In This 2009, We Will...(4)

Samuel came from a poor family. Somehow, he managed to have financial support when he needed it. Little wonder he managed to get to University despite the fact that his family had little money. One very challenging period was when he was writing his project – a few months to graduation. There was no money to fund his project. Because of the miraculous provision he had received from God in the past, at the back of his mind, he believed God would come through for him as always.

Out of nowhere, the Nigerian Federal Government decided to give scholarships to selected students of the university. This had never been done before in the history of his stay in the university. He was shortlisted amongst 9 others from his department. Only 3 people from his department would eventually get the scholarship.

All 10 selected people wanted to know who will be among the 3 selected. In a classroom discussion, they suggested the possible criteria for selecting the 3: CGPA; State of Origin, Age, Gender, Relevance of Project topic, SSCE results, track record with scholarships… the list was endless. Samuel left the gathering as he meditated on the discussion. He realized he was not top 3 in any of the listed criteria. Sadly, he shut his heart to any possibility of receiving the scholarship.

To worsen it, 3 days later, a lecturer came to class and called the top 3 performers.
“You applied for the Federal Govt. Scholarship?” lecturer asked.
They replied affirmative.
“Please come to my office quickly...”
At that point, Samuel lost all hope. He spent his weekend feeling depressed, disappointed and sad. He shut off family and friends while he mourned the lost opportunity because of his apparent shortcomings.

A month later, when he had forgotten about the scholarship, a list of successful candidates for the scholarship was released. Samuel’s name was # 1 on the list from his department. None of the 3 top performers in class were in the list. When he asked the lecturer why they did not make it, he was told that they did not meet the criteria of the Federal Government (I wonder what their criteria were).

Recall that the purpose of the series “In this 2009, We will…” is to discuss a few things we will do this year to see the physical manifestation of what we desire. That means, it has already been given to us. We are yet to receive.
Samuel spent days worrying, crying, depressed, disappointed, and ignorant that what was his will always be his. His peace and joy were stolen (temporarily) because he had listened and meditated on things contrary to what God had promised him, even though he had past experiences to attest for the faithfulness of God.

In this 2009, We Will Guard our Hearts.

Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life [Proverbs 4:23].

The heart is your center – the very core of your being. The heart speaks about who you really are as a person. From out of the heart flows “the issues of life”, the heart “affects everything you do”.
The heart is the totality of your MIND (intellect), your EMOTIONS (feelings), and your WILL (choices).
To safeguard your heart means to protect your mind; preserve your emotions; prop up your will.

Part of guarding your heart means confession of your sins, carefully inspecting what you let in and out of your heart and mind. What you watch, where you go, who your friends are, what you listen to, what you set your affections on, and your choices not based on feeling but on truth. Weeding out roots of bitterness, unforgiveness, disobedience, lust, immorality, gossip, and so many other things that seek to ensnare your heart. Knowing the truth is what will set us free from the deceitfulness of our own hearts.

In guarding your heart, you will keep your heart from doing hurt and getting hurt, from being defiled by sin and disturbed by trouble. You will keep your heart like it is a jewel (cherish and protect), and as a vineyard (pruned and healthy); keep a conscience void of offence; keep out bad thoughts; keep up good thoughts; keep the affections upon right objects and in due bounds.

Rather than letting negative words and thoughts replace the hope you have in God, guard your heart diligently and keep your mind stayed on Him.
You may hear of how many could not make it or how many were not successful or how many did not get something similar to which you desire. Do not change your confessions. Rather dare to trust God that your story will be different. He is God who can customize blessings and create opportunities that never existed before just because of you. His criteria for blessing you are beyond the ways and understanding of man.

May the ‘peace of God, which transcends all understanding….guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ [Phil 4:7] Amen.

For further reading on what it means to guard your heart, please refer to
• Guard your heart above ALL things
• Guard your heart
• Guard your heart
For Previous posts in this series please visit
• In This 2009, We Will Pray For Others
• In this 2009, We Will Worship The Lord
• In this 2009, We Will Know God for Ourselves

Have a blessed weekend ahead.

Infant Steps: Is it wrong to go to nightclubs?

