The only language your enemy understands is force. When the desire to sin comes in the midst of your walk with God, (trust me, the desire will come), you can win by vehemently rebuking the devil and he will flee.  Anytime you make a conscious effort to draw closer to God, the enemy makes a stronger attempt to stop you, if he succeeds, he has you under his custody, but if he doesn’t, he has no hold on you, John 14:30. Forces of darkness operate victoriously in an unholy environment, unclean persons and one who is disconnected from heaven, they cannot prevail against you as long as you are in good terms with God and living a blameless life before Him (holy). I remember vividly when I was struggling to walk this walk, each time success was around the corner, the enemy comes with a huge offer and I’d take the offer at the detriment of my success, but, one day, God saw that I had been robbed enough and because He had a greater plan for me, He revealed this truth to me, the day I realized this truth, I purposed in my heart never to compromise my standards for anyone or anything. You can say I was delayed here and there but the moment I received this truth, I forcefully declined any subsequent offers from the devil and this time, the enemy came back with greater offers that anyone wouldn’t resist, but thank the Lord for Jesus Christ who gave me victory, victory over sin, victory over delays and disappointments. That is why the bible instructs us to bring our body under subjection, it’s not an easy walk, but you can do ALL things by the power of God, through Jesus Christ.  (Hebrews 12:1&2) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Verse 1 says, we have to strip (remove, strip, deprive) ourselves of that weight (jealousy, greed, anger, backbiting, sexual immorality, immorality, drunkenness, etc) that slows us down (delay) and easily trips us (makes us fall, stumble, go weak spiritually). Are you ashamed that you are not doing what your peer would rather have you do? Look up to Jesus! Are you ashamed that your friends laugh at the fact that you’ve chosen to follow Jesus? Remember His suffering and how He focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, instead of giving in to sin, He chose the crown. If you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, and strive to stay on that road fixing your eyes on Jesus alone, however difficult, then and only then can you shield yourself against the forces of darkness that seek to delay and destroy your destiny.         YOUR FEAR FOR SIN & ITS CONSEQUENCES SHOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN THE FEAR OF YOUR ENEMIES.

It is my prayer that every destiny destroyer sent to bring us down and cause delays in our lives will be condemned today in Jesus name. Amen!

Don’t Stop At Knowing (2)

Habakkuk 2:2&3

2And the LORD answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

It is one thing to know your purpose; it is another thing to fulfill your purpose. Have you ever asked yourself the reason God gives His beloved a vision and when he does, He helps you see the big picture, you see the end clearly? Because God is all-knowing and has seen all the bumps you’ll encounter before you get to your destination, hence, He gives you the end picture to help you to keep moving. Whenever God brings a vision to your knowledge, there is a binding force to achieve it and it can never be achieved until you have played your role. If God just says, I’ll bless you and doesn’t give you a vision or doesn’t reveal the end of his promise, like he did for Jacob; you’ll probably falter when it gets really bumpy, when it gets really tough. No wonder the bible calls him the “one who knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10) I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. As for God, he has already perfected His plans for you because the number of days you haven’t fulfilled, he has already lived through, seen all your failures, where you’ll likely give up, days you’ll cry, days you’ll sorrow in your pursuit for success and guess what? He mapped out a plan for you, he’s positioned help for you each day, he’s filled each day with the grace that you need, that’s why the bible says, “today is a day the Lord has made, I’ll rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).With all assurance, God says in verse 10B of Isaiah 46 that His purpose for you will stand and do all that He pleases, that’s to tell you that he has seen you reach the end and has perfected it, all you need do is run with the vision he’s given you. Also, bear in mind that when God gives you a vision, He equips you with all that you need to achieve it.

Let me tell you a story, I used to be an athlete back in the days and I had some trainers who would get me up at about 4.30am every morning (in preparation for a huge competition). A lot of them depended on me to win the cup, they were training me to stay light and strong. They starved me (I would eat only a slice of bread, no water, just glucose), ran around a 400 meter field about 10 times, did sit ups and pushups, they stretched me to a breaking point and explained to me why they were doing that to me and not other students, they made me see the end of the competition, the cup, the glory in being celebrated, the popularity, etc Being a short distance runner, I needed to comply if I had to cover all the laps and get the cup. On the day of the competition, I had done 100m, 200m, relay and finally 400m which demanded speed from start to finish and at that point I was so tired to lift my legs even though I was leading, the only thing that ever kept me lifting my legs, however heavy they were, was the cup, the glory and all.