My Beloved EROLyrics Readers,

Thank you all for your responses to Bennie's questions. He is now going to a church near his home. He found out afterall that the church was not bad. Yesterday he came to tell me how blessed he's been by the gathering and the people he met.

Welcome to a new and blessed week. For the Infant Steps Series, I have a question from Christine about "clubbing".

Is it right or is it wrong? Please read her question below and give your take on it.


Dear Rita,

Some of my Christian friends find it repulsive when I go to clubs. I am a sociable person and I enjoy attending parties. Is it wrong to go to nightclubs? My intentions of going to clubs are to dance and have a good time, not to look for or hang out with men. Most times, I am invited by very close friends whom I do not want to disappoint.

I truly appreciate your candid opinion here.

Thank you,
Christine.

*Something I forgot to mention, Christine is a born again Christian.

Infant Steps: Should I go to Church?

My Beloved EROLyrics Readers,

Thank you all for your responses to Angela's questions. Believe me, she is relieved to know she is not alone in her desire to hear from God, and that there is a solution.

Welcome to a new and blessed week. For the Infant Steps Series, I just received a question from Ben that has kept me thinking all day and night.

Please share your two cents on his question below. Thank you.


Dear Rita,

I have been a born again Christian for about nine years. I used to go to church frequently until I moved location two years ago. In my new location, I do not like the churches around. What they preach is contrary to what I have always known. As a result, I decided to stop going to church.

At the end of each year, I take my yearly tithes and offerings and pay to my former church. I try not to sin. I give when I can. I read my Bible. On Sundays I listen to Christian music. I worship and pray.

My question is, is there still need to go to church? I want to be sure that I am not doing the wrong thing.

Benjamin.

Infant Steps: How can I Hear from God

My Beloved EROLyrics Readers,
Hope your week has started beautifully. Our first question on the Infant Steps series is here. Angela shares with us her question on the voice of God.

Please offer your invaluable responses to her questions. Thank you.


Dear Rita,

I am a growing, born again Christian. One thing that puzzles me is when I hear people say “God told me…” or “God showed me…” In other words, they heard from God.

Does God speak verbally? What is the voice of God? How can I hear it? How long do I need to be a born again Christian to hear from God?

I truly look forward to your response,
Angela

The Series called “Infant Steps”

Have you found yourself in that situation where you want to react in response to a hurt, desire, words, and all of a sudden something tells you, "You shouldn't do this!" Then the battle begins. "Should I? Should I not…"

Many of you will agree with me that the Christian walk is a daily walk that calls for death to one's self. You will also agree with me that sometimes when the "Should I? Should I not?" battle begins, you are at loss for what to do because you are not sure. It is even worse when in secret you face challenges you feel are unique to you, not knowing that someone else has been there and has come out victorious.

Effective next week, every Tuesday, there will be a series titled "Infant Steps". This series is a medium for us to ask questions we have as growing Christians. Each episode in this series will have a new and unique question. I don't know about you, but I have like a million questions to ask and hope to get an answer.

Will I be the one to answer the questions? No. Out here, in this big family, there are some who understand the basics/basis of Christianity. There are also some who have overcome trials and temptations that still hold others back. And there are some that have advanced in their walk with God. It is my sincere desire that through this forum, we will help each other grow from infancy to matured children of God in our Christian walk. I crave your participation in this series.

I hope I would have the time to talk about the rules and how we will go about it. If I don't please remember that the purpose of this forum is to ask questions related to our "Christian Walk and Growth" and personal experiences will be cherished in response to questions.

If you have any such questions, which you want to share and want answered in this series, please drop me an email at esurunma@gmail.com. If you want others to know the question is from you, please also indicate in the email you send to me and leave your preferred name. If you want to remain anonymous to me and others, please leave your question as a comment on one of my posts. The disadvantage of this is that if I have to edit any statement, I may not be able to get back to you.

Now I formerly thank those who checked up on me during my unplanned time away from Blogsville. My sincere apologies to those I could not respond to. I will be back to give you a post on one of the reasons why I was away.

In the meantime, remain blessed and enjoy the rest of the week.

PS: If you do not want to miss the questions, you can "SUBSCRIBE TO EROLYRICS" using the FeedBlitz gadget provided on my blog.

* Pictures by Photobucket