Verse 2 of Habakkuk 2, says, write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. What does this mean? Write the vision, note the vision, remember the vision, let the vision be in your memory, do not forget your vision that you may not run in vain and make it plain, how? Understand your reason for embarking on a journey, understand your purpose, and make it clear to yourself why you have to go for your crown, because the zeal, the eagerness, the fervor, the interest to achieve the expected end comes through knowing the purpose of God for your life, but did God say stop at knowing and understanding? No! He said, RUN! PURSUE! Don’t stop until you get it for there is an assurance of your crown (expected end) as long as you run with your vision. Another fact I’d like to point out is the reason God said, you should know your vision, engrave the vision in your heart, understand your vision and RUN with your vision is for you never to give up in pursuit for success because those things that would distract you would come, those situations that will discourage you will come, those ugly feelings will rear their ugly heads, e.g, fear of the unknown, uncertainty, doubt, etc.,those friends that would mock you will appear, those who tried and failed all the way will be in your face and try to add you to the number of “tried and failed”, but, it is totally dependent on you to choose your goal over your detractors.  Galatians 5:7&8, you were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. The only time you’re permitted to stop pursuing God’s plan for you is when it is manifested and you are sure it is permanent, its permanence depends on your level of adherence to moral and ethical principles. For example, a person whom God has given a clear vision to Pastor a 2 million member church may succeed in bringing that vision to play, but how well the church advances depends on how the Pastor maintains an upright conduct.

In conclusion, you do not have any business being with anything or anyone that draws you back or prevents you from running and finishing well; no matter what it is or who it is because Galatians 5 verse 8 says such person or thing isn’t from God who gave you that vision, who called you for that purpose.

I pray that every detractor in our lives be completely defeated. May God open the eyes of your understanding to know what His purpose for you is and grant us all the strength to run without looking back till we’re crowned. Amen!

Don’t Stop At Knowing!

Some years back when I was in High school, there were several promises God made to me, I knew about them and as a matter of fact I was conscious of these promises, waiting to just walk into them without working or striving to bring them to fulfillment, how ignorant I was. While I advanced to college level, I did not only know my purpose in life, but I knew about the promises that would come with fulfilling my purpose, but I relaxed thinking that the God who promised all those will be faithful enough to fulfill them without my contribution. Guess God called me a “huge joke”.

Everyone has a purpose to fulfill on this earth and until you realize and begin to pursue your purpose in life, you’re considered unfruitful, unproductive and completely wasted. Take for example, the story of Jacob, in Genesis 28:1-5;

1 So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, "You must not marry any of these Canaanite women.2 Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban's daughters.3 May God Almighty* bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!4 May God pass on to you and your descendants* the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham."5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Isaac pronounced blessings on Jacob, but Jacob did not stop at knowing that he’d been blessed, he pursued the blessings knowing that his purpose was to become many nations through one of his uncle’s daughters. Not just that, to also possess the land he occupied as a fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and his descendant. The question now is, did Isaac stop at knowing these blessings? No! look at verse  5;

So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Immediately, Jacob pursued his purpose, he left for his purpose. While he pursued his destiny, he encountered disappointments but guess what, he did not stop pursuing his purpose. Jacob wanted Rachel, but Laban gave him the wrong woman after seven years of serving Laban (that was the height of wickedness, even if he had an excuse for what he did, I still consider it wicked because he should have informed Jacob about their “tradition”), Jacob went through the pain, sorrow, disappointment and regrets and served for another seven years just to have his purpose fulfilled. Read Chapter 29. All those children borne by Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah and Rachel made up great nations. This goes to say that most times when we think our plans are not working out the way we’d have them work out, there is probably a bigger picture we aren’t seeing. You can’t simply stop moving or pursuing your destiny because of setbacks, failures, disappointments, delays, etc. If Jacob stopped moving because of those setbacks, we probably wouldn’t be, a lot of destinies would have been aborted, a lot of plans would have failed, and a lot wouldn’t have come to play just because of one man’s fear of advancement.

 Now having achieved all of these, yes, and his children multiplied and became many nations, but he didn’t stop at that, he continued in pursuit of his purpose, even though it wasn’t easy. Jacob wrestled with the only One who could grant Him rest and establish him. Genesis 32:22;

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket.26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!" But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 "What is your name?" the man asked.  He replied, "Jacob”.28 "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel,* because you have fought with God and with men and have won."

Jacob went away from his family to be alone with God in prayer because he was desperate for a change, knowing that he was entitled to the promise made to Abraham and the only One that could make it happen was God. (verse 26), when God saw that he wouldn’t let go, he wouldn’t stop asking to be blessed, God had no other choice but to grant him his desires.

I have heard a lot of people complain about God’s unfulfilled promise and some even left the faith because they see God as a liar and very unfair. Sometime ago I was having a conversation with my eldest sister regarding some personal issues and one thing I remembered her telling me was, “If God promised, He will fulfill. But you have a role to play”. Jesus Christ did not ascend the throne by just sitting down and knowing that He’s been called to be the savior and with or without His contribution, he’ll be the savior. No! Jesus came and walked the walk, pursuing His divine purpose on earth with all his might, not that he never faced oppositions, disappointments, not that he never felt pains, not that he never cried, as a matter of fact, he begged His father to take this cup away from him, but when he remembered you, when He remembered me, when He thought about your tomorrow, he said, “Father, let your will and not mine be done. Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."

That’s why you & I are alive today, we no longer live under the law of sin, but we live by the grace of God. Jesus pursued his purpose regardless of the pain and suffering, he went through fire, yet he did not give up because he knew what promise awaited Him, and today, he has received it. Like Abraham, it took him obedience, faith and patience to receive God’s promise, like Elijah, who depended totally on God for everything through prayer and frequent communication, received the promise of eternal live, he lived in fear of his enemies, yet, did not give up till he was taken up to heaven by God. If all these people where able to receive the promises made to them by God and pursued their purpose in life without the distractions of this world, you can and I can. You can’t stop at knowing God’s will for your life, you have to keep pushing until it is manifested.

Isaiah 62:6 & 7

6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD. 7 Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.

Israel gave himself no rest (verse 6B); he prayed to God until he became the father of many nations, his name was changed. Before we can get the desired results in our lives, we have to keep praying till we see results, not just knowing that God has promised, yes, He will fulfill what He has promised but not until we go by the principles. Jacob faced disappointments, failures and oppositions, yet, he did not stop at that, he kept on pressing forward knowing that he had a purpose to fulfill. Again, he depended on God to change his name and bring to manifestation every promise made to him to bless and establish him, he wouldn’t give himself rest till he was absolutely established. Isaiah 62 says, give yourselves no rest until God completes His work and makes you the pride of this earth.

Your purpose in life comes in stages, when one stage is completed, don’t rest until the second is achieved, then the third ……… So many do not even know what direction to take in life, while so many hear God’s voice on what to do and work in their destinies, but for some reasons, they are not responsive. Isaiah 45:11

"thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me".

 You CANNOT just stop at knowing God’s plans for you and expect results just sitting there. I can’t remember where I heard this saying, “If you’re not ready to move your legs, don’t tell God to order your steps”.

Ask God for His purpose, ask Him things you know not and he’ll not only show you but guide you through the walk to achieving them. Jacob commanded the works of God’s hands, and today, we regard him as our father. As long as you know your purpose in life, you should never give in to those distractions and oppositions, they are there to make you stronger, better and wiser; the earlier you begin to pursue your purpose with all your might, the better for you. Let me reiterate, without fulfilling your destiny, your life on this earth is a complete waste, regardless of how comfortable you may be now.  Psalm 90:12, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. What does this mean? The earlier you realize that you do not have that luxury of time on this part of the world, the better for you because your ULTIMATE goal is to fulfill your purpose, which is why it’s expedient that you apply God’s wisdom in order to fulfill your destiny.

It is my prayer that your destiny will not be aborted and you will fulfill purpose in Jesus name. Amen!